We’ve always been a fan of The Darwin Awards, A Darwin Award is a tongue-in-cheek honour named after evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin. Awards have been given for people who “do a service to Humanity by removing themselves from the gene pool” (i.e. lose the ability to reproduce either by death or sterilization in a stupid … Continue reading
So we’ve reached a milestone of sorts. America’s Pinata and Yours Truly are splitting the sheets. It’s sad but appropriate that I post this on Open Line Friday. After many years of a warm and cozy relationship, we’ve come to the point of irreconcilable differences. This may change down the road, but my long-standing subscription … Continue reading
TMI (“Too Much Information”) Syndrome now has a Big Brother, and he’s called “Lifelog“. The term Lifelog was coined by Gordon Bell, and it refers to the concept of recording everything you are exposed to every day; and I mean everything. We are on the cusp of realizing the digital equivalent (as I predicted) of the … Continue reading
I’ve gotta admit to being surprised by this chart from the Economist showing that there are now 3 times more mobile phones in the developing world than the developed world. Mobile-phone subscriptions in poorer countries accounted for just a quarter of the global stock in 2000, but had risen to three-quarters of the 4 billion … Continue reading
Things have gotten so bad in the world of written instructions, that when I first saw it I thought this book was for real. That was my bad. Of course we all know that nobody writes technical manuals anymore. Every gadget you buy comes with a ‘Quick Start’ guide, written in pictures. Otherwise known as … Continue reading
This is part geek time-out, and part public service announcement. We’ve add a neat feature to our blog, and want to explain how it works. It’s now appearing on thousands of other sites and blogs, so understanding it can save you a lot of time no matter where you are if you see that “Share” … Continue reading
We don’t usually comment on Celebrity Events, but today will be an exception. ZURICH (AP) (Published: September 27, 2009) — Director Roman Polanski was arrested by Swiss police for possible extradition to the United States for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl, authorities said Sunday. Polanski was flying in to receive an honorary award … Continue reading
It’s really not about the power. But everyone thinks it is. From the NY Times we have hand-wringing over the population of electricity gobbling gadgets. The proliferation of personal computers, iPods, cellphones, game consoles and all the rest amounts to the fastest-growing source of power demand in the world. Americans now have about 25 consumer electronic … Continue reading
From the UK Telegraph, Prince Charles is urging people to abandon their cars in favour of walking and public transport. I guess if your name starts with “HRH“, you can offer whatever advice comes to mind. The Prince, who has two Jaguars, two Audis, a Range Rover and still drives an Aston Martin given to … Continue reading
In recent posts we have recommended two books for listening: Rocket Men – The Epic Story of the First Men on The Moon The Billionaire’s Vinegar – The Mystery of the World’s Most Expensive Bottle of Wine So if you are wondering whether we actually read books, the answer is yes. And to prove it, … Continue reading
Not to beat a Dead Symbol, but here’s an update on Dan Brown’s “The Lost Symbol” sales. The Kindle version is outselling the Hard Cover edition on Amazon’s website! We’ve been following the back and forth between the publishing industry and Amazon for several months, and this latest data point should really focus some minds. … Continue reading