Director of "The Hobbit" anounced
Link: http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2250245,00.html
Apparently it's Guillermo del Toro, director of "Pan's Labyrinth". I've not seen the movie but Ritchie liked it which bodes well.
(Via Kottke)
"Look Around You" on the brain
This is perhaps the best send-up I've seen of the Open University type programs that seemed to dominate BBC 2 during the day throughout the 70's and 80's.
Of course, if you didn't grow up in the UK during that period, this is going to be nigh on incomprehensible.
"Thought muscles". Heh.
(Via Pharyngula)
The incompatible triad of foods
Link: http://www.georgehart.com/triad.html
When you mix mathematicians with foodies, you get some strange problems. This one for example:
Can you find three foods such that all three do not go together (by any reasonable definition of foods "going together") but every pair of them does go together?
(Via Kottke)
I'm clearly getting older...
I must be growing old; I went to a Fry's Electronics store to pick up a set of $30 speakers* and walked out with pretty much nothing else. It wasn't too long ago that doing that would have resulted in a very large credit card bill...
(Ok, I did pick up a copy of Guitar Hero III for the girlfriend (or was that for the Wii?) but that was mere opportunism.)
(* Logitech R-20s if you're interested. They sound decent enough.)
The Five "Why's"
Link: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2008/01/22.html
Joel Spolsky on how using the toddler's incessant cry of "why" can help improve performance. It's valid for software development and maintenance as well as (in his illustrated case) uptime and process.
He actually cites Sakichi Toyoda as the source of the concept, but, nah, it has to be a parent dealing with a demanding small child...
The building of the LEGO "Ultimate Collectors Millennium Falcon"
Link: http://tv.boingboing.net/2008/01/28/vlog-50-years-of-leg.html
Armando, this one's for you.
Rubbishing the stay-at-home father
Link: http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/features/n_9495/
While browsing through a friend's Facebook notes, I found a link to an older (2003) article from an American publication discussing the stay-at-home father.
Perhaps it was the intent of the author; perhaps it's the required attitude of a successful person, irregardless of gender, but the women interviewed have to rate amongst the least empathetic characters I've ever come across.
On hotel rooms...
...how, even in new hotels, do they manage to find television sets without any component, svideo or composite inputs?
Coax inputs are so last century. And I'd really like to use my computer to play movies on the bigger screen that's paid for as part of my room.
"Time Machine" Review
Link: http://duncandavidson.com/blog/restoring_from_time_machine/
A good review of the other part of using backup software: restoring.
(Via Daring Fireball)
Phoo
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur
While testing out a piece of software at work, I noticed one of the columns referred to "sulfur". Just before filing a low level problem report to correct the spelling mistake, I decided to make sure it wasn't one of the those English/American things.
MrlMrlMrlMrlMrlMrlMrlMrl
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwD9bjGk1cY
"I Am Murloc" from Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain. Someone must have access to a pretty good Warcraft engine in order to create that video...
(Via Ricardo)
(Official Blizzard version can be found here)
Suspension of disbelief
Link: http://www.boingboing.net/2008/01/23/cloverfields-visual.html
BoingBoing has an interesting post on the suspension of disbelief and how fragile it is. The example in this case is from the recent "Cloverfield" movie and the introductory cue card, but they've covered the "uncanny valley" before.
IBM demonstrates why workplace regulations are required
IBM recently lost a suit from some of their employees seeking to redress unpaid overtime. What was IBM's reaction? They decided to cut wages to compensate.
Scrabulous' days are numbered
Link: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/01/16/tech-scrabulous.html?ref=rss
Apparently Mattel has finally decided that Facebook's "Scrabulous" game is infringing their "Scrabble" game enough to issue a cease-and-desist order.
Get your turns in now!
Average incomes across Canada
Link: http://www.canadianbusiness.com/my_money/planning/article.jsp?content=20071127_144252_6060
As might be expected, Ontario and Alberta lead the stakes in average wages. The male/female income disparity for the same age groups is quite stunning though.
(Via Denenenenene)
