The Road Less Traveled, by Robert Frost is one of the poems you can find as an audio file via LearOutLoud. (Back up again after beeing 'slashdotted' by the mention on digg (the new hype-central)
"The traveller in the poem comes to a fork in his path, and has to choose between the two" - no points for guessing which one, but the conclusion is really not the point of the poem, it is the reasoning and thoughts that trigger off connections and other ideas.
Another nice one to load onto your wonderful Zen Micro (got mine replaced with a dark blue due to bad headjack, great service, great player... or mp3 player of choice) - is If by Rudyard Kipling.
The reading is so so - not to much feeling, rather detatched and focused on the old style prose. But still a great poem. Inspirational without being too over the top.
Thursday, December 15
Maya wonders
NRK had an interesting background piece on a maya temple. Found by archeologist William Saturno from the University of New Hampshire, along with Monica Pellecer - in the rainforests in northern Guatemala
National Geo also has a piece on it, with some pictures (and they have also contributed to one of the expiditions)
For even more information - there is a dedicated website for the San Bartolo project, giving (short) information on the background, the technology used and some of the ongoing research
Fascinating stuff - and it goes to show how much we are unaware of from the past. So let's hope Indiana Jones 4 gets even more inspired youths into the field.
"Kid's Worst Nightmare"
A fun device called PlayLimit is given a harsh name by Gizmodo. The functionality? Giving "full control over their kids’ gaming" - or perhaps it could be installed for those with a lack of self contronl, in order to reduce gaming.
One challenge? How to handle games with infrequent saves :)
One challenge? How to handle games with infrequent saves :)
Packages on the run
The Norwegian computer-parts retailer Komplett has added a new way to reach customers: an automated post-office in a box 
They have two, in co-operation with the Norwegian Postal Service, one near their offices and one at the Central Station in Oslo - so rahter than either paying extra to have it delivered to your door, or stressing quite a bit to get to your local postoffice by 5 o'clock - you can just stop by on the way home from work (or after other downtown shopping in the weekend) and pick it up.
Just as good as 7-11 in Japan doing handouts and returns for selected e-tailers? Not quite, but quite fun concept none the less
They have two, in co-operation with the Norwegian Postal Service, one near their offices and one at the Central Station in Oslo - so rahter than either paying extra to have it delivered to your door, or stressing quite a bit to get to your local postoffice by 5 o'clock - you can just stop by on the way home from work (or after other downtown shopping in the weekend) and pick it up.
Just as good as 7-11 in Japan doing handouts and returns for selected e-tailers? Not quite, but quite fun concept none the less
Tuesday, November 29
smaller, faster
Q: "Moto Q is expected to be available in Q1 of 2006" - a new small and slim (11,5mm) pda phone, this one running WinMobile 5, looks like a nice balance, the big issue will probably be battery life (already a problem on the larger version, almost a must to stick it in the cradle for a while every day)
price? anyones guess
price? anyones guess
Wednesday, November 23
Up to the current Wired
Ah yes, the backlog is gone, and here is a short note from the more or less current issue of Wired, 13.11
(Photo: Fredrik Solstad, located at VG.no)
History meets life
Moving all around - a mix of tour guide, cultural exchange and testingground for all in one solutions:
"The nearly two-hour tour, dubbed History Unwired, features five recordings by local residents - ranging from a glassblower to a ska musician - along with flash animations, maps, and movie clips, all uploaded onto a PDA."
Made by "the University of Architecture in Venice and MIT's SENSEable Cities Lab", using a 3g umts pda with the carrier 3 and Motorola as partners - and a reputed filesize of 50mb. Which might be easy to deliver with 3g, but it does requiere a bit more storage than the average pda has available.
A lot of this kind of solutions being tested - among other places in the Nidarosdomen church in Trondheim
The issue is how to easily link the gps information with tagged content - like the way it is done for certain gmap applications, such as LandMarker and GPS Visualizer.
Adam Curry was talking a bit about the need for time and location syncing for podcasts - mixing in a wide set of sources to make info-tainment even better. Now if there only was as many pdas with gps as mobile phones... let's give it another 12-18 months at least, then maybe there will be a nice common way to get started - and the podcasts meet with the flicker images tagged and a video snippet or five. Looking good?
(another site is on the Nile Delta Pyramids, and a flickr mashup can find Oslo)
And if you belive everything you see - explain this 'illusion'
(Photo: Fredrik Solstad, located at VG.no)History meets life
Moving all around - a mix of tour guide, cultural exchange and testingground for all in one solutions:
"The nearly two-hour tour, dubbed History Unwired, features five recordings by local residents - ranging from a glassblower to a ska musician - along with flash animations, maps, and movie clips, all uploaded onto a PDA."
Made by "the University of Architecture in Venice and MIT's SENSEable Cities Lab", using a 3g umts pda with the carrier 3 and Motorola as partners - and a reputed filesize of 50mb. Which might be easy to deliver with 3g, but it does requiere a bit more storage than the average pda has available.
A lot of this kind of solutions being tested - among other places in the Nidarosdomen church in Trondheim
The issue is how to easily link the gps information with tagged content - like the way it is done for certain gmap applications, such as LandMarker and GPS Visualizer.
Adam Curry was talking a bit about the need for time and location syncing for podcasts - mixing in a wide set of sources to make info-tainment even better. Now if there only was as many pdas with gps as mobile phones... let's give it another 12-18 months at least, then maybe there will be a nice common way to get started - and the podcasts meet with the flicker images tagged and a video snippet or five. Looking good?
(another site is on the Nile Delta Pyramids, and a flickr mashup can find Oslo)
And if you belive everything you see - explain this 'illusion'
go cyber
Wired 13.10:: "I imagine swaggering up to a VeriChip scanner while proudly transmitting my own unique, outlaw serial number: 666 ought to do nicely" - a small post by Bruce Sterling.
Interesting concept, would you be able to hack the chips, just like many people use their xbox for a lot of 'tests'.
The trend of getting an implant as a "hip" way to stand out, was featured in an CSI Miami episode (info). Guess it could cause the same kind of trouble that was discussed in relation to US passports; if only rich/special/... people have them, then making a generic "sniffer" would be a great way for criminals (and so on) to easily find targets - and that would sort of defeat the purpose; convenience and flexibility.
Frogging
Last note from the October issue of Wired (13.10); a piece called Spam Vigilantes on a different approach to fighting spam - "active deterrence". The company offer the Blue Frog, and after giving spammers a chance to 'clean their lists', they start slowly pushing back. Taking it a step to far, or the only way to get them to do it right? Sad to say that I guess it might help a bit with the slightly legit spammers, but the majority of the junk will probably still keep coming. But, here's hoping...
Interesting concept, would you be able to hack the chips, just like many people use their xbox for a lot of 'tests'.
The trend of getting an implant as a "hip" way to stand out, was featured in an CSI Miami episode (info). Guess it could cause the same kind of trouble that was discussed in relation to US passports; if only rich/special/... people have them, then making a generic "sniffer" would be a great way for criminals (and so on) to easily find targets - and that would sort of defeat the purpose; convenience and flexibility.
Frogging
Last note from the October issue of Wired (13.10); a piece called Spam Vigilantes on a different approach to fighting spam - "active deterrence". The company offer the Blue Frog, and after giving spammers a chance to 'clean their lists', they start slowly pushing back. Taking it a step to far, or the only way to get them to do it right? Sad to say that I guess it might help a bit with the slightly legit spammers, but the majority of the junk will probably still keep coming. But, here's hoping...
games all over
Micro is a real 80-ies revival, reminds me of the good old Game & Watch, real simple controls, small form factor and high "lookie here".
And considering that there are (last number I heard) over 700 different Gameboy games released so far, it is no wonder there is room to make yet another wrapping for the system.
And as for taking another step in the 'battle' with PSP: the wifi offerings - get it rolling with Mario Kart, at home with your own net or for free at some hotspots. How cool is that? Wonder if it will work on campuses having wifi for students? That would be great, local yet mobile and disconnected. No option for using Picochat with wifi - but could be coming up.
And the service is being used; 52 000 of the first week sales of 112 000 units in the US played online. Need to try it, just have to find a suitable hotspot.
And considering that there are (last number I heard) over 700 different Gameboy games released so far, it is no wonder there is room to make yet another wrapping for the system.
And as for taking another step in the 'battle' with PSP: the wifi offerings - get it rolling with Mario Kart, at home with your own net or for free at some hotspots. How cool is that? Wonder if it will work on campuses having wifi for students? That would be great, local yet mobile and disconnected. No option for using Picochat with wifi - but could be coming up.
And the service is being used; 52 000 of the first week sales of 112 000 units in the US played online. Need to try it, just have to find a suitable hotspot.
Dirac - hiDef free for all
Dirac Video Codec: "However, the BBC would like to collaborate with the Open Source community, academics and others to produce an open codec."
The digital future of video in general is going through a lot of changes, with announcements and services coming in almost faster than the game release the last months. There is Google Video, Yahoo adding content such as HotZone, Motherlode for satire, the video IPod and ITunes stores - with new Quicktime 7, various vod schemes from the major US networks - and most likely a new WMP lurking in the bushes.
Set against that backdrop the BBC-initiated Dirac project makes a lot of sense, we as consumers love video - consider the average amount of hours spent watching television each week (Norwegian daily average of 2h 22min - including non-viewers) and the rapid roll-out of broadband makes HDTV and DTV seem like a sidetrack more than the future.
Why get things mass delivered if we can get it during the night, or while at work - and then watch it during the evening or at our leisure. Only a fraction of content being viewed is live, and only really sports need the timeslot to avoid giving away the results in other channels.
News segments are often repeated several times in different programs, and partial time-shifting should not be a major problem - except of course for certain instant events such as verdicts and 'on going' situations with rapid developments (ie hostages in Beslan)
Is it time to reconsider the TV - is it going to turn even more into "just another screen"? With nextgen game consoles and net content taking up a majority of the user-time?
Stay tuned!
(and the spellchecker still thinks Google is a misspelling... hey mr brand manager...)
The digital future of video in general is going through a lot of changes, with announcements and services coming in almost faster than the game release the last months. There is Google Video, Yahoo adding content such as HotZone, Motherlode for satire, the video IPod and ITunes stores - with new Quicktime 7, various vod schemes from the major US networks - and most likely a new WMP lurking in the bushes.
Set against that backdrop the BBC-initiated Dirac project makes a lot of sense, we as consumers love video - consider the average amount of hours spent watching television each week (Norwegian daily average of 2h 22min - including non-viewers) and the rapid roll-out of broadband makes HDTV and DTV seem like a sidetrack more than the future.
Why get things mass delivered if we can get it during the night, or while at work - and then watch it during the evening or at our leisure. Only a fraction of content being viewed is live, and only really sports need the timeslot to avoid giving away the results in other channels.
News segments are often repeated several times in different programs, and partial time-shifting should not be a major problem - except of course for certain instant events such as verdicts and 'on going' situations with rapid developments (ie hostages in Beslan)
Is it time to reconsider the TV - is it going to turn even more into "just another screen"? With nextgen game consoles and net content taking up a majority of the user-time?
Stay tuned!
(and the spellchecker still thinks Google is a misspelling... hey mr brand manager...)
Boston rejoice? The Force is strong
MoS, the Museum of Science in Boston is having a Star Wars themed/related exhibit: "LukeÂ's original Landspeeder from Episode IV is on public exhibit for the first time"
Pretty interesting for fans of the epic saga, but also seems like a great exhibit for getting kids involved in technology; "including two large Engineering Design Labs, where visitors build and test speeders and robots."
No specific information on how long the exhibit will be open, but tickets are available until the end of April 2006.
Now, how to find a valid reason to pop over to the US and Boston in specific...
Pretty interesting for fans of the epic saga, but also seems like a great exhibit for getting kids involved in technology; "including two large Engineering Design Labs, where visitors build and test speeders and robots."
No specific information on how long the exhibit will be open, but tickets are available until the end of April 2006.
Now, how to find a valid reason to pop over to the US and Boston in specific...
Disco
Idol is still running - and for some reason Norway and Sweden are in opposing sync; they send it during the fall, while here it is a spring show.
Why this comment? Because I caught five minutes of the swedish edition a while back, and one of the judges just jumped out of the screen: "Claes 'Clabbe' af Geijerstam" an older gentelman, previous radio and tv personality and most importantly DJ. He did an awesome voice-intro to one of the disco songs. Along the lines of the Podfather when he gets into the groove. Party. Get it on!
And then there is the new version of the old tale: from water to wine was a miracle, but when kids sneak a bit of spirits from their parents and try to hide it by adding water - you end up with "from spirits to ice" as soon as you try to chill the 'vodka'. [from news-comedy show "nytt på nytt"]
Why this comment? Because I caught five minutes of the swedish edition a while back, and one of the judges just jumped out of the screen: "Claes 'Clabbe' af Geijerstam" an older gentelman, previous radio and tv personality and most importantly DJ. He did an awesome voice-intro to one of the disco songs. Along the lines of the Podfather when he gets into the groove. Party. Get it on!
And then there is the new version of the old tale: from water to wine was a miracle, but when kids sneak a bit of spirits from their parents and try to hide it by adding water - you end up with "from spirits to ice" as soon as you try to chill the 'vodka'. [from news-comedy show "nytt på nytt"]
Monday, November 21
three weeks?
dang, where did they go? could have sworn I had a list of posts to get done, and yes - they are in the pile next to the screen, will give it a shot later today (just finished six reviews and a bit of regular work)
...and the sun needs to come out tomorrow and remove the rest of the snow up here, already gone downtown...
...and the sun needs to come out tomorrow and remove the rest of the snow up here, already gone downtown...
Wikipedia - the real and the important information
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords is a role playing game, or rpg. For the pc. (and xbox). But still it has a wikipedia entry, with more than 150 (estimate based on Firefox page info) links to other related entries.
Wow. Truly a source for all kinds of information - way, way beyond anything you might find in a regular encyclopedia. Truly a fascinating endavour.
Wow. Truly a source for all kinds of information - way, way beyond anything you might find in a regular encyclopedia. Truly a fascinating endavour.
Monday, October 31
telling it like it isn't?
"People who are trying to decide whether to create a blog or not go through a thought process much like this:
1. The world sure needs more of ME.
2. Maybe I’ll shout more often so that people nearby can experience the joy of knowing my thoughts.
3. No, wait, shouting looks too crazy.
4. I know – I’ll write down my daily thoughts and badger people to read them.
5. If only there was a description for this process that doesn’t involve the words egomaniac or unnecessary.
6. What? It’s called a blog? I’m there!
"
scott adams gets blogging - so far it's been going for about a week, with more or less daily entries during the weekdays. Could be fun, could be crazy or could be just one in a million ... do you care?
1. The world sure needs more of ME.
2. Maybe I’ll shout more often so that people nearby can experience the joy of knowing my thoughts.
3. No, wait, shouting looks too crazy.
4. I know – I’ll write down my daily thoughts and badger people to read them.
5. If only there was a description for this process that doesn’t involve the words egomaniac or unnecessary.
6. What? It’s called a blog? I’m there!
"
scott adams gets blogging - so far it's been going for about a week, with more or less daily entries during the weekdays. Could be fun, could be crazy or could be just one in a million ... do you care?
Friday, October 28
thud went the book
"News from Colin Smythe: This week's issue of The Bookseller reports that sales of THUD! in the UK for the week ending 1st October amounted to 36,424 copies, the biggest weekly hardcover sale of the year behind Harry Potter on the original fiction list. This is some 13,000 copies more than his last list topper Going Postal, and is more than the sales of all the next 13 titles in the top 20 put together."
wow.
plain and simple.
give it up for TP.
...and the sun just went down - or so it seems with all the grey skies...
wow.
plain and simple.
give it up for TP.
...and the sun just went down - or so it seems with all the grey skies...
Sunday, October 23
Poetic
When the wind flickered past I could feel the air greedily bleeding away my body heat, but I stood rooted in place. [365 blog] - a rather poetic (in terms of language) blog, written by a US soldier in Iraq. Reflecting on incidents, mood and life in general.
"Green is green"
- heard an interesting interview (podcast) with GE chairman Jeff Immelt from the BBC radio 4. He is only the 9th chairman, during the 126 years that GE have been in business.
One of his main points was that doing things in an eco-friendly manner make economic sense. Less waste and less consumption makes for a leaner production, which saves money, keeps prices down and hence enables increased volume.
Considering the way oil prices have been shooting up, it will probably make even more sense to think green.
Stay together?
Suburban Nation : The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream
another one for the reading list, about how the way we (specifically Americans) build affects the way we live.
"Green is green"
- heard an interesting interview (podcast) with GE chairman Jeff Immelt from the BBC radio 4. He is only the 9th chairman, during the 126 years that GE have been in business.
One of his main points was that doing things in an eco-friendly manner make economic sense. Less waste and less consumption makes for a leaner production, which saves money, keeps prices down and hence enables increased volume.
Considering the way oil prices have been shooting up, it will probably make even more sense to think green.
Stay together?
Suburban Nation : The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream
another one for the reading list, about how the way we (specifically Americans) build affects the way we live.
Get a degree - or two
Some numbers on education in Norway (from TU - a tech union in Norway, actual data by SSB)
845 859 people with higher education (after high school)
equivalent to 24% of the population over 15 years
189 136 of them with more than 4 years - or a bit over 5% national
155 929 of them in Oslo - giving the capital a 38,8% share with higher education
So, is that a good sign? We are spending 10 years in school, then another 3 in high school, then 3 or more in university/college. Is it another way to keep the unemployment low - since very few people want low-wage manual labour (and you can hardly survive on the pay), we invest several years - take student loans and generally shift the focus for the nation. Short term it seems like a great idea. But does it secure long term viability? Will we be able to keep building up government jobs, and turning most of the colleges into universities? Or are we getting to complacent, unwilling to take risks and create the new opportunities needed to make a future?
On a side note - taking seeing a step further, Nike has launched Max Sight (flash)- tinted contacts suitable for different sports. One steps closer to the customized athlete?
845 859 people with higher education (after high school)
equivalent to 24% of the population over 15 years
189 136 of them with more than 4 years - or a bit over 5% national
155 929 of them in Oslo - giving the capital a 38,8% share with higher education
So, is that a good sign? We are spending 10 years in school, then another 3 in high school, then 3 or more in university/college. Is it another way to keep the unemployment low - since very few people want low-wage manual labour (and you can hardly survive on the pay), we invest several years - take student loans and generally shift the focus for the nation. Short term it seems like a great idea. But does it secure long term viability? Will we be able to keep building up government jobs, and turning most of the colleges into universities? Or are we getting to complacent, unwilling to take risks and create the new opportunities needed to make a future?
On a side note - taking seeing a step further, Nike has launched Max Sight (flash)- tinted contacts suitable for different sports. One steps closer to the customized athlete?
Next step for energy?
"Skyscrapers and wind turbines are being connected in a spectacular turbine building in the oilstate Bahrain."
Being made by Norwind and Rambøll - huge picture (1mb)- the building itself is pretty fascinating to see, but the guts and tenacity to actually put three huge windmills in the middle?! Talk about taking alternative energy to new heights.
Still, it is not fully operational yet - estimated to be completed next summer, so I guess around this time next year we will know if it is feasible and operational.
...and the sun is softly shines on the first snow of the year, it came over night is is almost gone already...
Being made by Norwind and Rambøll - huge picture (1mb)- the building itself is pretty fascinating to see, but the guts and tenacity to actually put three huge windmills in the middle?! Talk about taking alternative energy to new heights.
Still, it is not fully operational yet - estimated to be completed next summer, so I guess around this time next year we will know if it is feasible and operational.
...and the sun is softly shines on the first snow of the year, it came over night is is almost gone already...
Friday, October 21
grand cars
Video in the News: "Robot Cars Rumble at Racetrack" - a short video (WMV) from National Geo showcasing some of the vehicles and builders before the second Darpa Grand Challenge.
Truly fascinating to see thee cars speed around with no driver!
The future is now?
Truly fascinating to see thee cars speed around with no driver!
The future is now?
In the blood there is power
"fairly sure BloodSpell is the largest Machinima film ever created" - the trailer is out now, and come xmas maybe even an episode or three?
...and the sun is getting dimmed, winter is creeping closer ...
...and the sun is getting dimmed, winter is creeping closer ...
Monday, October 17
from summer to winter
NRK.no 
(c) NRK
Weekend spent in south part of Norway - last days of summer feeling with brilliant sun, strong blue color in the sky and crabs for lunch - straight from the sea into the pot.
And then this morning it was truly chilled, down below in some parts, ice and crystals on the ground and on car windows. So I had to dig out my gloves and scarf to supplement the suit, might even have to start using the winter coat any day now.
More factual posts coming during the week unless another rush-project pops up.
(c) NRK
Weekend spent in south part of Norway - last days of summer feeling with brilliant sun, strong blue color in the sky and crabs for lunch - straight from the sea into the pot.
And then this morning it was truly chilled, down below in some parts, ice and crystals on the ground and on car windows. So I had to dig out my gloves and scarf to supplement the suit, might even have to start using the winter coat any day now.
More factual posts coming during the week unless another rush-project pops up.
Wednesday, October 12
Bone bored
The Bone game was a bit of a dissapointment by the way, I tried the demo and it felt like something from the mid- to late 80-ies - adventure game in the Space Quest genre. Click everywhere you can and then do a bit of a shuffle through mediocre dialogue options.
Stick with the book instead!
(heavy project deadlines last 4 weeks, so not a lot of time for posting - the 'notestack' is modestly long, so look for a couple of catching up's next week(end))
Stick with the book instead!
(heavy project deadlines last 4 weeks, so not a lot of time for posting - the 'notestack' is modestly long, so look for a couple of catching up's next week(end))
Grand Challenge
Grand Challenge 2005: a race-day diary:
"Off in the distance at the foot of the hills, Stanley and the chase vehicle come into view, closely flanked by two helicopters. The Stanford team and many spectators erupt into cheering"
great piece written by Molly Wood, on a great achievement both in terms of generating 'buzz' and breakthrough; last year the best "robot" (unmanned, autonomos vehicle) made it through 8 miles of desert. This year several made it through all 131.6 miles.
Next year? Or in five more years?
...
"Off in the distance at the foot of the hills, Stanley and the chase vehicle come into view, closely flanked by two helicopters. The Stanford team and many spectators erupt into cheering"
great piece written by Molly Wood, on a great achievement both in terms of generating 'buzz' and breakthrough; last year the best "robot" (unmanned, autonomos vehicle) made it through 8 miles of desert. This year several made it through all 131.6 miles.
Next year? Or in five more years?
...
Tuesday, September 13
music as you want it?
Brad Sucks is: "releasing the source audio files for my album" - and has a long list of remixes done by other people. Interesting artist, heard him as an intro song over at Neil Gormans podcast - comicology.
rip mash burn baby...
rip mash burn baby...
Friday, September 9
they live here too
Banksy is a young brit artis doing a mix of graffiti and art "happenings" (ie sneaking fake paintings into museums)
I really like his rat themed onse - we are not alone, not even in our urban jungle...
I really like his rat themed onse - we are not alone, not even in our urban jungle...
Tuesday, September 6
Bone moving on
Telltale Games are making a computer game based on the Jeff Smith epic-comic Bone
Looks rather interesting - and they are setting it up for digital distribution as well - just like Bioware are doing with their premium add-ons to NWN. No info on actual price or release of Bone yet.
Looks rather interesting - and they are setting it up for digital distribution as well - just like Bioware are doing with their premium add-ons to NWN. No info on actual price or release of Bone yet.
America embraces Nintendogs
Nintendogs : "I listen to stuff on my iPod that I'd never play out loud at home on my big, serious separates system"
Different things for different settings - be it games (handheld vs console vs pc) or music (zen micro vs home vs pc vs disco...) Modal usage - sometimes it is just right to play the congos with a bunch of friends, other days it is time for some 1-on-1 snowboard action.
Now - when do we get the dogs over here? (est. release early October)
Different things for different settings - be it games (handheld vs console vs pc) or music (zen micro vs home vs pc vs disco...) Modal usage - sometimes it is just right to play the congos with a bunch of friends, other days it is time for some 1-on-1 snowboard action.
Now - when do we get the dogs over here? (est. release early October)
Wednesday, August 31
70 and counting?
Oil prices rising[Norwegian, but good illustration picture] - along with the water and total estimates for the destruction in the wake of Katrina.
And there was a time when the oil companies were expecting/planning with a potential price level of 5 to 10 USD for a barrel. How the world turns.
And there was a time when the oil companies were expecting/planning with a potential price level of 5 to 10 USD for a barrel. How the world turns.
Tuesday, August 30
Revolution
Director's Innovation Initiative: "DII provides an exciting, risk-tolerant research environment for the NRO" - had an ad in wired; "Wanted - revolutionary thinkers" The site needs some time to get to grip with what they actually want, how and from whom - but considering their backing it is worth reading a bit about the 'hows and whys'.
Talking about resources - I read that the Terminator trilogy had passed 1 000 million USD. That is a huge pile of cash.
Me and myself
Using the Zen Micro quite a bit now, thanks to the easy sync with Windows Media - so that is close to the new word me2me (780+ hits), or sharing your own stuff across devices and locations. Now, does that mean it is time to consider getting a pvr and/or connect the PC with the surround system?
Talking about resources - I read that the Terminator trilogy had passed 1 000 million USD. That is a huge pile of cash.
Me and myself
Using the Zen Micro quite a bit now, thanks to the easy sync with Windows Media - so that is close to the new word me2me (780+ hits), or sharing your own stuff across devices and locations. Now, does that mean it is time to consider getting a pvr and/or connect the PC with the surround system?
talk a walk
...and the sun might shine tomorrow (down town Oslo - starting at City Hall / Nobel Peace Center, looping around and then inside the old fortress)
maps with xml
improved Google Map playing - took the basic xml loading example and hunted around a bit to find out how to get a text value along with the attributes. So that means that a simple export from a cms could give the visual teaser along with the link directly to the article.
Monday, August 15
My play map
Just spent a good 90 minutes playing with the Google map API - and made a demo 'news map' for Oslo, just two pins linking to two separate news snippets right now.
Most interesting part? Seeing how easy it is to use the API and the examples to add a pin with a link to anywhere.
Most frustrating? Trying to get the right spot for starting (it uses long, lat rather than lat, long for assigning points... and there is no map for Norway, 'only' images)
...and the sun is back - summer is still around ...
Most interesting part? Seeing how easy it is to use the API and the examples to add a pin with a link to anywhere.
Most frustrating? Trying to get the right spot for starting (it uses long, lat rather than lat, long for assigning points... and there is no map for Norway, 'only' images)
...and the sun is back - summer is still around ...
Friday, August 12
anthem?
" heard it on a podcast…rockin’ f___in’ radio
You want it, you got it…just download it and pod it"
Adam Curry has been playing it over and over - the new anthem for podcasting, from Cruisebox. Talk about hitting the spot - summing it up nicely in a couple of easy lines, and using the power of music (+ repetition...) to make it heard.
Twice the wine?
And then there is the (by now) 'old' article on John Craven - "A polymath who is as comfortable talking about the Law of the Sea as he is the plumbing nightmares inherent when 200 men a day urinate in a submarine," - talking about using the cold water from the depths to 'generate' faster growing plants, de-salination of water and perhaps even generating some energy. Fascinating concept - see more at their (CHC) official site
High-speed grapes? Makes sense - considering how well plants are able to adapt to their surroundings in terms of use and conservation of water and energy.
There is no spoon...
"It was just the thing to get Lynds off the couch: What if Zeno's real lesson isn't that movement from point A to point B is impossible (obviously it isn't), but rather that there is no such thing as a discrete slice of time?" yes, once again from the big W before the summer (got a bit backlogged by rush client project and summertime).
So is it a big deal or just common sense? The main paper is available from CERN (found at Sori.org) as a pdf - only seven pages - but not an instant read. Look for another post down the line if I get through it! Or make up your own mind.
Say can you see
Rough translation of the end of a column;
"'The Summer Novel?' said my friend, lying in the hammock and reading something she didn't want to show me. 'It just sounds like you're trying to sell me something,' she mumbled. And I guess she is right. It is all to often impossible to say anything without it sounding like a business idea or pitch. Political Art. Summer Novel. Truth and justice."
Being in opposition to the system is just another valid choice the system gives you. By being a hacker you follow 'the rules' of using a computer to connect, communicate and construct your reality. By buying the Adbuster magazine you are supporting the distribution company, the retail outlet and the real-estate owner. No matter how much you want to be different, you can hardly be truly unique as long as you need food and shelter - and even 'going rural' is a trend, just another 'save money and feel great' article in the tabloids. [not the one I was thinking about, but close enough (Norwegian)] Can you subvert a system that wants you to rebel and thereby be the root of the next 'big thing' (grunge, charity bracelets, ...) and thereby keeping the wheels of creative destruction turning?
Answers?
Take the weekend - sit back - pull a doppio, and give it a thought anyway.
You want it, you got it…just download it and pod it"
Adam Curry has been playing it over and over - the new anthem for podcasting, from Cruisebox. Talk about hitting the spot - summing it up nicely in a couple of easy lines, and using the power of music (+ repetition...) to make it heard.
Twice the wine?
And then there is the (by now) 'old' article on John Craven - "A polymath who is as comfortable talking about the Law of the Sea as he is the plumbing nightmares inherent when 200 men a day urinate in a submarine," - talking about using the cold water from the depths to 'generate' faster growing plants, de-salination of water and perhaps even generating some energy. Fascinating concept - see more at their (CHC) official site
High-speed grapes? Makes sense - considering how well plants are able to adapt to their surroundings in terms of use and conservation of water and energy.There is no spoon...
"It was just the thing to get Lynds off the couch: What if Zeno's real lesson isn't that movement from point A to point B is impossible (obviously it isn't), but rather that there is no such thing as a discrete slice of time?" yes, once again from the big W before the summer (got a bit backlogged by rush client project and summertime).
So is it a big deal or just common sense? The main paper is available from CERN (found at Sori.org) as a pdf - only seven pages - but not an instant read. Look for another post down the line if I get through it! Or make up your own mind.
Say can you see
Rough translation of the end of a column;
"'The Summer Novel?' said my friend, lying in the hammock and reading something she didn't want to show me. 'It just sounds like you're trying to sell me something,' she mumbled. And I guess she is right. It is all to often impossible to say anything without it sounding like a business idea or pitch. Political Art. Summer Novel. Truth and justice."
Being in opposition to the system is just another valid choice the system gives you. By being a hacker you follow 'the rules' of using a computer to connect, communicate and construct your reality. By buying the Adbuster magazine you are supporting the distribution company, the retail outlet and the real-estate owner. No matter how much you want to be different, you can hardly be truly unique as long as you need food and shelter - and even 'going rural' is a trend, just another 'save money and feel great' article in the tabloids. [not the one I was thinking about, but close enough (Norwegian)] Can you subvert a system that wants you to rebel and thereby be the root of the next 'big thing' (grunge, charity bracelets, ...) and thereby keeping the wheels of creative destruction turning?
Answers?
Take the weekend - sit back - pull a doppio, and give it a thought anyway.
Wednesday, August 10
Looking around?
How to see the news? Well, the guys over at Poynter have made a mock-up - check out the duck slide show, and the classified for lost dogs. More about the reasoning is available from one of the creators - Larry L. Another example (from the comments).
...and the sun is around sometimes - between the light summer's end showers...
...and the sun is around sometimes - between the light summer's end showers...
voting
The election is getting closer here in Norway, and as of today it is possible to pre-vote - which was done by some 250' last time (a high number for Norway - with less than 4m eligble voters, and a total turnout in the 60-70 % range)
Tuesday, August 2
pirates of the bricks
Grr Arrgh: "a game, involving elements of both roleplaying and tactical combat, in which grown men and women sit on the floor and push toy pirate ships around"
yup - another pirate related post, this time about a Lego (or any other related small figurines and ships). It is a private project by Steve Jackson - yes, the SJ Games one... looks really fun, but it does requier a bit more than the Crimson Coast variety
Speaking of Lego - they have supported a small movie called "Revenge of the Brick", were the figurines/characters are actually allowed to have 'real' weapons. Maybe a slight response to the increasing availability of 'complementary' sets from other producers. Saw quite a lot of them in China - most of them either military or police/rescue related. Or perhaps making TIE fighters made it rather obvious that weapons is a state of mind?
yup - another pirate related post, this time about a Lego (or any other related small figurines and ships). It is a private project by Steve Jackson - yes, the SJ Games one... looks really fun, but it does requier a bit more than the Crimson Coast variety
Speaking of Lego - they have supported a small movie called "Revenge of the Brick", were the figurines/characters are actually allowed to have 'real' weapons. Maybe a slight response to the increasing availability of 'complementary' sets from other producers. Saw quite a lot of them in China - most of them either military or police/rescue related. Or perhaps making TIE fighters made it rather obvious that weapons is a state of mind?
Sunday, July 10
And once again
BBC London ATTACKS: "The Piccadilly line is 21.3 metres (70 feet) deep at this point. Recovery teams face intense heat of up to 60C, dust, fumes, vermin, asbestos and there were initially concerns that the tunnel might collapse."
Almost surreal. Even "closer" to home this time - a city and area I have visited many times over. Three bombs in one minute. Less than one hundred actually killed (so far) - seems almost insignificant compared to the 8000 in Srebrenica - but the sense of shock is magnifying it many times over.
Heatwave in Norway, actually went swimming today to cool down. Summer for real - and news almost unreal.
... phased out ...
Almost surreal. Even "closer" to home this time - a city and area I have visited many times over. Three bombs in one minute. Less than one hundred actually killed (so far) - seems almost insignificant compared to the 8000 in Srebrenica - but the sense of shock is magnifying it many times over.
Heatwave in Norway, actually went swimming today to cool down. Summer for real - and news almost unreal.
... phased out ...
Wednesday, July 6
Chekhov's foreshadowing
Chekhov's gun: "If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there.'"
Simple formulation of a complex subject - the gentle art of foreshadowing, or nudging the reader in the direction you want the story to go - without blatantly stating it outright.
How to do it surely depends on both genre and cultural reference - a baseball bat in the US might indicate a playfull time with the kids - or a big fight with things spinning out of control - or a scary time with a(n imagined) burglar.
...and on that last note I hope the last period of silence due to too much sun and outdoor life will be redeemed, at least for a while ;)
Simple formulation of a complex subject - the gentle art of foreshadowing, or nudging the reader in the direction you want the story to go - without blatantly stating it outright.
How to do it surely depends on both genre and cultural reference - a baseball bat in the US might indicate a playfull time with the kids - or a big fight with things spinning out of control - or a scary time with a(n imagined) burglar.
...and on that last note I hope the last period of silence due to too much sun and outdoor life will be redeemed, at least for a while ;)
Rap in a hard place
Aljazeera : "rap is finding a new voice as a group of young Palestinians sing about the frustrations of life under occupation in the Gaza Strip"
Now that is a slightly different ballgame than bragging about bling bling and living large - when the bad stuff is all about Apache gunships turning your neighbour into a puddle - or your house to a pile of rubble, or your best friend strapping a large chunk of plastics to his body to blow up other youths at a disco or cafe.
Talk about 'keeping it real' ...? Belive it.
More about the other acts at dam3rap and also a note from Belle&Seb
Or for some picture 'from the ground' head over to Gaza (warning: STRONG images, dead/wounded)
Now that is a slightly different ballgame than bragging about bling bling and living large - when the bad stuff is all about Apache gunships turning your neighbour into a puddle - or your house to a pile of rubble, or your best friend strapping a large chunk of plastics to his body to blow up other youths at a disco or cafe.
Talk about 'keeping it real' ...? Belive it.
More about the other acts at dam3rap and also a note from Belle&Seb
Or for some picture 'from the ground' head over to Gaza (warning: STRONG images, dead/wounded)
Random bookseller
Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc seems like an interesting read (will take some time to have it shipped over here and make it to the top of the 'pile' - which hopefully will be slightly decreased over the next weeks as the overdue summer holiday sets in, having been already shortened by a week due to an urgent client project)
It was mentioned by Ã?sne - and it obviously brings up some of the same 'issues' - how should we live in the modern day - and as important - how do you tell an intimate story of someones life, love and despair without exploiting or embarrassing them?
How far can a journalist or an author go in putting thoughts and ideas into other peoples words, heads or actions? How do you tell the whole story - without knowing 'the whole truth and nothing but the truth'?
Can we really know or understand someone by spending time with them? By sharing meals and everyday moments? Do we even understand ourselves all the time...?
It was mentioned by Ã?sne - and it obviously brings up some of the same 'issues' - how should we live in the modern day - and as important - how do you tell an intimate story of someones life, love and despair without exploiting or embarrassing them?
How far can a journalist or an author go in putting thoughts and ideas into other peoples words, heads or actions? How do you tell the whole story - without knowing 'the whole truth and nothing but the truth'?
Can we really know or understand someone by spending time with them? By sharing meals and everyday moments? Do we even understand ourselves all the time...?
Lego 'open source'
Lego Moonbase: "Each module is connected to another by means of a properly aligned airlock corridor" - a neat concept for "remote collabortaion" or distributed building - of huge Lego constructions (no, not real moonbases - yet) for fairs and conventions. Some good fun shots of both bases and other space related sets.
Monday, June 27
Mur didn't like Sith!
Made a valid point, Padme went from strong warrior to couchpotato... And slightly whining before the final confrontation. Guess I didn't consider her as much - too much else going on. Wookie skipped, instant evil, far-out robots and spaceships. Will probably need to see it at least one more time to get a grip on it.
Is that good or bad? Good in the sense that there are several levels to the story and entertainent (not just eye-candy). bad in the sense that a movie ought to be a self-contained unit... but there is no way Ep III (and the sixth movie) in a phenomenon like Star Wars could ever be considerd 'self contained' - there is just to much backstory, to many years of thoughts and discussions ... but that implies that it should be approached differently from a lot of movies, almost like taking up the piano; sure you can sit down and start tapping keys, but it will take some time and guidance to start playing a classical work or a good jazz groove.
Btw written on the balcony with the stylus and the MDA. (And posted a bit later out of lazyness - need to test the other device where bluetooth actually works for sharing the internet connection)
0605 - unedited... Do we want the rant? Do I only remember bits and parts because there was too much crammed into it, or because there was a lot of filler?
'slow motion no' link from Mur. Nooo... Good entertainment. (On a side note: one of the best 'voice overs' I've heard is from the Stallone climbing momvie - where he can't hold on and shout nooooooo for several second - and then the Russian v/o goes 'njet', short, flat and to the point.)
Is that good or bad? Good in the sense that there are several levels to the story and entertainent (not just eye-candy). bad in the sense that a movie ought to be a self-contained unit... but there is no way Ep III (and the sixth movie) in a phenomenon like Star Wars could ever be considerd 'self contained' - there is just to much backstory, to many years of thoughts and discussions ... but that implies that it should be approached differently from a lot of movies, almost like taking up the piano; sure you can sit down and start tapping keys, but it will take some time and guidance to start playing a classical work or a good jazz groove.
Btw written on the balcony with the stylus and the MDA. (And posted a bit later out of lazyness - need to test the other device where bluetooth actually works for sharing the internet connection)
0605 - unedited... Do we want the rant? Do I only remember bits and parts because there was too much crammed into it, or because there was a lot of filler?
'slow motion no' link from Mur. Nooo... Good entertainment. (On a side note: one of the best 'voice overs' I've heard is from the Stallone climbing momvie - where he can't hold on and shout nooooooo for several second - and then the Russian v/o goes 'njet', short, flat and to the point.)
Tuesday, June 21
geek-out
Warren Ellis writes aboout a rather geeked-out manicure; Silver AJ's Nails - using the binary sequence to spell it out. What next? Well... green on black?
Tuesday, June 14
Gangsta Rap'
AtomFilms have a rather good piece called "Star Wars Gangsta Rap Special Edition" (and yes, I'll try to obsess a little less on SW in the near future as it has been a bit of an OD the last 4-6 weeks in terms of postings)
Friday, June 10
Databank - more than you need?
Star Wars: Databank | By Category is the official source for information on all things (characters, creatures, locations, species, starships, ...) Star Wars.
If it's not there, it hasn't been merchandised
If it's not there, it hasn't been merchandised
Hark, I see my town burning
Vacancy at Bioware; Writer: "Start the story off with a bang! If it doesn't catch our interest with the first character, your submission will likely be discarded."
Now that would have been something... but relocating to Canada isn't top score right now. But it is good to see them ramping up for Dragon Age and the future in general.
Now that would have been something... but relocating to Canada isn't top score right now. But it is good to see them ramping up for Dragon Age and the future in general.
Evils, jedi and attention
Is it disturbing when you find it trivial rather than shocking to see and hear about the atrocities we as humans have comitted against each other? Like the nazi concentration camps - Arbeit Macht Frei - a short flight away, less than a day to get there (and possibly back as well), and some 60 years gone by. Twice my lifespan so far - and perhaps on par with what I can hope to have left.
With so much evil occuring at all times - and so much information available, have we become de-sentized, blocking it out with the latest sports and Idol news and rumors? How much could we really change the world if we put all our effort to it rather than watching televison, playing videogames and surfing mindlessly?
Like Hanna Arendt - the triviality of evil, triggered by the Adolf Eichmann trial. (segment inspired by and based on the initial comments in a SPOR article by Erling Sandmo on the 21st of May)
Jedi beyond
census form with Jedi as religion - 390 000 did it... in the 2001 census in the UK. It wasn't an official option, but due to pre-hype and emails, it obviously hit a nerve with enough of the people filling it in.
"kidult" - 'the career-minded grown-ups who might as well play GTA as host a dinner party' - with Star Wars as one of the main iconic moments. Nice phrase, building on to the basis of the old gen-X discussion - when we don't really have to act resposibly, do we ever turn into "adults" in the way it was used, say, 50 years ago? When you can continue to meet your friends in bars and cafes, spend your time online and gaming - or simply backpacking around every now and then? Is life to easy for us? Or is it simply a new twist on the old "get a haircut and get a job" - rather than having a baby and reading the newspaper, we get a console and visit Rome?
"culture shock" - George Lazenby as James Bond - a young Yoda... things are not always as we would prefer them, or as we think we remember them (but sometimes they were... Han Solo controversy, the dvd edition where he doesn't fire first anymore)
Expectations >> possible result? Can't possibly reach the sky-high demands? But then, it sort of did - even if I had the feeling that there were missing segments waiting for an extended dvd?! Knowing a lot but not too much made it a good experience for me. I was pshyced, but not soaked in the rumors and speculation (knew about the big lightsaber fight, and expected a bit of wookies based on the trailer - but only got two short glimpses I think)
"Revenge of the Sith" - "Return of the Jedi", should have been called "revenge", but it was dropped to give a softer image - whereas the Sith can be nasty. But the question is - for me at least - is what it is Sidious want to avenge!? Unless you know the potential backstory (such as the setting for the KOTOR games - during the Old Republic, when the "present day Sith" are followers rather than a race, as they once were - before the fallen/outcast/... jedi settled on their world).
(nod to Phil Jupitus and his essay in FT weekend 30. april [locked sub online], and of course to mr Lucas)
Who gets attention?
Johan Harstad 630 page novel - review interview in MB by Bendik Wold, and a pure review by Erik Bjerck Hagen (13-19 May issue - yes, I'm catching up with some left-over paper-clippings to clear up the desk) Book called "Buzz Aldrin, where did you end up in all the fuzz"
Perhaps the best people are those we never notice - the once that bow down their heads and get the job done, be it tending to the needy, getting the groceries into the stores or the gasoline up from the ground (or the oil from the ground/seabed to the refinery and the gasoline from there to the pump to be literal)
Starting of the review by calling it "very long novel"... at 600 pages it is a short Clancy or Grisham. Not to mention the various RA Salvatore et al trilogies coming out from Wizards. Which is basically why I hardly bother with any new norwegian literature - especially in hardcover. Paying $80 for a book and finishing it in one evening? Or $15 for a pocket version of a solid (proven) international author?
"magnificent, magnificent desoltaion" - Aldrin, a "half mythological, half forgotten name, drifting into and out of consiounsness" It is out there, the big open - the universe and all the other planets, stars and other entities.
Cardigans - the swedish band - Nina Persson "terribly sweet but tough enough to play Black Sabbath covers" [tune in and listen to it?]
1972 - Sun Ra made "space is the place" - and man visited moon for the last time... so far?
...and the sun is softly lighting up the clouds, keeping it nice and light at almost 9 in the evening
[semi-draft, maybe improve and expand during the weekend?]
With so much evil occuring at all times - and so much information available, have we become de-sentized, blocking it out with the latest sports and Idol news and rumors? How much could we really change the world if we put all our effort to it rather than watching televison, playing videogames and surfing mindlessly?
Like Hanna Arendt - the triviality of evil, triggered by the Adolf Eichmann trial. (segment inspired by and based on the initial comments in a SPOR article by Erling Sandmo on the 21st of May)
Jedi beyond
census form with Jedi as religion - 390 000 did it... in the 2001 census in the UK. It wasn't an official option, but due to pre-hype and emails, it obviously hit a nerve with enough of the people filling it in.
"kidult" - 'the career-minded grown-ups who might as well play GTA as host a dinner party' - with Star Wars as one of the main iconic moments. Nice phrase, building on to the basis of the old gen-X discussion - when we don't really have to act resposibly, do we ever turn into "adults" in the way it was used, say, 50 years ago? When you can continue to meet your friends in bars and cafes, spend your time online and gaming - or simply backpacking around every now and then? Is life to easy for us? Or is it simply a new twist on the old "get a haircut and get a job" - rather than having a baby and reading the newspaper, we get a console and visit Rome?
"culture shock" - George Lazenby as James Bond - a young Yoda... things are not always as we would prefer them, or as we think we remember them (but sometimes they were... Han Solo controversy, the dvd edition where he doesn't fire first anymore)
Expectations >> possible result? Can't possibly reach the sky-high demands? But then, it sort of did - even if I had the feeling that there were missing segments waiting for an extended dvd?! Knowing a lot but not too much made it a good experience for me. I was pshyced, but not soaked in the rumors and speculation (knew about the big lightsaber fight, and expected a bit of wookies based on the trailer - but only got two short glimpses I think)
"Revenge of the Sith" - "Return of the Jedi", should have been called "revenge", but it was dropped to give a softer image - whereas the Sith can be nasty. But the question is - for me at least - is what it is Sidious want to avenge!? Unless you know the potential backstory (such as the setting for the KOTOR games - during the Old Republic, when the "present day Sith" are followers rather than a race, as they once were - before the fallen/outcast/... jedi settled on their world).
(nod to Phil Jupitus and his essay in FT weekend 30. april [locked sub online], and of course to mr Lucas)
Who gets attention?
Johan Harstad 630 page novel - review interview in MB by Bendik Wold, and a pure review by Erik Bjerck Hagen (13-19 May issue - yes, I'm catching up with some left-over paper-clippings to clear up the desk) Book called "Buzz Aldrin, where did you end up in all the fuzz"
Perhaps the best people are those we never notice - the once that bow down their heads and get the job done, be it tending to the needy, getting the groceries into the stores or the gasoline up from the ground (or the oil from the ground/seabed to the refinery and the gasoline from there to the pump to be literal)
Starting of the review by calling it "very long novel"... at 600 pages it is a short Clancy or Grisham. Not to mention the various RA Salvatore et al trilogies coming out from Wizards. Which is basically why I hardly bother with any new norwegian literature - especially in hardcover. Paying $80 for a book and finishing it in one evening? Or $15 for a pocket version of a solid (proven) international author?
"magnificent, magnificent desoltaion" - Aldrin, a "half mythological, half forgotten name, drifting into and out of consiounsness" It is out there, the big open - the universe and all the other planets, stars and other entities.
Cardigans - the swedish band - Nina Persson "terribly sweet but tough enough to play Black Sabbath covers" [tune in and listen to it?]
1972 - Sun Ra made "space is the place" - and man visited moon for the last time... so far?
...and the sun is softly lighting up the clouds, keeping it nice and light at almost 9 in the evening
[semi-draft, maybe improve and expand during the weekend?]
Star Wars from another perspective
501st: "The 501st Legion is the world's definitive Imperial costuming organization" - they contributed to the fan-film-phenomenon known as "Revelations" (with intro - or direct, or trailers and stuff) 47 minutes of shockingly high quality film, considering that it is done "on the side" almost as open-source. Close to 100 background artists listed in the credits. Impressive. 280 mb or full dvd quality at 4 gb if you want to test your broadband over the evening.
-the 501st is global as well; "Nordic Garrison has 32 members in it's service"
-the 501st is global as well; "Nordic Garrison has 32 members in it's service"
Tuesday, June 7
rusted hole
rust 29, uploaded by cloois.Really great image - the contrast of the blue sky with the red rust. And some nice detailed droplets in silver if you look closely.
Hopefully this post will also look good on the blog after a couple of iterations on the flickr template
Lighted cross
Lighted cross,uploaded by kitsh.
One of the many neat pictures I've come across on flickr - giving me back some inspiration to both take and edit my own shots.
Monday, June 6
hands - flickr live
I've finally gotten around to setting up a flickr page (after helping my girlfriend when she visited the land down-under last month) - and put up some older images there.
So I guess Picasa and Hello will stay as "nice to have" applicaitons for those quick one-off images.
So I guess Picasa and Hello will stay as "nice to have" applicaitons for those quick one-off images.
Friday, May 27
Overdrive - what you want?
MTV Overdrive is a rather interesting flash-based "broadband video channel" - complete with Olay commercials and "coming up" (but only works with IE 5.5, Flash 7, WM 9 and decent hardware underneath).
Haven't watched that much, but even without the vid-optimizer it looks good full-screen and most importantly sound really good. Definetly one to watch to see how it evolves over time in terms of available content.
Haven't watched that much, but even without the vid-optimizer it looks good full-screen and most importantly sound really good. Definetly one to watch to see how it evolves over time in terms of available content.
Thursday, May 26
Google your way
Google has started trying out some funky personalized pages... good news: drag n'drop finally works on Firefox (gave up adjusting the G News interface). Bad news: seems like a laughably simplistic demo compared to my Yahoo.
But they have quotes of the day - and it gives a nice add-on when you are there to search (but I never go there, since I have it as toolbar/top-box in both IE and Firefox).
"Nobody got anywhere in the world by simply being content." - Louis L'Amour"
But they have quotes of the day - and it gives a nice add-on when you are there to search (but I never go there, since I have it as toolbar/top-box in both IE and Firefox).
"Nobody got anywhere in the world by simply being content." - Louis L'Amour"
hmmm - red...
You were destined to have a Red Lightsaber.
Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, and determination as well as passion and desire. You have seen the Strength and Power of the Dark Side of the Force and have you thirst for more of it.
What Colored Lightsaber Would You Have? brought to you by Quizilla
And yes, I did rather enjoy the (hopefully?) last Star Wars movie. Even if there were a few "jumps" (deleted scenes dvd directors cut anyone?) and some lameness. At least there was closure and a bit of explanation along the way. But KOTOR is still a better experience.
...and the sun is hidden behind the rainy clouds of a typical summer day...
Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, and determination as well as passion and desire. You have seen the Strength and Power of the Dark Side of the Force and have you thirst for more of it.
What Colored Lightsaber Would You Have? brought to you by Quizilla
And yes, I did rather enjoy the (hopefully?) last Star Wars movie. Even if there were a few "jumps" (deleted scenes dvd directors cut anyone?) and some lameness. At least there was closure and a bit of explanation along the way. But KOTOR is still a better experience.
...and the sun is hidden behind the rainy clouds of a typical summer day...
Monday, May 16
Poems
| GLAD | ||||
| SAD | ||||
| BAD | ||||
| going down....................... | ||||
WHY
WHY do we KILL
said a child on tv
WHY is there PAIN
said the girl on the street
WHY
WHY
I WONDER AS I STAND HERE
WHY continue
WHY stop
In the end
It will make no difference
for me the end is now
the end is the edge
BECAUSE
the edge is the goal
but I shall move onwards
FOREVER searching
FOREVER wanting
FOREVER wondering
WHY
[the visual part is would required some serious testing of pre, but it looks as it should/did - main point being an open line down the middle after the cap-words]
Who wants to be free
A
net
fell across my
path once
I was almost caught
but I moved on
Now I can return
on the same path
but this time
It will be
empty
and
I will be free
???
Here I stand
alone
in the crowd
I know them, but
I do not, I know them
they are just a cut
-out piece from
some other night
maybe I'll
know them again
Or is this the last
before the blast
we thought was in the past
A-92
LOVE -
Smilin' at each other
Holdin' hands and kissing
Then one wrong word
And it's all gone
- IS IT ?
(undated, late -92? - published Kort Sagt #3-92 - so early fall)
POEMS FROM THE
EDGE [A]
Hear my cry
It's not for help
There can be none for me
I stepped forward
And when I did, I left
Hope
Behind
On the EDGE
THE END IS THE EDGE
BECAUSE
THE EDGE IS THE GOAL
BUT I SHALL STILL MOVE ONWARDS
FOREVER SEARCHING
FOREVER WANTING
FOREVER WONDERING
WHY
[undated, first part probably printed -92/early -93 - back when cut and paste was cutting up the pages from the typewriter and gluing them onto the large pages to send to the printer, and getting it back - shrunk down, stapled and folded to A5 with colored paper on the cover. 2nd part expanded on under the heading Why]
And not
Early in the morning
in the middle of the night
Two dead boys
stand up to fight
Back to back they
face each other
A dead police man
heard the noise
and tried to kill
the two dead boys
If you don't belive
this lie is true
Ask the blind man
he saw it too
(courtesy of Kim) Yo.
In the forest
Out of the mid-woods' twilight
Into the meadow's dawn,
Ivory limbed and brown eyed
Flashes my Faun!
He skips through the copses singing,
And his shadow dances along,
And I know not which I should follow,
Shadow or song!
O Hunter, snare me his shadow!
O nightingale, cathc me his strain!
Else moonstruck with music and madness
I track him in vain!
- Oscar Wilde
Wondering in the night
1
What is it
when two people
who never met
feel lonely
for no reason
what so ever
2
why is it
that two people
can never meet
one another
for no reason
what so ever
no, no, no reason
what so ever
never, never
forever
[A] 22-9-93
No control
who can say it
when no one dares
to even think it
anymore
what can we do
to stop it
when it has already
gone too far
oh why
is it so hard
so hard to even
carry on
why can't I even ask you
the things I need 2 know
before I have to
chose my way
Have I lost
or will I win
this gamble which is
out of control
It has gone too far
and I moved to slow
so now it is
running wild
You have to decide
it cannot go on
it has to end
by your hand
For it is out of control
I am no longer
in charge of myself
and the beast within
I have no, no, no
no control
anymore,
not any more
[A] 22-9-93
Lonely
I am by myself
tonight
as I've been for a
long long time
I miss the time
when I sat there
missing you
oh misery, sweet misery
Where did those days go
when you were the one
I wanted to see
the voice I wanted to head
the face I wanted to touch
the heat I needed to feel
the only thing that is left
is that sweet misery
it is attacking my heart, my brain
oh the pain, the pain
of misery, sweet, sweet miseryyyy!
[A] 10-10-93
Two
You know that I'm here
only for you
whilst you stay over there
oh can it be true
I guess it is
yeah, I guess it is so
so increadibly real
and strange for you
But when you need to
we'll talk
and when you're confused
I'll walk
with you through the night
and into the morning's light
for it shines oh, all to bright
down on us
two souls, two true friends
some problems
will be solved in the end
it's got to be true
'cause there's just me & you
one and one is still
two sould, two minds
talking, thinking
dreaming, walking
It feels so good, so nice
what will be the price
we have to pay
because it can't stay
the situation is too strange
the problems are too far,
out of reach
oh, how are we going to teach
the children
what we do
when there is just me and you
just the two
two souls, too long
do you feel it, too
confused to even talk
so we'll just walk
[A] 8-11-93
+What a day+ (rap poetry)
Early morning 'till late in the night
tryin' to sleep but it'll just have to wait
lots of things have been going down
should have stayed home but I went down town
it's hard to believe all that I've seen
And even stranger are all the things I've been
told 'bout (
where is it going yo, I don't know
but I'm sure that some f...'in how
it will probably become even more f...'ed up
before one day or night it finally will have to stop
but for now all I can say is
what a day, hey
oh what A DAY
sooner or later someone might just have to pay
for this strange, strange day that we've been through today
oh what a dat, what a day
[A] 2-12-93
Back
Now she is here
back with us
for a while
Her face is
back with us
with a smile
She looked so good,
so happy, so radiant
It's hard to belive
but close to
five months have passed
Back for christmas
Not back to stay
Maybe
back with a vengeance
then who'll have to pay
doesn't really matter now that
SHE is back again.
18-12-93
Live!
sometimes it's hard
to express
just how you feel
something are true
but you still wonder
if they are real
there is no time to waste
and no point in waiting
what's coming,
will be going
and what's going
will be gone
live life to the full
and grab the horns of your bull
'cause if you don't play
your stake will just go away
because the wheel keeps on spinning
(for? as long as?)
[A] 24-12-93
DON'T CRY
Outside it's dark, the night has come
It's below zero again
I can see the lights from the city
Hear it's silent noise
Half a million people
Living, breathing, dying
So much to cry about
But really so little
[A] 17-10-94 19:00
you're going
away
you'll be back
before you go
and stay
away
forever or just
for an eternity
day, weeks, months
what will remain
what will be gone
forever or just
for another eternity
nobody knows
am I the only
one who cares -for real
[A] 7-7-93
Three poems written at B12 thursday 31th of march, 1994 - on the back of free postcards - will try to get the images up, as they set the theme for each of the texts.
Looking out the window
searching for a face in the crowd
Hoping to find you
But knowing that you're gone
I was the one to leave
And although I always wanted to
I could never return
Because you were already gone
Had I gotten another chance
What would have happened
Would there have been a tomorrow
With us together once more
Could things have been different
Or was it never ment to be
More than a short glimpse
Of true happiness and love?
[A]
--
Trying to call
To reach out to you
From afar
Dialling your number
One more time - just to here the
voice and let it bring back all the
memories of days long gone
Picking up the phone
Hoping to get through to you
To talk, to ask, to listen
Voices in the night
Sounds coming through the air
Breaking the long silence
But will it be enough
Or is it already to late
[A]
---
Back to back - in the nude
Looking into space - in two directions
Trying to find our answers - but finding nothing but doubt
HOW - WHY - WHEN - WHERE
Would the answer help us - when we don't even really know the question
which is burning inside
Can we find it if we turn around and look at each other instead - or is that just
another question
Even if 'yes' might be wrong - isn't it worth a try?
[A]
- and that is the end of that collection of old poems, from some 10-15 years ago. I have another set of some various pieces from three years ago, and there are also some other that have been published over the last decade. And quite a few in Norwegian, but I won't be putting those up here in the near future unless there is a roaring demand for it.
Sunday, May 15
Sunday - but still some days off
Public holiday tomorrow, and then on the 17th is the constitution day, so some sunny days of relaxing and reloading after two hectic weeks.
architecture days: "Walk through the campus of The Illinois Institute of Technology, home to the world's largest group of buildings designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe" - rather poor site, but then again the main point is to get people out there and walking around on organized tours to see historical/special/famous building, in LA, Chicago and NY.
Burn it
Once upon a time a "real" laser was something to be seen in large industrial complexes and factories - but now you can bring one home and cut out your own stuff, using the "VersaLaser"
Maybe something for my rather craft-addicted darling? But starting (!) at 8000 usd ... maybe not.
Flying through time
On Friday tour natinal broadcaster started a rather interesting BBC series called "Wild Europe" [norwegian] - going back through the ages and showing how Europe came to be what and where it is today. Can't seem to find it on the BBC site - but they have two similar projects, looking at the Natural history of Britain and the Americas. Typical example of the web really adding value by having tons of related in-depth information. Such as maps of the super-continents, such as Pangaea, the third one, during the age of the dinosaurs.
Do the math, stupid
First there was CSI. Then it spun all around the country - more "international" in Miami, darker and grimmer in NY, but still best in Vegas. Then along came Numbers[official] - or Numb3rs[wiki] as the visual cue is. It is on in Sweden, and I caught part of the virus episode the other day (obviously the second one, as it premiered on the 29th of april). Nice mix of crime and science. Using logic and modelling to find the patterns. Neat. Maybe something to watch, as I'm tuning out of CSI NY - really didn't catch me in terms of "interesting" main-characters. (And for some neat math background - have a look at these curves or the whole picture or the overview)
So, to close off for now - solve the puzzle: if a gallon of gas on average costs $2.11, a hybrid goes for a $3000 premium in price, but gets 20 mpg more ("2005 EPA-estimated 60 city/51 highway/55 combined mpg") - how much should you drive to even it out in terms of pure direct gasoline costs? Or how many years if you drive 15k miles/year (that's some 40 miles each way each working day). Never mind tax rebates, or the fact that gas some places go up to $5...
architecture days: "Walk through the campus of The Illinois Institute of Technology, home to the world's largest group of buildings designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe" - rather poor site, but then again the main point is to get people out there and walking around on organized tours to see historical/special/famous building, in LA, Chicago and NY.
Burn it
Once upon a time a "real" laser was something to be seen in large industrial complexes and factories - but now you can bring one home and cut out your own stuff, using the "VersaLaser"
Maybe something for my rather craft-addicted darling? But starting (!) at 8000 usd ... maybe not.
Flying through time
On Friday tour natinal broadcaster started a rather interesting BBC series called "Wild Europe" [norwegian] - going back through the ages and showing how Europe came to be what and where it is today. Can't seem to find it on the BBC site - but they have two similar projects, looking at the Natural history of Britain and the Americas. Typical example of the web really adding value by having tons of related in-depth information. Such as maps of the super-continents, such as Pangaea, the third one, during the age of the dinosaurs.
Do the math, stupid
First there was CSI. Then it spun all around the country - more "international" in Miami, darker and grimmer in NY, but still best in Vegas. Then along came Numbers[official] - or Numb3rs[wiki] as the visual cue is. It is on in Sweden, and I caught part of the virus episode the other day (obviously the second one, as it premiered on the 29th of april). Nice mix of crime and science. Using logic and modelling to find the patterns. Neat. Maybe something to watch, as I'm tuning out of CSI NY - really didn't catch me in terms of "interesting" main-characters. (And for some neat math background - have a look at these curves or the whole picture or the overview)
So, to close off for now - solve the puzzle: if a gallon of gas on average costs $2.11, a hybrid goes for a $3000 premium in price, but gets 20 mpg more ("2005 EPA-estimated 60 city/51 highway/55 combined mpg") - how much should you drive to even it out in terms of pure direct gasoline costs? Or how many years if you drive 15k miles/year (that's some 40 miles each way each working day). Never mind tax rebates, or the fact that gas some places go up to $5...
Saturday, May 14
had to have it
Tony Christie: "the million-selling 'Is This The Way To Amarillo' (written by Howard Greenfield and Neil Sedaka)" - has been top in the UK for quite some time, and I am officially "hooked", so I used iTunes to buy the single today. Good fun for all... and a fraction of the price of buying just a crap version as a ringtone for the mobile. And still people complain that iTunes is "too expensive". Yeah. Right.
On another note - a great article from the last issue of Wired, is "La Vida Robot", by Joshua Davis. You might know the story, as the base has been in quite a few news-outlets, but the article is another example of why Wired is one of the best outlets for great journalism.
On another note - a great article from the last issue of Wired, is "La Vida Robot", by Joshua Davis. You might know the story, as the base has been in quite a few news-outlets, but the article is another example of why Wired is one of the best outlets for great journalism.
the future is in the garage
DNA Hack: "website for Amateur Genetic Engineering" ... need I say more? Where did Apple and HP basically start? So get inventing, improving and dreaming.
WHAT IF ___________________________________ (fill in the blank - then go find out)
WHAT IF ___________________________________ (fill in the blank - then go find out)
Monday, May 9
Back to the C60 ?
ThinkGeek: bring you the thing you always knew you wanted... "PlusDeck 2 is a full-logic cassette deck for your PC" ! So you can both transfer all those old mixtapes to your cd - and revieve your old skool original Walkman and listen to podcasts. Oh yeah.
Sunday, May 8
IDeas?
The Nobel Peace center is coming along nicely, and the architect David Adjaye was interviewed in Morgenbladet. One of the interesting points was his concept of "Idea stores" - as the new brand/incarnation of the old library. [img]
Because reading a book makes your mind start up again? As opposed to being slowed down by "just" watching TV or shopping? But do books have to be "mind boggling" or informative? Can't they be "just" plain entertainment and time-passers? What makes it an idea rather than just an experience? The fact that they have magazines, internet connection and encylopedias?
"But there is a world out there that feels disconnected from this particular brand, the library. So you have to set up a new model." [1]
Split interests?
Cropped short hair, Slipknot banging on the Zen, and sitting on the balcony drinking a chilled Italian white and reading the "academic weekly" Morgenbladet
(?Morgenbladet will be an independent weekly newspaper focusing on culture, politics and research. It shall be national and globally oriented, and shall increase the interest for critical thought and exchange of opinions. The newspaper targets readers that are more than average interested in culture and society" - rough translation of the vision/mission) - and yes this was yesterday when the rain was but a bit of water in the sky
And from FT last weekend: coming on strong is jewellery for men - such as the stylish items by Dane Georg Jensen - flash site, select the GJ brand, the jewellery, men and perhaps necklaces - victory.
...and the sun is gone gone gone - rainy Sunday...
Because reading a book makes your mind start up again? As opposed to being slowed down by "just" watching TV or shopping? But do books have to be "mind boggling" or informative? Can't they be "just" plain entertainment and time-passers? What makes it an idea rather than just an experience? The fact that they have magazines, internet connection and encylopedias?
"But there is a world out there that feels disconnected from this particular brand, the library. So you have to set up a new model." [1]
Split interests?
Cropped short hair, Slipknot banging on the Zen, and sitting on the balcony drinking a chilled Italian white and reading the "academic weekly" Morgenbladet
(?Morgenbladet will be an independent weekly newspaper focusing on culture, politics and research. It shall be national and globally oriented, and shall increase the interest for critical thought and exchange of opinions. The newspaper targets readers that are more than average interested in culture and society" - rough translation of the vision/mission) - and yes this was yesterday when the rain was but a bit of water in the sky
And from FT last weekend: coming on strong is jewellery for men - such as the stylish items by Dane Georg Jensen - flash site, select the GJ brand, the jewellery, men and perhaps necklaces - victory.
...and the sun is gone gone gone - rainy Sunday...
Saturday, May 7
Pirates of the cardgames
WizKids are the company behind the "latest" card/collectible craze - Pirates of the Spanish Main (technically the name of an expansion/new version) - and they are rather open about the system; you can view flash animations of the rules and download the full rules, as well as views of cards and listings. So the only reason to buy the actual packs, is the collectibility: the combination of the art, quality and "wonder what I get" factor. Cool. Maybe something for the balcony this summer to supplement our Harry Potter obsession (fueled by radical discounts on the packs, 10 NOK vs normal 50 NOK )
Friday, May 6
bbc rocks
The election results from the UK are more or less in - and the Beeb has a truly wonderful flash presentation - showing a colorcoded map of the UK, along with a list - hover over the list and it just highlights on the map where it is, click and it gradually zooms in and gives detailed results; candidates, votes, change from last election.
And when you are zoomed in you can hover over the neighbouring constituencies and see their name & result. Great job of showing why the net supplements other media for news and facts.
...and the sun is getting ready for a big day - woke me up way early and bright today...
And when you are zoomed in you can hover over the neighbouring constituencies and see their name & result. Great job of showing why the net supplements other media for news and facts.
...and the sun is getting ready for a big day - woke me up way early and bright today...
Thursday, May 5
day off - write on
Exploding goodness - or at least the Explodo-o-Pop is finally available, at $5 a pop (or pack) it is definitely good fun. Now I only need to figure out when someone I know is heading over next time. 
(© cbs)
Pop, art and comics fused
Mariko Mori: "an oversized, plastic pop star doll in Birth of a Star" - a Japanese artist mixing in the influence of manga/anime with a view of the future. Her media prescence makes Japan look like the future of creative art. But the "problem" is that the ones who promote the trend - young artist with a pop-culture mix - are unable to make it big due to the high cost of living, not to mention the cost of renting a space to do your work - in an already overcrowded urban Japan.
Sobered
The Sober virus is/was making up 77% of traffic... or at least 70% of all viruses mention - depending on the source. Talk about a big spread... and I only got a single one... looks like a lot of our local hosts [stats] have done a good job at keeping it contained - even it the number of removed viruses have gone up from 9k to 28k.
All alone?
A year ago "Magasinet" printed a great image by Eve Arnold from Cuba back in 1954 (Magnum, might need login - BugMeNot ok, other option here). She also made quite a few pictures of among others Marilyn Monroe, but her best work is the "snapshot of the times" - while bringing you a story in an instant.
And the same can definitely be said about one of my all-time favorite painters - the late Mr Hopper (no, not the actor). As the NY times said - he "pinpointed a New York state of mind. ... more unsparing isolation that touches on the traps of modern urban existence" (Google had some 5000+ hits on images by him - actually listed on top of the page when I did a regular search! They figured out it was as relevant to see his works as the facts. Way impressed) Wiki
But he also painted quite a bit from more rural environs - such as the Cape Cod Morning [img]. But probably the best known (and recycled/spoofed) is Nighthaws - the feature image of the exhibiton in London last year. Nice site that features a digital copy of his sketchbook - on page 11 is the Cape Cod.
Even when there are several people (most I remember are either a single person or just the (urban) landscape), they don't seem to interact, hardly aware of the others nearby. Reminds me of the comment "Even though I'm not alone that doesn't mean I'm not lonely"
...sun coming, time to head outside
(© cbs)
Pop, art and comics fused
Mariko Mori: "an oversized, plastic pop star doll in Birth of a Star" - a Japanese artist mixing in the influence of manga/anime with a view of the future. Her media prescence makes Japan look like the future of creative art. But the "problem" is that the ones who promote the trend - young artist with a pop-culture mix - are unable to make it big due to the high cost of living, not to mention the cost of renting a space to do your work - in an already overcrowded urban Japan.
Sobered
The Sober virus is/was making up 77% of traffic... or at least 70% of all viruses mention - depending on the source. Talk about a big spread... and I only got a single one... looks like a lot of our local hosts [stats] have done a good job at keeping it contained - even it the number of removed viruses have gone up from 9k to 28k.
All alone?
A year ago "Magasinet" printed a great image by Eve Arnold from Cuba back in 1954 (Magnum, might need login - BugMeNot ok, other option here). She also made quite a few pictures of among others Marilyn Monroe, but her best work is the "snapshot of the times" - while bringing you a story in an instant.
And the same can definitely be said about one of my all-time favorite painters - the late Mr Hopper (no, not the actor). As the NY times said - he "pinpointed a New York state of mind. ... more unsparing isolation that touches on the traps of modern urban existence" (Google had some 5000+ hits on images by him - actually listed on top of the page when I did a regular search! They figured out it was as relevant to see his works as the facts. Way impressed) Wiki
But he also painted quite a bit from more rural environs - such as the Cape Cod Morning [img]. But probably the best known (and recycled/spoofed) is Nighthaws - the feature image of the exhibiton in London last year. Nice site that features a digital copy of his sketchbook - on page 11 is the Cape Cod.
Even when there are several people (most I remember are either a single person or just the (urban) landscape), they don't seem to interact, hardly aware of the others nearby. Reminds me of the comment "Even though I'm not alone that doesn't mean I'm not lonely"
...sun coming, time to head outside
Wednesday, May 4
Saying it loud?
"There is an inner darkness that is overcome by the blood," [Vaughn ]
It is an extract (fittingly enough) from an artwork she posted - mixing a text with an older (?) painting, and doing some rather interesting work on the layout in Quark. There are several "layers" to both the text, art and layout - as well as the overall balance, so have a look, and then go back a bit later and re-examine it, and your own reactions.
For the full text, have a look at "No Need to Wrestle With Your Pride..." , as the post is named over at 'We Can't Tell Reality From Fantasy', as well as have a look at the other relevant links are either there - or right here for: the complete' pdf and the base art
Black. Red. Impact.
It is an extract (fittingly enough) from an artwork she posted - mixing a text with an older (?) painting, and doing some rather interesting work on the layout in Quark. There are several "layers" to both the text, art and layout - as well as the overall balance, so have a look, and then go back a bit later and re-examine it, and your own reactions.
For the full text, have a look at "No Need to Wrestle With Your Pride..." , as the post is named over at 'We Can't Tell Reality From Fantasy', as well as have a look at the other relevant links are either there - or right here for: the complete' pdf and the base art
Black. Red. Impact.
Tuesday, May 3
Banshee - and then some
Banshee Std - a rather nice caligraphic style font (Open Type) [img direct]
...maybe more on why I happened across the font later.
...maybe more on why I happened across the font later.
Sunday, April 24
Open Source Democracy
Some clippings and thoughts based on a "Demos" report entitled "Open Source Democracy - How online communication is changing offline politics" by Douglas Rushkoff
"a growing camp of religious historians are concluding that early religions were understood much more metaphorically than we understand religion today"
Interesting point - that stories were more stories than "rules" or strong beliefs. Which goes to show how many problems we face when looking at the far past - being unable to actually go inside peoples heads? Or for that matter, simply when writing about someone other than ourselves? The simple adage of "when you assume you make an ass out of u and me" ... trying to understand how we understand is no simple feat. So how would you describe our current relation to religion - based on the recent coverage of the Pope (both the death of the late JP and the "divine selection" of the new Benedict)? Do we believe that a old polish man, with a variety of medical issues, is a direct line for contributing the will of the one true God? And that this includes having millions die from aids in Africa because condoms are a sin? Right...
Source for more? - Karen Armstrong, A History of God(London:Vintage, 1999).
"Channel surfing and similar behaviour became equated with a very real but variously diagnosed childhood illness called Attention Deficit Disorder."
I'm not to sure if I should get started on this... but the fact that we find it completely acceptable to drug children because they don't want to sit still inside in a stuffy room ... ooh boy. "Prozac Nation" and "Requiem for a Dream" anyone? What does it mean to by normal? How much or little do we except to handle on our own? Not saying that life for a lot of people has greatly improved due to medical advancements - be it lithium or antibiotics - but there should be a little more thought going into the consequences and the values that lie as the foundation of drugging anyone who fails to comply 100%.
One of the most widespread realisations accompanying the current renaissance is that a lot of what has been taken for granted as hardware is , in fact , software capable of being programmed"
We are the choice we make - even when we simply let someone else make them for us, be it intentionally or with out our (or their!) knowing about it. The shows on TV? The tax levels? The representation each county or parish is given? The way we write and pronounce words?
(Sidebar: The Munch debacle here in Norway recently - no, not the paintings being stolen, but how his name should be pronounced; his heir threatened the national broadcaster NRK with withholding displaying rights unless they tightened up the policies - and said Munch rather than Monk (a sharp U rather than more of a o-sound))
Choice is all about applying reason or chance to a set of rules. But who makes the rules - and for how long? Compare flipping a coin to playing football - Calvin&Hobbes style. One straight forward and fixed, the other complex and ever-changing. But both governed by their set of rules. Defined and complied with during the "game". Society works the same way. "Don't cross when the light is red" - but we do anyway - at least when there isn't a car in sight - or when other people are already crossing.
We begin to see how salvation has been traded in for retirement as the new ultimate goal for which Westerners suspend their lives and their ethics
Retirement as the new "heaven on earth"? Salvation in the age of instant gratification? Looking at the ads from a lot of financial companies, I have no doubt about it - "When do you want to quit working? How much can you save a month? Click here to see your allowance" With the default age at 60 - a full 7 years under the current norm for retirement, and with the "pension commission" recommending raising the age to 70 and then some for those who do mostly mental work (yes - that's all of you out there sitting at a desk with a compute). What is the good life? When do we have the time to enjoy it? Is it raising kids - or after we have gotten the house to ourselves again? Is it when we get a breakthrough at work - creating a new product, making jobs for other people - or when we close the door on work, shut of the cell and take a vacation?
...and the sun was really hot today, summer is definitely coming on strong
"a growing camp of religious historians are concluding that early religions were understood much more metaphorically than we understand religion today"
Interesting point - that stories were more stories than "rules" or strong beliefs. Which goes to show how many problems we face when looking at the far past - being unable to actually go inside peoples heads? Or for that matter, simply when writing about someone other than ourselves? The simple adage of "when you assume you make an ass out of u and me" ... trying to understand how we understand is no simple feat. So how would you describe our current relation to religion - based on the recent coverage of the Pope (both the death of the late JP and the "divine selection" of the new Benedict)? Do we believe that a old polish man, with a variety of medical issues, is a direct line for contributing the will of the one true God? And that this includes having millions die from aids in Africa because condoms are a sin? Right...
Source for more? - Karen Armstrong, A History of God(London:Vintage, 1999).
[Geek Fu Action Grip: Your Podcast Sucks, Let Me Do It - Mur Lafferty ] about marketing, and how a lot of messages say "this it what you're doing wrong - pay me to fix it" Great wry wit.
"Channel surfing and similar behaviour became equated with a very real but variously diagnosed childhood illness called Attention Deficit Disorder."
I'm not to sure if I should get started on this... but the fact that we find it completely acceptable to drug children because they don't want to sit still inside in a stuffy room ... ooh boy. "Prozac Nation" and "Requiem for a Dream" anyone? What does it mean to by normal? How much or little do we except to handle on our own? Not saying that life for a lot of people has greatly improved due to medical advancements - be it lithium or antibiotics - but there should be a little more thought going into the consequences and the values that lie as the foundation of drugging anyone who fails to comply 100%.
One of the most widespread realisations accompanying the current renaissance is that a lot of what has been taken for granted as hardware is , in fact , software capable of being programmed"
We are the choice we make - even when we simply let someone else make them for us, be it intentionally or with out our (or their!) knowing about it. The shows on TV? The tax levels? The representation each county or parish is given? The way we write and pronounce words?
(Sidebar: The Munch debacle here in Norway recently - no, not the paintings being stolen, but how his name should be pronounced; his heir threatened the national broadcaster NRK with withholding displaying rights unless they tightened up the policies - and said Munch rather than Monk (a sharp U rather than more of a o-sound))
Choice is all about applying reason or chance to a set of rules. But who makes the rules - and for how long? Compare flipping a coin to playing football - Calvin&Hobbes style. One straight forward and fixed, the other complex and ever-changing. But both governed by their set of rules. Defined and complied with during the "game". Society works the same way. "Don't cross when the light is red" - but we do anyway - at least when there isn't a car in sight - or when other people are already crossing.
We begin to see how salvation has been traded in for retirement as the new ultimate goal for which Westerners suspend their lives and their ethics
Retirement as the new "heaven on earth"? Salvation in the age of instant gratification? Looking at the ads from a lot of financial companies, I have no doubt about it - "When do you want to quit working? How much can you save a month? Click here to see your allowance" With the default age at 60 - a full 7 years under the current norm for retirement, and with the "pension commission" recommending raising the age to 70 and then some for those who do mostly mental work (yes - that's all of you out there sitting at a desk with a compute). What is the good life? When do we have the time to enjoy it? Is it raising kids - or after we have gotten the house to ourselves again? Is it when we get a breakthrough at work - creating a new product, making jobs for other people - or when we close the door on work, shut of the cell and take a vacation?
[filling my head with the beats of: Tempo of the Down: Session 02 - Various Artists ] nice riffs, 'round 20 minutes in
...and the sun was really hot today, summer is definitely coming on strong
Thursday, April 21
Flash-y?
Adobe and Macromedia: "the primary motivation for the two companies' joining is to continue to expand and grow our business into new markets.'" - this will surely be a merger to watch... Photoshop and PDF meeting Flash - all things web and visual coming together (sometimes later this year, so no products for at least another year or more taking advantage of the possible cross-use)
So how will this influence the users - from photographers, to visual artist to webdevelopers? Will it be even easier to use a wide variety of visuals in Flash? Will it be easier to make pdf from flash - making documentation, or read-out-loud versions?
So many question - and far to long to wait. So, on to other issues.
So how will this influence the users - from photographers, to visual artist to webdevelopers? Will it be even easier to use a wide variety of visuals in Flash? Will it be easier to make pdf from flash - making documentation, or read-out-loud versions?
So many question - and far to long to wait. So, on to other issues.
[filling my head with CI-2005-04-18 - Father Roderick Vonhögen ] - live when the first smoke appeared during the conclave
fractals - over and over?
Benoît Mandelbrot : "emphasised the use of fractals as realistic and useful models of many natural phenomena" [img]
And it was 30 years ago (while at Yale) that he made up the word (fractals).
"Understanding does not mean approval" - Clancy had it in his latest novel, attributing it to Spock from Star Trek. Interesting comment - and somthing that is often ignored in our media-spotlight day... the only option is to condem - if you don't then you support it (be it militant islam, the war in Iraq, ...). Why is it so hard to actually take things at "face value"? Why do we have to demonize anything that we disagree with? And how does that reflect on our attention problems - and our willingness to solve them?
(and Nemi is in Wikipedia!!! Wohooo!)
And it was 30 years ago (while at Yale) that he made up the word (fractals).
"Understanding does not mean approval" - Clancy had it in his latest novel, attributing it to Spock from Star Trek. Interesting comment - and somthing that is often ignored in our media-spotlight day... the only option is to condem - if you don't then you support it (be it militant islam, the war in Iraq, ...). Why is it so hard to actually take things at "face value"? Why do we have to demonize anything that we disagree with? And how does that reflect on our attention problems - and our willingness to solve them?
(and Nemi is in Wikipedia!!! Wohooo!)
Tuesday, April 19
Working late - drifting off
STARWARS EPISODE III: "Planeten er blitt en glemt planet, den har forsvunnet fra stjernekart og har lite intelligent liv og har nesten alltid regnvær" - a short extract from the presentation of Dagoda, on the local preview site for the final (???) Star Wars movie. Ticket go on sale on the second of May, with the first screening at 00.03 on the 19th. A short month to go - actually looking forward to seeing it.
Oh well, it's getting late and time towrap up the slides and excel stuff for tomorrows presentation.
May the force be with us...
(oh yes - vous papus... the catholics have a new Pope, german this time 'round)
Oh well, it's getting late and time towrap up the slides and excel stuff for tomorrows presentation.
May the force be with us...
(oh yes - vous papus... the catholics have a new Pope, german this time 'round)
Thursday, April 14
is this me?
"They dislike to see mistakes repeated, and have no patience with inefficiency. They may become quite harsh when their patience is tried in these respects, because they are not naturally tuned in to people's feelings, and more than likely don't believe that they should tailor their judgments in consideration for people's feelings."
- ENTJ
got the link from Wil Wheatons blog (no, he's not that type/personality - he's INFP -almost opposite all the way, but I found my way around the site to my MBTI profile description)
- ENTJ
got the link from Wil Wheatons blog (no, he's not that type/personality - he's INFP -almost opposite all the way, but I found my way around the site to my MBTI profile description)
Wednesday, April 13
books and 'casts
dragonpage - c2c #158, Richard Morgen - "Market Forces" - check their page and amazon
Dark future, 2020, dystopia, roads empty due to green-taxes - yuppies using it as dueling ground to decide who gets promotion (only ones with too much money to use cars).
Altered Carbon - last novel, optioned for movie, just extended, new screenwriter.
Firefly - and the upcoming Serenity movie... dvd for us?
April 5th - his birthday, 'casting from the "aftemath" of the Popes passing. This one from his visit to St Pete, getting up in the middle of the night, bike through almost empty Rome, stand in line and pay his respect. Rather special experience. Sort of feels like being there, in a removed way. That makes sense...
You are not yourself
Talking about the issues that might appear if we are able to make a "digital" copy of ourselves - ie save our memories and opinions in order to either make a cybernetic copy, or to "re-insert" into a more typical clone... when are we ourselves? What makes one version better or more right than the other? Is the original right and the copy wrong?
Interesting - the end of march WinginIt they said that they had doubled their listeners - to 5000 - but just a few of the using the rss feed... which brings me back to the key point here: the key point is about listening in on someone talking and/or playing music (as a multitask to reading/writing/surfing/getting to work) - not about one app or one device!
And it looks like CNet has started a 'cast - "buzz out loud". Sound like a good supplement to CIO podcast (.com)
...and the sun is making a nice yellow tint to the clouds as it goes down
Talking about the time of the danes/vikings ruling most of England, and the "unlikely" King - as he was the fifth son! (BBC info)
...and the sun is shining brightly behind a soft grey cover - while the rain is hurtling down in front - wonderful springtime
Dark future, 2020, dystopia, roads empty due to green-taxes - yuppies using it as dueling ground to decide who gets promotion (only ones with too much money to use cars).
Altered Carbon - last novel, optioned for movie, just extended, new screenwriter.
[filling my head with the beats of: Dragon Page C2C Show 157 - Michael & Evo ]
Firefly - and the upcoming Serenity movie... dvd for us?
[filling my head with: CI-2005-04-05 - Father Roderick Vonhögen ]
April 5th - his birthday, 'casting from the "aftemath" of the Popes passing. This one from his visit to St Pete, getting up in the middle of the night, bike through almost empty Rome, stand in line and pay his respect. Rather special experience. Sort of feels like being there, in a removed way. That makes sense...
You are not yourself
Talking about the issues that might appear if we are able to make a "digital" copy of ourselves - ie save our memories and opinions in order to either make a cybernetic copy, or to "re-insert" into a more typical clone... when are we ourselves? What makes one version better or more right than the other? Is the original right and the copy wrong?
[Robert J. Sawyer - Michael & Evo ]
Interesting - the end of march WinginIt they said that they had doubled their listeners - to 5000 - but just a few of the using the rss feed... which brings me back to the key point here: the key point is about listening in on someone talking and/or playing music (as a multitask to reading/writing/surfing/getting to work) - not about one app or one device!
And it looks like CNet has started a 'cast - "buzz out loud". Sound like a good supplement to CIO podcast (.com)
...and the sun is making a nice yellow tint to the clouds as it goes down
[ King Alfred and the battle of Edington - BBC Radio 4 ]
Talking about the time of the danes/vikings ruling most of England, and the "unlikely" King - as he was the fifth son! (BBC info)
...and the sun is shining brightly behind a soft grey cover - while the rain is hurtling down in front - wonderful springtime
Saturday, April 9
Springtime
And with this small note, I would like to welcome you to the re-toned 3-3-3. A little bit over two years down the road, the blog is still flowing gently along - with posts coming on average once a week (at least that is the intention), containing a mix of buzz (new products, articles in Wired, releaese) and "ponderings" on different subjects.
Feel free to stop by every now and then and have another look.
...and the sun is so clear - i had to wear sunscreen...
Feel free to stop by every now and then and have another look.
...and the sun is so clear - i had to wear sunscreen...
Wednesday, April 6
Noir at Fathom
Fathom defines noir as: "coined by French newspapers to describe the dark, bitter moods portrayed by American filmmakers in the early 1940s"
The article (one of many freely available in a good mix of subjects) goes on to talk about the background, the mood of the time and in-depth on five films - from The Maltese Falcon (1941) to The French Connection (1971)
And on that note - we just picked up the second CSI game; Dark Motives. Slightly interactive show - good fun, but not really all that challenging... mostly about finding the right spot to click... that's why we waited until it ended up as Ubisoft Exclusive.
The article (one of many freely available in a good mix of subjects) goes on to talk about the background, the mood of the time and in-depth on five films - from The Maltese Falcon (1941) to The French Connection (1971)
And on that note - we just picked up the second CSI game; Dark Motives. Slightly interactive show - good fun, but not really all that challenging... mostly about finding the right spot to click... that's why we waited until it ended up as Ubisoft Exclusive.
Tuesday, April 5
get dressed
can't remember exactly where I picked up the words - probably reading in the Sheldon book, but it is related to saudi dressing; the head-cover worn by some of the males;
"Men also wear a head covering called a ghoutra and bound by a cord called agal" (link)
"with a ghutra (a large square of cotton held in place by a cord coil) worn on the head" - Wikipedia
now why did those two words get written down...?!
"Men also wear a head covering called a ghoutra and bound by a cord called agal" (link)
"with a ghutra (a large square of cotton held in place by a cord coil) worn on the head" - Wikipedia
now why did those two words get written down...?!
Opinions? We really need lots of opinions
Getting a nice mix of opinion, comedy and music now on my Zen Micro - all thanks to 'casting (yes, I still refute the "pod" prefix, since I organize the files in WMP and listen to it either there or on the Zen)
Public internet
Media is one of fields of interest, both professionally and personally, so naturally I dig the 'cast of the On the Media show.
They had a good piece on the coverage of the Schiavo debacle - how the coverage hardly reflected (or commented on) the polls.
Another interesting piece almost directly related to this blog... on blogging and sources vs. trade secrets. Where is the limit? What is good faith hype-building and what constitutes damaging information (ie giving competitors the chance to make knockoffs before the original reaches the market)
Then there was the interview with Ed Schultz - talking about talk radio and a more liberal point of view.
"They gotta talk to Joe Beer Can. They gotta figure out how to talk to middle America. " (Big Ed)
"Lefties can get mean too." (Big Ed)
- since it is online maybe I should listen in one day, just need to get the timezones and such right. Always good to hear different views and agendas! 3:00PM to 6:00PM (Eastern) - would be something like gmt - 5, with CET at gmt + 1 that would be around 9-ish here? Whoo-ha 8 Kb makes for rather interesting sound quality! Stay clear if you don't like "snow".
Faith
Another interesting and definitely opinionated 'cast is the dutch priest onCatholic Insider; "father Roderick Vonhögen, catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Utrech" - who uses minidisc to record but really likes his Mac stuff (the page design is a good tribute/spoof of the iPod ads)
Short digression - way back in '98 I bought what was then a really hot and compact Mini Disc player from Sharp [img, info] on my Hong Kong visit. I used it quite a bit the first months, but basically the hassle of getting the right "mix" (or playlist) at any time more or less meant it ended up being used less and less. But now that I have most of my music already in digital format (for using on the PC rather than swapping cds all the time) - getting some of it onto the Zen is fast and easy. So now there is no real need to buy new stuff for a while since I can actually listen to all the stuff I have... at least until they sort things out and get iTunes working in Norway (at reasonable rates!) ... it is just too good and easy to browse and pick a song here and a song there. Good stuff!
One of his more relevant segments is the bit on the Da Vinci code - even if his view might be considered rather "partial" up front, since he opens up for debate rather than just shooting it down outright.
And right now with all the general media coverage of the late pope, his personal and on location mood-reports [img] is making it big time - vaulting him up to the number one spot in terms of votes (and probably downloads as well).
...and the sun stays longer by the day - especially now in "summer time" (or daylight saving)
Public internet
Media is one of fields of interest, both professionally and personally, so naturally I dig the 'cast of the On the Media show.
They had a good piece on the coverage of the Schiavo debacle - how the coverage hardly reflected (or commented on) the polls.
Another interesting piece almost directly related to this blog... on blogging and sources vs. trade secrets. Where is the limit? What is good faith hype-building and what constitutes damaging information (ie giving competitors the chance to make knockoffs before the original reaches the market)
Then there was the interview with Ed Schultz - talking about talk radio and a more liberal point of view.
"They gotta talk to Joe Beer Can. They gotta figure out how to talk to middle America. " (Big Ed)
"Lefties can get mean too." (Big Ed)
- since it is online maybe I should listen in one day, just need to get the timezones and such right. Always good to hear different views and agendas! 3:00PM to 6:00PM (Eastern) - would be something like gmt - 5, with CET at gmt + 1 that would be around 9-ish here? Whoo-ha 8 Kb makes for rather interesting sound quality! Stay clear if you don't like "snow".
Faith
Another interesting and definitely opinionated 'cast is the dutch priest onCatholic Insider; "father Roderick Vonhögen, catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Utrech" - who uses minidisc to record but really likes his Mac stuff (the page design is a good tribute/spoof of the iPod ads)
Short digression - way back in '98 I bought what was then a really hot and compact Mini Disc player from Sharp [img, info] on my Hong Kong visit. I used it quite a bit the first months, but basically the hassle of getting the right "mix" (or playlist) at any time more or less meant it ended up being used less and less. But now that I have most of my music already in digital format (for using on the PC rather than swapping cds all the time) - getting some of it onto the Zen is fast and easy. So now there is no real need to buy new stuff for a while since I can actually listen to all the stuff I have... at least until they sort things out and get iTunes working in Norway (at reasonable rates!) ... it is just too good and easy to browse and pick a song here and a song there. Good stuff!
One of his more relevant segments is the bit on the Da Vinci code - even if his view might be considered rather "partial" up front, since he opens up for debate rather than just shooting it down outright.
And right now with all the general media coverage of the late pope, his personal and on location mood-reports [img] is making it big time - vaulting him up to the number one spot in terms of votes (and probably downloads as well).
...and the sun stays longer by the day - especially now in "summer time" (or daylight saving)
Wednesday, March 23
mind over matter
Another Wired article that sparked off a few thoughts - quite literarely as well this time: "Mind Control" - by Richard Martin, appeared in issue 13.03 (and soon .04 will be in the mail!)
BrainGate Neural Interface, from Cyberkinetics. The company currently doing the clinical trial, hoping to get FDA approval. Demo (video) and in-depth information on their site. They were founded by John Donoghue, who is also at Brown University. The key test i the ability to draw a circle - since that requires continual control and adjustment of direction (as opposed to a square; draw line. turn. draw line)
"Messages are passed back and forth as fine and complex spatio-temporal patterns between the 1010 neurons that make up the highly interconnected neocortex." - How Do We Crack the Neural Code? [1] - mind boggeling... to many bad puns in this subject...
Miguel Nicolelis is working on the same general field at Duke - brain plasticity - monkey with(out) joystick (linked image from his site)
He also has his own lab with related website and there is more info from Duke on the monkey control
Anthony Tether, director of Darpa gave a boost in 2002 (according to Wired), and some 25 million dollars are finding their way into the field. Human Assisted Neural Devices being the uniformed way of discussing it, got to love the military machine and their way with words. On another note, the automated car race is still going strong - the 2005 is all set. Good job!
your brain: 3 pound. 100 billion neurons. Uses 20% of the energy use in the body.
BCI or "direct interface" [29 - goes right to the core of cyberpunk and fables like the Matrix. Jack in and everything you think is what "happens". Is it real or a program running somewhere giving you the impulses? And they concept that we can think of (and belive in) both God and the Matrix is either a major glitch or safety valve in the underlying system - to keep us from rejecting singnals and control mechanisms that would otherwise be to unplausible to escape attention? In depth tech articles are online from Brown on their subjects, such as cursor control issues.
neuroscience - learn a bit more about how we learn? Try to avoid going to meta on the subjects. Or just narrow it down wiki-style; "field of study which deals with the structure, function, development, genetics, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology and pathology of the nervous system. The study of behavior and learning is also a division of neuroscience." (Oh yes, the subject I touched on earlier - dopamines - is also a subset of neuroscience)
Current (as of 2003) work MIT gives a quick run-down of the scope and bredth of neuroscience. Huge link list in the "Related", among them the Society for N. - "Advancing the Understanding of the Brain and Nervous System". Bring out the good stories - as pdf
Work going on in Berlin - they even run an "open" competition on the subject, third verison going on - two more months if you want to contribute and help move the field forward (or just get a new problem to grapple with for a short time)
Bayes
Is it true or is it chance? "the use of Bayes factors has been put forward as justifications for Occam's Razor." And it works pretty well for many spam filters as well....
More on Bayesian? Get a intro text - i'm planning to... always good fun to skim a related subject to get another view of the world (and the tools we use to simulate and estimate it)
BrainGate Neural Interface, from Cyberkinetics. The company currently doing the clinical trial, hoping to get FDA approval. Demo (video) and in-depth information on their site. They were founded by John Donoghue, who is also at Brown University. The key test i the ability to draw a circle - since that requires continual control and adjustment of direction (as opposed to a square; draw line. turn. draw line)
"Messages are passed back and forth as fine and complex spatio-temporal patterns between the 1010 neurons that make up the highly interconnected neocortex." - How Do We Crack the Neural Code? [1] - mind boggeling... to many bad puns in this subject...
Miguel Nicolelis is working on the same general field at Duke - brain plasticity - monkey with(out) joystick (linked image from his site)
He also has his own lab with related website and there is more info from Duke on the monkey controlAnthony Tether, director of Darpa gave a boost in 2002 (according to Wired), and some 25 million dollars are finding their way into the field. Human Assisted Neural Devices being the uniformed way of discussing it, got to love the military machine and their way with words. On another note, the automated car race is still going strong - the 2005 is all set. Good job!
[filling my head with the beats of: Superburst Mixtape 09 - History Of Guns ]
your brain: 3 pound. 100 billion neurons. Uses 20% of the energy use in the body.
BCI or "direct interface" [29 - goes right to the core of cyberpunk and fables like the Matrix. Jack in and everything you think is what "happens". Is it real or a program running somewhere giving you the impulses? And they concept that we can think of (and belive in) both God and the Matrix is either a major glitch or safety valve in the underlying system - to keep us from rejecting singnals and control mechanisms that would otherwise be to unplausible to escape attention? In depth tech articles are online from Brown on their subjects, such as cursor control issues.
neuroscience - learn a bit more about how we learn? Try to avoid going to meta on the subjects. Or just narrow it down wiki-style; "field of study which deals with the structure, function, development, genetics, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology and pathology of the nervous system. The study of behavior and learning is also a division of neuroscience." (Oh yes, the subject I touched on earlier - dopamines - is also a subset of neuroscience)
Current (as of 2003) work MIT gives a quick run-down of the scope and bredth of neuroscience. Huge link list in the "Related", among them the Society for N. - "Advancing the Understanding of the Brain and Nervous System". Bring out the good stories - as pdf
Work going on in Berlin - they even run an "open" competition on the subject, third verison going on - two more months if you want to contribute and help move the field forward (or just get a new problem to grapple with for a short time)
Bayes
Is it true or is it chance? "the use of Bayes factors has been put forward as justifications for Occam's Razor." And it works pretty well for many spam filters as well....
More on Bayesian? Get a intro text - i'm planning to... always good fun to skim a related subject to get another view of the world (and the tools we use to simulate and estimate it)
looking at new set of colors
#335588 - blue for the main tone
with these three as accenting
#005544 - dark green
#337755 - medium green
#668877 - grey-green
for the softer bits
#334444 - grey
#775522 - tan
and highlighting with this
#882222 - soft dark red
with these three as accenting
#005544 - dark green
#337755 - medium green
#668877 - grey-green
for the softer bits
#334444 - grey
#775522 - tan
and highlighting with this
#882222 - soft dark red
| Text Here | Text Here | Text Here |
| Text Here | Text Here | Text Here |
| Text Here | Text Here | Text Here |
Getting the kick
Glorious days of Easter - or at least days (mostly) off work. So that makes for some time to read and blog.
"consumption activates the neurotransmitters dopamine which rewards us with pleasure, traveling along the same brain pathways as do drogs like caffeine and cocaine" (NY Times article, "The Pleasure of Greed Haunts the US")
So good old (C6H3(OH)2-CH2-CH2-NH2) gets us pumped up when we shop - or when we get a good shot of espresso - or something a bit stronger. Or is it when we think about it - desire rather than actual pleasure. No mention of shopping on the Wikipedia as of yet - or rather consumption in general. As the actual buying is sometimes only the first step. But for certain items it is the most rewarding.
Which links nicely to the bankrupcy issue; 1.1 million "fresh-start" (personal) bankruptcy filings in the US in 2004. Doubled since 1994. With credit crads on every corner - and some people getting up to 20 different ones, it is (sadly) understandable. All to easy to run up the debt, cover parts of it with another card and so on.
Work work work
Read an interesting essay by Francis Fukuyama [personal or Wikipedia] on Weber and globalization. 100 years have passed since the Protestant Ethic, using culture as one variable to explain economic growth and development. Today there is a lot of religious drive - both from Islam and various Evangelical movements (still Protestants, but maybe not quite like the ones Weber discussed?) How does that reflect in the world of commerce and trade?
A lot of previously Christian values have "evolved" into "humanitarian" values - such as human rights and dignity - but we don't want to acknowledge the link (or the constraints) of mixing religion and democray... or do we? Was religion in the "old days" a fixed set of rules, an explanation to everything - literally - or mainly a set of tales to help remember and guide us? Parables that reminded you to prepare for winter, sow your seeds and tend the land in spring?
Nice day for it?
Today, some 86 years ago an unassuming italian named Benito set up a party. Three years later he ruled Italy and Fascism was off on a rocky path that led to a rather nasty relationship with Germany and being on the loosing side in the big-one (WWII). And on this day - this year - a Swedish "right winger" named Klas Lund was arrested in southern Norway.
Just updated to v4 of my local editor -
, check it out if you blog, it supports a wide variety of systemts/API (but currently only on the PC)
...and the sun is back behind a soft layer of clouds - melting the snow bit by bit
"consumption activates the neurotransmitters dopamine which rewards us with pleasure, traveling along the same brain pathways as do drogs like caffeine and cocaine" (NY Times article, "The Pleasure of Greed Haunts the US")
So good old (C6H3(OH)2-CH2-CH2-NH2) gets us pumped up when we shop - or when we get a good shot of espresso - or something a bit stronger. Or is it when we think about it - desire rather than actual pleasure. No mention of shopping on the Wikipedia as of yet - or rather consumption in general. As the actual buying is sometimes only the first step. But for certain items it is the most rewarding.
Which links nicely to the bankrupcy issue; 1.1 million "fresh-start" (personal) bankruptcy filings in the US in 2004. Doubled since 1994. With credit crads on every corner - and some people getting up to 20 different ones, it is (sadly) understandable. All to easy to run up the debt, cover parts of it with another card and so on.
[filling my head with the beats of: DSC-2005-03-18 - Adam Curry ] this time at the BBC, and running around London recording everything
Work work work
Read an interesting essay by Francis Fukuyama [personal or Wikipedia] on Weber and globalization. 100 years have passed since the Protestant Ethic, using culture as one variable to explain economic growth and development. Today there is a lot of religious drive - both from Islam and various Evangelical movements (still Protestants, but maybe not quite like the ones Weber discussed?) How does that reflect in the world of commerce and trade?
A lot of previously Christian values have "evolved" into "humanitarian" values - such as human rights and dignity - but we don't want to acknowledge the link (or the constraints) of mixing religion and democray... or do we? Was religion in the "old days" a fixed set of rules, an explanation to everything - literally - or mainly a set of tales to help remember and guide us? Parables that reminded you to prepare for winter, sow your seeds and tend the land in spring?
[filling my head with the beats of: Alley Cuts - 2 - PodcastNYC.net ] cool mix of unknow/small acts, but with a lot of four-letter words to describe them. Bastardo was hot and hard
Nice day for it?
Today, some 86 years ago an unassuming italian named Benito set up a party. Three years later he ruled Italy and Fascism was off on a rocky path that led to a rather nasty relationship with Germany and being on the loosing side in the big-one (WWII). And on this day - this year - a Swedish "right winger" named Klas Lund was arrested in southern Norway.
Just updated to v4 of my local editor -
, check it out if you blog, it supports a wide variety of systemts/API (but currently only on the PC)...and the sun is back behind a soft layer of clouds - melting the snow bit by bit
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