April 2008
27 posts
Humans can hold their breath longer than... →
This is really interesting, though I still object to David Blaine being described as a magician. He may be able to do card tricks, but that’s tantamount to calling your grandmother a Birthday Card Writer when actually what she really excels at is Waving Walking-sticks at Children.
Stupid film by idiots pisses off Mighty Ono →
The more I hear and read about this film, the more it seems it’s not only a film by idiots for idiots, but the makers are disingenuous, simple, patronising, and probably crooks. Certainly anything but genuine documentarians. Here’s a poorly written, slightly passive-agressive and whiny yet thorough and first-hand article by Dawkins himself (who I concede is also apparently something of...
Great use of aerial photography →
This is some great interactive use of aerial photography. Simple, and elegant. The interactive video works well too. CA only at the moment, but I might ask one of my chums out there to give it a go and tell me how well it works getting a quote.
“One Liberian refugee wanted to outfit a phone with a land-mine detector so that...”
– Fascinating article from the NY Times on adoption and usage of cell-phones (thanks Dani). Incidentally, it took me almost 25 minutes to read this (I am a very slow reader). How long does it take you?
F1 Boss Mosley Caught with 5 Hookers in Nazi Orgy... →
Yes, that’s right, there’s a video (probably SFW, but it may leave you traumatised just as I’ll never be able to sleep through the night having seen Ian McShane buggered in Sexy Beast). The comments draw valid parallels with the Spitzer scandal. I’ve got to say I’ve let this story pass me by as it’s developed (I have old man public figure sex scandal fatigue...
“Protesters in several Chinese cities have gathered to demand a boycott of French...”
– BBC NEWS So, we have something in common with those commies after all, apart from the pollution and the human rights issues and the imperialism and so on… I remember when, back in 2003, the owner of the bar across the street (my favourite local at the time) banned French drinks: Hennesy, Le...
CatNip - perhaps the oddest Mac OS utility I've... →
I might have to stop describing myself as a “cat person” when asked. There’s clearly something slightly oddball about them. Usually ingenious, but a little creepy. “Optionally, CatNip will fade your desktop and display a warning message to your cat (which is of dubious value, since if your cat can read, your cat can probably type, too).” I still adore cats.
Le Tired: Predator Pilots Are Most Fatigued... →
Short version: the pilots of those unmanned planes the US military has now are suffering from fatigue much more than in-the-air pilots, and the military is confused. Doubly so because they changed the shift schedules and gave them more time off, and they’re still tired. As someone who’s spent the last 25 years of their life staring at computer screens, if you don’t get to focus...
When Nixon Met Elvis →
Jesus, this is incredible. I had no idea. But in my defence, I am furrin. Transcript of the amazing letter written on American Airlines letterhead (it must have been a bumpy flight - the letter itself is in places illegible): Dear Mr. President. First, I would like to introduce myself. I am Elvis Presley and admire you and have great respect for your office. I talked to Vice President Agnew in...
WatchNew BBC website clock. Clickety clock, testety tock.
BBC Clock
The new BBC website includes a clock at the top right which is very reminiscent of the clocks I grew up with. Leading up to the news, to Wimbledon, to a rousing rendition of God Save the Queen. This website gives a fantastic rundown on the evolution and revolution of the BBC TV ident, including the transition from mechanically to electronically generated idents. I was very fond of the old...
TSF recently expressed anticipation at...
The wireless life
I’m finally joining the 21st Century. Things are going wireless here in the bunker. I have to concede/admit/confess that a large part of that becoming more prevalent (I’ve had a wireless network for years, but that was it) is that I’ve gone Apple. I’ve spent a lot of time setting up wireless networks for people in the UK, in Denver, in New York, in Slovenia. It’s not...
Improv Everywhere bring kid's dreams to life →
Improv Everywhere are the geniuses behind the Abercrombie topless shopathon, the Grand Central frozen in time gag, and others. Normally I enjoy them, but I always get this nagging feeling that they’re really just doing it for themselves. It’s beyond the attention, there’s no doubt it’s not for the attention, but art for art’s sake often gets right up my nose. This...
WatchMoblogic, rapidly becoming one of my favourite daily treats, asked today “what do you think about at airports?”. I spend a lot of time at airports, so I get to think a lot. Normally it’s along the lines of “do I have everything I need?”, “is 20 minutes enough time to order food and eat it?”, “are my flies undone?” and “what if the flight...
Note to self
3rd time lucky. Now I’ve got to make sure I’m not about to do the same bloody thing… aaronindenver: Take off the feed for Flickr photos before I load a bunch of wedding and vacation photos. (and sorry if it clogged up your dashboard)
Curious Change
Things change quicker and more noticeably when you’re not there to notice the change. That’s the one thing I’ve come to learn in 34 years on this planet. It may not seem like much, but it’s HUGE. When I was about 10 years old, the Cambridge bus depot that we used to walk past on the way to town (at the top of Station Road) disappeared one summer while I was in Slovenia. I...