August 2008
32 posts
Book: The Years of Rice and Salt →
From Goodreads:
I found myself captured by this book and its stories of lives set within a world without Christians. Sweeping centuries of human development from the Dark Ages to today, it follows several souls as they reincarnate through history. The grandeur of new and wondrous civilizations, the tragedy of inevitable conflict between nations and ideologies, the march of science and...
WatchOne of my favorite collaborative musical teams, David Byrne and Brian Eno, have recently released a new album that you can stream in its entirety for free right here — just hit the play button above.
If you’re looking for just a taste, my favorite track right now is Strange Overtones (use “Show Playlist” to choose).
Pick up the album from their web site in either digital,...
Game: coign of vantage →
This is a great, visually compelling way to play a fun game.
Use your mouse to rotate the pixels until they match various iconic images — easy to start, but it gets challenging!
[via Waxy Links]
Microsoft Office Student Discount →
Microsoft is heavily discounting their complete Office 2007 suite of applications, but only for students (the easiest way to qualify is having a .edu email address).
The regular price for the Ultimate package is $680, but through this program it can be purchased for only $60!
A very good deal, especially if you’re still cranking along on Office ‘97 like some people I know…
...
Celebrity Computer Endorsements →
The Global Nerdy blog has collected a huge number of celebrity computer endorsement videos after the recent announcement that Jerry Seinfeld is going to shill for Windows Vista.
As a former Vic 20 and Atari 800 XL owner, I particularly love these!
[via MeFi]
KDice →
I’ve finally gotten into the multiplayer version of my favorite online Flash game, Dice Wars.
It’s always more nerve-wracking when I play anonymous humans as opposed to a computer’s AI. Tempers often seem to flare too easily, and some players tend to enjoy messing with other people more than playing the game itself.
Thus far, however, (with a few notable exceptions) the...
Face Your Manga →
Create your own customized Manga avatar, free on this great Italian site. They’ll email it to you when you’re done, or you can just save a screen capture and avoid creating a disposable email address.
Avatars can be useful visual representations of you in various online communities, but it’s not always easy to find something that fits well.
I think actual pictures of me either...
Fun Way to Lose Weight: Turn Dieting Into an RPG →
I really enjoyed this description of how Weight Watchers works as an RPG.
Wired columnist Clive Thompson deconstructs the system and explains why so many find success.
I’m giving it a try, too, at the moment, and never thought about it like this. Way cool, I can even be a geek while I’m losing weight!
[via Waxy Links]
New Track: Uproar in Heaven
This one was fun to...
The tomgrom blog Mobile Edition →
I feel as though I’ve just leapt into the 21st century because I finally have the capability to browse the Internet with my mobile device.
No, I can’t afford a fancy iPhone, as much as I’d like to. I’m still very excited at the wide range of useful resources I can get to now, especially because many are specifically tailored for mobile browsers.
If you can get online...
Top 10 Printable Paper Productivity Tools →
I loved this Lifehacker Top 10 list because everything on it is useful in some way or another.
Yes, it would be awesome to go completely paperless, but until then let’s make the most with what we’ve got.
PDF Creator [Windows] →
If you want to send a fax electronically containing anything but plain text, you’ll need to create a PDF of your document. PDF’s are extremely useful in lots of other ways, too.
Adobe’s Portable Document Format is a great way to make sure that people see exactly what you want them to instead of worrying about graphics and fonts, and it’s as easy as printing to a PDF file...
Fax Zero →
It’s interesting how requests seem to come to me in clumps…
Lately I’ve had several people ask if they can send a fax online. While there are many subscription-based pay sites, Fax Zero allows two free faxes per day as long as you don’t mind them putting an ad on your cover page.
For most of us, this is enough, and it’s certainly more convenient and cost-effective...
The Lifehacker Editors' Favorite Software and... →
If you’re wondering how some of the most productive people on the Internet get their work done, look no further than this Lifehacker article.
Each editor details the software they use on a day-to-day basis, many of which I use and enjoy myself.
There’s something for everybody here, Mac and Windows, and many of these applications are free.
Free Folk: Smithsonian Folkways Sampler →
For a limited time, Amazon’s MP3 store is giving away a free 14-song compilation of international folk music released on Smithsonian’s Folkways label.
Like my hero Alan Lomax, the Smithsonian has been compiling and distributing wonderful indigenous music from around the world for years.
For more about Mr. Lomax’s work, check out the Alan Lomax Collection at the Library of...
Game: Sunny Day Sky →
Orisinal features some of the most beautiful online games, both to look at and to play.
This latest effort from Ferry Halim is no exception. Fun, gorgeous visuals and sound, and easy to get hooked on.
Mystery on Fifth Avenue →
A very cool architect remodeled a posh Fifth Avenue home in NYC, adding the mother of all twists, completely unbeknown to his clients: a giant, home-wide puzzle.
He installed subtle and tantalizing clues that led the family deeper and deeper into the mystery, which they eventually solved.
This NY Times article tells the fascinating story.
[via Kottke]
Is it Protected by Copyright? →
This is an easy-to-use resource for anyone wondering if the material they want to use in their own creative work is protected by US Copyright law.
Just move the indicator to see the most likely situation you’re in. Handy!
[via Lifehacker]
Glassy Eyes →
This blog about ordering high-quality, inexpensive eyeglasses online intrigued me, but I wasn’t quite ready to take the plunge at first so I tucked it away in my bookmarks, waiting until I had an updated prescription.
A few weeks ago I finally had an exam and promptly ordered two pairs online, one from 39dollarglasses.com and one from Goggles4U.
I can now confidently say that the markup on...
Radiodread →
I just can’t stop listening to this album, which has now officially become my Summer Album of the Year for 2008 (yes, I am a music geek and do silly things like designating annual seasonal favorites).
When I posted about the Dark Side of the Moon MP3 sale (now expired) before I left, I included a short mention of the incredible reggae version.
When checking that out again, I noticed that...
Back!
I’m pleased to say that after a greuling 20 hours in an economy plane seat, followed by a three-hour bus ride, I finally made it home.
Although I’m glad to be back, South Africa is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, and I’ll miss it a lot.
I’ll share some highlights of my trip in the coming days…
I also want to send a big THANK YOU out to Brent...
My favorite gardening site - GardenWeb.com →
If you have any sort of green thumb — or you aspire to having one, visiting GardenWeb is a must. The link provided brings you to the forum area, which I find to be the best part of the site. I’ve chatted with lots of people about gardening and greenhousing and pretty much all things leafy/flowery/tasty. The forum submitters are always eager to bring in new ideas and take neophyte...
Generate unlimited color swatches for your OS X... →
It’s interesting that Mac OS X doesn’t have a built-in facility for choosing a nice plain color for the desktop when you don’t want a picture of some majestic mountain, a tranquil undersea expanse, or Aunt Martha’s at Thanksgiving. Granted, there are a limited number of solid swatches at your disposal out of the box, but what if there’s just that one shade you want...
