“Yay for standards, but they are killing design”
“Yay for standards, but they are killing design”. Heather Champ on the monotony and inflexibility of standardization.
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Entries for October 2004
Poptech miscellaneous
You can always tell (well, I can always tell) I’m enjoying a conference when I’m not writing much about it at the time. I’ve got the computer open for taking notes, but that’s about it…not doing a lot of connecting the dots with online research or anything and not trying to write any of it up yet. In lieu of actual content, here’s some random stuff from the last day or so:
- The conference badges here are fantastic. The names are huge for easy glancing and the entire conference booklet (with schedules, author bios, etc) fits in the badge holder. It’s got all the info that you need and it’s still small enough that it doesn’t weigh you down.
- There is a 2 square foot area in the park across the street from the conference that is the only area in a 30 mile radius in which my cell phone gets reception. Hi-tech conference, hell.
- Driving to the conference this morning, I noticed a car from New Hampshire in front of me. The state motto was emblazoned on the license plate: “live free or die”. But the screws affixing the plate to the car were positioned in such a way that it actually read, “olive free or dio”. Hmmm.
WorldChanging: “models, tools, and ideas for building
WorldChanging: “models, tools, and ideas for building a bright green future”.
Massive Change is a project by Bruce
Massive Change is a project by Bruce Mau Design and the Institute without Boundaries.
Poptech presentations
If you’re not here in Maine, you can catch the Poptech presentations on ITConversations. Malcolm Gladwell, the patron saint of kottke.org, is speaking right now.
Satellite radio
I’m in Maine for the Poptech conference and my rental car is equipped with satellite radio (courtesy of Sirius). As I drove up from Portland last night, I tried it out…strike one because it wasn’t broadcasting the baseball game. But this morning, some energetic electronica propelled me quickly into town…which is nice because I don’t think Maine has too many stations playing that kind of thing. I’ll let you know how it goes as I use it some more.
Sox win! Sox win!
Sox win! Sox win!. The improbability of the Sox comeback from 3 games down is matched only by the magnitude of the Yankees’ collapse.
Home alone: On time apart and changing one’s mind
Home alone: On time apart and changing one’s mind.
Ben and Mena are reblogging at Eyebeam
Ben and Mena are reblogging at Eyebeam. Maybe they’ll reblog this for some hot meta action!
Watching the people who come to see the Mona Lisa
Watching the people who come to see the Mona Lisa. I’ve seen it twice and I actually paused to look at it because what’s the point otherwise?
Non-narcotics which are gateway drugs for other non-narcotics
Non-narcotics which are gateway drugs for other non-narcotics. Barney is a gateway drug for Pokemon, etc.
Red Sox force improbable game 7
Red Sox force improbable game 7. I think the Second Coming of Christ would need to happen at Yankee Stadium tonight for game 7 to be more exciting than the last three games.
John Kerry and George W. Bush are
John Kerry and George W. Bush are actually very distant cousins. Is this family tree for real? Unsurprising that Bush, despite his folksy ways, is just as blue blooded as Kerry is.
The Republican Switchers blog details Republicans who
The Republican Switchers blog details Republicans who are not voting for Bush in 2004.
Music Lab is looking at how people
Music Lab is looking at how people form opinions about music. “If you participate in Music Lab you will have a chance to download free new music.”
The revolution will be commercialized
Out of Technorati’s top 100 most-linked weblogs**, only 16 don’t feature advertising or are otherwise noncommercial:
Scripting News
Doc Searls
kottke.org
Jeffrey Zeldman
The Volokh Conspiracy
Scobleizer
Lileks
Joel on Software
Rather Good
Joi Ito’s Web
RonOnline
USS Clueless
BuzzMachine
Vodkapundit
Baghdad Burning
Crooked Timber
Lots of interesting observations to be made about the commercialization of weblogs…the quick uptake of advertising on blogs, the increasingly false perception of blogs as inherently unbiased by commercial interests (and therefore preferable to “big media”), the continuing shift from blogging as a hobby to blogging for a variety of reasons, the number of weblogs launching lately that have ads from day one, the demographic difference between the typical circa-2002 blogger and the blogger of today, etc.
Just a couple of years ago, almost every weblog on a top 100 list would have been noncommerical and the blogosphere in general was mostly opposed to advertising on blogs. Now it’s accepted to the point where I haven’t heard anyone complain about it in months…even Boing Boing’s audience didn’t protest too much when they added advertising a couple of months ago.
** In compiling this list, I ignored the many entries on the top 100 list that weren’t weblogs, are no longer being updated, or are artificially popular, so the total sample is somewhat less than 100.
Update: I just wanted to clarify that when compiling the above list, I counted sites with tip jars or non-ad affiliate links (e.g. Amazon) as primarily noncommercial. In specifying what was commercial, I was most concerned with advertising (text, banner, popup) and overt commercial situations (company blogs, blogs for magazines & newspapers, etc.). There’s no clean distinction between commercial and noncommercial sites, but I think the “ads & pro blogs vs everything else” distinction is useful in talking about how the situation has changed in the past couple of years.
The Guardian hears from US citizens about
The Guardian hears from US citizens about their initiative to write to undecided voters in Ohio. Among the Brits’ many transgressions: bad teeth, tea sipping, colonizing North America, and shitty food. We’re kind of an angry country, aren’t we?
AsianMack Super Filter “[sifts] through Apple’s iTunes
AsianMack Super Filter “[sifts] through Apple’s iTunes Music Store so you don’t have to!”.
Profile of typographers Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones
Profile of typographers Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones.
Paul Shambroom will share his photographs of
Paul Shambroom will share his photographs of American town meetings this Wed at the Apple Store.
Why the Zagat’s guides suck
Why the Zagat’s guides suck. The new guide is “fairly creepy”, “equivocating”, and “supposedly pithy”, compiled by “majority rule”; use the Web instead of this “hornswoggling humbug”. “SooooEEEE.”
Tommy Corn from I Heart Huckabees has
Tommy Corn from I Heart Huckabees has a weblog on Blogspot. Recent topics: The Petroleum Situation, Caterine Vauban, and the meaning of life.
The extended DVD version of The Return
The extended DVD version of The Return of the King is available for pre-order on Amazon. The film is now 4 hours and 10 minutes long, although the credits alone probably take up about 20 minutes.
The faith-based Presidency of George W. Bush
The faith-based Presidency of George W. Bush. My main problem with Bush has always been not what he thinks, but how he thinks it. He could be pro-choice, against the Patriot Act, pro-science, for gay marriage, favor individual rights over corporate rights, etc. and I still wouldn’t vote for the guy.
Steve Jobs is back to work at
Steve Jobs is back to work at Apple after time off for cancer surgery.
Tag surfing
Since I don’t live near a warm beach, I did some Flickr tag surfing this weekend instead. In roughly the order I discovered them, a story:
If you’re on drugs, you may end up getting a kiss at a party from a crazy drunk person. If you’re lucky, that someone might be a sexy blonde model with a great ass in a bikini.
(Kiss is my favorite, particularly with the hard rock fans sprinkled in.)
PowerPoint to the People is a PowerPoint
PowerPoint to the People is a PowerPoint contest being held in Berkeley. If Lessig showed up, he would 0wn.
Jon Stewart for President
Jon Stewart for President. His recent Crossfire appearance is both sad and hilarious.
Novacaine addled
While handing my cup of soup over the counter, the African-American woman who ladled it out for me asked in such a way that the “s” was almost silent, “crackers?” I nearly shot back, “what’d you call me?” as a joke but instead bit my tongue, smiled, and thanked her. Lucky for me the bite didn’t hurt due to the massive amounts of novcaine coursing through my mouth from a morning jaunt to the dentist…although that and the accompanying dull aching pain may have contributed to almost putting my foot in my mouth in the first place.
The super sizing of Star Wars action figures
The super sizing of Star Wars action figures. “In each image, the Star Wars figure on the left is from 1979 and the one on the right is the re-issued version from 1997.”
12 areas to watch for the effects of global warming
12 areas to watch for the effects of global warming. “Climate scientists say they have identified a dozen weak links around the world, regions where global warming could bring about the sudden, catastrophic collapse of vital ecosystems.”
Dear Internet, you think you know me
Dear Internet, you think you know me but you don’t so keep your advice to yourself. “My God, I was just trying to tell a story.”
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