Thursday, January 25, 2007

"Fill out the list."

93-year-old blogger Donald Crowdis understands that his life is nearing its end, and has written a sad, sweet and inspiring post on his blog Don to Earth. In it, he admits to having uneasy feelings about what he knows is a harsh reality.
I've floated on the remark "Been there, done that" for some time now, but the notion that the moment is approaching when I can no longer say this bothers me. The truth is, I don't want to go.

There are many reasons. For too long I have behaved as if I could postpone going indefinitely, and thus have so many things that I must do first. I don't want my successors to find out how much I could have done that isn't done, not by a long shot. There are numerous notes and letters I must write. There are places I've wanted to travel, but never had the chance. Actually, each of you can, if you think yourself into my age, fill out the list. At least you can try to understand why I say that I hate to go.
I'm going to go make that list.

Link (via Boing Boing)

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Saturday, January 20, 2007

Will pose for apples [Flickr]

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Jeep's ink-jet-like waterfall [Video]



Check out Jeep's particularly creative application of ink-jet technologies for advertising at auto shows.

From Digg:
Jeep uses this waterfall for its displays. According to the waterfall's builder, the system works like an ink-jet printer, with 3,000 valves organizing the droplets via computer program into visible logos and other messages, which appear as the droplets descend 24-feet into a trough.
Link (via Digg)

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Friday, January 12, 2007

Sailing the seas of sulfur hexafluoride [Video]



Watch as an aluminum foil boat floats in a container of sulfur hexaflouride, a gas over five times denser than air. From Neatorama:
Another interesting point is that inhaling this gas will make your voice sound deeper. Sound does not travel as fast in this medium. Helium can transmit sound very rapidly, hence making your voice squeaky.
Link (via Neatorama via Boing Boing)

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Thursday, January 11, 2007

Track UPS packages with Google


David Platt, Harvard professor and author of the book Why Software Sucks...and What You Can Do About It, points out that it's easier to track your UPS shipment via Google than by going straight to the source. Here's the breakdown:

The UPS.com Method
  1. Point your browser to www.ups.com.

  2. Choose your country from the list

  3. Click the blue arrow to continue.

  4. Enter your tracking number into the "Track Packages & Freight" box.

  5. Click the checkbox to agree to UPS' Terms and Conditions.

  6. Click the blue "Track" button to continue.

The Google Method
  1. Point your browser to www.google.com.

  2. Enter your tracking number into the Search field.

  3. Click "Google Search" to continue.

  4. Google will recognize your number as a UPS tracking number and offer you a link that says "Track UPS package." Click it to continue.

If you use Google as the default search engine on your browser toolbar (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, etc.), then you can reduce the Google method to a mere two steps.

David uses this example to illustrate how a little thoughtful design can go a long way to making things easier for users. Why do I have to choose my country when I visit UPS.com? Why can't the site just figure it out? We have the technology.

Link (via IT Conversations)

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Wednesday, January 10, 2007

The most sportsmanlike hockey fight you'll ever see [Video]



Check out this fight between Georges Laraque (Phoenix Coyotes) and (LA Kings). Laraque was wearing a mic during the altercation, so we can all hear how it started. Catch the surprising civility about 47 seconds into the video.

Link (via Digg)

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Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Deluxe wheel [Flickr]

Monday, January 08, 2007

You park like an asshole


Dot Com, that is. Laughing Squid points out a website dedicated to bad or inconsiderate "parkers." As they say, "[it's] time to put an end to asshole parking, or at least to make fun of it."

Arm yourself with a camera and a few "tickets" (keep 'em in your glove box) so that you can be prepared for the next time you witness some idiot committing any of the following infractions:

  • Two spots, one car

  • Ummm...a little too close.

  • Too far away from the driveway

  • Too close to my driveway

  • Over the painted lines

  • Diagonal parking: cool car

  • Diagonal parking: not so cool car

  • Move up!

  • That's a compact?

Or fill in your own. While you're at it, you can submit your photo of said infraction to the "Bad Parking" Flickr Group. They also offer a kinder, gentler way to express your frustrations.


Link (via Laughing Squid)

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Sunday, January 07, 2007

Suspended in a sunbeam

We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.
Link (via Digg)

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Merrick [Zooomr]

MerrickMerrick Hosted on Zooomr

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