February 2010
53 posts
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“How long will it take to complete this Old World to New World shift? My guess?...”
– stevenf.com - I need to talk to you about computers. I’ve been… - Another great piece about computer technology, this time from Steven Frank of Panic.
His distinction between Old and New World computing echoes the distinction I described between traditional desktop computers and...
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“With Arnold ussen behind me carrying the laptop, I walked around the Wicab...”
– Wired 15.04: Mixed Feelings - Sunny Bains, writing for Wired, describing the sensation of “seeing” through a device attached to his tongue. Bizarre and thrilling technology.
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“Ingmar didn’t like spontaneous meetings with his children,” recalls Rodell, who...”
– Ingmar Bergman: Art & Design: Wmagazine.com - A considered and perceptive piece about Bergman the person rather than the legend. He was a brilliant filmmaker, but by no means was he a role model for a good person or father.
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“The tech industry will be in paroxysms of future shock for some time to come....”
– Fraser Speirs - Blog - Future Shock - This is one of the best things I’ve ever read about technology. Just read it.
January 2010
44 posts
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The Line Between Consumption and Production
This morning I wrote that Apple seems to be “drawing a distinct line between desktop computers and personal computers, where personal means “mobile.’” I want to elaborate a bit more on this distinction.
From 1984 to 2001, Apple basically had the Mac, a multipurpose personal computer that served as both a way to produce and consume content. In 2001, Apple introduced the...
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Of Magic and Mirrors
Earlier today Apple announced the iPad, their “most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price.” Along with many others, my first impression was a little cynical; I tweeted, “Basically, Apple’s vision of the future of computing is a giant iPod touch.”
In all fairness, that’s exactly what the iPad is. But everything that...
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“I can’t have stuff in the Trash. If I do, then it’s a thing I have to do. So I...”
– inessential.com: Things 1.2.9 likes me - I want to quote the whole thing. I quit using NetNewsWire a while back, but I still read Brent Simmons’ weblog (he’s the developer) because of stuff like this. And for the record, I currently have 71 items in my trash c… never mind, make...
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“A real director is at his best when he works with material that reflects his own...”
– Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia :: rogerebert.com :: Great Movies - I’ve seen this film only twice (so far), but I can say without reservation that it’s my favorite Peckinpah film. It is brutal, but not without remorse, and it’s got heart unlike any other film I’ve ever...
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A 75-minute interview with Stanley Kubrick from...
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“Beyond that, we are an organism that has elected to root much of our legal and...”
– David Thomson: Ozu v Avatar – this really is what cinema has come down to | Film | guardian.co.uk - A great essay on the failings of contemporary cinema to deal with real issues that affect us, real people. Thomson longs for a time when people would seek out the work of someone like Ozu...
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Maciej Duczyński - photography →
Wonderful photography. Not allowed to show an example, unfortunately. Just look.
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“3. Design from the heart.
Write / design around things you’re passionate...”
– IndieGames.com - The Weblog - Opinion: Indie Game Design Do-s and Don’t-s: A Manifesto - If you consider yourself a creative person, you owe it to yourself to read this list. Applies to any creative profession, really, not just making independent video games.
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“The magic of this film, though, happens as the inky black expands. Pulling...”
– The Known Universe Scientifically Rendered For All to See | American Museum of Natural History News - Wow. The whole universe—in a six and a half minute video!
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CBC Radio | The Sunday Edition | 20 Pieces of... →
Fabulous radio program that evaluates the twenty pieces of music that changed the world—not just the music world, but the world. I listened to the programs about Elvis and Dylan and both were fantastic.
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The Decade in Design - Design is a Verb - GOOD →
Like it says, the decade in design. A concise retrospective.
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“If the trailers for Avatar smacked of a movie that looked like a video game cut...”
– Avatarcraft - Fascinating observation on Avatar’s self-reflexive premise by Daniel Kasman at The Auteurs. Despite it being a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster with an unoriginal story and predictable characters, there’s yet still some fascinating textual and visual filmmaking going on...
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Dispersion of Sound Waves in Ice Sheets « silent... →
You will not believe this. I’m not sure I do. But apparently this is actual recorded sound of ice expanding and cracking from underwater.
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“As we assess our linguistic future as a species, a basic question remains. Would...”
– World Affairs Journal - The Cosmopolitan Tongue: The Universality of English - A thoughtful essay on the supposed death of culture that naturally follows the death of a language. I agree with McWhorter that the death of a language does not necessarily result in the death of the culture that spoke...
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“I am disappointed,” Mr. Leno said. “I feel like a guy who has bought...”
– Jay Leno Criticizes NBC On ‘Tonight’ Cliffhanger - Biography - NYTimes.com - Jay Leno, in 1992, criticizing NBC for considering to replace him with Letterman on The Tonight Show after Leno had hosted it for a few months. Then there’s this:
“NBC is like a guy with two...
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“Gerbovich wrote in his diary that night:
“When Rogozov had made the...”
– Auto-appendectomy in the Antarctic: case report — Rogozov and Bermel 339: b4965 — BMJ - A Russian physician stationed in the Antarctic operated on himself to remove his own infected appendix. Amazing.
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“It is the thought and circumstances behind the action that will make the action...”
– Frank & Ollie’s Official Site: Notes From Ollie - Notes from Ollie Johnston, legendary Disney animator, that also apply to everything about making a good film.
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WatchJENNIFER FURCHES “Kentucky” on Vimeo (via Vimeo) - Simple and very beautiful. Listen.
Thanks to Dallas at We Love You So for introducing me to this.
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