Words for the wise from the mouth of a fool.
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The weblog of Seth Johnson -------------- INKSLINGER.ORG -------------- OD ARCHIVES -------------- FEEDS Posts:  Shared Items:
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Saturday, July 23, 2005
From the Mast Climb to the Long Flying Fox, adventure activities on one of the world's tallest buildings (via Gridskipper.)
Sometimes you're too lazy to post to the LazyWeb and still the Web comes through:
For a few weeks I've been jealous of the RSS-aggregating screensaver being used by some of the Mac users at work. Then, tonight, I stumble across the NuParadigm RSS Screensaver.
Sweet.
Friday, July 22, 2005
"You got sex in my violence!"
Some thought that Hot Coffee was self-contained and soon to resolve. But we knew better, didn't we? We knew that first they would come for GTA, and then they would come for BMXXX. Or Outlaw Golf. Or DOA: Beach Volleyball. Or Leisure Suit Larry, if he isn't off enjoying his retirement in a non-extradition country.
--They're going after The Sims 2? What the?
"The bicycle corps began training in July 1896 with grueling exercises such as the one which started with the command “jump fence.” It involved the soldiers scaling a 9-foot obstacle by standing on the bike seat, climbing to the top of the obstacle, and then pulling the bicycle up and over."
Another fascinating gem from nineteenth-century history: the story of the buffalo soldiers who made up the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps.
There's a book called Iron Riders about the Bicycle Corps that I definitely want to check out, but if you poke around on the web you can find some great little treats like this hand-colored photograph of the Corps taken during their visit to Mammoth Hot Springs, along with lots of stories and anecdotes.
"On June 14, 1897 20 men of the bicycle corps left Fort Missoula in Montana. Their goal was to ride to St. Louis some 1,900 miles away. When a civilian asked one of the men, "Where are you going today?" the riders quickly shot back their answer, "The Lord only knows. We’re following the Lieutenant."
Stumbled across while doing research on something else entirely: The Trial of the Pyx, something very simple--the standarization of British currency--given just enough accumulated ritual and terminology to make it sound much cooler than it might actually be. Only enthusiastic numismatists know for sure, I suppose.
Odd. A second link to Harper's in one day. This one's from Kottke: "It's Going to be a Hot One". It reads just like a piece from the Onion:
"Now, here is what’s her name. This is a woman on Fox News Channel. And Fox News actually does a lot with their women just for sheer titillation. And yet she’s wearing a jacket, and it’s a scoop neck. Whoever this woman is, it’s more like what The Weather Channel women typically dress in. See, I mean, it’s a very nice outfit, but it’s pretty bland. You see this difference? Look, and she’s a young woman. I would bet she’s early thirties and she looks late forties. Do you want to look old? That’s what happens when you don’t smile. And have a big nose."
Okay, I admit it; I didn't believe, particularly given the links to Something Awful and Fark in the sidebar. Even when I downloaded the videos, I expected a over-the-shoulder shot of some teenage forumgoer in a wig and an afghan. But I'll be damned if Old Grandma Hardcore doesn't look like the real deal (via Memepool.)
My eyes are opened: Maybe I should stop playing my grandma as a character in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and just sit down to play the game with her.
Quick--think of something that shocks you. Ready?
Me? I choose to be shocked by what shocks the people of Santa Monica (or at least what entertainment journalists desperate for a story will say shocks them.)
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Via the Daily Source Code, go to the website of the band bill and download "Sound Scientist". It's an incredible tune that reminds of Ben Folds Five doing a song with Jamiroquai.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
I know I'm falling out of the Wisconsin news loop when I don't hear about the gigantic tire fire. (Springfield Tire Fire reference for those of you planning the inevitable jokes.)Hopefully they'll manage to get it under control, or it will burn itself out, rather than burn for more than a century like that Chinese coal fire.
Moon Day links: fantastic QTVR panoramas from the landings, with sound (via BoingBoing); Google Moon (via Waxy).
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
"9:32 -- Sean McKeever wins Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition, which is a neat award because it helps to solve the problem it presents in its title.
9:33 -- I dream of an entire awards show designed along the same, utilitarian lines as the previous award, like "Artist Most in Need of Something Small to Place on a Desk."
Via Fanboy Rampage, Tom Spurgeon recaps last weekend's Eisner Awards.
Found while Googling in search of the track names for the soundtrack (no dice yet), a wandering but interesting review of We Love Katamari (with in-depth discussion of the game that may constitute spoilers to some readers.) I have a sneaking suspicion that the writer is shooting to produce New Game Journalism; beware, if you beware such things.
Jump over to the Fantasy Flight Games Rants page and scroll down to Brian's latest post (they really need to start using some sort of blogging software that would enable post permalinks and better archiving of posts) to read about the massive 5000-point HeroClix game the FFG staff played recently. Sounds awesome, and I definitely want to see more pictures.
Pruriently fascinating, but with a banner headline that is likely NSFW at more straight-laced workplaces: Editor and Publisher covers material a bit more risqué than their normal fare as they discuss a journalist's coverage of a story involving a man, his funeral, some horses, and a bunch of videotapes.
Via Reccommendo, the Triz Matrix, a series of potential strategies for solving engineering problems--simply apply one at random to see how it affects your project, similar to how more...flexible...pursuits might apply Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies.
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