Case Study Number Four
I'm not a number, I'm a free mouse!
Today my sainted wife (I think sainted is the word I want…) discovered this mouse in my sister-in-law’s swimming pool, endlessly treading water. Now, my understanding is that mice can tread water for a really long time, so however long it is, that’s how long this fuzzball was in the water. She was just barely keeping her head up and wheezing when Susie plucked her out of the pool.
This is the after-recovery picture, several hours later. The post rescue image can best be described as a floppy wig clipping. She’s eating and drying off now, and seems pretty calm. We’ll let her go in the woods this afternoon so as to restore her freedom and whatnot.
Oh, and we’re calling her Case Study Number Four to prevent any inadvertant attachment, because we do have some rodents already as pets. It’s..um, working fine. Yes. FINE.
Cory Doctrow on the Information Economy
As always, Mr. Doctrow is entertaining, passionate, and compelling when talking about the role of copyright, DRM, and effortless collaboration and its effects on the human condition. It’s arguably one of the most important topics of the age, so give it five minutes. If not completely mesmerized and entertained, a full refund is guaranteed!
My Cambridge Business Lectures talk on “Life in the Information Economy”
What’s the Atomic Weight of Awesome?
The Periodic Table of Videos is just what it sounds like, a stonking great periodic table where every element’s position is really a video created by the University of Nottingham. That’s right, 118 carefully crafted vignettes detailing the life and times of all those chemicals we take for granted. Except for the alkali metals, of course. We loves those, we do.
Oh, and if you discover a love for science videos while browsing through the elements, don’t forget to check out this treasure trove at ScienceMan.com.
This Is Not Who We Are
I wish this story of a man who was detained in the US until he died painfully from cancer while separated from his family, was unique. I wish it was a tale from some villainous dictatorship overseas, or the actions of a regrettably insane person with no connection to any public authority.
But it’s not. As an American, I don’t know how to express my anger and my shame at these events. I don’t know how to prepare for the next one to be revealed, which I know is underway even as I type this. But I do know that public pressure can influence the people responsible where decency and respect for basic human rights will not.
Tell your next president, whether Obama or McCain.
This is not who we are.
Damn You, Heinrich Wilhelm Dove
In 1839, Heinrich Wilhelm Dove discovered the phenomenon of the binaural beat and inadvertently cursed the internet with one of it’s most persistent pseudo-science institutions: the digital drug.
Wiki Says:
The brain produces a phenomenon resulting in low-frequency pulsations in the loudness of a perceived sound when two tones at slightly different frequencies are presented separately, one to each of a subject’s ears, using stereo headphones. A beating tone will be perceived, as if the two tones mixed naturally, out of the brain. The frequency of the tones must be below about 1,000 to 1,500 hertz for the beating to be heard. The difference between the two frequencies must be small (below about 30 Hz) for the effect to occur; otherwise the two tones will be heard separately and no beat will be perceived.
It’s a real effect, and there is some talk that it can have neurological effects. That’s great for neuroscientists, but not so great for the rest of us. The problem is that the quack medicine community loves nothing more than a little actual science to hang it’s products on. Magnetic belt, anyone?
So far, the most popular angle is to generate several different binaural beat frequencies, and randomly assign effects to them, such as enhanced creativity, energy levels, or meditative peace.
On the plus side, it’s relatively harmless, unlike drinking a flask of molasses spiked with mercury like back in the good old days of miracle bromides and nerve tonics. Also, since some brainwave entrainment may occur at some frequencies, you may actually find a binaural beat that is pleasant and mood enhancing. Of course, the same thing can be said for regular music, which has been used to alter and enhance moods since the dawn of time.
Of course, all of this is just my opinion. Some folks swear by it, so sample some for yourself:
Or mix your own:
Birthday Month!
Today’s my birthday, which traditionally I celebrate for the entire month of August. This annoys the crap out of everyone around me, but honestly, it’s their own fault. The idea is that if anyone mentions my birthday in any way, I get a card in the mail, a present, or find some other way to claim birthday rights, then that day is ALSO my birthday.
This is surprisingly easy to arrange, and huge fun. For me. I think Tycho and Gabe summed my birthday philosopy perfectly over at Penny Arcade:
Interview with Edgar Oliver
Neil Gaiman posted this video of playwright Edgar Oliver on his blog. If you’ve never heard Mr. Oliver speak, you’ll be mesmerized by the beautiful cadence of his voice, as well as the fullness of expression and emotion that he radiates.
Your Life 2.0
Your life is complicated. It’s made up of a zillion separate moving parts, like money, time, and work, and in each one, somebody is doing a better job than you getting it done. And they know it.
Fortunately, this being the age of sharing and showing off, they’re willing to clue you in. These are some of the big guns in the world of ‘doing it right’.
Lifehacker – The granddaddy of all ‘get your life in order’ blogs. I could stop here, but that would be a pretty short list, wouldn’t it?
Wise Bread – Live frugally, and in style. Proof that you don’t have to live under the interstate in a cardboard box to save money.
Mother Earth News – “The Original Guide to Living Wisely”
David Allen – The ultimate time management guru, author of Getting Things Done. Go GTD and never go back.
The Four Hour Workweek – Lifestyle Design, by which Tim means poking at convention to figure out what works and what doesn’t.
TreeHugger – If you’re inclined to go green, Treehugger will tell you how. Duh, the site is called Treehugger.
Real Travel – Advice about travel from actual people on specific locations. Don’t rely on the guy selling you a vaction package to tell you the pitfalls.
Pandora – Yes, the bands that you grew up with are awesome. But maybe it’s time to find some new music.
Instructables – Make stuff! Speaking of making stuff, this is the best knot tying thing ever.
Go forth and improve. Now!
Cricket Choir
In 1992, Jim Wilson recorded crickets chirping and slowed the track down to what he felt would be an interesting ratio, that of a cricket’s lifespan to a human being’s. The result was then layered with the original, unmodified cricket chirping.
The result is an unearthly, harmonic choir singing underneath the mundane night sounds of crickets that we take for granted.
Fugitive Prose 