New Aptera Video, I'm Impressed

Yay! I finally figured out how to embed this video! This might just be my next car. Could it be yours, too?

Update: It doesn't fit! Oh well. Just click down here.__

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Read at PopularMechanics.com | Via AutoBlogGreen.com

Beam Me The Freak Up!

This is cool and all, but I won't be satisfied until we have the holodeck! You know what I'm talking about. You don't have to have a Trek costume in your closet to appreciate a room's worth of virtual reality.

I'd never thought of or heard of this concept before. Johnny displays it well. Someone hire that man!

[via Engadget]

[props to Wikipedia for how to spell "holodeck"]

Chair Buddies

I'm about to go to Borders to hopefully conclude my Christmas shopping. I wish they had these.

[via MAKE]

Embed A Map

I didn't realize Google had a way to embed maps easily, but - surprise, surprise - they do. In the upper right hand corner, just a above the map, there's a link called "link to this page". Click on that and there's the html ready to be pasted. It'll look like the map below, because that's just what I did. If you want to go see The Golden Compass tomorrow and you live in my neck of the woods, you've now got a map to get you to the theater. Google, you're da shizzle.


View Larger Map

The President's Song

This has been around a while, but ever since I first heard it, I've wanted to post it here. It's apparently a conglomeration of the President's words taken from various public speeches. There may be a youtube video about how it came together. I think there were a couple of words in the lyrics that Mr. Bush didn't actually say in any of the speeches available, so there was some mashing of syllables to make up for it. I like it. I took the intro or John Lennon saying some strong words. I like it better with just the song. It's more ambiguous that way - bipartisan, maybe - but I think that makes it more interesting. If you want the full version, complete with John's expletives, there's a link below. I had trouble downloading it, though, so you may need to download the full album .zip file to get the song.

Wax Audio - Imagine This.mp3

Imagine This - The original version. May not download fully.

Mediacracy .zip - The full album.

Wax Audio - Site that put the song together.

[via iLounge]

[image via here]

The High Line

I hadn't heard of this before.

Flee The Milk Police

This is kind of fun. It's a free board game done by the milk campaign people. It a really well done flash based online game. It's a challenge, especially if you only have a track pad instead of a mouse, like me. The last part of the game is hard. Let me know if you win! I couldn't manage it.

Link

Party Idea

I've been to a Kentucky Derby party and it was a good time. We drank mint juleps and bet on horses based on their names alone. Then when the race started we had someone to root for. How much more exciting would it be if you were at the race? Or if the race was in your house! I just realized it can be, with snail racing. I saw this posted on a blog and thought it could be all of a good time and then some to plunk a quarter down on a steed and watch him slow poke it's way to the finish! Throw some fermented beverages in there and call it a party!

Link

[Via MAKE]

Russian Street Climbing

"Russian" Backyard Climbing

Inspired by "Russian Steet Climbing" posted above. Watch that one first.

Clean and Crisp (Sounding)

I had been missing my Apple headphones for a few days and then they turned up in freshly cleaned laundry. It appears that I washed and dried them. I was bummed. I plugged them in to confirm their death when, to my pleasure, sound filled my eardrums. Dost they deceive me? It does seem like headphones are simple enough to survive the surf and sun, but I could be wrong and the headset may have gotten into my laundry basket through other means. Although, they did seem a little cleaner.

Send A Fax, Free

This wasn't the first search result I got back from Google, but it turned out to be the one I was looking for. Fax Zero, a free fax sending web-based utility. It puts an ad on the cover page of your sent fax or for $1.99 it'll send it without the ad. The simple home page is all you need to fill out to get the fax going. Write your message or attach a .doc or .pdf file and send it off. Fax Zero then sends you an email with a link to a page which informs you if and when your fax has sent. I've used it once and I'll use it again.

I haven't needed to receive a fax, yet. I don't think Fax Zero has a service for that. I suppose I'll go back to Google when the need arises.

Fax Zero

One Of Life's Compelling Questions... Answered!

Mr. Burnett, you led me astray. Ever since chemistry class with you, I've thought a human exposed to the vacuum of space would experience the immediate boiling of their blood. As one of your faithful pole-vaulters would have said, "False!" (He said as a replacement for the whole "not" thing. Yeah, it was those days.)

Now we know better. A person would have all of fifteen seconds before being overcome by the bubbling of their insides. Phew! Is that a hug relief to anyone else? Note, this is all assuming you exhaled prior to opening the hatch - if not, you're done for. Please notify your current batch of chemists.

Continue reading at Slate.com for all the facts you can scare the future great grand kids who'll have those lunar spring breaks.

[via Slashdot via Slate]

Sufjan Stevens - Put The Lights On The Tree

It's never too early for something really great. This is great.

Update: I meant really great.

Bicycle Safety Promoters

It seems that popular culture has finally embraced the bicycle helmet. Thanks to these wonderful role models, now the youngsters of today can finally feel cool and be safe at the same time. It's been a long time coming. Parents, breath a sigh of relief.

Tattoos Are Also For Computers

I've owned my laptop for a little over four months. I've made the inside my own - that is: the desktop, the apps, the settings and so forth. The two of us are comfortable with eachother. However, I haven't really made the outside of the litte beauty my own and that I'd like to change. I want it to be unique to me - something I make versus a sticker I slap on there. Although, I don't mind slapping a sticker I make on there. But there's something lackluster about a sticker. And since my laptop has an aluminum case, there are other options available. Such as.. tada! Laser etching! I've seen a couple examples of this played out so far. It seems the PowerBook/MBP just beckons owners to trace something on it's skin. The few that I've seen (kite, bunny wave, trees) are nice but aren't quite what I'm looking for. I'm looking for something more along the lines of the design in the inset photo. Just look at how happy that man is. It's taken from the beginning of a trailer for the movie Dedication. It appears to be the director's laptop. It's more of a print design than an image, which I don't think I would tire of as quickly as, say, a picture of my face. Although.. I might be on to something there. I hadn't thought of that, yet. I should try to mock something up. I definately want the design, whatever it is, to incorporate the Apple logo. I mean, it's right there. It should be utilized. How about this: my face etched on there, taking a bite out of the apple? That would be great. Would I tire of that? I'll need to think about it.


Instrucatables - Laser Etching Macintosh PowerBooks

MAKE: Blog - Laser Etching PowerBooks

Kitty Kamera kAction!

The Discovery Channel and those like them have certainly done this before, but here an amateur made his own critter cam and strapped it on his cat. He modified it to take a shot every 90 seconds and got some interesting results. Cats are such sneaksters - it's kinda fun to see what one sees during the course of a day. The captions really enhance the experience, too.

[Mr. Lee Catcam via Gizmodo via Shiny Shiny]

Extra Income

Did you notice my new Google ad? After having an Adsense account for month, I finally figured out how to put it on here. I didn't even figure it out really. In trying to edit the layout of the blog, Blogger prompted me about it and I clicked "OK". That's my secret. But I did customize the colors. I love that they have an ad for Sufjan. If only I could click on it. I'd make myself some serious moolah.

Boooring

The new background wasn't quite what I had envisioned. So we'll try something else. I don't have anything that will tile nicely, so I'm just going to go with the sepia flower theme - for now.

Remodeling

I'm trying my hand at customizing my page. The standard template is starting to wear on me. I'd like a new background the would potentially match my header image. I think I've located in the page code wear the little gif is, so I'm going to try to replace it with my own. Funny though, the only way I know how to get an image available would be to post it here. I thought I'd be able to put it in my box.net account and link to it that way, but it won't give you a link to the actual file. The link they provide sends you to a page with some java image of the gif or something. I think this'll work.

New Innocent Record

I don't feel like The Innocence Mission would mind that I posted Sufjan's version of their song, since they posted a link to the video on their website. The original version of the song is off of the record Birds of My Neighborhood. I feels like a winter record to me, so since it's summer, I would recommend their newest record, We Walked In Song, or their album Glow to you. Spin "Birds" in December as a break from the Christmas tunes. It'll speak more to you. I think and hope they'll be touring soon. They are on the top of my "See Live Before I Die" list.

The Innocence Mission Official Website

Keeping Clouds Tidy

I haven't posted in a while, but I haven't needed to until now. I stumbled upon something I had to share. I didn't believe it even though I saw it: a flying lawn mower. I watched the video and practically chuckled myself to death! I couldn't figure it out and was wondering the whole time if it was some kind of computer animated trickery. Click on the link to watch the video. The site sort of explains how it works (at least to my satisfaction) and also has some literary gems you won't find anywhere else. "Flying lawn mowers... they look just like the real thing on the ground when they're being taxied over the grass, and then after a short take-off run the mower gets airborne!"

Video

Website

Innocent Sufjan

"I'm in awe of big songs, national anthems, rock opera, the Broadway musical. But what I always come back to, after the din and drum roll, is the small song that makes careful observations about everyday life. This is what makes the music by The Innocence Mission so moving and profound. 'Lakes of Canada' creates an environment both terrifying and familiar using sensory language: incandescent bulbs and rowboats are made palpable by careful rhythms, unobtrusive rhyme schemes, and specificity of language. What is so remarkable about Karen Peris' lyrics are the economy of words, concrete nouns-fish, flashlight, laughing man-which come to life with melodies that dance around the scale like sea creatures. Panic and joy, a terrible sense of awe, the dark indentations of memory all come together at once, accompanied by the joyful strum of an acoustic guitar. This is a song in which everyday objects begin to have tremendous meaning."

-Sufjan Stevens

Update: New download link. http://www.box.net/shared/8yvrh0585h
Please post a comment if it doesn't work. I read them.

This track came from a video. Link
Asmatic Kitty is Sufjan's record label. You'll find his stuff there. Link
The Innocence Mission. They've got a website, too. Link

A Fav Sings A Fav

#50.2 - Sufjan Stevens (MusicNow) - The lakes of Canada
Uploaded by lablogotheque

I don't know the backstory to where and why this video was shot and I'm okay with that. The song Sufjan sings is The Lakes of Canada from The Innocence Mission.

$85 Apple

It took me awhile to realize that even though I don't have a digital camera at the moment, I can still take pictures. MacBooks have a built in camera, so picture taking is available to some extent. Since I received the computer so -ahem- inexpensively, it seems appropriate to post a pic to back up my story.

iSmoothie

My blender seems so inferior now.

Which One Is Evil, I Wonder

Have you ever had this thought, "I wonder if there's another person in the world with my name and if there is what is his life like?" I have. And thanks to the wonders of the internet and specifically, Facebook, now I know. Yes, there is another. We share a first, middle, and last name, thankyouverymuch. We seem to be approximately the same age even. It makes me wonder what else we have in common. Maybe everything! That's sort of frightening. If we ever met, we might end up in this endless cycle of mirrored movement. Like, I'd go to open the door for him, to be polite, but he'd have thought the same thing and go to open it for me. We'd both be like, "Oh sorry", but end up saying it at the exact same time. Then we'd laugh totally in sync with eachother and then slowly we would realize that everything we said or did would be at the exact same time as the other person, so we'd never actually even be able to have a conversation. Well, I won't have to worry about it for a while, since he lives in England. If I ever do meet him, I'm sure we'll have a nice chat over a cup of tea. I have a hunch his favorite is Earl Gray.

Free* MacBooks?

*Since receiving a new MacBook Pro for about $100, many friends and relatives have been asking me how it was done. The secret to this kind of success came through the blog of JoshClark.com. He essentially told me everything I needed to know and it all worked out. The bad news: the website I got my computer from is no longer working. The good news: there's another website that's, in my opinion, better! ShopFreePay.com ends up costing more but is easier to navigate and they seem to ship their "gifts" out quickly. For those of you who are unfamiliar with exactly what's going on here, I'll fill you in. You've seen the annoying internet advertising that says "Click here to claim your free iPod!". If you've ever clicked on one of those you've found that you have to complete some offers with third party companies like Netflix or Vonage and also refer your friends in order to get the item. In the end you end up only paying whatever you spend on completing the offers and don't pay anything for the actual item. The bummer thing to the whole thing is the referring of friends. That's where the beauty of these sites come in. With these particular sites you don't have to refer anyone. You just have to complete the offers, jump through all the right hoops, and then you get the goods. With the MacBook Pro, I spent about $500 initially, but then about $400 was refunded as I canceled offers and returned items. If you're wondering if it's ethical, we can have that talk.

Find Your Way Again, Sorta

With all the twists and turns my life has taken in recent weeks, one thing has fallen by the wayside, Lost. Now, I've found myself a month behind and they're starting to talk about the season finale coming soon! I'm committed to getting back on track. So, in looking to catch up via ABC.com, I realized that with the coming of last nights episode it bumped off the one that I need from a month ago. I googled "Lost 4/4/07" hoping to see a illegitamate video somewhere else pop up, but nothing. There was however, this: tubewad.com. It's a recap of the episode in less than four minutes complete with pictures, strong language, and a lack of patience for stupid turns the Lost story sometimes takes. Granted, I'm only speaking for this one recap, since I've only needed one up to this point. But I might check back every so often to see what they're saying.

Tina Trouble

A couple of weeks ago the band van for Patient Patient was having some strugs. This is the documentary by Stephanie Williams.

Patty Griffin - No Bad News

Here's a live performance of Patty playing a song off her new album.

Bored? Make.

I just added a link to the Make: Blog. It's a site for thoses who enjoy DIY (do it yourself) projects, which can be anything from crocheting a scarf to building a rocket and everything in between. It's continually updated with different projects people submit or find others have made and submit on their behalf. They also have a quarterly magazine with more detail into the projects. It's been inspiring to me to find enjoyment in creating things, whatever they would be. I tried my hand at a project over the Christmas weekend. The minty boost ipod charger with help from my brother and brother-in-law. It was kind of fun to try something new and with pleasing results.

That's How We Swing It

I flung myself from the top of a telephone pole on New Year's Eve, what'd you do? And not only that, but my brother jumped off the pole with me, twice. As if that weren't enought, there was this bar there in front of us, and we jumped for it and managed to hang on. It was John's idea to hang by the legs. He had an easier time getting them up there than I did. If you would like to have a similarly memorable New Year's next time around, consider attending the Beyond Malibu Alumni Reunion. Thanks to Lauren for the photos. Click on link below to go to the album. Then click on the slideshow button. It took two attempts. The first got the jitters out and allowed me to finish my sandwich.

New Year, New Starbucks Location

If you've ever looked at that tall black building in the Seattle skyline and thought, "I wonder what it'd be like to sip some coffee on the tippy top." Now you can experience it. A Starbucks has recently nested in the Columbia Tower on the 40th floor. Granted, it's not the tippy top, but it's a good half way. I don't know that there are any signs outside to point folks up there, so it might be a spot just for those who know about it. It's certainly open to the public, as it's posted on Starbucks website. To get there: Go inside the building; Take one of the elevators to the 40 (some only go to the upper floors); Turn right and consider your beverage of choice. I'm not sure what their hours are, but here's the store phone number, 206-264-0152. Don't forget to support your family-owned coffee shops. (Photo credit: Ben Bardill, www.bardill.net)