mekosh.org

Cuil Needs Work

Stephen — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:01:46 +0000

The Interwebs are buzzing with Cuil news today, a new search engine developed by a few Google expatriates. Cuil (pronounced “Cool”) aims to index all web pages, something which Google does not do. Considering the buzz and the potential, I gave it a quick test run, but I was not impressed. My first search, like [...]

The Great Wall of America [del.icio.us]

smekosh — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:57:54 -0500

Time article about the new $1.2 billion fence being constructed on the US/Mexico border: how is it constructed and how well does it work.

A Segscellent Adventure [del.icio.us]

smekosh — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:21:02 -0500

"One daring reporter embarks on the journey of a lunch break." Be sure to view the photo gallery and read the descriptions.

China renames oddly named menu items for Olympics [del.icio.us]

smekosh — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:12:02 -0500

"Local dishes like 'Husband and wife's lung slice' or 'Chicken without sexual life' conjure lots of furrowed eyebrows on famished foreigners."

How to Block Cellphone Spam [del.icio.us]

smekosh — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:07:55 -0500

The NYT's David Pogue provides instructions on how to block cell phone spam, while still allowing mobile alerts and regular text messages!

American Murder Mystery [del.icio.us]

smekosh — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:00:28 -0500

"Why is crime rising in so many American cities? The answer implicates one of the most celebrated antipoverty programs of recent decades."

The Grocery Game [del.icio.us]

smekosh — Sat, 24 May 2008 16:38:36 -0500

"When you play, you'll get a weekly list of the lowest-priced products at your supermarket matched with manufacturers' coupons and weekly specials -- advertised and unadvertised."

Duck Couples [Flickr]

smekosh — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:21:36 -0500

smekosh posted a photo:

Egret [Flickr]

smekosh — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:21:24 -0500

smekosh posted a photo:

In the Patterson Park pond.

Three Ducks [Flickr]

smekosh — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:21:12 -0500

smekosh posted a photo:

In the Patterson Park pond.

Patterson Park Duck Island [Flickr]

smekosh — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:21:00 -0500

smekosh posted a photo:

Patterson Park Pond [Flickr]

smekosh — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:20:43 -0500

smekosh posted a photo:

Xbox 360 on the Cheap

Stephen — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:13:27 +0000

I’ve wanted an Xbox 360 or a PlayStation 3 since the moment they were sold, but I didn’t want to spend $400 or more to own one; I just don’t play video games enough to justify it. I had been leaning towards the PS3 because of its Blue-ray capabilities and the fact that the hardware [...]

Design Coding Rap [del.icio.us]

smekosh — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:27:25 -0500

Amusing, informative, and accurate rap about SEO and standards compliant web design.

Gmail: Google's approach to email [del.icio.us]

smekosh — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:01:48 -0500

"Any email you send to the past appears in the proper chronological order in your recipient's inbox."

Flickr Doing Video? [del.icio.us]

smekosh — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:47:26 -0500

Yahoo is planning to deliver “Flickr Video” sometime in April. Could be awesome...

The First, The Free, and the Good [del.icio.us]

smekosh — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 12:12:23 -0500

"There's a widely held (but mistaken) belief that, for every type of computer software application, there is a single "winner" and then a bunch of worthless competitors."

Right Here, Right Now [del.icio.us]

smekosh — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 05:29:24 -0500

Cool, evolution-based music video by Fatboy Slim.

Patterns in Nature: Island Aerials [del.icio.us]

smekosh — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 23:54:01 -0500

Amazing National Geographic aerial photos and interesting notes on some of the world's most picturesque islands.

Build A Digital Music Server [del.icio.us]

smekosh — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 23:51:51 -0500

Wired How-To Wiki on building your own digital music server.

Garfield Minus Garfield [del.icio.us]

smekosh — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 12:31:49 -0600

"Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life?"

XGL Demo [del.icio.us]

smekosh — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:50:04 -0600

Amazing desktop demo for the XGL interface available for Linux. Completely destroys any stereotypes about Linux being ugly.

Homicide Map on Fark

Stephen — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 03:55:52 +0000

The Baltimore Homicide Map I built in June at baltimoresun.com landed on Fark.com today. There was a significant boost in traffic to the map (ten times the daily average in the two hours after Fark posted the link) and some interesting/funny comments about the state of crime in Baltimore. Update: The map also appeared on MetaFilter [...]

Jumping the Shark

Stephen — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:31:17 +0000

It all stems back to a faulty thermometer. I’ve liked pet fish for as long as I can remember, but I’m appallingly bad at keeping them alive. Growing up, I had serious allergies so a dog was out of the question; I kept tropical fish instead. At some point, my fish started dying—one fish every few [...]

A Chair of My Own

Stephen — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 23:55:45 +0000

I’ve been without a decent desk chair for a few years. When I first moved to Baltimore, I took a cheap, uncomfortable, wooden chair with me because that’s all I had room for in the truck. I was going to be hired and paid a handsome salary in less than a month and would have [...]

This Is Not a Blog

Stephen — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 03:18:49 +0000

I’m almost certain that the W3C prevents me from calling this site a weblog anymore. The odd thing is, with the exception of very brief periods, I don’t know if I ever ran a blog. However, when the home page shows entries that date back nearly a year (and only displays 10 posts total), something [...]

James Joyce Pub

Stephen — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 03:39:51 +0000

Annie and I ate dinner at the James Joyce Irish Pub and Restaurant on Saturday night; we’ve driven by it hundreds of times, and finally made a commitment to go there. The restaurant is located in Harbor East, Baltimore and walking distance from my apartment on a nice day. Saturday was hot and humid and [...]

Don’t Ask, Don’t Watch

Stephen — Thu, 17 May 2007 22:40:33 +0000

The Onion A.V. Club has some of the best reviews of movies, books, music, and video games that I’ve read anywhere. Unlike their sister site, The Onion, the A.V. Club contains real articles about real nouns. I’ve been reading them for years and almost all of the reviews are well done. Regularly, they’ll deliver a [...]

Spider-Man 3

Stephen — Thu, 17 May 2007 04:05:32 +0000

The final chapter in the Spider-Man trilogy lived up to my expectations. Last Sunday, Annie and I saw Spider-Man 3 and thought it matched or surpassed its predecessors. A few minor plot spoilers follow. As pretty much everyone knows by now, the black Venom suit Spider-Man wears in this version lowers Peter Parker’s inhibitions. Willful [...]

An Open Letter to L.J. Williamson

Stephen — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:39:56 +0000

Dear L.J. (or Linda), Since your Earthlink.net website’s contact info is incorrect, I thought I’d air my views in public. I enjoyed your article “Let Kids Outdoors” that was published in the L.A. Times on March 29. I agree that society as a whole seems to be suffocating children with safety, and that withholding all independence [...]