tajc | taj campbell

Stay cool. Don't stress. Tokyo is totally safe.

2011-03-14T18:11:00.000-07:00

1. Ignore the media hype.

News loves to focus on the highly improbably worst-case scenarios because it drives ratings and generates ad dollars, and because people are emotional and love to obsess on that information. It's not smart or fair to only consider the worst-case.

2. Try to be rational and probabilistic.

The reactors are more than 150 miles away. They are designed in extreme situations (i.e. meltdowns) to contain material, not disperse it. Even Chernobyl only accounted for 4000 deaths if you consider those who were at higher risk for cancer (this is less than those affected by the tsunami). The probability of anything disastrous happening is very low; my friends in San Francisco and New York are more likely to get stabbed than I am likely to be harmed by nuclear reactors in Tokyo.

If you can rationalize your commute to work where you are at higher risk to have a traffic accident than I am to be harmed in an earthquake, then I can rationalize feeling safe here.

3. Emotionally and philosophically, it's better to feel happy, calm and collected than worried and anxious.

As there are more aftershocks, I want my mind to be in a state where I am capable of dealing with the situation appropriately and I'm not just fearful.

I keep thinking of the FDR quote: "The only thing to fear is fear itself." It's ugly to watch people's panic wash over one another. You have a powerful ability to affect the mood of those around you. Choose to ignore the media and not obsess over it. Choose to spread calm and not fear.

4. Everything will be OK.

Really.

8-Bit Dr. Horrible

2010-04-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

This is a masterpiece which should be placed in MOMA for all future generations.

The 8-Bit Dr. Horrible project is an interpretation of "Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog" as a theoretical Nintendo game. All music, sound effects, graphics and animation were created by me as a tribute to Dr. Horrible (Joss Whedon) and the NES. -- Doctor Octoroc

CARP!

2009-05-02T22:44:00.001-07:00

CARP!, originally uploaded by +tajc.

Dave (in awesome chicken hat) at the River Plate vs Gimnasia Juyjuy soccer game in Buenos Aires.

Highlights from the game:

Pictured in the NYTimes

2009-03-01T23:42:00.000-08:00

I'm in a photo in today's New York Times. Strange, I know.

Hiding

2009-02-08T22:44:00.000-08:00

Rainy day.
Staying indoors, reading.
Hiding.

Begin Obama

2009-01-21T10:25:00.001-08:00

Begin Obama, originally uploaded by Dawn Endico.

At the end of Bush Street (and along several other intersections), pranksters pasted Obama stickers on the street signs in celebration of the inauguration. Epic.

Laughing Squid has some details about the prank. More photos on Flickr.

Coffee and Snow

2009-01-01T00:36:00.000-08:00

Coffee and Snow by Blue Scholars

Happy 2009!

$1.47

2008-12-24T22:44:00.000-08:00

I purchased gasoline today at the astonishingly low price of $1.47 per gallon. From a historical perspective, it seemed worthy of a photo.

For the same reason, I also snapped a photo in June when Chrix and I purchased gasoline in Kristiansand, Norway. On June 25, 12.74 Norwegian Krone per liter amounted to $9.54 per gallon.

It's a bit scary that the price of a precious commodity like oil can fluctuate so drastically. On the upside, with the PPP of currencies potentially rebalancing, I'm looking forward to the next update of the Big Mac index.

Ford Fiesta on Top Gear

2008-12-11T21:40:00.000-08:00

An absurd review of the Ford Fiesta on Top Gear, complete with shopping mall car chase and beach assault.

Geotagging in Blogger in Draft

2008-12-10T13:25:00.000-08:00

Blogger just released Geotagging on Blogger in Draft, Blogger's testbed for new and experimental features.

Check it out: log into Blogger from draft.blogger.com and create a post there from the new post editor. Then, click the "add location" link at the bottom of the post editor to select a location for your post.

Once you've geotagged some posts, be sure to add Brian's gadget to map the posts on your blog. Instructions for how to do this are in the blog post.

Also, if you like Blogger in Draft and want to continue to see new features first, be sure to check the box next to "Make Blogger in Draft my default dashboard" in the upper-right corner of the dashboard.

Congratulations to Brian Ngo for implementing this awesome new feature!

The Amen Break

2008-12-04T00:08:00.000-08:00

This video eloquently describes the importance of derivative works and fair use via the story of a 6 second drum loop known as the "amen break" -- yet another example of how archaic copyright laws might hinder our digital creative culture.

Analysis of Mumbai Attacks, Courtesy of The Daily Show

2008-12-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

Well said.

Auditorium

2008-11-30T22:42:00.000-08:00

I just came across Auditorium, an exploratory musical game. The flow of play and ambient sounds remind me a bit of fl0w, another excellent game. Click the image above to play.

Half Asleep

2008-11-20T19:46:00.000-08:00

I like Half Asleep by School of Seven Bells

Note: If you're viewing this post from Google Reader, the Lala embed won't appear. Follow the link above if you'd like to listen to the song.

CSCW Note

2008-11-17T15:26:00.000-08:00

I recently returned from CSCW 2008 in San Diego, where I gave a short talk on relating game design to persuasive fitness applications. The work was done at the University of Washington with Brian Ngo and James Fogarty.

The corresponding note is now available in the ACM digital library: Game Design Principles in Everyday Fitness Applications.

Update: If you're having difficulty accessing the note through the ACM, click here to directly download the PDF.

Illustration by Mike McCain.

Watercolor Animation feat. Ronald Jenkees

2008-11-05T00:39:00.000-08:00

This animation is rad. And Ronald Jenkees is my hero.

Update 12/11: Kori Michele is the video's artist. Check out her awesome sketch blog.

Vote!

2008-11-02T22:26:00.001-08:00

Whether it's necessary, I'm reminding you all to vote on Tuesday!

GOBAMA!

Image via Ben Brown

Zappa Would've Loved It

2008-10-30T18:09:00.000-07:00

YouTube commenter: "Brilliant! Zappa would've loved it."

I agree.

By Raz: Flashback 4

2008-10-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

Originally published October 23, 2005.

DUDE, i totally need something to bring me back down to earth....

By Raz: Flashback 3

2008-10-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

Originally published September 26, 2005.

dude, i haven't written in this thing in like forever. my summer was pretty sweet. intel was pretty sweet! what an experience. but after seeing what the real world has to offer, i am not that impressed. i am actually quite angered by it. i can go on and on about it but it would be a total waste of time. me writing this blog is a total waste of time. fuck blogging.

nordheim is sweet though. my roomies are great! this year is going to be great!

By Raz: Flashback 2

2008-10-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

Originally published May 30, 2005.

dude, so this past weekend we went rowing. that was good times, except raz totally splashed me. on our way back i was on the phone and a bird took a shit on me. stupid bird. i blame raz for it all because he totally saw it coming and he didn't push me out of the way. dammit raz. my cse work is intense. i love cse, "yarrr, it drives me nuts!" holy shit. why am i blogging for? fuck blogging. goodnight.

Memeorandum Colors via Waxy

2008-10-11T01:25:00.000-07:00

Andy Baio developed a cool method to visualize political bias of blogs on Memeorandum, available as a Firefox extension.

Now, if only we could add these sorts of extra informational dimensions to Wikipedia articles... (Hint: I'm talking to you, Mark.)

Palin Markov Chain

2008-10-07T00:46:00.000-07:00

“But when the Iraqi government can govern its people and are elected to serve the common good, and to our economic future, and to leave this nation at this point and I think a good thing to do up there in Alaska was to break up a monopoly up there in the climate.”

Via Sean's Palin Speech Generator, built upon his earlier JavaScript Markov chain.

Brilliant.

By Raz: Flashback 1

2008-10-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

This is the first post in a series of seven, originally written by Raz.

When I stopped maintaining my blog at Xanga, I offered Raz the opportunity to take control. During the next 18 months, he wrote seven posts where he posed as me. Somehow, many readers didn't catch on that these posts were actually written by Raz, despite my belief that he sounds nothing like me.

Originally published May 23, 2005.

ok so i've taken over taj's account...and i will be updating...as taj..thank you...bye bye..^_^

Dude, I really hate this room! I just hit my head on the ceiling. Boy do i feel stupid. In addition to that, one my friends got really awesome internships. Shows how stupid i am. Golly geez whiz bangers! I hate blogging. It is a complete waste of time. Just like chatting, what a waste. CSE Rulez, except that i got a 15 out of 25 on one of my assignments. Boy did i teach that TA a lesson. Chewed him out and got 6 points back. 21 out of 25 yah! The fair thing today was a waste of time, (to taj, everything is a waste of time) but i did get some food. Unfortunately, i dropped my shishkabob on the dirtiest part of the ave. Fortunately, i applied the 10 second rule to it. . Then after that we went to subway and i scored a free drink from Raz, good times it was. I watched Raz play video games tonight in minh's room, what a waste of time. Man, James is going to come back in a few hours...what a douche bag! Man!, now I'm furious! I am going to sleep. Fuck blogging. Goodnight.

A Day at Glacier

2008-09-27T19:00:00.001-07:00

Glacier: mountain goat, originally uploaded by +tajc.

One of my favorite photos from a trip to Glacier National Park earlier this month. I took the day trip with Mark, Anjuli, Mom and Dad. We went up the Going to the Sun road and took hikes from Logan Pass. Mark, Anjuli and I hiked to Hidden Lake and tried going for a swim. Very cold.

See the entire Glacier photo set for more fun and beautiful views.