Google Maps Spy Feature
Posted on May 31, 2007 by C Johnson
Culture, Tech | Leave a Comment
Being a woefully amateur photographer, I have a plethora of pictures that feature either my thumb planted firmly in the offset or askew angled shots of city streets and random passing pedestrians. Whether inadvertently (like me) or purposefully (like photographer Roger Mayne) the fact is we’ve all taken pictures of strangers going about their daily lives. I’m very sure that I’m in someone’s holiday photos somewhere, looking thoroughly ridiculous in the background, and I certainly have many a photo where I’ve caught the innocent passerby doing something embarrassing, thereby entering them into infamy… at least amongst myself and my friends.
I’m Not Cool Enough for Gmail
Posted on May 30, 2007 by C Lin
Culture, Tech | 4 Comments
My sister sent me an email a few months ago asking me why I didn’t have a Gmail account. She is not the only one who has asked me that same question lately. Friends, friends of friends, acquaintances, and general people I meet off the street (not really) have been asking me the same thing. When I tell all of them I have an Earthlink email account, they shudder with disbelief. “Wow! But Earthlink is so…old school.”
Open Source Cola
Posted on May 29, 2007 by M Campos
Culture | Leave a Comment
We’ve all benefited from Open Source software. Many of the applications we run on our Desktop Computers are based on some form of Open Source code. It seems more and more, software developers are embracing Open Source. As more people continue to contribute to the base code, it just keeps getting better and better.
Al Gore’s Office
Posted on May 25, 2007 by C Lin
Culture, Process | 3 Comments
When I’m curious to know more about our great leaders or artists, I often wonder what their offices or studios look like. It can offer insight about process, work habits, or even the general mind of the person. Here’s a picture of Al Gore’s office in all its glory! Stacks of books and papers that would make someone with OCD cringe; fascinating! Check out the article in Time where the photograph was published.
Dumb Laws from Around the World
Posted on May 24, 2007 by M Campos
Culture | 2 Comments
Did you know that in San Diego, you could be fined $250 for keeping your Christmas Light up past February 2nd or that detonating a nuclear device within the Chico city limits results in a $500 fine? That is but two of the countless dumb laws still on the books in cities today around the world. Just head on over to http://www.dumblaws.com/ and look up your State, City, or Country and you’ll be amused and amazed at some of the crazy laws they have out there.
That’s Entertainment
Posted on May 23, 2007 by C Johnson
Culture | Leave a Comment
Corey Serin is a 24-year-old California suburbanite who has managed to run up a dept of nearly $200,000 in credit debt in addition to his failed financial exhibitionism in the real estate market where he bought 8 homes intended to be resold for profit.
So what does he do? What else? He starts a blog.
His website iamfacingforeclosure.com launched last year wherein he shares his financial troubles and then some. He posts his bank statements, financial spreadsheets and is blatantly honest over his cheating on mortgage application as well as his outright refusal to get a job: forcing his wife to clean homes to pay for food and rent.
Passive-aggressive Behavior
Posted on May 22, 2007 by C Lin
Culture | Leave a Comment
Ever get a note from your roommate that just boils your skin? As you call your friends to vent, you realize you are NOT lamenting the content, but the WAY said person composed it. The worst is when that person, rather than being direct, tries to cushion the blow with niceties. And doesn’t that just piss you off even more?
Here’s a blog that logs all kinds of passive-aggressive notes from roommates, neighbors, co-workers and strangers. It’s proof that you are not the only crazy person out there! (Or rather, you are not the only recipient of such nonsense!)
Click here if you want to see the freakin’ passive-aggressive blog NOW, thanks!
Paper or Prada? Haute Couture Meets the Cornershop
Posted on May 21, 2007 by C Johnson
Art, Design | Leave a Comment
Since green is the new black, it’s not surprising that high end designers from New York to London to Paris are doing their bit to save the planet… for a price, of course. Americans may be generally unfamiliar with the bring-your-own-bag concept, but it has long been a practice in most European countries, where grocery shopping is a daily affair, to tote your own personal tote. Some countries are even considering all out bans on plastic shopping bags altogether. The US alone goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually, meaning that 90 percent of market purchases are in disposable plastic bags—that’s 19 billion throwaway plastic bags in California alone. The habit costs retailers $4 billion annually, clutter up landfills and cost the environment much more than just money. Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photo-degrade, meaning they break down into smaller and smaller toxic bits. The simple act of investing in a reusable tote for about a dollar or two has invaluable benefits for the environment.
Weebly Part Deux
Posted on May 18, 2007 by M Campos
Culture, Tech | Leave a Comment
It appears that since writing my article last week about Weebly, the web-based application has actually gone through a few upgrades. It has become a little more intuitive and easier to use. The AJAX drag and drop features are still a little buggy but have improved from the last time I tried the demo. You’re still limited to predefined layouts, but they have become a little more customizable. They’ve gotten a lot closer to the iWeb experience, but clearly still have some ways to go. If they keep updating it like this they might just have something here after all. Best of all, they seem to finally have some confidence to use it to fully power the Weebly site.
The Paris Hilton Effect
Posted on May 17, 2007 by C Johnson
Culture | Leave a Comment
The digital age has re-defined the meaning of celebrity—it’s fast, cheap, easy and accessible to seemingly anyone. Tabloid empires have been built by cashing in on the celebrity craze and, sadly, now even the most respected news publications have begun to fashion similar tactics. The LA Times recently ran a story blasting the media frenzy surrounding the recent Paris Hilton trial. It appears as though now even the most respected news journals (i.e., The Times) have succumbed to the phenomena of supposed celebrity—that is to say, the attention garnered by namesakes like Paris Hilton. Names that translate into ratings—big, fat, juicy, delectable ratings. The sort of ratings enjoyed by rag television and celebrity gossip magazines. The ratings and numbers that stalwarts of the publishing industry covet, causing jittery editors (panicked over the recent migration of readers to the internet) to adopt the tactics of their less respectable counterparts.
