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October 30, 2006
The new Al Gore?
I got this in an email the other day:
Hey I noticed on the internet that you have a blog. I also noticed that you have had it for AGES but you never told me which makes me think that there is this whole new side of you that I never knew. Like this weird computer nerd split personality that is completed removed from your everyday nerd personality (joke). I also noticed that it was very news and current affairs focused. Good one you. Although I think a smattering of personal anecdotes involving waking up in your own vomit wouldn't go astray! You know no one likes a smarty pants. They tire of people who are thoughtful and actually know things. Look at what happened to Al Gore....
Hahaha! A smarty pants? Not enough stories about waking up in the gutter? What do the rest of you think? :-)
Posted by Marcus at 9:56 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
October 24, 2006
Goodbye to Berlin?
Anyone who has been to Germany's capital, Berlin, will know that the city is home to some of the best theatre companies, orchestras and galleries not only in Europe, but the world. What many visitors to the city may not know, however, is that Berlin is broke. The city owes some sixty billion euros - the cost of reunification.
Well it seems that now after much soul-searching and hand-ringing, Berliners will have to say goodbye to at least some of the cheap theatre seats and gallery openings. The mountain of debt is simply too large. One of the city's three opera houses will likely close, and other institutions not eligible for state funding are in serious danger of following suit.
You can read more about Berlin's arts-funding crisis here .
Posted by Marcus at 9:38 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
October 16, 2006
MemeAgain
Born Dancin' has once again requested that I share my thoughts on a range of inconsequential issues. Without further ado, here are my answers to this latest meme:
My earliest memory is… Looking up at a group of doctors as they stitched up my head. Seems that returning from the supermarket, young Marcus ran into the family home and headlong into a wall.
At high school I… found myself the lone skeptic when my Social Studies teacher Ms Ellis predicted a future of paperless offices and increased leisure time. We would, she explained, have to find things to do with all of our free time. Ha!
My first relationship was… more successful than most of the subsequent ones.
I wish I’d never worn… those knickerbockers mum made for me.
My mother told me… not to pay any attention to the kids at school who beat up on me for wearing the knickerbockers. "They are just jealous," she explained.
I wish I had... more hours in a day. Or maybe a private island a la The Thunderbirds. But if part of the deal was becoming a marionette with giant eyebrows, I'll take the extra hours.
My most humiliating moment was... primary school.
At home I cook… Italian, Lebanese and high-cholesterol breakfasts.
My last meal would be… eaten (hopefully) without any forewarning of my impeding doom. Can't imagine enjoying it knowing I was about to be struck down by lightning or sat on by a hippo.
I’m very bad at… being phlegmatic.
When I was a child… I once set fire to a building. But don't tell anyone.
The book that changed my life is… Tough question. I guess I'd probably have to say T.S. Eliot's Collected Poems.
It’s not fashionable, but I love… salarymen and their routines.
Friends say I am… interested in too many things, usually all at the same time.
The song I’d like played at my funeral is… Born Dancin' beat me to 'Another one bites the dust,' so I'll choose The Spaniels' 'Goodnight Sweetheart'. I'm going for the whole David Lynch-style send-off.
If only I could… kick my 24 habit.
The last big belly laugh I had was… while watching The Daily Show.
What I don’t find amusing is… foreigners joking about 'stupid Japanese customs'.
I’m always being asked… If I can eat sushi.
If I wasn’t me… I'd like to know who else has a thing for soviet-style nightclubs.
At the moment I’m listening to… Around 20 different podcasts. Beats listening to J pop on the radio.
My favourite work of art is… by Otto Dix.
If I were a car I’d be… jealous of airplanes.
I often wonder… who writes these things.
Posted by Marcus at 4:58 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
October 13, 2006
Lost
New York Times reporter Joe Sharkey was traveling in a corporate jet 37000 feet above the Amazon jungle when it was involved in a mid-air collision. He writes about his narrow escape here, and about how the 155 passengers aboard the Boeing 737 were not so lucky.
Posted by Marcus at 12:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 10, 2006
You're gonna need a lawyer, son
It seems the rumors were true after all. Google is to pay $1.65 billion dollars to purchase YouTube. In a lengthy Cnet article, Google CEO Eric Schmidt is quoted with saying that the deal is central to the company's strategy to put video "at the heart of a user's online experience".
Meanwhile internet badboy Mark Cuban, who last week described anyone stupid enough to purchase YouTube as 'a moron' is sticking by his guns saying, "I think there will be subpoenas to get the names of Youtube and Google Video users. Lots of them as those copyright owners not part of the gravy train go after both Google and their users for infringement."
Until now nobody has bothered to go after YouTube for the simple fact that they weren't worth suing. All that will change now that Google has purchased the company. I agree that the lawyers are going to have a field day, although I can't imagine small-scale YouTube users being successfully prosecuted for piracy. I do think that YouTube will make some changes to the way it allows users to download content. Google will probably be in a big hurry to have YouTube sign deals with Hollywood.
How all this is going to impact on YouTube users will be interesting. Will YouTube (as many users have worried since the announcement) start to resemble Google Video? Will there be DRM for Google/YT content? Will users have to give up watching two minute clips from The Daily Show and The Family Guy?
We'll have to wait and see.
Posted by Marcus at 5:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 9, 2006
That was no quake
The USGS Earthquake Hazards Program detected a quake earlier today in a region around 40 miles north of Kimchaek, North Korea. Thats roughly 670 miles from where I'm sitting right now.
Since then, it has been confirmed that it was no ordinary quake, but in fact the first test of a nuclear weapon by North Korea.
By now it should come as little surprise that the North decided to perform their first-ever nuclear test on the very day that the UN is set to vote on whether South Korea's foreign minister is to become the next Secretary-General of the United Nations.
The North always tries to upstage the South, hoping to prove to the world that their paranoid country remains relevant...
Posted by Marcus at 11:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 8, 2006
Best Asian Photo Blog 2006
The nominations for the Best Asian Photo Blog of 2006 are in at the Asia Blog Awards. To vote, just follow the link to the awards site.
My personal pick is Phnom Penh-based Steve Goodman. He's got some great photos on his site. I particularly like this image, which Goodman has submitted to JPG magazine's 'Hometown' edition. If you like the photo, you can vote for it at the JPG website.
Posted by Marcus at 2:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Revision3
The new-look Revision3 site is fantastic. For those of you not yet familiar with it, Revision3 is an online TV network which creates and delivers its own content. Not only is the slick redesign a big improvement on the old site, but Jay Adelson, David Prager et al have some new shows: NotMTV, Web Drifter, PixelPerfect and Mysteries of Science. That's in addition to regular favorites like Diggnation and Crl-alt-chicken.
Of particular interest to people reading this blog will be PixelPerfect, how-to videos featuring tips and tricks for Photoshop users. On the most recent episode, host Bert Monroy demonstrates how you can use CS to create simple animations.
Posted by Marcus at 12:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 6, 2006
Neil Gaiman interview
If you haven't heard it yet, there's a terrific interview with author Neil Gaiman on this week's episode of Cranky Geeks. He discusses his approach to writing, his long-running blog and the art of selling books with Head Crank John C. Dvorak.
Posted by Marcus at 1:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 1, 2006
Wanted: Inspector of piercings
From a story in Tokyo's Daily Yomiyuri:
AKITA--Akita Keizaihoka University and its affiliated Akita Nutrition Junior College will prohibit its students dyeing their hair and wearing piercings starting Oct. 1.
Students who do not follow the new rules would be subject to discipline, while those who do could be awarded the President Prize, which includes prize money of 10,000 yen. The school is ready to hand over 1 million yen in incentive payments.
The school said some students have already expressed their objection to the new rules, questioning the need for the measures.
Can you imagine something like this happening in the US or Australia? There'd be rioting, as over half the student population would qualify for disciplinary action. And who is going to enforce these crazy rules? Will students be encouraged to inform on each other? "Isao has his nipple pierced..." or "Akiko has a tattoo on her ankle", etc.
It will be interesting to see just what kind of reaction this gets from Japan's traditionally conservative student groups.
Posted by Marcus at 10:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack