Microlog
Microlog entries posted in December 2011
Science channels explode onto YouTube
I’ve said it before: these are perfect tools for the classroom. I’m the kid who learned more from TV about maths and science (and appreciating them) than I ever did at school. I’m surely not the only one. Permalink ·
‘Kind of thirsty. Think I might get some water…’
A Twitter satire (that’s how I’m reading it, anyway) from @paleofuture. Also: must read some Nicholson Baker. Permalink ·
Shapecatcher.com: Unicode Character Recognition
Draw something in the box, and it finds Unicode characters to match it. Not perfect, but pretty nifty. Permalink ·
Stereo Stack
A collection of vintage LP stereo banners. Permalink ·
A Brief Rant on the Future of Interaction Design
In even shorter terms, the tablet is a one-dimensional medium as far as our interaction with them goes. We need more tactile interfaces! Permalink ·
Links for Manufacturing or Marketing Your Own Game
Filing this for future reference. Permalink ·
The Dice Place: Blank Dice
Good selection of dice for game builders. Filed for future reference. Permalink ·
Longform’s Best of 2011
As the link says, some top picks from the wealth of longform writing on the web this year. See also: Give Me Something To Read’s 2011 Highlights. Permalink ·
Louis CK answers fans’ questions on Reddit
Dude is really embracing new technology, and he understands more about the web than he thinks he does. I ponied up for his stand-up special too; looking forward to watching it (can’t laugh now, throat’s still too sore). Permalink ·
A Grindcore Christmas, Volume 1
Sorry I didn’t post this before the 25th! Save it for next year’s festive soundtrack. Permalink ·
Toolbox tips: drilling and fixing
I will find this very useful one day. Permalink ·
20 predictions for the next 25 years
Some of these are just bullshit pie-in-the-sky futurism, but many others are just pragmatic abstractions of things already happening today (look how much has already happened this year, for instance). Permalink ·
Take a walk in the park with Google Street View
Google showing a good understanding of what people use Street View for, right here. Permalink ·
excavations.ie
A searchable database of Irish excavation reports. Surprisingly useful, and very educational. Here’s details of work carried out where we used to live in town. Permalink ·
Megacities
“By 2050, three-quarters of the world’s population will be urban. That means more — and much bigger — metropolises.” Permalink ·
CSS Font Stack
If it’s not obvious what this is from first glance, it would take too long to explain it to you. Permalink ·
My favourite film: Predator
I’ll fight anyone who says Predator isn’t one of the best action films of the 1980s; it’s up there with Robocop IMHO. Permalink ·
Learning to Program for Journalists: The Epic HOWTO
Filing this for future reference. Permalink ·
How to Make Bubble Tea
It’s actually quite complicated, what with all the preparation the tapioca balls require. Permalink ·
Will Japan build a backup Tokyo?
I suppose if anyone could do it, they could. Permalink ·
Robot Roundup
It’s kind of shocking to think about the amount of things (outside of industrial processes) that have been robotised as a matter of course. It’s sneaking up on us, in a way. Permalink ·
My Robot Nation
Build your own unique robot, replicated to order. The prices are a bit steep at the moment, but this kind of thing is going to explode. Permalink ·
The Video Remix ‘Supercut’ Comes of Age
Andy Baio’s brief history of this web video phenomenon. It’s the kind of creativity that bullshit legislation like SOPA would kill stone dead. Permalink ·
Giving the FBI What It Wants
A digital media academic takes the extreme approach when he learns he’s being watched by the Feds. I understand what he’s doing, but he’s very much missing the point, and doing a disservice to those who don’t have his technical nouse. Permalink ·
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s chickpea recipes
I see some post-Xmas chana masala in my future. Permalink ·
Hands on with Zeebox, your new social TV guide
This is kinda what I was talking about last year. Almost, but not quite. Permalink ·
Binge watching contemporary TV
Dan Hill five years ago, being very prescient. Binge watching, timeshifting, whatever you call it — between the DVR and box sets, it’s 90% of our home viewing now. Permalink ·
7 billion people and you: What’s your number?
Mine’s 4,446,117,843 (or 79,030,555,906 since history began) Permalink ·
The Fierce Imagination of Haruki Murakami
Having now read 1Q84, I can say it’s been fiercer. See also: If Haruki Murakami’s New Book Were Sold Like a Video Game. Permalink ·
Scoring a Three with Mugger
An interview with the notorious Black Flag roadie who eventually became a partner in SST Records and is now, many years later, a clean-cut family man. Go figure. Permalink ·
io9’s 50 Scariest Movies Of All Time
Compare with the AV Club’s Scariest Movie Scenes. Both are missing an obvious classic in Robocop. Was no one else frightened by that ED-209 scene? Still gives me chills just thinking about it. Permalink ·
Google Kills Its Other Plus, and How to Bring It Back
I haven’t used it in a long time — I’ve always been a quotes guy — but it does have a very specific application that hasn’t really been substituted here. When Google starts messing up search, that’s not a good sign. Permalink ·
Enthusiasms: Things That I Believe
These are mostly things that I believe, too. Permalink ·
How the Potato Changed the World
Added to the ‘Things I didn’t know’ file: tomatoes can be affected by potato blight [c/o The Morning News]. Permalink ·
About
This is the personal website of MacDara Conroy, a production journalist, music writer and mediavore in Dublin, Ireland. Read more »
Details
This page is a reverse chronology of Microlog entries by MacDara Conroy published in December 2011. You will find many more in the Archives.
Continuum
↑ January 2012
→ December 2011
↓ November 2011