Interesting BBC series about how the research of Sigmund Freud and his nephew Edward Bernays laid the ground for controlling crowds based on the desires of their subconscious rather than rational thought. The series follows this thread the way to present methods in Public Relations and Marketing in both business and politics.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
March 24, 2008
February 29, 2008
February 26, 2008
February 11, 2008
The Conet Project
Out on the short wave radio bands are (or were) radio transmissions that could be described as dull and pointless, yet which are at the same time fascinating. Some possess a peculiar kind of beauty, particularly when combined with the other short wave transmissions that weave in and out of them.
I have no idea how many of these stations are still transmitting (and don't have the time to poke around on the short wave to look for them), but you can download 150 of them for free from the Conet Project. If you do nothing else, at least read the booklet. Apparently I'm 10 years late on this, but this is a very interesting resource and I just recently discovered it; maybe you're even later to the game than I am.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
I have no idea how many of these stations are still transmitting (and don't have the time to poke around on the short wave to look for them), but you can download 150 of them for free from the Conet Project. If you do nothing else, at least read the booklet. Apparently I'm 10 years late on this, but this is a very interesting resource and I just recently discovered it; maybe you're even later to the game than I am.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
February 02, 2008
Ron Giles unleashed
Many readers of this blog don't know Ron Giles. Those of you that do know him will be delighted to see him displaying his awesome moves here.
January 31, 2008
Awful Infomercial Of The Week
The infomercial is entertaining enough, but the Ellen Degeneres show piece is priceless.
January 30, 2008
Proof that the Mars photos are fake (and that bigfoot is real)
1. Go and grab the Mars panorama from NASA.
2. Open it up in Photoshop or equivalent.
3. Delete the black background:
4. Crop out the obviously fake spacecraft:
5. Now you have nothing but land and sky.
6. Use "Auto Levels" to fix the obvious problem with the white balance and contrast.
7. Yes, that's right, the sky turned blue! Zoom in (left foreground) and check out Bigfoot.
Clearly these pictures were taken in the Canadian desert, then manipulated to look like they were taken on the Red Planet.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
2. Open it up in Photoshop or equivalent.
3. Delete the black background:
4. Crop out the obviously fake spacecraft:
5. Now you have nothing but land and sky.
6. Use "Auto Levels" to fix the obvious problem with the white balance and contrast.
7. Yes, that's right, the sky turned blue! Zoom in (left foreground) and check out Bigfoot.
Clearly these pictures were taken in the Canadian desert, then manipulated to look like they were taken on the Red Planet.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
January 22, 2008
You too can have great espresso at home
Around Christmas, my household got a super-auto espresso machine. For the uneducated, that's a machine that takes coffee beans and water in one end, and produces espresso at the other end (it also complains occasionally about being dirty; cleaning is easy).
The machine in question was a Saeco Incanto Sirius (no link provided, because I don't want to encourage you to buy it). After making a few adjustments, it was producing respectable shots of espresso. The cleaning process wasn't too bad. It produced tolerable hot water and steam when requested. Unfortunately, it had a bad flow sensor (apparently a common problem on this model) which made it refuse to do anything at all for days at a time. Thankfully Costco has a no-questions-asked return policy, and back it went.
I went back to researching machines, since this model was no longer available for the crazy-low price I paid. Eventually I decided that an old-school machine would suffice. The grinding and tamping thing isn't that bad, you know. I settled on a Rancilio Sylvia with accompanying Rocky grinder. I got them from Great Infusions in Santa Cruz (Sebastian, the owner, offers a load of useful free stuff if you buy both machines).
What I found interesting is that the coffee I get from Sylvia is consistently better than the best shot I ever got from the super-auto. I'm using the same beans (Peet's Espresso Forte) but the shots are hotter, better extracted, and have better crema. I have yet to learn to produce art-quality foamed milk, though.
The amount I paid for the Sirius was about the same as my new setup (within $10) so I am convinced that the convenience of a super-auto is not worth the quality and reliability penalty. Sylvia's electronics are simple and reliable (3 thermostats, 4 switches, a heater and a pump) but a super-auto has all kinds of sensors and computer controls to go wrong.
And, to top it all, Sylvia appears to be very hackable.
Update: a coworker tells me I should roast my own coffee too.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
The machine in question was a Saeco Incanto Sirius (no link provided, because I don't want to encourage you to buy it). After making a few adjustments, it was producing respectable shots of espresso. The cleaning process wasn't too bad. It produced tolerable hot water and steam when requested. Unfortunately, it had a bad flow sensor (apparently a common problem on this model) which made it refuse to do anything at all for days at a time. Thankfully Costco has a no-questions-asked return policy, and back it went.
I went back to researching machines, since this model was no longer available for the crazy-low price I paid. Eventually I decided that an old-school machine would suffice. The grinding and tamping thing isn't that bad, you know. I settled on a Rancilio Sylvia with accompanying Rocky grinder. I got them from Great Infusions in Santa Cruz (Sebastian, the owner, offers a load of useful free stuff if you buy both machines).
What I found interesting is that the coffee I get from Sylvia is consistently better than the best shot I ever got from the super-auto. I'm using the same beans (Peet's Espresso Forte) but the shots are hotter, better extracted, and have better crema. I have yet to learn to produce art-quality foamed milk, though.
The amount I paid for the Sirius was about the same as my new setup (within $10) so I am convinced that the convenience of a super-auto is not worth the quality and reliability penalty. Sylvia's electronics are simple and reliable (3 thermostats, 4 switches, a heater and a pump) but a super-auto has all kinds of sensors and computer controls to go wrong.
And, to top it all, Sylvia appears to be very hackable.
Update: a coworker tells me I should roast my own coffee too.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
January 10, 2008
GREYCstoration
GREYCstoration lets you remove unwanted objects from photos, and magically infills the gaps. Also does noise reduction. Good for removing zoo cages.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
December 16, 2007
Nontent
My buddy Greg coined the term nontent yesterday, but sadly it's already been invented. I'm proud to supply you with nontent sporadically.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
November 21, 2007
September 25, 2007
September 19, 2007
August 14, 2007
Temporarily broken LCD screen
Over at Fontblog gecrashed is some wonderful desktop wallpaper: it looks like your LCD screen is smashed. Confuse your friends, annoy your family. I would never do such a thing.
August 01, 2007
OS X + Firefox + AdBlock Plus + Flash = Annoyance
If you have OS X and Firefox and Adblock Plus 0.7.5.1 and Flash, then lots of flash applications will have display problems. This turns out to be a bug in Adblock Plus. Workaround: go to about:config, set extensions.adblockplus.frameobjects to false. Works for me, anyway.
(Found here)
(Found here)
July 23, 2007
Domesticated hippo
Proof that there is an intersection between that which is scary and that which is cute.
YAHPP
I finished reading that pesky new Harry Potter book yesterday. It's very long. If you would prefer to read a shorter version that includes all the major plot elements, yet is more entertaining, try Diogenes Sinope's condensed sarcastic version.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
May 25, 2007
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