web two dot ass

As this recent post might have indicated, I am approaching my own personal saturation point when it comes to the Web. As with anything else, it’s all in the execution, and some sites execute great ideas while others fall flat, and fall flat repeatedly. My personal bias places the Wikipedia in the former category and just about any web-based social calendar software in the latter. If I’m spending more time setting up my social calendar than I am being social, the software is ass. And if you’re spending more time redoing old ideas safely than you are making huge mistakes and learning from them and pushing all of us forward, then you’re contributing to the ass. The current ass exists because the Webolution, Web 2.0, whatever, isn’t...

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Posted on 8 Mar 2006 | 5 comments

links for 2006-03-08

shortText.com – Post information. Share it. “a simple tool to post text online, with minimum fuss … no sign ups, no sign in, just instant web presence for your information” (tags: text free sharing) Logabottle Catalog your wine consumption and preferences. (tags: wine cataloging)

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Posted on 8 Mar 2006 | Comments Off

first chirp

Last July, when I visited my mom in Chicago, we went to the Museum of Science and Industry. I filmed some video of my favorite exhibit, the baby chick incubator, then tweaked it a little in...

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Posted on 7 Mar 2006 | Comments Off

links for 2006-03-07

Paper profits from student creativity – MIT News Office MIT student origami competition winners. (tags: origami)

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Posted on 7 Mar 2006 | 1 comment

links for 2006-03-04

Elf | Your Personal Email Library Reminder Service Elf is an Internet-based tool for keeping track of library materials that are due, overdue and ready for pickup. (tags: libraries tools) Dr. Wayne W. Dyer “Dr. Wayne Dyer is affectionately called the ‘father of motivation’ by his fans.” I’m listening to one of his audiobooks right now, and I sure do like what this guy has to say. (tags: people selfhelp motivation inspiration) Cute Overload! ;) So cute. Too cute, even. Baby hedgehogs and pandas and any other baby animal you could possibly want to go “awwww” over. (tags: cute photography) urbanTechnocrat: Shhhh… We’re Sinking Please watch this totally SFW video. It will make you laugh. (tags: humor...

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Posted on 4 Mar 2006 | 1 comment

buy bewilderment

This quote from Rumi is making me smile today: “Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment.” One of the library regulars delights me when she comes to visit, hands me an illustration from one ancient civilization or other, and asks, “What do you see here?” I notice my ego struggling at first, trying to put all of my book-smarts in play, but when I get it to relax, I get to the actual part of Seeing. All sorts of neat things pop up. She talks to me about mathematics, art, religion, literature, and when she’s done, I feel like I’ve connected things instead of just memorizing trivia. Mercury is in retrograde. The next six weeks should be interesting. The best thing I can do is continue to let go of my ego. Knowledge is my...

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Posted on 3 Mar 2006 | Comments Off

giving, not giving up

Although my relationship with the Roman Catholic Church has been shaky at best, I do miss certain parts of it from time to time. One of those parts is the concept of Lent, the forty-day period between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, during which I used to give up certain things I loved: chocolate, comic books, coffee, cursing. I relished going to Mass at the end of Lent because in my church all crucifixes and statues were covered up by gigantic pieces of purple cloth. It reminded me of the anticipation right before the curtain goes up in a theatre. Something big is about to happen, something you will want to see. Although I no longer consider myself a Catholic, or even a Christian, I am celebrating Lent this year not by giving something up but by giving my...

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Posted on 1 Mar 2006 | 1 comment