Glimpses of the websurfing habits of a computer science professor, obsessive crafter, occasional gamer, and all around geek
There are some in-jokes that a casual viewer will miss, but I still recommend episode two of zefrank explaining videoblogging. If you’re interested in web 2.0 publishing, you’ll like his rundown of videoblogging style guidelines, and if you follow videoblogs (or web popularity in general) you’ll like his snark about rankings and traffic measurements.
Wish you could type faster? There are tons of these typing games out there, but Word Shoot: Spell Fast or Die! is actually really well done [via Clicked]. As the game gets more difficult you can’t succeed if you have to look at your hands, and unlike most of these games there is actually a liittle bit of strategy. Plus, the graphics are cute.
Another internet list, but a pretty fun one at that: The 50 Worst Video Game Names Of All Time. The list is pretty good, made, of course, by the humor of the commentary attached to each entry. And the provision of the link to this awesome random word generator to make your own awful titles. The student game I’ve been playing recently that’s name refers to non-Euclidean geometry would probably fall around number 27, right after “Ninja Hamster”.
While taken from real life conversation in an ad agency, I suspect these “overheard” snippets of conversation at advertising agencies will ring true to anyone working with clients on design [via India, Ink]. Sure, much like “stupid user” humor, the humor is a catharsis but the professional has to realize that part of their job is to facilitate conversation with non-experts without demeaning them. On the other hand, how can you not love: “I like the design but I think it ‘ll look better stripping all graphical elements, it ‘ll look more web 2.0-ish” (Agency, Creative Director to Designer) or: … Continue reading Communicating at Cross-Purposes
In an interesting detour in the question of what “Web 2.0” really means, Nicholas Carr (of “Does IT Matter” fame) takes on Lessig in his weblog post Web 2.0lier than thou and challenges Lessig’s claim that Web 2.0 is synonymous with unrestricted sharing of information (and consequently that services with built in restrictions such as YouTube are not Web 2.0). Carr asserts that this is not an accurate portrayal of the current web, and that Lessig’s moralistic take on Web 2.0 is idealistic utopianism. All of the sharing just furthers industry and in fact exploits th creative individual by asking … Continue reading Web 2.0 doesn’t share its toys
From last week over at badscience, this is one of the most succinct and compelling examples I’ve seen of why everyone needs to know math, particularly prob/stats math. The example centers on a legal case and everyone involved’s inability to compare two conditional probabilities. Or, more properly, that the relevant thing to compare is conditional probabilities. It’s one of those situations where knowing how to do the calculations isn’t as important as knowing what the calculation you should be doing is.
Computing changes our world – not a new idea – but this registration-required NYTimes essay (you’re using BugMeNot, right?) summarizes what some computer scientists think is, and isn’t, coming. Predictions? More interdisciplinary impact and more policy issues requiring knowledgable leadership. Data mining in social networks as a promenent theme (I’m guessing the whiteboard scribbles in the photo at the top of the page are illustrating clusters…) It all suggests to me that getting more people educated about the fundamental capabilities of techology and the implications of its use is going to get more important to us over the next decade … Continue reading Wait – that’s what *we’re* doing, right?
Next time someone commits you to making balloon animals, head on over to How to Twist a Balloon Dog for awesome step-by-step instructions and a cute little animated gif of the process in action. Then go twack the person who committed you to making balloon animals over the head with a blunt instrument.
For T, some Friday fun, because he’s never seen it, and because I made a promise: How To Dance Properly, the silly videos that eventually led to the show with zefrank. Read the blurbs under the video – they make it funnier. Bonus dance video: Evolution of Dance
I usually prefer a bland-looking plate of chocolate chip cookies to most crafty no-bake treats, but these Halloween “crawly cakes” over at Not Martha, based on snack cakes and pocky, are really adorable. You could clearly do this with homemade cupcakes, but I think the snack-cake look is a big part of their charm.