Categories
Digital Culture

Anything on the Internet

Betsy and I have ongoing jokes about how you can find anything on the Interweb. Anything that can possibly be conceived of is out there somewhere (indeed, there are even laws that state that no matter what you invent, it is retroactively available on the net).

This product proves this hypothesis.

PawSense (love the InterCap)

When cats walk or climb on your keyboard, they can enter random commands and data, damage your files, and even crash your computer. This can happen whether you are near the computer or have suddenly been called away from it.

PawSense is a software utility that helps protect your computer from cats. It quickly detects and blocks cat typing, and also helps train your cat to stay off the computer keyboard.

Yes. Software that does nothing but keep cats from typing. Truly, the Interweb is a marvelous thing.

Categories
Digital Culture

Valleyschwag

I had heard the name before, but not until it was featured on BoingBoing did I actually see what an amazing idea Valleyschwag is. In their own words:

Out here in the Valley (Silicon Valley, that is) we’re well known for cookin’ up a mean tech company. But our real legacy is our schwag–the t-shirts, ballcaps, notepads, stickers, keychains, and other booty blaring the slogans that create new industries (and sometimes landfill, sorry to say). Until now, these world-class collectibles have only been available to the elite few who make it to conventions and insider parties. Now you can have a little piece of the valley without the $3000 rent and two hour commute.

I’m so doing this.

Categories
Digital Culture

Stop the Madness

If for any reason you missed this on BoingBoing, below is possibly the single most “80’s” video in the history of the world.

We’re talking Nancy Reagan (in her first rock video!), Tootie, and Whitney Houston singing about the evils of drugs. So bad it’s amazing.

Categories
Digital Culture

Best. Lightsaber. Duel. Ever.

Categories
Digital Culture

Gas Prices vs Politics

Inspired by an Ask Metafilter comment, I decided to track down a 2004 political map, and let people draw their own conclusions about links between votes and gas prices. What is the same about this:

2004 votes by county

And this…

2006 gas prices

See any patterns?

Categories
Digital Culture

Generational Film Literacy

Betsy and I were talking about my previous post, and the thought of generational film literacy struck a cord with both of us. Can anyone out there help us fill in generational “must see” films? What films give you the core, the heart of a particular generation?

HeathersBreakfast Club

For Gen X, of which both of us are proud members, we came to a pretty solid list: Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueler’s Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Dead Poets Society, Heathers, Pump up the Volume, Lost Boys, Empire Records, Clerks, Pulp Fiction, and a few others Bets will have to help me fill in. What have we missed?

Lost BoysDead Poets

For Gen Y/pre-millenial, the only solid choice I could come up with was Clueless. I’m less attached to that generation…help!

Anyone want to help with pre-Gen X? Boomers? Baby Busters? Help me fill my Netflix queue, people!

Categories
Digital Culture

Film Literacy

Following up Jason Kottke, I’ve listed film critic Jim Emerson’s list of 102 movies that you should see before you can consider yourself movie literate. I’ve bolded all the ones I’ve seen.

2001: A Space Odyssey
The 400 Blows
8 1/2
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
Alien
All About Eve
Annie Hall
Apocalypse Now
Bambi
The Battleship Potemkin
The Best Years of Our Lives
The Big Red One
The Bicycle Thief
The Big Sleep
Blade Runner
Blowup
Blue Velvet
Bonnie and Clyde
Breathless
Bringing Up Baby
Carrie
Casablanca
Un Chien Andalou
Children of Paradise / Les Enfants du Paradis
Chinatown
Citizen Kane
A Clockwork Orange
The Crying Game
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Days of Heaven
Dirty Harry
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
Do the Right Thing
La Dolce Vita
Double Indemnity
Dr. Strangelove
Duck Soup
E.T. — The Extra-Terrestrial
Easy Rider
The Empire Strikes Back
The Exorcist
Fargo
Fight Club
Frankenstein
The General
The Godfather, The Godfather, Part II
Gone With the Wind
GoodFellas
The Graduate
Halloween
A Hard Day’s Night
Intolerance
It’s a Gift
It’s a Wonderful Life
Jaws
The Lady Eve
Lawrence of Arabia
M
Mad Max 2 / The Road Warrior
The Maltese Falcon
The Manchurian Candidate
Metropolis
Modern Times
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Nashville
The Night of the Hunter
Night of the Living Dead
North by Northwest
Nosferatu
On the Waterfront
Once Upon a Time in the West
Out of the Past
Persona
Pink Flamingos
Psycho
Pulp Fiction
Rashomon
Rear Window
Rebel Without a Cause
Red River
Repulsion
The Rules of the Game
Scarface
The Scarlet Empress
Schindler’s List
The Searchers
The Seven Samurai
Singin’ in the Rain
Some Like It Hot
A Star Is Born
A Streetcar Named Desire
Sunset Boulevard
Taxi Driver
The Third Man
Tokyo Story
Touch of Evil
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Trouble in Paradise
Vertigo
West Side Story
The Wild Bunch
The Wizard of Oz

Now for the part that everyone loves about lists: what’s not on here? That is, what do I think is necessary for a degree in film literacy? Well, he did hit at least one film from my favorite directors (Fincher, Kubrick, Kurosawa) except Gilliam (and no, Holy Grail doesn’t count as a Gilliam film). This list was done in 1999, so there are no films from the last 6 years on there. Are there any truly great films from the last 6 years? Or just things he missed?

I’d be tempted to include a handful in my list: Rushmore, The Shining, Rosemary’s Baby, The Ice Storm, Brazil, Memento, El Mariachi, Crouching Tiger. And then there are the specifics to generational literacy: Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, Dead Poets Society, Heathers, Pump up the Volume.

So that’s 55 of them I’ve seen…over half. I’m going to add all of the ones I haven’t seen to my Netflix queue, and work my way through. For you librarians out there, how many of these are in your library?

Categories
Digital Culture

Get your Jimi

Jimi Wallet

While it looks like the Jimi has been around awhile (I’ve found articles in Treehugger and Gizmodo going back to 2004), it only popped onto my radar over the last few weeks. Several years ago, I decided that carrying a wallet was really stupid. I mean, a huge hunk of cowhide in my back pocket only made sitting uncomfortable, and it seemed to accumulate crap faster than I could clean it out.

My initial solution, which worked for a long time, was to use a leather business card holder as a front-pocket wallet. It held maybe 6-10 credit-card sized objects, and had just enough room for folded bills. The problem was, it too accumulated stuff (receipts, extra business card here and there) and over time it has stretched just enough so that unless it’s full, things now fall out of it when it’s opened.

Then I saw the Jimi. I bought a Jimi. And after spending a week with it, I’m completely sold. Jimi only holds (and when I say only, I mean only) 5 cards and 3 folded bills. That’s it. If you believe you need more than that on a daily basis, Jimi isn’t for you. But it perfectly deals with my: Driver’s License, Medical Card, faculty ID, RFID key, and debit card. That’s all I think I need for day to day processes. For all the stuff that I need once every 6 months (Costco card, Sam’s Club card, whatever) that will go in my old wallet, and into the glove compartment of my car.

If anyone out there is looking for a simpler way to handle wallet duties, the Jimi might just work.

Categories
Digital Culture

Everyone should do these two things today

One: sign the petition from the EFF to the RIAA concerning the tactics they take against alleged filesharers.
Two: sign the petition to protect the Internet from corporate control.

It’ll just take a few minutes, and every little bit helps. Forward these to any group you think might care about basic digital freedoms.

Categories
Digital Culture

Laugh of the day: Web 2.1

For all you old fashioned Web 2.0 peeps: we’re so over that.

Web 2.1 is here, and it supports a server side BLINK tag. In your face Web 2.0.