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13 December, 2004

MSN Toolbar Suite Beta

I thought I'd check out the new MSN Toolbar Suite Beta. But...

Posted on 13 December, 2004

Acoustic Art Speakers

A new look in speakers: Acoustic Art.

Acoustical Art presents Flow, Centro and Hydro. Loudspeakers with modern industrial aesthetics and high fidelity sound. Every loudspeaker begins as PVC tube fittings and are precisely fabricated by hand into a finished loudspeaker.

The pair shown here will set you back $2,499.

Posted on 13 December, 2004

A Beatles Christmas

Seven MP3 files of The Beatles' Christmas Records.

If you were fortunate enough to have been a member of the official Beatles fan club between 1963 and 1969, then you likely have heard one or more of these records. The Beatles recorded them and sent them out to their adoring fans every year, finally collecting them all on one album for the 1970 edition. Now rare and quite pricey to obtain, these seldom heard recordings offer a rare glimpse of the fabs at their funniest.

(via Steel White Table)

Posted on 13 December, 2004

Kitchen Equipment

From the San Francisco Chronicle: Tools of the trade.

The Food staff needed to outfit a kitchen. Here's what we chose -- and what can also work for you.

I'm glad to see that an electric can opener is not on the list.

Posted on 13 December, 2004

No Longer Weird

Chuck Shepherd runs a site called News of the Weird. But sometimes, things that used to be weird are No Longer Weird.

The following kinds of stories were formerly weird, but they now occur with such frequency that they must be retired from circulation.

Examples:

• Suspicious package thought to be a bomb, turns out to be something stupid
• Robber leaves his ID [wallet or appointment card for probation officer or etc.] at the scene
• Family thinks he's dead, but he's not and attends his own funeral
• Hunters shoot each other
• Shoots himself while supposedly demonstrating gun safety
• Driver's license applicant crashes into examiner station before or during test
• DUI tickets for "driving" a bicycle [or horse or riding lawn mower or etc.]
• Angry customer drives car right through store's front door

Posted on 13 December, 2004

AOL CDs For Pets

At the No More AOL CDs site: Pets Unleashed. It's a bunch of photos of animals playing with AOL CDs.

This dog has the right idea.

Posted on 13 December, 2004

Lego Stuff

Eric Harshbarger is into Lego. Here are two notable projects:

• Nativity Mosaic
• A Working Lego Grandfather Clock

Posted on 13 December, 2004

Patently Silly

Here's an entertaining blog that showcases actual patents that have been granted: Patently Silly.

Shown here is a great invention: Convenient Tailgate Seat. How could they ever come up with such an ingenious idea!

Posted on 13 December, 2004

Konfabulator

Has anybody tried this? Konfabulator

Konfabulator is a JavaScript runtime engine for Windows and Mac OS X that lets you run little files called Widgets that can do pretty much whatever you want them to. Widgets can be alarm clocks, calculators, can tell you your WiFi signal strength, will fetch the latest stock quotes for your preferred symbols, and even give your current local weather.

What sets Konfabulator apart from other scripting applications is that it takes full advantage of today's advanced graphics. This allows Widgets to blend fluidly into your desktop without the constraints of traditional window borders. Toss in some sliding and fading, and these little guys are right at home in Windows XP and Mac OS X.

Posted on 13 December, 2004

Dog Judo

Watch some incredible animated dogs: Dog Judo.

Posted on 13 December, 2004

Surround Sound

By Wendy Carlos: Adventures in Surround Sound, from 7.2 to Quad.

Since the 60's I've been using four or more channels on the mixdowns of most of my performances and compositions. It's been a life's desire to get some of this surround music into the hands of music listeners. And that may very well be happening soon. I also discover I've accumulated quite a few "barnacles on the hull" from working in multichannel sound all these decades. I'd like to scrape some of these off onto the next generation to figure out what the $%#* to do with some of them! That was the major motivation for creating this web location.

Posted on 13 December, 2004

Happy Snails

For people who like to eat snails: Happy Snails.

The snails are processed at a Catalonia, Spain plant where they are partially cooked and hand-extracted from the shell. The animal is sold whole (with the attractive spiral) rather than in pieces, as generally seen in canned snails. Thus, the escargot retain more nutrition and make a more spectacular presentation on the dish.

Posted on 13 December, 2004

Link Ranks

At PubSub: LinkRanks.

LinkRanks are a measure of how many pages link to each particular site, with more weight given to fresher links and to links from a wider variety of pages.

Amazingly, this blog is listed in the "Top Gainers" list. That doesn't give me much faith in the accuracy of this tool.

Posted on 13 December, 2004

Zube Tube

If I was a kid, I think I'd like one of these: Zube Tube.

The ultimate cosmic sound machine. Create some of the most awesome sounds in the universe! No electronics or batteries!

Actually, I think I'd like one even as a grown-up.

Posted on 13 December, 2004

Numbers

At the University of Portsmouth: The Visual Language of Number.

Just click and see what you find.

Posted on 13 December, 2004

Bat Blog

A blog about bats: Flying Fur.

I used to watch bats emerge from the eaves of a neighboring building at dusk. The little creatures swooped and made hair-pin turns as they hunted insects. Friends would come over and we'd have a beer and watch the bats.

Then one summer the bats were gone. The owners of the attic roost must have sealed the bats' entry holes. I was surprised how much I missed those bats. I joined Bat Conservation International (BCI) and started to read about them. I recently took a BCI Bat Conservation and Management workshop, assisted with field research, and got hands-on experience with several species.

Posted on 13 December, 2004

Rescuing A Car Revisited

Remember that series of photos that shows two cranes falling in the water? Well, it's fake.

However, the last photograph -- showing the second crane also tipping and falling into the water -- is what makes this series particularly appealing to viewers, but it's clearly just an altered version of the fifth image.

Posted on 13 December, 2004

Professional Excel Development

I'll have to ask these guys if they'll send me an autographed copy of their forthcoming book: Professional Excel Development, by Stephen Bullen, Rob Bovey, and John Green.

This is not a book for beginners. Writing for professional developers and true Excel experts, the authors share insider's knowledge they've acquired building Excel applications for many of the world's largest companies-including Microsoft. Professional Excel Development demonstrates how to get the utmost from Excel, addressing everything from application architectures through worksheet and userform design, charting, debugging, error handling and optimizing performance.

It will be available in February, 2005.

Posted on 13 December, 2004

Gifts For Teachers

It's Cheesy Gifts for Teachers.

A shrine dedicated to exhibiting all those wonderful gifts which the dear little children give to their school teachers as birthday or Christmas presents, or at the end of the year, or just because they love them!

Posted on 13 December, 2004

The Most Popular Color

Well, it's official. The Most Popular Color in the World is Blue.

That's the word from a survey conducted by three global marketing firms that determined blue is overwhelmingly the favorite color of people in each of 17 different countries, reports Wireless Flash.

Posted on 13 December, 2004

The Nibiruan Council

Serving the worlds of the Galactic Federation: The Nibiruan Council.

Jelaila Starr, 9D Nibiruan Council messenger and author of We are the Nibiruans, offers ground breaking information about our origins and galactic heritage. As Nibiru draws nearer to Earth, her teachings expel the prejudice, fear, and myths surrounding these, our stellar ancestors.

If you have no idea what this is all about, you can purchase a Planetary Ascension Package B for only $99.

(via Bifurcated Rivets)

Posted on 13 December, 2004

Santa Cartoons

Cartoons by Dan Reynolds: Santa Needs A Holiday.

Posted on 13 December, 2004

Zip Code Segments

If you live in the U.S., find out what consumer segments live in your zip code: My Best Segments. The most common PRIZM NE segment in my zip code is called "Big Fish, Small Pond."

Older, upper-class, college-educated professionals, the members of Big Fish, Small Pond are often among the leading citizens of their small-town communities. These upscale, empty-nesting couples enjoy the trappings of success, belonging to country clubs, maintaining large investment portfolios and spending freely on computer technology.

I guess it's time to join a country club.

Posted on 13 December, 2004

Rats And Land Mines

An organization called Apopo.

APOPO is a Belgian research organization that was initiated in response to the global landmine problem. APOPO developed a new mine detection technology, whereby rats are used to sniff out and indicate the position of the explosive targets.

Posted on 13 December, 2004

Cheap Plastic Toys

At Designboom: The Real Toy Story.

The 'real toy story' is both an elaborate installation and a homage to China's factory workers who produce most of the world's cheap mass-produced plastic toys. It is an installation with 16,000 toys and photographs Michael Wolf has taken in Chinese toy factories.� The real toy story is a continuation of his interest in the people and societal changes taking place in southern China.

Posted on 13 December, 2004