Friday, January 30, 2004
Pickled dragon mystery
If you've ever wondered if dragons really exist, finally we have proof.
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/30/2004 02:28:24 PM
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The Google Zeitgeist is now showing 2003 Year-End Search patterns, trends, and surprises. The top Google search queries in Canada for 2003 were:
1. finding nemo
2. paris hilton
3. inuyasha
4. canada 411
5. orlando bloom
6. loft story
7. canadian tire
8. michael jackson
9. toronto star
10. toronto maple leafs
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/30/2004 11:13:24 AM
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Thursday, January 29, 2004
Web Information System Logo Contest
Here are the two designs that I entered into the University of Lethbridge's Web Information System Name and Logo contest. I like the white one better.
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/29/2004 03:29:20 PM
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Wednesday, January 28, 2004
My New Screen Saver
I made a screen saver advertisement for the Swim Meet coming up on the weekend. Here it is in all its shockwave flash glory - in other words you don't have to save it and install it in order to view it. I may only leave it up for a month or two, so if you missed it... well that's too bad! :)
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/28/2004 02:35:16 PM
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Too Weird Not to Mention
You may have learned about something like this from watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but apparently it really did happen:
A 7 year old boy living in Kazakhstan, who doctors originally diagnosed with a stomach cyst was actually carrying his dead siamese twin inside his belly.
"The foetus had developed into a tumour but was found to have hair, nails and bones."
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/28/2004 12:20:50 AM
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Tuesday, January 27, 2004
XML Feed
The XML Feed for the site is now up and running thanks to Blogger's Atom. I just downloaded Macromedia Central to use as my news aggregator. I really like it so far except for the fact that some of the weather and movie features only work around your zip code and not around a postal code. Hopefully they update it for us Canadians, but in the meantime I'll stick with it because it's sweet.
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/27/2004 02:01:10 PM
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Canada West Swimming
It was a fast meet. There were a lot of "meet" and "team" records set; one girl even set a world record! Two more of the swimmers on my team are going to CI's. Too bad I'm not one of them.
I set a new personal best in 50 fly putting me in 27th place squeaking in just under the 30 second mark with a time of 29.89. My 50 free wasn't as good as I would have liked it to be, but I did place 16th with a time of 25.97. Oh and not to forget my DFL in 100 Free with a time of 58.56.
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/27/2004 01:41:28 PM
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Protect your investment: buy open
Corry Doctorow over at BoingBoing.net summarizes the important parts of Scoble's blog post on the ins and outs of iTunes DRM, Microsoft DRM, and whether you should get an iPod. The bottom line is that in order to save music, the consumer should only buy music that isn't in a lock-in format, and to break the locks on any music you do own, while you can. He gives many examples - and the one most familiar to most of us is probably the VCR. Remember how in the early 80's the movie studios were trying to get the VCR banned because of the worry of piracy? "With the VCR, though, Sony delivered what its customers wanted, and the movie companies got rich off of it, dragged kicking and screaming to the money-tree again. "
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/27/2004 12:47:11 PM
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Monday, January 26, 2004
Confessions of a Car Salesman - Required Reading
What really goes on in the back rooms of car dealerships across America? What does the car salesman do when he leaves you sitting in a sales office and goes to talk with his boss? What are the tricks salespeople use to increase their profit and how can consumers protect themselves from overpaying? These are the types of questions that undercover journalist Chandler Phillips answers in his informative account of day-to-day experience on the car lots.
Reading this article will broaden your understanding of the dealership sales process and cast a new light on the role of the car salesman. Most importantly it will help you get a better deal — and avoid hidden charges — the next time you go to buy or lease a new or used car.
Favorite quote:
I was an undercover car salesman for Edmunds.com, sent to a dealership, which sent me to a seminar, which sent me to another dealership as an undercover shopping evaluator. I guess that made me a triple agent. Very good lines.
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/26/2004 07:23:38 PM
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Microsoft makes a deal with Mike Rowe (Update)
CNN reports that Mike Rowe has agreed to a settlement with industry giant Microsoft. They even threw in an Xbox to seal the deal.
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/26/2004 07:22:31 PM
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Thursday, January 22, 2004
Canada West
I'm off to Victoria for the Canada West swim meet. I'll be back Monday for regular blogging updates.
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/22/2004 04:05:17 PM
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Wednesday, January 21, 2004
RIAA Sues Again
The RIAA has just issued a new lawsuit against 532 more "illegal filesharers" only this time, they're also using the "john doe" approach meaning that they dont have to have ascertain your name by strongarming ISPs, but by suing your IP address, they let the judicial system take care of that little detail.
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/21/2004 01:31:07 PM
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"We Know You're Innocent"
Britney Spears might say she's not that innocent, but some fans of Michael Jackson have put together a song that PROVES he was set-up. Ok it doesn't really prove anything but a fun game when you are listening to the song is to try and figure out whether this is parady or not.
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/21/2004 01:05:57 PM
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Woman's Skin Falls Off But She Miraculously Lives
A San Diego woman loses all of her body's skin due to a rare drug allergy and lives to tell the tale.
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/21/2004 12:40:43 PM
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Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Micro$oft Picks Fight with Mike Rowe
The Software giant is mad because Mike Rowe's new website http://www.mikerowesoft.com sounds a lot like Microsoft.com. Well boo-hoo. They offered him $10 to buy the domain from him. He said he'd like $10,000 and after they realized their scare tactics weren't working it sounds like they might actually back off, from ZDnet, "We take our trademarks seriously, but in this case maybe a little too seriously. It’s important to recognize that under the law companies are required to take this type of action to protect their trademark against widespread infringement. But that said, we appreciate that Mike Rowe is a young entrepreneur who came up with a creative domain name. We’re currently in the process of resolving this matter in a way that will be fair to him and satisfy our obligations under trademark law."
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/20/2004 12:38:41 PM
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Monday, January 19, 2004
NASA Altering the true colours Mars Photos Update
It turns out NASA is not Photoshopping pictures of mars, but that, "The answer is that the color chips on the sundial have different colors in the near-infrared range of Pancam filters."
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/19/2004 01:05:50 PM
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Jeff Milner Movie Review - Big Fish
During my trip to Medicine Hat a couple weeks ago, I saw Big Fish at the Cineplex Odeon. I must admit that the hype building up to its release raised expectations and therefore, in reality, the movie didn't live up to the great movie I anticipated. Tim Burton was heavy on style and light on character development. The main problem of the story was that the main character, the father who tells tall tales, had nothing to overcome in the movie. Instead it was his son, who by definition was the protagonist, that had the problem to overcome. The movie just didn't have that much impact on me, because the son's obstacle - or the antagonistic part of the movie - was just learning to understand his father. That being said, the second half of the movie (or even last quarter) did a lot in the way of redeeming the movie because finally the protagonist was featured and (spoiler alert - like you didn't already know) the son in fact reconciles with his father and consequently comes to understand him.
Tim Burton makes lovely films - and Big Fish is no exception. Even though I saw the film and was somewhat disspointed, everytime I see the ads I can't help but feel like I want to see it again. It's doing well at the box office and I'm certain that Big Fish will have a tremendous cult following much like Tim Burtons other films. So if you're tempted to go (I don't blame you) take my advice not to sea the movie in theatres, instead get the reel deal by saving your money and catching Big Fish on DVD.
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/19/2004 11:35:35 AM
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CNN.com - An eccentric man addresses hard truths - Jan. 13, 2004
CNN's report on Tim Burton and his new movie, "Big Fish".
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/19/2004 12:44:17 AM
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Sunday, January 18, 2004
Evidence that NASA is altering the true colors of the pictures of Mars
Investigation shows (google cache) that there are several indications that the NASA is tampering with the colours of the Mars Photo's and changing them from a mildly red but Earth-like environment into a dark red Sci-Fi looking environment.
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/18/2004 04:38:02 PM
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Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Nano Techonology Update
I came across a story in Wired this evening about the World's Best Preforming Microscope. "The SuperSTEM microscope at Daresbury Laboratory in Cheshire, England, is so sensitive that it requires a special building capable of protecting it from the vibrations caused by raindrops. Its resolution is so sharp that researchers can count atoms on its images."
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/13/2004 11:50:16 PM
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Saturday, January 10, 2004
This Will Blow Traditional Phone Companies Out of the Water
Cheapest Long Distance Service EVER, made possible by converting sound into digital data and sending the information over the internet. They've been talking about this forever but now it's a reality. I'll be cancelling my phone service with Telus very soon. You should too.
Update: Vonage Canada is coming soon - not available like I previously thought. Well, I'm ready when they are.
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/10/2004 10:22:34 AM
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Wednesday, January 07, 2004
Bookstore Woes Again This Year
I went into the bookstore this morning to take my semi-annual gouging. While browsing the new media books to find the required purchases I noticed a book titled The Animator's Survival Kit. I own this book. I paid $42 + tax at the local Chapters Bookstore. The bookstore was selling the same title and edition for $80 new and $60 used (of course they didn't have any used copies). What is even more bizarre is that they had price tags on the back of them for $42. So they mark-up their books right? It's a free market, why not? Right? Well maybe so, but they have the nerve to display a giant poster explaining why books are so expensive and where percentages of the cost go.... 75% to publishers and the rest of the 25% broken up between the University, the Student Union, the Bookstore, ect. Well even if the bookstore ordered the books through Chapters and got the same selling price as was available the general public (and it's unlikely they would not get a discount) the most they should possibly have raised the price to would be about $56. That's $4 less than the price they would sell a used copy for. Sick.
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/7/2004 12:46:41 PM
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Monday, January 05, 2004
The Grinch's True End
An Open Letter
By John Moe
TO: THE GRINCH
FROM: MAX YOUR FORMER FRIEND AND DOG
Dear Steven,
It’s been several months now since you left and I remained here on Mt. Crumpet in the home we built together. I think it’s important that I share my feelings. I hate you Steven. Hate; hate; hate you.
For years we stood for something. We hated the Whos. Like we always said if it weren’t for Christmas and the Who’s infernal screeching of “carols†we would have had absolute quiet all year long and isn’t that why we moved to Mt. Crumpet in the first place, Steven? Every December our meditation, gardening and literary work were shattered with “Wahoo-Boraice†or whatever that stupid song was. Have you learned it yet? Well have you? The Whos ruined our lives. Annually. And then you joined them. And why? WHY?! Because you heard them sing. Who was I living with all those years? Honestly, if you know, tell me Steven.
And, by the way, there was nothing wrong with your heart. I have, in our big file cabinet, a report from the Dr. that says while your heart was abnormally small (5th percentile), it was completely functional and unless you attempt to run a triathlon, you’re fine. And all that aside, your heart has nothing to do with your emotions. You left your Zoloft here, by the way. If you haven't picked up a new prescription, I will send it down to you but you
should really renew it.
Alone up here on Mt. Crumpet my thoughts have turned to that night. In retrospect, there were many mistakes. You shouldn’t have worn a Santa suit. Also you should not have engaged Cindy Lou Who – at all. I’m not sure what inverted Stockholm syndrome took place while I waited on the roof, but I do know that it all could have been solved with a hard shove and a quick exit. Additionally we should have stashed the Christmas crap and then left town right away – the shore, Cozumel, my parents’ place even.
But really the problem was the Whos. They’re stupid, Steven. People who get robbed and then sing with joy are stupid people. And now you’ve gone to live with them, in a … what? Hut? – I can’t blame them anymore for being who they are. Perhaps I can’t even blame you for being who you evidently were all along. Perhaps I can only blame myself for seeing you as the one I spent all those years with. The one I thought shared my yearning for solitude and my deep and justified hatred for everyone else. But that was not you. You are a Who. Enjoy the roast beast. Whatever. Jerk.
Max
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/5/2004 03:53:35 PM
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The Finalists are in
The Bush in 30 seconds finalists are in. They are all great but my favorite is the short titled WHAT ARE WE TEACHING OUR CHILDREN? Check them all out.
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/5/2004 01:24:44 PM
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What You Can't Say
What You Can't Say is an interesting essay about heresy: how to think forbidden thoughts, and what to do with them. So take the Conformists test, "Do you have any opinions that you would be reluctant to express in front of a group of your peers? If the answer is no, you might want to stop and think about that. If everything you believe is something you're supposed to believe, could that possibly be a coincidence? Odds are it isn't. Odds are you just think whatever you're told." Think about this, "We often like to think of World War II as a triumph of freedom over totalitarianism. We conveniently forget that the Soviet Union was also one of the winners." But Paul Graham goes much deeper than that. He explains that searching for popular misconceptions not only satisfies the curiosity and confirms whether you are right or wrong about a particular idea but it exercises the brain, "If you can think things so outside the box that they'd make people's hair stand on end, you'll have no trouble with the small trips outside the box that people call innovative."
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/5/2004 01:14:54 PM
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Saturday, January 03, 2004
Stairway to Heaven Backwards
I posted a link to my Stairway to Heaven Backwards page and got what I consider to be a pretty uninformed comment from someone by the nick "steal my handle".
Here is what he/she has to say:
"too bad thats fake if you listen to the song backwards it dosent really say that, this guy just chopped up syllables to make it say that! and the beat wouldnt sound like that either! and why do you think he has it in flash? so you cant download it and reverse it!"
The fact of the matter is that I really did download Stairway to Heaven, then found the particular section of the song shown on the page, reversed it and got the reverse message as you hear it. I left the instructions right on the page explaining how to do it, but just remember if you are to do this yourself, don't use the live version because I originally tried it with the live version and it didn't work. I've been thinking that maybe I should put up an MP3 of the short forward clip so that people can test it for themselves. But not right now because the car is running (it's -35 out and I'm keeping it warm) and we are off to a party.
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/3/2004 09:19:17 PM
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Friday, January 02, 2004
The Rocketpack Guide to making...An Independent Film
In an effort to educate the masses via easily drawn stick figures my friend Gavin has put together a quick step-by-step explanation of how indie films are made. New Media students and Drama geeks alike - take note.
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/2/2004 10:14:52 PM
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Another Stupid Anti-Terrorism Law
Brazillians are now finger printed, photographed, and are required to have travel visas to enter the United States. In a move to try and show the US how obtuse they have become Brazil is reciprocating.
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/2/2004 09:38:13 PM
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A Poem By [George W. Bush]
In October of last year first lady of the United States of America, Laura Bush, related at a national book Festival Gala that her husband "Miserable Failure" George W. had written her the following poem.
Dear Laura,
Roses are red,
violets are blue
oh my lump in the bed,
how I've missed you.
Roses are redder,
bluer am I
seeing you kissed
by that charming French guy.
The dogs and the cat
they miss you too,
Barney's still mad you dropped him,
he ate your shoe.
The distance my dear
has been such a barrier,
next time you want an adventure,
just land on a carrier.
Despite the fact that this poem seems like something of caliber that George W. Bush might actually be capable of, it turns out that in fact - he did not write it. The following is an exerpt from an NBC NEWS' MEET THE PRESS interview of Laura Bush by moderator / panelist Tim Russert.
"MR. RUSSERT: Now, who could have written that poem, huh? I mean, what...
MRS. BUSH: Well, of course, he didn't really write the poem. But a lot of people really believed that he did. That evening at the dinner, what some woman from across the table said: "You just don't know how great it is to have a husband who would write a poem for you."
MR. RUSSERT: Lump in the bed? What...
MRS. BUSH: Well, he did really call me that, of course, but...
MR. RUSSERT: Land on a carrier and you paid him back a little bit, huh?
MRS. BUSH: Yeah.
It's not exactly like lying to congress and / or starting a war, and this is the first lady we are talking about here, not the President, but it stills makes me ponder - why the fabrication?
posted by Jeff Milner at 1/2/2004 09:32:59 PM
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