Vox Bomb

via lh4.ggpht.com Welcome to Wednesday, warriors of the...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:30:00 -0500

Welcome to Wednesday, warriors of the anti-Machine.

“Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs featuring...

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:00:00 -0500

“Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs featuring “Garden State” (via julioangelortiz)

This was a video I put together a couple of years ago featuring Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Maps” with footage from Garden State.

My First Two BlackBerry Themes

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:19:23 -0500

About 10 years ago I used to dabble in programming for Windows CE / Pocket PC devices, under the company name Mobilecubed. It was fun, and I made a little bit of money on the side selling some apps, most notably the HTML editor H-Bomb (yeah, I thought it was witty back then). But after Microsoft did away with the Embedded Visual Basic toolkit and made it necessary to own Visual Studio in order to develop for Windows Mobile, they made it difficult for hobbyists like myself to be a part of the ecosystem, and my interest faded.

Fast forward to now, where I am a BlackBerry user, and the themes / interfaces for the BlackBerry devices run the gamut of plain to pretty creative. After purchasing a few themes, I found them always lacking in some feature that I wanted. Eventually, I decided to try my hand at RIM’s BlackBerry Theme Studio (which they smartly made available for free). This lead to me developing an interest in making themes for BlackBerry devices.

My first theme was BerrySense, a take off on the HTC Sense interface.

OTA Link

I tried including functionality I like, such as being able to view your messages and calendar information right on the screen, Weather slot along with 2 other apps, and a sliding 6-icon dock (slides down out of view). It also has keyboard shortcuts for SMS / MMS (the $ key), QuickLaunch (spacebar), and SearchIt (ALT+S or ALT+P), along with BlackBerry OS 5.0 transitions, a lock screen with the weather icon, and a few more things.

Here is the CrackBerry.com thread, which includes links to the source code.

My second theme is bCard, a Cover Flow-like theme.

OTA Link

bCard has the same keyboard shortcuts and 5.0 transitions as BerrySense, as well as a Weather slot. It has a dock that slides out from the left, dedicated Facebook and Twitter app (definable via an application slot) buttons. The main “card” interface features icons such as Search, Messages, Calendar, Contacts, Browser, Music, Pictures, Videos, and more. The Search, Browser, and Twitter buttons are all definable via application slots.

You can read more about it at this CrackBerry.com thread.

Both themes were made for the BlackBerry Bold 9700, but will apparently work on the Curve 8900 and Tour 9630. They are both free, so feel free to give them a try. Feedback is always welcome.

Review: The God Engines

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:07:21 -0500

Review: The God Engines:

Shiny Shelf has published my review of John @Scalzi’s novella The God Engines. Hit up the link and share your thoughts.

Review: Lost, "Sundown"

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 11:50:39 -0500

Review: Lost, "Sundown":

Shiny Shelf has published my review of the most recent Lost episode, “Sundown”.

Police: Couple nurtured virtual child while real baby starved

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 11:41:52 -0500

Police: Couple nurtured virtual child while real baby starved:

As bizarre as it is sad…

Israeli military calls off raid after soldier posts details

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:44:25 -0500

Israeli military calls off raid after soldier posts details:

I’d almost think that this was some sort of farce… but then again, there are some really stupid people out there…

Swot's Corner

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:37:42 -0500

Swot's Corner:

Very useful page on English terms, definitions, and proper usage.

Review of Star Wars: Death Troopers

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:10:48 -0500

Review of Star Wars: Death Troopers:

Shiny Shelf has published my review of Star Wars: Death Troopers, the recent horror novel (yes, horror!) that takes place in that galaxy far, far away. Hit up the link and let me know what you think!

Zombie raccoons, really?

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:00:44 -0500

Zombie raccoons, *really*?

R.E.M. - Radio Free Europe 10-06-83 (1st TV performance) (via...

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:10:09 -0500

R.E.M. - Radio Free Europe 10-06-83 (1st TV performance) (via REMchout)

Such a great song and wow, they looked so young…

Review: Lost #6.5: Lighthouse

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:06:35 -0500

Review: Lost #6.5: Lighthouse:

My latest Lost review is up at Shiny Shelf, covering the Jack-centric episode “Lighthouse”.

A Cerebus animated movie in the works… very interesting!...

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:57:45 -0500

A Cerebus animated movie in the works… very interesting! Check out the site and blog, as well as Twitter.

Do-It-Yourself Vasectomy

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:04:31 -0500

Do-It-Yourself Vasectomy

Your.Music.Weekly (02/26/2010)

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 11:48:36 -0500

Your.Music.Weekly (02/26/2010):

A day late, but the latest Your.Music.Weekly is up with some free music goodness.

The Steampunk Style Test

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 11:16:22 -0500

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these… I guess memes are so 2008. Saw this on a few friends’ lists…

Your result for The Steampunk Style Test…

The Explorer

29% Elegant, 52% Technological, 0% Historical, 56% Adventurous and 49% Playful!

You are the Explorer, the embodiment of steampunk’s adventuring spirit. For you, clothing should be rugged and reliable, and just as functional as it is attractive. You probably prefer khaki or leather, and your accessories are as likely to include weapons as technological gizmos. You probably wear boots and gloves, and maybe a pith helmet. Most of what you wear is functional, and if you happen to wear goggles people had better believe that you use them. In addition to Victorian exploration gear, your outfit probably includes little knickknacks from your various travels. Above all, you are a charming blend of rugged Victorian daring and exotic curiosity.

Try our other Steampunk test here.

Take The Steampunk Style Test at HelloQuizzy

Vampire girl vs Frankenstein Girl trailer (via Rainie030)…...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:13:16 -0500

Vampire girl vs Frankenstein Girl trailer (via Rainie030)… I blame John S. Drew.

“Coffee Kiss” via blog.makezine.com

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:36:01 -0500

“Coffee Kiss” via blog.makezine.com

Lost #6.4: 'The Substitute'

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:14:31 -0500

Lost #6.4: 'The Substitute':

My review of the previous episode of Lost is now up at Shiny Shelf. Hit up the link and let me know your thoughts.

Vox Circle: Legends of the Digital Fall

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:16:26 -0500

Vox Circle: Legends of the Digital Fall:

My latest Vox Circle column is up at Inside the Circle, where I look at Microsoft’s recently announced mobile strategy and try to put it in context of the company’s history.