09 07 08 14:12The Great Internet Migratory Box Of Junk: A damn fine idea!
I received my first (and hopefully not last) TGIMBOEJ today!TGIMBOEJ stands for "The Great Internet Migratory Box Of Electronics Junk", and the concept is simple; someone fills up a box full of electronics stuff and sends it to someone else. Generally the next recipient has signed up at the TGIMBOEJ web site and requested a box, although you can also add names to a list that comes with the box. When you get it you take what you want and add what you wish, then send it on to the whoever you choose. It is like the ultimate non-linear chain letter combined with Xmas for geeks.
I heard about it on the MAKE RRS feed posting and it sounded cool, so I went the the TGIMBOEJ web site and signed up to request a box. Within a couple of days I was contacted by "Ronald", who later we will see is from Gray, TN. I confirmed I wanted the box, and a few days later I received it. As per the requested protocol I am documenting what I find and what I take. Some of the stuff was quite boring (to me) and some of it was quite interesting (to me)!
...read more
Don Stratton - seven comments - § ¶
07 07 08 16:00Hi-def videogames on the Xbox 1
If you have an original Xbox (the old black one, not a 360) and a state-of-the-art home entertainment system with surround sound and a hi-def TV, you really ought to take a look at some of the hi-def games that can make good use of your gear. The original Xbox is still an amazingly credible game platform in 2008, even though the original Xbox is now 7 years old and largely considered obsolete, but to really compete with today's Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 games you have to use every bit of the old hardware. Interestingly, most games don't push the Xbox hardware to anywhere near the edge, but these few that do look every bit as good as many 360 and PS3 titles. OK, no, not really, but still... mighty impressive for a "dead" console....read more
Don Stratton - No comments - § ¶
06 15 08 13:37A person can be so right, for all the wrong reasons
While doing some research on 3D imagery I stumbled upon this quote from a newspaper columnist who was reviewing a Bjork concert:"Bjork's songs are like stereograms -- you know, that brightly colored, jumbled-looking computer-generated art that you have to stare at, relaxing your eyes, until a central image emerges from the background."
I have a slightly different definition. Oh, I couldn't agree with him more that Bjork's music, and indeed her whole visual approach, is VERY much like a random-dot stereogram... you walk away from it with your eyes crossed and sporting a headache.
Don Stratton - No comments - § ¶
05 29 08 14:17In Tom's Life, He Loves You More!
Tom Yarbrough has (finally) released his first CD, "Far Cry From Gone", now available via ...read more
Don Stratton - No comments - § ¶
01 28 08 11:29The meaning of "versus" and "with"; a lesson for the kids
"Versus" generally means "opposed to" or "against", while "with" generally means "and" or "in partnership".Therefore, a porn movie called "Savannah versus Peter North" would be fairly inaccurate, as the featured performers are not engaged in traditional adversarial behavior. Nor would "Ludacris versus Kris Kross" be remotely accurate unless the two rappers started shooting at each other during the recording session. It isn't a battle, it isn't even a competition of skill, it's a fucking rap song, niggaz! You wanna be stupidly "modern" just for the sake of sounding different? Why not "Ludacris + Kris Kross"? I really hate the misuse of a mathematical symbol to mean "and", but it is better than "versus"! Oh yeah, I forgot, that fucking teen emo version of Shakespeare's "Romeo + Juliet" (the movie that started me on my long path of hating Leonardo DiCrappio) pretty much fucked that up for everyone.
Don Stratton - No comments - § ¶
01 19 08 19:22Pretty RAD after all
I received the first of my two RAD 2.0 robots, and I must say I am impressed. I can see why so many people snap these up for robotic platforms, as the track drive and arms/waist are very functional and there is a ton of space inside to cram electronics. In this installment of the on-going saga I detail the basics of a stock RAD, and discuss where I might go from here. Read all about it here in Chapter Two: Pretty RAD after all.
Don Stratton - seven comments - § ¶
01 18 08 15:45When I am 75 years old...
I will still be unable to hear certain spoken numerical sequences without breaking into gansta rap. I could be sitting in the community area of my nursing home, a UPS driver could come in and ask someone where room 187 is, and I will be muttering under my breath "yeah, and you don't stop... cuz it's one eight seven on a undercover cop..". A guy could be having a heart attack at a mall while people are screaming "CALL 911!", to which I will be muttering "...nine one one is a jokey joke now!".
Don Stratton - No comments - § ¶
01 08 08 15:21I Can Has A Robot!
I have finally found something to inspire another serious long-term static entry; my ongoing story of buying/fixing/hacking a couple of old Toymax RAD 2.0 toy robots. Read the first chapter of what is sure to be a ridiculously long process of turning an old toy into a modern marvel: Chapter One - I Can Has A Robot.
Don Stratton - two comments - § ¶