May 2003 Archives
Of course we have all seen it happening, cell phones are changing us and its more than just the way we communicate. Example: I saw 3 people (all in a row) in the LA airport using the bathroom urinals while talking on their phones.
Another interesting example:
Americans, once keen on punctuality, are routinely late, using cells to set up new meetings or for last-minute planning. Also, as long as they've been warned, Americans aren't automatically bothered by tardiness.
South Americans, where punctuality wasn't a big deal in a pre-wireless world, are with cells more punctual and increasingly less tolerant of lateness.
[via Marc Escobosa]
Reebok signs 3-year old to shoe contract. Yep. 3-year old Mark Walker has a shoe deal, and while it is reportedly not as large as the deal Nike inked with High School phenom and #1 draft pick Lebron James' $90 million it does mark a trend towards marketing to youth with youth, and the signing of athletes at younger and younger ages.
Meet Mark Walker at his very own Reebok website.
Work has really picked up lately and I have been much busier. I am trying to reassert myself and focus a bit more. My house has really take a lot of my energy (both physically and spiritually) this past year. I am hoping I can soon get back to normal form.
I have also been busy taking making photos, visiting state parks, getting my financial house in order, cooking, and puppy-sitting my sister's long-haired Chihuahua.
I plan on getting back to a schedule of posting everyday, getting broadband at home will really aid in that endeavor. Thanks for your patience - more tomorrow.
For the 7th straight year, Minnesota has been named the "Most Livable State" according to Morgan Quitno Press, by ranking such factors as Public High School Graduation Rate, Normal Daily Mean Temperature, Divorce Rate, and Deficient Bridges as a Percent of Total Bridges among some 39 other factors. Poor Mississippi has been named the least livable state for the same period of time.
Other rankings done by Morgan Quitno include: Healthiest States, Most Dangerous/Safest States, and Smartest States (2002)
one.point.zero combines the kind of design that has been prevalent for a while among the kids, with the idea of a weblog to create a good compromise.
For anyone who was transfixed by the first movie, watching the new one is a little like being unplugged from the Matrix
I was going to write a review here about the latest Matrix movie, after which I was pretty thoroughly disappointed. Unlike Jason, I thought the second movie didn't seem weighty enough - and the times when it tried to go deeper seemed oddly out of place. This review from the New Yorker says all that I would want to say and more about the Matrix Reloaded as it compares to the first movie, and it is damn well written.
Especially in view of the conventionality of the second film, it’s clear that the first film struck so deep not because it showed us a new world but because it reminded us of this one, and dramatized a simple, memorable choice between the plugged and the unplugged life.
[via escobosa.com]
When compared to the currency of other nations (Netherlands Guilder - shown at right) the US dollar looks downright drab.
Even the new colored money the U.S is introducing is boring. Can't the design of money evolve too? Look at how nicely designed the Netherlands Guilder, Canadian dollar, Indonesian Rupiah, and the E.U. Euro are.
What do you think - are U.S. currency designers stuck in a rut?
I am not sure when this was deemed acceptable, but the practice of every promo for TV shows and preview for movies telling us that there is a "mind-blowing twist you've got to see to believe" is pissing me off.
The act of announcing a surprise or twist (and even going so far as to say its in the last 2 minutes) ruins the effect of the surprise. Half of what makes twists and surprises cool is that they are unexpected.
Movie and TV producers take note: I am announcing a boycott of any such program or movie that stoops to these sensationalist tactics. Also take note that just because you fool everyone in the last five minutes doesn't mean you are good at your craft. Try making a good product all the way through - yeah that means you too, M. Night Shyamalan.
Public take note: expand your attention span, demand more of yourself and your entertainment - don't just sit on the couch and watch whatever sappy reality TV show American networks can crappify from abroad.
We have yet to close on our house - but I am not in despair yet. I should have a closing date by the end of the day. It should be later next week I am assuming. Pardon me if I don't hold my breath. There are a couple more new photos up for the few of you who still care. They can be found
here and
here.
Minnesota Fans have something to cheer about as the Minnesota Wild (that's hockey) become the first team in NHL playoff history to win 2 series after being down 3 games to 1. While a matchup with former Minnesota team, the Dallas Stars would have been nice, the Mighty Ducks will make a great 3rd act to this storybook season.
Today's Salon article, 3rd in their To Breed or Not to Breed series, focuses primarily on the urge or yeaning for children that many would be parents profess to face. I have to put into question the prevalence of such feelings as internal desires rather than external pressures. Don't get me wrong. I am sure there are plenty of people who feel a strong maternal or paternal instinct, but I am just not buying that it is as strong as they claim, or that they are not confusing their feelings of what is "supposed" to be the next step, or what "the reason for life" is, with a feeling of wanting children.
Also: yesterday's article.
Salon is running a series of articles, continuing until Mother's Day that all deal with an issue that is close to home for me: to breed or not to breed (their words not mine). The first of these articles, today's, Married Without Children is a good introduction for those who may be unaware of the pressures placed upon those couples who remain childless by choice as well as a pointed reminder of what is faced, by those who go through it every day.
I never knew this site existed: ChildFree.net
The new BlogShares market is up and running - now out of beta and operational. Now I must claim Alt Text:
Anil pointed out one of the slicker web applications I have seen in a while, BrowserCam takes screenshots of any URL you give it in any of the many browser/platform configurations they support (which is a lot). Now you can see what your site looks like in Safari 1.0b on Mac, Konqueror 3.0.5 on Linux, and Netscape 7 on Windows 2000 to name just a few. The best feature however is that the site will create a layered Photoshop file with each platform configuration as a layer so that you can easily see the minor differences in rendering on each.
The pricing is pretty aggressive at $10.00 for up to 10 URLS or $39.95 per month (unlimited use) but it is a very useful tool. Plus there's a free 8-hour trial! (I'm not kidding - I have like 6 hours and 57 minutes left.
I really feel like American society is going backwards. First my state (Minnesota) passes a conceal and carry gun law last week prompting visions of the wild west with gun-totin' vigilantes wandering the streets, and now there's a whites-only prom.
I have never felt worse about the state of the Union.
