WordPress 2.3.2 Released
WordPress 2.3.2 has been released and apparently it’s an urgent update that should be applied immediately. It fixes a bug that can expose draft posts and suppresses some over-informative error messages.
« December 16, 2007 - December 22, 2007 | Main
December 29, 2007
Hillary: Bill Will Have No Formal Foreign Policy Role In My White House
It'll be interesting to see if pundits like David Broder and Charles Krauthammer -- who have warned endlessly that electing Hillary will inevitably produce an unprecedented Clinton co-presidency -- will have anything to say about this:
If she makes it to the White House, Sen. Hillary Clinton said today her husband will take on the same responsibilities as traditional presidential spouses, with no access to National Security Council meetings."I think he would play the role that spouses have always played for presidents," said Clinton, in an exclusive interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos. "He will not have a formal, official role, but just as presidents rely on wives, husbands, fathers, friends of long years, he will be my close confidante and adviser as I was with him."
The candidate said having President Clinton participate in National Security Council meetings "wouldn't be appropriate," and in a crisis situation -- like the one faced by President Bush this week after the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto -- President Clinton would not sit in on discussions with his wife’s national security team.
Sampling of Tiger Grotto Infographics SF Chronicle: SF Gate:...
Sampling of Tiger Grotto Infographics
SF Chronicle: SF Gate: Tiger Grotto
SJ Mercury-News: Moat Wall
NY Times: A Tiger’s Enclosure
LA Times: A look inside the tiger grotto
More as I find ‘em
From One WGA Member to Another - Why World Wide Pants is Good for All
In her story on the Worldwide Pants deal, Nikki Finke quotes an angry
feature writer who wants to go back to work now that a handful of TV
writers are going to get paid. I wanted to respond to his anger
because I believe this person is dead wrong in his objections to the
deal. Among other things, he claims that NBC/Uni's addition to the
GE balance sheet is a "rounding error."
As someone who
My Article Is Up
I finally finished my article about my stint in Jackson, Mississippi for The New Media Institute. It was really hard to write even with a lot of great help. Initially, I was unsure why.
Katherine Dykstra's article, "Literary Laryngitis," in the November/December issue of Poets & Writers magazine talks about finding your voice. It resonated with me because she spoke about the different voices you take on for the different pieces that you write. Some people are able to have a consistent voice. For example when you read a David Sederis piece, you know it is David Sederis. But sometimes different venues require different voices. And finding your voice is a hard, hard thing.
When I was working on this piece, I realized that there is a voice that I have on my blog. I was not even aware that it was a “voice” per say but the more I look at past entries, I realize that my voice has a few certain characteristics: run on sentences, slang, random clauses with bits of tangential information. I am not saying that these things are bad. They are all fine for this blog but when I was writing this article, I had to use proper grammar and stuff. I had to explain what things were instead of just making the words into links. It was hard especially because though I know about new media, I am by no means a pro.
On the whole I am proud of it but it remind me that writing is a lot harder than it looks.
Check it out here.
The year is 2099...
"A magnetically levitated train could theoretically take you from New York to London in 54 minutes," the Discovery Channel informs us. "But you'd have to go 5,000 mph through a 3,100-mile-long tunnel that was itself floating in the Atlantic Ocean. How might that work?"
Well, let's find out.
Of course, if this interests you, don't miss parts two and three.
Submit your film or video for Pangea Day
Hoping to submit your short film or video for Pangea Day? There's still a month and a half before the deadline -- plenty of time to get familiar with your new videocamera. From the Pangea Day site:
We're looking for films that will make us laugh, cry, and gasp. They can be fiction, nonfiction, real life, animation, or your own unique mixture. But they should hold our attention for every second. And above all, they should tell a story that someone else on the other side of the world will be able to relate to.
As you plan your film, try to imagine millions of people in different countries gathered around in the flickering light, waiting in hushed silence for your tale to start. What story will you tell? What images will you show them?Submit a film. Share a story. The world will be watching. Deadline for submission is February 15, 2008. Find out here how to submit your short film or video >>
Then on May 10, 2008 -– Pangea Day -– join the worldwide film festival! Screens in Cairo, Dharamsala, Kigali, London, New York City, Ramallah, Rio de Janeiro and Tel Aviv will be videoconferenced live to produce a 4-hour program of powerful short film and video, visionary speakers and great music.
Your Best Shot 2007 Samplr III
A small sampling from the Your Best Shot 2007 conversation in Flickr Central. Please take the time to view the growing collection of wonderful photographs and be sure to add your own.
Photos from millzero, Len Scaps, Rohan Phillips, mosley.brian, rowan.simpson, phil h, shafina and revivify. Previously: Your Best Shot 2007, Your Best Shot 2007 Samplr and Your Best Shot 2007 Samplr II.
Underground Restoration
Underground Restoration. “For a year from September 2005, under the nose of the Panthéon’s unsuspecting security officials, a group of intrepid ‘illegal restorers’ set up a secret workshop and lounge in a cavity under the building's famous dome. Under the supervision of group member Jean-Baptiste Viot, a professional clockmaker, they pieced apart and repaired the antique clock that had been left to rust in the building since the 1960s. Only when their clandestine revamp of the elaborate timepiece had been completed did they reveal themselves.”
Book review: Hyper-Border: The Contemporary U.S.-Mexico Border and Its Future
Hyper-Border: The Contemporary U.S.-Mexico Border and Its Future, by architect Fernando Romero (Amazon)
Publisher Princeton Architectural Press says: Roving vigilantes, fear-mongering politicians, hysterical pundits, and the looming shadow of a 700-mile-long fence: the U.S.–Mexico border is one of the most complex and dynamic areas on the planet today. With more than one million daily crossings, the border has increasingly has become a hotbed for debate. But too often its complexities are viewed through the myopic lens of illegal immigration, ignoring a multitude of other critical issues that include health, the environment, drug trafficking, free trade, and post-9/11 security.
Hyperborder provides the most nuanced portrait yet of this dynamic region. Author Fernando Romero presents a multidisciplinary perspective informed by interviews with numerous academics, researchers, and organizations. He begins by examining issues faced by other border regions including those dividing North and South Korea and Israel and Palestine. A brief summary of the U.S.–Mexico border's recent history provides a much-needed context for a detailed portrait of the many unique issues the two countries face today. Romero uses current economic, political, social, and environmental trends to project potential scenarios–both positive and negative–for the border at the midway mark of the twenty-first century. Provocatively designed in the style of other kinetic large-scale studies like Rem Koolhaas's Content and Bruce Mau's Massive Change, Hyperborder is an exhaustively researched report from the front lines of the border debate. Nonpartisan in its politics and tackling issues from both U.S. and Mexican perspectives, this book is essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand–and find solutions for–the many intertwined issues that define this complex region of the world, and others like it.This is probably THE book i needed to read. I'm facinated by border issues and in particular with the US/Mexico one. The author claims to be nonpartisan, i don't know how one can stay neutral when you know that the border is the only one in the world where a developing country is stuck right next to a superpower. Still, there's no villains and victims in the book, it's much more complex than that. Romero does a fantastic job at lining up facts and figures to help us clear up our mind on the issue. The amount of research he had to do to present the various aspects of the issue is daunting: from narcotraffic to education, from health to tourism or security.
Image from Dulce Pinzón, The Real Story of SuperheroesFirst chapter is illuminating. It gives an overview of the variety of borders from around the world, highlighting the type of issue that that particular area has to overcome or has solved and how. Which puts the Mexico/US border in a new light: Could the border become as strictly fortified as the North Korea / South Korea border? Could we imagine that Mexicans and Americans could adopt a collaborative model somewhat similar to the Regio TriRhena where 3 country (France, Germany and Switzerland) administrate jointly a unique "home airport", called EuroAirport. Could the way narcotraffic has been almost controlled in the border region where Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet be an inspiration for Mexico and the US?
Judi Werthein's Brincos, trainers "hacked for border crossingOn the other hand, tactics piloted along the border could potentially be implemented as models for other areas in the world.
The one thing i wasn't too keen on in the book are the many data visualization maps and graphics. I do welcome them but some are much more stylish than easily readable.
Hyper-border manages to demonstrate clearly the state of interdependence between the two countries: Mexico's economy relies on remittances, while the US need Mexican undocumented cheap labour force. Besides, the reciprocal nature of the 14 sister cities who face similar problems (pollution,disease, water supply, etc.) and the steady exchange of goods and people across the border ensures that the bounds are not to weaken.
Brett Huneycutt, Victoria Criado and Rudy Adler's Border Film ProjectAnother of Hyper-Border's strength are the "future scenarios" proposed along the various chapters. They highlight the possible consequences that may happen if progressive and well-informed action is not taken now, they shed light on impacts that today's decisions could have in the (more or less) long term. Some of them are encouraging and optimistic, others are downright scary. And although one might not always agree with them (or desire to even consider that some scenario could one come true), they have the effect of inviting the readers to reflect, and do more with their brain than just sit there sipping the information.
The book is packed with superlatives because that what best describes the region. So instead of writing the long and enthusiastic review that this book deserves (or maybe i should just write "Get it! It's an awesome book" and just shut up?), i'll just list some of the most striking sentences i read in Hyperborders. They might seem drastic and dramatic, given a bit out of context as they are but in his book Romero justifies the superlatives with facts, references and figures.
(p.76) At present there are more American border patrol agents than soldiers in Afghanistan.
(p.85) In Arizona alone, within six months of the Minutemen's founding in 2005, at least 18 anti-immigrant bills were introduced to the state legislature.
(p.90) The Mexican side of the US-Mexico border is currently the most dangerous place in Latin American to work as a journalist.
(p.106) In 2004, remittances to Mexico equaled $16.6 billion, in 2005 they reached $20 billion and in 2006 they rose higher to $24 billion becoming the second source of US dollars after oil exports.
December 28, 2007
Top 10 Reasons Why The Worldwide Pants Deal is a Good Idea
Howard A. Rodman is a member of the WGA Board and founder of the Guild's independent film writers committee. Two films he wrote, SAVAGE GRACE and AUGUST, will have their US premieres at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
10. Letterman has been a strong supporter. As he said in his last outing before the show went dark, "You think the show's not funny now, wait 'til the writers go on
Letterman Makes Deal With Writers
Late Night With David Letterman is set to return next week, with its writing staff on board. Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno are returning the same day, but almost certainly without writers. Good for Letterman, and good for his writers. But the funny part is that Letterman is the host most capable of pulling off a writer-less comedy show; my gut feeling is that Leno’s writer-less shows are going to be awful.
The Letterman Deal from Down South
This comes from John Jabaley, a UH contributor and Teamster.
I was at a Christmas party the other night, the kind we have down South where you see three generations of one family that you’ve known forever and you eat cheese straws and roast beef and sushi. (We’re getting cosmopolitan down here.)
Everybody and their brother asked about the strike. The big question was this: Did the late night
WGA Letter to Members About Worldwide Pants Deal
This was sent to WGA members today, explaining some of the reasoning behind the Worldwide Pants deal.
To Our Fellow Members,
We are writing to let you know that have reached a contract with David Letterman's Worldwide Pants production company that puts his show and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson back on the air with Guild writers. This agreement is a positive step forward in our effort
John Nack on Adobe CS3’s Connections to Omniture
Adobe’s John Nack discusses the ways that Adobe uses Omniture, but completely misses the point of my criticism. What’s I’m calling a disgrace is that the server that’s getting pinged is named in such a way that it is clearly attempting to masquerade as a local area network IP address. Regardless the nature of the data that is being sent to Omniture, it is wrong that the server is named “192.168.112.2O7.net”.
Get those DVDs onto your iPhone or Mac
Filed under: Multimedia, Software, Video
HandBrake is one of those applications that we adore here at TUAW HQ. It makes converting DVDs into a variety of digital files a snap (though only use it with DVDs you own. Don't be pirates, kids). Chris Breen, of Macworld fame (and an amateur astronomer it would seem) shows us how to use HandBrake like a pro. Breen goes a step beyond 'use the presets' and delves into what many of the options HandBrake offers up actually do, and how they impact your files.
Check out the video, and get to ripping your DVDs!
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Edwards: Axelrod's Comments About Bhutto And Hillary "Ridiculous"
It looks like this particular mess isn't going away, but is only spreading to other candidates. John Edwards has joined the fray regarding Obama adviser David Axelrod's comments regarding the murder of Benazir Bhutto and Hillary Clinton's vote to authorize the Iraq War. In an interview with ABC News, Edwards condemned the remarks, and said that they were irresponsible in this world environment.
"It's ridiculous. It's a ridiculous stretch," said Edwards. "I think in times of international crisis — which this clearly is — what America needs to be doing and serious presidential candidates need to be doing is providing an atmosphere of strength and calm. We need to be a calming influence and not stoking the fire and certainly not be talking about the politics of this."
Touchscreen keyboard (could be killer with tactile feedback)
…a programmable, touch-screen that acts like a keyboard. Pretty amazing potential for experiementing with user interaction interfaces. Could be even better if merged with some of the haptic/tactile feedback work that Apple and Nokia have been doing. Ex:
Appetite for Deprecation
Finding fancy new ways to do things with Ruby on Rails led me yesterday into a dark, panic-ridden forest of ‘what-the-frak-happened-to-my-app!?!?’ What once worked had turned into strange error messages claiming that my form_tags were not working. My form tags! Why, I asked, should something so simple now be throwing errors at me? I’ve got enough to worry about without the simple things breaking down on me. Form tags have precious little to do with the actual code. They live next door to html, for crying out loud. The answer: deprecation!
"As Long As It Takes"
Writers Guild Members answer the the three most common questions from the picket lines.
Hillary Says Obama Is Politicizing Bhutto Assassination
Hillary herself has now directly faulted the Obama campaign for politicizing the Bhutto assassination in response to the Obama camp's effort yesterday to indirectly link Hillary's support for the war with the tragedy.
Hillary taped an interview today with CNN's Wolf Blitzer in which she made the charge. It hasn't yet been fully aired. But her campaign has sent over a transcript:
Blitzer: I interviewed your rival, Barack Obama, for Democratic presidential nomination last night and he had some implied criticism of you saying some of your past decisions do not necessarily warrant your stepping up and becoming the next president of the United States. Listen to this:Obama: I think it’s important for the American people to look at the judgments they’ve made in the past. The experienced hands in Washington have not made particularly good judgments when it comes to dealing with these problems. That’s part of the reason we are now in this circumstance.
Blitzer: Now I think he was referring to your vote giving the President authority to go to war against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and your more recent vote to declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. In effect, he says that gave a blank check to the President to go to war against Iran. You want to respond to Senator Obama?
Clinton: First, Wolf, I really regret that anybody would try to politicize this tragedy. I personally knew Benazir Bhutto. She was Prime Minister when I visited Pakistan on behalf of our government. I stayed in touch with her over the years. I don’t think politics should be playing a role in how our country responds, both on the personal level to the tragedy of this assassination.
A bit later, Blitzer asks again:Blitzer: What about the specific criticism of your foreign policy judgment that we heard from Senator Obama, we heard earlier in the day from his chief strategist, David Axelrod. What about that, that implied criticism that some of your decisions on these national security, foreign policy issues raise questions about whether or not you should be president?Clinton: I just regret that both of them would be politicizing this tragedy and especially at a time when do we need to figure out a way forward. That’s what I’m focused on.
Video soon.
ChangMania: David Chang, the obscure noodle cook...
David Chang, the obscure noodle cook operating out of two small storefronts in the East Village, will be on "Nightline" tonight, 11:35 ET: "Chang said that his childhood memories also include time spent with "my grandmother and mother, who are amazing cooks, eating Korean food, going out to dinner with my dad, eating lots of noodles and going to Japanese restaurants with my grandfather, who was educated in Japan." Chang says his father did not want him to follow him into a profession that is "physically hard...This was the profession that he did not want me to have," said Chang. [ABC]
wrapping up 2007
If there's one "2007 wrap up" post you need to read, it's this one from Matt Webb. It's smart, not easily digestible, and will send your mind reeling for more than a little while. (Kind of like Mr. Webb himself.) Here's a teaser bit for you, on the nature of websites:
Instead of a finite-state machine, think of a website as a flowchart of motivations. For every state the user is in, there are motivations: it's fun; it's the next action; it saves money; it's intriguing; I'm in flow; I need to crop the photo and I remember there's a tool to do it on that other page; it's pretty.
There's more on vending machines, risk as motivation, playfulness, the Magna Carta, flocking cars and phenotropics. Fun!
An exclusive look at the trailer for Josh Harris' We Live in Public
Radar's February issue charts the comeback of Josh Harris, the former golden boy of the dot-com boom turned multimedia artist. Below, an exclusive look at the trailer for We Are Public, Harris' take on society's enslaving desire for media exposure
Burton is offering a $5000 prize for the best snowboarding...
Burton is offering a $5000 prize for the best snowboarding video taken at one of the three remaining US ski areas (Alta, Taos, Deer Valley, Mad River Glen) that don't allow snowboarding. The intro video is the perfect explanation for why these four areas don't allow snowboards.
(link)
Long New Yorker profile of Benazir Bhutto from 1993, the...
Long New Yorker profile of Benazir Bhutto from 1993, the year she was elected to a second term as Prime Minister of Pakistan.
(link)
The earliest Sesame Street years
I have to say, I really enjoyed reading Mark Pilgrim's post on the roots of Sesame Street (and the reason for the oft-discussed disclaimer on the recently-released DVDs of the first ten years' worth of episodes).
Benazir Bhutto Assasinated, U.S. Politicians React
Earlier today, former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto was killed during a rally. The Western-educated (Harvard, Oxford) Bhutto had been living in Dubai and London for eight years, but returned in October to prepare for Pakistan's national elections (to be held next month) with hopes of returning to power. However, her return parade was bombed, killing 134 people and injuring more than 400. [Her obituary in the NY Times.]
U.S. politicians weighed in on Bhutto's death. President Bush said, "The United States strongly condemns this cowardly act by murderous extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistan's democracy," and presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, whose campaign has perhaps emphasized fighting terrorism the most relative to other candidates, expressed his condolences to Bhutto's family and alluded to his credentials:
“The assassination of Benazir Bhutto is a tragic event for Pakistan and for democracy in Pakistan. Her murderers must be brought to justice and Pakistan must continue the path back to democracy and the rule of law. Her death is a reminder that terrorism anywhere — whether in New York, London, Tel-Aviv or Rawalpindi — is an enemy of freedom. We must redouble our efforts to win the Terrorists’ War on Us.”Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf announced there would be a three-day mourning period and vowed to "liquidate terrorists from their roots." Newsweek's Michael Hirsh suggests that "Bhutto could become in death the kind of hero for democracy in Pakistan that she never quite became in life."The Pakistan Mission to United Nations reiterated Musharraf's statement. When asked if there's anything travelers to Pakistan or Pakistanis in NYC should know, a mission spokesman said it's simply a great shock and hopefully the country will be able to move forward and the assassins will be found. And interesting fact: There was an assassination attempt on Bhutto in 1993 by Ramzi Yousef, who was found guilty of masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Photograph of Bhutto before her last public rally in Rawalpindi, Pakistan today by Mohammed Javed/AP
Giants-Pats Game to Air on CBS/NBC, WWOR Pissed
Football fans that are hoping to catch history Saturday when the Patriots face the Giants are in luck. The game was originally scheduled to be broadcast on the NFL Network with local broadcast rights on New York's, nay, Secaucus's WWOR. The NFL has decided that New England's quest for the first undefeated regular-season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins will now be broadcast on CBS and NBC in addition to the NFL Network, WWOR and WCBV in Boston.
The NFL and the two networks reached an agreement yesterday after Congressional pressure from representatives in the affected areas. The NFL Network is currently available for 43 million households nationwide, but is not carried by the cable networks Time Warner, Cablevision or Charter, which obviously cuts down on the network's potential audience. When games are broadcast on cable (either ESPN or the NFL Network), the NFL requires that the game is broadcast on a local station in the each team's primary market.
It will be the first time a NFL game is broadcast on more than one network since Super Bowl I in 1967 when CBS and NBC produced their own versions of the game. Both networks, for better or worse (probably worse according to some reviews of Bryant Gumbel), will carry the NFL Network's production this time around.
WWOR, which was to have exclusive local rights in the New York-New Jersey area was unhappy with the NFL: "The NFL is in clear violation of their agreement with WWOR/My9. We fully expect the league to honor their commitment to My9 as the exclusive free over the air broadcaster for Saturday's telecast of the New England Patriots at New York Giants game." Good luck there, WWOR.
At least all those Giants season ticket holders that are selling their tickets will have some more options to watch the game now. The game starts at 8 p.m. Saturday on CBS, NBC, WWOR (My9 will have pre-game coverage starting at 7 p.m.), or the NFL Network. Feel free to take your pick.
December 27, 2007
Glanceable Pored-Over
I’ve been catching up on the internets after a long roadtrip over Christmas.
Two images from the ever-excellent infosthetics.com made me think that the best interaction and information design is stuff that can be glanced-at:
or pored-over:
but unfortunately, most commercial interaction design falls between these two stools, in the ‘don’t make me think’ category.
I’d like to create services that scamper between beautiful extremes in 2008…
banana bus by squigglebooth
Our friend Ajit sent us this video through the submission form. It's a completely charmingly told story, well worth checking out. He writes on the blog post entry:
My good friend, JaCynthia Shepherd, recalls her experiences on the Public School Bus system. It seems she received much of her education while riding to and from school.
Photo of the Day: Uniqlo Jump
Japanese clothing company Uniqlo delves into a rather obscure category of jumping photos: noodle jumping! [via ffffound]
Poker, a game of "constant pricing and repricing of risk", is...
Poker, a game of "constant pricing and repricing of risk", is fast becoming a younger and more lucrative game. To wit: a 19-yo Norwegian woman won the most recent World Series of Poker and $2 million (to add to her $800,000 in internet poker winnings). Also of interest: John Wayne once won Lassie at a poker game. (??!) The article mentioned 3-time poker champ Stu "The Kid" Ungar (most poker players seem to have nicknames); his Wikipedia page and NY Times profile are interesting reads.
(link)Ungar won or finished high in so many gin tournaments that several casinos asked him to not play in them because many players said they would not enter if they knew Ungar was playing. Ungar later said in his biography that he loved seeing his opponent slowly break down over the course of a match, realizing he could not win and eventually get a look of desperation on his face. "It was fucking beautiful," he noted.
Poker, a game of "constant pricing and repricing of risk", is...
Poker, a game of "constant pricing and repricing of risk", is fast becoming a younger and more lucrative game. To wit: a 19-yo Norwegian woman won the most recent World Series of Poker and $2 million (to add to her $800,000 in internet poker winnings). Also of interest: John Wayne once won Lassie at a poker game. (??!) The article mentioned 3-time poker champ Stu "The Kid" Ungar (most poker players seem to have nicknames); his Wikipedia page and NY Times profile are interesting reads.
(link)Ungar won or finished high in so many gin tournaments that several casinos asked him to not play in them because many players said they would not enter if they knew Ungar was playing. Ungar later said in his biography that he loved seeing his opponent slowly break down over the course of a match, realizing he could not win and eventually get a look of desperation on his face. "It was fucking beautiful," he noted.
Hillary Backer Bayh: Assassination Reminds Us That If We Don't Pick Hillary, GOP Could Paint Dems As Weak
Looks like Obama adviser David Axelrod isn't the only key player talking about the effect the Bhutto assassination will have on the Dem primary.
Here's Hillary supporter Evan Bayh, saying that the killing is a reminder that the Republicans will use such occasions to paint Dems as weak, which is why we need to nominate Hillary:
“When there are unfortunate calamities like this, the Republicans [will say], ‘See. See what we told you? We have to have someone who’s strong to defend America at a time of concern.’ Well, Senator Clinton is strong,” he said. “And she’s experienced. And she’s tough enough to defend this country and do it in a way that’s true to our values, the civil liberties we cherish, and that’s one of the reasons why I’m supporting her.”...“The job of the next president is not to be entertainer in chief. The job of the next president is to move our country forward to make the substantive changes that will matter in our daily lives, and to protect us in an uncertain and dangerous world. And that’s why in a field of very good candidates, I believe Senator Clinton has the right combination of experience and strength to accomplish all of those things.”
On Being First
beating the little haters part 2...
A rude new documentary dissects the life of Queen Elizabeth II
A rude new documentary dissects Queen Elizabeth II