rants and ramblings http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/ random commentary about culture, media, politics, technology and whatnot. Copyright 2008 alykat@morethanthis.net (alykat) Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:01:25 -0500 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=4.01 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss links for 2008-10-06 alykat
  • Map of the Day | National Geographic Magazine
    "Browse through history using our daily maps of historical news events and milestones."
    (tags: maps history)
    • ]]>     http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/10/06/006996.html#comments http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/10/06/006996.html http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/10/06/006996.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:01:25 -0500 rants and ramblings     links for 2008-10-02 alykat
  • 10th Birthday | Google
    Impressive HTML-based timeline.
    (tags: webdesign interface javascript interactive google)
  • Four bars? The disconnect between bars and cell signal | Ars Technica
    "The topic of bars and signal strength has recently come to a head with the introduction of the iPhone 3G. Some of you have written into us expressing dissatisfaction with your iPhone 3G's number of bars when compared to other handsets you have used, only to discover how to put the phone into field test mode and see that it's reading the same level of signal that you're used to. Others have complained about experiencing dropped calls while having a full set of bars. As a result, we took a close look at what makes up all the links in the chain that connect signal level with bars, and why bars are not as reliable an indicator as you might think."
    (tags: iphone cellphones)
    • ]]>     http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/10/02/006995.html#comments http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/10/02/006995.html http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/10/02/006995.html links Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:01:45 -0500 rants and ramblings     links for 2008-10-01 alykat
  • Colbert for President | Marvel.com News
    "Citizens of the Marvel Universe depicted on the pages of recent and upcoming Marvel comics have been diligently wearing "Colbert '08" t-shirts, seeing "Colbert '08" campaign signs and more!"
    (tags: comics stephencolbert election2008)
  • Spider-Man Stephen Colbert Team Up | Marvel.com News
    "Marvel is proud to reveal that Spider-Man and acclaimed television personality Stephen Colbert will join forces in an all new eight-page story featured in the extra-sized AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #573! Acclaimed writer Mark Waid and fan favorite artist Patrick Olliffe present Stephen Colbert, a candidate for the U.S. Presidency in the Marvel Universe, teaming up with Marvel's most iconic crime fighter. What could bring these two together? And what will it mean for both their futures?"
    (tags: comics spiderman stephencolbert)
  • Tear Down These Walls: One Architecture Critic’s Candidates for Demolition in New York City | NYTimes.com
    "Instead of crying over what can't be built, why not refocus our energies on knocking down the structures that not only fail to bring us joy, but actually bring us down?"
    (tags: architecture nyc toread)
  • The Transformation of NPR  | American Journalism Review
    "Long defined by its radio programming, National Public Radio is reinventing itself as a multiplatform force."
    (tags: toread journalism radio npr via:romenesko)
    • ]]>     http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/10/01/006994.html#comments http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/10/01/006994.html http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/10/01/006994.html links Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:02:35 -0500 rants and ramblings     links for 2008-09-27 alykat
  • Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert: Mock the Vote | Entertainment Weekly
    "With just five weeks left until Election Day, our favorite pundits discuss the power of Sarah Palin, why TV news is about as credible as Muzak, and whether Barack Obama is going to be 'sworn in on a gay baby'"
    (tags: television journalism election2008 dailyshow stephencolbert satire via:rpongsaj)
    • ]]>     http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/27/006993.html#comments http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/27/006993.html http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/27/006993.html links Sat, 27 Sep 2008 10:03:06 -0500 rants and ramblings     links for 2008-09-26 alykat
  • Toms Essay | Measure for Measure | New York Times
    "The curious legend of 'Tom's Diner' -- how an a capella ditty became a hit single and, eventually, a key component in the development of the MP3."
    (tags: music mp3 toread)
    • ]]>     http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/26/006992.html#comments http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/26/006992.html http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/26/006992.html links Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:01:24 -0500 rants and ramblings     links for 2008-09-24 alykat
  • Arts Orgs Trying to 'Turn On' Dupont Underground | DCist
    "The venue would be used for experimental artists and curators to hold shows they may not otherwise find space for, for 'mid-size' traveling exhibitions that can't find a home in a big museum or our tiny fine art galleries, as well as a variety of other creative endeavors: fashion shows, video screenings, architectural events, and more."
    (tags: washingtondc art museum)
  • Nguyen Van Thoi Dies; D.C Area Restaurateur | washingtonpost.com
    Rob came across this 2005 obituary for the former owner of the local Nam-Viet restaurants. "Nguyen Van Thoi, 57, a former Vietnamese prisoner of war who built a string of successful restaurants in the Washington area while forging a close bond with U.S. servicemen who fought in his homeland, died of congestive heart failure Dec. 15 at his home in Arlington."
    (tags: washingtondc obituary restaurant clarendon arlingtonva via:rpongsaj)
  • Lucy Maud suffered 'unbearable psychological pain' | globeandmail.com
    "But there's 'a much wider context for understanding' final note found on bedside table of Anne's creator, biographer says"
    (tags: books psychology death)
  • The heartbreaking truth about Anne's creator | globeandmail.com
    Lucy Maud Montgomery's granddaughter writes, "What has never been revealed is that L.M. Montgomery took her own life at the age of 67 through a drug overdose."
    (tags: books psychology death)
    • ]]>     http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/25/006991.html#comments http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/25/006991.html http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/25/006991.html links Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:41:48 -0500 rants and ramblings     links for 2008-09-22 alykat
  • 'Obey' Street Artist Churns Out 'Hope' for Obama | The Underwire | Wired.com
    "If you've been to any major U.S. city recently, you may have spotted a two-tone print of presidential candidate Barack Obama emblazoned with the word 'Hope' on a bumper sticker, lamp post or building. Shepard Fairey, the 38-year-old street artist known for a guerrilla art campaign that coupled the ominous slogan 'Obey' with the face of pro wrestler Andre the Giant, is behind the Obama design that has become synonymous with the Democratic nominee."
    (tags: illustration art campaign2008 politics)
  • The Great iPhone Photo App Roundup | Photojojo
    "The iPhone Army* has a new weapon: photography applications, and lots of 'em."
    (tags: iphone photography software review)
  • The US election nightmare scenario | BBC NEWS
    Larry Sabato writes, "The odds are that the victor of the American presidential election on 4 November will secure a clean-cut victory in the electoral college - an absolute majority of 270 votes or more. But that isn't a guaranteed result."
    (tags: election2008 politics via:bcompton)
    • ]]>     http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/22/006990.html#comments http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/22/006990.html http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/22/006990.html links Mon, 22 Sep 2008 13:31:18 -0500 rants and ramblings     links for 2008-09-18 alykat
  • Attack of the Super-Strength Cyborg Penguins | Danger Room | Wired.com
    "Military researchers are building mechanical suits that provide superstrength and inhuman endurance. Next up: an undersea exoskeleton that turns the wearer into a giant, cyborg penguin."
    (tags: penguins technology military)
    • ]]>     http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/18/006989.html#comments http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/18/006989.html http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/18/006989.html links Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:02:24 -0500 rants and ramblings     links for 2008-09-16 alykat
  • Everymoment Now : Obama Vs. McCain : Context and Scope to the 2008 US General Election
    Interesting news aggregator that displays the comparative amount of coverage each candidate has gotten per day. Nicely presented.
    (tags: visualization journalism election2008 via:rwalker)
  • The hottest rhetorical device of campaign 2008 | Slate Magazine
    "Politicians eager to keep up with the latest fad need more than a flag pin this election season; the hottest accessory of the 2008 campaign is the reversible raincoat. That's the nickname speechwriters have given to the rhetorical device in which words are repeated in transposed order, as with Churchill's famous line: 'Let us preach what we practice -- let us practice what we preach.' The fancy Greek name for the trick is antimetabole, and it's been cropping up in speeches by Democrats and Republicans alike."
    (tags: language politics election2008 writing)
  • BeFunky Video Cartoonizer
    "If you've ever seen the movie A Scanner Darkly or Waking Life, you're going to love being able to replicate the look through our Video Cartoonizer."
    (tags: video illustration software via:hrheingold)
  • Video Podcast #2: Happy Penguin Tech | Wired Science | Wired.com
    "In the second installment of Wired Science's video podcast, we go inside the California Academy of Sciences' new penguin habitat and look at the technology behind keeping these mouthy, knee-high creatures healthy and breeding."
    (tags: video penguins)
  • Word 'Presumptive' Prepares for Another 4-Year Hibernation | The Onion - America's Finest News Source
    (tags: humor language election2008 campaign politics)
    • ]]>     http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/16/006988.html#comments http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/16/006988.html http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/16/006988.html links Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:02:57 -0500 rants and ramblings     genius music alykat I'm playing around with the new Genius Playlist feature in iTunes, and I'm really digging what it's coming up with. Tonight, I had Vampire Weekend stuck in my head after hearing that they'll be playing at the 9:30 Club later this fall, so I gave iTunes the band's "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" as a starting point for a Genius Playlist. This is what it came up with:

    • "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" by Vampire Weekend
    • "Don't You Evah [Matthew Dear Mix]" by Spoon
    • "Lake Michigan" by Rogue Wave
    • "West Coast" by Coconut Records
    • "Fake Empire" by The National
    • "I'm Amazed" by My Morning Jacket
    • "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead" by Stars
    • "The W.A.N.D." by The Flaming Lips
    • "Oxford Comma" by Vampire Weekend
    • "Use It" by The New Pornographers
    • "Mr. Pitiful" by Matt Costa
    • "Australia" by The Shins
    • "Boy With a Coin" by Iron and Wine
    • "Time to Pretend" by MGMT
    • "Back in Your Head" by Tegan and Sara
    • "The Underdog" by Spoon
    • "Chicago" by Sufjan Stevens
    • "Keep the Car Running" by Arcade Fire
    • "Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games" by Of Montreal
    • "I Feel It All" by Feist
    • "You Only Live Once" by The Strokes
    • "I Still Remember" by Bloc Party
    • "Skinny Love" by Bon Iver
    • "16 Military Wives" by The Decemberists
    • "Someday" by The Strokes

    It's not a perfect playlist, but it's pretty darn good -- even pulling out songs I'd completely forgotten I had. Rock on.

    ]]>     http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/10/006987.html#comments http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/10/006987.html http://www.morethanthis.net/blog/archives/2008/09/10/006987.html music Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:46:37 -0500 rants and ramblings