February 27, 2003
DayPop: Weblog Search Engine
Daypop - a current events/weblog/news search engine
Nice easy site that performs searches on Weblogs and News sites....if you want the late breaking stuff, this is definitely one way to find it. Often weblogs contain things long before it hits the major sources.
Rated one of the top five alternative search engines.
Pattern Recognition: new book by William Gibson
Salon.com Technology | Nodal point: New SciFi
One of the more brilliant modern SciFi authors has published a new book, "Pattern Recognition", concerning the post-9/11 apocalyptic mindset. Gibson is author of many well-known books (if not by title, by idea / concept / screenplay) such as Neuromancer, Johnny Mnemonic, Idoru, and Virtual Light.
More info on Pattern Recognition and an excerpt.
Info on his website and interesting entries from the author himself on his Blog.
His latest work (which I've yet to read -- but it's now on the list) is noted here:
"Without any metafictional grandstanding, Gibson nails the texture of internet culture: how it feels to be close to someone you know only as a voice in a chat room, or to fret about someone spying on your browser's list of sites visited. ...Pattern Recognition is Gibson's most complex, mature gloss on the artist's relationship to our ever more commercialized globe."
-The New York Times
Enjoy!
Later Neighbor: Mr. Rogers Dies at 74
Mr. Rogers Passes On to Another Neighborhood
A soft spot is in so many of our hearts for Fred Rogers, known to many as Mr. Rogers who produced the long running, Emmy award winning children's TV show. He had been diagnosed with stomach cancer sometime after the holidays.
Everybody, won't you sing along with me:
WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR
It's a beau-ti-ful day in this neigh-bor-hood,
a beau-ti-ful day for a neigh-bor.
Would you be mine? Could you be mine?
It's a neigh-bor-ly day in this beau-ty wood,
a neigh-bor-ly day for a beau-ty,
Would you be mine? Could you be mine?
I have al-ways want-ed to have a neigh-bor just like you!
I've al-ways want-ed to live in a neigh-bor-hood with you.
So let's make the most of this beau-ti-ful day,
since we're to-geth-er we might as well say;
Would you be mine? Could you be mine?
Won't you be my neigh - bor?
Won't you please, won't you please?
Please won't you be my neigh-bor?
Circa 1967
Words and Music by Fred Rogers
From the comment below, I found this link for anyone talking to their kids about Mr. Rogers passing...
February 26, 2003
Evil TurboTax
Slashdot | TurboTax DRM Writes to Your Boot Sector?!
Uhoh, those guys at TurboTax aren't playing nice. The latest version of the SW uses a copy protection scheme that writes to the boot sector of your hard drive.
Shame for shame. That's just not right.
Ready for Spring: Chaco Sandals!
First entry in the new category of "Product Recommendations".....for Chaco Sandals.
Many of you are familiar with Teva's and other knock-off water sandals, but you may have never heard of this company - unless you've been out West and seen the popularity of this footwear.
And for good reason....
When I started travelling out West this past year I saw many intrepid travellers and outdoors people wearing them. As I needed something to replace my Teva-knockoffs that were falling apart, I talked to a lot of people about them.
Every person had something positive to say about them -- no negative comments at all! So my mind was made up, Chaco's were definitely in my future. My next stop at a major mall found a retailer who carried them...but let me warn you, they aren't cheap upfront....
The very next day I was headed to the NW String Summit - an outdoor bluegrass festival in the hills of Oregon. A place which turned out to be a perfect proving ground for my new purchase, as it rained hard for the next 24 hours and it was a huge camping mud-hole. The Chaco's were the perfect shoe for this environment (and as I soon found out, most environments).
They have excellent traction, a very comfortable footbed, and straps which are exceedingly comfortable. As with any sandal, you may have a minor rub point for the first day or two, but that will subside in no time. Amazingly, I can run through tough terrain at full speed with these puppies on - just try that with your average Teva. No way! I'd be sporting a twisted ankle if I tried such exploits....
Final word: yes, they are expensive upfront (around $80-100), but they have a very long life built into them. Replaceable strap (which I can't imaging having to do anytime soon) and replaceable Vibram soles -- on a sandal! Vibram soles are usually only found on high end hiking and mountaineering boots....
BTW, I own the Z1 model with the aggressive Terreno outsole. No strap between the toes either. :)
February 21, 2003
FBI Called in for Anti-Bush T-Shirt
What is this? A prelude to George Orwell's "1984"? This is yet another astounding example of the craziness that the government is trying to infect the average citizen with....
Watch out, Big Brother IS Watching You!
February 20, 2003
History of Our Drug War
This is an excellent history of our drug war, as told in the fashion Dicken's "A Christmas Carol". Some interesting facts that you never new are presented as well as a wake up call to our wonderful Drug Czar.
February 18, 2003
Shape Memory Alloys hit the Toy Market
ABCNEWS.com : Move Over Motors, Here Come Mini-Muscles
Finally in a mainstream product!
February 14, 2003
Solo Ballooning Anyone?
Saw a picture of this guy hanging from a cluster of helium balloons and it spurned me on to find this website.
More interesting than that though, is the prospect of flying in one of the "Cloudhoppers", which is basically a hot-air balloon for one person! No basket, just a harness system. Plus, since they're are so light, they are classified as an ultralight....
February 13, 2003
Marijuana Study Misreported by Media
Did you read about the marijuana gateway drug study involving twins recently? If so, get the whole background on the study here.
In brief, the news agencies (government media propagandists) reported that the Australian study was clear evidence that marijuana was a gateway drug. They said the study showed how if one twin used marijuana before the age of 17 and the other didn't, then that twin was more likely to use harder drugs later on in life.
The unreported facts however shed some light on this completely wrong interpretation, as highlighed by the study's authors.
1. They never mentioned the fact that the twin's use of alcohol and tobacco ("legal" drugs") were also predictors of hard drug use.
2. Any twin that had used harder drugs before cannabis was dropped from the analysis.
Screwed, I mean Skewed, by the media again.
February 12, 2003
Brilliance in Tiling Patterns
The worlds foremost maze designer has broken some barriers and introduced a set of 11 unique tiles that can fill any area with stunning designs with no overlapping or cutting. The possibilities are far reaching and should be cropping up soon in places we don't expect....
Google: Behind the Scenes
Nice article profiling Google and it's current place, policies, and bearing on the search engine marketplace.
Just remember: Don't Be Evil
Low flying GigaPlane
How about we design a plane with a wingspan of 600 feet, huge payload, and fly it at an elevation of TWENTY FEET over the ocean.....crazy? Read on.
February 10, 2003
Photos: High Speed / Phoenix Process / etc
Photographs by Andrew Davidhazy
Nice collection of photos using obscure or scientific photographic techniques. From high speed, flow visualization, and stroboscope, to the stranger Phoenix Process and circular panoramics this guy covers some interesting territory.
I always just like seeing fruit as it explodes from a high speed impact. *grin*
Jam Bands: Live Shows from Across America
n u g s . n e t | phish mp3, grateful dead mp3, phil and friends, download mp3, nugs.net
Definitely a worthwhile website....stream some tremendous shows from festivals around the US over the past few years. Tons of great bands:
Bluegrass Sessions
Derek Trucks
Grateful Dead
Jack Johnson
Leftover Salmon
MMW
Phish
String Cheese Incident
Widespread Panic
Yonder Mountain String Band
and more....
February 09, 2003
Biker Billy Hits it BIG
Biker Billy, the local NJ phenomena, hits it BIG! I had no idea that he had made it onto the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.....
Excellent! Now it's time to make a huge bowl of hot chili!
February 06, 2003
Tracking User Activity: Visually / Audibly
moock>> unity>> about Ambient User Sound
The author, Colin Moock, is a highly respected Flash and web programmer who does a lot of work pushing the boundries of these mediums. This article is a brief experiment / investigation on a novel way to represent peoples movements and habits on a web page, much the same way you can see people move around a bookstore as they're "browsing".
Definitely a fascinating idea that could add a whole new layer websites, especially web portals and communities.
February 04, 2003
Steam powered water jet
Take steam. Inject it around a cylinder of water and blammo it shoots out the back with great force. Considering that current 2-stroke jet skis dump some 27,000 gallons of unburned fuel into Lake Mead every year, this invention could be a good thing.
But the real benefits would be no moving parts (essentially), no props to kills the fishies, and no spewing of nasties into the big drink.
Monster Limo: It Floats Too!
eBay Motors item 2400159091 (Ends Jan-22-03 14:35:35 PST ) - Other Makes :Custom : Lincoln
Check out this closed Ebay auction for a monster-truck-style limo --- jacked up, super-tires and all. Most importantly, look at the pictures at the bottom of the ad where it can float / drive over water!
Silly boys with toys.