Draw Something

After seeing numerous Twitter people tweeting in my feed over the last week or two about Draw Something Jenn and I finally gave the game a try. And we both ended up liking it.

One part Win Lose or Draw and another part Hangman pretty much sums up the game. You are presented with 3 words of easy, medium or hard difficulty to draw. You pick one, you draw it and submit the drawing. Your friend then gets to watch you draw and tries to figure out the word based on the picture and the scrabble like tiles and hangman-like blank letter count they are presented with.

Like Words for Friends the fun iPad/iPhone scrabble game, Draw Something is asynchronous, you go then I go turn taking at your leisure.

It's a fun game that I'm sure I'll be playing more of in the coming weeks/years.

Hunger Games

Went to AMC Star Theater Sunday morning and saw Hunger Games. Sunday morning Star Theater viewings are starting to become a regular thing with Jennifer and I. Shows are $4.50 before Noon, and in this streaming, DVD, Redbox world that makes alot more sense to me than the $6.75 matinees or the $9.75 evening shows.

In anycase, I was suprised that I very much enjoyed Hunger Games. I was expecting something on par with Twilight, but the movie way over delivers on that expectation. I haven't read the Hunger Game books, but I did enjoy the subtle world building and the fresh take on a post apocalyptic American future that seemed a little more realistic to me than the ususal Road Warrior style stuff.

Most of the main characters were young, but in the context of the movie their youth made sense. Plus you really can't go wrong with Woody Harelson and Donald Sutherland in supporting roles. Those two and the lead actress who plays Katniss really do an excellent job.

While not a deep movie, there were actually a couple points in the movie that made me think, which is always an admirable quality of good SF.

And while this isn't a visual spectacular on the scale of the much more miserable John Carter (which I saw a couple weeks ago but was so unimpressed with I didn't see the need to comment about in more than 140 characters, there are a handful of nicely done visual effects in Hunger Games that work very well. I was especially impressed with all the work that went into the design of the Capitol and it's residents.

I'd reccomend seeing Hunger Games in the theater, while to some extent it's being way overhyped in the media right now, ie: it's not as good as some are saying it is or that it's box office sales would currently imply, it is good in an indy SF kindof way and I enjoyed it.

Apple TV

We picked up an Apple TV yesterday. So far I'm very impressed with it.

As you can see in the promotional image at right, it's a very tiny device. More hockey puck than electronic in appearance. There isn't even a power brick, just a small slender cord that plugs right into the wall.

In anycase. Netflix streaming over wifi seems to to work well. And I'm very impressed with video podcast feeds on the device. Quality on the video podcasts varys but the ones in HD are stellar. You can also stream a bazillion internet radio stations which is pretty cool. And the photo screensaver has many options and can stream from your Flickr feed or iCloud Photostream.

If you subscribe to Youtube channels, this device is killer for playing those back too.

You can also mirror your iPad 2 screen to the Apple TV, which is great for putting all sorts of things onto your TV. And the "Remote" app for iPhone/iPad let's you use your iOS device keyboard to type in searches quickly as well.

I was a little skeptical of the device at first, but after one day I'm pretty much sold. Killer little device on it's own, and an Awesome little accessory for your iPad 2 or 3. I reccomend it.

Y: The Last Man Movie Has Been Revived, Acquires New Writing Team
source: Bleeding Cool

This doesn't seem like something you could do justice to with a movie. Seems like you would need to do this just like Walking Dead. Episodic, long and drawn out. Of course since Walking Dead is already doing the post apocalyptic thing, a TV Y The Last Man would probably end up covering alot of the same ground, so maybe the ship has sailed on this for awhile.

Convert screenshots to text with Capture2Text, a free optical character recognition (OCR) app
source: freewaregenius.com

First Look At The Green Arrow In Costume For His TV Show, Arrow
source: Bleeding Cool

The writeups I've read sound terribly soap opera-ish so far, but the costume design is nice enough.

Universal Construction Kit makes interset mating easy, fun
source: DVICE

Kindof cool. Cross set connectors that let you tie multiple types of building toys together.

The Easiest Way to Share Dropbox Folders Is with Your Facebook Friends [Dropbox]
source: Gizmodo

I haven't tried this yet, but this seems like a potentially interesting way to distribute files in a controlled way.

HOWTO Make your own Lucky Charms marshmallows
source: Boing Boing

Here's how you make Homemade Lucky Charm Marbits.

Apparently you have to make homemade Corn Syrup first. The poster says store bought won't work.

After you have the corn syrup, you can get to making the bits.

I really want to do this someday and I agree with the Boing Boing quote below:

If you can make homemade corn syrup, you can make homemade marshmallows. If you can make homemade marshmallows, you can make homemade Lucky Charms marshmallows. If you can do that, you are become death, destroyer of worlds.

Space-saving solutions for small homes
source: Unclutterer

Read Free eBooks On The Go With Wattpad For Android
source: MakeUseOf.com

Cool.

Autodesk Wants to Bring 3D Printing to Everyone With an iPad [VIDEO]
source: Mashable!

Cool Stuff.

First Trailer For The Battlestar Galactica Prequel Blood And Chrome
source: Bleeding Cool

So say we all.

The Evolution of the Moon Past to Present [Video]
source: the How-To Geek

Cool moon stuff.

98 major advertisers say no to Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity and other right wing radio shows
source: Boing Boing

If true, this is very cool.

Somewhere there exists an R-rated version of Galaxy Quest [Galaxy Quest]
source: io9

Fascinating.

Dan Frommer: If You're Still Whining About AT&T's 3G Data Throttling, You're Part of the Problem
source: Daring Fireball

The thing is, and the flaw in the above argument is: the internet isn't a finite resource and mobile internet is very poorly constructed at the moment. What needs to be switched on is ubiquitous wi-fi +3G + LTE and a mesh type connection, but powers that be don't really want to do that. Your device needs to be tied to a single IP address, Anonymous mesh surfing is a no no for IP surveillance. If we stopped caring about that though... there are all sorts of things like mesh networks etc. that would make bandwidth very very plentiful. It's certainly not a finite resource. Every device on the net could be adding to, not subtracting from what is available.

Superman battles the Hulk in this fan-made CG grudge match [Video]
source: io9

Good Stuff. Multiple videos at the link.

CmdrTaco Joins the Washington Post
source: Daring Fireball

Is that not a cool headline.

4 Portable Application Sites & Suites You May Not Know About
source: MakeUseOf.com

It's very interesting that people are continuing to develop these. With Phones, Netbooks and tablets being what they now are, it feels like there must be a very small subset of users actually using things like this though.

Mattels Young Justice Batman
source: Action Figure Insider - Best Toy News on the Web!

OMG, you mean they made a 6" Batman action figure? Really, how exciting ;)

Avengers Villain Ultron Coming to DSTs Marvel Select Line
source: Action Figure Insider - Best Toy News on the Web!

Cool.

You Get Nothing
source: Neatorama

Cool Video.

The Story of the Keep Calm and Carry On Poster
source: Neatorama

If Three Little Pigs Were Covered by Modern Media
source: Neatorama

Neil deGrasse Tyson Supercut Demands We Dream of Space Again [Video]
source: io9

A Better Way To Program
source: Slashdot

Watch the video. Some interesting ideas.

Innovative Tree House Ensuring a High Living Standard: Eco-Perch
source: Furniture, Gadgets, Inspiration and More for a Better House

Nice Layout.

Practical Oz Sofa Transforms into a Spacious Family Bed [Video]
source: Furniture, Gadgets, Inspiration and More for a Better House

Neat.

Turn a $99 Nook into a Fully Fledged Android Tablet in Four Easy Steps [Video]
source: Lifehacker

Cool.

Read The Best Of Reddit With The Monthly Downloadable The Redditor Magazine
source: MakeUseOf.com

Very cool. Click and hit issues. Works great on iPad.

Without further ado, Mr. Freeze: The Musical, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger [Video]
source: io9

HOWTO make a shamrock shake at home
source: Boing Boing

Homemade Shamrock Shake

makes one serving

• 1 cup vanilla ice cream
• 1/3 cup milk
• 4 drops of peppermint extract
• 3 drops of green food dye

G-Force starring Zac Efron
source: Super Punch

A live action Battle of the Planets would be pretty cool.

Dear Reddit: You Asked, We Listened!
source: Woot! - One Day, One Deal

Chuck Jones Teaches You How to Draw Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck [Video]
source: Gizmodo

Here's what the new Swamp Thing looks like
source: Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources - Covering Comic Book News and Entertainment

DC, you're doing it wrong.

First Dark Shadows Trailer: Tim Burton's Most Ridiculous Movie Yet? [Video]
source: io9

Trippy, odd.

Speech synthesizer in 1K of Javascript
source: Boing Boing

Trippy

The IKEA House
source: Neatorama

Arkham Asylum Batman and Joker custom action figures (and more)
source: Super Punch

A bunch of custom action figures at the link. This Robin Memorial is pretty cool.

Sherlock Holmes vs. The Doctor
source: Neatorama

Shazam! The New Cloaked Look Of Captain Marvel
source: Bleeding Cool

This won't work either. Some day DC will have to realize, Captain Marvel just doesn't work in a world with Superman. Just put him back on Earth-S. There's nothing wrong with Captain Marvel that just giving him his own universe seperate from the Justice League can't solve.

Watch the Simpsons' amazing Game of Thrones intro [Video]
source: io9

Cool.

Sproing! Ftoow! Whoozhhh! Watch The Latest Avengers Trailer Recut From 60s Animation
source: Bleeding Cool

Futulele Turns Your iPad and iPhone Into a Ukulele [VIDEO]
source: Mashable!

Cool video.

The Most Astounding Fact (Neil DeGrasse Tyson)
source: Likecool

Is This the Best Startup Launch Video Ever?
source: Mashable!

Fncking great.

and here is the song from the end of the above video. Karate by Kennedy.

Watch the Entire Apple iPad Keynote Now [Ipad Hd]
source: Gizmodo

I'm sure the new iPad will look awesome in person. I certainly use my iPad2 enough to justify an upgrade, but I think I'll hold off a little bit. I can't imagine anything cooler coming down the road in the next year though. Iterative, but nice.

Is This the New Apple Logo? [Apple]
source: Gizmodo

It will be interesting to see if they pull off this more colorful interpretation.

Sovereignty and the new world--the end of nations?
source: Seth\'s Blog

Bleaker for Godin than normal.

Google and ASUS to Co-Produce 7 Inch Nexus Tablet, Coming in May
source: Tablet News

Too little too late, but will probably have some niche uses if they can get the things into the mass market channels.

Who's the Better Personal Assistant, Siri Or Alfred? [Video]
source: Gizmodo

Ha.

Quantic Dream's Kara
source: Likecool

Very cool. Realtime 3D on a Playstation 3. Imagine this merged with Siri?

Chronicle 2 Is Coming
source: Bleeding Cool

Interesting POV.

4 Awesome Journal Apps To Write About Your Day [iPhone]
source: MakeUseOf.com

I just downloaded My Wonderful Days it seems fpretty good so far.

3 Free & Awesome Tools To Optimize Your Dual Monitor Setup [Windows]
source: MakeUseOf.com

Criticism and Two Way Streets
source: Contrast | The Blog

P:R Approved: Mark Vicks Batman Beyond!
source: Project Rooftop

Peppy



Peppy got sick yesterday and we spent the evening at the Animal Emergency Room. This morning we took her to another vet. It was not a good prognosis, but we brought her home to see if she'd pull though. During the day she got worse.

She was a good ferret. We'll missing having her with us.

Jennifer has a very nice post about Peppy on her blog.

Thought

Those that can not get dignity and respect from above, will likely seek it or try to take it from below. People who are disrespected and without dignity, and defined as below, will generally try to recover some of that dignity and respect, by at the very least defining themselves as above some other group. Being at the bottom is typically too much to bear for most.

Dell Executive: Were No Longer a PC Company
source: Daring Fireball

They're a floor wax and a dessert topping.

Watching a Fish Chase a Laser Is Cuter Than Any Cat Video [Video]
source: Gizmodo

Wow, technology actually makes it possible to play with fish. Cool.

ABC Reports Avengers Vs X-Men As News
source: Bleeding Cool

Weird video. Odd seeing comics treated like movies. Now bad overproduced comics can get the same TV news treatment as bad overproduced movies? Hooray for ABC-Disney-Marvel corporate synergy?

Ultimate Modular Sofa Fits in Endless Configurations
source: WebUrbanist

Awesome Previously Unpublished Photos of Google Zurich
source: Office Snapshots

A bunch of interesting Google Office Shots. There are also some interesting work pods that look like the teleporter pods from the Fly.

Skyrim Sneak T-Shirt
source: Neatorama

Cool.

Unfulfilling Job
source: Neatorama

Everything is a Remix (part four)
source: Neatorama

Video at the link.

"When the system conflicts with reality, the system starts to fail."

A nice bit on "Loss Aversion" too.

Copyrights
An Act for the encouragment of learning.

Patents
An act to promote the progress of useful arts.

Pizza with a Hot Dog Crust
source: Neatorama

Garden Fork Folding Table
source: Neatorama

What are the world's root problems?
source: Boing Boing

Pikachu Playboy
source: Likecool

Landry Folding Device helps you get those perfect creases
source: The Red Ferret Journal - gadgets, cool sites, freeware and tech trivia

Bolide Slideshow Creator: Create Slideshows In Video File Formats
source: MakeUseOf.com

Cool.

You never anticipated seeing a flying robot swarm perform the James Bond theme [Video]
source: io9

Very Very Cool.

Standing Tables & Desks with Style
source: Unplggd

Sockso Your Own Personal Music Server, No Third Party Required
source: MakeUseOf.com

Is Dunbar's Friend-Limiting Number Still Relevant in the Facebook Era? [Facebook]
source: Gizmodo

Yes.

Random Non-Sequiters

It's March already, although I'd have to say that despite the mild winter, January and February seem like they have hung on forever.

According to weather.com at the right. We should be done with Snow more or less during the day now. And that's a good thing at least.

I wouldn't mind if we got a chance to take a run near some of those record highs a couple days maybe too.