A Whole Lotta Nothing

Look Ma, my first mention

Look Ma, my first mention in the New York Times! I'll probably be as giddy as a schoolgirl tomorrow when I actually see it in print, even though it's a very small mention. I know it's nothing, but after spending two days cruising the harsh wastelands that craigslist, monster, and dice have become, I'll take almost anything as a reason to smile these days.

I was happy to see the work of everyone on MetaFilter get recognized. I think the writer did a good job describing how everyone worked together to build up clues and solve the case. I hoped that the message of the piece would be that a group of users can accomplish more together than individuals can by themselves. Pre-internet this couldn't happen, but it happened on MetaFilter.

*ring* *ring* "Is this Matt?"

*ring* *ring*

"Is this Matt?"

"Yeah"

"What's the deal?"

"It was a joke. The server was getting pummeled, so I put that up until I could work on it tonight."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"So the person at MIT wasn't lying to me that there really is no Dr. Lieke?"

"Um. Yeah."

Skepticism is a virtue indeed.

Occam's Razor states "when you

Occam's Razor states "when you have two competing theories which make exactly the same predictions, the one that is simpler is the better."

What's weird is that faced with the choice that a story was real, and maybe some of the details were sketchy, and the story was an elaborate hoax involving hundreds of emails, dozens of phone calls, hundreds and hundreds of hours of time spent sending instant messages, and megabytes of written text, the one that was much more work seems to be true.

The hooting and hollering woke

The hooting and hollering woke us up shortly after 8. Fifty feet away, the Bay to Breakers is going by. As I sit here, I can see thousands of runners flow by, some in drag, some dressed as Santa Claus, some as fictional characters.

Oh, and there just went a naked guy, flopping past.

Holy. Cow. So the

Holy. Cow.

So the Kaycee blog was not written by a dying leukemia patient, but by someone else, the identity of which will probably never be known. A lot of what you see and read on the web requires trust on the part of the reader, and when someone betrays that trust, every reader that bought into the story loses something.

Thanks "Debbie" for making me a little more cynical than I was yesterday.

So the 2nd annual $30

So the 2nd annual $30 (this year $50) contest has passed at MetaFilter (thanks Jeremy) and this year's lot turned up a bunch of great stuff. If I had to pick a favorite, I'd say the Life of Christ Cat plate is easily my favorite.

It's my favorite because the artist did not just one edgy thing, but two amazing things.

Jason proves mob rule works!

Jason proves mob rule works! (and quickly)

I'm surprised zealots haven't abused this before. If your group got coverage for some sort of demonstration, you could easily peg it as the #1 most popular item, forcing others to see it.

The 280 freeway in the

The 280 freeway in the Bay Area is easily the most scenic and beautiful express highway I've ever driven on. It travels through 50-60 miles between San Jose and San Francisco, along the western, undeveloped side of the Silicon Valley. It usually takes a tad longer to get from the Silicon Valley to The City if you decide to take the 280, but it's always more pleasant and worth it for the view.

I've traveled this highway hundreds of times, and for about three months on a near daily basis, and as far as freeways go it's still by far my favorite. Today I finally realized why, and it's worth noting.

Not only does it cut through picturesque countryside, but there is not a single billboard ad along any of it.

This is far from being a minor point, many freeways north of San Francisco cut through undeveloped green hillsides, but they're not nearly as pleasant or relaxing, and it's the ads. How on earth a heavily trafficked freeway in one of the richest areas in the nation (traveled daily by many gadget freak techies with disposable incomes that are also prone to advertising) can be free of any ads is beyond me. To drive each day free of advertising doesn't seem like much, but you show up to your destination calm and refreshed. You can hold a conversation in a car without being visually jarred every 30 seconds and you can look out the side windows and see nothing but uninterrupted rolling hills.

You wouldn't think it's that big of deal until you realize it. I don't even have to tell you, it's a living example. Do an experiment the next time you have a party in the Bay Area. Give half your friends directions to your place via the 101, the other half via the 280, and see who has a better time when they show up.

You can thank me later.

Christina Aguilera is deserving of

Christina Aguilera is deserving of a benefit concert, a tribute album, and special fund to save something very close to her. Take a quick look:

one two three four five

I hereby propose we start a "Save Christina Aguilera's hair roots fund." Everytime I see a picture of her, she's got differently colored and styled hair. It can't be good for her, or for the children that follow her.

Won't somebody please think of the hair roots?

I'll be in Australia for

I'll be in Australia for a few weeks this August and I need to figure out what to do for a few days. We (Kay and I) have at least eight days to kill between the time we land in Sydney and the time we have to be in the Claire Valley (near Adelaide). Flights don't seem that expensive, so we're open to hopping around AUS as needed.

We're thinking a few days in a nice hotel in Sydney is sufficient, then heading to Melbourne to check things out. After that we're thinking of doing a train trip from Melbourne to Adelaide, but that leaves a lot of space in between. I know a few people in Australia, and there are probably more that read this site, but what would you do with some free time in Australia? Is there a city I'm missing? What's the weather like in August? If there's one thing I have to do in Sydney, what would that be? Should I check out Perth? The northern coast? Hop over to NZ? Try boxing a kangaroo?

Thanks in advance.

If you read Into Thin

If you read Into Thin Air, you will probably be interested in the Everest 2001 news site. I used to hike a great deal (that link is to a slow summer though, during 1995-1997 I was on a summit at least twice a month, year round) and I started rock climbing too, with visions on climbing big mountains someday.

I was a wreck every time I went above 14,000' but I thought conditioning could take me to 16, 18, and even 20,000' levels someday. Back then, I honestly thought I could scale everest if I made that a priority in my life and worked long enough on getting to that point.

Then I saw Jon Krakauer give a slide talk, shortly after Into Thin Air came out (before the movie and 2nd, 3rd, or umpteeth printings). In two hours he retold all his previous exploits and for an hour he walked us through that May in 1996.

I'll miss you Kaycee

I'll miss you Kaycee Nicole

r.i.p.

Well that was definitely the

Well that was definitely the funniest Futurama to date.

Imitation is the sincerest form

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

A Knight's Tale is getting

A Knight's Tale is getting lots of good pre-reviews, but I have a hard time believing I'd ever like such a film. The trailer shows a pseudo-period piece with modern music, references, humor, and dialogue. After viewing it, a more accurate title came to mind:

Dude, Where's My Horse?

My first foray into

My first foray into quasi-fiction. It's an obvious first effort due to the clear blend of Hunter S. Thompson and Cameron Crowe influences.

I haven't been writing much

I haven't been writing much here, and I'll be the first to admit what I have been posting lately has been mostly crap. I'm busy thinking of how to launch an online magazine, I'm still doing stuff for the scholarship thing (due in a week, get on it kids!), I'm judging the 5k entries, I wrote a review for a new design site, and I started a review of audible.com's customer experience today.

But today I got an email. It's the Greatest. Reader. Feedback. Ever.

The thing that cracks me up about it is that I merely allude to jokes we were making. If the writer heard the actual jokes, I could understand the sentiment, but just the thought was enough to turn him off forever. I've updated the copyright at the bottom of this page, so hopefully this doesn't happen again.

The agency responsible for running

The agency responsible for running the Caltrain site should get an award for false advertising. On their TBI (Tickets By Internet) page, you order your pass (over the amazing internet!) by first printing out an application, mailing it in, then waiting for your own special PIN to come back in the mail.

After that, you can actually order your tickets, and it's email only. Your tickets should then arrive 5 days later by post.

Ah, how wonderful it is to see the internet making everyone's lives easier.

Attitude really is everything. I'm

Attitude really is everything.

I'm learning that it's actually true, the older I get. When I was an angsty, pissed-off fifteen year old, my friend's dad would remind me of the phrase "attitude is everything" as often as he could. I hated hearing it because I was so pissed-off at the world, and I insisted that world should change to suit me, instead of the other way around.

Years have passed and I've mellowed out a bit, but I don't think I was the one that did all the changing to make that happen, the world has changed a bit for me, aligned with the things I hoped it would. I've seen and experienced being nice to people and getting nice things in return, and being a jerk to people and getting treated like a jerk in return. I've learned this from looking back at exchanges I've been apart of, when things went well, how did I act, and on the worst days of my life, was I in the mood to invite such bad luck?

What strikes me as odd are the people that don't learn this fact of life. The ones that go through their teens and 20's without ever re-evaluating their actions and their outlook, and insist that in the world's game of poker, they got dealt a crappy hand and continue to get shitty cards.

The US lost its

The US lost its seat on the Human Rights Commission, and there's not much more I can say other than "this really sucks." I wouldn't put all the blame on the current administration, the past one wasn't terribly good at dealing with human rights abuses worldwide, but this feels like a major sign. A sign that the US is no longer a forward-thinking, compassionate government, a sign that in the latter half of the 20th century corporations and free trade became more important that opposition to human suffering, a sign that thinking of the US as a world leader began slipping.

Saw my first BMW Z8

Saw my first BMW Z8 yesterday. It was certainly a beautifully designed, supercharged 2-seater, but I couldn't help thinking of it as a $150,000 Miata. I've dubbed the Z8 "IPO wagon" and I doubt I see too many more again.

I should add something that

I should add something that might have not been clear in the anti-webbys thing below: I hope it didn't sound like I'm a sore loser for not being nominated because I never wanted to be, nor do I ever want to be nominated. I'm happy for my friends that were nominated, but my main beef is with the purpose, vision, and direction the webbys have taken in the past and continue to take.

Imagine if all film industry awards were gone, and the only one that represented the craft of filmmaking was the BlockBuster Awards. That's what I was trying to say about the web and the webbys - there are no golden globes, no real oscars, no critics lists, heck, we don't even have a Roger Ebert on the web (besides Glenn Davis, David Siegel, and Joe Jenett of course). If you still don't believe me, take a look at the list of categories.

There is no 'Art' category this year. According to the webby awards, there was nothing notable in the world of online art, nothing stood out as art, and nothing worthy of highlight or award in the field of art took place on the web in the year 2000.

You simply can't beat the

You simply can't beat the quality of dreams experienced when overcome by drowsiness brought on by allergy medication. Earlier today, I took a 12 hr over-the-counter drug, and after dinner, I collapsed for a 2 hour nap. I woke up with a slobber-covered pillow, while vivid visions of alligators, australia, running from ax wielding maniacs, and the aurora borealis danced in my head.

Why don't they advertise that on the side of the box?

I shot some photos

I shot some photos at the Golden Gate Bridge today, but I can't tell you why just yet.

For your blurry, badly lit,

For your blurry, badly lit, boring headshot-filled pleasure, I've added my webcam's 30 second grabs to the contact page.

In doing something like this,

In doing something like this, and asking others to do the same, my dream is to actually win the People's Voice Award so I can go on stage and say:

"The Webbys represent all that is wrong with the web. The Webbys are the crown jewel of the pyramid, built from layers upon layers of hype, of eager attempts to appear important and worth consideration. Businesses that built themselves in the pre-IPO gold rush, taking quick-buck advantage of the information revolution, are the ones being rewarded, thanks to the cluelessness of the nominating mix of Internet journalists, financiers, corporate pioneers, and big-name, know-nothing celebrities -- hardly representative of what the esteemed moniker "International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences" suggests.

The Webbys continue to get our attention because there is no one to take their place. Since the competition for "Oscars of the web" is nil, the Webbys are the only game in town. If they neglect to highlight or mention cutting-edge uses of the web that extend the medium, it's too bad; as a result, the nominees in many categories are wrongly viewed as important and revolutionary.

The Webbys and the accompanying awards show are in place to signify nothing, and do it as loudly as possible. But thanks to both their misguided direction and the lack of meaningful, peer-reviewed awards, everyone falls into the trap of caring about them, whether they want to or not. The awards have become a source of strife -- even destroying friendships -- in a community of artists, designers, and programmers with more integrity in their pinky fingers than there is in the entire Webbys organization.

I'm here to say that I refuse to continue wasting another second of time on this madness."

After the screed, I'd take the award in my hands, hold it high above my head, and throw it with all my might at the ground below me, breaking it (I hope) into a million pieces.