PBS - Austin City Limits

PBS - Austin City Limits: "Austin City Limits caputres one of the year's biggest rock 'n' roll reunions as legendary alt-rockers the Pixies perform. With vintage fire the band takes the stage to perform their classics filled with brutal noise and impressionistic lyrics. "

As my Brother pointed out, the Pixies will be on PBS this weekend. I'll have to record it and check it out. Should be good...

Northstar - 50's Retro Appliances

Northstar - 50's Retro Appliances

"At Elmira, our connections to antique appliances date back three generations. Years ago, my grandfather’s hardware store supplied woodburning cookstove parts to local Mennonites. My father began producing cookstoves in the 1970’s, using designs from the 1800’s. In the eighties he introduced gas and electric models with traditional styling, along with some of the modern features we offer today. "

One word: Awesome.

These are so goddamn cool, and ould look amazing in the right kitchen.

Wired News

Wired News: "Deadliest Day Yet
Thirty-six Americans -- all but one of them Marines -- were killed in Iraq Wednesday, making it the single bloodiest day of the war for the U.S. military. Thirty-one men died when their transport helicopter, carrying personnel from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and the 1st Marine Division, crashed in western Iraq. Four other Marines were killed in fighting near the Al-Anbar province, and soldier from the Army's 1st Division was killed when his combat patrol was ambushed by insurgents north of Baghdad. Wednesday's death toll surpassed the 31 U.S. troops killed on March 23, 2003 -- four days after the start of the war. The total number of U.S. killed now stands at 1,417.
-- Associated Press "

About Us

About Us: "ShitBegone is a joke but it is also a metaphor. The joke and the metaphor are both about transparency. Most people use toilet paper to wipe up shit, but most companies do not sell toilet paper by talking about shit. They sell it with the opposite of shit� bullshit. Fluffy bunnies and so on.

ShitBegone is about selling a product based on reality, when the competition is selling based on a made up image. In the case of shit that might be funny, but in the end it's no joke. Brands obscure the reality behind nearly everything we buy. When you buy a brand, do you know what you're really buying? What it's made of, how it's put together, who makes it? Usually not� because traditional brands are all about hiding that reality.

I started making ShitBegone because I wanted to know where this product came from� how it was made, and how it got to that store near me. As I learn about it I want to share what I learn with you, the consumer. I may not be able to answer your every question. But at least we can get started thinking about this product� how it's made and distributed, and how that might be improved. "

Funny at first, but really damn interesting once you start to pay attention to what he is saying...and selling.

Wired News

Wired News: "Passage: Johnny Carson, 79
The quick-witted Tonight Show host who wooed his viewers for 30 years with a smooth nightcap of celebrity banter and heartland charm, has died. The boyish Nebraska native with the disarming grin survived every attempt to topple him from his late-night talk show throne. A star who never distanced himself from his audience, he helped launch the career of many young comics. 'Heeeeere's Johnny!' announced sidekick Ed McMahon every night to usher Carson onstage. America never tired of his topical monologue, his way with guests and the broadly played skits such as Carnac the Magnificent. Carson went out on top when he retired in May 1992. 'He had it all,' said actress-singer Bette Midler, his last guest. 'A little bit of devil, a whole lot of angel, wit, charm, good looks, superb timing and great, great class.'
-- Associated Press "

Wired News: Wild Things Are on the Beach

Wired News: Wild Things Are on the Beach: "Theo Jansen wants to make 'life' and he figures the best way to do it is to start from scratch.

A self-styled god, Jansen is evolving an entirely new line of animals: immense multi-legged walking critters designed to roam the Dutch coastline, feeding on gusts of wind. Over the years, successive generations of his creatures have evolved into increasingly complex animals that walk by flapping wings in response to the wind, discerning obstacles in their path through feelers and even hammering themselves into the sand on sensing an approaching storm."

These are amazing and beautiful. At the very least, check out the videos...the 'Animaris Rhinoceros Transport' is just stunning.

I was hit with a stick...

1. What is the total amount of music files on your computer?

Well, I have about 15GB on a removeable drive, and another 20GB on my main system. So, about 35GB. I really (really) need to sort it and rename them...

2. The cd you last bought is:

Some Techno CD, can't remember the name of the DJ (and fuck you Eminem, I still listen to Techno).

3. What is the song you last listened to before reading this message?

Dead Can Dance - Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove

4. Write down 5 songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you:

• Dead Can Dance - Sloth
• Johnny Cash - Ghost Riders in the Sky (Also his Christmas album.)
• Tonic - If You Could Only See (Mine and the Girlie's song back in HS.)
• Crystal Method - Vegas (Yes, the whole album.)
• ELO - Mr. Blue Sky

5. Who are you going to pass this stick to? (3 persons) and why?

No one, it's mine! *insert random Gollum/Precious comment*

Go Ask Hollywood - Popular Science

Go Ask Hollywood - Popular Science

Popular Science has a interesting little article on DVD copying that includes some nasty little infomration on the new formats (Blue-Ray and DVD-HD).

Here is a nice little quote:

" Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple and of the animation studio Pixar, told studio heads and tech leaders in a private meeting that studios shouldn’t release anything for the DVD-HD format until they get a promise that recorders will never appear in a PC. "

Wired News

Wired News: "Slobs Breathe Easier
Neat freaks obsessed with making their beds each morning could be courting tiny critters that cause asthma and allergies, according to new research. As many as 1.5 million house dust mites, which eat flakes of dead skin and cause respiratory problems in humans, can thrive in the warm, damp conditions of an occupied bed. But being too lazy to straighten the sheets every day can dry out bedclothes and lead to a dust mite massacre. 'Something as simple as leaving a bed unmade during the day can remove moisture from the sheets and mattress so the mites will dehydrate and eventually die,' said a researcher. Chalk one up for the slovenly.
-- Lewis Wallace"

Ah Science, one again you reward my laziness!

Wired News

Wired News: "The Ol' Slip of the Tongue
If you have to make a racial slur on television, at least wait till after Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Weekend television weatherman Rob Blair, of Las Vegas' KTNV, egregiously goofed when delivering the extended forecast Saturday morning: 'For tomorrow, 60 degrees, Martin Luther Coon King Jr. Day, gonna see some temperatures in the mid-60s.' Blair apologized during the station's 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. Saturday newscasts, but his mea culpas weren't able to save his job. Said the vice president and general manager of the ABC affiliate, 'This kind of incident is not acceptable under any circumstances, and I'm truly sorry that this event occurred.'
-- Jenny McKeel"

NOVELL: Promotions and Events

NOVELL: Promotions and Events: "Welcome to the Novell Marketing Videos and Video Production home page. This is the place to find the latest Novell marketing videos. "

Some of the customer submitted ones are actually pretty good!

Yahoo! News - Top Stories Photos - AP

Yahoo! News - Top Stories Photos - AP: "Hasbro, Inc.'s Playskool division is launching a new Mr. Potato Head figure, Darth Tater. Available at stores nationwide in February, kids will be able to have all kinds of mix 'n match,Mr. Potato Head fun with this wacky spud dressed as the infamous Star Wars saga villain, Darth Vader. (AP Photo/ Hasbro, Inc., HO)"

I want one!

EPIC 2014

EPIC 2014

"In the year 2014, The New York Times has gone offline.
The Fourth Estate's fortunes have waned.
What happened to the news?
And what is EPIC?"

Interesting sci-fi look at the future of Google, Blogs, Microsoft, News, and Amazon. Worth the 8 minutes.

New Scientist News - Pentagon reveals rejected chemical weapons

New Scientist News - Pentagon reveals rejected chemical weapons: "THE Pentagon considered developing a host of non-lethal chemical weapons that would disrupt discipline and morale among enemy troops, newly declassified documents reveal.
Most bizarre among the plans was one for the development of an 'aphrodisiac' chemical weapon that would make enemy soldiers sexually irresistible to each other. Provoking widespread homosexual behaviour among troops would cause a 'distasteful but completely non-lethal' blow to morale, the proposal says."

I'm sorry, but that is hilarious. I would rather have my tax dollars spent on Gay-Spray than more nukes. Although, watchin OBL and his Brethren make out on CNN would just be disturbing.

imgSeek

imgSeek: "imgSeek is a photo collection manager and viewer with content-based search and many other features. The query is expressed either as a rough sketch painted by the user or as another image you supply (or an image in your collection). The searching algorithm makes use of multiresolution wavelet decomposition of the query and database images. "

Holy Shit this is cool!!

QOTD!

"Apple hating is so 1980's. Nerds flaped it all up because they liked the feeling of being the only ones who could run a DOS computer. Made them feel like they had +5 against normals, when in reality, they had -3 against vaginas."

Excellent.

Apple - Trailers - Sin City

Apple - Trailers - Sin City

Oh man is this movie going to be awesome. Frank Miller Co-Directed it, and thanks to that, it has the look and feel of his (excellent) comic books. I. can't. wait.

Wired 13.01: PLAY

Wired 13.01: PLAY: "Finding a decent pub on a Saturday night can be bloody hard work. This inflatable tavern makes it easy: All you need is a flat surface and two small fans. In six minutes, you'll have a full-blown, 760-square-foot structure that accommodates a fully stocked bar and 30 people. The pub - which features traditional British decor like a framed painting of Big Ben and a stuffed fish over the mantle - was designed by Airquee, a Welsh company that specializes in blow-ups (you may remember its 47-foot-tall Gothic cathedral). Airquee chair Andi Francis says the PVC pub allows for smoking, dart playing, and even some literal bouncing off the walls. According to Avril Baker, who caught the inflat-a-pub's debut at a festival in Bristol in September, 'I was just gob-smacked. It took my breath away.'
- Kerrie Mitchell"

Apple - Mac mini

Apple - Mac mini: "The modular design of Mac mini lets you upgrade your current system to the elegance, simplicity and reliability of Macintosh. If you already own a monitor, keyboard and mouse, you can get up and running in minutes. Or choose any combination of new devices to meet your individual situation. And yes, Mac mini will take advantage of your two-button USB mouse with scroll-wheel and your favorite USB keyboard. Just plug them in."

Well, it official now after the Keynote. Mac Mini is here!

I have a feeling Apple is going to sell a truckload of these. Boy are they tiny, too!

Also, check out the new iPod Shuffle. Not sure how well it will do, but interesting concept.

The Cubes

The Cubes

"Finally, the drudgery of corporate life has been captured in a play set for adults! Bob, Joe, Ted, and Ann spend eight hours a day, five days a week, at tiny desks in tiny cubicles in a giant room packed with countless similar cubicles in a giant building filled with countless similar rooms."

My Brother is right, these are fucking cool!

Jeepin.com - Jeep Hurricane Concept

Jeepin.com - Jeep� Hurricane Concept: "Hurricane represents the continued success of bold concept vehicles for the brands as a means of demonstrating Chrysler Group�s creative and mechanical expertise. For example, powerful powertrain performance is an understatement considering the Hurricane is not just HEMI-equipped, but HEMI squared. There are two 5.7-liter HEMI engines in the vehicle: one in the front and one in the back. Both engines deliver 335 horsepower and 370 lb-ft of torque - a total of 670 hp and 740 lb-ft of torque."

What a friggin cool truck. None of it will make it to market, but damn that is cool!

PBS | I, Cringely . 2005 Predictions

PBS | I, Cringely . 2005 Predictions: "Apple will take a big risk in 2005. This could be in the form of a major acquisition. With almost $6 billion in cash, Steve Jobs hinted to a group of employees not long ago that he might want to buy something big, though I am at a loss right now for what that might be. Or Apple might decide to throw some of that cash into the box along with new computers by deliberately losing some money on each unit in order to buy market share.

We might see that as early as next week with the rumored introduction of an el-cheapo Mac without a display. The price for that box is supposed to be $499, which would give customers a box with processor, disk, memory, and OS into which you plug your current display, keyboard, and mouse. Given that this sounds a lot like AMD's new Personal Internet Communicator, which will sell for $185, there is probably plenty of profit left for Apple in a $499 price. But what if they priced it at $399 or even $349? Now make it $249, where I calculate they'd be losing $100 per unit. At $100 per unit, how many little Macs could they sell if Jobs is willing to spend $1 billion? TEN MILLION and Apple suddenly becomes the world's number one PC company. Think of it as a non-mobile iPod with computing capability. Think of the music sales it could spawn. Think of the iPod sales it would hurt (zero, because of the lack of mobility). Think of the more expensive Mac sales it would hurt (zero, because a Mac loyalist would only be interested in using this box as an EXTRA computer they would otherwise not have bought). Think of the extra application sales it would generate and especially the OS upgrade sales, which alone could pay back that $100. Think of the impact it would have on Windows sales (minus 10 million units). And if it doesn't work, Steve will still have $5 billion in cash with no measurable negative impact on the company. I think he'll do it."

I really hope he is right, but I don't think Jobs is bold enough to do it. We'll see who is right, and who is wrong soon!

The Worst Way to Inlay - Popular Science

The Worst Way to Inlay - Popular Science: "The Worst Way to Inlay
Sulfur is stinky and noxious, but that didn't stop people from using it to beautify their furniture"

This is really interesting. I had never read of anyone doing this, be fun to (carefully) try out sometime!

Visipix.com - Download free Hi-Res Pictures

Visipix.com - Download free Hi-Res Pictures

Great source of stock images.

HIGH SECURITY FASHION | MIGUEL CABALLERO | PRENDAS DE VESTIR BLINDADAS | BULLET PROOF VEST Colombia | SWAT EQUIPMENT

HIGH SECURITY FASHION - MIGUEL CABALLERO

Caballero make bullet-proof vests and garments that look like standard civilian clothing. Some really neat shit, but I would imagine it is pricey.

Al Mar Knives - The Warrior's Edge

Al Mar Knives - The Warrior's Edge

"Since 1979, Al Mar Knives ™ has been committed to making unique designs at quality levels that rival custom, hand-made knives. Today, each knife crafted by Al Mar is hand-finished and hand-sharpened by craftsmen dedicated to creating the very best possible. Each Al Mar knife features flat-ground blades for strength and superior performance - and that’s just one reason to trust the Al Mar name. At Al Mar Knives, A Warrior’s Edge ™ means Factory Perfection ™."

Impressive knives.

Patchburn Homepage

Patchburn Homepage: "PatchBurn is a tool to patch existing CD/DVD-drivers (under Mac-OS X 10.2.x) or to generate and install new device profiles (under Mac-OS 10.3.x and later)
It allows many, otherwise unsupported burners to be used directly with Mac-OS X, iTunes and DiscBurner."

Awesome! Make sure you support the writers of this patch, what a great little tool.

Wired News

Wired News: "Recalculating the Calendar
Tired of holidays falling on different days of the week each year? A U.S. physicist who found the vagaries of the standard Gregorian calendar a waste of time set out to save us all the trouble (and possibly put calendar printers out of business). Meticulous maverick Dick Henry designed a new 364-day calendar in which weeks still consist of seven days, but each month gets either 30 or 31 days. Dates fall on a particular day of the week year after year, and an extra week -- dubbed 'Newton Week' -- is added every five or six years. 'If I had my way, everyone would get Newton Week off as a paid vacation and could spend the time doing physics,' Henry said. His next goal: converting the world to Greenwich Mean Time.
-- Lewis Wallace "

This sounds like a good plan to me!

Pda Cases, Solutions, Inventory Control, Point Of Sale, Pos

Pda Cases, Solutions, Inventory Control, Point Of Sale, Pos: "Our PDA cases are made from the same nearly indestructible material as all our other Otter cases, but they�re custom-engineered to house your PDA in dustproof, air and watertight safety while still giving you access to the data you need the most. "

Nice!

QOTD

"Some people are like slinkies: Completely useless, but you can't help but laugh at them while they're falling down the stairs."

Brookstone.com

Brookstone.com

"Glimpse into the futureThis technology was developed by scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as part of a growing initiative to study our planet’s biosphere. NASA was researching self-contained communities for space explorers to live in during long-term flights. Out of this research came EcoSphere—a world in perfect balance."

These are very cool. A tad on the expensive side though.

SkyOS -- Your PEACE-FULL future Operating System

SkyOS -- Your PEACE-FULL future Operating System

"SkyOS is an operating system written from scratch for x86 PC's. As required for a modern operating system, it supports features such as multiprocessor support (SMP), virtual memory, memory protection, multitasking and threading etc. Additionally, SkyOS has a built-in GUI system named SkyGI. All features of the OS will be explained later in detail."

I may have to try this to see what all the hub-bub is about.

Human Beans: PowerPizza

Human Beans: PowerPizza

"Desirable laptops are desirable to thieves too. Disguise your laptop with a PowerPizza and reduce the risk of getting it nicked. "

These are the stupid ideas I wish I came up with...