More Signal, Less Noise
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
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NETSURFER DIGEST
More Signal, Less Noise |
Volume 11, Issue 28 Tuesday, July 19, 2005
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NETSURFER LINKS
 BREAKING SURF
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BREAKING SURF July 16 marked the 60th anniversary of the first atomic bomb test at Alamagordo, N.M. The explosion was one of the most important moments in human history, and fortunately a great deal of the history leading up to it has been preserved. A good place to start is the Atomic Archive, dedicated to the complex history of the bomb. The site is a companion to a CD-ROM multimedia history. A quicker and more chronological approach can be found at Scientific History of the Atomic Bomb. The graphics could have been made on a Mac in 1986, but the site covers in detail most of the key events leading up to July 1945. For a different aspect of the story, check out the Truman Presidential Library for its large collection of documents on the decision to drop the bomb on Japan. Finally, the first-rate book "The Making of the Atomic Bomb", by Richard Rhodes, is the definitive narrative account of the development of the bomb - a thrilling read, indeed.Atomic Archive: http://www.atomicarchive.com/index.shtml Scientific History...: http://www.hcc.mnscu.edu/programs/dept/chem/abomb/ Truman: http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/bomb/large/index.php "The Making of the Atomic Bomb": http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0684813785/netsurferdigest "Guns, Germs and Steel" on PBS PBS is televising a three-episode documentary based on Jared Diamond's highly acclaimed cultural history, "Guns, Germs and Steel". Diamond's opus deservedly won copious praise, including the Pulitzer Prize, and, more importantly, copious readership. In the PBS series, Diamond's historical sleuthing begins with the puzzle of why Europeans and not Asians or Africans conquered so much of the world. Readers of the book know Diamond's hypothesis, but the TV shows peel back the layers of history visually, bring us back to the end of the last ice age as he reasons that key geographic and environmental factors largely explain this success. The PBS Web site gives the program the usual public-broadcasting treatment: nicely packaged information; instructive background; and enticement to watch it. If you haven't read the book yet and don't have a library convenient, why not - self-serving plug here - buy it from Amazon.com and throw us a little support, to help us to continue to throw you cool stuff like this.PBS: http://www.pbs.org/gunsgermssteel Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0393317552/netsurferdigest The Clueless Are Clueless That They're Clueless We know how hard it is to be modest when you're so danged bright and clever. If you feel the same way, this report in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology ought to wipe that smug smile off your face. Justin Kruger and David Dunning have proven what we already know - that incompetent people are too incompetent to figure out that they're incompetent. Using psychology students as test subjects, these Cornell University psychologists ran tests of logic, grammar, and humor. After the tests, the researchers asked the students to estimate how well they did. Students who did poorly tended to be most confident about their test results while those who performed near the top were more likely to underestimate how well they scored. The authors believe that the overconfidence of poor performers stems from an inability to accurately assess their own ability and that of others. The results probably have practical implications - and may help explain a lot of the stuff you see going on around you. Charles Darwin observed that "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge," and indeed this analysis suggests that the only way out of the cognition trap for poor performers is more knowledge.http://www.phule.net/mirrors/unskilled-and-unaware.html Even as NASA counts down to its resumption of Space Shuttle launches, problems continue to crop up. First, a few heat-shielding tiles fell off, but NASA deemed that immaterial. The showstopper was the failure of an engine cut-off sensor. Undeterred, NASA managers note that as soon as they get this latest problem fixed, they'll be four days from launch. They don't have a firm date, but seem certain that it'll be real soon now. The crew for the STS114 mission is standing by at Kennedy Space Center, hoping that more wheels don't fall off the next time NASA kicks the tires. Our pointer to NASA's Return to Flight site has one cool feature for broadband users: streaming NASA TV. If you're really into the upcoming launch, and many are, the STS114 Flight Readiness Review documents provide more than 60 MB of material for your perusal. Return to Flight: http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/main/index.html STS114 Flight Readiness Review: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/FOIA/frrdocs.html How many people use the Internet on a particular day? Jason Striegel set out to answer this question with the aid of Alexa and some precise visitor numbers from a few Web sites. Striegel harkens back to Henry Cavendish, who in 1798 estimated the gravitational constant G and mass of the Earth by comparing the gravitational attraction between two small spheres. Striegel uses Alexa's statistics on the percentage of Internet users who visit a Web site on a particular day. Combining this information with an actual number of visitors to a known Web site, he estimated the number of people who visit Web sites in one day. His estimates come with caveats, of course, but the number he comes up with - somewhere between 500 million users, give or take a few dozen million - is probably reasonably close to the truth. http://www.blogcadre.com/blog/jason_striegel/weighing_the_internet_2005_07_13_03_37_07 Firefox: New Version, Site Hack, Growing Market Share Fresh on the heels of the latest security update to the Firefox browser (version 1.0.5), comes news that hackers attacked the Spread Firefox Web site. The brief on-site note says only that hackers tried to turn the Web server into a spam zombie and that they don't think any user data was compromised, but they still urge users to change passwords. Meanwhile, InfoWorld reports that Firefox is still gaining market share at the expense of Internet Explorer. Firefox now owns 8.71% of the market, up 0.71% since May, while Internet Explorer's share in that time dropped 0.67%. InfoWorld's numbers are based on a press release from NetApplications.com, which had still not posted the information on its own Web site when we looked for it. We hate that, since we like to bring you primary sources if possible.Firefox: http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/ Spread Firefox: http://www.spreadfirefox.com/?q=node/view/16836 InfoWorld: http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/07/14/HNfirefoxgains_1.html The London bombings provided another opportunity for the Net, and especially the blogs therein, to demonstrate the ability to capture information in real time for a vast audience. You have to think only of the various phonecam images that ultimately made it from Flickr to CNN to realize that global, public mass communication played a vital role in recognizing the scale and horror of the events. Technorati, a search engine devoted to blogs, has page with links to bloggery on the London bombings, and Wired makes clear that Technorati is the best tool for understanding the blogosphere. Wired makes some thoughtful comparisons of Technorati and Google, but we like the idea of blogs as conversations upon which Technorati eavesdrops for our benefit. Technorati: http://www.technorati.com/londonbombings/ Wired: http://wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,68204,00.html Del.icio.us has just announced the formation of yet another category with which you can tag Web content via its site. The "for:username" tag aims content at a specific Del.icio.us user - sorta, as some Del.icio.us users point out, like spam. This is yet another example of the seemingly limitless ways with which a community can tag information in an organic way. A quick browse of Del.icio.us suggests that tagging conventions for important data arise quickly out of social consensus, an example of which was the quick birth of content tags for info on and in response to the London bombings. http://blog.del.icio.us/blog/2005/07/tags_for_two.html Get ready for another ugly catchphrase: vlog, short for video blog. Four articles at Wired argue that vlogs are something like public-access cable TV on the Internet. Given that we don't spend that much time watching public-access channels, we aren't sure if this is a good trend, but it is the video version of podcasting, or so it seems. Anyway, if you want to learn more about vlogging, read these articles. They have some excellent sources of information and ask the sensible question, "Is your next pool party ripe for a vlog?" If you want to skip Wired's trend-tracking and just see what people are doing, check out the last article we list, "The Vlog World's Greatest Hits". Some people may have far too much time on their hands. Wired 1: http://wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,68171,00.html Wired 2: http://wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,68203,00.html Wired 3: http://wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,68199,00.html Wired 4: http://wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,68175,00.html SF Authors Offer Books for Free In striking contrast to the legal hysteria over leaks of the latest Harry Potter book before official release, two SF authors have made a point of releasing their latest novels for free on the Web. Both Cory Doctorow ("Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town") and Charles Stross ("Accelerando") have posted online electronic copies of their latest books, freely available for anybody to download. The theory, so far not disproven and with evidence in favor, is that the release of free electronic copies of a book promotes hardcopy sales. Both authors have plenty of related stuff on their Web sites, such as links to their other book files, reviews, and the philosophy behind their free book releases. Stross actually asks you not to send him money. Visit his site to find out why.Doctorow: http://craphound.com/someone/000363.html Stross: http://www.accelerando.org/ For its tenth anniversary, Amazon.com is showcasing its 25 top-selling authors, musicians, and DVDs. In each category, the online store ranks the chosen few in order of sales. There's not a classical virtuoso to be found in the musicians section but nonetheless the category includes some great vocalists, bands, and musical tyros. The products on Amazon.com's lists can stave off those are-we-there-yet moments. Heck, before you visit, spend a rainy evening seeing if you can predict the lists. The DVD list should be fairly easy to work out, but the author category held some surprises for us, although the top spot wasn't a headscratcher, given the serial nature of the top bestsellers over the last ten years. No further clues - and no peeking until you've done your homework. As a bonus to the lists themselves, many of the authors and musicians have provided written comments. Of course, Amazon.com conveniently links to relevant product pages. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/14110541 Ten Years After the Netscape IPO Fortune magazine credits Netscape with the birth of the Web in the headline to its article on the tenth anniversary of the Netscape IPO. Given that many folks were using the World Wide Web daily well before 1995, the position seems a bit overblown. At that time, the foundations of the WWW had already been laid, and a little browsing program called Mosaic was helping people access content more reliably. Netscape was born of defectors from the Mosaic project. In its essence, Fortune's story tells how Netscape overwhelmed Mosaic and took off from there. Relying on first-person accounts, the Fortune tale is long but riveting. Netscape did play a huge role in the integration of the Web into our daily lives, and this is an important piece of documentary, well worth the read.http://www.fortune.com/fortune/technology/articles/0,15114,1081456-1,00.html Everybody and their pets are churning out Google Maps projects, and a new one is announced around every two hours - depending on the culture medium, the temperature, and other factors. We sure recognize that we're deluged with cool Google Maps projects, and we try to present you, busy reader, with only the best. If our past selection hasn't been enough for you, not-so-busy reader, allow us to direct your attention to Google Maps Mania, a blog that features tons of links to existing Google Maps projects and links to software scripts that make it easy for you to embark upon your own project. You can use Google Maps projects to locate sex offenders, WiFi hotspots, and even taco trucks in Seattle. The more, the merrier. http://googlemapsmania.blogspot.com/ Katamari Damacy is a game for the Playstation 2 in which the player rolls a sticky ball, the katamari, through the world, gradually picking up larger and larger objects. The game is amusing, strikingly original, and surprisingly addictive, and has attracted a devoted cult following. Recently, the sequel, We Love Katamari, was released in Japan. Perhaps the best review of the sequel to date is this one by Tim Rogers. Rogers's review is as much about the philosophy of the game as it is about mechanics and content, and it cloaks itself with the spirit of New Game Journalism - which we wrote about in NSD 11.09. The game publisher is Namco, but its English Web site as yet does not have information on We Love Katamari. Tim Rogers: http://www.largeprimenumbers.com/article.php?sid=katamari2 NSD 11.09: http://www.netsurf.com/nsd/sub/v11/nsd.11.09.html#BS9 Namco: http://www.namco.com/ Dell Does Not Like When Customers Bash Dell Dell, which sells more PCs in the US than anyone else, has shut the Customer Service discussion boards on its Dell Community Forum. Why? Good Morning Silicon Valley (GMSV) tells us Dell closed them because the customers used the boards to bash the giant company and complain about its awful customer service. The article presents all relevant links and speculates that Dell executives have never read the famous "Cluetrain Manifesto". The subsequent discussion in the comments devolves into - you guessed it - Dell bashing.GMSV: http://blogs.siliconvalley.com/gmsv/2005/07/cluetrain_dont_.html "Cluetrain Manifesto": http://www.cluetrain.com/book/index.html "Plan 9 from Outer Space" Available for Download Ed Wood's stupendously bad "Plan 9 from Outer Space" is out of copyright, in the public domain, and available for download courtesy of the Internet Archive. The film is frequently cited as the worst movie ever made, although there is much debate about the most deserving contender for that title. See the IMDB Bottom 100 and the encyclopedic Wikipedia entry for more on the subject of bad movies. Note that the Internet Archive download feed can be slow at times, so it may take you a while to download the entire movie. Considering the film's huge cult popularity, we suspect that by the time you read this, torrents for the movie will pop up on all the usual tracker sites.Internet Archive: http://www.archive.org/details/Plan9FromOuterSpace IMDB Bottom 100: http://us.imdb.com/chart/bottom Wikipedia: http://tinyurl.com/7vxca We know. You went away for your July national holiday and came back to discover that "The Daily Show" had changed its set. Take off! No way! Zut alors! Gone is the sofa, replaced by a large desk and two modern rolling chairs. Are these guys beginning to take themselves seriously? What's going on here? Slate offers the best dissection of the changes, especially how the new screens behind Jon Stewart's head don't help at all. We are happy the show is doing well and that it has new digs, but does that mean the show is going to change into something we won't recognize? "The Daily Show": http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/index.jhtml Slate: http://slate.msn.com/id/2122505 This year, HBO again topped the TV world with 93 Emmy nominations. Top individual shows were "Desperate Housewives" and "Will and Grace", each with 15 nominations. Two HBO movies also received 16 nominations each. There's more than you want to know at the Emmy Web site. http://www.emmys.org/awards/2005pt/2005ptnews.php Meanwhile, the Starship Exeter Flies Again A couple of years ago, some dedicated Star Trek fans lovingly created a tribute to the original series, a homemade episode titled "The Savage Empire". Last week, the same crew released a second episode, "The Tressaurian Intersection". The episodes are quite watchable and are a fine example of what dedicated fans can do with time, technology, and lax copyright protection.http://www.starshipexeter.com/ ONLINE CULTURE Consider the evolution of warfare. The rise of nation states led to armies, to the age of castles and artillery, to the warfare of maneuver, and through to the fourth-generation warfare (4GW) of insurgency, which targets the political will of the opponent. Jim Rogers draws an analogy between 4GW and the current conflict between the culture of file-sharers and the big media companies, which he calls the fourth-generation media war (4GM). "An effective 4GW army projects its force past the battlefield in order to directly affect the political will of the opponent.... An effective 4GM entertainment source projects its force past the mainstream media distribution system in order to directly connect with its audience." He claims that big media is not only fighting a losing war over control of content, but is also fighting on entirely the wrong battleground. Rogers's post elicited a round of comments that debate the merits of the metaphor. The notion that old-time media companies are fighting a losing war, or the wrong war, is clearly a seductive one to the comment posters, though a few notes of caution do creep in. The blog post is a worthwhile read for anybody interested in file-sharing and fair use.http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/2005/07/4th-generation-media.html Debating the Shortcomings of Linux Linux has become a significant force in the world of computer operating systems. Aside from a huge technical user community, the open-source operating system has earned a place in many commercial and government IT departments. Many people use it as their desktop of choice. And yet, according to MozillaZine regular Asa Dotzler, Linux is not ready for the desktop. That Dotzler doesn't think Linux is ready for the average user is not the main point here, even though he does make several valid points in support of his argument. The primary value of his blog entry comes from noticing that it struck a nerve and set off a lengthy, informative conversation. The resulting threads accurately reflect the larger Linux community debate over the viability of Linux as a desktop system to rival Windows and Mac OS X. The Linux community is soul-searching since Linux, despite all its successes, has failed to take the general population by storm. The debate swirls around the shortcomings of Linux as a consumer platform, from complaints about minor nits in particular distributions to the large-scale philosophical issues of meeting user expectations.http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/asa/archives/008499.html
SURFING SITES Public Agenda's Non-Partisan Agenda Public Agenda was founded by social scientist and author Daniel Yankelovich and former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance in 1975 to help American leaders better understand the public's point of view and to educate citizens about critical policy issues so they can make thoughtful, informed decisions. The Web site is an addition to the group's print, broadcast, and public programs. Its news sections, issue guides on a wide variety of current-interest topics, and research studies get you up to speed on a huge array of matters. The organization aims for a fair and non-partisan tone. It generally succeeds and proof is that Public Agenda is regularly criticized by both extreme left and far right. If you want a site that will agree with your biases, this isn't the place for you. If you want clearly presented news and reporting that lets you make up your own mind, bookmarking this site is a great idea.http://publicagenda.org/ North Across the Florida Strait The multidisciplinary approach of the Cuban Rafter Phenomenon examines the migration of those Cubans who chose to try their luck in the US rather than under the communist regime in their own country. So many people have made the trip that the Cuban community in Florida numbers over a million souls. The site kicks off with an interactive map to help you orient yourself then delves deeply into the experiences, motivations, and hardships of the "balseros" who have attempted the 90-mile crossing. By concentrating on the so-called rafter crisis of the mid-1990s, the site's creators can go into great depth and cover aspects like the historical context, the fate of those raft people who were intercepted and taken to camps in Guantanamo Bay, and how the US Coast Guard handled the mission of intercepting and rescuing these people at sea. The video and audio clips, interactive timeline, original documents (as PDFs), and other features will keep you entranced, and there is an extensive bibliography should you wish to pursue the subject further. The homepage is a bit of a slow loader and you've got to make sure that your plug-ins are up to snuff. This is online history like it ought to be - and is bilingual, in English and Spanish.http://balseros.miami.edu/ Abortion will always be an emotive topic. Pro and anti abortion camps generate much of the heat, and accounts of what abortion is like from the women who undergo the procedure are rarer than the proverbial hen's tooth. I'm Not Sorry.net tells one side of this story - you can guess which by the name. It claims to attempt to redress the balance of reporting in the face of a surplus of accounts from the anti-abortion camp. Regardless of your personal opinion on the issue, it is hard to ignore the bravery and honesty of those who tell their tales here. The medical details are sparse in most cases but not absent - do steer clear if you don't want to read about them. Otherwise, the words of the women themselves speak loudly with the reasons for their actions, their emotions at the time, and their lives since. It may not be easy reading for some, but it could be reassuring for those going through the experience now. http://www.imnotsorry.net/ "So ruff, so tuff, out here, baby...". With this homage to the Grouch opens Graphic Junkies, which features the on-duty photography of a law enforcement officer in the Atlanta metropolis. Prospective gawkers looking to rubberneck through a series of lurid scenarios might want to take their eyeballs elsewhere, Graphic Junkies just ain't that kind of site. There is, however, a wonderfully schizoid quality to the images therein. We see gleaming, orderly tableaux of bullets, handcuffs, and assault rifles on one hand, with stark documentation of human misfortune on the other: wrecked vehicles; burned-out homes; a sidewalk littered with household salvage. All of it is sadly beautiful, an almost resigned perspective of urban life in decline. http://www.graphicjunkies.com/ We're not making any jokes or snide commentary this time - the NSD staff has family deployed to Iraq like many Americans do. The Iraq War Casualty Map links Google Maps with casualty data to provide a stark graphic display of casualties by home town. As you click the Javascript button, soldier icons populate the map in increments of time, from 2001 to the present - well, to June 23, 2005, anyway. The site could, unfortunately, use an update. The designer's working on a few bugs but the impact still grows on you (if you use an appropriate browser). We hope our loved ones will come home without adding to it. http://www.casualty-maps.com/ This is the future of professional blogging as well as a tasty way to indulge your quest for a mass-production-free classic burger. A Hamburger Today (AHT) has only been up for a couple of months but it's already winning awards for its subject matter, its research, and its execution. Run by four full-time no-foolin' professional editors, AHT proves that the phrase "a well-run blog" is not oxymoronic. Content is fresh, spicy, and served up your way. Each of these obsessed hamburglers pulls together restaurant reviews, news articles, press releases, and their favorite patty recipes to keep you looking forward to your next meal. Find a great burger joint in your hometown or plan your next road trip by reviewing their regional archives. Add your own photo to their Flickr feed of burger images, or contribute your own reviews. Even the advertising is handled in a tasteful manner. We're going to skip the cheesy "a rare site well done" accolades, sort of, but if you fondly remember Slice from NSD 10.25, you'll find comfort in that AHT is a sister site. AHT: http://www.ahamburgertoday.com/ NSD 10.25: http://www.netsurf.com/nsd/sub/v10/nsd.10.25.html#BS17 Now that the Contagious Media Showdown is over, we don't feel so used reviewing contestant sites. The 60 Second Story site was a contest within a contest, meant for today's shrinking attention spans. The site solicited video works of fiction lasting less than 61 seconds. Most submissions were - were, for both contests are over - low-bandwidth QuickTime clips. The judges insisted that all submitted stories have a beginning, middle, and end, but otherwise nearly anything went. All entries have found their way to the 15 Minutes of Fame repository, but the winner earned prizes of a one-minute supply of chocolate, and a one inch by one inch edition of his story printed by Spineless Books. The site promises to host a new round of submissions at 60secondstory.com. If you like your fiction short, then this is the place to start. If you own a webcam that you've already grown bored with, now you have new inspiration. http://60secondstory.contagiousmedia.org/ Some say Batman's draw is based on the fact that he has no superhuman powers; his distinguishing characteristics are wealth and a vendetta the size of Rhode Island. David Ewalt put together a piece for Forbes that outlines the riches you'd need to set aside to become a real-life Batman-type superhero. The final bill? $3,365,449. The breakdown of costs is interesting, and Ewalt singles out Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred, for praise, for without Alfred, none of the gallivanting would be possible. If $3 million is a little out of reach, how about a few thousands of dollars? That's how much Alan Porter estimates he's spent as a Batman-obsessed fan. In so many ways, that's much closer to being within our reach. Check out his tally in Notes from the Cave. Forbes: http://tinyurl.com/7u375 Notes from the Cave: http://www.geocities.com/batmanmagazine/nftc1.htm The Virtues of Small Organs, and You Can Play with Them For more evidence that the future is now, visit Miniorgan's mini-museum of electronic musical mini-instruments. Miniorgan features at least 180 types from as far back as 1954, although most date from the early '70s to the early '90s. You used to think of these as annoying, noisy toys to give to other peoples' kids, but now these things sound pretty cool and look very retro. Miniorgan reviews about 80 of them, and promises an update or two per year. Although you may not visit the site for new content, you might keep going back to play DJ with the samples it so thoughtfully offers. Click the "audio" link to mess with them. With a little practice, you'll be a regular one-man Kraftwerk. If you know of any sources for more miniorgans, send an e-mail to the proprietor, Eric.http://www.miniorgan.com/ Staying cool is a two-step process. First, you need to find out or stay on top of what is cool at the moment. Then, you have to acquire the necessary clothing, music, passes, and so forth to get your cool on. Cool Hunting is devoted to both aspects of the process. It notes what's cool and helps you buy the stuff. It's basically a blog and to some degree a great big ad - but what better than an ad to show what's hip? The site has areas for sneakers, food, the future, and more. The site is attractively designed, of course, and easy to use. It's cool in and of itself. The site's emphasis leans toward New York City, although the overall scope is worldwide. http://www.coolhunting.com/ Cool Aviation Store Offers Art and Artifacts CollectAir is the online window of a brick-and-mortar art gallery devoted to aviation prints and models and related objects. The site offers for sale a large selection of its productions and reproductions - and, boy, if you like aviation art or models or collectibles, the site is heavenly. Not only does it offer superb illustrations and artifacts, but it takes that extra effort and provides a lot of text to explain what you're looking at. Prices range from sort of reasonable (the pewter models by Diverse Images, for example) to museum prices for museum quality art. No cash? No problem. The site isn't only for buyers; window shoppers will enjoy it equally. Cruise the many sections. You might even find an old favorite from your childhood - it'll cost a bit more than it did then, though.http://www.commercemarketplace.com/home/CollectAir/index.html Are you the not-so-proud owner of an aggressive Akita? A barking Beagle? A chewing Chihuahua? Relax, a bit of help is on the way. Free Dog Training Info contains a treasure trove of free dog training info. What did you expect, recipes? These articles on the care and training of dogs and puppies come from Lori Verni, who seems to try really hard to convince us that she's qualified in the subject - not that she's not. Her advice makes sense. As an added bonus, the site features related links, a library, and a newsletter. Our natural skepticism aside, we highly recommend the site for current as well as prospective dog owners. http://www.freedogtraininginfo.com/ FLOTSAM & JETSAM Arrange the dots so that no connecting edges overlap. This is a viciously addictive exercise in mindless geometry. Damn you, jnt5!http://home.cwru.edu/~jnt5/Planarity/ Small Ads from the UK highlights a modest collection of jokes spotted in English classified advertising. Click on the Humour link in the category menu to enjoy more amusing distractions. http://www.horsman.co.nz/story.do?id=67 Van Gogh's "Starry Night" in 1.5 Gigapixel Photomosaic This is a photomosaic, an image composed of many other images. In this case, 210,000 small photos and roughly 1.5 gigapixels were used to recreate Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night". Keep zooming to see the base images. Impressive.http://www.andreaplanet.com/mosaic/starrynight/ NSD's evil twin, b3ta, tested several ways to poach an egg. Each poached egg is photographed and rated on visual appeal and taste. However, true gourmets would skip the plastic wrap and buy a Circulon Classic 10" covered saute skillet with egg poacher kit. b3ta: http://www.b3ta.com/features/howtopoachanegg/ Egg Poacher Kit: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005OWDF/netsurferdigest Free Katie invites us to join the movement to liberate young actress Katie Holmes from the clutches of forces we may never understand - namely, Tom Cruise. http://freekatie.net/ The Chalets, "Feel the Machine" This clever music video treats the band as just another element on a computer desktop. It has some neat effects to go along with the concept. The Chalets feature two attractive goth-looking go-go girls and music that's eerily reminiscent of early 1980s New Wave. Fun.http://www.thechalets.com/video/feel02.mov A large collection of "M" logos from around the world, many of them related to metro systems of public transportation. This is a great resource for graphic designers with 25 other letters in need of ideas. http://mic-ro.com/metro/metrologos.html Use Google Maps to record the distance you walked or ran during your workout. This is an application of the recently released Google Maps API. http://www.sueandpaul.com/gmapPedometer/ This nifty Google Maps hack overlays the road map over the corresponding satellite photos and vice versa. You can compare how closely real life roads correspond to the lines on the map. http://www.kokogiak.com/gmaps-transparencies.html Found on a whiteboard at Google headquarters and marked "Do Not Erase", this master plan involves hiring Richard Branson, orbital mind control, crop circles, convenience stores, and the total elimination of evil. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/21470089/ In the future, all news will be personalized. Really personalized. Frighteningly personalized. http://blog.outer-court.com/paulsnews/ SOFTWARE A BBC Web page links to open-source projects which the network and its offspring have developed and released into the public domain. The BBC offers a number of different projects, including Perl and Apache modules and a video codec. Some of the more elaborate projects include a virtual-world media lounge and software that shows changes in video shots. The BBC is clearly an open-source-friendly organization, evidenced by its efforts to make all its open-source content available on the Web.http://www.bbc.co.uk/opensource/ |
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