Date: April 2006
Like NaNoWriMo, but for rocking out: 31 days to make a 31-minute record. Will you be joining in? I will, as is my want, be taking the concept one step further, by improvising and recording a one-minute track each day throughout the month. Oh yes. To be continued... #link
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Today marks the 100th anniversary of the San Francisco Earthquake. I've spent the last few weeks reading a book about the event which, like Mat, I found disappointing. I gleaned a lot about the San Andreas Fault and seismology in general, for sure, but much less than I expected about the earthquake itself. Oh well. (See also: Wikipedia's good introduction to the 1906 quake.) #link
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You just don't see art like this 'round these parts. #image
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Seems like a bit of a waste of time to me, with all the tired talk of 'leveraging' this and 'monetising' that. The most important thing I can glean from it all is that the old media vanguard seems determined to maintain their status quo and bend the web to their own will, completely oblivious to the fact that they're hopelessly transparent in their motivations and machinations, and that the web and its users are already leaving them behind. The quality (re: podcasting, especially) might not be there yet, but at this stage it's the freedom that's more important. (See also: Tom Coates expands upon and clarifies his comments re: social media, which gives some more context to the argument.) #link
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This is my new bag. I'm digging it muchly. (Delivery was quick, too: I ordered it on the 31st and it arrived last Monday -- only three days later.) #link
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"Tagging isn't just metadata; it's metadata you can use." Makes me wonder if I've been using my tags right; rather than a form of internal navigation, they point outwards, to other blog posts, to give some context to my own. #link
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Man, how could I ignore this one! (By the way, he's the WWE US champion, not the US WWE champ as the article states. Just to be clear.) #link
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If you don't know your Dogme from your Troma, this is the place for you [c/o kottke.org]. #link
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A content-based visual image search engine. for exploring Flickr by colour or theme. If you want to lose yourself for a few hours [c/o WaxyLinks]. #link
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See also: Wikipedia entry for Fixing Broken Windows. #link
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I can't even describe this. Just go there and have a look around for yourself. #link
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Since Maciej moved to Argentina he's been regularly recording his travels and experiences, both in text and in great photo studies like this one (you may need to reload the page to get all the images). #link
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The Guardian's new podcasting service. And they've gone all out, too. Talk about convergence... #link
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Unbelievably cool interactive colour picker [c/o del.icio.us/barryf]. #link
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An OS X utility for capturing full-length screenshots of web pages. Very handy indeed. #link
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Chris celebrates the first anniversary of the tumblelog with some stunning statistics. Just look at those numbers. That's crazy. #link
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And quite a good one it is too. #link
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An imaginary city that exists only on paper and in the mind of its autistic savant creator. Astonishing [c/o Boing Boing]. #link
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I never really got Achewood before, but this story arc had me riveted [c/o Hammersley]. #link
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A journalist completely missing the point of blogging? Never! But in all seriousness, Poirier is anyway wrong in her definition of journalism. It's neither a hobby nor a profession: it's a practise [c/o Bobbie Johnson]. #link
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They deserve it. #link
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Just a little social experiment... I'm not fishing for compliments, I swear. #link
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For me, this is the highlight of the new site. Not only do we get impressive images from a photojournalist at the top of his game, but we also get the story behind them, and even technical details for the photo-nerds. This is exactly the the type of thing that will keep newspapers alive and kicking in the internet age. #link
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The Guardian's new comment blog, to which I am finally linking. It's only been up a few weeks but can already boast over 1,000 posts (compared to my measly 2,021 since November 2001). Some really thoughtful stuff in there, and it's great to see the writers getting involved in the comments, too. #link
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Some people have too much time on their hands. But hey, you never know when you might need an answer to such a question. #link
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Myself? I hate paperbacks with shitty-quality paper and type that's too small, but I also find hardbacks unwieldy and far too expensive. And I only wish I had the space for trade paperbacks. Oy. (See also: Literary Novels Going Straight to Paperback; related Metafilter thread.) #link
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I hate to bring up the 'A' word, but... #link
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There's a secret Murakami-esque network of tunnels running beneath Tokyo, allegedly. Sweet. #link
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The answer, quite simply, is 'no'. Bad Science's Ben Goldacre has been cracking me up lately with his excoriation of the ridiculous Brain Gyms and the impossible crap it advises, such as 'reading without your inner voice'. Where do they come up with this shit, and more importantly why do people fall for it? #link
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A witty introduction to the world of the voiceover artist. #link
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Basically, Britannica's fucked because their subscription revenue stream has been taken away from them by Wikipedia, which by now has really transcended the traditional idea of the encyclopaedia. Everyone knows Wikipedia's flawed, but in the same way as the opinion of someone smart whom you trust is flawed. Britannica just doesn't get it; if anything's really flawed here, it's their attitude. #link
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Reminiscent of George Carlin's seven dirty words, but the difference is you can say most of these words on British TV as long as it's after the watershed. #link
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What is it with kids today? It's great to be connected and all, but it's nice to have a time-out now and then. #link
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I didn't start my blog till just over a year later, by which time quite a few of the sites listed here had exploded in popularity -- a 'blog bang', if you will. #link
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A stunning photoset. Might not be around for long though due to copyright issues, so get it while it lasts [c/o MetaFilter]. #link
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Looks interesting; might be a better fit for my WikiThesis. #link
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Dan Hill's take on The Guardian's Modernism special from a couple of weeks ago. I'm hoping to make it to the V&A exhibition before it ends in July. #link
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I've had an interest in the philosophy of mind since my undergrad days. Much food for thought here. (See also: A retro 'Chinese room' moment.) #link
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There's no need to shout; some of us are already looking. Though it'll be easier in the future, when the web will be taken more seriously. #link
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A phsychoanalyst muses on the muse, while some artists reveal what inspires them. #link
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Now this is what a styled table is supposed to look like! Impressive information design too. #link
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An exhaustive report covering the state of journalism in America, but much of it would apply to most Western nations [c/o kottke.org]. #link
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In case you were wondering where the design went. #link
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Screw April Fool's -- the 1st will always be D. Boon Day to me. #link
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