April 29, 2008
And wicked cheap ice cream tomorrow!
Baskin-Robbins is doing their 31 Cent Scoop Night tomorrow (April 30th) to raise money for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
April 27, 2008
Thank you.
Today City of Heroes turns 4. Happy birthday, Paragon City. And because Mr. and Miss Abyss have already said it far better than I ever could, Thank You.
(There's a much higher resolution version of the video available at maximilia.net.)
April 26, 2008
On haters
The Brothers Chaps, when asked if people hate their work:
"I hope so, I hope someone hates our stuff. Because you're not punk rock if no one hates your stuff… you're Garfield."
Caturday panelz
Current panel— MAKING IT BIG: Now that you’re a huge cultural force in your own right, what do you think of popular mainstream culture? Are you inspired by it? Repelled by it? What do you draw from? Listen to anything good lately? Any business models online that you admire?
Moderator: JD Connor, Harvard University
Panelists: Rooster Teeth (Red vs. Blue), Brad Neely (Superdeluxe.com), The Brothers Chaps (Homestar Runner), Rob, Kris, Matt, Dave (Cyanide and Happiness)
April 25, 2008
Spockity Nimoy love
Upstairs at the Middle East for the "Concert of the Internet"; ROFLconcert. Lemon Demon just finished their set, and I am so bummed that they didn't play "Geeks in Love".
Birds of a Feather?
Went to check in at our hotel after the last panel (Internet Fame), which meant that we were quite late getting to the "birds of a feather" dinner meet-up at Cambridge Brewing Company. So, we got a table for two on the patio and enjoyed a quiet dinner together. The Cerise Cassée (sour cherry beer) was superb.
Not in Kansas
Only at ROFLcon: the moderator suggests changing the LOLfont to Comic Sans, and is greeted by an overwhelming chorus of jeers and catcalls.
More LOL
Question to Martin Grondin (of LOLCat Bible) from our moderator (Alexis Ohanian of LOLDeconstructed/ Reddit): "Is there any interest in a LOLquran?"
<pause>
"Because that would be the silliest fatwa ever."
ROFL waffle
Alert technophile Perley informs me that we're in Wired's Underwire column. (Well, Chris is, anyway, along with the back of my head.) We were at Laughing Squid's drink-up at the Asgard last night, partaking of good cheer and Guinness.)
Now I'm at the LOLcat panel (I Can Haz Case Study?) and it is really funny to hear someone introduce himself as the "CEO of I Can Has Cheezburger".
p.s. Lots of pics from the con in flickr and streaming live video.
In my tribe
Cambridge is warm and sunny and filled with meme-y goodness. I'm happily reporting from ROFLcon, where the keynote by David Weinberger has ended, and we're now in the midst of a panel entitled You Can Get Paid for This?: Making Some Bucks. The panelists are Kyle MacDonald (One Red Paperclip), Joe Mathlete (Joe Mathlete Explains Marmaduke), Ian Spector (Chuck Norris Facts), Andy Ochiltree (JibJab.com), Andrew Baron (Rocketboom), and Alex Tew (The Million Dollar Homepage). Already scored some amusing free schwag: two Snakes on a Motherfucking Plane t-shirts.
April 24, 2008
April 23, 2008
Look sharp!
Alert fashionista Elke calls our attention to His Holiness's fab footwear. I had no idea, but apparently that is how the Pope rolls.
(Now, if Build-a-Bear started selling the shoes, I would totally buy a pair for Benjamin.)
April 15, 2008
Pope-on-a-Rope!
From an article in the New York Times on how the Archdiocese of Washington is trying to defray the costs of Pope Benedict's upcoming visit:
[…] The retail chain Build-a-Bear is offering, online and at its stores in the Washington area, a “tiny tee” for its bears with the visit’s logo and the pope’s picture. A company spokeswoman declined to say how much money had been raised by the sale of the shirts, which cost $6, but part of it will go to Christ Our Hope. […]
Get your papal merchandise at popevisit2008.com! (Sadly, no Pope soap.) Bonus: "Fun" Facts about Pope Benedict XVI. (Or should that be Fun "Facts"?) The Pope-a, he's a nice-a guy!
April 10, 2008
I just like saying Googlegänger.
I enjoyed this NYT article on namesakes. Best quote: As Jon Lee, a student and a Web developer who wants to be the first Jon Lee to turn up in a Google search, explained on his blog, "I have to top a recruitment firm, a washed-up pop star, a dead drummer and an I.B.M. guy."
There are several others who share my (our?) name, including a physics postdoc (researching Cosmic Microwave Background), an Italian software architect, a VIP chef/ caterer, and an elementary school principal.
Googlegänger Googlegänger Googlegänger.
April 09, 2008
Wednesday quickies!
- Via McSweeney's: It's Not You, It's Your Uncontrollable Telekinesis.
I encourage my fellow Bostonians (and Cantabrigians) to attend the North American Symposium on Sasquatch Research, hosted by the Greater Boston Bigfoot Institute. Come support 826 Boston and all the cool stuff that they do!
Just bought tix to QED, a play about Richard Feynman— "Nobel Prize-winning physicist, brilliant and controversial theorist, accomplished juggler, prankster, safecracker, and lover of Tuvan throat singing". The previews will take place at MIT, but the show will open this summer at Underground Railway Theater's spiffy new space in Central Square.
Via the NYT: Ask Me About My Flux Capacitor. Best quote: "Having a DeLorean is like 5 percent being a rock star."
Finally, only 16 shopping days 'til ROFLCon. Come for the LOLcats, stay for the memes… Tip your server, try the veal!
April 03, 2008
What is the sound of one mind boggling?
I went into the kitchen to microwave my soup and wash some baby carrots. One of my cow-orkers was slicing up a cucumber and a tomato.
Me: Would you like some baby carrots?
Cow-orker (in horrified tone of voice): No, those have carbs!
Me: They're carrots!
Second cow-orker: No one ever got fat from eating carrots.
For the record, a 1 cup serving contains:
Cucumbers: 1.89 g of carbohydrates
Carrots: 11.69 g of carbohydrates
Tomatoes: 7.06 g of carbohydrates
I thought the Atkins madness had ended.
April 02, 2008
Cruel to be kind
OK, it's official— I heard spring peepers as I was walking home from the train station today. Also sighted a scrawny-looking chipmunk, a plump, red robin approximately the size (and shape) of a softball, and a chickadee enlarging a hollow (nesting cavity?) while another chickadee looked on. And the crocuses are really up now.
Also, it's a lot easier to see everything that's coming up green in the yard now, since Felicia (our awesome garden pixie) came over today and did "spring cleaning".
April is the cruelest month
Overheard in Cambridge, New England Spring edition:
"In San Francisco, they aren't wearing coats!"— Woman, muttering as she walked head-on into the brisk wind this morning.
Although it is not always readily apparent, spring is here. The blackbirds are back, and singing loudly. The snowdrops have been up for some time, and the crocuses have been up for over a week. The snow piles are mostly melted, or at least greatly reduced. Erikson's Dairy has re-opened. (Ice cream! Ice cream!) Last night, it poured down rain while it thundered and lightninged. I eagerly await the chorus of spring peepers.
Bonus apocrypha: Mark Twain never said "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."