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Baxter and Quincy in the Sunroom

2012-05-30T12:35:00Z

Going over oldphotos, I happened across a few shots of our rabbits shortly after we set up the sunroom for them. Baxter (in the foreground) and Quincy, hovering around one of the willowballs they love so much.

Quincy, who kind of looks like a sleepy old man here, sipping on his tea.

Free Books, Logan Square

2012-05-29T01:13:50Z

Walking home after an afternoon coffee, Liz and I came across a big box of free books. As we were looking through the box, the owner actually came out with the bin on the left, and invited us to root through them all. There were actually several nice books to be had (a copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude, and what looked to be a very early paperback edition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

We didn’t take anything, though in hindsight I’m kind of regretting not picking up that copy of CATCF. Looking at the Wikipedia entry, it may have been a first edition.

What made me pull out my camera was this note on the side. It had me laughing for a solid minute.

Finally!

Large “Monopoly” Chance Cards, Logan Square

2012-05-29T00:59:41Z

Spotted this outside of Lula Cafe, after Sunday breakfast with Liz:

I’m still of the mindset that this is a street art piece, but a small part of me kind of wishes this was part of an elaborate marriage proposal. Somewhere out there, I’m hoping Carissa took a chance. And after getting married in that church, drove off into the sunset… squeezed into a very fast and expensive car.

Measuring the Universe

2012-05-27T02:26:43Z

Great animation explaining how we go about measuring incredibly large distances. Created by Royal Observatory Greenwich, it takes some pretty big/complex concepts and distills them down in a really cool/fun way (I love the little 40W lightbulb guys).

[Via Dustin Drees]

Half-Day Friday, Post-Work Drinks

2012-05-27T02:17:58Z

A nice thing about our workplace is that oftentimes, when we have a big weekend… we’ll end up having a half-day Friday. Our office is officially closed on Monday for memorial day, and we closed the office today at 1:00 PM.

Chris had the great idea to go out and grab some drinks. The weather was excellent, and he rounded up several folks from work to head out for some post-work beer and grub. Our first choice was Hackney’s, but their outdoor seating was pretty full up. We walked down the way to a nearby Bar Louie and snagged a few tables there, instead.

I started off the drink orders, and decided to go with a beer and a shot. I picked Jameson (think of this as pre-season kickball training), and surprisingly… a lot of folks did the same. Jamesons all around.

L to R it’s Jane, Chris R, Chris, Alexandra. Not picture: just outside the shot is Rick (who got a shot of JD), and Laurence.

Closeup of Rick’s glasses (and the buildings across the street).

Rick and Laurence, with a sizable beer.

They had PBR themed glasses, for the PBR on tap. Funny and weird.

A fun, relaxing way to end the week and welcome in the long weekend. It’s always so nice to hang out with coworkers, particularly on a nice summer/Chicago afternoon.

Learn a New Language While Helping to Translate the Web: 3 Duolingo Invites to Give Away

2012-05-25T14:29:19Z

Every day, people use CAPTCHAs – a basic prompt/test that asks users to re-type in words they see on the screen. It’s an annoying thing for many of us, but it serves an important purpose: separate actual people from potential bots and automated scripts. The tests are simple for people, but difficult for computers.

Luis von Ahn learned that people spend, on average, 10 seconds filling out CAPTCHAs – and decided to put that time towards better use. His company, reCAPTCHA, works like a regular CAPTCHA, but when people go through the test… they’re also helping to digitize books, one word at a time. If you haven’t seen von Ahn’s TED talk about MassiveScale Online Collaboration, it really is worth a few minutes of your time. Jaw-droppingly good stuff.

Recently, von Ahn’s latest project, duoLingo went into public beta. It’s massive in scale, and his goal is an ambitious one: help to translate all the documents on the web, one word at a time. To pull off this feat, he created a structure that breaks the task down into small chunks. And he’s going to get you and me to help him out.

How? By offering people a way to learn a new language, for free. Currently, you can pick between Spanish and German (with French in beta). As you learn new words and phrases, part of the process will involve you translating actual text from the web. As you become more advanced and comfortable with the language, you’ll be translating more text for others. No ads, no subscription fees… absolutely for free.

I signed up for the early beta, and have gotten to see how things work, behind the scenes. It’s an interesting interface, with a reward tree structure in place that many gamers will recognize, allowing you to see your progress.

Up until now, it’s been a pretty private experience… but as of today, duoLingo users each get three invites to send to friends. I’ve only done a few of the lessons so far, but I’m definitely going back and trying to make it a more regular part of my day. I’m hoping that inviting others will help motivate me along. And honestly, I think it’s a pretty fantastic project… and would love to share it with friends.

So if you’re curious and want to learn another language, drop me a line in the comments. //Edit: I’m all out of invites. Sorry, folks!

Check out the official trailer for more info:

New Giant, Empty Billboard Installed in Logan Square

2012-05-23T12:13:40Z

Last week, I happened to spot a bunch of guys working at the top of the building near the Logan Square Blue Line stop. I wasn’t quite sure what they were up to (there were three guys on the rooftop, working over the ledge), but was able to get close enough to grab this shot.

Turns out, they were installing another large billboard onto the side of the building. Which is weird because, the other billboard space has been blank since January of this year.

You know what? I was starting to make fun of this, but… in hindsight, I kind of like it as-is. It’s weird to see, but these billboards exude a kind of empty pleasantness that grows on you. I’m realizing now that were these billboards to actually contain ads, I’m sure the whole thing would look terrible and feel awfully annoying, and potentially make me feel accosted on my way to work.

For now, I’ll consider it an art installation – a symbol of consumerism’s inability to satiate the very desires it instills. Hopefully, the artists won’t sell out and go corporate, anytime soon.

Joe Smith: How to Conserve 571,230,000 Pounds of Paper Towels in Twelve and a Half Easy Steps

2012-05-22T12:00:02Z

Every year, we Americans use over 13 billion pounds of paper towels. That’s right – billions. That is not a small number.

And you know what? I have a confession to make – I’m not helping with that number. I’m someone who’s in the habit of grabbing multiple paper towels to dry my hands. I’ve done this for a while, always with the belief that I needed more than one to fully dry my hands.

I’m here to say now: I was crazy. After watching this video by Joe Smith and actually trying out his approach, I’ve realized the error of my ways. One paper towel is more than enough to do the job.

The video itself is less than 5 minutes, and well worth watching. Perhaps this approach is old hat to some, but it opened my eyes as to how much I was wasting… and how little I actually needed.

The secret 12 and 1/2 steps: after washing your hands, shake them over the sink 12 times. Then use one paper towel, folded in half.

[via MetaFilter]

Allen Stone: Contact High

2012-05-21T13:15:33Z

Since I looked up his name again a few days ago, I’ve been really liking this one song by Allen Stone.

Over the weekend, I’ve even go so far as to fire up Spotify, and suffered through the apps just to check out the album.

The Bunny Rabbits of Logan Square

2012-05-20T16:18:52Z

On Friday, Liz and I took a stroll down the boulevard and walked to Provenance. We wanted to get out and enjoy the nice weather, and to pick up a bottle of wine.

It’s a short trek from our place to California and Logan, and en route… we saw a ton of bunny rabbits. Literally one per block.

Not a block from our house, we spotted this little guy. He dashed across the sidewalk and started chomping away in a nearby yard. He was pretty well hidden from people walking by, but was super super tiny (about 1/4 the size of our rabbits).

I’ll admit, his size was a bit unnerving. Seeing him foraging was like seeing a 12 year old, panhandling downtown. It seems wrong for someone so young to be on their own, and you kind of want to swoop in and take care of them.

The next block we spotted this guy, lazily eating grass in plain view. No cover, nothing to hide behind… not even a gate between the yard and the sidewalk – just him munching away.

There were a few folks with dogs who walked by, and this guy was totally unphased. I walked up to him, and the most he did was back away maybe half a foot. Then he went right back to eating grass.

Another block, another rabbit. Seeing all these bunnies makes me feel like I’m way far away from the city (even though I’m not). Gotta love Logan Square.