- When someone is driving and they are checking the lane they want to change into, they inadvertently drift into the opposite lane (not sure if this has anything to do with spatial distortion)
- People instinctually/subconciously slow down when starting to drive on an overpass/bridge (I read this in a study somewhere, but now can’t find it)
All posts by Ben
Tracking has-been celebrities
Now that I have comments, I can ask questions and actually get replies, so here goes…
This story about the little blond kid from “Family Ties” getting busted for a DUI made me wonder: How does someone pick a seemingly random police blotter item and match the person’s name to figure out that the person is/was a celebrity (and thus making it “news”)? Is there some sort of very large database of people (which includes their birth names!) so that when their names show up in a police report, the media gets alerted to it? Inquiring minds want to know.
I won a Peabody
Personal note: I just won a 2004 George Foster Peabody Award at work. I only have so much shelf space, so goodbye Edward R. Murrow Award!
The Playlist Meme
The Playlist Meme (load entire library, shuffle, list first 20 songs no matter how embarrassing):
Pussycat Trash – Tattoo
The Halo Benders – On A Tip
Fugazi – Recap Modotti
The Beatles – Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Tegan & Sara – Underwater
Hey Mercedes – St. James St.
Sparta – Echodyne Harmonic
Killsadie – 1000 Deaths
Walls of Jericho – Moment of Thought
The Ramones – She’s A Sensation
Avail – Swing Low
Ugly Casanova – Pacifico
Modest Mouse – BMX Crash
Murder City Devils – Dance Hall Music
Elton John – Bennie and the Jets
Tracy Chapman – Behind the Wall
The Weakerthans – My Favourite Chords
Rocket From the Crypt – Ball Lightning
Weezer – Space Rock
Converge – Shingles
I guess one thing I can say is that I’m not embarrassed by any of my music. There are several music “party fouls” in my collection, and I am quite proud of having them.
HP ScanJet 4670 See-Thru Vertical Scanner
HP ScanJet 4670 See-Thru Vertical Scanner: I was purchasing a scanner last night, and was terribly intrigued by this scanner that stands up vertically on a wire easel, is see-through, and can basically be lifted off and placed on top of anything to scan it. I almost purchased it, but I had no idea of how well the concept really works in practice. The reviews are lukewarm, so maybe it was a good decision not to get it, but it still intrigues me.
Posting purgatories and the public transparency and cross-pollination of links and sources
I am beginning to enjoy my array of available posting purgatories, along with the public transparency and cross-pollination of links and sources. Now I can have multiple levels of filtering, yet I (and everyone else) can see the original sources, such as my personal editorial process: scan all the content sources (bloglines.com/public/magnetbox), filter out the interested portions (del.icio.us/magnetbox), and decide what the general public gets to see (magnetbox.com).
I can’t help but think it would be amazing if content sources (news organizations?) did sort of the same idea, so that people could decide for themselves what level of news/filtering fits them best.
Get rid of the security stickers on CDs
I would like to propose an idea to the record industry: I am willing to pay $0.25 to $0.50 more per CD if you quit putting that stupid security sticker across the top of a new CD case. This “security tax” would basically make up for the loss of revenues from theft that the sticker supposedly helps guard against. Removing one customer frustration in the CD-purchasing process might win you some customers.
(Side note: That sticker is sometimes useful, like looking at a row of new CDs from the top and being able to see all the albums’ information at a glance. So maybe the “security tax” might be a temporary campaign where the money raised goes towards funding the research and propagation of a new kind of sticker/system that is still secure, yet easier to be removed.)
Why I am reluctant to try working with interfacing and programming into iTunes
Concerns with Apple’s poor track record of openness/transparency: I have been reluctant to try working with interfacing and programming into iTunes, using things such as the iTunes Link Maker, because it just seems so slapped together, and feels somehow temporary. (Is ax.phobos.apple.com really where it will always live? Why does that seem so odd to me?) Also, they have basically no information for developers, or what is happening behind the scenes (which is what talking to developers is all about). They obviously have this open window, but it appears only partially opened (or perhaps those kind of windows that you can open then lock in place so burglars can’t get in.) Can someone relieve me of my worries? Is it worth bothering to work with it right now, or can I expect it to get a little more open in a little while? Anyone know?
Movie Friendster
New personal LazyWeb idea: Movie Friendster. Combine the concepts of Friendster and the Baconizer, using Amazon Web Services to create a visual map of people through movie connections.
Personal analog-to-digital film developing device
Why does a personal analog-to-digital film developing device not exist? I cannot believe that based on current technology, a device/appliance couldn’t be made that allows a person to drop an APS roll into a device, which then pulls the film strip through an assembly line that develops the film then scans the developed negative and writes the picture to a flash memory card. The only thing I can think of is that it would virtually destroy an entire (and extremely profitable) industry. Thoughts?