tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-200758642024-03-20T04:48:06.330-07:00Red Rockmxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-47994942434859924862009-07-20T12:57:00.000-07:002009-07-20T13:03:08.798-07:00Cult of the Amateur<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21fncLHdB5L.jpg" align="left" /><br /><br /><strong>Cult of the Amateur:</strong><br />How blogs, MySpace, YouTube, and the rest of today's user-generated media are destroying our economy, our culture, and our values<br /><br />by Andrew Keen<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cult-Amateur-MySpace-user-generated-destroying/dp/0385520816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248119701&sr=1-1">@AMAZON</a><br /><br /><strong>Paperback:</strong> 256 pages<br /><strong>Publisher:</strong> Broadway Business; Reprint ed (Aug. 12, 2008)<br /><strong>Language:</strong> English<br /><strong>ISBN-10:</strong> 0385520816<br /><strong>ISBN-13:</strong> 978-0385520812<br /><strong>Dimensions:</strong> 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.8 inchesmxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-85139264161197561692009-07-08T11:10:00.000-07:002009-07-08T11:21:01.580-07:00Location based gaming<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/TEVA_logo.jpg"><img style="margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/TEVA_logo.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Heroes Creator Introduces New Genre of Entertainment<br /> - <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/here_comes_the_mobile_immersive_experience.php">http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/here_comes_the_mobile_immersive_experience.php</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/nokia_swirl.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 78px;" src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/nokia_swirl.png" border="0" alt="" /></a>Wikipedia: Location-based game<br /> - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Location-based_game">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Location-based_game</a><br /><br /><br><br /><br />viaPlace<br /> - <a href="http://www.viaplace.com/">http://www.viaplace.com/</a><br /><br />Here Conference<br /> - <a href="http://www.hereconference.com/">http://www.hereconference.com/</a>mxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-76379436350887748202009-07-07T08:34:00.000-07:002009-07-07T08:39:24.613-07:00A 15th century gold pendant<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.artdaily.org/imagenes/2009/07/01/Metal-2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 167px;" src="http://www.artdaily.org/imagenes/2009/07/01/Metal-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>A 15th century gold pendant that lain buried beneath Hertfordshire farmland since the time of Henry VIII until it was discovered by an amateur metal detector is to be offered for sale at Sotheby’s Old Master Sculpture and Works of Art auction in London on Thursday 9 July 2009.<br /><br />SOURCE: <a href="www.artdaily.org">Art Daily</a>mxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-59852544599520001302009-06-26T09:45:00.000-07:002009-06-26T09:57:43.596-07:00Size-specific Adjustments to Type Designs<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.markbattypublisher.com/wp-content/uploads/siz-cover.gif"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 499px;" src="http://www.markbattypublisher.com/wp-content/uploads/siz-cover.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Typography Monographs Vol. 2<br />Size-specific Adjustments to Type Designs:<br /><span style="font-size:0.96emm;">An Investigation of the Principles Guiding the Design of Optical Sizes</span><br />by Tim Ahrens, MA<br /><br /> * Page Count: 174<br /> * Size: 7 x 10<br /> * Format: Casebound<br /> * Publication Date: April 2009<br /> * Price: $65<br /> * ISBN: 978-0-9817805-4-2<br /><br />Type designs in history have had significantly different designs in smaller point sizes than that of the larger sizes – a feature which has hardly been carried over to digital type as it is used today, where all sizes can be scaled from a single master. Why were the various point sizes so different in their attributes?mxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-6022748821162732882009-06-25T10:24:00.001-07:002009-06-25T10:46:56.975-07:00Nice To Have<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img src='http://typedeskref.com/images/flag.gif'/><br /><a href='http://bit.ly/D0oX4'>The Typographic Desk Reference - TDR</a> - <a href='http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1584562315?ie=UTF8&tag=blogdorf-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1584562315'>@Amazon</a><br /><br/><br/><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/73/Hyperion_cover.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 697px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/73/Hyperion_cover.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Hyperion is a Hugo Award-winning 1989 science fiction novel<br />by Dan Simmons - <a href='http://www.amazon.com/Hyperion-Dan-Simmons/dp/0553283685/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245951976&sr=8-1'>@Amazon</a><br /><br /><br /></div>mxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-5355895781816557912009-06-24T10:17:00.001-07:002009-06-24T12:55:38.182-07:00What I'm Reading<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><ul><br /> <li>Cory Doctrow: <a href='http://craphound.com/content/download/'>Content</a> - see also <a href='http://www.archive.org/details/CoryDoctorow-Content_268'>audio</a></li><li><a href='http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20227135.900-email-patterns-can-predict-impending-doom.html'>Email patterns can predict impending doom</a> - New Scientist</li><li><a href="http://torrentfreak.com/free-anonymous-bittorrent-becomes-reality-with-bitblinder-090611/">Free Anonymous BitTorrent Becomes Reality With BitBlinder</a> - torrentfreak</li><li><a href="http://thepiratebay.org/special/2009mmtpb.php">WE'RE ALL THE PIRATE BAY</a> - Montt Mardié's Pirate Bay theme song/anthem</li><br /></ul></div>mxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-39706006301404140422009-03-09T08:31:00.000-07:002009-03-09T08:40:39.952-07:00Wired for WarWired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century<br />by P.W. Singer<br />Penguin 2009<br /><br /><blockquote>Such a battle of persuasion has powerful implications for the use of robots in war. The U.S. has already deployed at least 19,000 unmanned ground and aerial vehicles, which are controlled remotely. Such countries as China and Russia have developed comparable programs. In a war between robots, electronics engineers will be capable not just of shutting down enemy robots, but of "making them do things the enemy didn't want them to do," says Singer. </blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://wiredforwar.pwsinger.com/">wired mag</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wired-War-Robotics-Revolution-Conflict/dp/1594201986"><br />amazon.com</a>mxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-77537250031252451742008-11-18T10:59:00.000-08:002009-03-04T11:17:37.521-08:00books to get: 2009 02 Feb 04<em>Cyberabad Days</em> by Ian McDonald, 2009<br /><em>River of Gods</em> by Ian McDonald, 2006<br /><br /><em>Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles Into Comics</em><br />by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, Alexis Frederick-Frost<br />pub March 31, 2009<br /><br />Ages 4-8 (for Sarha?)<br /><br />James Stur:<ul><li>Eisner Award-winning</li><li>founded of The Center for Cartoon Studies @ <a href="http://www.cartoonstudies.org/">http://www.cartoonstudies.org/</a></li></ul>mxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-85815248029774861502008-09-13T21:05:00.000-07:002008-09-13T21:54:30.011-07:00The Omnivore’s Hundred<p>Here’s a chance for a little interactivity for all the bloggers out there. Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise everything in the hundred, either; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page">Wikipedia</a> has the answers.</p>Here’s what I want you to do:<br /><p>1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.<br />2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.<br />3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.<br />4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at <a href="http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/">www.verygoodtaste.co.uk</a> linking to your results.</p><strong>The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:</strong><br /><p>1. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Venison</span><br />2. Nettle tea<br />3. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huevos_rancheros">Huevos rancheros</a><br />4. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steak_tartare">Steak tartare</a><br />5. Crocodile<br />6. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Black pudding</span><br />7. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Cheese fondue</span><br />8. Carp<br />9. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borscht">Borscht</a><br />10.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba_ghanoush">Baba ghanoush</a><br />11. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamari">Calamari</a><br />12. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pho">Pho</a><br />13. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_butter_and_jelly_sandwich">PB&J sandwich</a><br />14. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloo_gobi">Aloo gobi</a><br />15. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hot dog from a street cart</span><br />16. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89poisses_de_Bourgogne_%28cheese%29">Epoisses</a><br />17. Black truffle<br />18. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Fruit wine made from something other than grapes</span><br />19. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Steamed pork buns</span><br />20. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pistachio ice cream</span><br />21. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heirloom_tomato">Heirloom tomatoes</a><br />22. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Fresh wild berries</span><br />23. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foie_gras">Foie gras</a><br />24. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_and_beans">Rice and beans</a><br />25. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brawn/">Brawn</a>, or head cheese<br />26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper<br />27. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dulce_de_leche">Dulce de leche</a><br />28. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Oysters</span><br />29. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baklava">Baklava</a><br />30. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagna_cauda">Bagna cauda</a><br />31. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Wasabi peas</span><br />32. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl</span> (in SanFranon th dock)<br />33. Salted <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lassi">lassi</a><br />34. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauerkraut">Sauerkraut</a><br />35. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Root beer float</span><br />36. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Cognac </span>with a fat cigar<br />37. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Clotted </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_tea">cream tea</a><br />38. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Vodka jelly/Jell-O</span><br />39. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gumbo">Gumbo</a><br />40. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Oxtail </span>(does soup count?)<br />41. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Curried goat</span><br />42. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Whole insects</span> (does chocolate covered count)<br />43. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaal">Phaal</a><br />44. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Goat’s milk</span><br />45. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Malt whisky</span> from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more (a friend's)<br />46. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugu">Fugu</a><br />47. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tikka_masala">Chicken tikka masala</a><br />48. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Eel </span>(does pickelled count)<br />49. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut</span> (in Plano/Dallas TX - 2001)<br />50. Sea urchin<br />51. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prickly_pear">Prickly pear</a><br />52. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umeboshi">Umeboshi</a><br />53. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abalone">Abalone</a><br />54. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paneer">Paneer</a><br />55. <span style="font-weight: bold;">McDonald’s Big Mac Meal</span><br />56. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaetzle">Spaetzle</a><br />57. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dirty gin </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martini_%28cocktail%29">martini</a><br />58. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Beer above 8% ABV</span><br />59. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine">Poutine</a><br />60. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carob">Carob</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> chips</span><br />61. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%27mores">S’mores</a><br />62. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbreads">Sweetbreads</a><br />63. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geophagy">Kaolin</a><br />64. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Currywurst">Currywurst</a><br />65. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian">Durian</a><br />66. Frogs’ legs<br />67.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Beignets</span> (in New Orleans before Katrina), <span style="font-weight: bold;">churros, elephant ears or funnel cake</span><br />68. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis">Haggis</a><br />69. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Fried </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantain">plantain</a><br />70. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitterlings">Chitterlings</a>, or andouillette<br />71. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gazpacho">Gazpacho</a><br />72. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Caviar and </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blinis">blini</a><br />73. Louche <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe">absinthe</a><br />74. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gjetost">Gjetost</a>, or brunost<br />75. Roadkill<br />76. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baijiu">Baijiu</a><br />77. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hostess Fruit Pie</span><br />78. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Snail</span><br />79. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapsang_souchong">Lapsang souchong</a><br />80. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellini_%28cocktail%29">Bellini</a><br />81. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_yum">Tom yum</a><br />82. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggs_Benedict">Eggs Benedict</a><br />83. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocky">Pocky</a><br />84. Tasting menu at a three-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelin_Guide">Michelin</a>-star restaurant.<br />85. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_beef">Kobe beef</a><br />86. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hare</span><br />87. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goulash">Goulash</a><br />88. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edible_flowers">Flowers</a> (in a salad count)<br />89. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Horse</span><br />90. Criollo chocolate<br />91. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Spam</span><br />92. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_shell_crab">Soft shell crab</a><br />93. Rose <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harissa">harissa</a><br />94. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Catfish</span><br />95. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_%28sauce%29">Mole</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> poblano</span><br />96. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Bagel and </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lox">lox</a><br />97. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobster_Thermidor">Lobster Thermidor</a><br />98. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polenta">Polenta</a><br />99. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_Blue_Mountain_Coffee">Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee</a><br />100. Snake</p>(PS. The list has generated a lot of questions, so I’ve created an FAQ for it <a href="http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/uncategorised/hundred-reasons/">over here</a>!)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/uncategorised/the-omnivores-hundred/" rel="bookmark">Permanent Link</a><br /><br />I found this list via Tim O'Reilly's Twitter account; http://twitter.com/timoreillymxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-51008670035789028592007-05-24T23:57:00.001-07:002007-05-25T00:57:47.773-07:00Isaac Asimov's: Robots in Time<h2 style="margin:0em;">by William F. Wu</h2><ol><li style="clear:both;"><br /><img style="float:left; margin-bottom:2em; position:relative; top:-1.5em;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1xnUKfVQ2CVvDNY_S0Yh-llpes36L_MlihxyRfaGhwTy6X37VXEyeFYO0S-ITfyO1mdU3N-D4iOOOWvpJHvjZBZQlZfgnbQQVNHXvAc2zhYC-yvlZ8Q0zyuVceVzvhjdA2phYA/s200/rit-1-predator.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068392846391787826" /><br /><ul style="float:left; position:relative; top:-4.5em; margin-top:0em;"><br /><li>Predator</li><li>1993</li><li>Dinosaurs</li></ul></li><li style="clear:both;"><br /><img style="float:left; margin-bottom:2em; position:relative; top:-1.5em;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEb6aTIV4WHL5w_3uiy0yznpClMfEGclXEPjIKThTMZo6So00E4Bt3J72h2pGgtj-h2wU8-UsrFNDMXsJqg6DAJcZl7d2gpin4FvNRPQBsrDziG7QmyPKVR00_ZdkB6kC1Sxq7Ow/s200/rit-2-marauder.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068400796376252738" /><br /><ul style="float:left; position:relative; top:-4.5em; margin-top:0em;"><br /><li>Marauder</li><li>1993</li><li>Buccaneers</li></ul></li><li style="clear:both;"><br /><img style="float:left; margin-bottom:2em; position:relative; top:-1.5em;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YgApjpEBM2qruZRrNoi9gPBM1C2NtURYi_LZv7-uAkLsTxmfwQcDhHlrDZ1jO9k_DUIKCiwVHQAWxjjn3PF_nJDdlZIkBHl9nGEVamYyZNzaXvFhFD3yCyqCsoj9Wr7Acqj5sg/s200/rit-3-warrior.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068401573765333330" /><br /><ul style="float:left; position:relative; top:-4.5em; margin-top:0em;"><br /><li>Warrior</li><li>1993</li><li>Romans</li></ul><li style="clear:both;"><br /><img style="float:left; margin-bottom:2em; position:relative; top:-1.5em;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVNUBIJeMMelrYjeWgL3vzTSyJ-iton1GIs02b5nTfMesXBy8H3s7F5ubc7U5rIT6y9MM5hPLl0oX0q2O6AqAY7cxLtXsjiIJOanC3lboPl910v_htvmDvhzVQzH0OndWZOCqYA/s200/rit-4-dictator.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068402071981539682" /><br /><ul style="float:left; position:relative; top:-4.5em; margin-top:0em;"><br /><li>Dictator</li><li>1994</li><li>Nazis</li></ul></li><li style="clear:both;"><br /><img style="float:left; margin-bottom:2em; position:relative; top:-1.5em;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGHd4SB-wQzWvA4EE8finWsYUndWzi2T7kjvzqeI4RN9a2NYFjup76DzLirWk1Inkrej27iWu5Db79ZlM7Je8GBNVr3eTLK6rdIe7IgTRqMiCIADqN_X2M-rLCEuln7iajV5BHw/s200/rit-5-emperor.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068402724816568690" /><br /><ul style="float:left; position:relative; top:-4.5em; margin-top:0em;"><br /><li>Emperor <sup>x</sup></li><li>1994</li><li>Mongols</li></ul></li><li style="clear:both;"><br /><img style="float:left; margin-bottom:2em; position:relative; top:-1.5em;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMKoWSm9i4dTvqhFRQ6y2G-MbB0_Wql1t97-Ghp6LoBESglnbCh_2wliOS5bg8Z754kkKL1fpLmzC-fml8kkIoOSzXT88_vQKgM0kgw7wyNbZ_JAN5qvBu6cGOlBoADLatk9d5w/s200/rit-6-invader.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068403012579377538" /><br /><ul style="float:left; position:relative; top:-4.5em; margin-top:0em;"><br /><li>Invader <sup>x</sup></li><li>1994</li><li>Knights</li></ul></li></ol>mxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-81652026158055596812007-05-24T15:31:00.001-07:002007-05-24T15:45:47.209-07:00The Doctor is calling<a style="float:left; margin-right:1em;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1JbXUSxA2bCMPX0LpV_7cHBpE_iPvZ9QjIKKvG87Gu77pe1kWWRoZkb9hUmosYhZryboLe6QTIAM8otV40e9oAuqzISf2qenfiyKEq9A5zKPNq1vT2iwLPPrF8YSgYnPTk9CYVw/s1600-h/dr+who+ph+fob.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1JbXUSxA2bCMPX0LpV_7cHBpE_iPvZ9QjIKKvG87Gu77pe1kWWRoZkb9hUmosYhZryboLe6QTIAM8otV40e9oAuqzISf2qenfiyKEq9A5zKPNq1vT2iwLPPrF8YSgYnPTk9CYVw/s200/dr+who+ph+fob.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068258976556138770" border="0" /></a>Another Dr. Who must have!<p>These clever little charms flash and spin every time a call comes in.</p><p>Perfect for me as I can clip one to my bicycle handle bars and know when the phone is ringing in the bottom of a panniers.</p><p>They're from firebox.com in the UK, see: <a href="http://www.firebox.com/product/1718">Dr Who Phone Flashers</a></p>mxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-55842749718288092952007-05-11T20:59:00.001-07:002007-05-11T20:59:02.815-07:00ScribeFire<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>This is <span style='color: rgb(255, 0, 0);'>ScribeFire</span>.<br></br><br></br>My new blogging editor from inside FireFox.<br></br><br></br><p class='poweredbyperformancing'>Powered by <a href='http://scribefire.com/'>ScribeFire</a>.</p></div>mxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-37443414119961696322007-05-11T11:15:00.000-07:002007-05-11T11:48:14.764-07:00May 11, 1997: IBM's "Deep Blue" beats chess master Garry KasparovThat's 10 years ago.<br /><br />WIRED MAG - <a href="http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/05/dayintech_0511">Machine Bests Man</a><br />WIKIPEDIA - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Deep_Blue">IBM Deep Blue</a><br /><span title="Late Night with David Letterman">LETTERMAN</span> - <a href="http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/top_ten/index/php/19970512.phtml">Top Ten Ways Deep Blue is Celebrating its Victory</a>mxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-9309663786472369302007-05-08T06:52:00.000-07:002007-05-08T08:01:42.327-07:00All Your Bits Belong To MeWell at least the ones encoded with<br /><br />2E C3 E3 C9 22 68 55 63 79 AA 97 AE 35 89 4E 2A<br /><br />which I now release under the <br /><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike</a> <br />license.<br /><br /><img style="width: 50px;" alt="Creative Commons" title="Creative Commons" border="0" src="http://creativecommons.org/images/deed/cc-logo.jpg"/>  <img style="width: 50px;" alt="share" title="share" border="0" src="http://creativecommons.org/images/deed/share.png"/>  <img style="width: 50px;" alt="remix" title="remix" border="0" src="http://creativecommons.org/images/deed/remix.png"/>  <img style="width: 50px;" alt="share alike" title="share alike" border="0" src="http://creativecommons.org/images/deed/sa.png"/>  <img style="width: 50px;" alt="attribution" title="attribution" border="0" src="http://creativecommons.org/images/deed/by.png"/><br /><br />Get you own 128 bit integer at <a href="http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/?p=1155">http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/?p=1155</a>mxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-76991070188423503742007-05-03T12:10:00.000-07:002007-05-03T12:11:27.724-07:00Interesting Bit Pattern<pre><br />0000 1001<br />1111 1001<br />0001 0001<br />0000 0010<br />1001 1101<br />0111 0100<br />1110 0011<br />0101 1011<br />1101 1000<br />0100 0001<br />0101 0110<br />1100 0101<br />0110 0011<br />0101 0110<br />1000 1000<br />1100 0000<br /></pre>mxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-17798688070666343722007-05-03T11:11:00.000-07:002007-05-03T11:49:56.747-07:00Thin slicing:<h3 style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0); margin-top: -1em;">inside or outside the world of user experience?</h3><p>In his popular book, <a href="http://www.gladwell.com/blink/">Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking</a>, Malcolm Gladwell, demonstrates that people make decisions based on extremely small amounts of information, and very quickly. They call this "thin slicing". A significant amount of information is building in research journals such as the Journal of Consumer Psychology about what thin slicing is, how it takes place, and when it is active. In a recent article in the Journal, Laura Peracchio and David Luna talk about whether thin-slicing judgments apply to the Internet.</p><h4>Are people making quick decisions online?</h4><p>Peracchio and Luna cite research that suggests that 80% of Web surfers spend only a few seconds looking at a Web site before moving on to the next site, and that the average Web surfer is unlikely to look past the first two pages of a site. This points to the fact that consumers seem to be forming judgments quickly and in a way that is consistent with thin slicing. Ambady et al (2006) suggest in their research that these visual and perceptual judgments turn out to be amazingly accurate, even without personal human interaction.</p><h4>Do people use thin slicing to judge ease of use and trustworthiness?</h4><p>Chiravuri and Peracchio (2003) suggest that consumers are making thin slice decisions about site security and ease of use. McKnight, Choudhury, and Kacmar (2002) and Haried (2005) maintain that consumers form thin slice judgments on the trustworthiness of a Web site during brief exposure.</p><h4>And what about brand perception and thin slicing?</h4><p>Most thin slicing research focuses on people make decisions and judgments about other people. But some researchers are now arguing that brands posses a perceived personality, and that people are making thin slice decisions about brand. Ambady et al (2006) says that thin slicing forces people to focus on nonverbal cues, and to ignore the actual "message," information from a previous interaction, or broader context. Peracchio and Luna argue, therefore, that brand perception might be primarily a thin slice phenomenon.</p><p></p><h4>So what should a user experience professional do?</h4><p>For many years usability professionals have focused on a cognitive view of usability. What are the users thinking about? What is their mental model? How does the visual design relate to the mental model? Even our methodologies (thinking aloud during usability testing) rely on cognitive processing. I'm not suggesting that we ignore our cognitive roots, but the research is building that we can't rely on these roots exclusively. It's time for us to dig in and explore the research on non-conscious processes and how this affects our heuristics, recommendations for interface design, and even our industry methodologies.</p><pre><br />- Susan Weinschenk, PhD, CUA<br /> HFI Chief of Technical Staff</pre><p>SOURCE@ <a href="http://www.humanfactors.com/">UI Design Newsletter – April, 2007</a></p>mxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-86318182360749923372007-05-02T22:18:00.000-07:002007-05-03T12:00:32.133-07:00Zero and her Origin<img style="border: medium none ; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: block; width: 321px; height: 20px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbdzX3jLre4f9h6CQxOzttpJnTTdxh2-SR8umd0y4enEQ5NyUrQwd-jPGPgbQ3lSO7S-BS_Yc4eJYVjdmime1DBr-JIwB-C-TDPRmwC4NaQeq59zon8hUt4yVD8bg-EnBpZkM8g/s200/IllegalColorScheme+09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688C0.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060204776849411026" /><pre>Zero, the number said to be discovered<br />Nine times by ancient magicians, was<br />Found again by a mysterious order of<br />Nine modern alchemists, who built<br />One machine after another, until finally<br />One exploded with fascinating results.<br />No fire emerged from its<br />Twin engines, but instead<br />Nine small automata crawled out,<br />Denying the proposition that energy,<br />Seven millenia or more in the accumulation,<br />For most purposes, remains<br />Ever constant, throughout the<br />Three ages of man's civilization.</pre><pre>Five hundred years after the death of Cesare<br />Borgia, whose image infected those of the<br />Divine Lamb (so called), still she who<br />Ate of the pomegranate seeds<br />For her indiscretion, must ever wend her<br />Solitary path amongst the<br />Five true worlds, stopping only for<br />Sex and occasional rending of garments.<br />Constant travel drains her.<br />Five worlds is too many for one lifetime, yet the<br />Sixth can never claim her.</pre><pre>Three wise men write, of the sefirot,<br />Five are false, and four are lies.<br />Tiferet alone among them holds the world's truth.<br />Eight lifetimes of study,<br />Eight generations of blind encoding,<br />Cannot release the final answer:<br />Zero defined by itself; no further emblems exist.<br /></pre><p>- <a href="http://jeremy.org/">Jeremy Bornstein</a></p><br /><img style="border: 0pt none ; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 321px; height: 20px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbdzX3jLre4f9h6CQxOzttpJnTTdxh2-SR8umd0y4enEQ5NyUrQwd-jPGPgbQ3lSO7S-BS_Yc4eJYVjdmime1DBr-JIwB-C-TDPRmwC4NaQeq59zon8hUt4yVD8bg-EnBpZkM8g/s200/IllegalColorScheme+09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688C0.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060204776849411026" /><br /><pre>dec2hex([9,249,17,2,157,116,227,91,216,65,86,197,99,86,136,192])</pre><br /><p>SOURCE@ <a href="http://scriptorium.monastic.org/">http://scriptorium.monastic.org/</a><span style="display: block;">see also: <a href="http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2007/02/the_new_hddvdbl.html" title="The New HD-DVD/Blu-Ray Hack: What It Might Mean For Us">WIRED News</a></span></p>mxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-5165551594546466042007-04-26T06:06:00.000-07:002007-04-26T06:42:48.201-07:00Faster Page Loads With Image Concatenation<pre><br />img.icon<br />{<br /> background: url('/path/to/concatenated/image.gif') no-repeat;<br /> height: 16px;<br /> margin-right: 3px;<br /> vertical-align: middle;<br /> width: 16px;<br />}<br /><br />img.icon<br />{<br /> filter:alpha(opacity=50);<br /> -moz-opacity: 0.5;<br /> opacity: 0.5;<br />}<br /><br />img.icon:hover<br />{<br /><br /> filter:alpha(opacity=100);<br /> -moz-opacity:1.0;<br /> opacity:1.0;<br />}<br /><br />img.icon-home<br />{<br /> background-position: 0px 0px;<br />}<br /><br />img.icon-search<br />{<br /> background-position: -16px 0px;<br />}<br /><br />img.icon-bookmark<br />{<br /> background-position: -32px 0px;<br />}<br /><br /></pre>SOURCE@ <a href="http://borkweb.com/story/faster-page-loads-with-image-concatenation">BorkWeb</a>mxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-68985697990069081632007-03-20T12:26:00.000-07:002007-04-26T06:19:38.818-07:00The 100% Easy-2-Read Standard<h4>by Oliver Reichenstein, 2006.11.17</h4><p>Most websites are crammed with small text that is a pain to read. Why?<br /> <br /><strong>don't tell us busy pages look better:</strong> Crowded websites don't look good, they look nasty.<br /> <br /><strong>don't tell us lots of links work better:</strong> Filling pages with stuff has never helped usability. Its laziness that makes you throw all kinds of stuff at us. We want you to think and preselect what is important. We don't want to do your work.<br /> <br /><strong>don't tell us to adjust the font size:</strong> We don't want to change our browser settings every time we visit a website!<br /> <br /><strong>don't tell us scrolling is bad:</strong> Because then all websites are bad. There is nothing wrong with scrolling. Nothing at all. Just as there is nothing wrong with flipping pages in books.<br /><br /><strong>don't tell us text is not important:</strong> <a href="http://www.informationarchitects.jp/the-web-is-all-about-typography-period">95% of what is commonly referred to as web design is typography</a>.<br /><strong>don't tell us to get glasses:</strong> Rather stop licking your screen, lean back(!) and continue reading in a relaxed position.</p><br /><br /><p>There is no reason for cramming information onto the screen. Its just a stupid collective mistake that started in a time where screens were really really small.</p><h3>1. Standard font size for long texts</h3><p>The font size you are reading right now is not big. Its the textsize browsers display by default. Its the textsize browsers were intended to display.</p><p>We don't want to click bigger or smaller buttons and we don't want to <em>change our preferences</em>. We want to read straight away. We want you to adjust to our settings, and not the other way round.</p><p>Initially it is more difficult to create a good layout with a big font size, but that <a href="http://www.informationarchitects.jp/simplicity">difficulty will help you design a simpler clearer site</a>. Cramming a site full of information is not difficult, making it simple and easy-to-use, is. At first youll be shocked how big the default text is. But after a day you wont want to see anything smaller than font-size 100% or 1em for the main text. It looks big at first, but once you use it you realize quickly why all browser makers went for this size as the default text size.</p><h3>2. Active white space</h3><h4>The width of the column must be proportioned to the size of the type. Overlong columns are wearying to the eye and also have an adverse psychological effect. Overshort columns can also be disturbing because they interrupt the flow of reading and put the reader off by obliging the eye to change lines too rapidly.<br />Josef Brockmann, Grid Systems</h4>Let your text breathe. <a href="http://www.informationarchitects.jp/the-web-is-all-about-typography-period">Using white space is not a designers nerdy issue. Its not about taste.</a> Having air around the text reduces the stress level, as it makes it much easier to focus on the essence. You don't need to fill the whole window with stuff. That white space looks nicer is not a side effect, its the logic consequence of functional design. Who said websites need to be crammed with stuff?<blockquote>Brockmann: <q>The question of the column width is not merely one of design or format; the question of legibility is of equal importance.</q> </blockquote><p>Please make sure that the line width (text column width, also called measure) is not too wide, and that you add room left and right to make it easy for the eye to jump. We don't want to adjust either the font size or window size. When we open a website we just want to read away. Column widths that scale are nice, never ending text lines all across the screen are not.</p><p>The basic rule is: 10-15 words per line. For liquid layouts, at 100% font size, 50% column width (in relation to window size) is a good benchmark for most screen resolutions.</p><h3>3. Reader friendly line height</h3><p>Here is what the reading specialist says: </p><blockquote><q>Lines that are too narrowly set impair reading speed because the upper and lower line are both taken in by the eye at the same time The eye cannot focus on excessively close lines and (&) the reader expends energy in the wrong place and tires more easily. The same also holds true for lines that are too widely spaced.</q><br /></blockquote><p>The default HTML line height is too small. If you increase the line height the text becomes more readable. 140% leading is a good benchmark.</p><h3>4. Clear color contrast</h3><p>This should not even be necessary to say. But if you still believe you can get away with one of the following combinations: </p><ol><li>light grey text on a lighter grey background</li><li>silver colored text on a snow white background</li><li>grey text on a yellow background</li><li>yellow text on a red background</li><li>green text on a red background and so on&</li></ol><p>&then you are not a web designer, but <a href="http://www.informationarchitects.jp/why-designers-have-an-attitude">just a designer with an attitude</a>. If you insist you are a web designer then you have to be aware that no one will ever know as no one will ever be able to read what you say. Stop this nonsense and let us see what you type. Note: For screen design too strong of a contrast (full black and white) is not ideal either, as the text starts to flicker. Benchmark: #333 on #fff</p><h3>5. No text in images</h3><p>We want to be able to search text, copy text, save your text, play with the cursor and mark text while we read. <a href="http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20020819.html">Text in images look pretty, but pretty is not what the web is about</a>. Its about communication, information, and information needs to be readable and usable and scalable and citable and sendable.</p><p>If you cant make you website look nice without text in images I am afraid that you will have to start from scratch.</p><h2>Spread the word</h2><p>If you want more websites to be readable, spread the word. Link back to this page so people know what the 100%E2R standard is all about. If you join in Ill be happy to list you below, with (=top of the list) or without link (=lower in the list and rel=no follow).</p><h3>How to spread E2R</h3><p>Send a mail to: oliver[at]informationarchitects[dot]jp with the link to your page and two lines about your site.</p><p>If your page is decent, I'll list it on this page, no matter if I like your particular design or not. Of course: No porn, spam or politics, but professional competitor websites (branding, usability & design) are very welcome.<br /></p><p>SOURCE@ <a href="http://www.informationarchitects.jp/100e2r">http://www.informationarchitects.jp/100e2r</a></p><br /><br />mxt<br /><br />THINK<br />think different<br />Think Open Sourcemxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-32119108167723318792007-03-20T11:01:00.000-07:002007-03-20T12:46:22.287-07:00Line length for text<blockquote style="border-left:silver 0.25em solid; padding-left:0.5em">a line in a book shouldn't run to more than about 27 picas (four and a half inches) because if you have more than about 54en, or characters (27em), to a line the eye tends to have difficulty finding the next line.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/typography/glossary/ch6.htm">http://www.microsoft.com/typography/glossary/ch6.htm</a><br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote style="border-left:silver 0.25em solid; padding-left:0.5em">The ideal line length for text layout is based on the the physiology of the human eye... At normal reading distance the arc of the visual field is only a few inches - about the width of a well-designed column of text, or about 12 words per line. Research shows that reading slows and retention rates fall as line length begins to exceed the ideal width, because the reader then needs to use the muscles of the eye and neck to track from the end of one line to the beginning of the next line. If the eye must traverse great distances on the page, the reader is easily lost and must hunt for the beginning of the next line. Quantitative studies show that moderate line lengths significantly increase the legibility of text.<br /><br /> Web Style Guide - Basic Design Principles for Creating Website<br /> Patrick J. Lynch and Sarah Horton<br /> 2nd edition, page 97.<br /></blockquote><br /><p>see also: <a href="http://www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/em/">Ideal line length for content, Russ Weakley May 3, 2003</a></p><br /><br />mxt<br /><br />THINK<br />think different<br />Think Open Sourcemxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-64095669821731825212007-03-20T10:50:00.000-07:002007-03-20T12:47:24.934-07:00Been A While<p>Been a while since I've written here. Glad to see that the account is still around.</p><p>THANKS Blogger, THANKS Google.</p><p>I think I'm going to start using it as a <q> note to self </q> space.</p><br />mxt<br /><br />THINK<br />think different<br />Think Open Sourcemxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20075864.post-1135197422842792522005-12-21T12:35:00.000-08:002007-03-20T12:45:42.580-07:00Hello World!1<sup>st</sup> blogger post.<br /><br />mxt<br /><br />THINK<br />think different<br />Think Open Sourcemxtbccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14780239603157248038noreply@blogger.com0