Off-Topic

Haley Joel Osmont on Walker, Texas Ranger. How can something so...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:06:21 -0800

Haley Joel Osmont on Walker, Texas Ranger. How can something so lame be so satisfying? (via Malcolm Spellman)

Atlas Visual Layout Editor for Cappuccino

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:49:51 -0800

Atlas Visual Layout Editor for Cappuccino:

Looks incredibly slick, like a web version of Interface Builder.

10 Random Things I Believe

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:30:00 -0800

1. Human beings will never leave the solar system.
By “human beings,” I mean squishy organic lifeforms like you and me. Will some form of humanity make it to another planet? Sure, because…

2. Digital versions of consciousness will come sooner than we think.
And with them, the distinctions between dead and alive, “you” and “I”, being and knowing will seem quaint and charming.

3. Conspiracy theories are preposterous.
They almost always fail the Occam’s Razor test — which, ironically, they often invoke. Yet they persist as sticky memes, because…

4. We want to believe the world has a narrative. But it doesn’t.
The world is so complex, we try to discern plots and heroes and villains. But they’re illusions. History is simply a story. So is “now.”

5. There is almost certainly extraterrestrial life. We’re just not interesting enough to merit attention.
ET hasn’t come to visit because there’s nothing here he needs or wants, just as we don’t visit every termite hill in the Amazon.

6. Population will plummet.
With or without a super-plague, the global birth rate will fall a lot faster than expected. Obviously, there are pros and cons to this.

7. Theatrical movies will be viable for at least 15 more years.
As long as teenagers want to get out of their parents’ house, movie theaters will endure.

8. A transformative energy breakthrough will happen, changing everything.
It won’t be switchgrass, or better solar cells, but something we’re not even considering.

9. High-speed rail will become common in the U.S.
LA to NYC will still be a flight, but traveling anywhere in your time zone will be by train.

10. Madonna will never die.
Some combination of science and branding will make her the first everlasting celebrity.

Scrippet FieldFrame add-on for ExpressionEngine

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:41:28 -0800

Scrippet FieldFrame add-on for ExpressionEngine:

A more sophisticated way to add Scrippets to your EE site. As a WordPress guy, some of this went whoooosh over my head.

How to Play Piano like Phillip Glass (via Kottke).

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:10:00 -0800

How to Play Piano like Phillip Glass (via Kottke).

If I'm So Crazy, Then Why Do People Keep Having Sex With Me?

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:29:04 -0800

If I'm So Crazy, Then Why Do People Keep Having Sex With Me?:

Oh, Onion. Please never change.

Elizabeth Mitchell, 'Lost' producers talk about Juliet's fate

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:05:41 -0800

Elizabeth Mitchell, 'Lost' producers talk about Juliet's fate:

Nice extended bit on EW.com. I loved Juliet. Loooooved. I could watch her boil water. But drama is hurting the people you love, so I’m fine having her gone before the last season.

Plus, she’s still alive in flashbacks.

Hecq Vs Exillion - Spheres Of Fury (on Vimeo) Overclocking the...

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:40:56 -0800

Hecq Vs Exillion - Spheres Of Fury (on Vimeo)

Overclocking the Canon 7D allows for some excellent slow-mo. Great editing and music sell it.

The Golden Age of Video (Ricardo Autobahn) :: we came, we saw,...

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:51:11 -0700

The Golden Age of Video (Ricardo Autobahn) :: we came, we saw, we kicked its ass. (via zefrank)

"Whether it’s ultimately wise to expand the right to assemble in private to a national right to..."

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:28:07 -0700

“Whether it’s ultimately wise to expand the right to assemble in private to a national right to petition state governments anonymously is not an easy question. Serious legal scholars are divided on the question of whether such petitions are a quasi-legislative act — where there’s an imperative toward openness — or a form of political speech, entitled to full 1st Amendment protections, including privacy. Both are true.”

- Prop. 8 cuts both ways, by Tim Rutten in the LA Times.

His Backyard Lovely test footage from the Canon 7D by Jeremy...

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:24:57 -0700

His Backyard Lovely test footage from the Canon 7D by Jeremy Jensen.

New Trailer For The Prisoner (2009) Looks great. This property...

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:26:28 -0700

New Trailer For The Prisoner (2009)

Looks great. This property has a difficulty factor of nine, so who knows how it will actually turn out. But I’ll definitely watch the first episode.

How does Shazam work its magic?

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:07:58 -0700

How does Shazam work its magic? :

Slate magazine on how Shazam manages to identify so many songs so well. (via Hit-or-Miss)

Sell Seeds, Get Laid. via Cracked.

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:52:39 -0700

Sell Seeds, Get Laid.

via Cracked.

Raphaël

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:35:57 -0700

Raphaël:

Small, tidy JavaScript Library for useful vector graphic effects.

Deleted scene from The Office, featuring Erin, the...

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:26:52 -0700

Deleted scene from The Office, featuring Erin, the “new” receptionist.

I think she’s a great character that isn’t getting enough exposure on the show. Wouldn’t be surprised if the second half of this bit makes it into a later episode.

In an earlier deleted bit, they established that she was a “miracle baby” baby born at five months, who didn’t eat solid food until she was six.

The Collider, the Particle and a Theory About Fate

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:48:06 -0700

The Collider, the Particle and a Theory About Fate:

Maybe the future is preventing the Large Hadron Collider from functioning in order to protect itself. (Geek alert 8)

This may be the worst logo in use today.

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:56:10 -0700

This may be the worst logo in use today.

Lookwell! The unaired Adam West pilot by Conan O’Brien and...

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:23:25 -0700

Lookwell! The unaired Adam West pilot by Conan O’Brien and Robert Smigel. How did I not know this existed before now, and how quickly can we get this live-staged?

This Party Took a Turn for the Douche by Garfunkel and Oates

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:19:49 -0700

This Party Took a Turn for the Douche by Garfunkel and Oates