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Category: Diversions

What drives me to you is what drives me insane (Wednesday, 22 August 2007 09:09 AM ): Weeks (months?) ago, Caroline of Pinky's Paperhaus tagged me for a list-meme thing, and it's well past time I responded. Here are the rules: We have to post these rules before we give you the facts. Players start with eight...

Pimp my daemon (Friday, 20 July 2007 05:05 PM ): According to the people making the film adaptation of Philip Pullman's novel, I am a study in contradictions. How can I be both proud and modest? Or shy and assertive? Please clean up this mess with your perceptions of...

These are the Mikes I know (Sunday, 01 April 2007 11:23 AM ): Received this missive on the mailing list of Mike Doughty today, announcing what would surely be my dream band: Mike Doughty is involved in a new project called PASS THE MIKE with Mike Campbell (The Heartbreakers) on guitar; Mike Mills...

iPod Ching (Friday, 31 March 2006 12:58 PM ): My mini iPod knows all, sees all, tells ... some.

Get off of my cloud (Thursday, 23 March 2006 12:04 PM ): Did you think I'd be able to stick to my "I'll add only 15 books to LibraryThing each day" promise? If you did, I hope you didn't put money on it, because you'll have to pay up. I couldn't sleep...

Either dreams or swords (Tuesday, 21 March 2006 11:31 AM ): I am incredibly busy, as evidenced by my lack of recent posting here and here and here. And so when Syntax of Things described the time-consuming diversion that's slowing his packing for an impending move, I seized on it like...

Do you hear what I hear? (Wednesday, 25 January 2006 02:59 PM ): So much hipper than a mix tape: Click to listen to my iTunes signature. (NB: It's large -- 5.8MB.) An iTunes signature is a smear of bits of tracks from one's iTunes library. You make it with this application. [The...

Slap-happy (Wednesday, 04 January 2006 09:45 AM ): Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better.

Life in the time of the choleric disposition (Wednesday, 07 December 2005 10:03 AM ): And I was thinking just last night that I was a little misanthropic. Uncanny!

Cats are keen / Cats are great / Cats are clean / They lick your plate (Monday, 09 May 2005 04:34 PM ): www.clean-your-screen-for-free-now.com...

He's a swell guy (Thursday, 14 April 2005 11:22 AM ): There's a video flying around the interwideweb you might enjoy. It's of a University of Wisconsin a capella group singing Nintendo themes. For me, it brought back fond memories of those many, many, many, many hours spent with Metroid, Donkey...

Sincerity is not enough (Saturday, 09 April 2005 01:40 PM ): I had an interesting discussion about religion last night over cocktails, and I was troubled to have no strong religion of my own to espouse. It's not very fun defending a lack of religion -- I felt so uncommitted. So...

The most famous fictional ballplayer since Mighty Casey (Friday, 01 April 2005 10:36 AM ): The New York Times recalls Sports > Baseball > An Old Baseball April Fools' Hoax" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/01/sports/baseball/01finch.html?8hpib">"The Curious Case of Sidd Finch": Sidd Finch was an aspiring monk who spent much of his orphaned youth in England, went to Harvard, dropped...

I do not have time for this (Saturday, 05 March 2005 09:12 PM ): It's a Saturday night, and I am home specifically to work, very hard, on client-oriented tasks. I am here and not out, enjoying several delightful Martinis or other lovely beverages. And the last thing I need is this. I hereby...

An interesting metaphor (Sunday, 13 February 2005 06:30 PM ): In the grand tradition of preprinted greeting cards, I wish you a Happy Valentine's Day via the magic of someone else's creativity. And because you visit my website, for you I check "yes."...

America's sweethearts (Thursday, 13 January 2005 10:20 PM ): I'm guessing that every web user has seen it by now, but on the off-chance it was missed, here's what happened between Brad and Jen. (Not for those with delicate sensibilities, little interest in uber-celebrities, or no sense of humor.)...

The line between nifty and nasty is not as fine as one might think (Wednesday, 05 January 2005 06:32 PM ): I used to think my old 50s bathroom was an interior design horror. Now I know things could be much, much worse. For your consideration: Eurobad '74, an exhibition of Europe's worst interiors of 1974. I wanted to choose one...

All work and all play (Monday, 27 December 2004 10:58 PM ): After two weeks of self-indulgent holiday excess, I am pooped. Having few original thoughts to share, I offer instead these links to recent and not-so-recent items elsewhere: Surprising news: Mimes can be useful. More surprising are the changes a mathematician/philosopher...

Incredible (Saturday, 06 November 2004 10:44 PM ): The Incredibles has been in national release for two days now. Have you seen it yet? If not, why not? My Brilliant Mistakes recommends it highly. We'll be going again as soon as we can. You may join us if...

It's as hard as managing them in real life (Sunday, 31 October 2004 04:16 PM ): A hypnotizing diversion: The Enchanted Maze Garden, which asks you to "[h]elp Business, Design, and Technology converge on each of their goals simultaneously." (Via Fark.)...

This post removed (Monday, 25 October 2004 10:06 AM ): I've had to remove this entry. Sorry....

Football's version of the Zapruder film (Monday, 18 October 2004 11:19 AM ): After yesterday's exciting win over Dallas, with rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger becoming the first Steelers QB to win in Dallas since 1982, it would seem Steelers fans couldn't be happier. But the good news keeps coming. Physics shows that...

Running in the cold? So much of the suck. (Tuesday, 12 October 2004 08:38 PM ): NIKE dips a toe into viral marketing: please enjoy these odd little Flash cartoons promoting NIKE Sphere products. So bad they're good! They remind me of the stuff by OddTodd. A lot. Either he's finally found himself a job, or...

Three hours with Baby Mamet (Tuesday, 12 October 2004 10:26 AM ): Good reading elsewhere: Skot at Izzle pfaff! shares memories of role-playing for cash in college, acting like as a hostage taker to give policemen practice in negotiation: I was quite free to invent a vivid past for my bad guy,...

And in a way I'm yearning (Saturday, 09 October 2004 02:27 PM ): Nick Cave... dark and creepy. You're a bi-polargenius, with equal passion for the mostdegrading aspects of humanity, as well as thebeauty & wonder of God and Heaven. Which fucked-up genius composer are you? brought to you by Quizilla Although ironically...

I found some of your life (Friday, 17 September 2004 10:15 AM ): If you found the memory card from a digital camera and didn't know who it belonged to, what would you do? Would you post the photos for all the world to see, and make up stories about the people in...

If you hum a few bars I can fake it (Thursday, 05 August 2004 10:43 AM ): Still no time for proper entries -- although the good news is that I'm able to get my head slightly above water enough to at least see the shore. Here's a pleasant diversion while I'm gone: What Kind of Elitist...

I've always liked marzipan (Monday, 02 August 2004 06:20 PM ): Blogging remains curtailed until I catch up on client work and overdue Inkburns items. Whilst I'm gone, please amuse yourself with the winners of the P22 Pangram Contest. Every one is delightful. For example: Joey questioned a wax museum about...

Fore! (Friday, 16 July 2004 11:32 AM ): Stuck inside the office on a sunny summer Saturday when you'd rather be out on the links? Then you'll probably hate reading about other people golfing while you're working. Even so, I recommend you check out the Guardian's live coverage...

But what does it have to do with the album? (Tuesday, 29 June 2004 11:38 AM ): The Wrapped Up in Books gameis surprisingly diverting, given its low-tech style. I like the idea of using a game to promote a music single, as Belle & Sebastian are doing. But couldn't they have come up with a game...

Let the golden age begin (Tuesday, 29 June 2004 10:46 AM ): Have you been reading the missives at The Morning News from Gary Benchley, Rock Star, regarding his move to New York to start a band and change the world of rock as we know it? Before my stepdad dropped me...

Hello, I must be going (Thursday, 17 June 2004 11:04 PM ): I apologize for posting so little this week. Workload and other life demands have occupied me, and will continue to do so for a few days more. May I suggest a bit of diverting reading while I'm away? The winners...

Annals of Dating: "Dodged a bullet" edition (Monday, 14 June 2004 01:54 PM ): I've had many a bad date, but this tops any story I have: A Manhattan woman went on a dinner date, didn't respond to the guy's calls for a week or so after, and then received an invoice for her...

Prepare to jump (Wednesday, 09 June 2004 01:55 PM ): An unintended piece of conceptual art. (Link courtesy of Ze Frank.)...

The best music video imaginable (Tuesday, 08 June 2004 08:09 PM ): William Shatner's rendition of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (video/quicktime Object) (Link via The Morning News.)...

We only have so much wax (Monday, 31 May 2004 12:14 PM ): Jon Stewart's commencement address to the College of William & Mary: I am honored to be here and to receive this honorary doctorate. When I think back to the people that have been in this position before me from Benjamin...

Mama, liquor, trains and death (Friday, 28 May 2004 10:01 AM ): Another potential birthday gift: a new Tom Waits album is scheduled to be released this fall. Titling it Real Gone and calling it "primal rhythmic blues," Waits says he's “Feelin’ good about it all. Songs about politics, rats, war, hangings,...

Beyond the quick brown fox and the lazy dog (Sunday, 23 May 2004 09:48 PM ): P22 type foundry is holding a pangram contest: A pangram is a sentence that makes use of every letter of the alphabet. The rules are simple: come up with your own pangram and enter it. We will pick the best...

Beware the snake hips (Friday, 21 May 2004 11:39 AM ): Although still on vacation, I cheated a bit and hopped online just long enough to read the amusing commentary by Creating Textiles regarding strikingly retro pamphlet on how to be feminine. Unfortunately only a few pages are posted online, but...

Not as easy as it looks on television (Friday, 14 May 2004 10:39 AM ): Think it's easy to get fired from a low-paying job? Think again: My goal was to find a job and get fired within three hours. But to make my challenge all the more difficult, the editors of this publication put...

Is it time for lunch yet? (Thursday, 13 May 2004 11:17 AM ): Not as dramatic as ninth grade biology class, but also not as smelly: Froguts! Virtual Dissection Software. (Link via Syntax of Things.)...

I bought a fur sink. And an electric dog-polisher, that was good. (Wednesday, 12 May 2004 01:54 PM ): I have just recently filled up my mini-iPod. I'm figuring out an elegant system -- I am all about the elegant system -- for swapping songs on and off. It's frustrating to be out and about and suddenly have the...

Would make a memorable wedding gift (Thursday, 06 May 2004 08:18 PM ): Appalling Flatware For Sale Will anyone purchase my recently acquired 75-piece gold-plated Versace flatware set? This flatware monstrosity once set someone back nearly ten grand. If you think that's pretty amazing, you're not the only one. Although I encourage you...

Who is Number One? (Thursday, 06 May 2004 03:26 PM ): For The Prisoner fans who have grown tired of watching the series on DVD and are ready to start living it: Build the Village, with LEGO blocks. (Link via The Morning News.)...

Perhaps it's genetic (Thursday, 06 May 2004 03:20 PM ): I may have discovered why my romantic life continues merely to limp along: I'm in the wrong country. Apparently I should move to England. "The standard way of meeting someone in England is you get drunk and meet them at...

When context clues aren't enough (Wednesday, 05 May 2004 10:24 AM ): We haven't yet seen one of these in person, but we're eager to: the Franklin Pagemark Dictionary, an electronic dictionary that does double-duty as a book mark. From the product description: An essential reading companion, this Merriam Webster electronic PageMark...

Wasting away again (Wednesday, 05 May 2004 10:02 AM ): It's Cinco de Mayo, one of my preferred holidays because it can arrive on any day of the week, occasioning an unscheduled and festive social hour, and yet it's not as overblown as St. Patrick's Day. The holiday is barely...

Art you can drink (Thursday, 29 April 2004 01:43 PM ): I thought this guy's designs on lattes and cappucinos were pretty cool. Then I saw what this barista can do. (Thanks to The Morning News for the first link, and to Dave Barry's blog for the second.)...

Interesting furnishings (Thursday, 01 April 2004 10:36 AM ): Artist Jacob Cress's "Oops!"...

Eight is my favorite number (Wednesday, 31 March 2004 10:57 AM ): Please go enjoy Crazy Arms That Long to Strangle by Rennie Sparks: The octopus may also wave its arms in rhythmic patterns that attract and immobilize fish. Fishermen off the coast of Washington report seeing hundreds of small fish frozen...

Uglydolls redux (Monday, 29 March 2004 10:32 PM ): Several recent visitors found this site by searching for "uglydolls" on Google. I mentioned some time back that I'm impressed with how the creators of Uglydolls developed a following and built the brand through nonstandard methods and good image management....

Tupac caput! (Monday, 15 March 2004 07:12 PM ): From Yankee Pot Roast, Celebrity palindromes. A sampling: "Oprah deified Harpo." — Uma. "No, Mel Gibson is a casino's big lemon." — The pope, clairifying what he meant by "It is as it was." "Vanna, wanna 'V'?" — Pat Sajak,...

How to film a zeppelin docking at the Empire State Building (Monday, 15 March 2004 11:27 AM ): John Hodgman reveals to us Kerry Conran and the technological blockbuster movie he started in his bedroom: Word of ''Sky Captain'' began to spread around the Internet only after Conran finished primary shooting in London last spring -- extraordinarily late...

Saints in everyday life (Sunday, 14 March 2004 10:15 AM ): Saints in everyday life....

It's for you (Monday, 08 March 2004 10:55 AM ): How to make friends by Telephone: Visualize the person you call Speak to the person at the other end of the line -- not to the telephone -- then you're more apt to be pleasant and understanding. (Link via The...

Making fiends (Thursday, 04 March 2004 09:58 AM ): So cool: Making Fiends, excellent animations. (Link via The Morning News.)...

Gonna make you sweat (Wednesday, 25 February 2004 06:45 PM ): I attended an all girls' boarding school -- Villa Maria High School, unfortunately now closed -- and I lived in the dorm for the first three years. Each year around this time all the girls would start to worry about...

Uglydolls (Friday, 20 February 2004 10:28 AM ): Talk about an emergent strategy: The creators of Uglydolls didn't start with a plan in mind. But theirs is a case of the product selling itself. And the creators have discovered a great way to build appeal: "Each character comes...

Who says all the good men are taken? (Thursday, 19 February 2004 02:40 PM ): "I am wearing my blazer and a light cologne, with my hair parted at the side, a glint in my eye, and my left hand in my coat pocket in a half-intellectual, half-sexual way. I am also smoking a cigarette,...

Actually, I like crap (Thursday, 19 February 2004 01:21 PM ): Terrific t-shirts and more from buyolympia.com. Make sure to look for "Reading is sexy" (boy and girl-cut versions), "Save the fork, there's pie!" and "What would Devo do?" (Link via Maud.)...

Everyone who lives in Lidsville really flips his lid (Saturday, 14 February 2004 04:40 PM ): "Have you ever thought you liked a terrible song just because you remembered it, mistaking mere recollection for actual nostalgia? That's the way it is for me and "H. R. Pufnstuf." I thought I had fond memories of the show...

Copyright © 2004 – 2007 Cynthia Closkey