my social production

Thursday Hate: Drivers who disrespect cyclists

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Nothing gets my adrenaline flowing fiercer than a disrespectful driver. Just last night a driver turned across oncoming traffic (i.e. me) and threw up his arms in disgust. As I had the right of way, and a collision, while probably fatal to me, would merely put a dent in his door, I can only guess his anger was due to the fact that cyclists exist.

I can manage my hormones a little better when I encounter idiot pedestrians, because if I’m honest, a collision is going to hurt them a lot more than it’ll hurt me. Pedestrians who step out in front of you without looking are probably endangering themselves more than you, the cyclist, who is in turn definitely more endangered by absentminded drivers.

This is not the first time I’ve written about inconsiderate drivers. And I’m not suggesting that cyclists are never to blame. This is my point: drivers don’t always drive defensively around cyclists even though they know they can easily kill cyclists.

Internet 'in running' for Nobel Peace Prize

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:18:36 +0000

Internet 'in running' for Nobel Peace Prize:

Did anyone else read this as a headline from the Onion?

techspotlight:

The internet is among a record 237 individuals and organisations nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The number of nominations surpasses last year’s record of 205 nominations. The internet’s nomination has been championed by the Italian version of Wired magazine for helping advance “dialogue, debate and consensus”. The director of the Nobel Institute, Geir Lundestad, told BBC News that the organisation had received “thousands of nominations” for the coveted prize.

According to the Toothpaste Personality Test, I’m...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:18:02 +0000

According to the Toothpaste Personality Test, I’m somewhere between life of the party and prone to depression. That’s weird.

(via ilovecharts)

“Nationalizing our health care system is a point of no...

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:38:09 +0000

“Nationalizing our health care system is a point of no return for government interference in the lives of its citizens. If we go down this path, there will be no turning back.” Sarah Palin on Friday, 7 August 2009

“We used to hustle over the border for health care we received in Canada. And I think now, isn’t that ironic?” Sarah Palin on Sunday, 7 March 2010

No, it’s not ironic. It’s telling. It’s another example of how the Republican party is trying desperately to block Democrat-led legislation for the fun of it.

"Sarah Palin’s statement that she used to cross the border from Alaska to take advantage of..."

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:02:41 +0000

“Sarah Palin’s statement that she used to cross the border from Alaska to take advantage of Canada’s health care system is not really a gaffe or a verbal slipup, but offers an interesting insight into Palin. It is not exactly surprising that somebody who has made a name, and a great deal of money, for herself by linking health care reform to some kind of socialist bogeyman, used to take advantage of socialized medicine.”

- Lincoln Mitchell: Sarah Palin’s Canadian Health Care

emergentfutures: The Future For UAVs in the U.S. Air Force ...

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:06:49 +0000

emergentfutures:

The Future For UAVs in the U.S. Air Force

When the Air Force recently mapped out a game plan to 2047, its report contained a big surprise: Fewer pilots and more robotic planes acting on their own. Will the airman-centric service accept a future with fewer cockpits? And are we ready for UAVs that can fire their weapons without human permission?

Read the excerpt above, read about 1/3 of the cited article, and saw that Peter Singer, author of one of my favorite books Corporate Warriors, has recently written a book on the subject of unmanned aerial vehicles; I bought it on Amazon with free shipping. All within the span of 5 minutes. And I barely had to put down my fork.

The Gillette Myth

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Despite apparent technical advances in mens’ grooming implements over the last 40 years, most men in the world still use old school safety razors like the one represented in the schematic above. Jennifer reminds me of the research she did before buying me my last birthday present: it’s pretty much just America and Western Europe that use multiple blade “shaving systems” not because they are any better, or any cheaper, but purely because of more effective marketing.

Indeed, my first razor was a dual-blade cartridge model; I never knew anything else. And it was an exciting day for me when, around the turn of the century, I upgraded to the Mach3. Still caught up in the hype (and gross expense!) of all the benefits of multi-blade systems — fewer strokes means less irritation blah blah moisturizing strip lifts the follicle for a closer shave blah — I upgraded in 2005 to the five-blade Gillette Fusion, a self-described “phenom” of grooming. Okay…

But something always bothered me about my face. It never felt quite right. I started to realize that it wasn’t normal be in constant pain. So when I got my first old school kit, I was open to the challenge of learning a new technique as it promised huge rewards. Now, I’m addicted. I love my safety razor.

This shot from Ms. Utz’s new gallery makes me...

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:23:38 +0000

This shot from Ms. Utz’s new gallery makes me smile.

Jennifer Utz:

Beyond being a point of contention in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, the West Bank separation wall has also become a place where activists, street artists, tourists, and locals have come to express themselves.

Take a look at some of the art and political graffiti of the West Bank separation wall.

What IS that? A mummified dog?

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:59:08 +0000

What IS that? A mummified dog?

Thursday Hate: Long emails that say absolutely nothing

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:41:56 +0000

I blogged before about corporate gibberish and I must say, this problem just keeps coming up. Perhaps people feel guilty about writing short emails, as if it’s being rude or it shows you haven’t spent much time thinking about the topic at hand. When in fact, it’s just the opposite. Clear, concise emails are things of beauty. They show the recipient that you have indeed considered all the angles and that you respect the value of their time as much as your own.

Golden rules for email:

State your position clearly (even if it is “I haven’t decided yet”)
Summarize the discussion to date (but only in one sentence)
Write meaningful subject lines
Never change subject lines (it upsets inbox sorting)
Cut out extraneous platitudes

About the last rule, if you are writing someone for the first time in a while, obviously it’s acceptable to throw in a “Hope you’ve been well” or “How’s business?” or whatever. But the more often you write someone — and with internal emails especially — the less important it is to thank them profusely for their utmost kindness and greatest regards. It’s okay, really. You won’t offend me — I still love you!

I love making that noise!

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:31:43 +0000

I love making that noise!

Some day I’d like to make my own bike. As cool as this one...

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:03:19 +0000

Some day I’d like to make my own bike. As cool as this one looks, I imagine mine would be a more comfortable ride.

Note: Just realized these are classified as “bicycle art” and are not necessarily suitable for actual use.

Bike of the day:
Did a little sleuthing, turns out one of the guys downstairs in the shoe store made it, and he’s made tons more:

gaskill-art.blogspot.com/

This one is called “Josephine” - more pics here: gaskill-art.blogspot.com/2009/04/josephine.html. So cool!

(via dbox)

Watch “This Time…” video : ORBooks

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:15:39 +0000

Watch “This Time…” video : ORBooks

"The bloodletting in Gaza has roused the world’s conscience. The prospects have never been more..."

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:13:49 +0000

“The bloodletting in Gaza has roused the world’s conscience. The prospects have never been more propitious for galvanizing the public not just to mourn but to act. We have truth on our side, and we have justice on our side. These become mighty weapons once we have learned how to wield them effectively. The challenge now is two-fold: to master, and inform the public of, the unvarnished record of what happened in Gaza; and then to mobilize the public around a settlement of the conflict that all of enlightened opinion has embraced—but that Israel and the United States, standing in virtual isolation, have rejected.”

- From Finkelstein’s new book This Time We Went Too Far

Gorillaz Live in Harlem

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:57:15 +0000

Gorillaz Live in Harlem:

Gorillaz perform the entirety of their album “Demon Days” live in Harlem.

0:34 Intro
1:35 Last Living Souls
4:56 Kids With Guns
8:51 O Green World
[Dirty Harry Missing]
13:39 Feel Good Inc
17:34 El Manana
21:28 Every Planet We Reach Is Dead
26:55 November Has Come
29:46 All Alone
33:41 White Light
36:02 DARE
40:42 Fire Coming Out Of The Monkeys Head
44:27 Don’t Get Lost In Heaven
46:32 Demon Days

Encore
52:06 Hong Kong
59:20 Latin Simone

(via: poortaste)(via selva)

Has anyone ever created a powerpoint presentation they are honestly proud of?

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:28:38 +0000

Age distribution on social networking sites. (via soupsoup)...

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:41:00 +0000

Age distribution on social networking sites.

(via soupsoup) (via benderson) (via ryandrumwright)

"If something is interesting, more people end up working on it. This doesn’t mean there’s no..."

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 04:47:28 +0000

“If something is interesting, more people end up working on it. This doesn’t mean there’s no priorities. It just means we find out about them instead of deciding on them.”

- Extreme agility (via proproject)

10 reasons to avoid talking on the phone - The Oatmeal

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 11:01:10 +0000

10 reasons to avoid talking on the phone - The Oatmeal

One of the coolest RSS feeds you'll ever subscribe to

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:23:37 +0000

One of the coolest RSS feeds you'll ever subscribe to