Author: autographedcat Page 92 of 211

i bloviate – Adding Action to your Activism

On October 8, 2010

In Blog

I find a certain irony in the notion that my immediate reaction to this was to signal-boost it. But, you know, he’s right. (And he identifies succinctly the reason I almost never join the “if you agree with this put it in your journal/status/etc” memes, even when I do, in fact, agree wholeheartedly with them.)

Here is an acid test—before you post that insipid status update or press send on that annoying email, ask yourself one simple question: “What is the purpose of my message? What do I want recipients to do?” If your answer involves “spreading awareness” and “pass it on” and solely that, delete the message, sign out of Facebook or your email, get up out of your chair, and go do something for that cause you care so much about.

From Twitter 10-07-2010

On October 8, 2010

In Blog

08:39:31: @seananmcguire It’s your world. I’m just happy I get to live in it.
14:44:34: @catvalente The domain name “so-not-sf.com” is available for your ironic utilisation. 🙂
14:55:55: @alydenisof My favourite odd crisps flavour is prawn. 🙂
15:08:01: @fleetfootmike Its odd only in the sense that we don’t have it here, and an American was asking for examples of UK weird crisps flavours.
15:08:26: @fleetfootmike Frankly, I wish we *could* get it here. It’s a long trip just for a pack of crisps!
15:50:48: @vixy The Revolution Will Be Live-Streamed!

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

Neil Gaiman speaks about Doctor Who and Coraline

Neil Gaiman divulges ‘Doctor Who’ clues | EW.com:

In Blog

Right here, you will find the quintessential essence of a good thriller:

“I was terrified, but I wanted to know what happened next.”

The girls proved Gaiman right, listening with faces more eager than petrified, and the book went on to claim the loyalty of children around the world, winning two awards (a Hugo and Nebula) and a movie contract, before becoming a musical. At the off-Broadway premiere of the show, Gaiman learned what Morgan DeFoire, seated beside him, had really thought of Coraline.

“I told her, ‘You know, we kind of have you to thank for all this, because you weren’t scared by it. And she said, ‘Actually, I was terrified. But I wanted to know what happened next. I knew if I let anybody know I was scared, I wouldn’t find out.’”

What ‘Batman’ Taught Me About Being a Good Dad – Adam Rogers – Culture – The Atlantic

What ‘Batman’ Taught Me About Being a Good Dad – Adam Rogers – Culture – The Atlantic

In Blog

Thanks to copperbadge for the hat tip.

I started to cry, too—for freaking Bwana Beast, a character about whom, frankly, I could not possibly care less. I ran through my options. I could tell the boy that, hey, in comic books, dead people always come back. It’s a thing. Or I could remind him that it was just a story, that it wasn’t real.

But that cynicism would undercut my secret plan. I am trying to build a good human being here, someone who will make the world better for his presence. Because I don’t know any other way to do it, that means I’m building a little geek. So he can’t know, yet, that death doesn’t really mean anything in comics. I want him to think that these stories have weight, that they mean something; they are our myths. I give my son comics and cartoons and episodes of Thunderbirds because I want him to understand right and wrong, and why it’s important to fight the dark side of the Force. The mantras spoken in this corner of pop culture are immature, but they have power: With great power comes great responsibility. Truth, justice, and the American Way. The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. No evil shall escape my sight.

10 Live Recordings That Trump Their Studio Counterparts :: Blogs :: List of the Day :: Paste

10 Live Recordings That Trump Their Studio Counterparts :: Blogs :: List of the Day :: Paste

In Blog

Not a bad place to start. What are some of your favourite live recordings?

Recording a single song in the studio is usually a full day’s work. Hours can be spent tweaking drum sounds, getting a dozen guitar takes and overdubbing vocals. It takes a perfectionist to sit in the producer’s chair, making sure every note is in its place. So when a band can press “record,” step out on stage, and capture something more spectacular in a single take, it’s an accomplishment. These 10 songs are just a handful of the many times that the magic of an audience triumphs over the most advanced recording techniques. I could have continued the list with The Avett Brothers, Frightened Rabbit, Phish, The Hold Steady, R.E.M., The Dave Matthews Band, Wilco and countless others, but these 10 stood above the pack.

From Twitter 10-06-2010

In Blog

10:23:35: @khaosworks One review pointed out only *really* memorable things from original 5-0 were the theme, the catchphrase, and Jack Lord’s hair.

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

GirlyNerds… » Blog Archive » Top 5 Girliest-Nerdiest Webcomics

GirlyNerds… » Blog Archive » Top 5 Girliest-Nerdiest Webcomics

In Blog

I was already a fan of Questionable Content (possibly my favourite webcomic ever), Girls with Slingshots, and Girl Genius, and I’ve seen random good bits from Hyperbole and a Half. I’ll have to check the fifth one out.

Move over Superman! There’s a new force on the comic scene, winning the hearts of GirlyNerds even without all that form-fitting spandex. *swoon*

Webcomics have taken cyberspace by storm, with an estimated 38,000 nerdy narratives currently in publication. Some are good, many are bad, and an alarming number are downright indecipherable. With all that internet ink to choose from, a girl can waste precious hours sifting the trash from the treasures.

Thankfully, GirlyNerds is here to point you in the right direction! Below you’ll find a comprehensive guide to the girliest, nerdiest comics that webdom has to offer.

Beware- Not all of these comics are safe for work, not that you’d EVER try to kill a few on-the-clock hours browsing through the extensive archives.

If A TV Show Turns 50 And No One Notices… : NPR

If A TV Show Turns 50 And No One Notices… : NPR

In Blog

The theme song to TV’s My Three Sons is a tune all but guaranteed to start your toes tapping — and it may even conjure up long-dormant images of the animated opening credits, where cartoon toes were actually tapping.

There’s value in old shows like that one, not just because the best of them were and are entertaining but because they provide a snapshot of what we were, what we accepted and what, in some cases, we aspired to become.

I mention this not because of a general wave of nostalgia, but because of a very specific wave: Last Wednesday, My Three Sons, a gentle ABC sitcom starring Fred MacMurray as a single father raising three boys, turned 50 years old. I would say it celebrated its golden anniversary, except I couldn’t find any celebration.

The dangers of USB drives. – By Farhad Manjoo – Slate Magazine

The dangers of USB drives. – By Farhad Manjoo – Slate Magazine

In Blog

I’d heard the story years ago of a group that ran an infection test to prove a point. They put their benign virus on a bunch of branded USB sticks, put them in a fishbowl, walked into the target company and asked the receptionist if they could leave it there for people “as part of a promotional campaign.” They got over three-quarters of the computers in the office.

If a company wants to ratchet up security, it’s not as simple as banning all thumb drives. To be extra careful, you’d have to ban iPods, cameras, and every other USB-based doohickey—all of those devices are capable of carrying Stuxnet-like viruses, too. I asked Sean Sullivan, of F-Secure, if he could imagine any failsafe IT policy that would have worked to thwart Stuxnet. “Well, in our malware test machines, sometimes we put glue in the USB ports,” he joked.

What we can learn from procrastination : The New Yorker