The Sentimental Futurist: Cybernetics And Art In William Gibson's Neuromancer - Research and Read Books, Journals, Articles at Questia Online Library: "Gibson is, nevertheless, one of the most inventive and ambitious artists in
SF, perhaps in spite of Neuromancer's success in mixing hard SF and scin-
tillating lyric. Unlike most SF, Gibson's writing is concerned with art, in
overt and subtle ways -- specifically, with SF as a medium for art. His critics
miss the point when they take exception to the prominence of style over
such putative hard SF qualities as fidelity to scientific plausibility in project-
ing the future. 1 I would argue that the lasting values of Gibson's works lie
precisely in his careful and complex crafting of an SF language that simulta-
neouly expresses a lyricism of estrangement and an allegory of the present.
Where traditional SF repeats obsessively the delusion that it is a form of
epic representation of the fate of humanity, Gibson's fiction returns, as to a
tonic, to the question of how artists can represent the human condition in a
social world saturated by cybernetic technologies."
Wednesday, June 30
Tuesday, June 29
Window to Dell Decline | MetaFilter
Window to Dell Decline | MetaFilter: "I've know IT guys who would secretly mark malfunctioning laptops and computers before sending them back to Dell for replacement. Dell would swear up and down they were sending them a new one as a replacement. When the IT guy would check the computer they got back, sure enough, there was the secret mark.
posted by eviltwin at 9:02 AM on June 29"
posted by eviltwin at 9:02 AM on June 29"
Window to Dell Decline | MetaFilter
Window to Dell Decline | MetaFilter: "When I got an e-mail from my boss's boss asking me to write a manual on how to do my job, I saw the writing on the wall. The end was near, but I went into ostrich mode and ignored the looming threat. After all, I had avoided being laid off for nine years. I'm invincible, and the company will fall apart without me. So when I had that uncomfortable conversation with my boss and the HR rep in the little room with the stack of laptops in the corner and the bag of badges, it came as a bit more of a surprise than it should have."
Monday, June 28
gladwell dot com - pandoras briefcase
gladwell dot com - pandoras briefcase: "The idea for Operation Mincemeat, Macintyre tells us, had its roots in a mystery story written by Basil Thomson, a former head of Scotland Yard's criminal-investigation unit. Thomson was the author of a dozen detective stories, and his 1937 book 'The Milliner's Hat Mystery' begins with the body of a dead man carrying a set of documents that turn out to be forged. 'The Milliner's Hat Mystery' was read by Ian Fleming, who worked for naval intelligence. Fleming helped create something called the Trout Memo, which contained a series of proposals for deceiving the Germans, including this idea of a dead man carrying forged documents. The memo was passed on to John Masterman, the head of the Twenty Committee—of which Montagu and Cholmondeley were members. Masterman, who also wrote mysteries on the side, starring an Oxford don and a Sherlock Holmes-like figure, loved the idea. Mincemeat, Macintyre writes, 'began as fiction, a plot twist in a long-forgotten novel, picked up by another novelist, and approved by a committee presided over by yet another novelist.'"
In Ordinary Lives, U.S. Sees the Work of Russian Agents - NYTimes.com
In Ordinary Lives, U.S. Sees the Work of Russian Agents - NYTimes.com: "In Cambridge, Mass., the couple known as Donald Heathfield and Tracey Foley, who appeared to be in their 40s and had two teenage sons, lived in an apartment building on a residential street where some Harvard professors and students live.
“She was very courteous; she was very nice,” Montse Monne-Corbero, who lives next door, said of Ms. Foley., who she said spoke with a foreign accent and was “pretty” with short blond hair."
“She was very courteous; she was very nice,” Montse Monne-Corbero, who lives next door, said of Ms. Foley., who she said spoke with a foreign accent and was “pretty” with short blond hair."
Scott Adams Blog: Exobrain 06/23/2010
Scott Adams Blog: Exobrain 06/23/2010: "I suppose other creatures use their environment for storing information, or programming their brains in limited ways. But I assume humans export the highest percentage of brain function to their environment, and it grows daily. The evolution of mind from inside the creature to outside the body fascinates me. Humans are turning the entire planet into an exobrain. Our brains can't hold all of the data we produce, so we look for ways to offload to books, websites, music, and architecture, to name a few storage devices. And we manipulate the environment to reprogram our brains as needed."
The Life of Tobias Wong, Designer - NYTimes.com
The Life of Tobias Wong, Designer - NYTimes.com: "His taste for stunts went beyond physical designs. In 2007, the soft-spoken (and stage shy) Mr. Wong sent Mr. Chorpash, the professor and friend, to the podium at a design conference to give an entire presentation pretending to be him — never mind that Mr. Chorpash is tall and Caucasian — while Mr. Wong sat amid baffled audience members, wearing a devilish smile."
Saturday, June 26
Police: Men shot each other to test pain - UPI.com
Police: Men shot each other to test pain - UPI.com: "Police said the two men shot each other at about 5:30 p.m. and apparently believed they had escaped injury until two days later when they were hospitalized with pain and had pellets surgically removed from their legs and buttocks."
Bungie.net : Jobs
Bungie.net : Jobs: "Do you dream about creating worlds imbued with real value and consequence? Can you find the fine line between a reward that encourages players to have fun and an incentive that enslaves them? Can you devise a way for a player to grow while preserving the delicate balance of an action game? If you answered yes to these questions (and you are a passionate work-a-holic game-o-phile) you might want to polish up your resume and apply to be Bungie’s next Player Investment Designer.
A Player Investment Designer develops a robust and rewarding investment path, supported by consistent, rich and secure incentives that drives player behavior toward having fun and investing in their characters, and then validates those systems through intense simulation, testing and iteration."
A Player Investment Designer develops a robust and rewarding investment path, supported by consistent, rich and secure incentives that drives player behavior toward having fun and investing in their characters, and then validates those systems through intense simulation, testing and iteration."
Friday, June 25
Easiest way to Enable Google Voice Push Notification on iPhone - Revised [Tutorials] | TruVoIPBuzz
Easiest way to Enable Google Voice Push Notification on iPhone - Revised [Tutorials] | TruVoIPBuzz: "Easiest way to Enable Google Voice Push Notification on iPhone – Revised [Tutorials]"
Tuesday, June 22
Can Google Voice ring my iPod Touch? - Google Voice Help
Can Google Voice ring my iPod Touch? - Google Voice Help: "Yes you can receive FREE incoming calls on the iPod touch using Google Voice & Gizmo5, however, you guys are all missing the most important piece of the puzzle.
Here is what you need to receive google voice calls on the iPod touch
1. iPod touch 2G
2. Headset with mic and remote
3. Gizmo5 account
4. Gizmo5 Installed on your PC
4. Google Voice Account
5. Nimbuzz IM for iPod touch
6. Wireless internet connection"
Here is what you need to receive google voice calls on the iPod touch
1. iPod touch 2G
2. Headset with mic and remote
3. Gizmo5 account
4. Gizmo5 Installed on your PC
4. Google Voice Account
5. Nimbuzz IM for iPod touch
6. Wireless internet connection"
"Saneman" by Adam Sternbergh | The Walrus | July/August 2010
"Saneman" by Adam Sternbergh | The Walrus | July/August 2010: "Our culture was like an off-brand imposter perfume. If you like Hall and Oates, you’ll love Chilliwack!"
Monday, June 21
Downgrade iPhone 3G 3GS iOS 4 GM to OS 3.1.3 | iPhone
Downgrade iPhone 3G 3GS iOS 4 GM to OS 3.1.3 | iPhone: "and now you want to go back to OS 3.1.3 or lower for whatever reason, we created a step by step guide for iPhone 3G and 3GS running on iOS 4 GM. iOS 4 is still in GM and you needn’t to edit your host files for iPhone 3GS to bypass Apple signatures."
Sunday, June 20
Mind and Muscle Forums > tendonitis healing procedures
Mind and Muscle Forums > tendonitis healing procedures: "The only thing that ended up working for me (and I saye resoundingly -ME) was near infrared light therapy. I stumbeld upon a technology while doing research for my diabetic father who had developed neuropathy. It seems that a company named Annodyne had received FDA approval to build and market these near infrared light units to diabetics (by prescription) suffereing from neuropathy. It seems that 890nm light liberates Nitric Oxide from the hemoglobin and that helps repair nerve endings. Another byproduct of this light therapy is new tissue deployment. It works with tedonitis as well as severe open wounds such as those from bed sores. Annodyne has a pattent on the technology and they charge $2,500 for the cheap unit. I built one for my dad and while I was at it, one for myself. I spent a total of $360 for the materials for both."
iOS 4.0 Breaking Existing AdMob-Enabled iPhone Apps. | iPad Weekly
iOS 4.0 Breaking Existing AdMob-Enabled iPhone Apps. | iPad Weekly: "Apple’s iOS 4.0 is breaking existing applications available in the App Store which make use of AdMob’s mobile advertising SDK and other non-Apple advertising platforms.
We first received the tip from entrepreneur Mark Suster on last Thursday’s episode of This Week in Venture Capital. Suster commented on the show, “What I’m told about OS 4 is that it breaks any application using AdMob and its breaking applications that are using other ad platforms. I have direct knowledge that it’s breaking all the other platforms [other than iAd]. It’s breaking MobClix and other participants.”"
We first received the tip from entrepreneur Mark Suster on last Thursday’s episode of This Week in Venture Capital. Suster commented on the show, “What I’m told about OS 4 is that it breaks any application using AdMob and its breaking applications that are using other ad platforms. I have direct knowledge that it’s breaking all the other platforms [other than iAd]. It’s breaking MobClix and other participants.”"
iPhone OS 3.0: Error 13019 during sync
iPhone OS 3.0: Error 13019 during sync: "If the steps above do not resolve the issue, attempt to sync an empty iTunes music library to the device while logged in as a new admin user. Follow these steps to create a new admin user:
Windows Vista and Windows XP
From the Start menu, choose Control Panel.
Open User Accounts.
Select Create a new account and follow the instructions to complete the account setup process.
Once the new account is created, choose Log Off from the Start menu.
Log in to the newly created user account.
Mac OS X
From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
Choose View > Accounts.
Click the ' ' (you may need to authenticate to be able to click this).
Give the new user a name and short name and enter a password.
Select the checkbox for 'Allow user to administer this computer'. This makes the user an admin user.
Click Create Account.
Log out and then log in to the new account."
Windows Vista and Windows XP
From the Start menu, choose Control Panel.
Open User Accounts.
Select Create a new account and follow the instructions to complete the account setup process.
Once the new account is created, choose Log Off from the Start menu.
Log in to the newly created user account.
Mac OS X
From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
Choose View > Accounts.
Click the ' ' (you may need to authenticate to be able to click this).
Give the new user a name and short name and enter a password.
Select the checkbox for 'Allow user to administer this computer'. This makes the user an admin user.
Click Create Account.
Log out and then log in to the new account."
Friday, June 18
Gardner's date with firing squad revives talk of Mormon blood atonement - Salt Lake Tribune
Gardner's date with firing squad revives talk of Mormon blood atonement - Salt Lake Tribune: "Mormon doctrine was 'full of promised blessings for the obedient, blessings which were not forthcoming as the Saints were driven from pillar to post,' says Peterson, who now lives in Issaquah, Wash. 'An obverse logic took over: The Saints were obviously remiss in their duties; they deserved to suffer; the quickest way back to divine favor was to inflict more suffering on themselves.'
Their approach, he says, would be similar to that of Roman Catholics during the Middle Ages in the aftermath of the plague, which decimated Europe. Religious orders in which members would flog themselves as penance 'arose to deal with the psychological effect of the terrible scourge.'
The idea of self-punishing was central to the 'guilt I inherited or felt in the people around me,' says Peterson, who was reared in a small Mormon community in northern Arizona. 'We believed in a severe God who didn't forgive easily. You had to pay with some kind of pain.'
Blood atonement also figured in Peterson's novel The Backslider , when one character's throat is cut to atone for his homosexual behavior and the protagonist considers killing himself for his continued sexual sins."
Their approach, he says, would be similar to that of Roman Catholics during the Middle Ages in the aftermath of the plague, which decimated Europe. Religious orders in which members would flog themselves as penance 'arose to deal with the psychological effect of the terrible scourge.'
The idea of self-punishing was central to the 'guilt I inherited or felt in the people around me,' says Peterson, who was reared in a small Mormon community in northern Arizona. 'We believed in a severe God who didn't forgive easily. You had to pay with some kind of pain.'
Blood atonement also figured in Peterson's novel The Backslider , when one character's throat is cut to atone for his homosexual behavior and the protagonist considers killing himself for his continued sexual sins."
POGUE UNPLUGGED - Pogue's Posts Blog - NYTimes.com
POGUE UNPLUGGED - Pogue's Posts Blog - NYTimes.com: "there’s still no single technical level of writing that makes everybody happy.
I still get complaints from total newbies, who are bewildered by terms like “smartphone” and “plasma TV.” And I still get bashed by the gearheads, who find the column not nearly technical enough.
I think a lot about the technical level of the column. Over the years, I’ve adopted a number of tricks that are designed to communicate technical points without losing the novices–and one of them is avoiding jargon."
I still get complaints from total newbies, who are bewildered by terms like “smartphone” and “plasma TV.” And I still get bashed by the gearheads, who find the column not nearly technical enough.
I think a lot about the technical level of the column. Over the years, I’ve adopted a number of tricks that are designed to communicate technical points without losing the novices–and one of them is avoiding jargon."
Technology - Pogue's Posts Blog - NYTimes.com
Technology - Pogue's Posts Blog - NYTimes.com: "“Effective this past month, all C.S.R.’s were versed on the usage of blocks. A new policy has gone into effect regarding how to handle Escalated Calls regarding data charges. Now, a representative can be reprimanded and even terminated for proactively offering to block any of the following:
Web Access Blocks
Data Blocks
Premium SMS blocking
Application download blocking
Vcast Music or Vcast Video download blocks
“Essentially, we are to upsell customers on the $9.99 25 mb/month or $29.99 unlimited packages for customers. Customers are not to be credited for charges unless they ask for the credit."
Verizon, so slimey.
Web Access Blocks
Data Blocks
Premium SMS blocking
Application download blocking
Vcast Music or Vcast Video download blocks
“Essentially, we are to upsell customers on the $9.99 25 mb/month or $29.99 unlimited packages for customers. Customers are not to be credited for charges unless they ask for the credit."
Verizon, so slimey.
Thursday, June 17
The World Wide Website of Ricky Jay
The World Wide Website of Ricky Jay: "Yet far more than Malini's contem- poraries, the famous conjurers Herrmann, Kellar, Thurston, and Houdini, Malini was the embodiment of what a magician should be-not a performer who requires a fully equipped stage, elaborate apparatus, elephants, or handcuffs to accomplish his mysteries, but one who can stand a few inches from you and with a borrowed coin, a lemon, a knife, a tumbler, or a pack of cards convince you he performs miracles.'"
The World Wide Website of Ricky Jay
The World Wide Website of Ricky Jay: "Magic is not about someone else sharing the newest secret. Magic is about working hard to discover a secret and making something out of it. You start with some small principle and you build a theatrical presentation out of it. You do something that's technically artistic that creates a small drama. There are two ways you can expand your knowledge-through books and by gaining the confidence of fellow-magicians who will explain these things. Ricky to a large degree gets his information from books-old books-and then when he per- forms for magicians they want to know, `Where did that come from?' And he's appalled that they haven't read this stuff. So there's this large body of magic lumpen who really don't understand Ricky's legacy-his contribution to the art, his place in the art, his technical proficiency and creativity. They think he's an �litist and a snob.'"
Rent a White Guy - Magazine - The Atlantic
Rent a White Guy - Magazine - The Atlantic: "NOT LONG AGO I was offered work as a quality-control expert with an American company in China I’d never heard of. No experience necessary—which was good, because I had none. I’d be paid $1,000 for a week, put up in a fancy hotel, and wined and dined in Dongying, an industrial city in Shandong province I’d also never heard of. The only requirements were a fair complexion and a suit.
“I call these things ‘White Guy in a Tie’ events,” a Canadian friend of a friend named Jake told me during the recruitment pitch he gave me in Beijing, where I live. “Basically, you put on a suit, shake some hands, and make some money. We’ll be in ‘quality control,’ but nobody’s gonna be doing any quality control. You in?”"
“I call these things ‘White Guy in a Tie’ events,” a Canadian friend of a friend named Jake told me during the recruitment pitch he gave me in Beijing, where I live. “Basically, you put on a suit, shake some hands, and make some money. We’ll be in ‘quality control,’ but nobody’s gonna be doing any quality control. You in?”"
Wednesday, June 16
Fire Footbag | Your Footbag (hacky sack �) Shop
Fire Footbag | Your Footbag (hacky sack �) Shop: "FIRE FOOTBAG
Read Product Reviews
Write a Review
$14.99
Quantity:
S & H: $4.00 / Order
Footbag Details
Compare All Footbags
Panels 2
Material Kevlar
Approx. Diameter
(inches) 2.5
Fill Gravel
Weight 48
Stall Rating 4
Set Rating 4
Durability 8
Kick Rating 5
Origin Australia
User Rating 3 reviews;
2.67 out of 5 stars
BY PURCHASING THIS FOOTBAG YOU AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING:
YOU HAVE READ THE AND UNDERSTAND THE SAFETY FIRST BLOG POST AND WATCHED THE ASSOCIATED VIDEOS.
YOU ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE, AND/OR YOU WILL ONLY USE THIS PRODUCT UNDER DIRECT ADULT SUPERVISION."
Read Product Reviews
Write a Review
$14.99
Quantity:
S & H: $4.00 / Order
Footbag Details
Compare All Footbags
Panels 2
Material Kevlar
Approx. Diameter
(inches) 2.5
Fill Gravel
Weight 48
Stall Rating 4
Set Rating 4
Durability 8
Kick Rating 5
Origin Australia
User Rating 3 reviews;
2.67 out of 5 stars
BY PURCHASING THIS FOOTBAG YOU AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING:
YOU HAVE READ THE AND UNDERSTAND THE SAFETY FIRST BLOG POST AND WATCHED THE ASSOCIATED VIDEOS.
YOU ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE, AND/OR YOU WILL ONLY USE THIS PRODUCT UNDER DIRECT ADULT SUPERVISION."
Tuesday, June 15
Play This Thing! | Game Reviews | Free Games | Independent Games | Game Culture
Play This Thing! | Game Reviews | Free Games | Independent Games | Game Culture: "Which is why we have Pathfinder. Pathfinder is not D&D 3.5 because it says so, and because it doesn't have the D&D logo on it and because it uses different words in different arrangements to describe a game system that, well, gosh darn, what do you know, perhaps by sheer coincidence, is remarkably, even amazingly similar to D&D 3.5. Thus, it avoids violating both trademark and copyright law; copyright covers 'the tangible expression of an idea' not 'an idea,' so this is perfectly legal, and anyway, it's published under an Open Gaming License for D20 products, so it would be doubly hard for WOTC to *** about it to the law."
The Resistance | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
The Resistance | Board Game | BoardGameGeek: "This is my reworking of the original game. I put it together for my Chinese ESL students, basing it on the fast-food world rather than the more controversial idea of rising against the government (that kind of talk can get you in trouble around here!). I also wanted a 'Mafia / Werewolf' type game (very, very popular here), but with more emphasis on speaking and no eliminations, so this fits the bill nicely. Play is exactly the same as the original, but with members of a rival fast-food chain trying to steal secret new products. Enjoy!"
In the Singularity Movement, Humans Are So Yesterday - NYTimes.com
In the Singularity Movement, Humans Are So Yesterday - NYTimes.com: "Day 4 includes test drives of Tesla Motors electric sports cars and a group genetic test, thanks to a company called deCODEme. By Day 6, people are annoyed by the BrinBot, which is interrupting lectures with its whirs and sputters. Someone tapes a pair of paper ears on it to try to humanize it. One executive sullenly declines to participate in another robot design exercise because no one in his group will consider making a sexbot."
In the Singularity Movement, Humans Are So Yesterday - NYTimes.com
In the Singularity Movement, Humans Are So Yesterday - NYTimes.com: "“The Singularity is not the great vision for society that Lenin had or Milton Friedman might have,” says Andrew Orlowski, a British journalist who has written extensively on techno-utopianism. “It is rich people building a lifeboat and getting off the ship.”"
In the Singularity Movement, Humans Are So Yesterday - NYTimes.com
In the Singularity Movement, Humans Are So Yesterday - NYTimes.com: "We will transcend all of the limitations of our biology,” says Raymond Kurzweil, the inventor and businessman who is the Singularity’s most ubiquitous spokesman and boasts that he intends to live for hundreds of years and resurrect the dead, including his own father. “That is what it means to be human — to extend who we are.”"
Monday, June 14
Steve's HFoG Blog: Bringing M�to the iPhone
Steve's HFoG Blog: Bringing M�to the iPhone: "This was a phenomenally satisfying project. I feel that I've produced a fantastic game and I've learned a lot along the way. I can now play my favorite card game during my commute! Will it prove to be financially profitable? That remains to be seen but either way it was well worth the undertaking. Bringing a game I love to the iPhone has been a reward unto itself."
In the Singularity Movement, Humans Are So Yesterday - NYTimes.com
In the Singularity Movement, Humans Are So Yesterday - NYTimes.com: "Some of Silicon Valley’s smartest and wealthiest people have embraced the Singularity. They believe that technology may be the only way to solve the world’s ills, while also allowing people to seize control of the evolutionary process. For those who haven’t noticed, the Valley’s most-celebrated company — Google — works daily on building a giant brain that harnesses the thinking power of humans in order to surpass the thinking power of humans."
The Wandering Soul - Vietnam Psychological Operations (PSYOP)
The Wandering Soul - Vietnam Psychological Operations (PSYOP): "Listen to the eerie sounds of 'The Wandering Soul' - also known as 'Ghost Tape Number 10' - that was broadcast by loudspeakers installed on Swifts and other units during 'Chieu Hoi' and Psychological Warfare missions to 'taunt' the enemy. 'So Moui' or 'Numbah Ten' was a common slang term used by both Vietnamese and Americans, meaning it was 'Really Bad'"
Zynga: Redefining the “Game of Life” | Epicenter�| Wired.com
Zynga: Redefining the “Game of Life” | Epicenter�| Wired.com: "In other words, by engaging in social games, say by stopping by a friend’s restaurant on CafeWorld, or helping a friend whack enemy gangsters on MafiaWars, we increase our connections in the world and can move those relationships from say, accepting someone’s friends request, to actually calling them on the phone. All in all, social gaming is another way to further develop your social relationships and feel more connected to the people you meet."
Fordham University Press
Fordham University Press: "What makes the modern university different from any other corporation?” asked Columbia’s Andrew Delbanco recently in the New York Times. “There is more and more reason to think: less and less,” he answered.
In this provocative book, Frank Donoghue shows how this growing corporate culture of higher education threatens its most fundamental values by erasing one of its defining features: the tenured professor."
In this provocative book, Frank Donoghue shows how this growing corporate culture of higher education threatens its most fundamental values by erasing one of its defining features: the tenured professor."
Radical Homemakers | MetaFilter
Radical Homemakers | MetaFilter: "Shannon Hayes tells the stories of men and women with ecological and feminist sensibilities who leave behind the world of academia and careers in favor of simple living and 'reclaiming domesticity from a consumer culture.'"
Greg Yaitanes “House” Interview transcription | Philip Bloom
Greg Yaitanes “House” Interview transcription | Philip Bloom: "PHILIP BLOOM
Yeah, I was with Robert Rodriguez a few weeks back as SXSW and we had a long chat and he was saying that he’s just got a 5D and he said it felt like being back in his ‘El Mariachi’ days, just being able to pull out a camera and be so small and lightweight it a freeing experience for him.
GREG YAITANES
Yeah, and it’s funny because El Mariachi was such a game-changer.� I know for me when I was coming up I had just made my short film and I was just thinking about the fact that I had shot it on Panavision and it was on 35mm and I found just the physical size of the camera kind of cool back then, but right when I had finished it, ‘El Mariachi’ had come out and this guy had made a whole feature film for $7,000."
Yeah, I was with Robert Rodriguez a few weeks back as SXSW and we had a long chat and he was saying that he’s just got a 5D and he said it felt like being back in his ‘El Mariachi’ days, just being able to pull out a camera and be so small and lightweight it a freeing experience for him.
GREG YAITANES
Yeah, and it’s funny because El Mariachi was such a game-changer.� I know for me when I was coming up I had just made my short film and I was just thinking about the fact that I had shot it on Panavision and it was on 35mm and I found just the physical size of the camera kind of cool back then, but right when I had finished it, ‘El Mariachi’ had come out and this guy had made a whole feature film for $7,000."
Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things. - Democratic Underground
Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things. - Democratic Underground: "Kindness - - by Naomi Shihab Nye
Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness."
Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness."
No, U.S. Didn’t Just ‘Discover’ $1T Afghan Motherlode (Updated) | Danger Room | Wired.com
No, U.S. Didn’t Just ‘Discover’ $1T Afghan Motherlode (Updated) | Danger Room | Wired.com: "None of the earlier U.S military reports on Afghan’s mineral riches cite that amount. And it might be prudent to be wary of any data coming out of Afghanistan’s own Mines Ministry, which “has long been considered one of the country’s most corrupt government departments,” The Wall Street Journal reports."
Sunday, June 13
Views Show How North Korea Policy Spread Misery - NYTimes.com
Views Show How North Korea Policy Spread Misery - NYTimes.com: "Now safe in her relatives’ home, she said, she marvels over how they enjoy delicacies like cucumbers in winter. But temporarily deserting her son and daughter, both in their mid-20s, has left her so guilt-ridden that she sometimes cannot swallow the food set in front of her. “I don’t know whether my children have managed to get some money, or whether they have starved to death,” she said, her eyes brimming with tears."
The Associated Press: Crews search for victims after Ark. floods kill 18
The Associated Press: Crews search for victims after Ark. floods kill 18: "The only Arkansas victim identified was Leslie Jez, a 23-year-old mother and wife from Foreman whose husband, Adam Jez, was listed among the flood's survivors.
'So ready to go camping this weekend,' she wrote on her Facebook page Monday. 'Kaden is going to love it!!' She later added: 'Not looking foward to that cold water, but sounds like I might change my mind after seeing how hot it's supposed to be.'
Authorities haven't said whether the child survived."
'So ready to go camping this weekend,' she wrote on her Facebook page Monday. 'Kaden is going to love it!!' She later added: 'Not looking foward to that cold water, but sounds like I might change my mind after seeing how hot it's supposed to be.'
Authorities haven't said whether the child survived."
Saturday, June 12
Chicago Journals - Journal of Political Economy
Chicago Journals - Journal of Political Economy: "Our findings show that introductory calculus professors significantly affect student achievement in both the contemporaneous course being taught and the follow‐on related curriculum. However, these methodologies yield very different conclusions regarding which professors are measured as high quality, depending on the outcome of interest used. We find that less experienced and less qualified professors produce students who perform significantly better in the contemporaneous course being taught, whereas more experienced and highly qualified professors produce students who perform better in the follow‐on related curriculum."
The Female Factor - In Sweden, the Men Can Have It All - NYTimes.com
The Female Factor - In Sweden, the Men Can Have It All - NYTimes.com: "Introducing “daddy leave” in 1995 had an immediate impact. No father was forced to stay home, but the family lost one month of subsidies if he did not. Soon more than eight in 10 men took leave. The addition of a second nontransferable father month in 2002 only marginally increased the number of men taking leave, but it more than doubled the amount of time they take."
The Female Factor - In Sweden, the Men Can Have It All - NYTimes.com
The Female Factor - In Sweden, the Men Can Have It All - NYTimes.com: "Back in Spoland, Sofia Karlsson, a police officer and the wife of Mikael Karlsson, said she found her husband most attractive “when he is in the forest with his rifle over his shoulder and the baby on his back.”"
Friday, June 11
Inside the writers room: Top scifi TV writers reveal tricks of the trade
Inside the writers room: Top scifi TV writers reveal tricks of the trade: "Javier Grillo-Marxuach: I have learned things from so many different people. Lost's Damon Lindelof is one of the most ingenious twisters of scene and story I've ever seen at work. He's a guy that you give a scene that is very stock and he comes up with a genius way of making it different. Watching that muscle at work is an extraordinary thing — and you learn it by watching a guy do it."
A Whole Lotta Nothing: Khan Academy
A Whole Lotta Nothing: Khan Academy: "My favorite project and talk from GEL 2010 was this one by Sal Khan. His amazing Khan Academy is what happens when you sit down and simply share comprehensive knowledge on every subject imaginable and make it freely accessible to as many people as possible.�"
David Foster Wallace - Commencement Speech at Kenyon University
David Foster Wallace - Commencement Speech at Kenyon University: "As I'm sure you guys know by now, it is extremely difficult to stay alert and attentive, instead of getting hypnotized by the constant monologue inside your own head (may be happening right now). Twenty years after my own graduation, I have come gradually to understand that the liberal arts clich�about teaching you how to think is actually shorthand for a much deeper, more serious idea: learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed. Think of the old clich�about quote the mind being an excellent servant but a terrible master.
This, like many clich�s, so lame and unexciting on the surface, actually expresses a great and terrible truth. It is not the least bit coincidental that adults who commit suicide with firearms almost always shoot themselves in: the head. They shoot the terrible master. And the truth is that most of these suicides are actually dead long before they pull the trigger."
This, like many clich�s, so lame and unexciting on the surface, actually expresses a great and terrible truth. It is not the least bit coincidental that adults who commit suicide with firearms almost always shoot themselves in: the head. They shoot the terrible master. And the truth is that most of these suicides are actually dead long before they pull the trigger."
A Letter to Chris Christie | Health Professionals & Allied Employees
A Letter to Chris Christie | Health Professionals & Allied Employees: "I have been teaching in our public school system for 9 years. I started at $36,000 a year. My college roommate started as an office worker at an accounting firm for $75,000. It was the same year. He told me he mostly made copies and plugged numbers into a computer. I was designing lesson plans, teaching classes of 30 students, some of whom had problems with drug abuse, crime, and depression. After nine years experience, I made $52,000 last year. I would like to point out that this is $8,000 less than your 'media relations' person. You know, the 25 year old who runs your Twitter and Facebook accounts. As for my college roommate, he now makes double what I do. We both have bachelor's degrees. But what do I know? I am the problem."
The Atlantic :: Magazine :: Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond?
The Atlantic :: Magazine :: Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond?: "Retail jewelers, especially the prestigious Fifth Avenue stores, prefer not to buy back diamonds from customers, because the offer they would make would most likely be considered ridiculously low. The 'keystone,' or markup, on a diamond and its setting may range from 100 to 200 percent, depending on the policy of the store;"
The Atlantic :: Magazine :: Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond?
The Atlantic :: Magazine :: Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond?: "Since the quantity of diamonds needed for engagement rings and other jewelry each year is satisfied by the production from the world's mines, this half-billion-carat supply of diamonds must be prevented from ever being put on the market. The moment a significant portion of the public begins selling diamonds from this inventory, the price of diamonds cannot be sustained. For the diamond invention to survive, the public must be inhibited from ever parting with its diamonds."
The Atlantic :: Magazine :: Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond?
The Atlantic :: Magazine :: Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond?: "A 'strategy for small diamond sales' was outlined, stressing the 'importance of quality, color and cut' over size."
The Atlantic :: Magazine :: Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond?
The Atlantic :: Magazine :: Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond?: "In 1951, N. W. Ayer found some resistance to its million-dollar publicity blitz. It noted in its annual strategy review:
The millions of brides and brides-to-be are subjected to at least two important pressures that work against the diamond engagement ring. Among the more prosperous, there is the sophisticated urge to be different as a means of being smart.... the lower-income groups would like to show more for the money than they can find in the diamond they can afford...
To remedy these problems, the advertising agency argued, 'It is essential that these pressures be met by the constant publicity to show that only the diamond is everywhere accepted and recognized as the symbol of betrothal.'"
The millions of brides and brides-to-be are subjected to at least two important pressures that work against the diamond engagement ring. Among the more prosperous, there is the sophisticated urge to be different as a means of being smart.... the lower-income groups would like to show more for the money than they can find in the diamond they can afford...
To remedy these problems, the advertising agency argued, 'It is essential that these pressures be met by the constant publicity to show that only the diamond is everywhere accepted and recognized as the symbol of betrothal.'"
Thursday, June 10
digital digs: forget gaming #hgi
digital digs: forget gaming #hgi: "For there to be a gift, not only must the donor or donee not perceive the gift as such, have no consciousness of it, no memory, no recognition; he or she must also forget it right away [a l'instant] and moreover this forgetting must be so radical that it exceeds even the psychoanalytic categorality of forgetting. . . . we are speaking here of an absolute forgetting – a forgetting that also absolves, that unbinds absolutely and infinitely more, therefore, than excuse, forgiveness, or acquittal.' Yet, this forgetfulness is not nothing, a mere 'non-experience': 'For there to be a gift event . . . something must come about or happen, in an instant, in an instant that no doubt does not belong to the economy of time, in a time without time, but also in such a way that this forgetting, without being something present, presentable, determinable, sensible or meaningful, is not nothing."
SCOUTING NY � Pocket Change
SCOUTING NY � Pocket Change: "I’m one of those people whose concept of the afterlife is that we live on until we’re forgotten – and for reasons I’m not eloquent enough to put into words, I hope Stephen Baltz is never forgotten."
Wednesday, June 9
Inside the List - New York Times
Inside the List - New York Times: "According to Reiter, the novels that make it to Leonard’s final four are “Hombre” (1961), “Swag” (1976), “LaBrava” (1983) and “Killshot” (1989)."
The Benefits of Asperger's Syndrome
The Benefits of Asperger's Syndrome
Norm Ledgin caused a stir with his book, Diagnosing Jefferson. The author claimed that the genius of America's third president was due to Asperger Syndrome, which could explain his 54-year obsession with building and rebuilding Monticello, his inability to control his spending, and his affair with a child/slave. After this book became a best seller, the author wrote Asperger's and Self-Esteem: Insight and Hope through Famous Role Models, which claims that thirteen giants of history - Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, and Mozart among them-also had Asperger Syndrome. Some people also believe that Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Darwin, Galileo, Pablo Picasso, Benjamin Franklin, Margaret Mead and Aristotle had Asperger Syndrome.
Ha ha! Take that! Cognitively typical people are the new Eloi!
Norm Ledgin caused a stir with his book, Diagnosing Jefferson. The author claimed that the genius of America's third president was due to Asperger Syndrome, which could explain his 54-year obsession with building and rebuilding Monticello, his inability to control his spending, and his affair with a child/slave. After this book became a best seller, the author wrote Asperger's and Self-Esteem: Insight and Hope through Famous Role Models, which claims that thirteen giants of history - Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, and Mozart among them-also had Asperger Syndrome. Some people also believe that Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Darwin, Galileo, Pablo Picasso, Benjamin Franklin, Margaret Mead and Aristotle had Asperger Syndrome.
Lately authors are adding Bill Gates to the list of famous Aspies because of his lack of social skills, inability to make eye contact and tendency to rock back and forth coupled with his obsession with technology. Diane Kennedy, an author and advocate for Asperger Syndrome, writes, "They are our visionaries, scientists, diplomats, inventors, chefs, artists, writers and musicians. They are the original thinkers and a driving force in our culture."
Ha ha! Take that! Cognitively typical people are the new Eloi!
Sunday, June 6
Humanities Gaming Institute
Humanities Gaming Institute: "The University of South Carolina's Center for Digital Humanities is proud to bring you a three-week Humanities Gaming Institute sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. With the generous help of luminary experts and emerging innovators in game studies and development, our institute will..."
Saturday, June 5
iA � Designing for iPad: Reality Check
iA � Designing for iPad: Reality Check: "Stay tuned
I cannot emphasize enough how radically different the frame set is, that iPad interfaces are embedded in. The iPad brings hands and eyes back together. There is more to say, but for a first impression that was long enough."
I cannot emphasize enough how radically different the frame set is, that iPad interfaces are embedded in. The iPad brings hands and eyes back together. There is more to say, but for a first impression that was long enough."
iA � Designing for iPad: Reality Check
iA � Designing for iPad: Reality Check: "Reality check: Wow, this thing is sharp!
After two months of printing, we did get the typography quite right, but there was another surprise waiting for us: The sharpness. With its high pitched light contrast, iPad is a miracle picture book or photo frame—but designing long text passages for good readability is still a tough matter. If, executed carefully, text on an iPad comes quite close to printed matters, but it needs much care and specific screen typographic know-how.
Web body text sizes (14–16px) feel too small on iPad while bigger sizes clash with the canvas dimensions. This leads to all sorts of grid restrictions."
After two months of printing, we did get the typography quite right, but there was another surprise waiting for us: The sharpness. With its high pitched light contrast, iPad is a miracle picture book or photo frame—but designing long text passages for good readability is still a tough matter. If, executed carefully, text on an iPad comes quite close to printed matters, but it needs much care and specific screen typographic know-how.
Web body text sizes (14–16px) feel too small on iPad while bigger sizes clash with the canvas dimensions. This leads to all sorts of grid restrictions."
Friday, June 4
Thursday, June 3
The King Of The Ferret Leggers: The Classic Tale Of Sportsmen Who Put Carnivores Down Their Pants
The King Of The Ferret Leggers: The Classic Tale Of Sportsmen Who Put Carnivores Down Their Pants: "Reg Mellor, a man who has been more intimate with ferrets than many men have been with their wives, calls ferrets 'cannibals, things that live only to kill, that'll eat your eyes out to get at your brain' at their worst, and 'untrustworthy' at their very best."
Tuesday, June 1
My Father's Library - Forbes.com
My Father's Library - Forbes.com: "A lifetime of written wisdom has gently settled like silt on some distant ocean bed, and somewhere within, the long conversation between man and books continues, though ever quieter. Love disappears, wealth disappears, desire disappears. But good books stay absorbed in the soul, and a soul, if educated, endures."
Spraygraphic Interview with Artist Kate MacDowell | Sprayblog
Spraygraphic Interview with Artist Kate MacDowell | Sprayblog: "SG: Please tell us about yourself?
KM: I used to teach high-school English and later produced hi-tech websites. After the dot-com bust my husband and I moved to India for a year and half and worked at a meditation retreat center. We came back back to the states by way of Italy, and I found myself living in my parent’s house again for a few months, without a job, and with a head full of fantastic tropical plants and animals, and classical and baroque marble sculpture. I started taking a local clay class while we figured out what to do next, and started funneling these images into early pots and sculptures. I’ve been a full-time studio artist since 2006 or so."
KM: I used to teach high-school English and later produced hi-tech websites. After the dot-com bust my husband and I moved to India for a year and half and worked at a meditation retreat center. We came back back to the states by way of Italy, and I found myself living in my parent’s house again for a few months, without a job, and with a head full of fantastic tropical plants and animals, and classical and baroque marble sculpture. I started taking a local clay class while we figured out what to do next, and started funneling these images into early pots and sculptures. I’ve been a full-time studio artist since 2006 or so."
I find this inspiring.
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