Diary of a Network Geek

Can someone “reimagine” Ulysses in 140 character bursts?

You James Joyce fans know that June 16th is “Bloomsday“.  The day that Joyce famously detailed in his epic novel [amazon_link id=”1617203475″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Ulysses[/amazon_link].  Well, one fan is planning to reformat and reinterpret that famous novel via Twitter this coming Bloomsday.  She’s looking for volunteers to help with the effort, so if you’re interested, hit the article and follow the link there to her project site.  Or, if you just want to follow the action yourself, follow the @11ysses Twitter account before 8:00am (Dublin time) June 16th and see how well they make this happen.  It could be an interesting effort, or a total train wreck.  There’s no telling really.

But, I have to admit, I wonder about this.
The novel is, as you may be aware, a long, challenging literary experiment, of sorts.  And, it’s as famously challenging to read as it must have been to write.  So, I wonder, is dumbing down a classic like that to 140 character intervals really so fantastic?  I should mention that I’ve never actually read the book, though I occasionally feel the urge to attempt it, like some kind of pseudo-intellectual daredevil, attempting to jump a cultural canyon.  So, I wonder, will this project make it more accessible to the unwashed masses, like me?  Or, will it marginalize the work more than modern society already has?
Or will any significant portion of the modern world even notice?
(And, should any of that matter at all?)

Are you on Twitter?

Most of you who read this blog probably get here via Facebook or Twitter these days.  Yes, I am one of those attention whores that has their Twitter setup to post status updates to Facebook when we tweet.  And, I’ve taken that a step further by setting my blog to tweet when I have released a new post.
But, sometimes, I just tweet regular, random stuff, just like every other attention whore on Twitter!  I may not tweet photos of what I’ve eaten for breakfast, but, occasionally, I tweet something that’s intended to be funny or insightful.  So, in any case, I know what it’s like to try and keep those tweets fresh and interesting.  And, I know, it’s not easy!  So, you’ll be relieved to know that there IS help!  Help in the form of the website “Yes, that can be my next tweet!”

The web-app will look at your Twitter feed and use programattic magic to analyze patterns to your tweets and mash them together to suggest similar tweets.  Then, of course, you can send them right to your hordes of faithful Twitter followers who are just waiting for your next brilliant tweet about how the stupid traffic made your yummy fast-food breakfast cold!  Or whatever.  No judgement.  (Well, maybe a little.)

If  you read my blog, you love Star Wars.

Well, if you don’t *love * it, you at least know it and appreciate it on its technical merits.
But, you should love it.
And, it’s Friday, so you know I’m going to link to something pretty cool, right?
So, yeah, go look at these insanely detailed Star Wars dioramas at Kotaku.

No, seriously, it’s been a long week and that’s all I’ve got.
Also?  It’s Friday and you have nothing better to do anyway, so go look.
Seriously.

I can think of nothing more appropriate for a Friday the Thirteenth post.

Are you a fan of H.P. Lovecraft?
When I was in Junior High, I found H.P. Lovecraft and read him all the way through High School and even college.  But, because I found him when most people are getting sex ed for the first time, when our bodies are going through enormous, almost supernatural changes, I found this short film, via Boing Boing, called “Late Bloomer” quite funny.  Be warned, it may not be entirely safe for work, depending on your workplace and their standards, but it’s worth watching!

So, happy Friday the 13th!  Enjoy the video and have a very lucky day!

Now, this is what I call a “safe house”!

I know, I know, I’m seriously way too obsessed with surviving the zombie apocalypse, but, hey, everyone needs a hobby, right?
Anyway, a couple weeks ago, a Facebook friend posted a link to an entry on All That Is Interesting titled The First Zombie-Proof House.  The photos are , well, impressive to say the least.  A sleek, modern home with the ultimate in austere exterior, which also seals into a virtual fortress.  A metal security shutter that rolls down over a covered patio area and actual concrete “shutters” that swing shut over recessed windows, not to mention a second-story draw bridge connecting to a detached pool facility, all ad up to a pretty nice place to wait out the End Times!

And, keep in mind, unlike other survival homes I’ve shared here, this is NOT a theoretical building!
This “house” has been built by KWK Promes and is outside of Warsaw, Poland.  I found even more photographs and details of the construction and features at a site called HomeDSGN.  While they don’t specify the owner, they mention their need to have a feeling of security while also maintaining high-standard design features.  The photos really focus on the exterior of the home and the grounds, but you can see into the building itself in several photos and the interior looks like it has the same attention to detail and quality as the outside.

So, now, you have a new standard for your zombie-survival-home desires!
Happy Friday!

I think the title sums this up pretty well:
A video of a creepy, animatronic eyeball.
I think the blinking is what really weirds me out.  Or the crazy detail on the graphics on the eyeball itself.

Also?  I think every security camera out in public should have one of these on it.  You know, to remind us that Big Brother really is watching!
Enjoy your Friday Freakout!

How much money have you spent on gadgets?

No, seriously, have you ever totaled it up?  If you’re like me, you’ve spent a bundle.  And, I’m not even an “early adopter” or an Apple fanboy who has to replace his iPhone with the latest version every time a new feature is added, either.  Does all that feel like a waste of money to you sometimes?  Well, what if you’d invested it, instead?
What if, instead of buying the latest Apple, or whatever brand, gear, you had invested in stock in the company?  Imagine, if you’d taken the price of a first generation iPod and bought Apple stock, instead.  Or a G4 or a MacBook or whatever.  How much money would that be now?

Well, wonder no more, because Kyle Conroy has done the work for  you.
He asks the question; What if I had bought Apple Stock instead?  He charts how much money he’d have now if he’d invested the purchase price of the latest Apple gear in Apple stock instead, from the release date until now.
The results may make your buyer’s remorse just a little worse.

No, really, free and legal.

Okay, granted, it’s probably music from indy bands that you’ve never heard of before, but, hey, it’s free.  And?  You have the joy of knowing that you’ll be discovering bands that your hipster friends have never heard of before.  For real.  Also, did I mention that it’s free and legal?  Yeah, so, why not go check it out.
The site is Epitonic.com

C’mon, it’s Friday and not like you were really working anyway….

Yeah, I know.  I’m way too obsessed with the end of the world.

But, just you wait!  When you’re out there wandering the blasted wastelands, you’ll wish you knew me THEN!
In the meantime, why not check out what the Air Force has to say about the end of the world from the Perlinger Archive via IO9.com (Incidentally, that link will bring you to a movie that’s so old it’s in an internet archive.  Yeah, that’s old.)

But, don’t worry!  I also have links to yet another collection of information that will help rebuild society!
Oddly enough, this archive is brought to you via Lifehacker.  It’s the CD3WD, which is an archive of “CDs” for the Third World, actually.  Originally intended, according to the site, as an archive of information that would be useful to the “Third World” and “developing nations”, which, apparently, is also just like what we’ll need after the end of the world.  So, you know, you may want to make friends with someone from one of those places now.
Turns out, they may be pretty useful when the apocalypse arrives.

Apparently, it’s been a problem since 1922.

No, really, this isn’t an April Fool’s joke.
Seriously, a paper reported on the problem of Global Warming in 1922.  Specifically, how the Arctic Ocean has been warming and there are fewer icebergs.

No joke.