heretic's linkblog of fun

around the traps

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:44:41 PST

By popular demand... (*that* letter to AGL):

Dear AGL,

You may want to sit down. This may come as some surprise to you.

Are you ready?

I write to you regarding a billing error.

Ha, you see, I was only joking. I imagine every letter you get must be regarding a billing error.
Letters of Note: I hadn't any idea that I talked about my guitar so often: Saul was just 14 when he wrote and illustrated the following letter to Michelle Young; an ex-girlfriend who had just recently ended their relationship and, in a previous letter, blamed the decision on Saul's unending talk of his guitar. The guitar obsession never ended and Saul soon became Slash, one of the world's most admired guitarists and member of Guns N' Roses...
Tree branch on power line (weird and intense):
Why passing the change baton to journalists is not a good idea - mUmBRELLA
Vanilla Garlic: Only You Can Save Girl Scouts (From Monsters)
Oceanic Cafe, Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills. Sydney @Not Quite Nigella. I walked past the Oceanic twice a day for a few months when I worked at Holt Street. I was fascinated, although purely from the look of the place I kind of assumed it'd be dire (perhaps unfairly, but that's life). Perhaps it's just that I don't really jump at the chance for a lamb's fry dinner. It certainly had its devotees though - particularly a couple of very quiet old gents who ate there so regularly they seemed kind of like fixtures, plus there were a few journos who delighted in a cheap feed after a few ales at the pub around the corner. Anyway it turns out the Oceanic has quite a back story.

photo: sunset over freo

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 23:49:08 PST

From our trip to Perth back in 2008 (can't believe it's that long ago already). The sun setting as we headed back from Fremantle after our 'lunch' at Little Creatures lasted the rest of the day.

around the traps

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:23:21 PST

Driftwood Stencil | foundshit.com
A Softer World: 528:
Since music can be digitised and put on a tiny USB drive, why don't we see more creative packaging for music? Sunshine Enema | Lovely Package: We started brainstorming knowing two things - we wanted our music on a USB drive and we wanted the packaging to be humorous - a bright, glossy coating to the darker themes of the music. After about an hour, the plans for ‘Sunshine Enema’ were fully realized - we would have a USB drive shaped like a pill nestled inside a pill bottle.
The magic, ie. weirdness, of how tv and movies are shot using greenscreens:
Darius Guppy: our world balances on a sea of debt - Telegraph. Short version: the way governments and banks handle money is seriously fucking weird.

...and then there were lols.

around the traps

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 06:20:54 PST

Right, so wingsuit base jumping was insane... but not insane enough for this guy. He strapped jet engines to his legs.
The Real life Lichtenstein-Comic-Girl — Illusion 360
This is a pretty cool dance routine - cyborgs, a sense of humour and some impressive tricks.
(direct link in case the embed didn't work: SYTYCD: top 10 boys dancing to We Want Your Soul)
Ok, so mostly this is Dolph Lundgren singing, then suddenly DRUMS AND SMASHING SHIT...and then back to singing:

(you can skip to about 2mins in if you want to cut to the WTF...)

around the traps

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 04:09:29 PST

Full article here: High Tech Cowboys of the Deep Seas: The Race to Save the Cougar Ace (long but worth a read).
It's kind of curious when people find ways to do data analysis on human behaviour... The 4 Big Myths of Profile Pictures | OkTrends is data on how OKCupid profile photos affect the success rate of people on that dating site. Even they were surprised by the data, including the fact that the 'crappy myspace shot' actually works and showing a bit more cleavage is more successful for older women than younger women. (via What makes a successful online dating photo? | Information Is Beautiful)
Unhappy Hipsters: It's lonely in the modern world
Awkward Stock Photos

photo: farm pano

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 03:17:34 PST

Pano of the farm, while we were up for Christmas. Looks best big!

around the traps

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 03:07:27 PST

Fun with form inputs and js... tenori, scrollbars.. more at the389.com.
MADATOMS - Sexual Bases Through the Decades (borderline NSFW)
Vintage Ad Browser - thousands of vintage ads, searchable by category.
BBC News - Reporter breaks an 'unbreakable' mobile phone at CES (amusing)
FUI Fantasy User Interfaces | Mark Coleran Visual Designer - a gallery from a guy who invents interfaces for movies.
DJ Shadow blogs about paying for music, and why he doesn't give his work away for free:

As distasteful as it may sound, the fact is that so many of our heroes: Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane, The Beatles, whoever you care to name; generated much of their best art in return for financial compensation. If you take away the compensation, guess what…the art stops.

...

Be prepared to keep waiting…and for music, overall, to keep sucking. Why? Because only bottom-of-the-barrel, embarrassing pop tripe generates enough income to feed the machine. Anything unproven or risky? Nobody’s going to bankroll that kind of ‘experiment.’

...

[I]f $9.99 is too much to spend for one of my albums, so be it, your choice. But if you’re holding your breath, waiting for me to boost my cool-quotient by giving my music away for free, it’s not going to happen. The fact is that I feel my music has value. You may disagree, and that’s fine. [...] I’d rather sell it to 100 people who value it as I do than give it away to 1000 who could care less. That’s MY choice.

Worth reading the whole thing. But I look at this and think... my first copy of Endtroducing was taped. I've since bought that album twice on CD (normal album, plus deluxe edition that came out years later). So I agree his music has value. But I probably wouldn't have ended up buying it if I hadn't had it on tape first.

Ultimately I suspect the real trick here is not about giving away your music, so much as not losing your mind if it gets pirated. Because overall, pirates are either people who were never going to pay you money (feel free to curse such leeches, but don't waste your time trying to stop them); or they're people who will ultimately buy the next album and go to a gig (ie. your fans).

I don't know when I last listened to the radio. All the new music I've discovered lately came from listening to streams on blip.fm, which no doubt the music industry will eventually try to shut down. Most of the music on blip is probably technically not meant to be there, but as an artist you'd be mad to intentionally pull your stuff out of the index.

...and a bit of LOL to finish:

happy new year

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:59:30 PST

Fireworks and smoke, seen from our balcony.

Happy new year, all.

mind mapping

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:32:15 PST

Original and more stuff: Mindmapping on Flickr | Lunchbreath.

around the traps

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:47:21 PST

"It's like twitter. Except we charge people to use it.": Please design a logo for me. With pie charts. For free.
The Escapist : Video Galleries : Zero Punctuation : Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 ...and it's so, so terribly accurate.
6 Mental Illness Myths Hollywood Wants You to Believe | Cracked.com
"Bizarre" Octopuses Carry Coconuts as Instant Shelters: Octopuses have been discovered tip-toeing with coconut-shell halves suctioned to their undersides, then reassembling the halves and disappearing inside for protection or deception, a new study says. I for one welcome our new octopus overlords. The debate I've just been having on IM is what the soundtrack should be for when the octopus is toddling along with the coconut between its legs. I think this, about 8mins in: YouTube - The Olden Days - Final (The Late Show). The other contender suggested was YouTube - I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts (Merv Griffin).
Rupert Murdoch visit leaves newsagent nonplussed | Media | guardian.co.uk: I was really surprised when my customer told me it was Mr Murdoch. He seemed like such a nice man. ...which is interesting in a way. So many people act like they actually, literally think he's from another planet or something.
What Makes Them Click | Dopamine Makes You Addicted To Seeking Information

photos

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:35:51 PST

office tank

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:57:43 PST

Tank made of office supplies - courtyard at COFA, December 2009. By Ed Horne. [More pics]

the welcome

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:49:20 PST

[More notes on Flickr.]

Wow, three weeks already since I took that shot?! Time flies.

winter sky

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 03:52:45 PST

I miss winter already.

around the traps

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:17:21 PST

Perhaps the coolest Halloween costume ever: Papercraft Self Portrait - Art Portfolio for Eric Testroete (real life "big head mode")
15 Things Worth Knowing About Coffee | The Oatmeal - coffee facts presented as a comic.
Sabi the Army wonder dog found safe | World News | News.com.au: SHE survived almost 14 months in the unforgiving Afghan desert after being declared missing in action during a bloody battle with the Taliban. That's awesome.
Your Weekly Treats – I Can Has Cheezburger?
Thiefhunters in Paradise | Why airport luggage thieves steal black bags
The Whiteboard:
- The Whiteboard | "Is that normal?"
- The Whiteboard | Does a bear...? (don't miss the Mythbuster version of the strip!)
xkcd - Academia vs. Business
Official Google Blog: Automatic captions in YouTube. This is really amazing. The technology definitely isn't perfect (and YouTube is not actually the be all and end all of video... gasp!), but seriously, automatic speech to text in YouTube? This is a massive step for accessibility.

photo: ndm view

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:47:33 PST

I snapped a couple of quick panos on my last day:

The view from (the window behind) my last desk at NDM. For added points, play spot-the-Sydney-landmark!

[click through to flickr to see larger/full size]

breakfast in surry hills

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:10:35 PST

Breakfast at Lounge, and some street art.

photos

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:38:30 PST

Brisbane Skyline on Flickr
LDL4_2973 on Flickr
Breakfast on the Bridge - Sydney Crave Festival 2009 on Flickr
English Russia | Cloudy Weather (fantastic photos, very Bladerunner)

around the traps

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:19:31 PST

The Jalopy Journal | Time Lapse – On The Road. Time lapse of a guy driving across America in a convertible.
AC/DC used as Guantanamo torture tool by US government | Music | News.com.au: WHAT do Neil Diamond, AC/DC, Marilyn Manson, Eminem, Christina Aguilera and Don McLean have in common? They were all used as instruments of torture by the US government.
Aussies don't click with display advertising - Digital Media: Australia and New Zealand are among the least likely nations to click or dwell on online display advertising, according the Eyeblaster 2009 Global Benchmark Report.

No, really, there's an ad company called Eyeblaster. Nobody in the industry appears to find that problematic.

In less mature markets, where users are novice in online advertising, they receive ads with more open arms. When the market matures, the users’ fatigue together with increased competition for their attention reduces engagement significantly. The users’ propensity to engage with ads should be taken into account when comparing benchmarks between geographies and verticals.

Translated that means people only click for a little while, then they get the shits and just ignore the ads. What this all means is the online advertising industry is fundamentally flawed (and always was), as it relies on clicks as a key metric. No other advertising medium tracks an equivalent, instead you have to measure something worth knowing - like brand awareness and association after a campaign.
Breakfast on the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Vimeo. Time lapse of the Sydney Harbour Bridge being covered in real grass for the Breakfast on the Bridge event.

cups in a row

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:54:44 PDT

From the coffee festival. More shots at Aroma Festival 2009.

around the traps

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:01:15 PDT

So you have a lamp made of bones and skulls that you just don't need any more. What do you do? Free to a Good Gothic Home on Flickr
According to this TED talk, open plan noise makes you 66% less productive. ....I fucking KNEW it! Rest of the talk is great too.

...now I'm off to crank up Confusion.
Easily distracted: why it's hard to focus, and what to do about it | Psychology Today: The challenge is that we have not realized the true cost of distractions: they use up what is actually a limited supply of attention each day, and make us far less effective if we need to do deeper thinking work. For example, a university of London study found that being always connected impacts your IQ equivalent to losing a night's sleep or taking up marijuana.
The 4WD with seats made of whale penis: A Russian armoured-car builder is boasting that its latest vehicle has seats covered with whale-penis leather. ... because nothing adds that touch of class to your armoured car like the vague feeling of being karmically buggered by a whale.
Freudenstein: ABC boss Scott’s paid content claims are laughably inaccurate - mUmBRELLA: As the head of a company that takes in excess of $800 million every year from Australian taxpayers, (Scott’s) claim that the ABC’s online news content ‘will certainly be free’ is as laughable as it is disingenuous. Similarly, he has some gall to criticise the ‘old proprietorial model’, which he says ‘operated as a form of protection from harsh realities the businesses might otherwise have faced’, since this precisely describes the ABC’s government-owned model.
Simonova is an Ukrainian artist who won Ukraine's Got Talent 2009. She uses a giant light box, dramatic music, imagination and "sand painting" skills to interpret Germany's invasion and occupation of Ukraine during WWII:

around the traps

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:56:17 PDT

the good samaritan: julia in australia attended a new year’s eve party in an affluent neighborhood. the next morning, after she came to, she realized her digital camera was missing. when she back to search for it, she found this sign posted up all around the local park.
YouTube - LEAKED: New iPhone Commercial. There's an app for EVERYTHING!
Where The Buffalo Roamed | Weather Sealed: Behold, a visualization of the contiguous United States, colored by distance to the nearest domestic McDonald’s!
I think what fascinates me about maps like this is the amazing split down the middle that shows up - eg. compare with Watching the Growth of Walmart Across America | FlowingData.
Ironic Sans: Idea: A new typography term
Hey Hey red-faced over blackface skit - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). *facepalm* ARGGH, I can't believe they were so fucking stupid to do that. Of all the acts in their vault they bring that one back? ...and judging by the comments, there's no shortage of morons out there in tvland who can't understand why it's a problem. I despair.
The fun theory: change behaviour by making the better option more fun.

yoyu

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:36:07 PDT

I was introduced to a great concept yesterday: yoyu. I was at the Web Directions South conference and Kelly Goto mentioned it in her opening keynote for day two.

It turns out that yoyu is kind of hard to find using Google. In fact one friend observed Yoyu cannot be found with Google, which seems kind of appropriate ;)

As it turns out the first useful link I found was Kelly's mother talking about it:

There is a Japanese word, "yoyu". We use the word often. It means to have extra preparation.

...

"Yoyu" also has the implication of calmness one feels when they are extra prepared. It is that space between "Get Ready" and "Go" – the space "Get set" or "Be ready" or "feel confident". For instance, I might say, "He/she lacks yoyu." when I see someone leading a frazzled existence. I might tell our daughters to consider scheduling their lives with a little more yoyu. Therefore, I would use the word more for a lifestyle suggestion. It’s a big picture word.
yoyu | goto company

In a linked post, Kelly explains it as the time ‘in-between’ things, allowing moments to relax, regroup and prepare for next appointment, deadline or arrival. We do not have a word like this in English. It is a very significant cultural difference.

I think many of us have lives which lack yoyu.

photos

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:43:19 PDT

Crane on Flickr
(silos) on Flickr
Sydney’s Apocalyptic Red Dawn | Boudist Photos (more of Dan Boud's dust storm pics)
English Russia | The Haunted Cars
English Russia | Stone Trees of Yakutsk
View of Sydney at sunset from my hotel room. on Flickr
Tweeps App on Flickr
Sun Storm on Flickr

change

noreply@blogger.com (200ok) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:45:54 PDT

Typcut #0002: Are You Happy? | Blog.H34 : Music, Design, Culture