- Retro and new on one package: One side is vinyl, one side is a CD.
- How to cheat on video encoder comparisons.
- Fabrice Bellard is one smart dude.
- Worst Chart I’ve Seen All Day (or: Why you should never trust scary charts you see on Fox News, or any other cable news show for that matter).
- Even if you change the file’s extension, it doesn’t change the contents.
- Credit Card Number Generator for if you need to test submission forms on your site with credit card numbers that are in valid format.
- Like s**tmydadsays, s**t my girlfriend says (inspired by this Reddit thread).
- Building a distance finder with the Google Maps API.
- Why are tabs on the top in Firefox 4? Because it makes sense (but I’m sure there will an extension written to make it go back the other way).
- How to use photos to sell more online.
- 50 Time-Savers for Web Geeks (primarily geared towards developers, but there is some useful stuff here for everybody).
- One site from the above I’ve already found handy: Placehold.it is great when you just need a dummy image placeholder.
- Cheezburger Network is going after the Whitman campaign.
- The Patriot Act is a moronic law, and I’m glad this librarian fought it.
- A blog that has sucked up too much of my time today: A “Best Of” collection from the Young Me/Now Me site.
- iPhone vs. HTC Evo and HTV Evo vs iPhone (NSFW Language).
- Hulu is launching Hulu Plus. If they could just get it to work with my WDTV Live Plus HD box without using an external PlayOn server (though there’s a deal for WDTV users), I’d probably cut my cable (as Netflix works a helluva lot better on it than on my stand-alone media center).
- London’s twitter traffic mapped as a countoured landscape.
- Any geek should appreciate this .Net vs. Java movie trailer for Java4Ever.
- Something you don’t see everyday (for good reason): a public service announcement featuring a nearly-naked dancing man wearing a horse mask cooking wild mushrooms.
Category: Randomness
Reading Material
Reading and Watching Material
Have some links and some videos (videos after the jump):
- Top free Mac apps for Graphic Designers (though there are a load of apps there that would be useful for non-designers as well).
- That fancy new iPhone4 has a glaring flaw with its antenna. It works great, as long as you don’t hold it wrong. More on Gizmodo.
- A lorem ipsum tool that generates readable text.
- Entertaining Facebook thread for text-adventure geeks.
- Remember that whole fiasco with Conan getting kicked off and Leno getting his time slow back? Hasn’t worked out so well, as his ratings are lower than Conan’s.
- If you’re prepping to launch a web site, you’d best go over these two checklists to make sure you’ve got everything covered.
- No idea how well it works, but here’s a quick tool to convert spreadsheets into HTML tables.
- Google Voice is now open for all (it will be tremendously useful to me when they get number portability).
- Five awesome tools for Freelancers for Time Management.
- The hilarious story of one woman’s attempt at running in the NCAA West Regional 5,000m race. As somebody’s who’s tried to run a race before when I was horribly sick, I feel her pain.
- That Steve Martin guy is high maintenance when he’s on tour.
- I just need a poster for my lost kitty. Why is that so hard?
- How to setup OpenID on your own domain (here’s how to do it with a fallback provider).
- YouTube gets a Vuvuzela button.
Videos after the jump …
Reading Material
- IBM’s Watson could kick your butt at Jeopardy!.
- This is just mesmorizing to watch: Live train map for London Underground.
- What it’s like to own an Apple product.
- Amazing invention: insulin that doesn’t need a fridge or a needle.
- 10 Facts You Didn’t Know About Google.
- Speaking of Google, they have a command line interface that does some pretty cool stuff.
- Want a high-definition Google streetview photo? Here’s a way to get it.
- How Xerox Helped Win The Cold War: Interesting story about sneaking cameras into copy machines.
- Soluto is Anti-Frustration Software for your PC.
- NYC (and the east coast in general) is full of all sorts of cool historical buildings and tidbits. Like this collection.
- Thinkgeek gets a cease-and-desist letter for Unicorn meat, which is obviously a fake product.
- If you’re a LOST guy (I’m not, but I’m looking at you, Jon), you might appreciate this island map.
- Six organizations that you didn’t know were secretely badass.
- Exploring the software behind Facebook.
- Better security whenever possible: HTTPS Everywhere Firefox extensions forces HTTPS requests on some major sites.
- Sexy tooltips with CSS.
- Create PDF files with JavaScript.
- A bunch of really good HTML5 and CSS3 frameworks.
- Related: CSS3 techniques you can start using today.
Reading Material
- While I’m still probably going to get an Android phone when my contract is up, Windows Mobile still can be hacked to bits quite easily thanks to XDA_UC, which you can dump your settings and custom files and such that will install automagically after the ROM flash. the ROM I enjoy supports it quite easily and in a user-friendly way. Now that Task29 is supported on my phone, I’m less likely to have flashing trouble (though I rarely did — as I always just did the Flash Dance, just in case).
- Five Ridiculous Gun Myths Everybody Believes, Thanks To Hollywood.
- How can I get into this line of work? Chinese companies are looking to rent white guys as fake businessmen.
- Speaking of white things, one designer’s problem with white space.
- Here’s an interesting commentary about the outsourcing low-cost lie.
- How much surface area would it take to power the world with solar power? Not much, though it doesn’t obviously take into account the transport of said electricity, which doesn’t work well over the stupidly long distances they’re talking about.
- Want to permanently delete your account on popular websites? Some make it easier than others (and it’s just impossible on a few).
- Want to write a citizen’s traffic ticket? It’s legal in many states. Here’s a step-by-step (with pretty pictures) on how to do it in Oregon.
- Great little basic programming lessons that cam from a great SubReddit.
- A 14-year-old tries to help a three-year-old find her mom, and now faces felony abduction charges.
- You know your hex color codes? Do you?
- Need to bulk download Flickr photos? Here ya go: Use Bulkr.
- Hassle-free guide to ripping your Blu-Ray collection.
- Oldie, and I may have linked to it before, but here are some great free typographic XHMTL/CSS layouts.
- Huge list of jQuery calandar plugins (mostly booking marking that for my reference).
- Comic Sans, the font that everybody loves to hates, is the best thing to happen to typography since Johannes f—–g Gutenberg.
Reading Material
- Apparently Hollywood has only one prop newspaper and it’s used in a ton of shows and movies. It’s like the Wilhelm scream of the prop world.
- One of these days I’m going to get an Android phone. Some Android reading: 10 Things Android does better than iPhone (though some of these are moot after yesterday), the new HTC Evo (I want, I want) was rooted before it was officially released, and why Android fragmentation might be its downfall.
- CSS3 and HTML5 will take over the world. Or something: 48 Potential Flash-Killing Demos, Easy Link Prefetching, a bunch of good CSS3 techniques you can use right now, Apple’s HTML5 showcase (Safari only, which is silly), and 10+ Free HTML5/CSS3 templates to start with. If you’re wondering why you should care about HTML5, see this pretty graphic (and see how MSIE isn’t even remotely ready).
- With the iPad getting as popular as it is, :hover might become worthless. Speaking of designing for the iPad, you’re going to have to take into consideration what happens to your design when the screen is rotated — here’s some CSS to help you out.
- How the U.S. Government Killed the Safest Car Ever Built.
- What’s the worst-case scenario for the gulf oil spill? Let’s ask Michael Bay.
- Wired News (and Adrian Lamo) report alleged Wikileaks “Collateral Murder” video leaker.
- What happens when you add Alka-Seltzer to a drop of water in microgravity?
- More videos: Steve Jobs introduces the Death Star, Super Mario 64 Avoid the 1-Up and collect the red coins challenge .
- Mapping the damn tourists.
- Open source tools for working with dual monitors.
- Notepad++ is moving off SourceForge because of an idiotic decision by SourceForge.
- LifeHacker Pack 2010: Essential Windows Downloads (I really need to update my list).
- 32 Incredible Bookmarklets for your browser.
Reading Material
- How much oil has leaked into the Gulf? Depending who you ask, between 504,000 and 4,200,000 gallons per day.
- Complete guide to cross-browser compatibility check tools.
- HD 101: Overscan and why all TVs do it.
- Typografix: HTML re-processing script for typographic beautification.
- Some controversial billboards.
- Why Gmail is awesome — it’s the little things.
- Remember when Google celebrated the Pac Man birthday? One analysis says it took 4,819,352 hours of productivity away from the world.
- Flash player built entirely in JavaScript, and they’ve got it running StrongBad.
- Our Solar System in CSS3 animation (look at it in Chrome or Safari).
- everystockphoto for searching for free stock photos.
- 15 must-read articles for CSS beginners.
- Google to Employees: Mac or Linux, but no more Windows.
- NSFW ASCII Art (it looks like nothing — but select/highlight/ctrl-a all of it).
- What your email address says about your computer skills.
Reading Material
- Sad story of the day: Ethan didn’t have to die (or: If I ever saw either of these people on the street, I’d hit them with a baseball bat, no questions asked).
- The work conditions are so bad at the Chinese Foxconn factory that makes iPhone and iPads that a bunch of people have committed suicide.
- What does that hotel really look like? See for yourself, as those nice photos were obviously taken out of context.
- About dang time: the moronic doctor who claimed that vaccines caused autism, causing vaccination rates to plummet, has had his license pulled. Now if we could just get Jenny McCarthy to shut her mouth …
- Because every country is the best at something.
- When Sarah Palin visits the OBGYN, they have to bring in hazmat suits from the center for disease control..
- Google launches encrypted search.
- What if Empire Strikes Back was a 50s 3-D movie?
- Nice way to pimp a VW: Install a built-in beer tap.
- The Sad Reality Behind Ronald McDonald.
- After 100 years, Mark Twain’s autobiography will be released.
- SepiaTown lets you view and share thousands of mapped historical images from around the globe.
- Amazing developer arrogance (and why I won’t be using OpenCart — its developer has made it unmaintainable).
- Lost hackers documentary, Hackers Wanted, shows up Pirate Bay.
- Why the web is awesome: Metafilter helps track down victims of human trafficking.
- Why Zappos is awesome: They had a pricing mistake that cost them nearly $1.6 million, and they took it like men.
Reading Material
- Nothing like an Apple IIe, an iPad, and somebody with far too much time on their hands.
- Google Android surpasses iPhone in U.S..
- Speaking of Android, HTC EVO 4G has a release date and price (finally), but it also has a mandatory plan that sucks for people who aren’t in 4G areas (like us). I’d love to get that phone next month, but not with that kind of plan (basically an additional $30/month on top of what I pay now). But it is really fast.
- You want fast wireless? The Wi-Fi Alliance is starting to look at the 60-GHz band and potentially 6 gbps speeds. Considering how long it took them to finally lay down ratification on 802.11n, I wouldn’t expect to see this any time soon.
- Five things MSIE9 is actually doing right.
- Speaking of future browser and Web specs, Tim Bray has some interesting opinions on the Web, HTML 5, and Flash.
- It’s a bug or a feature? In this case, it was a bug that ended up being a well-liked feature.
- If you haven’t heard about the dude that has far too much time on his hands and managed to get a six-million person city in Sim City 2000, read up and watch the video here.
- Sony decided to lock out the ability to install Linux on PS3s, and our military’s a bit miffed.
- A strange, strange man has been showing up on morning shows throughout the Midwest, claiming to be a yo-yo trick champion. He is not. He is actually terrible at yo-yo. Yet he keeps getting on the air. Genius!
- Eight web sites that you and everybody else need to stop building.
- Home Depot Called “Arrogant,” Must Actually Pay Inventor For Invention. The guy had a patent on the thing, yet Home Depot still said “Sue us.” So he is.
Mother’s Day Reading Material
OK, there is nothing here related to Mother’s Day (except for maybe this Calvin and Hobbes classic or these psycho movie moms), but here’s wishing all you moms out there a great day of well-deserved spoiling.
- For Airport Security, Size Matters.
- Yet another reason to get an Android phone: Google Goggles gets an upgrade to translate real-world text.
- ClearOS (formally ClarkConnect) looks like a great replacement for Windows Small Business Server.
- What Conan was really thinking during his 60 Minutes interview.
- Speaking of Conan, he paid a visit to Google.
- Speaking of Google, they’ve added an app gallery for Analytics.
- Speaking of Analytics…well, I’ve got nothing. But speaking of Google, did you notice they flattened their logo?
- When 4Chan Gamed the Time 100.
- How to hide your collection of risqué material.
- Weirdest thing I’ve ever seen: These guys can run for short distances on water.
- The Queen may get last word in UK election.
- 21 Essential Social Media Resources.
- If the original Super Mario Bros was designed in 2010.
- How To: Jailbreak any iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad..
- 5 Best Personal Landing Pages.
Reading Material
- If the Empire’s IT tech’s wrote a blog, it would look something like this.
- Really nice HDR wallpapers.
- If I’m ever old and have a disabled parking permit, I’m going to be just like this guy.
- 10 Things you Didn’t Know Google Maps could do.
- The hacks will always continue: CSS3 solutions for Internet Explorer.
- XKCD’s results from its color survey are in.
- Top 10 Reasons you should quit Facebook.
- After Steve Jobs ripped up flash, Adobe responds and confirms plans to move away from Apple.
- The Taco Bell Chihuahua is going on a beeg, beeg treep (thanks, Dren!).
- Somebody with far too much time on their hands: A DIY Lamborghini (thanks, Ben!)
- How Wired.com Tracked Down The iPhone 4G finder.
- 17 Tips Every Windows 7 User Needs To Know (related: 60 Tweaks and Hacks for Windows 7, Vista, or XP).
- The most clever ways to use Dropbox that you’re not using.
- What is everybody on Facebook “Like”-ing? Find out (though I still prefer popurls to see what everybody’s liking or linking to).
- TechCrunch hacker identified: Should they press charges?
- All newscasts could be better if their cutaways were accompanied by the Law and Order “chung chung” sound. Anybody want to over-dub a KTVZ broadcast and send it my direction?
- Bend is #4 in America’s top-10 cities for start-ups.
- Think an image might be photoshopped? Throw the URL into here, and it might help you find out.
- If you’re going to plagorize somebody’s art and win a huge chunk of money, the original artist is bound to find out.