Tomorrow morning I set off for my month-long getaway in South Africa. I’ve got a long day’s travelling ahead, as I’m not due to arrive in Johannesburg until 6:45am on Wednesday. However, knowing that the gorgeous Bee will be there waiting for me should help the time fly by quick enough.
While I’m there I may have an opportunity to post here now and again, or then again, I may not. I may also take lots of photos for future posting, or then again, I may not. But one thing is for certain: I will have a fantastic time, and make lots of people very jealous in the process.
###
When did I get so famous all of a sudden? It's going to my head, I tells you! #link
###
Sweet compilation of dance music from the New York underground. To tide me over till New York Noise Vol 2 comes out [c/o del.icio.us/jack]. #link
###
I've been familiar with the name for some time but not the music. This is a reminder to check him out. #link
###
Mick Fealty's published reply to a typically ignorant commentary on blogging in The Irish Times. #link
###
Twelve months boiled down to three paragraphs by Paul Ford. Needless to say it's America-centric. I guess the rest of the world needs its own yearly review. #link
###
A good long piece from The New York Times, focused on the attempt to revive the quagga, that throws up a lot of interesting questions. #link
###
A dissertation-length meditation on the increasing interconnectedness of the modern world, by Mark Pesce. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I might find the time on my travels next week. #link
###
In 2005, tragedy served as a catalyst for a technologically-empowered citizenry to take some measure of control over the media. Small potatoes in the big scheme of things, yes, but nonetheless incredibly significant. What we need to see now, of course, is what the public can do with this newfound influence when there is no major event to react to. #link
###
I don't have one. Yet. Lots of thought-fodder here, though [c/o anti-mega & Mind Hacks]. #link
###
Id est, grammatical mistakes in public signage. Some are less annoying than others, such as the ones that subscribe to the 'if in doubt, leave it out' philosophy; I mean, you can always add in your own apostrophe if you're desperate enough [c/o del.icio.us/torrez]. #link
###
Filing this for future reference. #link
###
Why, indeed. #link
###
Considering that the only true qualifiers for this here blog being Irish are my own nationality and place of residence, somehow I don't think I'll be getting any notice (see also: the 2006 Bloggies, which I probably won't be able to vote on seeing as I'll be out of the country) [c/o Sigla Blog]. #link
###
Photographs by Brian Urlich. Just right for evoking those new year blues [c/o fastlad]. #link
###
Gorgeous long-exposure street photography by Keith Kin Yan. #link
###
Two new tumblelogs to enjoy. (Not at all to be confused with this site, which is merely tumble-esque.) #link
###
On a glance, it probably only applies to the United States. But I'm filing it here for future reference anyway. #link
###
I'm linking to this if only because I love the fact that there are people out there who care about these things. #link
###
I wasn't blown away either, but not for any of these reasons [c/o Projectionist]. #link
###
Online magazine featuring 360-degree panoramas from around the world. Filed here for exploring at a later date. #link
###
Notes on an Economist article about the Japanese relationship with robots. They get along well, it seems, because they don't have the fear. One of the benefits of cultural isolationism, maybe? #link
###
This article was all it took for me to dream of having my own AIBO. Now if only they were Mac compatible, like the new Lego Mindstorms... #link
###
A short but sweet little piece from the NYT peering into the lives of crime scene reporters. #link
###
It should really be subtitled 'United States edition', seeing how America-centric it is. But still [c/o Kottke's rest of the best]. #link
###
It happened at one of the busiest downtown sections of Yonge Street, outside Sam the Record Man. I've been there. Pardon my self-absorption, but it's scary to think that my own path in life crossed with a gang shooting, however many years separate. (Joey DeVilla has more background on the event, with related statistics.) #link
###
Full marks for me. I knew I wasn't tone-deaf anyway, but it's nice to have proof [c/o Mind Hacks]. #link
###
Stunning photography by Frank Kolodziej. This is but a sample; there's plenty more within. #link
###
War zone or not, there's no excuse for this. Hell, in any other context it'd be attempted murder. Good luck getting an apology out of 'em. #link
###
It's a real condition! After years of thinking I was the only one... #link
###
Marking the 20th anniversary of his passing last month. Start your own band, paint your own picture, write your own book. #link
###
The notes on peripheries are particularly thought-provoking. I can see the same problems in Dublin's peripheral sprawl, where giant shopping malls have sprung up, taking the place of true community centres of commerce and interaction in the satellite towns, in a half-hearted effort to patch up the mistakes involved in their conception. #link
###
Also recommended: Green Crack [c/o del.icio.us/cityofsound] #link
###
Following up on my own post about the movie, Things Magazine examines it in context with both the real history of New York's landscape, and with its own cinematic predecessors. Plenty of useful links, too [c/o Kottke]. #link
###
The more information we have to deal with -- and believe me, the volume is growing at a near-exponential rate -- the more necessary it will be for this information to be 'stored', tagged and thereafter located. And that's even just thinking of sources of news. I'm looking forward to reading Morville's book sometime this year for his ideas and theories on the subject. #link
###
I lost a lot of respect for Mark Lawson after seeing the broadcast of this. I mean, if Gutenberg were alive today should he have sleepless nights over the printing of Playboy or Mein Kampf or whatever? Lazy, lazy thinking. #link
###
A late link from a few weeks ago, but still relevant. Some good food for thought. #link
###
On reading the initial comments here, I do wish some MeFites weren't so bloody picky and snarky. But if we have to put up with the dicks in real life, I suppose we have to put up with them everywhere. Anyway, some good links here. #link
###
Next time I visit TO I'm so checking this place out. #link
###
I had a funny feeling about the story from the beginning. If it was true then surely the guy would've been arrested and interned, no? Scary to think that the truth could be more shocking than the fiction, but that's the world we live in today. #link
###
Yes I would, thank you very much. And if I didn't already have three of them, I would've taken at least five. Reading isn't just a 'women's thing', despite McEwan's little social experiment. #link
###
The crazy rantings of ignorant fools, or a big self-referential double-bluff hoax? I'll let you decide [c/o MetaFilter]. #link
###
Beautiful images. The colours remind me of winter in South Africa, seen from the car window. #link
###
I personally don't believe there is any such thing as good procrastination, but I do abide by the principle of 'everything in moderation'. Related: 'Procrastination Nation' on NPR. #link
###
Download PDFs of the first edition for free, while it lasts. First impressions? Very good, but maybe a little overboard with the colour [c/o NewsDesigner.com]. #link
###
Designers are really starting to do some cool things with CSS. Never mind what this guy says. #link
###
Data visualisation used to discover why bloggers join specific conversations in multi-author blogs. #link
###
I learned about this place last summer, when The Guardian had a piece about it. We need more buildings like this. #link
###
"A repository of the music industry's most famous copyright infringement cases of the past 100 years." Man oh man! Only in the crazy world of the recording industry could someone be sued for plagiarising himself [c/o MetaFilter]. #link
###
It's hopelessly clogged with bullshit, and Ask MetaFilter is better anyway, but it might be worth exploring if you have the time or the patience. #link
###