General

Amazing how much lightning running in on one server can kill your time and desire to blog. :| (Not this server…our production Web server at my work.) Anyway, another interesting Spiked book review, for two reasons: What the author is trying to tell us, and what the article says about the publication. First, as you can read in the article, the book being reviewed argues that the modern concept of inclusion is reducing the value in our institutions. To become accessible to the masses, they simply require less of us, which has the effect of removing our desire to aspire to the heights those institutions once exemplified. ...

Every once in a while in the blog world, some mildly controversial topic will come along and kick up up a mini-storm of opinions. One of the latest is over Wikipedia, a project encouraging open participation in building an encyclopedia-like reference resource.

Is it a story of greed, ambition, and ruin? Well, no, but it is a story of incompetence and indifference, and what happens when you can buy and sell a post office. Courtesy of The New York Times (free registration required)

Good list from McSweeney’s. I want to hear “How Are We Going to Get These Dogs Back In?”, but I know I’ll just hear it played too often and hate it.

Amazon.com has a new feature called a plog — product weblog — that informs you of various new items based on items you have already bought. It’s an interesting idea, but not too different from what they already did, and some of the recommendations seem a little off somehow. This is the strangest one so far: Nanch Drew: The Secret of Shadow Ranch was released today; We thought you’d be interested because you rated Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind Game Of The Year Edition. From the Manufacturer: Saddle up as super-sleuth Nancy Drew for a trip out west to the Shadow Ranch in Arizona. A phantom horse is terrorizing the ranch, leaving a trail of frightening “accidents.” Local legend says the horse has come to avenge the hanging of its master, and that misfortune will befall whoever sets eyes on it. The mysterious horse tramples all hope of a restful ranch vacation for you, as Nancy Drew. Is it a four-legged spirit from a tragic love story or is there a sinister scheme lurking in the shadows of the saguaro cacti? You must divine the truth from the ghost stories quickly, and question everyone you meet. Don’t expect a straight answer from anyone. In this high-stakes game everyone seems to be wagering that you’ll be gone before sundown.An interactive mystery-adventure game, Nancy Drew: The Secret of Shadow Ranch puts players in the shoes of teenage super-sleuth Nancy Drew as she investigates a string of mysterious events on Shadow Ranch and in the desert and canyon lands that surround it.Features:A thrilling western adventure; complete with roping, riding, and romance All-new interface features a larger game window, increasing the sense of realism and adventure Based on the best-selling Nancy Drew book of all time— The Secret of Shadow Ranch—a favorite with generations of readers Assume the role of Nancy Drew, girl detective Up-close interaction with horses and other ranch animals; saddle up and ride your very own horse, and go barrel-racing Explore incredibly lifelike Arizona ranchlands, complete with ghost towns, ranch buildings, canyons, and wide-open spaces 20+ hours of thrilling game play as you search for clues and interview suspects Call for hints, get e-mail, and surf the Web on your in-game cell phone Solve the mystery on your own or team up with family and friends New puzzles that tie directly to storyline and give important cluesBuilt-in game hints, but only if you want them Two difficulty settings, Junior and Senior Detective, so both experienced and new detectives can have…read more. ...

Hmm, one of those long periods of time between posts…told myself I wouldn’t do that. Oh well, I’ll just say I’ve been busy. :) For now, HULK BLOG!!!

In Philip Greenspun’s Weblog, he notes he just ran into a family of circus performers where the children were far more well-behaved and polite than others he has met. Since the children were “home-schooled,” Greenspun hypothesizes that spending time with a high percentage of adults might be good for manners. Well, aside from the obvious “It depends on the adults,” I think it would be far more likely in this case that two other factors come into play: social space and professionalism. ...

Probably an apt description of blogging. :) BTW, User Friendly is an excellent Web comic.