Wired

I am not a geek! I swear to God, no! Not geek - occasionally hip - yes, cool - absolutely. Geek, buried in tech? No. Which is what I thought Wired magazine was about. They feature all kinds of stories about tech things, but today's blog article on the Obama's dog pick is what made me open the article ... and not disappointed, I read their choice was 'solidly scientific' but the real headline was how pimps are using the 'net to lure kids into prostitution (I'm a parent, that headline disturbs me), on to a question on the ethics of cultivating baby dinos from poultry (why would we want to do this???), and Ryan Air's slam of the evil blogger ... cool stuff ... right up my reading alley.

I like it. Wired.com is your essential daily guide to what's next, delivering the most original and complete take you'll find anywhere on innovation's impact on technology, science, business and culture. Wired.com is a smart site for smart people. Like me.

Tiny Living

Yes ... I admit it ... I was surfin' the web looking for something to buy, and found this. No, no one sent it to me with a raving email to check it out, or that it's cool cool cool. This one is on my own.

Created in response to New York City’s cramped living conditions, tiny living is a store that aims to provide solutions for small spaces. The founders, a husband and wife team, spent many years living in cramped NYC apartments (one, a studio that measured a mere 200 sq. ft.!), and created tiny living to offer their smart findings of cleverly designed, affordable items that are small in scale, multi-purpose, flexible and/or organizational. Since opening in July 2005, tiny living received an overwhelming response, not only from NYC dwellers but from across the globe. It turns out their goods are suitable for anyone who wants to maximize their living space!

If I live in New York, this is probably where I'd do my online shopping. Beautiful little site = beautiful little home? One hopes, I'd think only gazillionaire ex-pals of Madoff or the fat cats of corporate America probably don't have to worry about a tiny little NYC home. But I would. So here's the scoop on this site. It's a shopping site. You browse it, and hopefully find cool things to make your small (they would even work in a not-so-small) home comfortable. Go see.

Love your small space.

p.s. - I'm looking for a magazine holder - the kind that folds up, looks like an X, stays on the floor. Let me know if you come across anything interesting!

Wolfgang's Vault

Sounds a little creepy, huh ... yup, I thought so too, especially when one of my chain-letter addicted friends sent it to me ... so, with an entry begging to be made, I sucked in my belly (it wasn't difficult), held my breath (part of the belly-sucking thing), clenched my teeth, and opened the link.

Cool link. Veddy veddy cool. Wolfgang’s Vault is where live music lives, that's the spiel, and so, I checked it out for truth, and yes, Jimi's 1968 live concert at Winterland is up for the listenin'. I guess it's where all the Bill Graham Archives, the King Biscuit Flower Hour, and the Record Plant (among a dozen other archives) are stored, and the good soul that Wolfgang is, allows you to relive all your cherished (and some that never were) rock moments again. Within the Concert Vault are thousands of carefully restored, legendary concert recordings of the past and the present, yours to stream for free, with hundreds available for download. Concert Vault is also available as a free app on iPhone. Taking the musical fandom experience even further, you can read record reviews and in-depth articles about the greatest performers of yesterday and today in the almighty Crawdaddy!, in its second year as an online webzine. Concert tour info for your favorite performeris available on the site's very own comprehensive show listings site, Mojam.

Since when did rockers become philanthropists? They're not here, and it's okay. The $$ aspect comes with the encouragement to peruse Wolfgang’s Vault to consider and purchase the greatest collection of concert posters, rock photography, vintage t-shirts, retro t-shirts, and treasure trove of extraordinary concert related memorabilia. Okay, NP (no problem).

Caring Places

You know, there's nothing like a gift, right? Especially when in need and times are tough (like these times), the news is all about people losing their homes and jobs, and things are awful, just awful. It really gets to me. So, when Elin, (yet another Facebook friend) posted a note that a young Montana mother, friend of a friend, needs all the prayers she can get now, and added this website link, I had to add this link here.

A Caring Bridge offers a group of free, personalized websites that support and connect loved ones during critical illness, treatment and recovery. It's generous, well intentioned, and free service providing easy-to-create websites that include a journal, guestbook message board and photo gallery. A CaringBridge website provides patient and caregiver support, and encouragement for anyone facing cancer or chronic illness.

Nice. Really. Very nice.

Improv Everywhere

My Facebook friend, Myrna, posted a link to a YouTube vid by these guys, and ... Yes, "I love mindless, amusing entertainment, and proud of it!" Okay, this is where my son sez, "Calm down, calm down..."

Improv Everywhere's logo is, "We Cause Scenes," and they do! In spectacular fashion - loaded with gentle wit - the group causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places. Created in August of 2001 by Charlie Todd, Improv Everywhere has executed over 80 missions involving thousands of undercover agents. The group is based in New York City.

Go! Take a break, lighten up, check out this site!!! ... and thank you, Myrna!

Doodle 4 Google

Google always kept its homepage clean of clutter, and aside from the occasional French artist who clearly 'caps' on the logo, it's only on special occasions that the Google powers-that-be touch the sacred logo and reinvent it. Dennis Hwang (master of Doodle 4 Google) has the daunting task of celebrating and marking worldwide events and holidays with his doodles. Doodle 4 Google is a competition, hosted by Google, inviting elementary through high school students to have fun with Google’s homepage logo, and yes, doodle with it! Google asked kids in the US to doodle around the theme “What if…?”.

An annual event for Google, schools are encouraged to sign up - the kids produce amazing doodles! If you're interested, click on this link to go to Doodle 4 Google!

Here's a time lapse mini-vid of Chief Doodler Dennis doing his thing - drawing a Google Doodle from start to finish. He creates a doodle that commemorates the Lunar New Year!

Daily Candy

DailyCandy, a free daily e-mail newsletter and website, is the insider’s guide to what’s hot, new, and undiscovered — from fashion and style to gadgets and travel. As useful as it is entertaining, it’s like getting an e-mail from your clever, unpredictable, and totally in-the-know best friend. The one who knows about secret beauty treatments, must-have jeans, hot new restaurants — and always shares the scoop.

Nuclear Waste

A friend of mine had lunch today with a lawyer-turned-physicist. Well! If he isn't a beast for punishment ... ! As with some brainiacs, my friend included, it turns out this guy is the real deal - he walked away from a life of the law in search of wild stuff. Middle-aged (that's over 50 to you young 'uns), this friend of my friend works for the prestigious Lawrence Livermore Labs, guardians of our American nation's scientific secrets.

Titillated (no, honey, that is not a dirty word) beyond total control, I had to check out their site ... after all, it's what, almost 2 am and I'm not sleepy. I thought this would do the trick, and dull the life outta this mushy brain. Not so.

What a cool website! Nothing less than the following on the home page:

• Weapons and Complex Integration;
• National Ignition Facility and Photon Science;
• Global Security;
• Science and Technology (uh...duh...this one did not surprise me...);
• Working With Us;
• Community Connections;
• Year in Review (with Annual Reports for 07 and 08, no less!).

Yes, of course I'm impressed - here's why: Without much understanding of scientific tech gobbledygook, I get it, this site has a lot to say about how serious Americans are about Science. A lot. The first two bullets above alone tell me they're working on nuclear energy, nuclear warfare (OMG), smart bombs and the kind of science that Hollywood dreamt up in the 60s. The last three bullets (that's probably not a good word choice here, is it?) are kinda weird in a warm fuzzy way ... like "Yes, we conduct nuclear explosion experiments daily, but we still love you ..." You know what I mean?

Oh well, it turns out my friend's friend who gave up a life of slavery with rapacious legal adversaries (who knows what turned him off, right?) for the pure life of science is actually one of those guys trying to transform nuclear waste into positive energy for our children and grandchildren (I heard the going is so slow, it's like Gaudi's Holy Family Cathedral in Barcelona, we'll only get to enjoy the process...).

The Oscars

On February 22, 2009, the 81st Academy Awards honoring the best in film for 2008, and awarding the famous little gold statue, Oscar, will be held at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. Handsome hunk, actor Hugh Jackman will host the ceremony for the first time!
To prepare for the festivities, and get ready for your own Oscar party, check out ABC.com’s 'Road To The Oscars' which covers all Oscar-related events, including the parties and after-parties supporting this event. Road To The Oscars is a daily show featuring daily news and updates, interviews, behind-the-scenes and prep footage. You'll get an insider’s look at what it takes to produce the biggest event in Hollywood, as well as intimate interviews with this year’s nominees, host and producers...and now to the actual nominees and awards...
Can you predict a winner? If you think you can, I challenge you to prove it! Take The Oscars Challenge - Predict the Winners! Voilà, here are the nominees:

• Leading Actor - Richard Jenkins in The Visitor, Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon, Sean Penn in Milk, Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler;
• Leading Actress - Angelina Jolie in ChangelingAnne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married, Melissa Leo in Frozen River, Meryl Streep in Doubt, and Kate Winslet in The Reader;
• Supporting Actor - Josh Brolin in Milk, Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder, Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt, Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, and Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road;
• Supporting Actress - Amy Adams in Doubt, Penélope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Viola Davis in Doubt, Taraji P. Henson in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler;
• Animated feature film - Bolt, Kung Fu Panda, and WALL-E;
• Art direction - Changeling, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, The Duchess, and Revolutionary Road;
• Cinematography - Changeling, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, The Reader, and Slumdog Millionaire;
• Costume design - Australia, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Duchess, Milk, and Revolutionary Road;
  
• Directing - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader, and Slumdog Millionaire;
• Documentary, feature - The Betrayal, Encounters at the End of the World, The Garden, Man on Wire, and Trouble the Water;
• Documentary, short - The Conscience of Nhem En, The Final Inch, Smile Pinki, and The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306;
• Film editing - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Frost/Nixon, Milk, and Slumdog Millionaire;
• Foreign language film - The Baader Meinhof Complex, The Class, Departures, Revanche, and Waltz With Bashir;
• Makeup - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, and Hellboy II: The Golden Army;
• Original musical score - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Defiance, Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, and WALL-E;
• Original song - 'Down to Earth' from WALL-E, 'Jai Ho' from Slumdog Millionaire, and 'O Saya' from Slumdog Millionaire;
• Best Picture - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader, and Slumdog Millionaire;
• Animated short film - La Maison en Petits Cubes, Lavatory - Lovestory, Oktapodi, Presto, and This Way Up;
• Live action short film - Auf der Strecke (On the Line), Manon on the Asphalt, New Boy, The Pig, and Spielzeugland (Toyland);
• Sound editing - The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Slumdog Millionaire, WALL-E, and Wanted;
• Sound mixing - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Slumdog Millionaire, WALL-E, and Wanted;
• Visual effects - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, and Iron Man;
• Adapted screenplay - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, and Slumdog Millionaire;
• Original screenplay - Frozen River, Happy-Go-Lucky, In Bruges, Milk, and WALL-E.

To get all the dirt on the nominations, have a look at the Oscar site (click here). Now ... are you up to this?!

Kayak

It used to be the best way to get to your destination was by plane, train, or automobile !

Now it’s the kayak. Kayak is a travel search engine. Which, according to their website, means they search hundreds of travel sites, provide the information to you in an easy-to-use display, and send you directly to the source to make your purchase. They will help you find the perfect flight, hotel, cruise, or rental car. Once your choice is made, Kayak will link to the travel sites to make your purchase, allowing you to choose which site to purchase from– through an online travel agency or consolidator such as Orbitz.com or Airfare.com.Kayak 's search engine can find all kinds of travel products– from flights and hotels to rental cars and cruises. Their fare alerts and fare history help travelers stay on top of ever-changing travel prices.

The recently launched Kayak.com wants to be the über travel search engines. Using a self-professed Google-meets-Amazon approach, Kayak cherry-picks from aggregator sites (like Sidestep and Mobissimo), agencies, and airline sites, and adds a slew of excellent techie tricks and tools. In short, you control of your travel choices - Kayak searches hundreds of travel websites (including online travel agency sites).

Why bother? Well, here are a few reasons:

1. Listings are totally impartial, without the pay-for-placement arrangements with airlines that is a common industry practice;
2. Searching is fast, and you can watch the progress;
3. Defining your search is as easy as moving the price slider up or down, and the info refreshes without forcing you to wait for a reload; and
   
4. Kayak.com also searches Jet Blue (Southwest only does Southwest).

Kayak was started by founders of Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia who believed in a better online travel experience (in other words, folks who know their way around the infuriating, Byzantine world of online reservations). They hired a crack team of geeky engineers who brought expertise from all over the Web, finagled a couple ducats out of General Catalyst, Sequoia Capital and Accel Partners. Along the way, Kayak redefined the way people search and purchase travel online.

Go for it! Available online at kayak.com.

Wikipedia Art

Wikipedia Art is art that anyone can edit.

Scott Kildall and Nathaniel Stern posted a new entry on Wikipedia called "Wikipedia Art." The entry is a manifestation of the work of art; alter its composition, and you become a collaborator in the art's formation. The catch is that Wikipedia, the world's free and editable encyclopedia, has enforced standards of quality and verifiability. All Wikipedia articles, and each fact written in them, must cite “credible” external sources: interviews, blogs, or articles in “trustworthy” media institutions.

Wikipedia Art is birthed, survives and transforms itself through public performance and communal intervention. It is continuously reconstituted and redefined in a participant-driven write+cite+edit process that we call "performative citation."

Wikipedia Art MUST BE written about extensively both on- and off-line, and these writings will in turn be included as part of the work, on its Wikipedia page. This serves the dual purpose of verifying the piece - which is considered controversial by those in the Wikipedia community, and may occasionally be removed from the site - as well as transforming it over time.

Here are three ways you can join the collaboration:

(1) Write a text, blog entry, essay or any other form of thoughts about the project

(2) Edit the Wikipedia page itself, citing a published text (even your own!)

(3) Pass along this call for participation to others

Link to the project page

http://www.wikipediaart.org/

Initial interviews and essays

Wikipedia Art — a virtual fireside chat

http://www.myartspace.com/blog/2009/02/wikipedia-art-virtual-fireside-chat.html

WikiPedia art? -- by Patrick Lichty http://blog.furtherfield.org/?q=node/267

Guide to Dating and Dumping

The Zagat's restaurant guide has a surprising offering for Valentine's Day (for lovers and soon-to-be ex-lovers!), in its Guide to Dating and Dumping in NYC and LA! I always knew Zagat's was the sine qua non (Latin speak to you non-Latin speakers: without comparison) when it comes to restaurant advice - what beats an international guide that announces itself as 'Eat, Drink, Stay, Play' and is critiqued, not by restaurants and paid food critics, but followed, revered, and owes its very existence to reviews supplemented by true blue-blooded foodies like you ... like me!

The guide announces: From "be mine" to "let's just be friends," selecting the right place for a date makes all the difference. Brand-new guides are available to explore the hottest dating destinations and ideal break-up spots in NYC & LA. ...and if that's not enough, they included highlights from Zagat's first-ever dating survey, with answers to questions about preferences, pet peeves and pick-up lines, among other things (who asks and who answers these questions???). Okay... and Happy Valentine's Day to you too.

I know, what the heck are we doing checking online sites on Friday the 13th, instead of shopping for the love of my life? Well ... and as I've said about Zagat's before, thank God for Zagat's!

Mighty Optical Illusions

Do you know the feeling that perception turns against you? Mighty Optical Illusions is a website dedicated to optical illusions, magic tricks and puzzles. Since I'm a highly visually oriented person (like a bird, you know, they look at everything, that's me ...), I love the cool visuals on this site. I have to tell you, I really admire how they state that 'all photos, pictures, videos and other shapes of art placed on this web site were submitted by individuals not connected with moillusions.com. Most of the submission are made by the original artists, but some were probably just collected from internet. If you hold copyrights to any of the illusions posted to this website, and would like us to remove them immediately, email us and we'll be glad to do so.' So, this is the place to hang out if you want a mini-visual vacation. One of my favorites is Black Hole Sun, and the Dancing Woman.

for Dummies

My friend, Neil Goldstein, is writing a For Dummies book. I'm not exactly sure what his topic is, I think something to do with computers, but I know when it goes out to print, he'll probably make a couple of sheckels or more. With more than 150 million books in print, covering 1,300+ topics, For Dummies is one of the most widely recognized reference series in the world. It started around 1987, when new technologies were popping up all over the place. Computer manuals were dull, dull, dull and totally incomprehensible. A frustrated customer in a computer store, who knew nothing about computers, was looking for a simple, basic book about the DOS operating system (this is the gran'daddy of all OS!). My understanding is that he suggested something like, “DOS for dummies.” And voilà, welcome to the For Dummies phenom!

From the start, For Dummies was a simple, yet powerful concept: relating to the anxiety and frustration that people felt about technology, by poking fun at it, with books that are insightful and educational and make difficult material interesting and easy. Now, you can find For Dummies brand online, where you’ll find the experts presenting even the most complex subjects in plain English. Published issues include mind-boggling topics like parenting (huge one for me!), horses, dogs, and website development. Everything is simply written, no high falutin' cross-my-eyes-what-did-that-page-say-again text.

Without critics, this would be too boring, so the truth is that I heard my boyfriend complain that the hard copy books are so much better to read than the online version ... oh well ... I'm quite happy to have it either way, thank you! His gripe was that the For Dummies online publisher relied 'way too much on branding power than securing a different (techie) class of For Dummies followers ...