Maniacal Rage

The Faces of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance Seriously, Lady...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:04:08 -0500

The Faces of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance

Seriously, Lady Gaga, I don’t know what you want me to think from each moment to the next. Are you supposed to be attractive? Hideous? Both? Damn you for making me think about this video more than I should have.

Bio-Diversity by Christoph Niemann (via kottke)

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:29:26 -0500

Bio-Diversity by Christoph Niemann (via kottke)

Twitter Your Progress

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:17:05 -0500

I finally got a chance to play a little of Uncharted 2 last night, and noticed in the game’s options menu there was an option for setting up your Twitter account, which it would then use to “update Twitter with your progress as you play the game.” I think I actually saw a shark being jumped in the background.

But I started thinking about it, and, frankly, it’s actually a genius idea. People are already using Twitter constantly, and they’re starting to connect it to everything (Facebook, Tumblr, et cetera)—why not drop it into quite literally everything. Since Twitter is easy to interface with API-wise, it’s trivial to put it into games, consoles, phones, TVs. Soon your toaster oven will be posting: “@garrettmurray’s toast is mad burned lol!”

Actually, maybe this is a terrible idea after all.

Twitter by Mark Weaver Something about this hits me just right.

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:14:55 -0500

Twitter by Mark Weaver

Something about this hits me just right.

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Conan...

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:06:12 -0500

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Conan O’Brien

And Andy Richter. And another Andy.

Fact-Checking

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:58:20 -0500

Shawn Morrison: I was worried at first, reading all the EyeTV stuff, that I'd have to get HD over-the-air but I do believe you're correct, that I can get that through the cable line.
Me: Oh, I'm right, baby.
Shawn Morrison: Well, after the whole "cars can run on garbage, just like Back to the Future Part II" incident, I'm still fact checking you.
Me: Okay, like I said a thousand times, I meant it's POSSIBLE, it's just not a good idea. I'm sorry I put all that garbage in your rental car's radiator. I was just trying to prove a point.
Me: And it did drive, you'll remember, for at least a little while before catching on fire.
Shawn Morrison: I guess, I just felt misled.
Shawn Morrison: Which brings up the "trust me, babies have 9 lives" incident. It's just that when you're wrong you're REALLY wrong.
Me: Ugh. God, I am never going to stop hearing about that, am I???

Date Night Trailer Yes please, immediately.

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:29:00 -0500

Date Night Trailer

Yes please, immediately.

I was making a purchase online tonight and, after entering all my details and my American Express...

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:09:00 -0500

I was making a purchase online tonight and, after entering all my details and my American Express card info, I submitted the order. The page refreshed with an error saying my credit card couldn’t be processed. I barely had enough time to even read the error before my phone rang.

It was American Express. An automated system making sure this purchase was legit. It confirmed the site and amount and asked me to verify. I said yes and the computer thanked me and said to go ahead and make the purchase again. One minute later I submitted the order successfully.

One of the many things I love about American Express is their service. It’s always annoying to get stopped when making a purchase, but AmEx does a terrific job of minimizing it. In the past, other cards have simply come up declined with no reason and no call. I would have to call the company and ask why, only then to be told it was due to “suspicion of fraud.”

In the case of American Express, it doesn’t happen frequently (this is the first time in about a year), but when it does it only takes a few moments and they call you immediately so you know what’s going on and why.

Simon Aldous, Microsoft employee, the other day in an interview with PCR: One of the things that...

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:23:00 -0500

Simon Aldous, Microsoft employee, the other day in an interview with PCR:

One of the things that people say an awful lot about the Apple Mac is that the OS is fantastic, that it’s very graphical and easy to use. What we’ve tried to do with Windows 7—whether it’s traditional format or in a touch format—is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics.

Translation: “People love the way Mac OS X looks, and Windows looks like a turd, so we tried copying OS X a little more this time around.”

Yesterday, Brandon LeBlanc, Microsoft Employee, rebuking Aldous’ comment on the Windows 7 blog:

An inaccurate quote has been floating around the Internet today about the design origins of Windows 7 and whether its look and feel was “borrowed” from Mac OS X. Unfortunately this came from a Microsoft employee who was not involved in any aspect of designing Windows 7. I hate to say this about one of our own, but his comments were inaccurate and uninformed.

Translation: “Fuck, Simon, don’t actually say that to people.”

Skipping Beginnings

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:27:06 -0500

Shawn Morrison: As long as the first 30 pages are perfect, I'm not too worried.
Me: I didn't read the first 30 pages, but I'm sure they're fine.
Me: I always start at page 44 on anything.
Shawn Morrison: Ok, this explains why you never commented on the tranny scene.
Shawn Morrison: Sorry, scenes.
Me: I find it a lot easier to read things when I don't have to bother with all the initial boring stuff.
Me: Sure, sometimes that makes it hard to follow.
Me: But on average it's worth it.
Me: I do the same thing with movies.
Me: I always start 20 minutes in.
Me: Which reminds me: I don't understand that movie Memento at all.
Me: It doesn't build to anything.
Shawn Morrison: Well the real problem is when you do this with dating. Women don't like it when you put it in and they don't even know you're in the room.
Me: Hey--at least ONE woman DID like that.
Shawn Morrison: I will say I do like it when you drive cars. Always jumping into already moving vehicles. It gives your persona an action-adventure touch.
Me: Yeah, that is pretty impressive. Let me tell you--it took a LONG TIME to get good at that. I spent a lot of time in hospitals the first year.
Me: I don't know how many times you can break your legs before it's a permanent problem, but I was getting close there for a while.
Shawn Morrison: Well, I'm glad you solved it. You're so much more interesting now.

"We don’t listen to music in the office. We listen to US Army audio transcripts from the front lines..."

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:49:42 -0500

“We don’t listen to music in the office. We listen to US Army audio transcripts from the front lines of the Vietnam War. The power of these bits of history really help us focus on fixing bugs in Basecamp.”

- Jason Fried (via friedisms)

Uggs Aren't the Worst

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:03:00 -0500

Neven Mrgan writes:

I like Uggs. I think they’re cute. They’re from the snow-bunny universe and I can dig that. Big, goofy rain boots also speak to me; they’re jovial.

I don’t usually think Uggs are cute, but they don’t bother me too much so long as the person wearing them is dressed somewhat appropriately (it’s the sweatpants, dirty tee with Uggs that I hate), and I too must admit I often enjoy seeing girls in Wellies (although usually the red ones, not the ones that look like farming boots).

My biggest problem, which trumps all of these other footwear issues, is Crocs. Luckily, this insult to humanity is generally limited to the summer, but when it’s in season I want to punch 60% of the population.

The Onion: Ultra-Realistic Modern Warfare...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:48:46 -0500

The Onion: Ultra-Realistic Modern Warfare Game

“Developers are also creating bonus downloadable missions like ‘Redeployment Germany,’ where players repair humvees for 10 hours a day.”

Me: We're awesome, I think is the point there.

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:23:00 -0500

Me: We're awesome, I think is the point there.
Shawn Morrison: That's the jist.
Me: I was trying really hard not to correct that to gist, but I couldn't fight it.
Shawn Morrison: Yeah I saw that but... I figured as two gentlemen we could let it slide.
Me: Apparently not. Now we have to duel, BTW.
Shawn Morrison: Gesus Christ.

Music Purchases, November 2009

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0500

Clangour
by Sin Fang Bous

Grand
by Matt and Kim

Sainthood
by Tegan and Sara

Transmitter Failure
by Jenny Owen Youngs

Colors

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:00:42 -0500

Me: Is this weekend the one where Sara is out of town, or next weekend?
Shawn Morrison: This weekend.
Me: I have no followup. I'm just asking people on IM random questions that I don't care about the answers to.
Shawn Morrison: Speaking of which, what color are your shoe laces?
Me: The most common pair I've been wearing lately is WAIT I SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING THERE.
Shawn Morrison: God, color names have gotten so artsy.
Me: Yeah, it's really hard to get that name across when I order new shoe laces over the phone.
Shawn Morrison: I know, I'm painting my living room STOP FOLLOWING ME CREEP I'M CALLING 911 IF YOU DON'T GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY BATHROOM which should be pretty sweet but I'll have to go in person.
Me: I love that color.
Shawn Morrison: Brisk without being maudlin.

I recently ordered some new furniture for my living room. Buying new furniture was, at least for me,...

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:54:46 -0500

I recently ordered some new furniture for my living room. Buying new furniture was, at least for me, a horribly stressful process because I’m a bit obsessive and just kept thinking I wouldn’t find anything I liked now that I would also like later (this is also one of the main reasons I will probably never get a tattoo).

A friend of mine suggested I look at Room and Board, because she thought they were very much aligned with my design aesthetic and she was right. Luckily, they also have a huge show room in SoHo so I was able to go and look at nearly every piece of furniture they sell.

I spent the first hour walking around completely overwhelmed. I brought with me a rough sketch of my living room with measurements jotted along each wall. I was carrying the R&B catalog around. I was sitting on every couch and touching every lamp. I must have looked pathetic. At one point I sat down on a couch and just stared into space for about five minutes.

Luckily, a R&B design consultant named Ryan saw me and asked if I needed help. I made it clear that I needed more than help and that I was replacing my entire living room so I didn’t know where to start. He suggested starting with the biggest piece and going from there—the sofa. Three hours later I had some fabric samples and starting points.

I took my sister back to the store the next weekend and we spent another two hours and finally chose the sofa and some chairs. Making other decisions was much easier after that. Ryan again spent all that time with us answering questions and giving advice.

Someone like me must be a nightmare for these guys. I have no clue where to start and I’m constantly changing my mind. I take suggestions but immediately ask 20 questions. Answer one and I’ve got ten more. And yet this guy stuck it out and spent a total of about four hours with me. All this, and they don’t get commission.

I buy nearly everything on the internet—I get my groceries delivered from FreshDirect, I buy my shoes from Zappos and almost everything else I need comes from Amazon or a handful of other stores. The only thing I have to shop for in a store these days is clothing, which I hate. I can never find anything I like. About an hour into talking with Ryan at Room and Board I realized why I hate shopping for clothing—there’s no one there to help me. Sure, clothing stores have employees, but they just walk around grabbing various sizes. They rarely provide useful input.

The key to the Room and Board experience was that I was receiving genuine help from someone who wanted me to be happy with my purchase.

acME(in the window) (via Derek Wood Photography) Another great...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:06:22 -0500

acME(in the window) (via Derek Wood Photography)

Another great shot from Phoot Camp.

Friedisms

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:02:00 -0500

Friedisms:

A new site collecting inspirational quotes from Jason Fried:

“I am Jason Fried. I say amazing and thoughtful things that are real. Get real by reading what I say while I’m getting real.”

So, so real.

"I don’t read fiction. I find it a waste of time. There are so many amazing things that are..."

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:57:13 -0500

“I don’t read fiction. I find it a waste of time. There are so many amazing things that are real; I don’t need to spend any time on a made-up story.”

- Jason Fried
This makes me sad. I appreciate Fried’s frankness, his passion and his ideas, but I will never understand someone who can simply swear off fiction so easily. Does he not watch films? Plays? Read poetry? Has he sworn off television and radio shows? Or is his anti-fiction stance limited only to books?

Can he not appreciate both true and fictional stories? Does he feel great novelists or playwrights or screenwriters have all wasted their lives?

Sometimes “getting real” can go too far.