Editorial & Opinion
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[ 2 Comments ]Posted on December 14, 2008 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Sunday, December 14th, 2008Is this my single serving post? Dot Com?
We’ve touched on Internet memes before, but here’s a fairly new one: Single Serving Sites. I first ran across the phenomena with isbarackobamamuslin during the election , but thanks to the Internet’s power to demonstrate that someone’s always already thought of something and come up with a buzzword for it, we have is this your paper on single serving sites.com, which expands on the phenomena probably first observed by Jason Kottke. Some SSS’s are pleasantly pointless, like defiantdog.com (which features — you guessed it — a defiant dog), or sometimesredsometimesblue.com (sometimes it’s red, and well…sometimes it isn’t). Some are only occasionally useful, like instantrimshot.com, but some you might use every day, like doineedanumbrella.com. For your convenience, I’ve assembled a Single Serving Page here. Let me know if I missed any…
It’s Like Throwing A Stick For A Puppy
[ 2 Comments ]Posted on December 8, 2008 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Monday, December 8th, 2008Except you don’t have to clean up any poo.
I take a perverse pleasure in introducing people to things that they enjoy, but that I have no interest in taking part in. This manifests in a few ways; I like throwing parties, I’ve introduced a few people who became happy couples (and speaking of not taking part, two of them have been gay couples!), and I like turning people on to easy-to-learn but addictive computer games (video games otherwise don’t interest me much). I consider this last pursuit particularly gratifying if I know I make the person late for work on Monday morning. This can be a risky pastime. At least three people aren’t speaking me because they became addicted to Stack the Cats, for instance. And in cases like the amazingly simple but disturbingly intriguing Spin The Black Circle, I run the danger of becoming addicted myself. Which was also true of the game Auditorium, which adds an extra level of aggravation by not having any hard rules and allowing multiple solutions to the same problem.
Life Is Good
[ Comments Off ]Posted on December 7, 2008 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Sunday, December 7th, 2008But for the record, writing for the web does not constitute “hardcore sitting”
When financial worries and my seemingly perpetual singleness are getting me down like they have on occasion lately, I try to be thankful for what I DO have. Well, screw that. After running across the following inspiring tidbits, I think I’m gonna have to ramp it up a bit and kick some ass. For starters, check out Aaron Fotheringham, an “extreme wheelchair athlete” who calls what he does “hardcore sitting”. Last time I checked, I was fully functional, but I doubt I could pull off half the stunts he does, and the kid has Spinal Bifida! On a less extreme but still inspiring note, check out laid-off toy company executive Paul Nawrocki, who pounds the pavement in Manhattan wearing a suit and a sign in the hopes of finding work. As he puts it “When you’re out of work and you face having nothing — I mean, having no income — pride doesn’t mean anything”. Hope his shameless search pays off. And these teddy bear astronauts sparked something in me. As a kid, whenever I managed to get my hands on a helium balloon, I would attach a note in a film can asking whoever found it to write and tell me where it landed. The longest journey one of them made was two states away. Imagine how cool it was for those British kids to see photos of their balloon from the edge of space. Time to start chasing those dreams again…I always forget that thousands of things go right for me every day.
The Internet: It’s Not Just For Stupid Questions
[ 1 Comment ]Posted on December 6, 2008 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Saturday, December 6th, 2008Things to do with your hands besides dating Miss Michigan
In spite of the fact that people seem to rely on the Internet a lot to answer questions, even disturbingly basic ones like where should I live? or what should I read next? or do vaginas seal up with disuse? The fact is, the real purpose of the Internet is to waste time. One good way to do this is by using one of the millions of sites that let you upload images and text to make signs that no-one thinks are funny except you. One of the originals was Demotivators (see my Serenity poster, left), but there are many, many more. Says-It.com has everything from church sign generators to self-cutting generators. If you really “heart” someone, there’s an I heart [whatever] site. Or maybe you’d like to put yourself on the cover of Time, or customize a movie poster. Or do more personalized editing, like they offer at Pizap. But what if you don’t have web access? I recently spent a lot of time in waiting rooms with no wireless available. Not to worry! I learned you can waste time without the Internet. Imagine…with only your hands, you could stage a shadow puppet show with music (something Cartman of South Park understands very well). And here are a few things you probably shouldn’t do with your hands (and no, that doesn’t link to a “dating Miss Michigan” reference).
Hump Day Distractions
[ 2 Comments ]Posted on December 3, 2008 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008Wednesday Time Wasters
 Failed Today’s I.Q. Test |
Yes, it’s Wednesday. If (like me) you’re already way behind for the week, here are some pointless things to help bury you further. Did you know that the human body produces its own alcohol? You would if you watched the Q & A stream at Text118118.com, which is part of the U.K.’s most-phoned information service. The people that work there must be REALLY smart to sit at the computer and phone all day and answer random questions on such a wide range of topics. I wonder how they’d do on this (yes, another one) I.Q. test? That test is a little time-consuming, and I already know I’m not so bright. Besides, you don’t think I actually try all the things I present here, do you? I’m a little more sensory-oriented, so I found this test kind of amusing (though the first few problems are kind of dull). This one, in which you have to eliminate numbered moving boxes in sequence, is, well, kind of dumb. But fun if you’ve had enough coffee. And moving on down the I.Q. scale…if you’re feeling shat upon this week, think how statues must feel. Well, now you you can fight back by taking a shot at those that shat at you. And for those who prefer reading to mindlessly clicking on links, here’s an annoying riddle for you (the first to post the correct answer along with their I.Q. based on that test wins a cookie): A blind beggar had a brother who died. What relation was the blind beggar to the brother who died? “Brother” is not the answer.