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TwitterDoctor Who – Decades in One Graphic
08 Feb 2011 No Comments
in Cool!, Vice Tags: cool, doctor who, scifi
This is very cool. (via Blastr)
Click to embiggen
New Hobby: Book Making
05 Oct 2010 1 Comment
in Hobbies, Vice Tags: binding, book making, hobbies
I’ve been fishing around for something to do as a hobby for while. Making beer, while fun, isn’t something we have the facilities for me to do with any regularity. Plus, it’s kind of a pain in the ass (sorry brewers, it is). J– had recently turned our spare bedroom into a writing room, which freed up a corner in the den. I quickly set up a card table, decked it out with a random Ikea shelf that had been sitting in a corner, and instantly realized I had nothing to do with the space.
A couple failed trips to Riders Hobby store later, I knew I wouldn’t be building model planes or cars anymore. I really enjoyed doing it as a kid, but I felt no passion for building what are, essentially, toys. I still don’t have quite enough space or money to bump up to making model sailing boats or R/C planes, so I found myself adrift without options.
But then, due to a random conversation at work, I was Googling for more information about making books. I watched some videos, browsed the few websites that are out there, and then a planned trip to Hollanders in Ann Arbor. Soon, I found myself in possession of a bone folder and some supplies.
I spent a couple tense hours measuring, cutting, gluing, and fretting as I assembled my first book; a deckle-edged, blank-paged journal with a cover cut from a map of the world. It an amateur’s job, which goes with my skill level. But I loved it and I wanted to make more books. I love the feel of books and the fact that I can create them taps into a visceral part of me, that part that used to hang out in my dad’s shop, breaking all his tools and cutting up his stock of wood.
This past weekend, I made book number two: a conventional, lined journal with a book cloth edge. It’s constructions is slightly better than the first book; practice makes perfect, right? I had planned to spread the construction out over the weekend, but I managed to finish it the same day I bought it.
I think I’ve found a hobby.
My First Two Books; 1st one on the bottom
The iPad
23 Jun 2010 1 Comment
in apple, Technology, Vice Tags: apple, gadets, iPad, prediction, Technology
Yes, I caved (or, was tipped slightly further, causing me to plummet into the cavern into which I was desperately staring) and bought an iPad. Wifi-only, because I’m cheap, but bought one nonetheless. And here’s why.
Douglas Adams.
No, I’m serious. It’s slowly becoming a cliche, but the iPad is the first step in realizing the vision of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; the nerd’s fantasy of an always connected, always updated book that tells you just what you need to know, now. It is a device that offers entertainment, wisdom, and places to get wasted. It is the Guide.
Any self-respecting (or moderately self-aware) nerd, geek, dweeb, A/V manager, or sys admin worth their salt has read the Sacred Tomes more than thrice. Annually if you want a really well-punched card. And the vision of that universe is a system of knowledge that crosses galaxies, instantaneously, if not accurately, to deliver the wisdom of people more worldly-wise-than-you to a device you can reasonably purchase. Adams himself saw the Internet to have the potential for this vision.
I did not, however, buy an iPad because I am some visionary sage of future tech. If that was my nature, I would be investing in toe nail collections (they have gold, you know). No, I bought it simply out of gadget lust. Nothing more, nothing less.
But then I saw what it did to people.
(Disclaimer, I’m well aware of the post-facto justification this post will sound like. Work with me through the rest; I’m writing with my biases prominently on display.)
I knew something was different on a Sunday a few weeks ago. My “in-laws” (not married) were over, with a visit from J–’s sister. I’d laid out the iPad casually, because I’m an attention whore like that. Everyone but J–’s mother was eager to try it; poked around the apps on it, flipped into the App Store to search for their favorite topic, things I’d seen a dozen people prior to them do at work.
J–’s mother, however, wanted nothing to with it. It didn’t interest her, it was odd and different. She didn’t need it. It got tossed back onto the coffee table. Then J–’s mother and I started talking about recipes for smoking meats while sitting on the couch (sidenote: I’d inherited a smoker from them and I LOVE it). I wanted to look up a recipe I’d seen, so I reached for the iPad. I didn’t do it to use the device, I reached for it because I didn’t want to leave the room and break up the conversation.
I fired up Safari and started searching, finding the first candidate. J–’s mum perked up, but that wasn’t the one. I search again. Closer, but she was sure she’d seen it somewhere else. I searched again but got further away.
J–’s mom got frustrated. She knew was it was, but couldn’t articulate it. So I handed her the iPad. I pointed out the search bar in Safari, made her tap to open the keyboard, and watched as she searched up the recipe. She emailed it to me, then proceeded to spend 20 minutes surfing various sites, zooming, opening multiple windows. She was a power user in less than half an hour. Her husband had to ask if they were leaving anytime soon to get her to stop.
And I knew. This was something different. I’d bought it out of lust, but fallen into the trap laid two decades ago by Douglas Adams. My Nerdself craved the interactive, ubiquitous ability to conjure up knowledge with my own fingers. Apple’s device isn’t magic, as so many marketing videos claim. But it is a visceral fulfillment of so many subconscious wishes. It can’t fail because we want it to succeed so much.
It is also the harbinger of how things will be. As with other things, it’s the first of many similar things. It may not be the most featured, but it is the more polished. There will certainly be Android touch tablets to follow, maybe even a Palm OS or Windows version. But Apple is defining the experience right now.
In 10 years, we’ll all have devices like this and wonder how we put up with things like mice, possibly even wondering what kind of idiot would have a 40-pound box stashed underneath their desk. Apple may not win the battle for market ($DEITY knows they’ve blown it many times before). But the model for how to interact is being changed and the future is being redefined. It’s an exciting time.
The Answer! (An Anniversary)
29 Mar 2010 No Comments
in Vice Tags: 42, douglas adams, fiction, HGTTG, hitchhiker's guide, humor
Today is the day we learned the answer to Life.
The Universe.
Everthing!
(It’s 42, by the way.)
On March 29, 1978, the BBC Radio series “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” aired the episode that revealed the answer.
And we still miss Douglas Adams.
Bacon-Wrapped Turkey
24 Nov 2008 4 Comments
in Food, Vice Tags: bacon, cooking, delicious, experiments, homage, Thanksgiving, turkey
Inspired by the Turbaconducken, my first attempt at a bacon-wrapped turkey.
Ready to bake
The cooked bird
Another hero shot
Lessons learned: thicker bacon, lower temp (baked this at 325), better covering of the bird to preserve moisture (or add liquid to oven). Overall, not a bad first attempt; even J– liked it (or so she says).
FINALLY, a reason to get a YouTube account
19 Nov 2008 2 Comments
in Entertainment, Made Me Laugh, Vice Tags: comedy, Monty Python, Video
The Monty Python channel.
Here’s the introduction they’ve posted:
The Guitar Hero Embeddable Widget
02 May 2008 2 Comments
in Cool!, Gaming, Vice Tags: games
Web-based, embeddable Guitar Hero. That is all.
[via Wired.com]
Countdown to gadget bliss
18 Feb 2008 No Comments
in Technology, Vice Tags: apple, gadgets, ipod, Vice
Tax season is upon us and with it, for me at least, a refund; an especially good one this year, as it turns out. So, after paying off a couple nagging bills, there will be enough left over to fund my gadget lust. After talking myself (and J–) into a MacBook, a visit to the Apple store actually backed me off that decision.
So I will instead be getting an iPod Touch. We have Verizon so jailbreaking an iPhone won’t work and I swore off AT&T years ago. Hence, the wifi-enabled, widget-sporting iPod Touch is exactly what fits the bill: connectivity with ultra-portability.
Anyone got experience with these? I plan on doing minor surfing with Safari, setting up Gmail for the mail client, and, yah know, using it as an iPod. Reasonable expectations for a souped-up PDA?
Free the Grapes!: To Ensure Consumer Choice in Fine Wine
21 Jan 2008 2 Comments
in Vice Tags: alcohol, Michigan, stupid laws, wine
Personnel bookmark. Why is this country so damned uptight about alcohol?
Gods Damn It – BSG Delayed?
26 Oct 2007 No Comments
in Entertainment, Vice
Battlestar Gallactica delayed until April? titled: some amusing blog pun has some interesting tidbits about why if you care enough to use decoder highlighting to learn about it.
I’m about over BSG at this point, especially if it takes a year to start a new season.