January 27, 2003
Switch to Linux
"When you're holding the moon for ransom, you value the stability of an application..." - The marketing genius of the Apple Switch campaign combined with the religious zealotry of the Linux overlords. My understanding was that this was originally slated to run during the superbowl, but was pulled at the last second due to the racy references to fembots.
Jonathan Richman
Ah, the world cries out for an updated Jonathan website. The Abominable Lesbian Vampire Cappuccino Bar in Cyberspace has withered on the vine, links almost all dead--damn, I should've copied that tab!--but some of the music's not firing blanks. The Jonathan Richman Project only posted one issue of their xerox zine--jeez, remember zines? Mail art? Man, those were the days--but they're nice enough to print Lester Bangs 1976 Creem diss of the Twerp King At The Summit. God, I remember reading that Bangs piece new and running out and buying The Modern Lovers, trusting as I did in his taste or maybe just his gonzo stylings? Little did I know...(inside)
xoxoxo
"I did not escape from you but I did what I was supposed to do and you should be very proud of me." The love life of 9/11 hijacker Ziad Jarrah.
Humping Things
Found Magazine
Found Magazine is worth a look. It documents the detrital scraps of our modern lives, found in gutters, break-room bulletin boards and under car windshields. All pieces are reader submitted, and some are of suspect authenticity.
Sublime, simply sublime... PS. Page me later
What are we so afraid of?
The number of health-related deaths in the United States in 2000 was over 1 million. The United States spends $13.6BN per year on ALL medical research. For $100BN-$200BN could we save 110,000 more people each year from health-related deaths? High end estimates of homelessness put the number around 3.5 million in the United States. For $30,000 each (100B/3.5M) we could house, feed and provide vocational training for every homeless person. Alternatively, we could provide $2,500 per year for insurance to each person without health care.
Who Is Frank Chu?
Who Is Frank Chu? A Craigslister put up an interview with various SF residents, and Frank Chu himself. For people not from the Bay Area, Frank Chu has been a downtown fixture for some time -- notable for his silent protest of bizarre space-crimes committed by ex-presidents.
Food Storage for a Rainy Day
An interactive food storage calculator comes in pretty handy when you'd rather have a little in the basement for a rainy day-but you have no idea how to get started.
[More Inside]
The Cannabis Civil War
Ed Rosenthal - medical marijuana activist and one of the world's leading experts in cannabis cultivation - is currently facing a mandatory 20 year-to-life sentence in California court for operating a city grow-op. Not only was he obeying state law, but the City of Oakland requested his help. U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer has already thrown out all possible defenses of this kind and is currently pursuing a gag order to stifle media and public outrage.
Forget, for a moment, that 3 out of 4 Americans are in favor of legalizing cannabis for medicinal purposes. What is the purpose of voter initiatives and statewide legislation if the federal government and judicial system are willing to completely ignore the decisions of state and local government?
Forget, for a moment, that 3 out of 4 Americans are in favor of legalizing cannabis for medicinal purposes. What is the purpose of voter initiatives and statewide legislation if the federal government and judicial system are willing to completely ignore the decisions of state and local government?
Dodge Mags
Dodge Magazine #1; "Dodge is devoted to anyone with a passion for graphic design, and an open minded approach to new forms of visual communication."
Dodge Magazine #2; "The assignment for this issue was simple. Create a piece based on, or motivated by the theme of 'lost and found'".
Dodge Magazine #2; "The assignment for this issue was simple. Create a piece based on, or motivated by the theme of 'lost and found'".
Yes, Conan... the Future...
The future of music retail... will be nothing like this. Echo Networks, a Los Angeles based "digital venture", in partnership with Best Buy, Tower, Wherehouse, Virgin & FYE, has launched an instore downloadable purchase initiative whose chances of failure are only exceeded by the extreme vagueness surrounding the announcement.
For more, read the news article at CNET.
Shock and Awe
"Shock and Awe" is the concept behind the Pentagon's planned, "Hiroshima like" attack on Baghdad. "Carpet bombing" was the concept's name in the old days, and was responsible for 125,000 civilian deaths in Dresden. Precision carpet bombing - condonable strategy?
Puzzle that makes you weep softly and twitch: Cryptic crosswords
Puzzle that makes you weep softly and twitch. Cryptic crosswords are mostly unappreciated on US shores, but those who have learned to seek them out have struck upon perhaps the best wordplay puzzles ever. Instead of rewarding a solver's grasp of trivia, cryptics are truly a battle of wits in which each clue is a riddle that plays by a few simple rules. Part of the riddle is a straight definition of the final word; the rest is subtly disguised wordplay. It's hard to know just why these haven't caught on it may be that the most readily available ones, such as those in Harper's or The Atlantic, are extra-tricky affairs that cater toward expert solvers. But online, there are plenty of puzzles suitable for those interested in giving cryptics a whirl, including this gem, written for a 12-year-old audience.
Dave Barry Gets a Blog. Wil Wheaton cries. Melanie Griffith pouts.
In response to the Tardblog, Dave Barry starts his own. Ha ha! Kidding. I love Dave, really. However I'm not sure if its actually him. I think its actually Harry Anderson of Night Court fame. via fark
Gulf War 2
Not really a game, but is scary/funny: This is a projection of the most likely outcome of a new war in the Gulf. I used sophisticated temporal algorithms and historical semiotic analysis to achieve an accuracy rating of 99.999%. It's the mother of all Flash games.
go raiders
go raiders just dont move to my city!
Home for Life
The Home for Life Project, designed by Roger Dean, will appeal to anyone who dreams of living in Hobbiton. The earth sheltered homes are made of gunnite and are simple to construct, and the curvilinear architecture of the interiors is based on Dean's research into the psychological responses to spaces of children. I really want to check one of these out someday. (Previously mentioned here.)
Ladies and Gentlemen, start your livers!
State of the Union Drinking Game! With this handy little game I might actually sit through the entire State of the Union speech. Take one drink every time the camera pans to a Democratic presidential hopeful. Take three drinks for every Supreme Court Justice that's asleep. via Instapundit
Why were the Super Bowl ads so dull?
Why were the Super Bowl ads so dull? Was it lack of money, lack of creativity, or something else?
djseafood
Tax credits for buying an SUV? Who would have thought that you could write off that new Hummer H2?
US buys up Iraqi oil to stave off crisis
US buys up Iraqi oil to stave off crisis Buy now. Own later. Is this odd or what?
Sweet, sweet can
Whither Sarsi? How come it's so dang hard to find Web sites on my favorite soft drink from the Phillipines, the "sarsaparilla from Manila"? Why does the bottling concern say so very, very little about the delectable syrup with the "distinctive Filipino taste."? It has its partisans (none so fervent as this fellow) and its detractors, but nary an official site. What gives?
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