20 February 2004.
Inspired by .
"I’ll be straight with you. I want you to cry. To weep. To whimper sweetly. This book is a poignant guide to Ruby. That means code so beautiful that tears are shed. That means gallant tales and somber truths that have you waking up the next morning in the arms of this book. Hugging it tightly to you all the day long. If necessary, fashion a makeshift hip holster for Why’s (Poignant) Guide to Ruby, so you can always have this book’s tender companionship."
It doesn't matter what you're trying to convey. If you make it the right way, they will learn. Me, I'm fast becoming a l33t Ruby language master and I'm still not even sure what it is, thanks to Why's (Poignant) Guide to Ruby.
(thanks Barry, who found it here)
11 February 2004.
Inspired by .
If you're in San Francisco on Feb 21st-22nd, I must insist that you visit the APE media expo and stroll over to the Goodbye Doggy stall to pick up your launch copy of Decease.
Only available in limited numbers, those not Stateside can order it from the Goodbye Doggy online mart (sic). Not only is it a magazine dedicated to the more unusual aspects of death and dying, but it also includes an extended (and slightly silly) essay by your humble correspondent, concerning Obituaries.
A topic that, as regular readers will know, I've touched on before...
09 February 2004.
Inspired by .
The story about the weekend-before-last begins:
So there I was, sitting in a strip club with a secret policeman and a female nightclub owner, drinking free shots at six in the morning.
but also contains sub-themes, such as:
So there I was, sneaking into someone else's seat for the second half of a performance at the third largest opera house in the world.
Or:
So there I was, chasing the bag-snatcher through the middle of the Arc de Triomf.
The story of the weekend just gone has a different opening:
So there I was, lying there half-naked, as a Chinese guy kneaded my buttocks.
(Additional thought: sentences like that must cause unending homophone problems for audiobloggers)
Anyway, I'd love to go into detail and explain properly what I've been up to lately, but I just don't have the right version of PowerPoint.
06 February 2004.
Inspired by .
The casting of the Hitchhiker's Movie thus far is surprisingly good news. Those worried about rapper Mos Def should read this and be prepared to go in open-minded. But Marvin's suit looks stupid.
06 February 2004.
Inspired by .
The search engine wars are leading to an improvement in all kinds of information. Just as Amazon now provides a searchable text of thousands of books in their database, according to the New York Times (turn to page 3), Google is doing more than just writing better algorithms to list the data better. It's actively searching out new data sources itself.
"Google has embarked on an ambitious secret effort known as Project Ocean, according to a person involved with the operation. With the cooperation of Stanford University, the company now plans to digitize the entire collection of the vast Stanford Library published before 1923, which is no longer limited by copyright restrictions. The project could add millions of digitized books that would be available exclusively via Google."
Something Trevor would clearly approve of.
05 February 2004.
Inspired by .
"I waited years and Blair's come and told me: 'Santa's your Dad'. I'll never forgive the cheating bastard."
Reason 874 why Spain's better than the UK: we've got Michael Robinson.
(ta Ben)
05 February 2004.
Inspired by .
Now here's a link I definitely didn't nick from a newsletter: my sister has just started her own blog, for those interested in hypnotherapy and relaxation.
04 February 2004.
Inspired by .
Via Metapop comes further proof that, come Easter time, our mate Damian will be the most famous person ever ever ever.
A very palpable hit on its way for all you insecure ex-teenagers, methinks. On a similar note, it's my birthday soon. Expect depression.
For all you people gearing up to Valentine's Day (and the presence in my hitstats of "Department of Veterans Affairs, United States" suggests that many people are), don't forget to carry with you a few copies of Dr Ava's Sexual Consent Form. And, as it says at the bottom, check with your attourney before entering any agreement. But what if it *is* your attourney?
UPDATE: Oops - Michael from Urban Junkies.com correctly surmised that the final link had been found via his newsletter without due accreditation and has rightly e-chastised me for it. He may now consider himself duly credited.
04 February 2004.
Inspired by .
When it was written, I'd put money on today's Dilbert satirising Apple's G5.
And yet, coming out this week, instead it must be all about the latest Intel chip.
Such is the weird world of ambiguity in the face of advance deadlines.
(thanks Nick for the geeklinks)
02 February 2004.
Inspired by .
Good news from the Prandial Subversion Front*:
This website is now banned from US diplomacy.
*not to be confused with the Popular Prandial Front, or the People's Front of Prandial