Category: Random

I’ve been getting really behind with the stuff that I want to write on plasticbag.org recently, which probably explains why when I do write something it’s fairly hardcore and intensely thought-through rather than a piece of conversational life-fluff. So I’m going to experiment with Jason’s remaindered links approach for a couple of days until I feel I’ve caught up with the world, although I don’t think I’ll do it for long, because I’m not convinced that anyone reads or clicks on lists of links. Nevertheless there is a value to the process, if only in that my link to them (like everyone else’s links to them) constitutes a micro-vote on the utility of the article or resource in question, aiding Blogdex and Daypop reflect the mood of the web-community and helping Google serve the best possible search-results to its visitors…

• My new favourite weblog of the moment (and added to my NetNewsWire subscriptions) is monkeyx.com…
• There’s a couple of interesting face-perception tests over at the BBC’s Science site at the moment…
• Cory Doctorow points and laughs at you for getting all stressed out about WiFi…
• There’s a new content management system on the way from the guy behind textism.com…
• Two search requests that get people to my site: How to bag a man and G.W. Bush’s boyfriend…

• iCommune looks like it’s going to be brilliant – as soon as there’s better auto-discovery…
• A man of principles and passion, and prepared to stand up for them, could Martin Sheen be the best President America never had? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…
• “My gun rights are more important than my gay rights…” Compare this news story with this thing I posted a million years ago…
• Why are Kottke and Megnut two different weblogs? Funny. If you’re in the know.
• A new home for left-wing weblogging in the UK: PolitX.org…

• Three films in order of quality (worst first): Star Trek: Nemesis | Spider | Chicago
• A collection of wishlists for webloggers…
• For Buffy fans only: The Diary of the First Evil…
• Some UI design lies for your delectation…
• I’m hiding my shame down here where no one will see – my second paper to ETCON on the despotism of social software also got rejected…

• Read about the most overhyped and under-reported stories of 2002…
• Find out why my mate Phil turned Pepys’ Diaries into a weblog…
• Did you know? The song ‘I’m Going Slightly Mad’ by Queen was inspired by the delirium that can affect people in the later stages of AIDS-related decline? Find it ‘quirky’ now…
• Memeufacture is very much a step in the right direction when it comes to using weblog content in an aggregated way – but it’s not there yet. Please employ me to be the person who makes this come true…
• Matt Webb talks about Adaptive Design For Weblog Software

A brief list of some interesting articles I’ve read today:

• Skipping Ads? TV gets ready to fight back…
• Beijing Blocks Blogspot
• Winning the War on Masturbation

So I have an iBook. And I have a desktop computer. They are both Macs. My desktop computer is plugged into a stereo amplifier. I use it to play mp3s that I’ve rippped from my ample music collection. But mostly I use my lap-top for everything now. My home computer is nothing but a grotesquely powerful wireless networking bridge and jukebox. But I’m getting increasingly frustrated because I want to be able to control my jukebox from my main computer. From my laptop. My first reaction to having wireless networking is that I should be able to use my laptop as some kind of remote-control. I need a bridge a way of interacting with my main computer – something that will let me control iTunes long-distance… I hereby invoke the lazyweb…

• Is this the answer? iHam on iRye 1.1.1

In related – posted-after-the-fact – news, I’d like to thank Euan for pointing me towards iHam on iRye (above), which is one of the best applications with a chronically stupid bloody name I’ve ever used. I am now comfortably sitting on my sofa wirelessly connecting to my desktop computer and completely controlling iTunes. I will be able to do this from any room in my ludicrously tiny flat. Including my bedroom. While I’m in bed. All in all, excellent stuff. And in related news, Matt Webb has pointed me towards the iTrip – an achingly gorgeous little piece of kit that you plug into your iPod. The iPod then broadcasts the music it’s playing in such a way that it can be picked up by any nearby FM radio. Stunning. I must have one…

The appalling nature of child abuse and the unpleasantness of child pornography notwithstanding, this article on Pete Townsend seems to me to highlight how cultural hysteria around these issues is leading to some extraordinary legal situations. 1300 people arrested for visiting web-sites – even grotesque and disgusting ones? How does that work?

Do you want compulsory ID cards in the United Kingdom? I would hazard a guess that you don’t. If that’s the case then get over to stand.org.uk now and do something about it:

Hands up everybody who’s really excited about the
introduction of universal Identity Cards for every man,
woman and child in the country!
No? Well, that can’t be right. Lord Falconer says that in one of
the widest ranging consultations conducted by a government,
they’ve been fair swamped
with positive endorsements of
the Government’s Entitlement Card plans.

With just a few
days to go before the end of the consultation, the Home Office is
saying that overall the public’s reaction is hugely positive.

The cynics amongst you might comment that that’s because the
only people who have been really gee-ed up about downloading
a 13MB PDF (here’s the HTML version we knocked up),
scrutinising its every word and then writing up
their fascinating points of view are those with an axe to
grind about ID cards in the first place. Like the IT
companies who are desperate to sell the government a brand
new solution. Or the civil servants who’ve been hankering
after this massive simplification of their dozens of
databases for decades. Or the private companies like credit
agencies who would dearly love to have a single ID to store
all the data they’re collecting on you.

So Steve Guttenberg is gay. Except of course he probably isn’t gay. That bit might have been made up. Or an error, maybe. On my part. Don’t sue. I wish Steve Guttenberg was gay, because I had such a huge crush on him when I was fifteen. Not that that’s why I think he’s gay. Not that I do. Certainly not. Don’t sue.

The reason I (don’t) think Steve Guttenberg is gay is this article about him: Steve Guttenberg Takes on Rear Ends, Leonard Maltin, And Directing. The first thing I thought when I read this was are these journalists mocking Steve Guttenberg by saying that he’s gay? and the second thing I thought when I read it was are these journalists trying to communicate that Steve Guttenberg is gay because they know he is and he won’t say it out-loud? Not that he is gay, you understand. Don’t sue me.

Anyway – here are the things in the article that make me think that they’re trying to horribly mischaracterise Steve Guttenberg as being a big homo. First there’s the phrase “takes on rear ends”. No comment. Then there’s the fact that the movie he’s doing is about straight men and gay men living together. Then there’s this exhange: iW: By the way, before we hang up, do you want to share any personal information. I have no idea if you’re single or married? Guttenberg: Just single. iW: Single and available? Guttenberg: I don’t really talk about it.

Plus, you know, he has a blonde golden retriever called Sandy.

Well there’s bad news and there’s good news. The bad news is that at least one of my papers for ETCON has been rejected, which means that since (essentially) I’ve already written the damn thing, all I need is for Cal to get the project that I was going to publish it through organised and then I can put it online. That is the good news – just some minor editing and rewriting required. And possibly some more conceptual and mock-up work. In related news, the other paper I submitted a proposal for (the big scary one that I’ve been thinking about for months) has yet to be rejected. So there is still hope remaining. Although not necessarily much…

One more thing as I download my new Apple browser and look towards the pub:

• Safari
  Notes: DiveIntoMark’s review of Safari and information on Safari CSS bugs and sucesses

• Final Cut Express
• Keynote
• iLife
• Powerbooks

In a little less that twenty minutes, it’s time for the January Steve Jobs Macworld Keynote speech. This is the speech that sets the scene for the next year of Apple products – heck, it’s the speech that announces most of them. As usual, the rumour sites have been going insane, with the most plausible suggestions coming from Think Secret. As usual, the relevant clump of people at work will be watching the whole thing over Quicktime and making sarcastic comments to each other over iChat.

I don’t know if his decision to take his weblog down is final or whether he’s just having a short break, but either way Mo Morgan‘s weblog will be much missed.