cool links
stripcreator
Submitted by Trigear on Tue, 05/08/2007 - 5:40pm.I found a website called stripcreator that allows anyone to make comic strips quick and dirty way. It's fun and even a bit cathartic, and the best part is it's easy.
I've got a whole bunch already made, and I'm making more. You can check out mine and then make your own. Also, I'll be putting a feed of my latest strips off on the sidebar, somewhere. I think.
I love it when she talks nerdy to me!
Submitted by Trigear on Tue, 02/13/2007 - 6:40pm.
I'm in love with Cali Lewis. Sigh!
For those of you who don't know who she is (you unlucky few), she hosts a technology podcast called GeekBrief.TV that broadcasts more or less daily. She's actually a co-producer, too... with her husband. Oh well, we can't win 'em all.
It's a pretty informative show, when I can peel my eyes off of the girl. You see, I absolutely love nerd girls, so it doesn't really matter what she's talking about, as long as she's sitting next to a computer and talking tech I'm listening intently. My heart skips a beat when she says such romantic things as "beta", "link", and "search engine".
Anyway, happy early St. Valentine's Day, everyone!
8bitpeoples are we
Submitted by Trigear on Thu, 01/25/2007 - 1:03am.
I've been digging on this weird, non-mainstream type of music lately, made by several bands in an organization called the 8bitpeoples. It's hard to describe exactly who or what the 8bitpeoples are, except that their music relates in one way or another to video games and my generation's collective memory of parts of the 80s zeitgeist. It's better to just quote you from their mission statement:
The 8bitpeoples first came together in 1999 as a collective of artists sharing a common love for classic videogames and an approach to music which reflected this obsession. Our primary interests were to provide quality music for free and most importantly to have fun. In the years since, we have grown in rank and expanded our goals.
Some of the albums don't really do anything for me, but a lot of them do. I don't know what it is, but somehow they tap into my memories and provide psychological stimulation as well as audio. The end result is interesting at the very least, enlightening at best, and if nothing else, it's free. Check it out already!
So All Might Eat
Submitted by Trigear on Tue, 01/23/2007 - 9:00pm.
Last month Time printed an article on pay-as-you-can restaurants. What are they? They're a neat little idea for restaurants that promote world hunger awareness and help to prevent hunger in their communities, and they're becoming popular all over the place. The most famous one right now, One World Everybody Eats, is located in Salt Lake City, and here's how it works, quoted from the article:
These pay-as-you-can cafes have missions that are unapologetically altruistic — call it serving up fare Robin Hood style. "Our philosophy is that everyone, regardless of economic status, deserves the chance to eat healthy, organic food while being treated with dignity," explains Brad Birky, who opened SAME with his wife, Libby, in October. Customers who have no money are encouraged to exchange an hour of service — sweep, wash the dishes, weed the organic garden — for a meal. Likewise, guests who have money are encouraged to leave a little extra to offset the meals of those who have less to give. "We're a hand up, not a handout," says One World owner Denise Cerreta, who prides herself on the fact that everyone can afford a meal at her cafe.
The idea is a hippie twist on charity, and I like it. It seems to be amazingly successful in the few places where it's been implemented, in terms of its goals and even from a financial perspective, and you can't knock that, no matter what side of the political spectrum you're on. It's the kind of idea that makes you feel good about the human race just reading about it, and I kind of want to check one of these places out; from what I've read, the food is really good.
Virtual Villagers
Submitted by Trigear on Mon, 01/22/2007 - 11:18pm.
Shamus Young over at Twenty Sided (you know, the guy with the DM of the Rings comic I told you about last week?) mentioned a small game called "Virtual Villagers" today. Essentially it's an island sim. You start off with a handful of villagers on a tropical desert island, and you have to coddle them and train them to build up their island village. The catch? The game runs in pseudo real-time, so if you leave it alone for a day or two and come back you'll find things have changed since the last time you played.
It's a cute, fun little game, and they have a demo available on the website. It's made by an independent developer, and I felt like supporting them so I purchased a copy of their game. You should check it out too.
Odds and Ends
Submitted by Trigear on Fri, 12/22/2006 - 7:03pm.
I had a few things I wanted to post here, and I hadn't gotten around to them in a few days, so I decided to buckle down and write them.
First off, I wanted everyone to know that I got a new 30gb iPod last week, and I'm loving it. I was going to buy it after Christmas with whatever gift monies I had received, but I got a fat dividend check from my insurance company, so I decided to buy it early. I haven't put all of my music on there yet, but I've got most of my favorites so far. The conversion from FLAC to AAC is a bit tedious, but I'll get to finishing it up eventually. I'm planning on using it mostly for when I work out.
Second, I wanted to let everyone know about a cool new video blog I've been checking out lately, called The Show (with zefrank). This guy is pretty intelligent and funny at the same time, and over the past year he's developed quite an e-following too. He's promised to put a new 3 minute video out every week day for a year, and the project ends in March, so it's not too late to get hooked. You can subscribe to the podcast of the show on iTMS, which means you could also watch The Show on your iPod, if that's your sort of thing. It isn't really mine.
I haven't been to the gym since Monday. In three days my energy levels have dropped, my outlook has faltered, and I feel like I gained 30 lb. I'll probably head over there as soon as I finish posting this.
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