J-Walk Blog: September 21, 2003 Archives

21 September, 2003

He Adores Hillary Clinton

I really want to avoid posting links to Geocities sites, but I couldn't resist this one: Joe D's Hillary Clinton Adoration Page. He refers to her as "the most beautiful woman in the world."

Now don't go into a fit without reading my justification for such a statement. The facts are, that beauty can, and often is, described as a combination of power, intelligence, sophistication, and personality. If that is the case then, Hillary Rodham Clinton truly is just what I have stated.

Yeah, somebody should just pull the plug on Geocities, and put those wretched Web sites out of their misery.

(via The Presurfer)

Posted on 21 September, 2003

Welcome San Diegans

This blog is getting lots of new visitors today, and I think the vast majority of them are San Diegans. So here are two links that may be of interest to fellow San Diego residents:

San Diego Bloggers - A directory of blogs written by people in San Diego.
The Museum of Hoaxes - Alex Boese's blog (updated daily) that deals with hoaxes and other forms of fakery. Alex is from San Diego, and his blog always has interesting stuff. For example, that's where I found out about Three Stooges Beer and The Baby Smasher.

Posted on 21 September, 2003

Five Questions For J-Walk

This morning, I made the "Personal Technology" section of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Every week, they interview a local person who has something to do with technology. And today that person is me.

The article isn't on their Web site yet, but I snapped a photo with my digital camera. Click the thumbnail below for a larger view (it's a bad shot, but legible).

I even put in a plug for Whole Wheat Radio. I checked earlier, and the place was crawling with San Diegans. Maybe a few of them will "get it," and stick around.

Update: The Union-Tribune link is now active, so you can read the interview online.

Posted on 21 September, 2003

Digital Ink For Billboards

Outdoor advertising will soon be even more obnoxious than it is now, thanks to digital ink.

The updateable billboard tested by Mitsubishi Electric Corp. represents a major technological shift in out-of-home advertising. The project is the first phase in a greater revolution that will move billboards one more step along the transformation curve from "sign" to broadcast medium.

The technology is very interesting, but I don't look forward to the day when billboards will resemble a cheesy web site.

Rather than cranking up the grand-format inkjet machine, you only need a 200Kb JPEG file as artwork to display an image on this billboard. Rather than dispatching a crew and crane with a new vinyl-graphic wrap, you can refresh the image by simply clicking on "Send." The billboard can display as many messages as the operator chooses to schedule.

(Thanks Dave)

Posted on 21 September, 2003

Internet Live Music Archive

I visit the Internet Archive site quite often. It stores archived web sites, so you can see how a site looked, say, five years ago.

I guess I never explored the site very thoroughly, because I discovered on Saturday that they have lots of other stuff available -- including an extensive collection of live music performances (5,861 shows, to be exact).

Welcome to the Live Music Archive. etree.org is a community committed to providing the highest quality live concerts in a lossless, downloadable format. The Internet Archive has teamed up with etree.org to preserve and archive as many live concerts as possible for current and future generations to enjoy. All music in this Collection is from trade-friendly artists and is strictly noncommercial, both for access here and for any further distribution. Artists' commercial releases are off-limits. This collection is maintained by the etree.org community.

To try it out, I downloaded a 1971 concert by the New Riders of the Purple Sage. It was a 511-Mbyte zip file that took nearly eight hours to download on my cable modem connection! The files are in the SHN file format, which is a compressed (and lossless) WAV file format. In other words, the files are huge -- but they sound very good.

SHN files are popular with people who collect recordings of live performances because these people will know what they are getting. SHN files can be copied and passed around endlessly and still maintain the same quality as the original. Compare that to MP3s, which are lower quality to begin with (due to the lossy compression), and are often subject to generational loss -- the quality continues to deteriorate each time they are converted to WAV, ripped from a CD, or downloaded

Posted on 21 September, 2003

Junk Fax From StockReporters.com

Added to my list of fax spammers: StockReporters.com. Visit their web site, and it's clear that it's run by a bunch of human sleaze bags. The site has absolutely no information about the company. The junk fax that I received, did provide this information:

Stock Reports is not a registered investment advisor or broker-dealer.. To be removed from our database, call toll free at 1-800-390-1403.

But this makes me feel better: Nixon sues two Florida businesses for sending unsolicited fax ads to Missourians

Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon today filed lawsuits against two Florida businesses for violating federal law by sending unsolicited fax advertising. Nixon said the faxes from StockReporters.com, of Tampa, and Holiday Orlando Reservations, of Winter Springs, violated provisions of the 1991 federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) which make it illegal to send unsolicited advertising to fax machines.

This article reveals that Stock Reporters is actually Avalona Communications Associates Inc.

Good luck, Jay Nixon.

Posted on 21 September, 2003

Live Music On The Web

Gordon Coale does a webcast called Testing Testing.

TestingTesting is a 60 minute (or so) improvisational and interactive show of music, and stuff, webcast using RealAudio from the living room of Gordy Coale, which is located next to Honeymoon Lake, which is on Whidbey Island, which is still floating in Puget Sound. This is a chance for the performers and audience to play with a new medium. This isn't radio or TV. Let's find out what it is.

Tonight's show (at 7:00 pm Pacific Time) features Hawaiian slack key guitar.

Tonight we will have Dennis Reed and Kirk Francis. Joanne says Kirk plays Hawaiian slack key guitar and is very good. The TT House band will be in full force with Steve Showell, Joanne Rouse, Derek Parrott, and Lisa Toomey. Enjoy an evening of living room music.

Derek Parrott plays in the house band? Whoah, I didn't know that! I've heard lots of Derek Parrott's songs on Whole Wheat Radio, and he's one of my favorites. I'd never made the connection between him and Gordy.

Posted on 21 September, 2003

Show Rats

Rat fans might like this site: Show Rats.

The rat shown here is getting his nails clipped in preparation for the big show.

Here's a tip for you:

Do not grip a claw with the clippers because if he/she jerks suddenly the claw could be pulled out of the toe end. So set your aim, hold the toe steady and clip the claw's sharp tip off in one quick positive movement.

(via Everlasting Blort)

Posted on 21 September, 2003

Sunglasses Camera

From BBC News: Camera specs take candid snaps.

Soon your sunglasses could help you capture all the important moments of your life. A prototype pair of sunglasses with a camera built in to them has been created by Hewlett Packard researchers.

"It means you now have a wearable camera which nobody will notice and can take pictures while being involved in events," said Huw Robson from Hewlett Packard. But experts say there could be privacy implications if this sort of technology becomes part of everyday life.

Posted on 21 September, 2003

Banned Books

September 20-27 is Banned Book Week. Celebrate your freedom.

Posted on 21 September, 2003

Don Ellis Photos

Kleptography: The photo gallery of Don Ellis. These photos cover a wide variety of subject matter.

Posted on 21 September, 2003

Dress Jesus

Jesus is practically naked on the cross. If you use Internet Explorer, you can put some clothes on him.

(via Electric Venom)

Posted on 21 September, 2003

Belly Dancing

Shira tells you everything you need to know about belly dancing.

Contrary to what many Westerners believe, Oriental dance (the correct name for belly dancing) did not originate as a dance of seduction done by concubines to titillate the Sultan.

For centuries, the role of Oriental dance in Middle Eastern society has been that of a folk dance that people would do at joyous occasions such as weddings, the birth of a child, community festivals, and other events that bring people together to party.

You can even learn how to do some belly dance moves.

Posted on 21 September, 2003

AOL For Blacks

From Internet Advertising Report: AOL Preps 9.0 Versions for Blacks, Teens

America Online is developing a customized version of its 9.0 Optimized software for African-Americans and another for teens.

Cool, now Glenn will have a place to hang out online.

Posted on 21 September, 2003

More On Info By Phone

On Saturday, I mentioned a phone number that provides various information. Ober Dicta offers some thoughts on this service.

My guess, after reading the user agreement for the number, is that it's a harvesting service. It gathers your phone number when you call and other information (which the EULA 'obligates' you to provide truthfully) when you register. Then, even if they don't transfer you to a third party while you're on the line, it looks like you're on the hook to be called later. To my eye it looks like an even more desperate version of infone, whose B-list celebrity studded commercials clutter daytime cable.

So, if you use this service don't register at their web site. And make sure you call from a phone that has caller ID blocking.

Posted on 21 September, 2003

Mating Simpsons Characters

What would the offspring look like if various Simpsons characters mated. Find out. The child of Marge and Mr. Burns might look like this:

Posted on 21 September, 2003

The Names Of God

Here's a big list of all the names of god. Everything from Abonsam to Zurvan. But which one is the true god?

(via Exclamation Mark)

Posted on 21 September, 2003

The Dewey Decimal System vs. A Hotel

From AP News: Owner of Dewey Decimal System Sues New York's Library Hotel

The nonprofit library cooperative that owns the Dewey Decimal system has filed suit against a library-themed luxury hotel in Manhattan for trademark infringement. The Library Hotel, which overlooks the New York Public Library, is divided according to the classification system, with each floor dedicated to one of Dewey's 10 categories.

Here's a link to the Online Computer Library Center, which owns the trademark.

Since the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system was created some 130 years ago, it's easy to assume that the Dewey name is in the public domain. However, it never has been, and since 1988, OCLC Online Computer Library Center has held the trademark on the Dewey name.

Maybe that hotel should switch over to the Library of Congress classification system.

(via The Trademark Blog)

Posted on 21 September, 2003

Take Back The Net

Here's an anti-DMCA site.

This is a movement. We have an agenda. We built these networks. We'll take them back.

(via The Lost Olive)

Posted on 21 September, 2003

Aquada

The Aquada. Is it a car or a boat? Let's hope this vehicle is designed better than their annoying Flash-based web site.

Posted on 21 September, 2003