Hey, you're always asking me where I find stuff...
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Maps, satellites, etc.
In the past coouple of days I've been going crazy with Google Maps. It's just incredible - you can do things like find Brian's place in Clapham. And you can tour the world. I think I spent about three hours yesterday using Google Earth, which is a program you download and use to fly around the world looking at all the satellite images. For example, the Forbidden City in Beijing. Or the Japanese volcano Sakurajima.
I even found where I used to live in Japan.
I even found where I used to live in Japan.
DIY
In the spirit of brewing your own beer, some DIY links.
Build your own bass synth, then build some speakers, and then make your own map-based web application.
I'm starting to wonder if we're all going back to being gifted amateurs again.
Build your own bass synth, then build some speakers, and then make your own map-based web application.
I'm starting to wonder if we're all going back to being gifted amateurs again.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Friday, June 24, 2005
Pollution
I work for an advertising company. It used to be known as "Directory Services", but moved into the advertising business many years ago when it first published a Yellow Pages. These days we serve up ads to millions of people.
This is kind of a problem for me because basically I hate advertising. I find it very hard to listen to commercial radio, I flip between channels when the ads come on, and I basically regard advertising as a kind of pollution. Visual & aural pollution. The thing that I really detest about advertising is that I have no choice in whether or not I get exposed to it. Advertising is everywhere. Even if I choose not to watch TV or listen to commercial radio, I'll still get a blizzard of messages on the tram, or as I walk down the street.
What really makes it worse though is that the reason we see ads in more and more places is because all the advertisers are competing for attention, and almost none of them actually make any difference. We're so saturated with advertising that we've learned to ignore it.
But here I am working for an advertising company. And I think we might be finding a way to cut back on all that stupid pollution.
Something we're experimenting with is targeted & requested advertisements - so if someone wants to buy a record-player (for example) they can request to have ads for record players sent to their email address or phone. This means that advertisers only spend money on ads that buyers want to see, and everyone else never has to see them at all. It's only a small start, but maybe smarter advertising will mean less advertising. And hopefully less pollution.
This is kind of a problem for me because basically I hate advertising. I find it very hard to listen to commercial radio, I flip between channels when the ads come on, and I basically regard advertising as a kind of pollution. Visual & aural pollution. The thing that I really detest about advertising is that I have no choice in whether or not I get exposed to it. Advertising is everywhere. Even if I choose not to watch TV or listen to commercial radio, I'll still get a blizzard of messages on the tram, or as I walk down the street.
What really makes it worse though is that the reason we see ads in more and more places is because all the advertisers are competing for attention, and almost none of them actually make any difference. We're so saturated with advertising that we've learned to ignore it.
But here I am working for an advertising company. And I think we might be finding a way to cut back on all that stupid pollution.
Something we're experimenting with is targeted & requested advertisements - so if someone wants to buy a record-player (for example) they can request to have ads for record players sent to their email address or phone. This means that advertisers only spend money on ads that buyers want to see, and everyone else never has to see them at all. It's only a small start, but maybe smarter advertising will mean less advertising. And hopefully less pollution.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
I can see my house from here!
Google maps is amazing, especially the satellite images. This page shows the house I grew up in. Use the slider on the left to zoom out, and click and drag the photo to move it around.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Brewing
There must be a point in your life at which you look back on how much beer you've drunk (if you drink beer) and think "Crikey - it must have cost a fair bit to drink all that!" And from there it's just a short step to brewing your own beer.
Apparently I reached that point a couple of months ago, and so now I am brewing beer with two friends. So far we've brewed Coopers Sparkling Ale and Coopers Stout, and the results have been very encouraging. Mind you, as long as you sanitise everything properly (brewer, stirrer, bottles etc.) it's hard to see how you can go wrong when you use the brewing kits.
Nevertheless, the Ale and the Stout have turned out very well, and 13 bottles of beer are sitting in my laundry, ready to be drunk. I have of course created a database to record the details of every brew.
The brewers (Adam, Dave, me):
Apparently I reached that point a couple of months ago, and so now I am brewing beer with two friends. So far we've brewed Coopers Sparkling Ale and Coopers Stout, and the results have been very encouraging. Mind you, as long as you sanitise everything properly (brewer, stirrer, bottles etc.) it's hard to see how you can go wrong when you use the brewing kits.
Nevertheless, the Ale and the Stout have turned out very well, and 13 bottles of beer are sitting in my laundry, ready to be drunk. I have of course created a database to record the details of every brew.
The brewers (Adam, Dave, me):
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
It's done
Last August I sat on the couch on a Sunday afternoon and compiled a list of things I should finish. A while ago I actually finished one of them. And here it is - a track I recorded. I've been waiting for a while to find a place to publish it. Fortunately there is a site called The Internet Archive that encourages people to upload content that they've created. Good on 'em.
Anyway, for your listening pleasure: Falling In Love With A Woman Reading Numbers (mp3, 4.8MB).
Copy it, share it, burn it. It's all good.
Anyway, for your listening pleasure: Falling In Love With A Woman Reading Numbers (mp3, 4.8MB).
Copy it, share it, burn it. It's all good.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Photos
I've taken to putting photos back up on this site - I'm using a service called Flickr. It appears to be the perfect solution to my pic-hosting issue - that is I only have limited space to upload photos to my Optusnet account. With Flickr I can have as many photos as I want with various sizes. There are a ton of other features as well, so if you have the time give Flickr a try - you can search all the photos too. The other cool thing is I can send photos to Flickr direct from my phone.
Like Beethoven?
The BBC are performing and recording all 9 of Beethoven's symphonies.
So? Well, they are making all nine available for free download. Fantastic.
So? Well, they are making all nine available for free download. Fantastic.
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