27 November 2007 | 1 Comment
Cory Doctorow has a really good rant on Facebook over at Information Week:
Facebook is no paragon of virtue. It bears the hallmarks of the kind of pump-and-dump service that sees us as sticky, monetizable eyeballs in need of pimping. The clue is in the steady stream of emails you get from Facebook: “So-and-so has sent you a message.” Yeah, what is it? Facebook isn’t telling — you have to visit Facebook to find out, generate a banner impression
It’s a great read.
I am for the most part still enjoying Facebook, but I have noticed recently that I’m ignoring just about everything but friend requests (there’s only so much poking I can put up with), and the inevitable messaging that follows a new friend hookup…which does beg the question about longevity.
26 November 2007 | 2 Comments
Stumbled over this great post about nerd behaviour in my feed reader the other day and it instantly resonated with me…
A nerd needs a project because a nerd builds stuff. All the time. Those lulls in the conversation over dinner? That’s the nerd working on his project in his head.
And that’s just the opening lines…if you get that, then you are a nerd. Or rather a ‘geek’ which is the preferred venacular these days. I’ve never worried about the semantics myself.
I don’t completely relate to everything said so maybe I’m not a true geek, but there’s definitely a few choice observations in there, enough that I felt compelled to bookmark it for Jennifer.
Now, our 7 year anniversary is coming up in a few days so there’s a project!
26 November 2007 | 1 Comment
Actually I never really stopped listening to Billy Bragg, it’s just the rotation that varies.
It’s the lyrics mostly, and I am a bit partial to his lo-fi production too…makes feel like I could knock out a song like that, indeed one of my goals this year is to be able to belt out a decent version of “A New England” from his 1984 album Life’s a riot with Spy vs Spy.
I’ve got lots of favorite Billy Bragg songs, but I like this one in part because of this lyric:
I saw two shooting stars last night
I wished on them but they were only satellites
Is it wrong to wish on space hardware
I wish, I wish, I wish youd care
..that there’s some good writing.
Anyway, if you care to listen here is his version (I’m not ready for any public performances just yet):
Play it
[if you're reading in a feed reader you can click through to play inline]
15 November 2007 | 1 Comment
I must be reading too much Springwise, or bored, or losing my mind…whatevs, here’s a brand idea that I reckon is just crazy enough to work and take the body building world by storm, Pistol Pete’s Gun Powder.
Now, to be clear I don’t know anything about body building (I know, I know, who’d have thought?) and have never taken any protein supplements, but I have to believe that given the choice between bog standard body building supplements, called something like Meta-RX, and an exciting new brand called Pistol Pete’s Gun Powder…well, there’s really no choice is there?!
Pistol Pete’s will come packaged in a big ol plastic container like regular supplements, but it will be designed to look like an old wooden keg of dynamite. Can’t you just see the advertising…Pistol Pete showing off his guns, KABOOM!
Photoshop credit to Julia. You can always count on your friendly neighbourhood LJer when you need some photoshopping or fan art :)
13 November 2007 | 1 Comment
I think I might be on to something here…Botox as a performance enhancing drug for poker players…you know to hide any facial tells.
What would you market it as?