Thursday, November 30, 2006

Thursday, November 30, 2006
10:28 PM

John Dvorak On Vista's Launch: "An anonymous reader writes 'John is at it again, this time with his take on the launch of Microsoft's Vista operating system. John covers the reality from a market perspective, looking at whether the release will affect PC sales, peripherals ... or even Microsoft.' From the article: 'While there is no way that Vista will be a flop, since all new computers will come with Vista pre-installed, there seems to be no excitement level at all. And there does not seem to be any compelling reason for people to upgrade to Vista. In fact, the observers I chat with who follow corporate licensing do not see any large installations of Windows-based computers upgrading anytime soon. The word I keep hearing is 'stagnation.' Industry manufacturers are not too thrilled either. One CEO who supplies a critical component for all computers says he sees a normal fourth quarter then nothing special in the first quarter for the segment. Dullsville.'

"



(Via Slashdot.)

Thursday, November 30, 2006
10:26 PM

First-Person Account of a Social Engineering Attack: "darkreadingman writes, 'A penetration tester tells how he broke into a bank's network dressed as a copier repairman. Some good lessons here — many companies spend millions on network security, but don't teach their employees how to challenge a stranger in the building. Social engineering at the company site can be one of the most difficult attacks to defend against.' From the article: 'Before departing scenes like these, we try to document the effort and provide proof of our success. I usually leave something behind and then contact the person who hired me and direct them to the mark. In this case I wrote his password on a ream of paper and tucked it under the machine.'

"



(Via Slashdot.)

Thursday, November 30, 2006
10:24 PM

Six Fresh Tips from iPod: the Missing Manual: "tile imageThe fifth edition of O'Reilly's action-packed iPod guide just hit the streets, and here are six free excerpted tips you can put to use right now. Learn how to load high-res photos, where to get free vids, how to share your player among multiple computers, and more."



(Via O'Reilly Digital Media Center.)

Thursday, November 30, 2006
10:22 PM

All-TIME 100 top albums: "I see TIME has a breath-takingly stupid list that pupports to be 'the greatest and most influential records ever.' Not one non-English-language record. Not one record from continental Europe. Not one from Africa. Not one from South America. Not one..."



(Via O'Reilly Digital Media Blog.)

Thursday, November 30, 2006
10:19 PM
whew

SHIFT: Why the Zune won't steal Christmas: "

Each week Adam Frucci takes a closer look at the latest gadget buzz in his column, Shift.



zune vs. ipod
Image by Falon Wriede


Oh, Zune. You had so much promise! We were all so excited when we heard that Microsoft was putting all of its resources into taking on the iPod, and we figured that if they could do a pretty decent job jumping headfirst into a new sector with the Xbox, there's no reason they couldn't do it again. It even sounded good when we first heard about some of the features. Wi-Fi in a portable music player? What a great idea! You can download music from anywhere, share songs with your friends, and sync up with your computer without worrying about plugging in cables.



But oh, how we've been let down. What's with the lukewarm reaction? The unimpressive sales? While the Zune might not be considered a failure yet, the fact that it's #61 on the Amazon electronics charts (while iPods hold 6 of the Top 10 spots) is a very telling sign. Let's take a look at what the Zune did wrong, and why it may spell bad news for our friends in Redmond.

Wi-Not?

The biggest thing that Microsoft did wrong with the Zune is its Wi-Fi abilities, or lack thereof. Clearly, Wi-Fi is the only real feature that makes it stand out from other portable music players, but what should have been a selling point just turns out to be a gimmick. The songs you send to a friend can only be listened to three times before they turn into mere links to the Zune's online music store, even if that song was a regular unprotected MP3 file before being sent. You can't do anything else with the Wi-Fi — no downloading new songs, no syncing to your computer, nothing. While hacks or updates in the future might change that, it leaves current owners without much to be excited about. It boils down to this: glorified advertising for the Zune Marketplace disguised as a buzzworthy feature.



And that's not all. Zune's list of features that are disabled or neutered seems longer than the list of features you can actually use. Want to use the Zune as a portable hard drive? Too bad. Want to load it up with songs you've bought from other stores? Sorry, no can do; not even Microsoft's own PlaysForSure works with it. And Windows Media Player? Why would that work with the Zune? Silly consumers.



Don't Box Me In

What Microsoft somehow didn't realize is that customers hate being told what they can't do. Nothing is more irritating than buying something for a specific purpose and then realizing it doesn't do what you thought after you bust open the package. Look at cell phones, for example. Many phones come with Bluetooth functionality, yet it's often scaled down by carriers. Bluetooth can let you do all sorts of things, like sending cameraphone pics directly to your computer, for example. But many carriers would rather you sent those photos through their networks, so they can charge you for usage, and disable this function. On many phones (specifically, virtually any phone sold by Verizon), Bluetooth is merely a way to use a wireless headset — just like Wi-Fi on the Zune is just a way for the marketplace to sell songs.



And now what chance does the Zune have to take some of Apple's market share? Not much. Music bought from the iTunes music store may have restrictive copy protection like the Zune Marketplace's songs, but that business model works for Apple only because the iPod is so ubiquitous. Their owners don't care that their downloads won't work on other players — it's not like they're giving up their iPods. It's too late for the Zune to do the same, so the only way for Microsoft to succeed in this arena would be by taking a different route, which it hasn't done.



If it had, it should look to eMusic as a good example of offering something that Apple doesn't. EMusic is the only online music store that sells unprotected MP3 files that you can play any device, and it's second (albeit a distant second) behind iTunes in online sales. Rather than following that lead, Microsoft went the extreme opposite route, worrying so much about copy protection that it forgot about the most important aspect of gadget design: usability. It's a classic Microsoft blunder of too many corporate interests getting in the way, but we really thought they could do something different with the Zune. Oh well… maybe next time.

"



(Via SCI FI Tech Blog.)

Thursday, November 30, 2006
10:08 PM
i have an idea forming in my head

Arm-trapping fire-alarm immolates Samaritans: "Cory Doctorow:
In 1938, Modern Mechanix magazine ran an article on a new design for a fire-alarm box. It had an arm-hold trap built in that held the alarm-puller in place until the fire department arrived -- the idea was to lock prank-alarm-pullers in place (of course, if you were dumb enough to pull an alarm during a fire, you were horribly trapped alive in the flames until you succumbed to immolation or asphyxiation).



THE sending of false fire alarms by mischievous persons may be eliminated through use of a newly developed call box. To use the device, the sender of an alarm must pass a hand through a special compartment to reach the signal dial. Once the dial has been turned, the sender’s hand is locked in the compartment until released by a fireman or policeman with a key.

Link

"



(Via Boing Boing.)

Thursday, November 30, 2006
10:06 PM
ooooh I want 1 or 2...

Barbie doll set comes with plastic dog crap: "Mark Frauenfelder:
200611300941 Here's a Barbie doll toy set that comes with a dog that eats biscuits and then defecates. The photo seems to show that there is no difference between the biscuits and the dog crap. Link

"



(Via Boing Boing.)

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

African Proverb: "'If you refuse to be made straight when you are green, you will not be made straight when you are dry.'

"



(Via Motivational Quotes of the Day.)

Wednesday, November 29, 2006
05:32 PM
now I'll see the movie - I liked the original

The name's Photoshop... Adobe Photoshop: "The latest James Bond flick includes a shout-out to a digital image-editing program of some renown.

"



(Via Macworld Editors' Notes Weblog.)

Wednesday, November 29, 2006
05:06 PM
like there's no end to thoze

Worst idea ever: iPod dock headphones: "

ipodheadphones.jpgI feel like after showing you this picture there's not that much left for me to say about perhaps the most poorly designed headphones ever. But for you, my friend, I'll try.



Just looking at them brings up visions in one's head of walking down the street with an iPod sticking out of their earphones, the crippling awareness of everyone staring at you and that familiar feeling of wanting to dig a hole in the sidewalk to hide from the world in it. Not to mention the comfort issues you imagine, what with that extra weight on one side of your head and all. These things would probably always be sliding down on the iPod side, making you look even dumber as they perch precariously lopsided on your head. Furthermore, if there has ever been a mugging magnet this is it. This is the equivalent of walking through Central Park at night with a $20 taped to your forehead, but instead of a $20 it's a $250 piece of electronics. Seriously, who designed this? Who? I demand answers.



Idiots in Japan can buy these starting next month for $43.



New Launches, via Gizmodo

"



(Via SCI FI Tech Blog.)

Wednesday, November 29, 2006
04:55 PM
whaT AMENDMENT protects zombie rites?

Zombies sue Minneapolis for bogus WMD bust: "Cory Doctorow:
Minneapoliteans who dressed up as zombies and were busted for 'simulating weapons of mass destruction' because their costumes had wires sticking out them are suing the city for being freaking idiots:



A group of zombies have risen up to claim the city of Minneapolis and Hennepin County violated their free rights and discriminated against them.


The six adults and one juvenile who were arrested while impersonating the undead in July filed their lawsuit Thursday.


The ragged group were arrested for 'simulating weapons of mass destruction' during a dance party near the Minneapolis entertainment district.





Link

(via Neatorama)

"



(Via Boing Boing.)

Wednesday, November 29, 2006
04:53 PM
Free speech aside let's throw him out

Gingrich wants first amendment abolished: "Cory Doctorow:
Newt Gingrich has called for America to tear up the Constitution and throw out the first amendment, because free speech helps terrorism. Didn't this guy take an oath to uphold the Constitution? This is a new low, even for Gingrich.


Gingrich, speaking at a Manchester awards banquet, said a 'different set of rules' may be needed to reduce terrorists' ability to use the Internet and free speech to recruit and get out their message.


Link

(via /.)

"



(Via Boing Boing.)

Wednesday, November 29, 2006
04:52 PM
Blogging from Tully's in Berkeley while the daughter unit takes a play class at Berk Rep
whew

Harvey comic book covers from the 60s: "Mark Frauenfelder:

Picture 4-16


'A Sampler of Things' presents a small gallery of Harvey comic book covers from the 1960s. The composition and colors are wonderful. I especially like this one, which takes place in a windstorm. The dots are blowing off Little Dot's dress and hitting Little Lotta, covering her eyes and mouth. Nightmarish. Link

"



(Via Boing Boing.)

Friday, November 24, 2006

Friday, November 24, 2006
08:57 PM

Zune Doom: "It's easy for me to sit here and write that no sensible person will purchase a Microsoft Zune music player. However, hear me out. I don't make that statement because the iPod is the apotheosis of portable music players, because I think Microsoft can't produce hardware, or because I'm an all-purpose Microsoft basher.

Rather, Microsoft has made some particular choices that will irk buyers before they ever pick up a unit, or will drive those who are unaware of the limitations mildly crazy within d..."



(Via TidBITS.)

Friday, November 24, 2006
08:39 PM
oh no - oh yes

Just like the Daily Show, but not funny!: "Ok, I know it's not fair to pre-judge, but this is a really shitty idea:

...Fox News Channel, a primary source of material for Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, is teaming with the exec producer of '24' to try its hand at a news satire show for conservatives to love.


Joel Surnow, co-creator of '24,' is shooting two half-hour pilots of a skein he described as ' 'The Daily Show' for conservatives,' due to air in primetime on Saturdays in January.


If successful, the show could take its place on the regular schedule, adding satire to FNC's formula of news and opinion.


'The way I look at it, almost every comedy show or satire show I see uses the same talking points against George W. Bush and Dick Cheney,' Surnow said. 'The other side hasn't been skewered in a fair and balanced way.'...


Don't you guys remember Dennis Miller?


No? Then thanks for proving my point."



(Via Geekable.com.)

Friday, November 24, 2006
08:38 PM
thought

Helping out McCain: "Ok, so the news that McCain was for abortion before he was against abortion doesn't look so hot. But I think of myself as a master spin-artist, so here's my best shot:


McCain is entirely consistent! He supports sending more troops to guard Iraq, and he supports sending more troops to guard our nation's uteruses."



(Via Geekable.com.)

Friday, November 24, 2006
07:39 PM
and you can buy one thru me

Hot Holiday Gadgets: MacBook: "

macbook_white.jpg



Even the most tech unsavvy know about Apple and can recognize their laptops, but what makes this year's MacBooks stand out above past laptops from the computer maker? First and foremost, it's the chips. Apple put Intel chips in their computers this year for the first time, the same types used in regular PCs. Why is this cool, and why might your loved one be asking you for such a pricey purchase this holiday? Read on, my friend.



What it is: The MacBook, Apple's new laptop. Smaller and less powerful/expensive than the MacBook Pro.

Why it's cool: Besides being trendy in the way that only Apple products can be, it has an Intel chip inside. This allows you to run both Windows and Mac OS X on it. If you find a piece of software that will only run on a PC, simply reboot the computer into Windows and install it. It's the best of both worlds.

How much it costs: The 13-inch MacBook starts at $1,100, with extras such as a black case instead of white and a larger hard drive jacking the price up predictably.

"



(Via SCI FI Tech Blog.)

Friday, November 24, 2006
07:28 PM
eat me it seems to say

Blobfish: a creepy sea-critter: "Cory Doctorow:


Mr Blobby (a fathead, blobfish or Psychrolutidae), pictured here, was 'trawled during the NORFANZ expedition at a depth between 1013 m and 1340 m, on the Norfolk Ridge, north-west of New Zealand, June 2003.' I had no idea that things like this existed outside of the cartoons. He gives me the crawlies.

Link

(via JWZ)


"



(Via Boing Boing.)

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Wednesday, November 15, 2006
09:11 PM
I like it

Room looks like it's in a toon: "Cory Doctorow:



This hotel-room is decorated to look like a cartoon -- with 'every corner and angle is outlined with a thin, hand-drawn, black line.'

Link

(via Cribcandy)

"



(Via Boing Boing.)

Sunday, November 12, 2006
01:16 PM

Web Zen: spam: "Xeni Jardin:



mobile


friend


haiku


land


cooking


amusement


sculpture


eater


bloody vikings


Web Zen Home, Store (Thanks Frank!)

"



(Via Boing Boing.)

Wednesday, November 15, 2006
09:32 PM
tek error

Vista DRM is bad for Microsoft: "Cory Doctorow:
Computerworld has published a blistering indictment of the DRM in Vista, Microsoft's new OS. Microsoft has a bunch of competitive problems in the market -- security, ease of use, elegance, and so on. DRM fixes none of these -- and it makes security, much, much harder. It's far easier to secure a computer that is designed from the ground up to lock out remote attackers who want to use the machine in ways that the owner objects to, but that's precisely what DRM does. Microsoft's Vista strategy has been to design an OS from the ground up that lets remote parties override the computer's owner. This will not make Vista a better, more competitive product in the market.


Matt Rosoff, lead analyst at research firm Directions On Microsoft, asserts that this process does not bode well for new content formats such as Blu-ray and HD-DVD, neither of which are likely to survive their association with DRM technology. 'I could not be more skeptical about the viability of the DRM included with Vista, from either a technical or a business standpoint,' Rosoff stated. 'It's so consumer-unfriendly that I think it's bound to fail -- and when it fails, it will sink whatever new formats content owners are trying to impose.'





Link

(via /.)

"



(Via Boing Boing.)

Wednesday, November 15, 2006
09:29 PM
I like em

Rushkoff's Testament issue #1, now free: "David Pescovitz:

Vertigo Comics has posted the first issues of select comics online for free, including BB pal Douglas Rushkoff's groundbreaking Testament. (Listen to our Get Illuminated podcast interview with Doug here.) Testament #1 is available as a free PDF along with a separate PDF of Doug's copious notes explaining the first five issues of the comic and drawing the Biblical and historical connections. From the comic description:


 Media Covers 5387 400X600Grad student Jake Stern leads an underground band of renegades that uses any means necessary to combat the frightening threats to freedom that permeate the world. They employ technology, alchemy, media hacking and mysticism to fight a modern threat that has its roots in ancient stories destined to recur in the modern age.


Link to Testament #1 download page, Link to buy Testament: Akedah, the collected first five issues

"



(Via Boing Boing.)

Wednesday, November 15, 2006
09:38 PM
when will it ende

On Blogs, Lost, and Jag Studies...: "

For those of you interested in the blogosophere (and I have to assume you are or you wouldn't be reading this blog), there are some fascinating statistics to be found on Technorati's State of the Blogosphere report.



Technorati is now tracking 57 Million blogs -- with a growth of 100,000 new blogs added each day throughout the last quarter. The number of blogs doubles every five to seven months.



Slide0005-12-tm.png



They publish an interesting chart which shows the peak moments in blog posting and their relationship to specific news events. On the one hand, this chart suggests how vital politics is to what motivates people to post and on the other, it suggests that the increased number of bloggers means that each major political event is likely to generate more traffic and discussion than the last. We can speculate whether all of this reaction to news is likely to be divisive as some critics have argued, leaving us more likely to read each new development through an ever narrower and more self righteous ideological frame or likely to enable real discussion and community building as others have argued because we have a greater understanding of how politics impacts the everyday lives of a diverse array of people.



Blogs remain a highly decentralized mode of expression, even though some blogs (topped by Endgadget and Boing Boing) are beginning to compete directly with the websites offered by the major media companies in terms of traffic. Only three blogs make it to the top fifty most trafficked news sites while another nine make it into the second 50 most trafficked sites.



The egotist in me was interested in their classification of blogs as influential based on the number of other blogs which link to them. By these criteria, Confessions of an Aca/Fan, which I launched in June, has already made its way into 'the very high authority group,' thanks no doubt to the number of 'thought leaders' and fellow bloggers who read this site, since our readership numbers are a good deal lower than many of the other blogs to make it to this status. You are an elite, dear readers, and you work hard to spread the word about some of the information posted here. For this, I thank you very very much.







Another Aca/Fan Takes Up Blogging


One of these new bloggers is none other than Jason Mittell, a regular reader and commentator here, an academic friend who teaches at Middlebury College and went to my Alma madder, UW-Madison and who is one of the academic advisors to the Convergence Culture Consortium. Mittell wrote Genre and Television: From Cop Shows to Cartoons in American Culture and is now working on a new book on complexity of American television. Here's a link to an essay Mittell published recently which touches on many shows that are much beloved in the aca/fan community. I have added Mittell's new blog, JustTV, to my blogroll and I suspect many of you will want to add it to their rss feeds.



"



(Via Confessions of an Aca/Fan: The Official Weblog of Henry Jenkins.)

Microwave egg-boiler: "Cory Doctorow:
On TokyoMango, a dead clever Japanese egg-boiling device that goes in the microwave and turns out perfect eggs instead of exploded messes.



Making the perfect boiled egg isn't easy--especially in a microwave, since eggs tend to explode under pressure. That's why someone invented this beautiful, egg-shaped, yellow-and-white microwave egg cooker. The device actually fits 3 mid-sized eggs, which are placed on an aluminum tray. Put 130cc of water in the yellow part, insert the tray, place the eggs on it, close the lid (the white part), and pop it in the microwave. 8 minutes in a 500W microwave gets you soft-boiled, 10 minutes gets you hard-boiled.




Link

"



(Via Boing Boing.)

Wednesday, November 15, 2006
09:41 PM

iPod integrated with new airplanes; Zune integrated with new paddleboats: "

ipod plane



Now that Apple has weaseled its way into the dashboards of most cars, it's on to the next logical step: airplanes. Starting in mid-2007, airlines Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM, and United will feature iPod integration at seats on their planes. Travelers will be able to charge their iPods and watch video stored on them on provided displays. I mean, who could last 5 hours without charging their iPod?! Thank the lord Apple has come to our aid on this issue. It's all part of Apple's subtle plan to integrate iPods into everything people will ever come into contact with. I'm looking forward to the next phase, which includes paying hospitals off so babies born there will come with iPod docks on the back of their skulls. You know, for charging on the go. It's called starting brand loyalty early, people. Get with the times.



Apple Insider, via Ubergizmo

"



(Via SCI FI Tech Blog.)

Wednesday, November 22, 2006
04:58 PM

Fallout Shelter Handbook from 1962: "Mark Frauenfelder:
Ward Jenkins scanned a few pages from his copy of the Fallout Shelter Handbook from 1962

 109 301226946 562A8D849F
From 1962, deep in the midst of the Cold War. I found this amongst piles of musty smelling magazines and articles at a booth at the Inman Park Arts Festival several years back. The cover is classic: your average white American family enjoying life as best as they can after an atomic attack. What I love the most about it is that Mom is in her day dress, apron and all, preparing dinner, and Dad is relaxing in his jacket, smoking a pipe, having just finished reading the liner notes to something by the Ray Coniff Singers, probably.

The rest of the handbook is some interesting stuff if you dig construction how-to's -- this could've been sold at a Home Depot if they had them at the time. There are some very interesting ads in the handbook, too. Check out the rest of the images I've scanned to see more.




Link

"



(Via Boing Boing.)

Wednesday, November 15, 2006
09:15 PM
eerie

Charles Darwin apparition in a tree: "Mark Frauenfelder:
Janice says: 'I got up this morning, and looked out the window I look out for hours every day. I looked up at the birdfeeder to the spot where a limb was chopped off and saw Charles Darwin.'

(Click on thumbnails for enlargement)




Darwin.Head.11.11.Copy


Pastedgraphic-2

"



(Via Boing Boing.)

darwin

Wednesday, November 15, 2006
09:15 PM
eerie

Charles Darwin apparition in a tree: "Mark Frauenfelder:
Janice says: 'I got up this morning, and looked out the window I look out for hours every day. I looked up at the birdfeeder to the spot where a limb was chopped off and saw Charles Darwin.'

(Click on thumbnails for enlargement)




Darwin.Head.11.11.Copy


Pastedgraphic-2

"



(Via Boing Boing.)

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

iTunes: Free Stuff Tuesday

Wednesday, November 08, 2006
07:00 PM
free is free

iTunes: Free Stuff Tuesday: "

US: Smile (Radio Edit) by Lily Allen
It’s hard to figure what the best part of this track is. The dusty old reggae loop, Lily Allen’s cool London drawl, or that little thing she does with her voice when the chorus comes. It’s the purest of bubblegum pop, dressed in an array of 21st century gear, but just as reliant on a sweet, infectious little melody and catchy rhythmic bounce as any great pop tune. Her sassiness comes out in the vocal, where she dismisses the appreciation of a cheating ex-admirer with the right amount of flippancy and vulgarity. Get this track for free today - it’s one of our favorite pop tunes we’ve heard in ages.


US: Don't Be Shy by Spektrum
Sometimes there can be a pretty good excuse for not dancing: certain physical ailments, spacial restrictions, and funk-free music are all pretty good reasons for not hitting the dance floor. But barring the first two: this free Discovery Download basically rocks you from head to toe within the first few seconds. Think Basement Jaxx at their freakiest and you’ve got an idea of the sort of wiggly disco-funk on display here. Now get down and get involved.


US: Ven Aqui by Los Bunkers
This Chilean quintet takes its inspiration from the first wave of the British Invasion (the Kinks, the Who, the Rolling Stones) but are filtering its sound through a newer wave of that genre’s offspring (think Oasis or Franz Ferdinand). ‘Ven Aqui’ takes a bare-bones reggae skank and builds it into a crunchy riff with hand claps and just a little bit of stylish attitude.


Australia: Here We Go Again by Vanlustbader
Coming at you draped in a dark, thunderous cloak of precise, nearly mechanical drums and washes of synthesizers, this Brisbane outfit delivers a fine slice of pop noir with ‘Here We Go Again,’ our free Single of the Week. It’s another tale of unrequited love, this time dolled up in the same sonic flashiness that producer Jim Abbiss has previously brought to acts like Arctic Monkeys and the Editors.


Canada: The Body Says No by The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers - is there anything they can’t do? First, they blow our minds with their fabulous power-pop, now they’re giving us music for free! This explosive take on Mass Romantic’s ‘The Body Says No’ was recorded exclusively for CBC Radio 3. It’s our first of three tracks from the Radio 3/Mint Records archives, as we celebrate Mint’s 15th anniversary. In the meantime, enjoy this free Single of the Week.


UK: All In Good Time by Ron Sexsmith
Usually our Single of the Week is based around new acts that are on their way up. This week differs slightly with the inclusion of a song from Ron Sexsmith. In an idyllic world, Ron Sexsmith’s songwriting genius would be as well-known as the current whereabouts of Pete Doherty. This track from his newest album Time Being - ‘All In Good Time’ - is a Byrds-ian pop song, with Sexsmith’s slightly melancholy notes descending over the uptempo rhythm. He’s one of the top pop songwriters in the world today. We jest you not.


France: Where's My Place by Adam Kesher
Le groupe bordelais Adam Kesher est un pur combo avec un peu de guitare minimale, un peu de percussion disco, un peu plus de leurs propres éléments soniques et un chœur cassant, aspirant à d’autres sommets. C’est une musique de danse pour les cerveaux embrouillés. Le groupe rappelle un peu The Rapture de New York, mais avec une qualité décrochée qui rend les choses un peu imprévisibles. «Where’s My Place» est notre Single gratuit de la semaine.

"



(Via MacDevCenter.)

Developing for Windows on a Mac

Wednesday, November 08, 2006
06:57 PM
I also just set up parallels and win xp

Developing for Windows on a Mac: "

It’s a strange, strange world. One consequence of Apple’s switch to Intel processors is the ability to run Windows on a Mac. And a consequence of that is Windows developers writing Windows software - on a Mac.


Take, for example, London-based programmer (and opera singer) Jamie Frater. By running Windows in Parallels, he can continue to use Delphi for his work. But he doesn’t have to put up with Windows’ own peculiarities interrupting the rest of his workflow.


In Jamie’s own words:



Obviously I have to continue programming in Windows for a living at the moment, but the good news is that I am now doing so in a window on my Mac. I hate going back to a standard Windows machine now. The OS is just so clunky … I can’t believe so many people are still using Windows and don’t realise how superior OS X is!


Read the rest of his weblog post for the full story. Suffice to say, Jamie is so taken with OS X that he is now writing Mac apps, and has booked tickets for MacWorld 2007.


What I don’t know - and I’m interested to discover - is whether this is a growing trend. Are there lots of people in Jamie’s position? Are their reasons for switching environments the same as Jamie’s, or different? And do they find themselves coding less for Windows, and more for Mac, as time goes on?


Mac Devcenter readers with experience of this - first-hand or otherwise; it would be great to hear your views in the comments.

"



(Via MacDevCenter.)

The Right was Right about the Left.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006
06:19 PM

The Right was Right about the Left.: "Xeni Jardin:
BoingBoing reader Tom Polley and friends (David DeBenedetto, Jeff Bayson, Richard Taylor and Matt Unger) created a 25-point manifesto for the new Democratic Congress -- and, maybe, the Senate -- which shows many of the right's assumption's about the left to be true. Brace yourselves for change, America:


# Comatose people to be ground up and fed to poor


# Quarterly mandatory abortion lottery



# Jane Fonda to be appointed Secretary of Appeasement


# Outlaw all firearms: previous owners assigned to anger management therapy


# Ban Christmas: replace with Celebrate our Monkey Ancestors Day

Link. And, '# Abandon spell-check,' evidently, as the site is funny but loaded with typos. :-)

They're not kidding about the gun stuff, either. As a law-abiding, safety-respecting, soy-cappucino-drinking handgun owner, I wonder what (historically anti-gun) Pelosi's leadership might mean on Second Amendment issues. More restrictions for citizens who obey gun laws, and more bans? Gun laws don't stop law-ignoring criminals from arming themselves. (Thanks, Sean)


Speaking of firearms, look! Flavored shotgun shells! Link. Shoot 'Cajun, Lemon Pepper, Garlic, Teriyaki, or Honey Mustard' ammo into that tofurkey's ass. 'Watch as your bird is seasoned on impact!' (via jwalk, thanks Rocky Mullin)

"



(Via Boing Boing.)

Rumsfeld resignation summarized in Mac OSX screenshot

Wednesday, November 08, 2006
06:15 PM
hahahahahahahah

Rumsfeld resignation summarized in Mac OSX screenshot: "Xeni Jardin:


Created by BoingBoing reader Brian Topping. Previously: Rumsfeld to resign. Who is Bob Gates? Link, and more.

"



(Via Boing Boing.)

Tuesday, November 7, 2006

How to wake up by 6:30 every morning - for the serious procrastinator || kuro5hin.org

Tuesday, November 07, 2006
09:28 PM

How to wake up by 6:30 every morning - for the serious procrastinator || kuro5hin.org: "
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How to wake up by 6:30 every morning - for the serious procrastinator

By markovich in Op-Ed
Sun Nov 05, 2006 at 12:18:45 AM EST
Tags: sleep wakup sleep (all tags)

Many of us want to wake up earlier in the day. We stay up all day doing nothing but think how much more nothing we could get done if we woke up even earlier. The problem is - we are procrastinators, and we just keeping pushing the decision to wake up earlier till later.

I am a procrastinator! I admit it! I'm lazy, I have zero self control and even less self discipline. My life consists of simply rolling down the path of least resistance.

You know what I've done? I've gone and taken the biggest changes I wanted to make in my life, and modified them so that they BECOME the "



(Via .)

Paul di Filippo visits the Creature From the Black Lagoon

Tuesday, November 07, 2006
09:24 PM

Paul di Filippo visits the Creature From the Black Lagoon: "Cory Doctorow:

Award winning gonzo sf writer Paul 'Steampunk Trilogy' di Filippo is the improbable author of an improbably rollicking new movie tie-in novel, Creature From the Black Lagoon: Time's Black Lagoon.


This is evidently part of a larger series of classic monster movie tie-ins called 'Universal Studios Monsters.' At a recent sf convention, I found a number of writers intrigued by the idea of having a romp in a classic monster movie, and it's clear that di Filippo was more than up to the task.


Creature From the Black Lagoon won't win any prizes for advancing the state of literary sf, but it is undoubtedly a Paul di Filippo novel, which means that it is funny, deeply weird, and action-packed. Di Filippo's story starts on a Rhode Island university campus in 2015, where a young biologist finds himself working with the department's mad old tenured prof -- who turns out to have been the junior scientist on the ground during the vivisection of the original Creature From the Black Lagoon, discovered in the 1950s.


In the tradition of the great sf adventure story, our biologist just happens to have a boyhood chum who has just built the world's first functional time machine (out of an nth-generation iPod, no less!) and the rest is basically inevitable -- the title, after all, is 'Time's Black Lagoon.'


Di Filippo manages to cram every great tradition of the science fiction adventure novel into this one, giving it the feel of one of his baroque masterpieces, like Ribofunk. It may not have the heft of classic di Filippo, but it surely has the style.


If you're looking for a fun little paperback to take you away from your life for a couple hours, you need look no further.

Link





Update: Bbum sez, 'Creature from the Black Lagoon is also considered to be one of the best early 1990s pinball machines ever made. Beautiful machine. Totally captured that campy '50s/'60s horror flick feel, including a swamp monster hologram below the playfield that glowed green and moved.'






"



(Via Boing Boing.)

Thursday, November 2, 2006

Hilarious pie-chart/video-game joke

Thursday, November 02, 2006
07:57 PM
heh heh

Hilarious pie-chart/video-game joke: "Cory Doctorow:



This may be the funniest pie-chart joke evar: 'Percentage of Chart Which Resembles Pac-Man,' represented as a pie-chart, resembling Pac Man.
Link

(Thanks, Fipi Lele!)


Update: Tom sez, 'It seems like the Pacman pie graph was an idea just waiting to happen - it also shows up in this series of graphs I created last year.' These are fantastic.

"



(Via Boing Boing.)