randomwalks/dj

Featuring The Daily Show's Senior Black Correspondent, Larry WIlmore:

Originally from Tuberaider Video by Jay Smooth reBlogged

Originally posted by Jay Smooth from Tuberaider Video, on October 20, 2006 10:15 AM

In the years since Albania’s 1991 revolution, satellite dishes and air conditioners have sprouted all over Tirana’s buildings. In 2004, Bolles + Wilson were invited to brighten the post-Communist city—and instead of pretending the appendages didn’t exist, the architects decided to incorporate them into their design.

They made an orange-and-red watercolor painting of the building with white rectangles to simulate the pattern created by the appliances as well as to suggest locations for future installations.

“It’s an issue in every Mediterranean country,” Wilson says. “The building is finished and looks nice, and then it gets covered in air conditioners or satellite dishes. Our most recent color concept is called A Marriage of Air Conditioners and Satellite Dishes.”

Via metropolismag and ArkiSpot.

Originally from we make money not art by Regine reBlogged on Oct 19, 2006, 3:52PM

Originally posted by Regine from we make money not art, on October 20, 2006 10:13 AM

Mets fans are always surprised by a win, never surprised by a loss.

This is the wrongest thing that man has ever said. I expect the Mets to win every night, always have.

Originally from hello, typepad by David Jacobs reBlogged on Oct 19, 2006, 5:53PM

Originally posted by David Jacobs from hello, typepad, on October 20, 2006 10:01 AM

Originally from Perl.com by Mark Stosberg reBlogged

Originally posted by Mark Stosberg from Perl.com, on October 20, 2006 10:00 AM

shrine of hope
Originally uploaded by david.

I though that once I brought out the "Mr. Eko faces down the smoke monster" card, the Mets would be able to channel the powers of the Island and create a victory. I was wrong.

Will from Deapsin writes:

OK. Sorry. I still can't sleep. Too wired. Site might suck tomorrow. I apologize in advance.

That's honest blogging. Of course, he could use this excuse any time he wanted.

Originally from hello, typepad by David Jacobs reBlogged on Oct 20, 2006, 8:27AM

Originally posted by David Jacobs from hello, typepad, on October 20, 2006 9:56 AM

Apple has filed for a patent to capture AM/FM/XM Satellite Radio and WiFi broadcasts onto an iPod, identify the song artist/title, and give to option to buy it. This is the best indication yet that a Satellite Radio/iPod will happen.

Originally from digg / Apple reBlogged on Oct 20, 2006, 3:40AM

Originally from digg / Apple, on October 20, 2006 9:56 AM

Use FireFox on a Mac? Then you have to check out these builds! They are about 2 times faster than normal ones.

Originally from digg / Apple reBlogged on Oct 16, 2006, 2:10PM

Originally from digg / Apple, on October 16, 2006 11:16 PM

Billionaire casino owner and art collector Steve Wynn accidentally put his elbow through a $140 million Picasso while gesturing in talking about the painting.
Update: Nora Ephron was present at the accidental violation of Ms. Marie-Therese Walter by Wynn and tells her story on Huffington Post. (via zach)

Originally from kottke.org remaindered links by jkottke reBlogged on Oct 16, 2006, 6:17PM

Originally posted by jkottke from kottke.org remaindered links, on October 16, 2006 11:13 PM

Apple Computer plans to introduce two iPod-based cell phone models in the first quarter of 2007. One model will be a smart phone, including integrated keyboard, video and music capability, while the other model will be a slimmer phone with just music functionality.

Originally from digg / Apple reBlogged on Oct 16, 2006, 5:50PM

Originally from digg / Apple, on October 16, 2006 11:13 PM

The Video Music Box classic from KRS One's sister. "I did you like I did you cuz I thought you could take it.."

Originally from Tuberaider Video by Jay Smooth reBlogged

Originally posted by Jay Smooth from Tuberaider Video, on October 16, 2006 11:13 PM

Don't forget to come watch these rare live, ambitious performances. It's going to be amazing!! This is a part of Rhizome's 10th Annviersary Festival, so please come celebrate with us. (See 2nd item.)

Originally from del.icio.us/subscriptions/djacobs by marisaolson reBlogged on Oct 16, 2006, 9:08PM

Originally posted by marisaolson from del.icio.us/subscriptions/djacobs, on October 16, 2006 11:09 PM

a detailed map of springfield.

[link: flickr.com|thnkx Martin]

Originally from information aesthetics reBlogged on Oct 16, 2006, 6:13PM

Originally from information aesthetics, on October 16, 2006 11:09 PM

What? Battelle writing about the enterprise? Well, don't get used to it. But I do have to say, this example from Jonathan Schwartz, CEO of Sun, is really, really instructive about how Big Business can learn from Web 2.0. He started with a question in an earlier post - whither the datacenter?, in short. Big companies and the entrenched CXOs within them change slowly, and only when pushed, shoved, and forced by trends too big to ignore. I think Jonathan has found an example of such a trend in this anecdote from his latest entry:

I was talking to the CIO of a large financial institution last week. He told me he was in the midst of building out two new datacenters, spending $250,000,000 (yes, a quarter of a billon) on one, more than that on the other. He was beyond frustrated (as I'm sure was his CFO).

I asked him how long it was going to take, he said nearly three years. Years.

And then Dave Douglas reminded me that two to three years is longer than it took for YouTube to incorporate, build out their infrastructure, scale their business to serve the entire planet - and get sold.

Companies are really spending a quarter BILLION dollars on datacenter implementations that take three YEARS to execute? My God. On what planet?

I know, I know, sometimes YouTube goes down, and if you are running the NYSE, that ain't an option. But man, one might hope you could figure out a way to failsafe with less than $250,000,000.....

Originally from John Battelle's Searchblog reBlogged on Oct 16, 2006, 6:02PM

Originally from John Battelle's Searchblog, on October 16, 2006 11:09 PM

You made the apple butter, now what? What do I do with apple butter?

Originally from megnut.com blog by meg@megnut.com (Meg Hourihan) reBlogged on Oct 16, 2006, 1:52PM

Originally posted by meg@megnut.com (Meg Hourihan) from megnut.com blog, on October 16, 2006 1:38 PM

Today marks my last day working at Apple- I'll be leaving to lend a hand at a new startup called Mediatronica with my friends Eli Chapman and Zac Davis. This isn't just any job- it's a realization of just about everything I am interested in- narrative, new media, blogging, interaction design, and it should eventually result in some interesting new posts from me when the dust settles. In the meantime, new stuff may be a little sparse here. Bear with me.

Originally from News of the dead by weevil@wileywiggins.com (Wiley Wiggins) reBlogged on Oct 15, 2006, 1:30PM

Originally posted by weevil@wileywiggins.com (Wiley Wiggins) from News of the dead, on October 16, 2006 1:37 PM

Originally from the lady upgrade project by mr tibbles reBlogged

Originally posted by mr tibbles from the lady upgrade project, on October 16, 2006 1:37 PM

This week's trippy animated video: Miho Hatori's new Barracuda. Love the cuica (the Brazilian instrument which makes that great, squeaky samba sound). Found thanks to Huster of Culture.

Originally from shey.net reblog reBlogged on Oct 16, 2006, 12:43AM

Originally from shey.net reblog, on October 16, 2006 1:29 PM

On Monday, October 23, the iPod will turn 5 years old. Apple has since grown the little MP3 player into a worldwide phenomenon and iPod has since become a household name.

Originally from digg / Apple reBlogged on Oct 15, 2006, 9:40PM

Originally from digg / Apple, on October 16, 2006 1:29 PM

Using the N95 in one hand mode

The N95 in multimedia mode; Music, Images and Video

The USB port for first time.

Finally a proper headset jack in non music device.

Nokia has really leaped ahead with its latest NSeries the N95. This is the first time one can make parallels to the Audi RS series or BMW M series or the Mercedes AMG series in a credible way. The N95 is stunning technology statement, and it still looks cool. It is small enough to not be a joke.

I had an opportunity to play with a prototype and I was really pleased with the design choices. I like the fact that they made it a bit wider and put in a bigger screen. The 240x320 (QVGA) resolution is not grainy. It is of course not as crisp as the N80 352x416 screen. I liked the fact that it has a 3,5mm headset jack. I welcome the standard USB. As an avid liferecorder I love the fact that it packs a 5MP camera and shoots VGA video at 30fps. Finally not visible was the GPS, WiFi, HSDPA all should add real value.

When you put it next to a N70 which in many respects was the first mass market Series 60 device the N70 fades grey, when you put it next to N90, a longtime favourite, it makes the N90 sink into gadget sediment. When I put it next to the N93, I am really sad on behalf of anyone who has bought one. When I compare it to the N73 and k800i I still think they are great and will continue to sell a lot. I really have to go back to the 7650 to find a worthy benchmark. For me the 7650 was iconic, it was the first cameraphone. At the time I thought it was so important that I donated one on behalf of Nokia to the George Eastman house, a wonderful place for camera enthusiasts. Its archive holds all important cameras in the past century. I suspect the N95 could again qualify, they are nicely 5 years apart, a meaningful time in a larger scheme of things.

The device raises two concerns. First will the battery be sufficient, like in the N73 or disastrous like in the N80. It was a new battery which I had not seen before, so it is hard to judge. The second thought is around SW quality. To date the Nokia S60 3.0 have not impressed me with SW quality. Nokia claimed that this was going to be launched in Q1 and looking at the maturity now, I am carefully optimistic.

The Nokia N95 is according to my definition a transformer, a device which by user action can be transformed to three or more optimal states. The N95 can be compact for transport, expanded for input and voice ergonomics and lightly expanded for multimedia control. With Simple mechanical camera control this is not a lowest common denominator tool, but a true transformer. I still cannot qualify the N95 or any of the NSeries devices as Multimedia Computer, because of poor text input. The E61 is the closest thing to a multimedia computer, but it does not have a good camera.

Originally from ChristianLindholm.com by Christian Lindholm reBlogged on Oct 16, 2006, 5:02AM

Originally posted by Christian Lindholm from ChristianLindholm.com, on October 16, 2006 1:27 PM

Probably surprises no one but me, but the work on Magpie has been moving slowly again lately. Rather then continue futzing with it in the rare spare moments, I'm going to push it out in a very raw state, where folks can give some feedback. (and because folks keep asking about it) This is a preview release, very alpha.

Alpha

Alpha means its broken, there are missing features (many of which are actually in the current Magpie 0.7x releases), and stuff will change. Whether you find that exciting or off-putting is a personal thing.

Getting Started

So um, yeah, as of yet no documentation. That said I've included the classic magpie_simple.php script, unchanged except for the require statement. For really simple scripts that is all that is required.

Grab the current code, Magpie 2.0-alpha-PR1. This isn't its final home, but I am taking this opportunity to finally break free of Sourceforge which has been a long standing goal.

(I know, we all prefer a good var_dump() plus source reading to docs, but their current non-existence won't continue)

Goals for 2.0

There were three over-arching design goals in this rewrite, plus a slew of secondary goals.

1. Support new namespaces and elements, easily

Rather then go on trying to push the universal rules for mapping unknown elements to datastructures (the Magpie 1.0 approach) I've focused on making it simple to register custom parsing logic, and having intelligent defaults. (aka more like what Feedparser.py does) I expect that we'll handle most known namespaces in short order, and barring another total upheaval of the landscape ala the Pie/Atom project should sit us in good stead as feed use continues to become more sophisticated.

2. Pluggable components

You should be able to easily swap out the caching layer (database caches anyone?), the HTTP layer (multiplexed curl?), even the parser. Besides the added flexibility, the theory is this will make embedding simpler.

Who knows, maybe someone will even contribute a pluggable parser that can handle something other then well formed XML.

3. Mostly backwards compatible

For simple stuff, you're scripts should go on working. There is still a 1 function interface (if you liked that), still bust everything down into a couple of nested arrays for easy looping and echoing. Even where different it should feel familiar.

Known Issues

• Parser doesn't support xml:base nor xml:lang nor Atom inheritance. It will, but these features still annoy me, and as long as no one is using the code I can't seem to motivate to support them.

• I'm also not doing all the normalization between feed types that I do in "Magpie classic". Again, its coming.

• Not sanitizing content yet.

• Not just a new parser, but a new HTTP client as well. Basic HTTP auth support is there, digest isn't. Haven't added back in SSL support yet.

• No documentation per se.

Incompatibilities and Gotcha

• Just use $item['content'] instead of $item['content']['encoded'] or $item['atom_content'].

• If caching is turned on, and Magpie can't write to it's cache, it will throw a fatal error, rather then quietly working in a degraded state. This might change, but its been a major support issue.

More features

• fetch_rss() now supports taking per feeds options. This was the most requested feature, ever. (e.g. cache age, output encoding, user-agent, etc)

• Parses enclosures, this was the second most requested feature.

• Handles repeated elements properly. (dc:subject, link, whatnot)

  echo $item['dc']['subject'];
  foreach ($item['dc']['subjects'] as $subj) { ... }

• Atom 1.0 support modulo known issues.

• Tests. Most of them based on Mark's FP tests. More added all the time. Currently not distributing with Magpie as I haven't really figured out the license issues.

• Confusing new licensing. Stated goal is to license under a dual GPL/BSD license. That means you get to choose if you're using the software under the GPL, or the BSD. In addition you can upgrade your license to GPL from BSD (as you can with any BSD licensed software) merely by wishing it to be so.

• Lots more, really.

Other then that, its just like Magpie :)

Originally from Laughing Meme reBlogged on Oct 16, 2006, 4:47AM

Originally from Laughing Meme, on October 16, 2006 1:27 PM

Had to figure this was coming. Gotta wonder if this'll be worth $1.65 billion after all the restraints they'll inevitably put on it. Anti-piracy monitors could hurt YouTube By ALEX VEIGA ...While YouTube is known as the place to find almost any kind of video clip, recent agreements with high-profile content creators require YouTube to deploy an audio-signature technology that...

Originally from hiphopmusic.com by jsmooth995 reBlogged on Oct 16, 2006, 2:32AM

Originally posted by jsmooth995 from hiphopmusic.com, on October 16, 2006 1:27 PM

A month ago, I began a series of posts outlining some common themes:

• Any system faces danger when it becomes a monoculture
• Diversity offers many broad-ranging and sometimes unexpected benefits
• There are many parallels between biological systems and technological networks like social software on the Internet.

In this context, "Web 2.0" isn't an overhyped and under-defined buzzword, but rather an umbrella term describing all of these kinds of social software that make use of Ajax-style design patterns to serve a useful, meaningful purpose.

Today, most individuals and companies making social web applications are existing in a monoculture that robs them of the broad perspectives, influences, and understanding necessary to create a community that's sustainable over the long term. In short:

The lack of diversity in Web 2.0 poses a life-or-death threat to its viability.

If the success and influence of the social web is to continue, we must make it a priority to include the cultures and communities that we've been ignoring, overlooking, or excluding. A failure to broaden our view will ultimately be fatal if uncorrected. How could this be true? To start, let's look at some of the ideas that inform this view, taken from a variety of disciplines including astronomy, biology, sociology and even cooking.

Some Background

No community can thrive without the perspectives of outsiders, especially if it's trying to serve those outsiders. The key to getting good results is understanding the importance of the variety of cultures available. We've all seen that communicating using all the tools of social media can make people's lives better. The reality is, those benefits can apply just as much to one's professional life as to one's personal life.

But the thing that strikes me as equally important is remembering that even the most powerful, influential, or pervasive lines of business are always in a tenuous position. You can have the power of the legal system at your hands, or the ability to talk to almost everyone in the country at home or in their cars, and still end up in a defensive position if you're not able to have a dialogue with your community.

In the real world outside of Silicon Valley, people are busy solving problems that we often overlook, trivialize, or deliberately ignore. It's instructive to be immersed in a culture outside of the one where we create new technologies. For us, encouraging everyone to take advantage of social media is a fundamental necessity.

Hundreds or thousands of years ago, the greatest danger that faced societies was the introduction of a foreign culture's physical threats... the greatest threat to cultures today comes from not intermingling. Whether it's expressed in agriculture ("hybrid vigor"), or in the context of a cocktail party (being a "social butterfly"), making an effort to avoid cultural isolation is rewarded by making an individual or a society more healthy. That's not to mention the bonus potential of additional opportunities, higher potential for recognition, a larger market for trade or commercial interests, and a broader audience for communication of messages.

In biology, species with little genetic variation -- or "monocultures" -- are the most vulnerable to catastrophic epidemics. Species that share a single fatal flaw could be wiped out by a virus that can exploit that flaw. Genetic diversity increases the chances that at least some of the species will survive every attack. Building an industry around a monoculture places the entire economy in danger from unanticipated threats. And it's only the adoption and embrace of a broader range of cultures that can help an industry protect itself from that danger, or sustain itself when facing a downturn.

It leaves me struck that something as big as, well, the whole world can look fragile if you step back far enough to really look at it. And a work that took enormous resources to support, unbelievable imagination to create, and true courage to execute can seem downright ordinary once it becomes ubiquitous.

The Good News

So, are we doomed? I don't think so. It turns out, this kind of groupthink or myopia is actually pretty common, or at least common enough that it can make the news today. From this morning's Washington Post, Shankar Vedantam's article says:

While the instinct for homophily in politics and other areas seems hard-wired, technology may be fueling our nature. Cable television and the Internet have allowed enormous numbers of people in distant areas to form virtual groups that are very similar to what you see in the office cafeteria.

...While there is nothing wrong with being around others who are similar to yourself, both Smith-Lovin and Small said that people and organizations pay a price for homogeneity. In politics, for example, the fact that people rarely have friends with different views makes it difficult to seek common ground or to examine one's positions closely.

So why all these words? Is a post with pics of a petri dish, a pizza pie, and a planet going to help? Well, the truth is, telling people to be more inclusive just because it's the right thing to do just plain doesn't work. I'm hoping that explaining that our self-absorption presents a mortal danger is enough to get people to do the right thing out of enlightened self interest. Fortunately, some people have already made some great steps forward.

When I wrote about what it's like at the Web 2.0 conference last year, I had despaired somewhat, thinking things could never change. Today, they still mostly haven't. But while I was complaining again, some other conversations popped up that started to give me a little bit of hope. "Be the fucking role models the situation calls for." "monocultures produce monotonous culture." "We should be learning from it and improving ourselves, not using the rhetoric of the past to brush off criticisms we’re just too lazy or unwilling to deal with."

The people who are most likely to be threatened or insecure about the embrace of diversity are recognizing not just the opportunity of a broader view, but the necessity of it. Sometimes good ideas do rise to the top. All of us who've been in groups that were outside the monoculture have been aware of this danger, but now those on the inside are aware as well. That's real progress, and real cause for optimism.

The truth is, we need to fight monoculture for the same reason many of us abhor DRM, or fight sterile GMO crops, or argue in favor of Creative Commons licenses. The tools of expression, of communication, must be able to reach everyone, they must be able to bear fruit for those who would reuse or recontextualize them, and they must be available for anyone to expand on or build on.

The people in our communities who are most likely to make an unexpected leap, or to add value that we didn't anticipate, are the people who we aren't even making part of our communities. And it's not too late to include them. But if we keep thinking that diversity or rejection of monoculture can wait for version 3.0, we're dooming all of Web 2.0 to fail.

Resources

Most of the content for this post came from my own earlier posts on these topics over the past few weeks. See:

• A Very Small Planet: Covers Jack Schmitt's remarkable "Blue Marble" photo of the Earth, also seen in this post.
• Pizza Requires Culture talks of Jeff Varasanos' amazing, obsessive pizza recipe, from which the pizza photo above is taken. A key to his success is in understanding various yeast cultures.
• Lawyers, Broadcasters, and Bloggers ... Oh My! Talks about some of the audiences outside of the tech world that I've been trying to talk to.
• Hit the Road is about creating events for non-technical professionals to learn about social media online.
• The Threat of Extinction previews Steven Johnson's Ghost Map, as well as a host of other books about plague and epidemics. This also inspired me to include Jack Mottram's petri dish photo, which is Creative Commons licensed.
• Revising the Software Monoculture gives an update on Dan Geer's seminal look at software monoculture.
• Monoculture Considered Harmful gives some background on the boll weevil infestation that devastated the cotton monoculture of the American South.

Originally from Anil Dash by Anil reBlogged

Originally posted by Anil from Anil Dash, on October 16, 2006 1:27 PM

So the review season has officially started for The Ghost Map, though it doesn't come out until this Thursday. I'll try to keep up with them here, though if they remain as positive as they've been thus far, I'll go out of my way to find the negative bits, I promise. Otherwise it might seem a little insufferable.

We're the lead review -- titled "Plotting Death" -- in this Sunday's L.A. Times books section. It's always a little startling to have your prose described as "nauseating" in the first paragraph of a review, but in this case, it appears to be a compliment. I particularly loved this ending bit, where there's a very nice connection back to Emergence:

In his previous book, "Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software," Johnson brilliantly posited ideas about the organization of systems from the bottom up. In "The Ghost Map," he reveals just how those principles actually work in a messy, constantly decomposing real world. With this, his fifth nonfiction book, Johnson adds a new and welcome element — old-fashioned storytelling flair, another form of street knowledge — to his fractal, multi-faceted method of unraveling the scientific mysteries of everyday life.

Then there's Abe at Abstract Dynamics, who has a very flattering take on the book, and also an extremely interesting one in terms of the intellectual context:

The most striking academic parallel to The Ghost Map is not DeLanda's work at all but Bruno Latour's The Pasteurization of France. It's been a long time time since I cracked upon that tome, and honestly I'm not certain I ever finished it, but Latour is telling a strikingly similar tale to Johnson, tracing the complex interplay of factors that lead Louis Pasteur to his ideas and the world into adopting him.

As it happens, I haven't read a word of Latour since I was in grad school, and I'm not ever sure if I read more than an essay or two back then. It's always fascinating to find out techniques/methodologies that you've stumbled upon in sync with other writers.

Jason Kottke had a great writeup about the book last week, which began with this excellent summary:

The Ghost Map is a book about:

- a bacterium
- the human body
- a geographical map
- a man
- a working friendship
- a household
- a city government
- a neighborhood
- a waste management system1
- an epidemic
- a city
- human civilization

And the sublime VSL (very short list) email newsletter had a rave review this morning:

We like history and we like science, but we’re often too bored and/or stupid to enjoy reading about them. So thank goodness for Steven Johnson, the author of Everything Bad Is Good for You and Emergence. His new book, The Ghost Map (out 10/19), proves once again his unequalled ability to fascinate us, and make us feel smart, as he explains a Big Idea.

But the best thing about their review is the obligatory infographic that accompanies each of their mailings. I love this one.

Oh, and we got an "A" in a short Entertainment Weekly review on the stands (but not online) now.

Originally from stevenberlinjohnson.com by stevenberlinjohnson reBlogged on Oct 16, 2006, 10:26AM

Originally posted by stevenberlinjohnson from stevenberlinjohnson.com, on October 16, 2006 1:25 PM

Created by Satama Interactive, the Nokia 6131 community of ad-libbed artists presents in an artistic way the new Nokia phone, plus it allows visitors to leave their own mark using a watercolour technique. [via Adverblog]

Originally from textually.org by emily reBlogged on Oct 16, 2006, 9:24AM

Originally posted by emily from textually.org, on October 16, 2006 1:25 PM

These days, the way we farm and the way we process our food, both of which have been industrialized and centralized over the last few decades, are endangering our health. Michael Pollan on spinach, E. coli, and America's centralized food systems.

Originally from megnut.com blog by meg@megnut.com (Meg Hourihan) reBlogged on Oct 16, 2006, 9:21AM

Originally posted by meg@megnut.com (Meg Hourihan) from megnut.com blog, on October 16, 2006 1:25 PM

This yellow plastic caliper is lightweight, reasonably durable (I lose it before it wears out) and pocket-friendly (only 4 inches long). I use it frequently during house or auto repairs to ensure the right size replacement part (such as nuts and bolts, or o-rings and sealing washers) comes home with me from the store or junkyard. I find this easier, quicker, and more accurate in many cases than using a small rule. It is not a precision machinist's instrument. However, in most of the work I need to get done, measurement to the closest 1/32 of an inch or 1 mm will get the right part or a fit which is good enough to work.

-- Ken Johnson

General Tools 141ME Pocket Caliper
$9
Available from Amazon
Also from Village Supplies and from Art Stuff

Originally from Cool Tools reBlogged on Oct 16, 2006, 9:00AM

Originally from Cool Tools, on October 16, 2006 1:25 PM

"I'm going to open a literary bookstore in Brooklyn. Somewhere. Someday soon," writes booknerdnyc on the Brooklynian's Fort Greene/Clinton Hill/Bedford-Stuyvesant Forum. "It's gonna have all the newest and best hand-picked stuff, some kids books, comic books/graphic literature, and if I can I get enough space for a cafe, some great events too. I've been exploring neighborhoods for months, looking for the right combination of cheap rent and educated folks with disposable income to make a place like this work... Where do you think a great bookstore/cafe could survive and thrive in Brooklyn?" So far, other message board posters have suggested Myrtle Avenue or DeKalb between Vanderbilt and Clermont. Any thoughts?
Who Needs a Bookstore? [Brooklynian]
Photo by slight clutter

Originally from Brooklyn Record by Brooklyn Record reBlogged on Oct 16, 2006, 8:09AM

Originally posted by Brooklyn Record from Brooklyn Record, on October 16, 2006 1:25 PM

Slideshow of photographs from the last show (+ archival photos) at CBGB, a beloved New York music venue. Several photos of the club's final days are available on Flickr as well.

Originally from kottke.org remaindered links by jkottke reBlogged on Oct 16, 2006, 1:35PM

Originally posted by jkottke from kottke.org remaindered links, on October 16, 2006 1:23 PM

Video of a landslide in Japan. (via cameron)

Originally from kottke.org remaindered links by jkottke reBlogged on Oct 16, 2006, 12:48PM

Originally posted by jkottke from kottke.org remaindered links, on October 16, 2006 1:23 PM

Wil Shipley of Delicious Monster, as an early birthday present to himself, exposes all the inaccuracies and contradictions in an article criticizing the Mac. A hilarious read.

Originally from digg / Apple reBlogged on Oct 16, 2006, 11:30AM

Originally from digg / Apple, on October 16, 2006 1:23 PM

The folks at Gothamist launched our latest Faneuil Media project last week. It’s a map of breaking news in New York City. Check it out.

In addition to being plain cool, I think the map highlights some of the benefits of automatically updated content. Think about it: Readers have a new way to find out what’s going on that’s constantly updated with fresh events. Meanwhile, the folks at Gothamist don’t have to do anything. They just sit back and watch people use the page.

One other thing: The icons for this package were designed by Coryanne Sharer. I think they make the map. Way to go, Cory.

Originally from Mashalist by Rick Burnes reBlogged on Oct 9, 2006, 10:03AM

Originally posted by Rick Burnes from Mashalist, on October 15, 2006 10:25 AM

Billy Bragg, a lifelong hero of mine, played at this weekend's Hardly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco. Sadly I was unable to go, but my friend Leslie sent me this:

You won't believe what Billy Bragg said in between songs today. He was chatting about how he really likes the interesting T-shirts that we have around here. And he mentioned as a fine example of that one that he saw that said: US out of California.

Billy, call me. We have much to talk about. I've got a gift basket the size of Lenin's Tomb for you.

Originally from Mule Design : Off the Hoof by Mike Monteiro reBlogged on Oct 9, 2006, 7:16PM

Originally posted by Mike Monteiro from Mule Design : Off the Hoof, on October 15, 2006 10:20 AM

By Clint Guerrero, Google Base Support

In the past few days, we've made some changes to the Google Base data API that will allow developers to create applications that more smoothly integrate with Google Base.

One of the upgrades is that items added via the API are instantly searchable. This means you no longer need to wait an hour for them to show up in relevant Google search results pages. Now, after inserting your items, users may find them in their results for searches on relevant Google properties like Froogle, Google Maps and Google.com.

The other update is that we've expanded our offering of sample code to include PHP, Java, VB.Net, Python, JavaScript, and C#. You can find this code and associated documentation here. If your preferred language is missing, don't fret! We're planning to add more sample code in the near future.

Originally from Official Google Base Blog by Google Base Blog reBlogged on Oct 9, 2006, 6:03PM

Originally posted by Google Base Blog from Official Google Base Blog, on October 15, 2006 10:20 AM

Posted by Rose Yao, Mac Product Manager

As a relatively new Mac user, I've found that I can't get enough of Mac stuff. I eagerly await Apple's next announcements, and scour the web for hints of what that could be. There are a lot of people who love Macs at Google, and we're really excited to contribute to the Mac OS X platform. I know how frustrating it is to not get a regular dose of Mac news or find the Mac application you want. So check out the new Google Mac Blog to get all the news, tips, and insider stories about Macs at Google. Another site you might want to visit is www.google.com/mac. Created by Ryan Brown, an engineer on the Mac team, this site showcases all of the Google applications for the Mac.

Originally from Official Google Blog by A Googler reBlogged on Oct 9, 2006, 5:01PM

Originally posted by A Googler from Official Google Blog, on October 15, 2006 10:20 AM

In Japan, the art of gift wrapping began over 600 years ago during the ceremonial exchange of gifts. Nobility would use the finest papers to convey their respect for the recipient. In their culture, the gift wrap is as important as the gift itself. Intricate folds and handmade bows show that you have given a gift from your heart. Now the talented artist & designer, Ayomi Yoshida has introduced a modern, colorful geometric collection of bows that partnered with simple white craft paper will surely make an impact. Ayomi's new collection can be purchased at your local Target store.

Drum roll....and Target has done it again! One has to begin wondering who works in Target's HR/Design/Marketing departments? Are they the biggest brains in retail land, or what? Luvin' it!

Originally from l-e-mental by clairehyland reBlogged

Originally posted by clairehyland from l-e-mental, on October 15, 2006 10:20 AM

OGLE got a press mention. I guess it wasn't worthy until someone tried to start a business with it:

Wired News: Second Life Figures Get a Life

Originally from OGLE: OpenGLExtractor by Eyebeam R&D blogs reBlogged on Oct 9, 2006, 11:10PM

Originally from OGLE: OpenGLExtractor by Eyebeam R&D blogs, on October 15, 2006 10:16 AM

In addition to the race and class aspect that interests me about the book, The Blind Side is, oh, by the way, also about the sport of football, specifically the left tackle position. In the 1980s, the quarterback became increasingly important in the offensive scheme and rushing linebackers, specifically Lawrence Taylor, became a bigger part of the defensive scheme. This created a problem for the offensive line: protect the valuable & fragile quarterback from the huge, fast likes of Lawrence Taylor, whose Joe Theismann-leg-snapping exploits you've seen replayed on a thousand SportsCenters. The solution to this problem was to hire giant-handed men the size of houses who move like ballerinas to protect the blind side of the quarterback. Thus has the left tackle position become the second-highest paid position in the league behind the quarterbacks themselves.

When I read