Tuesday, November 30, 2004
10:50 PM
useful

Google Search: ((((one minus ((gravitational constant times mass of earth) divided by (speed of light squared times (cube root of ((gravitational constant times mass of earth times ((one divided by two) sidereal days) squared) divided by ((two times pi) squared))))))) divided by (one minus ((gravitational constant times mass of earth) divided by (speed of light squared times radius of earth))))) times (square root of (one minus ((cube root of (two times pi times gravitational constant times mass of earth divided by ((one divided by two) sidereal days))) divided by speed of light) squared))) times one day) minus one day = : ""

(Via .)

Tuesday, November 30, 2004
10:40 PM

Versace Barbie: "Xeni Jardin:


I didn't know there was such a thing. Does she come with a (perfect) nose full of (plastic) coke? Link (Thanks CityRag)"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Tuesday, November 30, 2004
10:36 PM
aging hipsters beware

Exploding lava lamp kills man: "Xeni Jardin:
BB reader Poppy says, 'A 24 year old man left a lava lamp on his stove, and it exploded. A shard of glass pieced his heart, killing him instantly. Link to story. This just a week after all the warnings over exploding cell phones. Link.'

Reader Jeremy says, 'I thought the story might be complete bull, but went right to the Kent Police Department site and found this press release. It has a little more information that the AP report.' Link"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Tuesday, November 30, 2004
10:32 PM
if only available 15 years ago...

Blinged-out baby umbilical cord gift atrocity: "Xeni Jardin:


A company in South Korea will gold-plate your child's umbilical cord and frame it for display. Link (second image down on the page.) (Thanks, Isaac)"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Monday, November 29, 2004
11:13 PM

Godzilla Gets Hollywood Walk of Fame Star (AP): "AP - Godzilla received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday, 50 years after he stomped onto movie screens and hours before the premiere of his latest film, 'Godzilla: Final Wars.'"

(Via Yahoo! News - Entertainment.)

Monday, November 29, 2004
10:37 PM

iPod Photo: Color does make a difference: "An ongoing phenomenon, that's what the iPod is."

(Via Macworld Editors' Notes Weblog.)

Monday, November 29, 2004
10:20 PM
now that's pissing

Handstanding Pandas: "David Pescovitz:
Some Pandas do handstands to mark their territory. The aim is to piss as high up a tree as possible. The higher the scent, the 'more dominant' the signal. A new BBC Wildlife Magazine documentary captures this and other interesting bearhavior using camouflaged cameras and motion sensors.
Link"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Monday, November 29, 2004
09:23 PM

★ The Joy of Tech! ★: ""

(Via .)

Monday, November 29, 2004
10:11 PM
liked the image

Big head people in Tokyo stores: "Mark Frauenfelder:

Giant headed people in Tokyo stores are a sign that Christmas is coming. Link

"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Monday, November 29, 2004
09:23 PM

★ The Joy of Tech! ★: ""

(Via .)

Monday, November 29, 2004
09:23 PM

★ The Joy of Tech! ★: ""

(Via .)

Friday, November 26, 2004
09:08 PM

William Shakespeare: "'This above all: to thine own self be true; And it must follow, as the night the day; Thou canst not then be false to any man.'"

(Via Motivational Quotes of the Day.)

8:30 PM

macteens : A Mac Thanksgiving: Little Things to be Grateful For: ""

(Via .)

Wednesday, November 24, 2004
08:41 PM
that crazy MS

Not: "According to Slashdot, Microsoft has patented the concept of negation.

Descartes said, 'I think, therefore I am'. Microsoft has shown that the contrapositive is true, namely, 'If I am not, then clearly I'm not thinking.'

(Do you think I can still patent the universal quantifier?)"

(Via Geekable.com.)

Wednesday, November 24, 2004
08:29 PM

now that's plush

We like the music, we like the disco sound: "A bloodless coup is sweeping the world of plush toys. There's a civil war between traditional teddy bears, puppy dogs , and the new breed of stuffed love bags. Ladies and gentlemen I present to you, for you enjoyment plush tampons, Toilet Paper, and Toast. Yah toast."

(Via metafilter.com.)

Wednesday, November 24, 2004
08:16 PM
This truly the comic book decade

50,000 comic book covers: "Mark Frauenfelder:
Wow - a searchable database of 50,000 comic book covers. Link"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Wednesday, November 24, 2004
08:15 PM
check out #5

Neal Pollack presents his top five...: "

Neal Pollack presents his top five books of 2004.

"

(Via blog.)

Wednesday, November 24, 2004
08:11 PM

Disclaimer stickers for science textbooks....: "

Disclaimer stickers for science textbooks.

This textbook contains material on gravity. Gravity is a theory, not a fact, regarding a force that cannot be directly seen. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered.

(Link via Political Wire.)

"

(Via blog.)

Wednesday, November 17, 2004
11:17 PM

Joyce Carol Oates: "'If you explore beneath shyness or party chit-chat, you can sometimes turn a dull exchange into an intriguing one. I've found this to be particularly true in the case of professors or intellectuals, who are full of fascinating information, but need encouragement before they'll divulge it.'"

(Via Motivational Quotes of the Day.)

Wednesday, November 17, 2004
11:14 PM
bad movie
good dvd??

'Riddick' Video Runs with $1.5 Mil in Day 1 Sales (Reuters): "Reuters - 'The Chronicles of
Riddick,' a sci-fi movie starring Vin Diesel, sold about 1.5
million combined DVD and VHS units to consumers during its
first day in release Tuesday, according to industry sources, an
impressive figure for a film that bombed at the box office."

(Via Yahoo! News - Entertainment.)

Wednesday, November 17, 2004
11:13 PM
gotcha

The Ghost Under the Bed: "It is said that when you receive this image and do not send it to at least five people, the woman will look for you during the night to collect your soul."

(Via Urban Legends and Folklore.)

Wednesday, November 17, 2004
11:12 PM
we were waiting too

Atlantis Discovered for the Umpteenth Time: "Robert Sarmast, a self-styled 'independent mythologist and researcher' based in Los Angeles, claims he has 'definitely' found the fabled lost continent of Atlantis in deep waters off the coast of Cyprus."

(Via Urban Legends and Folklore.)

Wednesday, November 17, 2004
11:09 PM

The Yo-Yo: "Giving an old toy a new spin"

(Via Interesting Thing of the Day.)

Wednesday, November 17, 2004
11:07 PM
pointless and loud
you'd think it was star wars...

The Chronicles of Riddick: "From: Universal Studios Home Video - Year: 2004 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: November 16, 2004 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * DD 5.1 * Extras! * - Recommended! Storywise, this is not the greatest film ever made, but as a sci-fi action flick it delivers on a regular basis. Wonderfully mindless and brainless, this energetic followup to Pitch Black tries really hard to dazzle, and it is true that the action sequences are particularly well done. It's just too bad the story can't keep up with the energy of the set pieces, which often play out more like a video game than a movie. This unrated director's cut tacks on an additional 15 minutes of footage for your enjoyment, and the impressive Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is meant to be played very, very loud. I loved the look and feel of The Chronicles of Riddick, but in the end I just didn't really care what happened to anyone, least of all Riddick. Amazon Compare"

(Via digitallyOBSESSED.com DVD Reviews.)

Wednesday, November 17, 2004
11:05 PM

Bush's second-term stamp on environment: "Federal laws and regulations dealing with everything from air pollution to oil drilling are likely to see a rigorous shaking out."

(Via Christian Science Monitor | Top Stories.)

Wednesday, November 17, 2004
10:57 PM
currently a fave rave for blogging' using i now

MarsEdit - 1.0b12: "weblog editor (formerly part of NetNewsWire)"

(Via VersionTracker: Mac OS X.)

Reckoning Delay-ed: "Yay for hypocrisy!

House Republicans approved a party rules change Wednesday that could allow Majority leader Tom DeLay to retain his leadership post if he is indicted by a Texas grand jury on state political corruption charges.

By a voice vote, and with a handful of lawmakers voicing opposition, the House Republican Conference decided that a party committee of several dozen members would review any felony indictment of a party leader and recommend at that time whether the leader should step aside.

How about some context?

House Republicans adopted the indictment rule in 1993, when they were trying to end four decades of Democratic control of the House, in part by highlighting Democrats' ethical lapses. They said at the time that they held themselves to higher standards than prominent Democrats such as then-Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski (Ill.), who eventually pleaded guilty to mail fraud and was sentenced to prison.

"

(Via Geekable.com.)

Wednesday, November 17, 2004
10:38 PM

JM Barrie theme-park in a game: "Cory Doctorow:
Players in the online world Second Life have built an astounding JM Barrie theme-park in-game. Wagner James Au writes,

From the Second Life residents who brought us 'Oz' comes 'Neverland', a 48 acre theme park devoted to the world and work of J.M. Barrie, on the 100th anniversary of his classic 'Peter Pan'. Featuring a painstakingly-realistic recreation of fin de siecle London (including a Jack the Ripper-haunted graveyard and a pub with a working dart board), Captain Hook's pirate armada (featuring self-firing cannons), and the Lost Boys' winding roller coaster. Last Friday's entry discussed the genesis of the project, and today's entry goes into the art, craft, and technology of the project-- along with asking the very pointed question, 'Why would a couple dozen talented people freely devote hundreds of hours working on a project that indirectly benefits a for-profit company?'

Link

(Thanks, James!)"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Saturday, November 13, 2004
09:32 PM

World run by pirates photoshopping contest: "Cory Doctorow:


Today's Worth1000 photoshopping contest is on a theme near to my heart: if pirates ran the world.

Link

"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Saturday, November 13, 2004
09:31 PM
remember the earwig episode of Night gallery?

Web Zen: earworm zen: "Xeni Jardin:


* wordspy: earworm


* badgers


* peanut butter jelly time


* lalala


* taters


* chocolate


* bounce the pudding


* llama


* weeeeee


* bananaphone


* spoken word bananaphone


* a cautionary tale


* maim that tune


* wikipedia: earworm




Image: It's peanut butter jelly time. web zen home, web zen store, (Thanks, Frank)."

(Via Boing Boing.)

Saturday, November 13, 2004
09:29 PM
yeah, more internet junk

Notebooks made from cheesy hardcovers: "Cory Doctorow:


ExLibrisAnonymous is one of my favorite sources of cool junk from the Internet. They buy crappy library hardcover books of childrens' stories, teacher's manuals, and dull nonfiction titles, and spiral bind the front and back covers around a sheaf of blank white paper, throwing in some of the plates or pages from the original book in the middle. At $11 each with shipping, they're a great gift item. The store just posted a bunch of new "titles" today, and I bought six as Xmas gifts.

Link


"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Saturday, November 13, 2004
09:28 PM
he so funny

Daily Show clips from last week: "Cory Doctorow:
Lisa Rein has posted four more clips from last week's Daily Show, a grab bag of Stewart and co's best bits:

Fallujah Assualt, 13.1MB Mov Link, The Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol, 13.9MB Mov Link, Salem Mass reforming its witch-burning reputation, 22.8MB Mov Link, Lewis Black on the election result, 6.5MB Mov Link

(via On Lisa Rein's Radar)"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Saturday, November 13, 2004
09:26 PM
what do they thin gives them the right to judge

Aschroft: judges shouldn't uphold the Constitution: "Cory Doctorow:
John Ashcroft, the former Attorney General of the United States of America, has given a public, blistering critique of judges who strike down the Bush administration's policies as unconstitutional.

"The danger I see here is that intrusive judicial oversight and second-guessing of presidential determinations in these critical areas can put at risk the very security of our nation in a time of war," Ashcroft said...

"Courts are not equipped to execute the law. They are not accountable to the people," Ashcroft said.

Link

(via Lawgeek)"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Friday, November 12, 2004
11:55 PM
I've starred my favorites-->*

Essential Mac software: "As a college student, I need special tools to get things done. Here's a list of the applications I use on my Mac. (Applications included with Mac OS X have been excluded from this list.)

• 3ivx -- Occasionally someone sends you a movie in a mysterious MPEG-4 format like "DivX" or "Xvid". 3ivx is a QuickTime plugin that will let you view these movies inside QuickTime Player.
  
• Audio Hijack Pro -- I don't need this program very often, but when I do, it's a lifesaver. It lets you capture audio streams from applications designed to keep their audio to themselves, e.g. RealPlayer, Windows Media, etc.
  
• **BBEdit -- The tastiest text editor. It's got the kitchen sink, the blender, the food processor, and the measuring cups.
  
• CocoaMySQL -- I only use this once in a great while to back up geekable.com. But it works great each time!
  
• ecto -- How do my words make it from my computer to this website? ecto of course!
  
• FontCard -- This makes your Font menu WYSIWIG in every single application. Pretty damned spiffy.
  
• GraphicConverter -- This is like BBEdit for images, but without Photoshop's hefty price tag.
  
• Little Snitch -- Kind of like ZoneAlarm for outbound traffic. It lets you know which programs are trying to use the Internet, and lets you allow or deny the connection in real time.
  
• Mathematica for Students -- I'm a math major. 'Nuff said.
• **Microsoft Office -- For when you need to communicate with the unwashed masses. (I haven't upgraded to 2004 yet because of the constant glitches reported by Macintouch and Macfixit.)
  
• ***NetNewsWire -- NNW keeps track of the blogosphere via RSS/Atom and tells you exactly which sites have updated their content. This saves incredible amounts of your time!
  
• OmniDiskSweeper -- Your hard drive's gigabytes fill up so quickly. This program lets you see where the biggest files are hiding.
  
• **OmniGraffle -- When I need to create a quick diagram, and my pen is dry, I turn to OmniGraffle.
  
• QuickAccessCM -- Not an application, but it adds desperately needed functionality to the Finder. Add Exposé and a Logitech MX-500, and you'll be flinging files around at breakneck speed.
  
• Remote Desktop Connection -- Microsoft sells Virtual PC, but it's a waste of money if you already have a physical Windows PC and a home network. Just use this free Microsoft program to log in to Windows remotely.
  
• RockNES -- When you need to blow off some steam and play Dr. Mario or Zelda, you'll want RockNES. (Dr. Mario and Zelda not included.)
  
• TeXShop -- A fantastic GUI for TeX/LaTeX. Run your LaTeX markup through, and get beautiful mathematical output in PDF form.
  
• Transmit -- Fetch is so Mac OS 9. When you need to FTP, use a program written for Mac OS X.
  
• Unison -- From the makers of Transmit, this is the definitive Mac USENET reader. Panic sure makes a lot of definitive programs!
  
• **VLC -- If you receive a movie or some music but can't seem to open it, try VLC. It's a multimedia Swiss army knife.
  

"

(Via Geekable.com.)

Friday, November 12, 2004
11:47 PM

14 characteristics of facism: "Fourteen Defining The 14 Characteristics Of Fascism Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto and several Latin American regimes and found 14 defining characteristics common to each..."

(Via metafilter.com.)

Friday, November 12, 2004
11:35 PM
tres kewl

Dragon Optical Illusion: "Mark Frauenfelder:

This little paper dragon is folded in such a way that when you turn it, it appears as though it is turning its head to face you. I guess it's like those negative busts at the Haunted Mansion. The video for this is neat. Link (via Sensible Erection)

"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Thursday, November 11, 2004
09:48 PM
and where will you be when, at last, they come for you

New AG nominee: White House counsel who called Geneva Conventions "quaint": "Xeni Jardin:


White House counsel Alberto Gonzales, who once described the Geneva Convention as outdated and "quaint," may soon fill the post left vacant by John Ashcroft this week. Link to SF Chronicle article on the new nominee.

Mr. Gonzales effectively endorsed torture in America's "war on terrorism," as detailed in this Newsweek article:

As a means of pre-empting a repeat of 9/11, Bush, along with Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and Attorney General John Ashcroft, signed off on a secret system of detention and interrogation that opened the door to such methods. It was an approach that they adopted to sidestep the historical safeguards of the Geneva Conventions, which protect the rights of detainees and prisoners of war. In doing so, they overrode the objections of Secretary of State Colin Powell and America's top military lawyers -- and they left underlings to sweat the details of what actually happened to prisoners in these lawless places. While no one deliberately authorized outright torture, these techniques entailed a systematic softening up of prisoners through isolation, privations, insults, threats and humiliation -- methods that the Red Cross concluded were "tantamount to torture."

Link. And the NY Times has this series of excerpts from Mr. Gonzales' legal writings: Link."

(Via Boing Boing.)

Thursday, November 11, 2004
09:47 PM
ti teg

Jeopardy winner wagers $1337: "Cory Doctorow:

Amy's Robot sez, "Tonight was round 1 of the Jeopardy College Tournament. One of the contestants, Kermin from Carnegie Mellon University, had a commanding lead (well over $10K) going into Final Jeopardy. His final wager had Alex Trebek scratching his head, but Kermin was clearly sending a message to fellow computer nerds. His wager: $1337. For the uninitiated, in 'leetspeak' 1337 translates to 'leet' or 'elite.'"

Link

(Thanks, Amy's Robot!)


"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Sunday, November 07, 2004
09:41 PM

All Your Base-style tribute to child's lost-pet flier: "Cory Doctorow:





I Lost My Frog starts with a found-object, a hand-drawn flier written by a small child who is trying to recover his frog, named "Hopkin Green Frog," with Art-Linkletter-perfect infantalisms like "PS: I'll find my frog/Who took my frog/Who found my frog."

Interweb hipsters used this as a jumping-off point and photoshopped a series of images depicting the search for the lost Hopkin Green Frog, and the results are incredibly funny and even a little touching. Like an "All Your Base" for a lost pet.

Link"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Sunday, November 07, 2004
09:34 PM
very fast indeed

Wow. That was fast. Gene Stone has...: "

Wow. That was fast. Gene Stone has written the first instant book about Tuesday's election — the amusingly titled The Bush Survival Guide: 200 Ways to Make it Through the Next Four Years Without Misunderestimating the Dangers Ahead, and Other Subliminable Stategeries. (From Taegan Goddard's Political Wire.)

"

(Via blog.)

Sunday, November 07, 2004
09:33 PM
at last we are coming together

Steve Almond would like to issue...: "

Steve Almond would like to issue a few apologies.

I would like to apologize to George W. Bush for calling him "a draft-dodging, cokehead retard with the moral compass of a serial killer." I further would like to apologize for implying that his "rush to war against Iraq" was the result of his having "a really small penis."

"

(Via blog.)

Sunday, November 07, 2004
09:31 PM

British children's author Philip Pullman talks...: "

British children's author Philip Pullman talks to Reuters about the upcoming film versions of his fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials — and why President Bush would make a good villain.

"Bush has this baying certainty and has imposed this fervent zealotry," said Pullman whose books have been condemned by church groups for attacking organized religion.

"The Christian right in America is the mirror image of the Islamic fundamentalists," he added.

"

(Via blog.)

Monday, November 01, 2004
08:49 AM

Get out and vote: "Andrew Tanenbaum never ceases to amaze me. This delightful surprise was revealed today to visitors of one of his web sites -- which (of late) probably includes 96% of MeFi."

(Via metafilter.com.)

Monday, November 01, 2004
08:47 AM
for you haunted mansio obsesees

Haunted Mansion dollhouse: "Cory Doctorow:


Bigfigs ("big figures") are the new breed of Disney Park collectables -- they're 18-24" detailed models of ride-buildings and facades. The new Haunted Mansion one is out, and while I can't say I'm very impressed with it -- looks too much like a doll's house and the construction materials are too plasticky if you ask me -- the Haunted Mansion fan boards are all a-twitter. Order 'em from Disneyland DelivEARS at 800-362-4533.

Link

(via The Disney Blog)



"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Monday, November 01, 2004
08:45 AM
hope springs eternal

Dennis Loy Johnson: Books v. Bush: "

This Week’s Column:

THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE — FOREVER


by Dennis Loy Johnson


1 November 2004 — The madness is either just about over, or about to be given license to kill. Imagine, the guy who said "You're either for us or against us" — a fairly textbook declaration of fascism, and one now being uttered by Americans versus Americans via the Patriot Act — could be re–elected. Excuse me — elected. It's enough to make you want to do—what? Vote harder, somehow.

I mean, we find ourselves in a bizarre and terrifying situation. A man who has sent over a thousand people to their death for a lie could be on the verge of getting an unthinkable mandate. Meanwhile, what of the rest of the world? They've been thinking, well, he stole the office the first time; now they'll think: but the second time they chose him. They'll be mad at all of us, and we will be as alone as we can be with this madman.

And perhaps the most maddening thing short of this prospect is the tita"

(Via .)