Posts for December 2006

Peter Gabriel and The Filter

Good interview with Peter Gabriel where he discusses digital music distribution, the future of the industry, and The Filter (an app that generates instant playlists for iPods, based on mood, what you might like based on what you like, etc.).

I've always like Peter Gabriel. He definitely gets it

link from Pho

December 28, 2006 permalink | Comments (0)

Reading slowdown explained!

(File this one under no one cares but me, but it's my frackin' blog, I'll talk about what I want...)

Careful reviewers of my website (LOL) may notice that my reading list has experienced quite a slowdown over the past few months. This is due to several issues:

Catching up on some TV/movies (esp. Battlestar Galactica)
Games, games, games! World Of Warcraft, Second Life, and HalfLife 2 have taken their toll
Slack in supply train. I use books as Christmas wishlist suggestions, so I have to stop buying them myself around September

Never fear, though. With the holidays right around the corner, I should be getting a number of the books that have been holding in my queue as gifts. Since most of them are things I'm chomping at the bit to read, I'll be charging right through them, and the reading list should churn along quite nicely.

I know you all feel much better now. *grin*

December 19, 2006 permalink | Comments (0)

Another Year of Second Life? Yep.

Well, late this month, my annual subscription fee to Second Life will come due. I've been thinking for several weeks now about whether or not to pay it and continue with a premium account. I think I will.

On one hand, the decision is easy. I've succeeded in my desire to make the account self-funding; a combination of occasional content sales, general frugality wrt purchases, and careful selling on the Linden Exchange means that I have more than enough money in my account to pay the yearly subscription fee ($72). Cool! But I could also spend that money on other things, and drop my SL account to the Basic level, which is free. Is Second Life worth it? Especially lately, with the huge registration increases, the accompanying stress on the Grid, seemingly incessant grey goo attacks, etc.?

I pondered it, and decided that it was. Absolutely. It's one of the most exciting places on the Net, and provides an opportunity to be on the leading edge of experimentation in virtual commerce, digital content, and free expression. I have my Second Life phases; I'm in-game quite a bit for a few days or a week, and then don't bother to login for some time. This coming year, I'm planning on spending more time in-game, and doing some SL social networking (along with scripting, machinima, etc.). Heck, I'm coming up on my 4 year anniversary, and I've probably got fewer contacts than most people who've been here a month! *grin* I should work on that.

So I'll see ya on the Grid next year, definitely. My avatar is KZ Pasteur; feel free to drop in and say hi.

December 17, 2006 permalink | Comments (0)

Chinese river dolphin: RIP

Crap. Not that it's a surprise (we knew this was coming), but still, very sad: Chinese river dolphin almost certainly extinct

December 15, 2006 permalink | Comments (0)

BDFL working on Python re-factoring tool

Cool. Guido van Rossum is working on a Python refactoring tool, as a possible starting point for conversion between Python 2.x and (the so far hypothetical) Python 3.0. Architecture is worth review, as well.

December 15, 2006 permalink | Comments (0)

Firefly MMO possible?

Clickable Culture: ‘Firefly’ to go MMO in 2008

Could be interesting. I actually have the Multiverse platform download; I'm trying it for a "personal" worldspace. It's kinda cool. Neat that they're thinking about using it...it'll be interesting to see if that sticks. Last I saw, the graphics weren't quite top-tier. The danger would be that they spend 9 months with Multiverse, and then decide to change platforms; that would maul any schedule.

Actually not a bad idea for a universe, the more I think about it. We've only really seen the barest sketch; there's lots of room for players to make their mark, yet already a rabid fanbase to kickstart things. Good thinking on someone's part; let's see if they can deliver.

December 10, 2006 permalink | Comments (0)

Call me a digital comics fan

Man, I'm behind the comics times. Or I was, anyway. A month or so back, I was rehashing an old discussion with a friend about how frustrating comics have become. Crazy expensive, and no digital versions available...I could just SEE how cool it would be to have them in a digital format. Man...why isn't anyone doing that?

Errrr...oops. It appears I'm not exactly up-to-date WRT the online comics scene. A BoingBoing link from a few days back clued me in to a DRM-free comics publisher (Pullbox Online), and I made my first order there almost immediately. And while tracking down the reader software, I discovered that basically EVERYTHING, comics-wise, is being scanned and posted online at pirate sites nowadays. But guess what...I think I'll give my cash to the folks who are willing to sell it to me. At $0.99 (or less) an issue, I can afford to check things out and experiment. It's great. I'm definitely digging reading comics again.

The image format itself is worth a mention. Pretty clever..the CBR/CBZ format is DRM-less by design, and consisted of JPG files (either scans or original image files) arranged in a rar or zip archive (indicated by the last letter of the extension). It's easy, works well, and gives the user some control. The BigCos that HAVE bothered to try digital releases seem to be stuck in the same DRM-obsessed cesspool with most other media companies. They use PDF, primarily, so that they can watermark the images, prevent printing, and generally irritate the crap out of me. Uh...not! I'll stick with CBR, thanks.

December 9, 2006 permalink | Comments (0)

James Kim: terribly sad situation

Oh...dear. James Kim was found dead yesterday. Damn. It was a longshot that they would find him alive, but I was definitely hoping. I'm happy that his wife and children were found, of course, but what a sad story.

December 7, 2006 permalink | Comments (0)

Grown up camera!

Woohoo! I sometimes get part of my Christmas presents early, since I have to point them out (ie, make sure the right thing gets bought). Once that's the case, I figure I might as well just get it...a couple weeks early, but hey, who's complaining? *grin*

This year, I finally talked myself into asking for a decent camera. I get some sort of imaging device almost every year, as I love a camera...but oftentimes, I lowball it. I end up with something that's ok, and often interesting in some way, but with some, uh, quirks. Yeah, let's call them quirks. This year, I found some good reviews, and managed to identify a camera in the $150-200 price range (a little higher than I normally go) that I thought I'd be happy with...the Panasonic DMC-LZ3. It's nothing fancy, but it's a couple more megapixels than I had before (5MP), and has a nice 6x optical zoom and image stabilization. It's not designed for people who want a lot of manual control...but that just means I'm in luck!

It's quite striking what a climbing up a notch or two in the camera leagues will get you nowadays...I'm really impressed. I don't have anything worth uploading yet, since I have just been playing around with it, but I'm going to definitely get some sharable shots soon. It's fun to have a nice camera!