Super Sized Guilty Pleasure06/13/2004 07:27 AM My daughter and I enjoyed Super Size Me last night. It was funnier and
more surprising than I'd expected. Even though there are many places I
wince during Michael Moore's movies, and I come out of them thinking
that they are not actually coherent, I am glad he makes them and am
even happier that he's inspiring others to make polemical. comic stunt
documentaries. They shouldn't be the only food in your diet, but they
enable some topics to enter the art-house mainstream despite (or
because of) their sloppy presentation....
Mashup: M.I.A. v. Super Mario Bros. = Super Galang Galang
Mashup: M.I.A. v. Super Mario Bros. = Super Galang Galang03/22/2005 04:59 PM Xeni Jardin:
M.I.A. and S.M.B. combine to form Super Galang Galang. The
mixmaster is
Josh "cry.on.my.console" Last.Name.Omitted (who will be playing with
M.I.A. in Manchester UK next month: Link). Also check out the
Britney-vs.-M.I.A. track. Link (Thanks,
Justin,
and whoever corrected me on the credit issue, I accidentally deleted
your identity.)
IBM builds TV-sized supercomputer11/14/2003 05:13 PM IBM Corp. has built a 512-node
prototype of its Blue Gene L supercomputer that has been ranked as the
73rd most powerful computer in the world. The machine, which is
capable of a peak performance of 2 trillion floating-point operations
per second (teraflops), is about the size of a 30-inch TV.
Now I don't know what
exactly you'd want to use this Waysmall 200ax-bt 200MHz computer with
integrated Bluetooth for, but that's not because it's useless. Just
the opposite, in fact. For $184 you get a low-power computer running
the Linux 2.6.0 kernel with webserver and remote login and power
management circuity on-board. Throw a solar cell onto this little bad
boy and you could do all sorts of fun things, like embedding a
permanent webserver into a building, controlling a swarm of wireless
robots, or developing the first Bluetooth-enabled loaf of bread. At
just 8.3 by 3.6 centimeters, the 200ax-bt still manages to pack in
USB, serial, sound, and LCD controller - now with AC adapter!
AP: Olympians largely barred from blogging. Athletes may be
the center of attention at the Olympic Games, but don't expect to hear
directly from them online -- or see snapshots or video they've
taken.
This is about greed, nothing more and nothing
less. It is about the historically corrupt International Olympic
Committee's desire to please the giant media organizations to which it
has sold "rights" to tell and show the world what is happening.
The irony here is that the olympic officials are inadvertently telling
us something about the future of journalism, though I'm certain they
don't understand it themselves, in the context of their heavy-handed
(and probably illegal) action. Because the more that regular folks --
OK, that's a stretch for the athletes -- put their own work on the Web
or send it to each other by other means, the more they are becoming
some of tomorrow's journalists.
But the move is ridiculous. If an athlete phones a friend and reports
what's happened, and the friend posts it online, is that somehow
breaking the rules?
Go further. Look past today's technology. What's coming will utterly
wreck the Big Media monopoly over Olympic images, and all Big Event
images. When all spectators have a high-quality video camera in their
phones, will the powers-that-be ban phones? Unlikely. But even if they
could ban phones that are obvious, what will they do when we're
carrying video cameras in the buttons on our shirts, and when our
eyeglasses contain phones or other transmitting devices?
I hope athletes break this rule right and left. I also hope that they
declare independence someday from the cynical and corrupt
organizations that have run international sports for so long. The
games are about the athletes, or should be.
Also:
Larry Magid also finds it outrageous, but sees
athletes' blogging "more like a letter home" than journalism. I'm not
so sure I can draw the line anymore.
Life-sized model railroads
Life-sized model railroads09/22/2004 12:04 PM Xeni Jardin:
Live Steam enthuthiasts are guys who build large working models of
steam and diesel trains and then ride them around gigantic layouts in
their yards or in parks. This is dorky and irresistably cool. How fun
would it be to spend a weekend with these retro-tech adventurers? Let
the nerd flag fly high. I love them. They use wireless technology and
stay up all night in tag teams to break new records in continuous
train ride duration. Rock on, steamer man.
Link (Thanks, Paul)
Mid-Sized Firms Should Consider Scalability and Availability
PATRIOT in bite-sized chunks05/16/2004 04:54 AM I'm giving a talk in Barcelona on Wednesday about the USA PATRIOT Act,
and so I've been boning up on EFF's analysis of this sweeping,
unconstitutional law. Of particular help has been the clause-by-clause
analyses that our staff attorney Kevin Bankston's been writing for
EFFector, EFF's weekly newsletter. If you ever wondered what the big
deal was about PATRIOT, Kevin's blurbs will explain it all -- in
bite-sized, layperson-friendly chunks.
Apologists justified the broad, civil-liberties corroding powers
granted to the government under the USA PATRIOT Act by arguing that
they would be used to put terrorists behind bars. Yet several
provisions can be used against Americans in a wide range of
investigations that have nothing to do with terrorism. Others are too
vague, jeopardizing legitimate activities protected under the First
Amendment. Worse, the Department of Justice has worked to expand
and/or make permanent a number of these provisions -- despite the fact
that they were sold to the public as "temporary" measures and are
scheduled to expire, or "sunset," in December of 2005.
Real Pocket Sized Computers That You Still Can't Buy
Real Pocket Sized Computers That You Still Can't Buy02/12/2004 02:44 AM For years, we've been hearing about companies working on truly small
handheld computers. These are full powered machines running real
desktop operating systems on devices just a bit larger than a standard
PDA. The Guardian has written up an article c
omparing the three major players in the space - and all I can say
is, that I'll believe it when I can buy one. OQO has received the
most hype, with the least to show until just recently. They've
definitely modified their design from the original plans (and doubled
their expected price...) so that their device is more like a giant
Danger Hiptop with a pop out keyboard tucked under the screen. The
folks at Tiqit are great, and once took the time to show me around
their offices and let me test out their devices (which worked great).
Their device is more like a giant Handspring Treo, with a small screen
and a keyboard on the front of the device below the screen. Finally,
Antelope is a spin-off from IBM who came up with this sort of concept
in the first place, and are forging ahead with the original concept
that OQO pitched and abandoned (and Tiqit toyed with, and abandoned)
of created a "core" with a variety of different shells. This is still
the idea that appeals to me the most. If you need your computer to be
a desktop, you pop the core into your desktop docking station. Need
it to be a laptop, you pop it into your laptop shell. If you need it
to control your car, you pop it into the car docking station. To be
honest, they all sound wonderful - but none of them are on the market
yet. The article says they're all planning to release versions on the
market soon, which would be great if they haven't been saying that for
years. No doubt that these are all very cool. I definitely wouldn't
mind having one around. However, until there's a way to actually buy
one, you have to be a bit skeptical of their ability to come to
market.
What has a 23.3 gigabyte capacity, is blue, uses
cartridge based discs, and is "to replace DVD-RAM"? It's not Blu-Ray,
and it's not HD-DVD. Stumped? It's "Professional Disc for DATA," one
of Sony's attempts at taking a piece of the next generation optical
media market. This Buffalo drive isn't the first PDfD drive (Sony
launched one we reported a few months back), and it will still set you
back about 390,000 yen (~$3,500), but where else can you find a PC and
Mac way to write 23.3GB in 43 minutes? That's named Buffalo? Ah
hah!
NEC has a new wireless video transmission technology using
the 60GHz band, and has already developed a palm-sized transceiver
just for it. Video and audio signals are digitized into a signal
measuring about 1Gbps, at which point they're transferred using "ASK,"
the same high speed transmission used in optical fiber. Because of the
small size and throughput of this unit, NEC suggests them for wireless
HDTV transmissions.
Alternate history in bite-sized chunklets06/12/2004 03:56 PM "Today in Alternate History" is a site that racks, in "today in
history format," several alternate history timelines. It's nice skiffy
narrative in bite-sized chunks:
in 1862, the Human League takes credit for a series of bombings
against Mlosh citizens of Britain. The Crown vows to catch them, but
there are sympathetic elements in Scotland Yard that slow the
investigation.
in 1934, Pascal, LLC, with the assistance of Carla Lambert, persuaded
Congress to fund a system of linking Eddies together such that they
could share information constantly. Using telegraph lines and radio
frequencies set aside for them by the Congress, Pascal constructed a
Knowledge Railroad that made the almost instantaneous transmission of
information possible across the nation.
in 1958, Buddy Holly reunited with his old band, The Crickets, for a
successful US tour. This reunion produced such hits as I'll Be Lovin'
Her, Puerto Rican Mama, and their remake of I'll Be Seeing You.
in 1977, President Reagan enacted sweeping tax cuts, mostly aimed at
the well-to-do, but with some at lower ends of the economic spectrum.
They didn't prove to be the stimulus he expected, though, and the
nation plunged into a deep recession.
in 1982, King Charles of England called on all exiled nobles of
England to return and take their rightful place at his side. He
announced a general amnesty for those who had supported the Nazis, and
declared that England would rise again to its former glory.
in 1992, filmmaker Oliver Stone releases JBR, in which he attempts to
give credence to People's Attorney Presley's arguments that Comrade
President Rosenberg was killed by a conspiracy rather than a lone
counter-revolutionary. The film is a huge success, prompting the
Communist Party to call for its banning.
Credit Card Sized Concept PDA from Citizen11/01/2003 10:49 PM chris writes "Citizen has unveiled a miniature PDA concept
considerably smaller than existing PDAs. The 60 x 90 x 9.3mm 16-colour
grayscale PDA is just a bit ...
USB-powered travel-sized Xmas tree11/19/2003 08:13 AM
Imagine that you're a business-traveller whose whole life is packed
into a 22 kg, Euro-airline-compliant rolling suitcase. Imagine it's
the holiday season. There's no way you're going to pack a Xmas tree
into your little roll-along, even though it would brighten up the
generic hotel-room something fierce, especially when augmented by a
couple airline-sized miniature liquor bottles, a carton of
convenience-store eggnog, and the warbling of the bolted-down
television tuned to a Donny and Marie Xmas Special.
Fear not. The USB Christmas Tree Light glows in six neon colors, packs
handily into even the smallest suitcase, and has a candy-cane-striped
cable that you can plug straight into your laptop for hours of lonely,
festive fun. So draw the blackout curtains, drown out the roar of the
passing airplanes, and hoist a phlegm-nog while you contemplate your
email by the light of this cheery bit of decor.
Link
(via Gizmodo)
Logitec Netpocket Pint-Sized 300GB NAS
Logitec Netpocket Pint-Sized 300GB NAS05/25/2004 10:32 AM Japanese electronics company Logitec (not to be confused with
peripheral giant 'Logitech') has three new 'NetPocket' network storage
devices coming out next month, available in three models with sizes
ranging from 160GB to 300GB in a compact form-factor that's less...
Well, we're getting
closer. CIT has invented a button-sized propane burning fuel cell that
can power MP3 players and "flying robots." While I suspect medicinal
Mary Jane had something to do with that last possible implementation,
the concept is staggering. It's obviously going to take a few more
years for this to hit the market -- what with the propane and all --
but eventually they'll get it so you don't singe your eyebrows while
charging your batteries.
The Forbes forum on dynamic mid-sized companies10/30/2003 09:22 PM
I spoke about blogging and corporate identity yesterday at the 6th
annual Forbes forum for dynamic mid-sized companies, in New York. This
was a pleasant change of pace for me. Although some tech CEOs and VCs
were in attendance, the gathering was very diverse and included folks
like Fetzer Vineyards' Paul Dolan, Hasbro's Alan Hassenfeld, and Green
Mountain Coffee Roasters' Bob Stiller.
...
NEC's credit card-sized cellphone
NEC's credit card-sized cellphone11/04/2003 12:12 PM NEC is coming out with a credit card-sized cellphone that is just
10mm, or four-tenths of an inch, thick. The N900 also has a built-in
digital camera and will be sold initially in China with Southeast Asia
and Europe to follow. Read [Via Picturephoning.com]...
M.I.A. and S.M.B. combine to form Super Galang Galang. The
mixmaster is
Josh "cry.on.my.console" Last.Name.Omitted (who will be playing with
M.I.A. in Manchester UK next month: 
Live Steam enthuthiasts are guys who build large working models of
steam and diesel trains and then ride them around gigantic layouts in
their yards or in parks. This is dorky and irresistably cool. How fun
would it be to spend a weekend with these retro-tech adventurers? Let
the nerd flag fly high. I love them. They use wireless technology and
stay up all night in tag teams to break new records in continuous
train ride duration. Rock on, steamer man.
Imagine that you're a business-traveller whose whole life is packed
into a 22 kg, Euro-airline-compliant rolling suitcase. Imagine it's
the holiday season. There's no way you're going to pack a Xmas tree
into your little roll-along, even though it would brighten up the
generic hotel-room something fierce, especially when augmented by a
couple airline-sized miniature liquor bottles, a carton of
convenience-store eggnog, and the warbling of the bolted-down
television tuned to a Donny and Marie Xmas Special.
Well, we're getting
closer. CIT has invented a button-sized propane burning fuel cell that
can power MP3 players and "flying robots." While I suspect medicinal
Mary Jane had something to do with that last possible implementation,
the concept is staggering. It's obviously going to take a few more
years for this to hit the market -- what with the propane and all --
but eventually they'll get it so you don't singe your eyebrows while
charging your batteries.