Wed 01 Feb 2012

As it happened: The Dáil debate on the ‘Irish SOPA’
In which Junior Minister Sean Sherlock attempts to defend his proposed through-the-back-door copyright legislation. ‘The best way of dealing with copyright infringement issues is on a case-by-case basis by means of a judicial process,’ says he minister. Alas, if only the judgements made so far weren’t fundamentally flawed… Permalink   ·

Fireplace
A pixellated hearth for your computer screen. Might come in handy this week, it’s pretty cold. Permalink   ·

Joe Queenan: If someone tells me a film sucks, I have to see it
I share the sentiment, but don’t necessarily want to pay for the ‘privilege’. Ahem. Permalink   ·

Hardcore Or Die
A punk rock mix by Radio Soulwax (yes, that Soulwax). I’ve only played about 10 minutes, but it’s a great selection so far. Permalink   ·

Weight Watchers Revamps Its Magic Formula
A profile of WeightWatchers head David Kirchhoff and the changes he’s made to the programme. I’ve been on the new plan (called ProPoints over here) for nine months now, and it’s been working for me; the weekly weigh-ins and the tracking facilitate the small iterations to my eating patterns and general activity levels that are making a world of difference. Permalink   ·

Thu 26 Jan 2012

A response to Sean Sherlock’s Drivetime interview on Ireland’s SOPA
Someone needs to be challenging Minister Sherlock (and the rest of the Dáil) on these matters directly. That Radio 1 interview made a hames of it, IMHO: he simply wasn’t confronted with all the facts. Permalink   ·

Ireland’s SOPA to permit three strikes; TDs asked to debate something they haven’t seen
Incidentally, adds TJ McIntyre, the move contradicts the minister’s own Programme for Government which states that “The situation can no longer be tolerated where Irish Ministers enact EU legislation by statutory instrument. The checks and balances of parliamentary democracy are by-passed.” And they say trust in government is rising? Not with me it isn’t. Permalink   ·

Ireland and EU to sign controversial ACTA treaty
This is what happens when politicians think they know what they’re signing, but don’t understand its wider implications. Permalink   ·

Sat 21 Jan 2012

Marco Ament on ‘the next SOPA’
The web censorship bills might be shelved for now, but will no doubt return in this or some other form — unless there is an aggressive push for campaign finance reform, and a recognition that unless we stop giving money to the MPAA et al, they will keep coming back. Permalink   ·

Thu 19 Jan 2012

Why SOPA and PIPA Must Die
Waxy.org’s Andy Baio on his personal reasons for opposing the web censorship bills. Also: Matt Haughey outlines how they could be used to silence important web resources such as MetaFilter with a chilling story. Permalink   ·

Dan Gillmor: Stop Sopa or the web really will go dark
The journalist and author of We the Media fame makes the case in The Guardian for net neutrality and electronic freedom (be sure also to check The Guardian’s SOPA page). Permalink   ·

A SOPA/PIPA Blackout Explainer
Wired’s Threat Level blog lays it all out in point-by-point form. Permalink   ·

Sat 14 Jan 2012

You Say You Want a Devolution?
“Since 1992, as the technological miracles and wonders have propagated and the political economy has transformed, the world has become radically and profoundly new. (And then there’s the miraculous drop in violent crime in the United States, by half.) Here is what’s odd: during these same 20 years, the appearance of the world (computers, TVs, telephones, and music players aside) has changed hardly at all, less than it did during any 20-year period for at least a century. The past is a foreign country, but the recent past—the 00s, the 90s, even a lot of the 80s—looks almost identical to the present. This is the First Great Paradox of Contemporary Cultural History.” I’ve been saying this for years! Finally the world is catching on [c/o Fimoculous]. Permalink   ·

Sun 08 Jan 2012

AV Club primer on autobiographical comics
Love this. I dig Joe Sacco’s style in particular; those who criticise him for being biased obviously don’t understand the concept of activist journalism or reportage. Permalink   ·

What Editors Think of Writers
The biggest surprise for any new writer/journalist/whatever is when an editor corrects their work. It’s not about ‘taking away their voice’; it’s always about bringing out the best in the writer, and polishing it up nice for the reader. In my own experience, the most precious about their writing were the worst writers. Permalink   ·

No Copyright Intended
“Remix culture is the new Prohibition, with massive media companies as the lone voices calling for temperance. You can criminalize commonplace activities from law-abiding people, but eventually, something has to give.” I half agree with this; remix culture (fan edits, supercuts, etc) is one thing — and a good thing at that — but the apparent misapprehension of copyright among young people (that it’s just a means of attribution, not of protection of artists’ livelihoods) is another matter entirely. Permalink   ·

Sat 07 Jan 2012

What Good Is Google+ If My Friends Don’t Use It?
I’m still figuring it out. The free Picasa photo storage is a very nice addition, though. Permalink   ·

Umberto Eco: ‘People are tired of simple things. They want to be challenged’
Remind me to read more Eco please. I’ve only read Baudolino, and that was years ago. Permalink   ·

The Complicated Ethics of the Unborn
“Human cloning… has proven especially troubling, ethically. The bans are fascinating, because they are effectively saying ‘we don’t know how to unravel the ethics of human cloning, so please don’t confront us with the problem.’” Permalink   ·

Fri 06 Jan 2012

One thousand diners: Britain’s biggest restaurant opens
Say what you want about gluttony, poor quality, etc: what the farmers’ market/street foodie crowd doesn’t get is that it’s about bang for your buck. I love the richer textures and flavours of superior produce, but it doesn’t half cost a bomb. Give me a cheap all-you-can-eat buffet with a gazillion choices any day. Permalink   ·

Decisionmap.ie
Visualising Ireland’s public data. I wish they would make more of an effort to advertise these things; it would educate the public better as to how Census information is applied and for what purposes. Permalink   ·

Irish Palates, Enticed by Other Carbs, Are Losing Their Taste for a Signature Starch
I don’t know why people are so hung up over spuds. Get baby potatoes and steam them and they’re ready in no time, and you don’t lose as much of the nutrients either. Permalink   ·

Wed 04 Jan 2012

Compute it yourself
“The only way to get the sense of a fully hackable world is to dive in.” Great primer on getting started with the tangible internet (Arduino, etc). Permalink   ·

Hugh Grant’s 10 myths of tabloid journalism
Following his appearance at the Leveson Inquiry. He’s right, too. Permalink   ·

Foundation
A boilerplate framework for web projects. They could do with a better description, as who the hell knows what ‘production code’ is supposed to mean? Is ‘web’ a dirty word now? Permalink   ·

The Sketchbook of Susan Kare, the Artist Who Gave Computing a Human Face
Shame this piece doesn’t reflect on the devolution of icons in the iPhone/iPad age: there’s so little consideration of semantics anymore, how do you know what you’re clicking on or touching? Permalink   ·

Mon 02 Jan 2012

“Sometimes the stories are the science…”
On the importance of video prototyping. They’re on to something here; people want/need to see how new things are used. Permalink   ·

In Brief: Who Rules the Rules?
On how game rules (and laws of the land, for that matter) that lack contextualisation often result in a diminished experience. Permalink   ·

What’s on Leonardo Da Vinci’s “To-Do” list?
Dude was a multitasker, that’s for sure. Permalink   ·

A Guide to the Occupy Wall Street API, Or Why the Nerdiest Way to Think About OWS Is So Useful
An interesting way to look at it. Permalink   ·

ExtendNY
The Manhattan Grid extended to every point on Earth. I’m at 59,233rd and 9,160th. Permalink   ·

Sun 01 Jan 2012

.net’s top 25 books for web designers and developers
I like the broad selection; it’s not all hardcore technical nonsense. Permalink   ·

Simple Comic
A neat comic reader for the Mac. Best one I’ve used, actually. Permalink   ·

Lomokino
A movie camera that shoots on any 35mm photographic film (if you can get it). Permalink   ·

Jim Romenesko: How I Ended Up Leaving Poynter
The man himself puts the criticisms of the site and of his recent contributions to it in perspective. Permalink   ·

We know who [Johnny] Depp is, thank you
On the overuse of square brackets when editing verbatim quotes. Permalink   ·

Thu 29 Dec 2011

Science channels explode onto YouTube
I’ve said it before: these are perfect tools for the classroom. I’m the kid who learned more from TV about maths and science (and appreciating them) than I ever did at school. I’m surely not the only one. Permalink   ·

‘Kind of thirsty. Think I might get some water…’
A Twitter satire (that’s how I’m reading it, anyway) from @paleofuture. Also: must read some Nicholson Baker. Permalink   ·

Shapecatcher.com: Unicode Character Recognition
Draw something in the box, and it finds Unicode characters to match it. Not perfect, but pretty nifty. Permalink   ·

Stereo Stack
A collection of vintage LP stereo banners. Permalink   ·

A Brief Rant on the Future of Interaction Design
In even shorter terms, the tablet is a one-dimensional medium as far as our interaction with them goes. We need more tactile interfaces! Permalink   ·

Tue 27 Dec 2011

Links for Manufacturing or Marketing Your Own Game
Filing this for future reference. Permalink   ·

The Dice Place: Blank Dice
Good selection of dice for game builders. Filed for future reference. Permalink   ·

Longform’s Best of 2011
As the link says, some top picks from the wealth of longform writing on the web this year. See also: Give Me Something To Read’s 2011 Highlights. Permalink   ·

Louis CK answers fans’ questions on Reddit
Dude is really embracing new technology, and he understands more about the web than he thinks he does. I ponied up for his stand-up special too; looking forward to watching it (can’t laugh now, throat’s still too sore). Permalink   ·

A Grindcore Christmas, Volume 1
Sorry I didn’t post this before the 25th! Save it for next year’s festive soundtrack. Permalink   ·

Mon 26 Dec 2011

Toolbox tips: drilling and fixing
I will find this very useful one day. Permalink   ·

20 predictions for the next 25 years
Some of these are just bullshit pie-in-the-sky futurism, but many others are just pragmatic abstractions of things already happening today (look how much has already happened this year, for instance). Permalink   ·

Sun 25 Dec 2011

Take a walk in the park with Google Street View
Google showing a good understanding of what people use Street View for, right here. Permalink   ·

excavations.ie
A searchable database of Irish excavation reports. Surprisingly useful, and very educational. Here’s details of work carried out where we used to live in town. Permalink   ·

Megacities
“By 2050, three-quarters of the world’s population will be urban. That means more — and much bigger — metropolises.” Permalink   ·

CSS Font Stack
If it’s not obvious what this is from first glance, it would take too long to explain it to you. Permalink   ·

My favourite film: Predator
I’ll fight anyone who says Predator isn’t one of the best action films of the 1980s; it’s up there with Robocop IMHO. Permalink   ·

Learning to Program for Journalists: The Epic HOWTO
Filing this for future reference. Permalink   ·

Sat 24 Dec 2011

How to Make Bubble Tea
It’s actually quite complicated, what with all the preparation the tapioca balls require. Permalink   ·

Will Japan build a backup Tokyo?
I suppose if anyone could do it, they could. Permalink   ·

Robot Roundup
It’s kind of shocking to think about the amount of things (outside of industrial processes) that have been robotised as a matter of course. It’s sneaking up on us, in a way. Permalink   ·

My Robot Nation
Build your own unique robot, replicated to order. The prices are a bit steep at the moment, but this kind of thing is going to explode. Permalink   ·

The Video Remix ‘Supercut’ Comes of Age
Andy Baio’s brief history of this web video phenomenon. It’s the kind of creativity that bullshit legislation like SOPA would kill stone dead. Permalink   ·

Giving the FBI What It Wants
A digital media academic takes the extreme approach when he learns he’s being watched by the Feds. I understand what he’s doing, but he’s very much missing the point, and doing a disservice to those who don’t have his technical nouse. Permalink   ·

Thu 22 Dec 2011

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s chickpea recipes
I see some post-Xmas chana masala in my future. Permalink   ·

Hands on with Zeebox, your new social TV guide
This is kinda what I was talking about last year. Almost, but not quite. Permalink   ·

Binge watching contemporary TV
Dan Hill five years ago, being very prescient. Binge watching, timeshifting, whatever you call it — between the DVR and box sets, it’s 90% of our home viewing now. Permalink   ·

7 billion people and you: What’s your number?
Mine’s 4,446,117,843 (or 79,030,555,906 since history began) Permalink   ·

The Fierce Imagination of Haruki Murakami
Having now read 1Q84, I can say it’s been fiercer. See also: If Haruki Murakami’s New Book Were Sold Like a Video Game. Permalink   ·

Tue 20 Dec 2011

Scoring a Three with Mugger
An interview with the notorious Black Flag roadie who eventually became a partner in SST Records and is now, many years later, a clean-cut family man. Go figure. Permalink   ·

io9’s 50 Scariest Movies Of All Time
Compare with the AV Club’s Scariest Movie Scenes. Both are missing an obvious classic in Robocop. Was no one else frightened by that ED-209 scene? Still gives me chills just thinking about it. Permalink   ·

Google Kills Its Other Plus, and How to Bring It Back
I haven’t used it in a long time — I’ve always been a quotes guy — but it does have a very specific application that hasn’t really been substituted here. When Google starts messing up search, that’s not a good sign. Permalink   ·

Enthusiasms: Things That I Believe
These are mostly things that I believe, too. Permalink   ·

How the Potato Changed the World
Added to the ‘Things I didn’t know’ file: tomatoes can be affected by potato blight [c/o The Morning News]. Permalink   ·

Sun 20 Nov 2011

Top 10 Things Every Budding Foodie Should Know
I hate that word, ‘foodie’. But anyway. Most of this is common sense, yet worth revisiting. Permalink   ·

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s hot food for cold days recipes
I’m so hungry right now. Permalink   ·

Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes for carrot and mung bean salad, plus red lentil soup with fried tofu and chilli oil
Both of these look delicious. I can’t believe I’m saying carrots look delicious. Permalink   ·

“Your mother can’t be with you anymore”: 17-plus entertainments that teach children about death
Just the mere description of City Dog, Country Frog has me on the verge of tears. Permalink   ·

Gateways to Geekery: Giallo
I love The AV Club’s Gateways to Geekery - this one on giallo is a very handy primer - and I’m thinking it’s an idea that would lend itself very well to print… Permalink   ·

Sun 13 Nov 2011

Why can’t I control my individual toes?
In short: because I haven’t practiced. But can neuroscience explain why I can’t click my fingers? Permalink   ·

Microdata for recipes at schema.org
A descriptive framework or microformat for recipes in HTML. It’s a bit too ‘machiney’ for my tastes (not their fault — the W3C proposal for microdata is to blame) but other than that, nicely done. Permalink   ·

Phil Gyford on asymmetry
The notion of seeing - and judging - others differently to ourselves. In other words: “I am infinitely subtle, complex and never quite what I seem; you are predictable and straightforward, an open book.” It’s particularly evident in US politics and culture at the moment. Permalink   ·

Charlie Brooker: Everyone knows David Cameron is a lizard. So why does the Telegraph continue to deny the truth?
Some people just can’t handle it. BUT WE KNOW. Permalink   ·

Is Philosophy the Most Practical Major?
The sooner industries realise that philosophy is “a tool for thinking about everything else”, the better. Permalink   ·

Sun 06 Nov 2011

John Gruber comments on accusations that Steve Jobs built freedom-sapping digital ‘prisons’
Jesus, Gruber drives me mental sometimes. Maybe calling Apple products and services ‘tyrannical’ or ‘freedom-sapping digital prisons’ is overstating the point, but it’s pretty clear those words are being used for rhetorical emphasis, not absolute literalism, so that smug bullshit doesn’t play. As for the main point: if you invest so much in a closed system (like I have), it’s never as easy as just choosing to leave. Could I switch platforms tomorrow and go back to a Windows-based set-up? Not without an outlay of thousands of euro and a few solid days of software installation. ‘Prison’ might be too strong, but ‘debtor’s prison’ is an apt simile in this case. Permalink   ·

Putting Steve Jobs’ passing into perspective
The Princess Di-ness of the whole thing left me a bit disgusted, to tell the truth. See also: What Everyone Is Too Polite to Say About Steve Jobs. Permalink   ·

Incredibly Useful CSS Snippets
Boilerplate code to cut some headaches out of the web design process. Permalink   ·

Generate sound from a line of code
Not being a coder, I don’t know how useful this is for me, but it’s worth saving. Permalink   ·

Why Do Spicy Foods Make Your Nose Run?
Didn’t realise there was a downside to it. With my bad sinuses, I should be more careful in future. Permalink   ·

Wed 02 Nov 2011

Yotam Ottolenghi’s turkey cakes with wasabi guacamole recipe
Please remind me to make these soon, okay? Permalink   ·

Scott and Scurvy
Epic post from Maciej Ceglowski last year that I never noticed at the time. Did you know they forgot the cure for scurvy in the 19th century? Crazy stuff. Permalink   ·

Robottke
A robot blog emulating the style of Jason Kottke. It was bound to happen at some point. Permalink   ·

Don’t Call Me Limey, Yank! Limey, Don’t Call Me Yank!
MeFi’s linguistics nerds have a field day. Permalink   ·

Looking Back at the Upright Citizens Brigade’s Early Years
Reviewing more than 15 years of the comedy team that’s spawned “about half the funny people on [US] TV”. Permalink   ·

Sun 23 Oct 2011

Why Is Carbon Fiber So Expensive?
Turns out the manufacturing process is a massive pain in the arse. Also: I didn’t realise it’s been around since the 1960s. Permalink   ·

Q&A: The unappreciated benefits of dyslexia
Makes sense to me. Permalink   ·

The 50 Greatest Video Game Characters of All Time
My personal favourite will always be ‘Skeleton - Mrs Benoit’ in Deadliest of the WWE. I daren’t play it with the lights off. Permalink   ·

6 Movie Plot Holes You Never Noticed Thanks to Editing
It’s not so much ‘editing’ as ‘we’re throwing so much shit at you that you’re too concerned about what’s coming next to notice what just happened’. Permalink   ·

11 Interesting Things About the Umbrella
So now you know. Permalink   ·

Sat 22 Oct 2011

Green screen: what’s happening to Irish cinema
What they don’t really get into here is that Irish cinema, as it is, is really about marketability and profitability. If worthy art is made, that’s fine, but it’s not the primary driver — there’s too much fear of taking a chance on something that won’t find mass appeal. Which is a Bad Thing, in my estimation. Permalink   ·

Just Like That but Funny
Comedy writer Todd Levin on lessons learned working in the hothouse writers’ room for Conan O’Brien’s NBC shows. Permalink   ·

On first glance, it’s just a blog post on dummy credit card numbers for testing e-commerce sites…
…but scroll down to the comments and things start getting insane. Only on the internet. Permalink   ·

Pruney fingers for better gripping
Those wrinkles you get in the bath might be an evolutionary adaptation that allow for better gripping in wet conditions? Well I never. Permalink   ·

ifttt
As in, ‘if this then that’. Basically an easier-to-understand version of Yahoo! Pipes, taking something from one site (usually an RSS feed) and making it do something else more useful. The list of ready-made recipes is growing fast. Permalink   ·