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February 2011

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Sun 2/27/11 1:50pm #

Blogging about blogging
Made some changes to my blog again today, some further refinements to make various things easier for me under the hood so to speak.

I also added in some code to add share buttons for Facebook and Twitter right next to the comments link. Since my blog is one big page with bookmarks/anchor tags at the various posts, hitting one of my social share buttons will share the page with the full link and the anchor tag to where that post begins. The share buttons will show up on the Blog posts and the embeded Flickr photos.

Of course only a handful of people look at this site anyway. So I figure the share buttons should boost it to a handful + 2.

I want to hear your



Ptw Another snow covered day

Ptw Another snow covered day
Flickr: Sun 02-27-11 13:40:23 -0500



Sun 2/27/11 10:28am #

Let's Go Surfing

- Theres One Heck Of A Catch With The Red Riding Hood Novelization
source: Bleeding Cool

Interesting. In order to not spoil the movie, the book is missing it's final chapter which you can only read online after the movie comes out.


- Free Kindle This November
source: The Technium

I think when these get down to $50, that will be pretty interesting.

- This Library E-Book Will Self-Destruct After 26 Check Outs
source: ReadWriteWeb

Renting access to a system is one thing. Downloading bits and having them self destruct at an arbitrary time is something completely artificial and unnatural. This concept really can't work.

- MSI WindPad 110W and WindPad 100A Tablets Ready for Launch; 100A Comes with Honeycomb
source: Tablet News

Hopefully the price follows MSI's cheaper pricing history.




- Thundercats Trailer & Toy Fair 2011 Toys!
source: Action Figure Insider - Best Toy News on the Web!


I'm not sure what to make of this Thundercats trailer. I'm not sure what it is about it, but it looks "old" to me. Not bad, I think it looks interesting, but there is something "old" about it?

Here's another post with screencaps incase the youtube goes down.

- Archos Arnova 8 and 10 tablets hit the bargain bin (video)
source: Engadget


In that these are cheap and likely to have some mainstream distribution. Depending on what Apple rolls out next week (and whether it's priced right.) the above Archos has the potential to be my next tablet. 1Ghz, Honeycomb, Capacitive in April. If they come close to the above price points, they'll have a winner.

I want to hear your



Ptw Evan has Jenn's finger

Ptw Evan has Jenn's finger
Flickr: Sat 02-26-11 19:23:07 -0500


Ptw Jenn playing Tomb

Ptw Jenn playing Tomb
Flickr: Sat 02-26-11 18:16:26 -0500


Ptw Tomb boardgame

Ptw Tomb boardgame
Flickr: Sat 02-26-11 18:04:52 -0500


Ptw Jeff and Dan

Ptw Jeff and Dan
Flickr: Sat 02-26-11 16:18:04 -0500


Ptw Mark and son

Ptw Mark and son
Flickr: Sat 02-26-11 16:15:04 -0500


Ptw Angel and baby Bolek

Ptw Angel and baby Bolek
Flickr: Sat 02-26-11 16:06:52 -0500



Sat 2/26/11 1:58pm #

Let's Go Surfing

- Cartoon: Share Alike
source: ReadWriteWeb


- Google Apps Admins: Use APIs Without Writing Code
source: ReadWriteWeb

Interesting. Command line interface for Google Apps.

- Kinect-controlled browser forces you to virtually swim to surf the web
source: DVICE

Web surfing using the Kinect.


- New iPhone Photo App: Halftone
source: The iPhoneography Blog

Nice iOS Comic Book style Filter app.

- take a smile
source: Likecool

Cute idea.


- Gingers!
source: Woot! - One Day, One Deal


- Books marching around a bookcase: stop-motion animation
source: Boing Boing


Neat Stop motion animation.

- TOM THE DANCING BUG: After the Revolution, with the Federal Gov'mint off our backs!
source: Boing Boing

Pretty amusing comic strip that pokes fun at Tea Party types.



- Inspiring Offices From 2011 Apartment Therapy House Tours
source: Unplggd

Neat shaped ottoman.

- Now Anyone Can Sync Google Docs & Microsoft Office
source: Mashable!

Good video at the link.

- How To Write Comics And Graphic Novels by Dennis ONeil #11 A Reading List
source: Bleeding Cool

Good List of books at the link.

I want to hear your




Sat 2/26/11 9:29am #

Random Non-Sequiters


I don't post enough pictures of Peppy. Here's a pic that Jenn took a week or so back that I like.


Let's Go Surfing

- The Circle is Now Complete
source: Action Figure Insider - Best Toy News on the Web!

Ottertorial on DC Classics completing the recreating of the Super Powers line action figures.

- BAKING COOKIES : THE METAL WAY.
source: tumblr.MikeRapin

Funny Strip.

- First look: SlideShares new live video presentations, ZipCast
source: Scobleizer -- Tech geek blogger

Interesting.

- Here's a Better Looking, Less Awkward Segway [Video]
source: Gizmodo

This looks very cool. Pricey at $1300 but get it down more to $500 and I'd be interested in one of these.

- Product placement gets a logo of its own, turns the world inside out
source: Engadget

Interesting. The UK has created this logo to denote Product Placements.

- More Western Star Wars action figures by Sillof
source: io9

Really neat takes on the Star Wars characters if they were set in the Old West. Would love to see a version of the movie done like this.


- Xoom Debuts Sans Flash: Whats Going On, Adobe?
source: Mashable!

I think Adobe missed their window to figure this out. Is anyone building new stuff beyond banner ads with Flash much any more? If Adobe could have got out of the gate earlier they could have probably held onto mindshare, but I don't think things are looking good for Flash now. Not because Apple pronounced it dead, but because Adobe can't make it work in low powered environments with touch it seems.




- et sequel: et-x
source: Likecool



Creepy (and a little unintentionally silly), but it would be an interesting sequel.

I want to hear your



Ptw Valkyrie and Golden Pharaoh

Ptw Valkyrie and Golden Pharaoh
Last weekend, picked up Marvel Valkyrie and DC Classics Golden Pharaoh.
Flickr: Thu 02-24-11 20:21:19 -0500


Ptw Jenn's Medieval lego dude on a dragon

Ptw Jenn's Medieval lego dude on a dragon
Flickr: Thu 02-24-11 18:56:42 -0500


Ptw Jenn

Ptw Jenn
Flickr: Wed 02-23-11 20:48:29 -0500


Ptw Jenn

Ptw Jenn
Flickr: Wed 02-23-11 20:38:06 -0500


Ptw Playing around with iOS Halftone App

Ptw Playing around with iOS Halftone App
Neat app. Has a variety of paper types and a nice caption style too. Pic is Leki monday night.
Flickr: Wed 02-23-11 16:33:16 -0500



Tue 2/22/11 12:51pm #

Random Non-Sequiters

Sad personal tech news. My Android M001 Tablet has become seriously injured. I noticed a sizeable crack down the center of the screen yesterday. Still turns on, and straight on the crack actually isn't as bad looking as the picture would lead you to believe, but there was appparently injury to the touchscreen as well, leaving the unit largely unuseable, especially if you try to touch the top half.

Jenn's tablet is in good working order, so there is still a working Android tablet in the house.

More interesting, it's not a loss of tech that I'm really feeling. You see, the M001 and I became estranged last October when I got an iPod Touch 4th Gen for my birthday. Sure, I still liked the M001's physically larger screen and that sexy 7" Android form factor, but the Touch's 1Ghz A4 chip, dual cameras and Retina display pretty much limited how much the M001 and I were hanging out.

Oh, sure I'd still pick up the M001 for an occasional Kindle book read or CBZ comic, but compared to the speed of the Touch's A4, it's abillity to play Youtube in high res flawlessly and the superior Safari browser, well, those dalliances with the M001 became the exception and not the norm.

With the M001 out of commission, I have turned toward the tech world with renewed interest in what's available in the tablet form factor.

Sadly the choices are not ideal, while I have purchase intent, I'm not sure there is anything out there that really looks like it would fulfill my needs.

The store available Android tablets are mostly too phone-like to take seriously at their current prices. The Xoom out today/soon, looks nice, but has already pulled it's promises of Flash away. And at $600 on contract (and $800 off contract), the lone serious in store contender-- iPad at $499, looks like the only viable tablet player in retail, one year later, still.

But then there's the looming spectre of iPad 2 to contend with. Rumor has it, such a device will be announced in two weeks (but given Apple history, likely not available for 4 more weeks after that.) Rumors say that the iPad 2 will have 2 cameras, a better screen, be thinner, lighter, cure cancer, and make magical unicorns appear in any forest you use it in.

So it's hard to seriously consider going with the iPad 1 now, with such a magical iPad 2 device right around the corner.

I suppose I should mention WebOs Touchpad. It looks really nice, very sexy, but Palm, as a spurred Pre owner, you've teased me too much, I've seen how you treat a 1.0 user, and really after 2 years you still barely have any apps, and while I love your notifications, email and cards on my phone, I need more from a tablet... and let's be honest at the price you're likely to charge, you're not really serious about our potential relationship anyway.

So, I'll wait and see how the iPad 2 sizes up, or how far the iPad 1 drops in price as they clear out old models to make way for the new. There's still no guarantee I'll go Apple. There are some nice cheap no-brand Android 2.1 tablets on Dealextreme and at $129 or so, I my go no-brand yet again until a serious mainstream Android device, or yes shutter to say, but I'd seriously consider a Keyboardless Win 7 sub $250 touchscreen netbook becomes available.

I want to hear your



Ptw Lots of snow

Ptw Lots of snow
Flickr: Sun 02-20-11 17:45:41 -0500



Sun 2/20/11 11:37am #

Let's Go Surfing


- This here is one seriously compact camera
source: DVICE

By storing its photos to microSD cars up to 32GB in size, this tine 2MP shooter can take pictures without anyone even realizing it. Of course, just how good the quality is is debatable, but it's probably comparable to your standard mid-range cellphone camera. Want one? It'll set you back $95 straight from Japan


- Hand-drawn D&D maps of yesteryear
source: Boing Boing

Oh, the elementary school joys of graph paper RPG maps.

- Thrush: short film on love, life, and digital ephemera
source: Boing Boing

Hip little short film.

- If you own the infrastructure you get to charge rent: What Apple's 30% charge teaches us about the attention economy
source: garry\'s posterous

Stupid post. The point it misses, you never actually "own" the infrastructure. Virtually everything that is, is built on top of what comes before it, you don't "own" it. It's not yours. Society may grant you a license to profit from, benefit, or control a resource. But true ownership is a myth. And that is where this article fails.


- Check out the first trailer for the X-Men anime show [Video]
source: io9


Interesting. Airing in Japan now, coming to G4 later this year.

- All Eighty Variant Covers Of Godzilla #1 From IDW
source: Bleeding Cool

80 different comic stores getting crushed. I've been to the one at right (Detroit Area store)

- New DC Direct Solicitations from Items in Stores October (and June) 2011
source: Action Figure Insider - Best Toy News on the Web!

DC Direct for October 2011. No Action Figures, but plenty of Green Lantern movie statues. This movie prop ring for $45 looks nice.

- Amazon Appstore for Android will let you buy apps without a device
source: Engadget

Very Cool. Amazon running an Android App Store that works without the Google App Store. Nice.


- Evolution Made Us All
source: Likecool

Video.

I want to hear your




Sun 2/20/11 10:35am #

Let's Go Surfing

- First Avengers fan trailer assembles so much awesome [Video]
source: io9


I'm much more interested in the group movie than any of the individual movies.

- Tweeting More Than 140 Characters with Deck.ly: Brilliant or Blasphemy?
source: ReadWriteWeb

I've really liked this new feature. I've been finding it especially useful for replies.

- $2.80 - DIY Puzzle Calendar (48-Pieces Pack)
source: DealExtreme New Arrivals

Neat little Lego-like calendar. I ordered one off of Dealextreme. Will probably be a month or more before it arrives.


- Can the Birds and Pigs Really Be Friends in the End? [Angry Birds Video]
source: the How-To Geek

Funny video at the link.

- Wolverine and Yukio slaughter some ninjas
source: Super Punch

Interesting video at the link composed of motion stills done in the Suckerpunch type style. Cool.

I want to hear your




Sun 2/20/11 9:52am #

Let's Go Surfing

- Why Neil Gaiman Embraced Online Piracy [Video]
source: Gizmodo


Interesting point of view from Neil Gaiman. But of course, even before the internet really took hold, he was "Neil Gaiman" so there was plenty of physical merchandise to buy with his name on it. Obscurity is the real enemy but modest notoriety does you no good in an economic sense unless you have something people can easily purchase once you gain it.

- Facebooks Revamped Messaging System Now Rolling Out to All Users
source: Mashable!

I had this roll out to me last week and I tried it. It seems fine and useful if you just want to communicate to people that are on your Facebook friends list, but I don't really see anything game changing about it.

- What if Soylent Green, The Omega Man, and Planet of the Apes were all the same film? [Video]
source: io9

The above is lame and not worth watching. but the first comment by a guy with the handle: Spaceknight was priceless:
Attention all art students!

Just because no one understands it does not mean you've created art.
That should be made into a T-Shirt.

- Found Pic: Adorable.

- Found Pic: Cool Guest Room design

- - Found Pic: Great Cupcake Idea.

- Toy Fair 11 EXCLUSIVE JLU Interview
source: Action Figure Insider - Best Toy News on the Web!

As the JLU action figure line winds down this year, this is a great video interview looking back at the series of figures.

- SXSW Free Music cool 4.5 GB torrent of free legal music now available for public download
source: The Red Ferret Journal - gadgets, cool sites, freeware and tech trivia


- Apple said to be in talks with Samsung to buy $7.8 billion worth of components
source: Engadget

So the bigest current competitor to the iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab is also the largest suppier of components for the iPad. Hmmm... that really doesn't sound like a competitive free market to me.

I want to hear your




Sun 2/20/11 9:18am #

Random Non-Sequiters

- 696/365 - Tubing Down Hills of Snow
source: Jennifer\'s 365 Project

Last week Jenn and I went with Dan and Angel and some friends of theirs to Pando Snow Park. We had a fun time tubing down the hill and hanging out. Jenn has more pictures and a slide show at her blog linked above.


Let's Go Surfing

- Final Frame: The $99 Modern Minimalist's Tablet
source: Unplggd

I am really looking forward to getting one of these. Explore their website. It's good stuff. Supposedly available in June.

- Stalk More Efficiently With Facebook's New Photo Viewer [Social Media]
source: Gizmodo

It's an improvement over the old way, but there's still something not very current about it, plus the black really clashes with the white/light blue color schemes of the rest of the site. A move in the right direction though.

- Insane Action Movie Spoof: Tricia Helfer is a "sexy assassin with a troubled past" [Video]
source: io9


This looks bad. But Todd Bridges from Different Strokes as a rogue priest. Add it to your que.

- Humor: Hitler Learns of HPs webOS Plans
source: Everything Pre


Love the secretaries' comment at the very end. These Hittler video parodies just never grow old.

- Conan Unveils A New Flaming C Cartoon…
source: Toy: AFHub.com

Y'know if they keep making these, I'm going to want a 6' Flaming C action Figure.

- Scrapped Thundercats test footage reveals a goofball Lion-O and the evil Slithe (UPDATED) [Video]
source: io9

Interesting test footage of the canned 3D animated version of Thundercats. Video at the link.

I want to hear your




Sat 2/19/11 10:29pm #

Let's Go Surfing

- FreedCamp: A Free Alternative To Basecamp
source: MakeUseOf.com

Just tried this, very easy to set up. Nice features. Only 20 megs of file storage space, but used in conjunction with Gooogle Docs, this could be a very useful alternative to Basecamp.

- Murderous snowman
source: Likecool


- Optical Illusion Of The Day
source: TDW Geeks

Nice.


- 692/365 - Hot and Cold
source: Jennifer\'s 365 Project

Nice pic Jennifer took.

- How To Tell a Story Through Photos [Photography]
source: Gizmodo

Cover shot, Establishing Shot, Detail Shot, Filler, Closing Shot

I want to hear your




Sat 2/19/11 9:15pm #

Let's Go Surfing

- Your favorite characters as Facebook avatars
source: Blog@Newsarama

Very cool Avatar ideas for Facebook.1

- Air Hockey Gold for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store

Fun Free game to play over bluetooth or inet with other iOS device user.

- Super Powers Highlight Logo Concepts
source: Action Figure Insider - Best Toy News on the Web!

Cool, if only because of how many logos are shown here drawn in pencil. Pencil people! People used to design logos in pencil first! Huzzah! #lovepencils



- The iPadification of the Web
source: VentureBeat


- Will Planet Earth Have ‘Two Suns By 2012?
source: CrunchGear

The important thing is, one day, night will become day for several weeks on Earth.

- Keyboard S'more
source: CRAFT



I want to hear your




Sat 2/19/11 7:47pm #

Let's Go Surfing

- The Dumbest Thing Ever Said!...by Hillary Clinton, about the Drug War
source: Boing Boing

Recently, during an interview with Mexico's Televisa, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared that the United States can't legalize drugs "because there is just too much money in it."

Apparently, Clinton doesn't understand that there's so much money to be made selling illegal drugs precisely because drugs are illegal. Reason.tv uses Clinton's love of pant suits and Chardonnay to explain the economics of prohibition to the former presidential candidate.



- Solowheel
source: Cool Hunting

It's like a segway but just one wheel. Charges in 45 minutes goes for 2 hours. I want one, someone give me $1,500 please.

- Nike Sneakers Twitter & Firefox
source: Design You Trust

These totally should be internet connected. One should tweet the word: "Right" and the other should tweet "Left".

- Ikea Stonehenge
source: How to be a Retronaut

Ha. Click link for the full instruction sheet.

- The REAL Death Of The Music Industry
source: SAI: Silicon Alley Insider


- Dennis Culver's Batman Family is the 'Batman Inc.' Team We Want To See
source: ComicsAlliance.com

Very nice assortment of Batman and "Batman Family" character designs.

- Green Lantern Classics Wave 2 Quick Pics
source: ActionFigurePics.com


- Busting the 8-Hour Sleep Myth: Why You Should Wake Up in the Night
source: LiveScience.com

Wikipedia entry - Probably BS, but it would be interesting to try for a couple weeks.

I want to hear your




Sat 2/19/11 11:01am #

Let's Go Surfing


- Steve Jobs is building a new house.
source: Gizmodo

Nice Design.

- J.K. Rowling's Secret of Writing Fantasy for Mainstream Readers [Books]
source: io9

SF/fantasy fans expect to work harder. We know that certain passages have to be read with focused attention because they provide crucial information about the world...

[J.K. Rowling]'s clever instinct, the editor said, was to postpone the point where you need to learn a complex background in order to continue following the story. By then you would have absorbed so many small, easy-to-learn, easy-to-digest details that when you finally got to the Big Lesson, it wasn't intimidating.

- Make Your Own Standing Desk: 5 Second Makeover ManMade DIY
source:

Nice idea. A couple of cabinets in an alcove with a counter on top.

1 - Betty Boop in the real world
source: Likecool

Interesting pic.

- Living Room
source: Likecool

Very very slick video at the link.

- Responsibilities of ownership
source: Unclutterer


I want to hear your




Sat 2/19/11 9:35am #

Let's Go Surfing

- Google Docs Viewer Now Handles 12 More File Types
source: Mashable!

This is very cool. Google Docs and Gmail will now open .AI and .PSD files online. As a designer, that's a pretty useful trick. There are some other file formats of interest at the link too. Check them out.

- The Least In Canon Doctor Who Comic Ever Is One Of The Most Fun
source: Bleeding Cool

A multi-page "comic strip" written about Doctor Who, by somebody who claims never to have watched Doctor Who. Amusing.

- Puma Love Run
source: Super Punch

I know this is Puma Australia, but both Puma and Adidas seem to be focussing on a more Ambercrombie marketing style. See NSFW (Actually more Not Appropriate for Work than Not Safe, is NAFW an acronym?)

- Lynda Carter/Wonder Woman using a skateboard to chase some goons
source: Super Punch

Two great videos. Wonder Woman on a Skateboard and Wonder Woman on a motorcycle.

- Masdar City's driverless pods now whisking students around on a limited basis (video)
source: Engadget

Very cool. We should have a city full of these. Too bad the Big 3 are still too big to allow this to happen.


- Cat Laser Bowling
source: Gizmodo


- Ron Marz Kicks Off #ROBOCHARITY In Response To Robocop Statue Furore
source: Bleeding Cool

I’d argue that in an economically-blighted place like Detroit, feeding people is more important than nerds getting a statue.
Ron Marz
I'd argue that if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. You build a cool Robocop statue and a street vendor who sets up shop across from it who sells souvenirs eats for a life time.

Plus Ron Marz writes comic books. You could argue that we should feed the homeless before wasting money on comic books too, but if we did that, Ron Marz would be out of a job and have to move to a vacant building in Detroit.

More tourism in Detroit can't be a bad thing. Hopefully it's a big statue.

I want to hear your



Ptw Leki had himself a nice pillow fort going this evening

Ptw Leki had himself a nice pillow fort going this evening
Flickr: Fri 02-18-11 22:53:18 -0500


Ptw Leki

Ptw Leki
Flickr: Fri 02-18-11 19:07:48 -0500



Tue 2/15/11 9:23pm #

Let's Go Surfing



Green Lantern Rise of the Manhunters Video Game Trailer.

- Build Your Own Zombie!
source: Action Figure Insider - Best Toy News on the Web!

This is pretty cool.

- ThunderCats Ho!
source: Action Figure Insider - Best Toy News on the Web!

8" figure. Not sure how well this would fit in with 6 inch figures but it does look nice.

- Rhapsody won't bow to Apple's subscription policy, issues statement
source: Engadget

Apple overreached. This won't end well for them. Too bad there aren't any competitively priced comparable Android devices on in the touch or iPad form factor's out there to increase customer and business alternatives.

- MWC 2011: HTC Flyer Tablet Demoed and Analyzed For Us (Video)
source: Tablet News


Very nice. As a designer, I really like the idea of being able to use a stylus too.

I want to hear your




Tue 2/15/11 7:52pm #

- Look Ma, No Hands! Motion Controlled LOTRO
source: A Casual Stroll to Mordor

Jennifer wrote the above article and created the below video on controlling Lord of the Rings Online with Kinect:

I want to hear your



Ptw Valentines

Ptw Valentines
Flickr: Mon 02-14-11 19:32:23 -0500



Sun 2/13/11 9:51pm #

Let's Go Surfing



Toy News International

6" scale! First time I've ever wanted an entire wave. Can't wait to see the Apache Chief Build-A-Figure! So, wish I had Giganta BAF now.

6"? F-Sharp Bell!

Crime Syndicate and Legion of Superhero Sets look fantastic too.

Young Justice these are mostly the smaller figs, but some are 6".

It's going to be a very good year for DC Toys.

I want to hear your




Sun 2/13/11 6:59pm #

Let's Go Surfing

- Bacon Toothpaste
source: Likecool

This looks like a terrible idea.

- Google Shopper comes to the iPhone
source: The Red Ferret Journal - gadgets, cool sites, freeware and tech trivia

I installed and tried this, it actually works pretty well. the voice search is especially nice.

- The Cape's first season is cut short — and Summer Glau-centric episodes may be sacrificed [Television]
source: io9

Not surprising. The Cape is very much how a non-comic book person would make a superhero show if they were trying to be serious about it. The problem with that, you need to be a comic book person in order to make a good comic book story.

- A tale of two planets: What's "Earth-like" mean?
source: Boing Boing

Interesting.

- Hex values for Crayola colors
source: Boing Boing

Very Cool the Wikipedia article for Crayola crayons has RGB and Hex Codes.


- How The iPad Time Shifts Online Reading
source: TechCrunch

Nice charts showing when articles are saved and when articles are read.


- The iPadification of the Web
source: VentureBeat

I want to hear your




Sun 2/13/11 4:07pm #

Let's Go Surfing

- Scripts
source: The Red Ferret Journal - gadgets, cool sites, freeware and tech trivia

Scripts | Scripts O Rama 1

- MARVEL LEGENDS UPDATE TOY FAIR 2011
source: thefwoosh.com

More Marvel Legends to come. Cool.

- Nokia: 'Our first priority is beating Android'
source: Engadget

MS and Nokia beating Android? Not going to happen.

At best they could go after Apple and try to build a better closed sourced system. But how are MS and Nokia building a closed sourced system going to overthrow an open sourced system? It's Apples and Oranges. They're better off trying to compete with Apples, cause they ain't no Orange.

- The Future Of Superhero Gaming
source: Bleeding Cool

Very Cool. Kinect plus hud glasses.

- Gallery 1988's John Hughes tribute show
source: Super Punch

Ferris Beuler Day Off Board Game Board and pieces and site.

- NYT uncovers the tawdry, seedy tale of the SEO games of J.C. Penney
source: Engadget

If you build it, they will come to take it from you. I wouldn't want to be Google. They present 10 results or so on a search results page. That means they have hundreds if not thousands of people that are pissed that they aren't making it to the first page on every conceivable topic.


Action Figure Insider � Green Lantern series 5

Interested in in the two in front.


Action Figure Insider � DC Direct Green Lantern Series 6

Nice Wave. Looking forward to the 3 on the right.


- Multi Lines Extension Cords
source: Likecool

Great idea. I can think of both home and work uses for this style of extention cord.

I want to hear your




Sat 2/12/11 10:00am #

Let's Go Surfing

- Every New Science Fiction/Fantasy Television Series That Could be Coming This Fall [Television]
source: io9

Large list, many of these won't air, but many of them will.


- DC Direct is Alive and Well
source: Action Figure Insider - Best Toy News on the Web!

Given how much Green Lantern Merchandise is coming out this coming year, I don't mind that DC Direct is going to do a bunch of Flashpoint alternate reality versions of their characters. Saves me money since I'm not typically interested in the "What If" type stuff.

I want to hear your




Sat 2/12/11 9:48am #

Let's Go Surfing

- The Pros and Cons of Adding a Second Dishwasher
source: Unplggd

I could see doing this someday.

- How to stay sane on the road: bring a gaming setup in a box
source: DVICE


- Beauty is in the eye of the Blur-Tool-holder.
source: Likecool

Katy Perry before and after Photoshoping.

- Community plays Advanced Dungeons and Dragons
source: Super Punch

I've never watched this sitcom before but this is the longest best essentially commercial for roleplaying and Dungeons and Dragons ever.

- Final Frame: Test Pattern Library
source: Unplggd

Neat book covers.

- Are we witnessing the death spiral of the Hollywood blockbuster? [Rant]
source: io9
The idea of spending $300 million to make a two-hour fantasy is kind of weird if you think about it. That kind of spending only makes sense if you can convince millions of people to spend between $10 and $20 each to see the result. This is one case where the format is the content — there's no other format in which you could spend such an obscene amount of money on just two hours' entertainment. It's not going to happen on television, it's not going to happen with direct-to-DVD movies. There's really no other format I can think of that would justify that kind of opulence.

Interesting article.

- Derek's Hierarchy of App Needs
source: PreCentral.net

I want to hear your




Fri 2/11/11 7:15am #

Let's Go Surfing

- Your video of the day | MAC Cosmetics Wonder Woman trailer
source: Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources - Covering Comic Book News and Entertainment


Kindof stupid, but I love Mike Allred's Wonder woman Art.


- You Can Now Buy Up to 16 Terabytes of Storage from Google
source: ReadWriteWeb

Go to Google docs-->Settings-->Storage-->Upgrade. $5 a year for $20 of storage. (Higher Plans Available.)


- Google Releases Chrome 9 Stable
source: Mashable!

I have to say, I've installed a handful of Chrome Apps and I've been digging the concept of using them.

- Play & Create First Person Shooter Maps With Cube2
source: MakeUseOf.com

Interesting.

I want to hear your




Tue 2/08/11 8:00pm #

Let's Go Surfing

- NoteSlate is like an old chalk slate updated for the 21st century
source: DVICE

$99 - 13" Boogie Board type devices. Saves to SD card, releases in June. Looks useful.

- Keith Olbermann to Join Current TV [REPORT]
source: Mashable!

Interesting. The thing I found odd though, is that Comcast (new owner of NBC/MSNBC) is a 10% owner of Current TV.

- Google Translate App Hits the iPhone
source: Mashable!

Downloaded and tried this today. Very Very slick.

I want to hear your




Tue 2/07/11 16:27pm #

Videos
Two videos from Saturday.


Jennifer texting at the laundromat.


Leki upclose using VideoZoom2

I want to hear your



Ptw Too much football and snark, Leki is ready for bed

Ptw Too much football and snark, Leki is ready for bed
Flickr: Sun 02-06-11 22:30:26 -0500



Sun 2/06/11 3:36pm #

Let's Go Surfing

- DC Women Kicking Ass On Wonder Woman TV Pilot Script
source: Bleeding Cool

Review of the script.


- Everything is a Remix

These are good videos, along the lines of Red Letter Media, but played straight.

Part 1 | Part 2
Kill Bill Extended Clip

- The PS2 Just Will Not Die! [Video]
source: Gizmodo

I don't see why it should. there is alot you can do with a 300mhz computer with a good graphics chip too.

- Rumor: Hulu's Jason Kilar on His Way Out as CEO [Television]
source: Gizmodo

Read this post, Good stuff is after the Colbert part, after the subhead: The Future of TV.

I want to hear your




Sun 2/06/11 2:35pm #

Let's Go Surfing

- Final Frame: Which Type of iPhone User Are You?
source: Unplggd

Ha. Funny Pic I like the Unappreciative.


- Handcrafted Standing Desk DIY Project
source: Unplggd

Nice.

- EyeSight brings its gesture controls to Android tablets, Windows-based devices
source: Engadget


Very cool. Kinect like gesture controls.

- BMW's Wherever You Want To Go explores the future of mobility
source: Engadget


Interesting 5 min documentary. Very well shot.

I want to hear your




Sun 2/06/11 1:02pm #

Let's Go Surfing


- Pixelpost A Very Capable Photo Blog Engine For Your Website
source: MakeUseOf.com

Looks interesting.


- The death of Wizard and ToyFare, from the inside
source: Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources - Covering Comic Book News and Entertainment

Lots of quotes by lots of people associated with the company.


- Learn to Code: The Full Beginner's Guide [Night School]
source: Gizmodo

Language is Javascript.

I want to hear your




Sun 2/06/11 12:36pm #

Random Non-Sequiters

- 683/365 - Look Ma, No Hands! Warcraft, Kinect-Style
source: Jennifer's 365 Project

Last week, Jenn got the Kinext working with Warcraft.


Let's Go Surfing

- Jack Nicholson interview
source: MetaFilter

Interesting interview.

- How to Tax the Rich
source: MetaFilter

Interesting.

- 10 Inch Ubuntu Tablet Specs Available, Demo Too (Video)
source: Tablet News

For $400, looks interesting.

- The REAL Battlestar Galactica Series Bible [This Is Awesome]
source: io9

Link to pdf at bottom of article.

I want to hear your




Sun 2/06/11 11:57am #

Let's Go Surfing

- Henry Cavill is Warner Bros Superman
source: Bleeding Cool

meh. Looks the part if you are doing young Superman. This actor is about 5 years younger than Tom Welling.

- How to Build an Earthbag Roundhouse
source: Instructables: exploring - featured

Neat.

- Seal Island, South Africa by Dan Callister
source: PicoCool / Popular items

Nice.


- The Spider-Man Shot They’ll Never Let You See In The Film
source: Bleeding Cool

Lots of pictures of the new Movie Spider-man costume. I don't really care for it.

I want to hear your




Sun 2/06/11 11:32am #

Random Non-Sequiters

Friends
- Ohayocon!
source: Google Blog Search: \"Adam Withers\"

Scroll down, mid and bottom way, pictures of friends Adam and Comfort at Con and Rocking out.

Chrome App Tweetdeck
Tried out Tweetdeck App for Chrome. Initial thoughts: It seems less a memory hog than the Adobe Air App. I like the inline image preview. The interface is nice, but I usually keep Tweetdeck open on a secondary 7" USB monitor and the columns aren't narrow enough to fit on the a 7" monitor in portrait mode. Alsthough since it is in the browser, I could shrink the browser view by clicking "cntrl -", that helped some but without being able to adjust font size, or theme colors, it's not a perfect solution though. The comment area also barely fits on the 7" side monitor in portrait mode. But I do like the way the comment area continues to expand as you do a long post. For the memory savings and inline images, I think I'll continue to give Chrome Tweetdeck a go for a bit.

Chrome App Marvel Comics
Tried Marvel Comics app in Chrome. Not bad, but that navigation bar at the bottom is really huge and there doesn't seem to be anyway to hide it. Really limits what otherwise would be a good full screen view on the 20" LCD I was trying it on.

Chrome App New York Times
I also tried the New York Times Chrome App. Not bad. I've really gotten out of the habit of reading "News" on my desktop though, typically stuff like the Times I read on the Pre or the Touch, so I'm not sure how often I'll use the Chrome NYT App.

Let's Go Surfing

- Collabracam
source: iphonography.com



Coordinate up to 4 iPod touches to shoot and combine video over wi-fi.

This is very cool. I'd expect to start seeing some really nice multi-camera video podcast shows now that this software exists.

- Marvel And DC Plush Toy Explosion
source: Bleeding Cool

More characters at the link. I have the Green lantern one and it's very cute.

- Of Egyptian Protests and Admiral Adama
source: Gizmodo

[blockquote] There's a reason you separate military and the police. One fights the enemies of the state; the other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people. [/blockquote]

I want to hear your



Ptw Haircut

Ptw Haircut
-- Sent from my Palm Pre
Flickr: Sat 02-05-11 12:01:41 -0500



Thu 2/03/11 9:37am #

Yesterday was an interesting day in tech.

Here's what's rolling around in my mind.

Tweetdeck
Tweetdeck is a very popular twitter client and they just integrated direct support for longer than 140 character messages in their client. They also very nicely still support the 140char infrastructure. What this changes... if other client apps follow suit. Twitter is poised to go from being a chat service to a real news and interest service for the masses. Expanding beyond the 140 characters in this way poises Twitter to morph into a Google Reader that the masses use.

Gawker Media iO9 Redesign
Gawker Media is a big platform that alot of popular mainstream blogs are built on. Yesterday they released a very App-like redesign of io9.com. The new site structure borrows heavily from the iPad App type experience as well as Twitter's double pane stream and content model. Very slick stuff. What this changes... There is an exciting new web surfing paradigm here as well an an exciting separation of content and display.

The Daily launch
I posted about this yesterday. You can watch the launch here. More than just another "iPad magazine" I'm intrigued by HOW they are producing it. What this changes... They've created an entirely new type of media organization, an organization that draws from print, television, graphics, programing and more, but does not appear to grow out of any of those institutions. This is a whole new paradigm for producing content.

Google's Tablet OS Android Honeycomb
The OS itself is not as refined as iOS on a presentation level, but how it's being developed is very interesting. Google in their presentation kept talking about their frameworks and things like renderscript, etc. What this changes... Whereas Apple is building an experience, Google has some very very interesting things going on here from a developer standpoint making it possible for MORE people to make these experiences.. Whole new open ways that developers are going to be able to roll their own content into an experience in a much more grassroots fashion than the Apple model.

So what happened yesterday?
Seeds of change that may make a much more robust stream of news and information accessible to all. A new expression of that stream that may supplant the web as we know it, whereby the Web more deeply changes to become merely an expression of a data structure that lies beneath it. A new corporate team structure to produce multidisciplinary media content for the 21st century. As well as new refinements in tools to make these new interactive expressions possible to more general purpose developers and content producers with simpler skill sets.

Not bad for a snow day.

I want to hear your




Wed 2/02/11 2:50pm #

Snow Day

The city of Grand Rapids had the most orderly snow day I think I can recall seeing in years. The weather stations all reported that a big storm would be coming Tuesday night thru Wednesday morning and the Snowpocolapse actually came. The snow started well after people went home from work Tuesday and was largely over when people woke up Wednesday. The only real thing for people to do Wednesday was to stay home, dig out and wait to resume their regular routines on Thursday.

In any case below is a little video of Jenn and I venturing out of the Apartment at lunch time. By then alot of the parking lots and immediate streets were plowed.


After our lunch time walk we came back in and mostly monitored our respective work emails for issues and did some work from home as well.

I want to hear your




Wed 2/02/11 2:20pm #

The Daily

Watch the video launch of The Daily. More than just the app, the fact that they will be putting out this type of content in an organized way daily is the real interesting part of this release. This looks web-like, but it also looks like from a production standpoint it borrows heavily from television.

I don't have an iPad to check it out today (I'm waiting for iPad 2 to be released soon.) but as a designer and developer of sorts, this is a very interesting milestone in content I think.

Watch the link above and then check out the more formal youtube demo below:



Have you played with The Daily yet? What are your thoughts?

I want to hear your



Ptw Snow outside the window

Ptw Snow outside the window
Flickr: Wed 02-02-11 08:09:38 -0500


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