Dragons, Dogs and Robots

August 10, 2015

Hello internet friends,

I really like this bridge and would advocate for all bridges being shaped into fire-breathing dragons.
Given the headline – “world’s largest dragon-shaped steel bridge” – one wonders where all the smaller dragon-shaped steel bridges are. Maybe there is a whole subculture of bridge builders who are into dragons?

Dogs!

Important science: Why Do Children Abuse Robots? [PDF]
This might sound mocking, but I think it actually is important. After all… – and once they achieve sentience, they will know.

Do you know the history of ice cream? I didn’t.

Stay hydrated!

Mop.

August 3, 2015

Hello internet friends!

I had some dodgy red wine yesterday, walked around in the sun and my current reality is very different from the one I usually experience. There is this sudden hum and pushing myself through the air is a bit harder than usual, too.

Am I the only one who didn’t notice the dog on Marc Zuckerberg’s pregnancy announcement post? For quite a while I thought that this is quite a weirdly fluffy dress.

I ordered four things from Amazon this weekend. I had those build up over a few days, so I could order them all at the same time, so just one package will need to be sent out.
This morning I got four shipping notices – each item separately, shipped on different days with different couriers. This is all getting a bit silly.

Talking about silly – VidCon 2015. Did nobody tell people that making teen boys – who are the worst, I know, I was one – famous is a terrible idea?

I’ve never been to Reykjavik, but this map is very, very pretty.

Be safe.

Our Future Now

July 27, 2015

Hello internet friends!

I tried to block all “unsafe” traffic when using a public hotspot, but the web (including many of my own sites) are not prepared to handle a world in which port 80 is not allowed.
And because I am very smart I disabled my SSH host before going on this trip.

Meanwhile in news from the future that we’re living in:

Apple Music is confusing enough that even a big fan manages to destroy his music library with it. He’s famous enough that someone at Apple helped him, but not everybody has this option, do we?

It is possible to hack into cars and do serious damage.

And maybe, just maybe, we need a new model for journalism that doesn’t turn a medium-length ranty article into a 7MB monster.
I used to play games that simulated a whole season of Formula 1 that needed less space.

But hey, just small sidesteps on our way to becoming a Type I civilization, right?

Be safe.

Ice Cream Licks You.

July 20, 2015

Hello internet friends!

Nine (nine!) years ago, my first tweet.
I feel old. A lot has happened in those nine years. And yet, here we are.

Cheated on your spouse lately? Maybe using ~the internet~? Well, bummer.

I am always fascinated by a good map. So I found it even more fascinating that there are apparently awesome secret Soviet maps around.
The temptation to order a bunch for a super secret project that I am working on is pretty high.

Now go and have some ice cream.
Yes, even if you’re in the southern hemisphere, ice cream is nice all year around.

Blue and Yellow

July 13, 2015

Hello internet friends!

Did you ever want to touch a hologram? Well, now you can. It is a bit scary, though:

[…] earlier iterations of plasma holograms burn human skin upon contact.

I am sure there is a whole subculture somewhere devoted to exactly that.

Apparently it is possible to see polarization. I couldn’t quite get it work, but then I see so many weird things when looking at nothing, a bunch of blue and yellow bow-ties might get lost in the noise.

It is possible to send an email to a tree in Melbourne.
This might be the best possible use case for email.

I mean, right after this email, right? Right?

Take care.

Blue Ant

July 6, 2015

Hello internet friends!

It is warm where I am, which surprised everybody. Who would have thought it is warm in summer?
What really does surprise me is the effect is seems to have on the electronics I use for internet connectivity. More so than in the years before my router gets really hot and stops being useful. Maybe I do need a mini-fridge for my electronics.

Ever wonder what it is like to be a Blue Man in the Group of the same name? Wonder no more.

Ever wonder what are those weird noises are that you hear on an airplane? Wonder no more.

Ever wonder if insects feel fear, anger and empathy? Wonder no more.

Ever wonder when Instagram will finally have pictures bigger than 640x640px? Wonder no more.

Now that I have destroyed all wonder, I hope you forgive me.
Take care.

Abroad

June 29, 2015

Hello internet friends!

Yesterday I realized I need a man-purse.
I was about to leave for a family gathering, wanted to swing by one of the few magazine stores with an international press section to get the new Monocle and I was also worried that the ageing battery of my iPhone would not make it through the day,[1] so I wanted to bring my battery pack.
But the smallest bag I have to carry things is my computer backpack, which is pretty small these days – a MacBook doesn’t need that much space – but it is still too big for that purpose.
Anyway.

I am one of those (snobby?) people who prefer to watch movies and series in their original language – yes, even if I don’t understand it. That’s why they invented subtitles. And while I still miss out on subtleties this way, I at least get the tone of the voices the way they were meant to be.
The Verge has a great article showing how hard it is to translate and dub a TV series for a German audience, using Seinfeld as an example.

More naps!

  1. I was right about that one. Crossing country-lines, being in a rural area with spotty reception equals crazy energy consumption of the phone.  ↩

Books

June 22, 2015

Hello internet friends!

This is a very pretty photo of a Boeing 777.

Why the sudden Boeing? I just finished reading Skyfaring – the book I mentioned two weeks ago. And now I am looking at aircraft pictures, because nerd.
It’s a good book, though.

Another book that made its rounds on the internet – or at least the part of the internet where I hang around – is Aziz Ansari’s Modern Romance. I am pretty sure it’s also a good book, there is just one little thing: The Problem with Aziz Ansari Writing a Book About Something He’s Never Done.

That’s all I have for today. Stay safe.

We’re in the hands of engineers.

June 15, 2015

Hello internet friends!

I am sure by now you have read Paul Ford’s “What Is Code”?
If not, you should – it is very well written and covers basically everything about code and software development in 2015 in a way that everybody understands.
Well, probably not everybody but I am sure all of you will have no problems with it.

I didn’t watch Jurassic World, yet – and I am not sure if I really want to. Especially given how much Jurassic Park means to me.
Now you might wonder – what makes Jurassic Park such a damn good movie?

While we’re being nostalgic for the 90s, here is some trivia regarding the title song of Friends.
(Have fun trying to get song unstuck from your brain now.)

I’m switching my diet to sauerkraut and kimchi now – I’ll be smelly but at least I won’t care? I’m sure that’s how it works.

Have a good week!

Ho-Ho-Ho

June 9, 2015

Hello internet friends!

What a nice, beautiful Monday it is!
Oh, wait. Never mind.

It’s very Snowfall-y, but nonetheless a very compelling read on the beauty of flying: In Flight – en route from London to Tokyo, a pilot’s-eye view of life in the sky.
It’s taken from a book that I have moved very high on my “to read” list.

(Snowfall-y? Well.)

It’s summer and that means it’s a good time for rum-based drinks. While enjoying one of those, it might be interesting to learn a bit about the geopolitics of rum.

And once you’re nicely drunk, you might be in the mood for some pretty weird and often weirdly pretty television. So why not give Sense8 a try? Many critics seemed to be on the meh side of things but I found one who pretty much agrees with me.
And as we all know, that’s the most important quality in a review, right?

Have a good week!