The six degrees of the PBS show, American Masters
The six degrees of the PBS show, American Masters. See how Clint Eastwood and Albert Einstein are connected.
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Entries for July 2004
The band connector
The band connector. “A band is officially regarded as connecting to another if they both share a legitmate band member”.
Jim Kunstler lets fly about current events
Jim Kunstler lets fly about current events on his newish weblog.
Sir Laurence Olivier to star in all-digital
Sir Laurence Olivier to star in all-digital film, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.
One man’s crusade against Big Oil
One man’s crusade against Big Oil. “They are taking advantage of people’s anxiety about the war.”
Very few among the conference-going crowd are
Very few among the conference-going crowd are using IE as their browser.
Third (or is it sixth?) Star Wars
Third (or is it sixth?) Star Wars movie to be called “Revenge of the Sith”.
Hello, Nintendo-playing shades-wearing dumbass
Hello, Nintendo-playing shades-wearing dumbass. Hey, it was bright in there!
If you’re with a site that “enforces
If you’re with a site that “enforces compulsory user registration”, you’re required to register with BugMeNot. That’s some funny shit.
Rumors are true, Microsoft is looking to sell Slate
Rumors are true, Microsoft is looking to sell Slate. Slate’s one of the best online magazines; I hope nothing bad happens to it.
Seven countries currently have more than one national capital
Seven countries currently have more than one national capital.
How to detect if someone is lying
How to detect if someone is lying through observation during questioning. “Experienced interviewers know they cannot count on any one indicator to deception; the pattern is the key”.
Catwoman is getting horrible reviews
Catwoman is getting horrible reviews. It’s currently hovering just above Gigli territory.
Aggregating posts from bloggers at the DNC
Aggregating posts from bloggers at the DNC. I had no idea so few bloggers got chosen to attend.
Evidence of rogue waves uncovered with satellite photos
Evidence of rogue waves uncovered with satellite photos. Waves 80-100 feet high can form in otherwise calm seas.
The year’s top brands and trends in branding circa 2004
The year’s top brands and trends in branding circa 2004.
Detecting fake digital photos is possible, but
Detecting fake digital photos is possible, but doesn’t work so hot for compressed images like JPEGs.
If you blow out the white on
If you blow out the white on the newly digitized Apollo photos, you can see the “missing” stars.
The first one is free
Interesting post over at Gulfstream (no permalink, sorry) about free software that doesn’t seem so free from a company called Sveasoft:
Sveasoft have produced a new firmware for a Linksys wireless router. The software, like the original software, is based on Linux, and is licensed under the GPL: once you own a copy, you’re free to give it to anyone you want. However, Sveasoft themselves will only give you a copy of “pre-release” version of their software if you pay to “subscribe” to this service. Ordinarily they wouldn’t be able to charge very much for their software, because once one person has a copy of the software, they are legally allowed to give it to all their friends. (They could also sell it for less than Sveasoft charges.) However, the deal with Sveasoft is that if you do this, they won’t sell you newer versions of their software. According to the FSF, this is quite okay.
Sveasoft will give you their pre-release software for free and allow you to distribute it, but if you do, you can’t get support or buy future versions of the pre-release software. When I first read about this, it seemed to run counter to the free software philosophy, but upon further reflection, I don’t see any real technical or philosophical objections to what Sveasoft is doing.
Are the days of the De Beers diamond cartel numbered?
Are the days of the De Beers diamond cartel numbered?.
NASA posts newly digitized photos from Apollo 11 moon landing
NASA posts newly digitized photos from Apollo 11 moon landing.
HTML version of the 9/11 Commission Executive Summary
The 9/11 Commission released their findings today (WaPo PDF of the Executive Summary). I’ve created an HTML version of the Executive Summary with permalinks for each paragraph for easy linking and copy/paste.
GD Library restores GIF read/write support
GD Library restores GIF read/write support due to expiration of the GIF patent. Was just there yesterday looking for this; must have missed it by a couple of hours.
Perhaps the Dutch tulip bubble in the 1600
Perhaps the Dutch tulip bubble in the 1600s wasn’t a bubble after all. Might have been caused by a rule change, not mass delusion.
NYC protestors accept march route (up 7th
NYC protestors accept march route (up 7th Ave) and rally spot (on the West Side Highway) for Republican National Convention protest. Not a bad proposal…they get to march right past where the convention is being held. I bet they’ll have a lot of touble keeping the march moving around MSG.
idealist.org is holding a nonprofit design contest
idealist.org is holding a nonprofit design contest. “This competition seeks to promote excellence in design in the nonprofit sector and to reward and acknowledge those designers who move beyond limitations to create works that are functional and aesthetically powerful while also promoting social impact.”
In NYC, even the opening of a
In NYC, even the opening of a new Target store is a big deal. The likes of Chloe Sevigny, Sandra Bernhard, and Maggie Gyllenhaal turned up to shop for Britta water filters and bathmats.
This electoral vote predictor is currently showing
This electoral vote predictor is currently showing a sizable win for Kerry. Data is taken from state polls.
Results of the 2004 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
Results of the 2004 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. This year’s “dark and stormy night” includes the phrase “like Martha Stewart ripping the sand vein out of a shrimp’s tail”.
Fast Company on Whole Foods’ successful blend
Fast Company on Whole Foods’ successful blend of hard-core capitalism and social responsibility. I highly recommend this article…fascinating stuff.
Camera fiends
Boy howdy, if this don’t sound familiar:
The appearance of Eastman’s cameras was so sudden and so pervasive that the reaction in some quarters was fear. A figure called the “camera fiend” began to appear at beach resorts, prowling the premises until he could catch female bathers unawares. One resort felt the trend so heavily that it posted a notice: “PEOPLE ARE FORBIDDEN TO USE THEIR KODAKS ON THE BEACH.” Other locations were no safer. For a time, Kodak cameras were banned from the Washington Monument. The “Hartford Courant” sounded the alarm as well, declaring that “the sedate citizen can’t indulge in any hilariousness without the risk of being caught in the act and having his photograph passed around among his Sunday School children.”
These days, there’s talk of banning camera phones from anywhere you could possibly carry one: locker rooms, battlefields, subways, and movie theatres. Awake, citizenry! Our indulgence in hilariousness is at stake here! (via red)
Make your own iPod speakers with Altoid
Make your own iPod speakers with Altoid tins and playing cards.
NYTimes on the new Prada “epicenter” in
NYTimes on the new Prada “epicenter” in Beverly Hills designed by Rem Koolhaas.
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