youtube
Consider This
I saw a note recently about a parent who disciplines their child by restricting him to only watching television instead of YouTube. Like it or not, this is where the mass entertainment puck is going.
Of course, YouTube comes as standard on all new Smart TVs. YouTube is where the smart advertising dollars should be going. There’s a short enough window now for figuring how to do it right without breaking online video with advertising the way online text has been broken by online advertising.
☆ Want You To Know: Intergalactic
The (Somewhat) Real World
Darth Vader has been prevented from running in the Ukrainian presidential elections in May. Earth has yet again missed out on a potential galactic empire. Will we never learn?
If you're even remotely incompetent, video games may enrage you. Hence it is not recommended that you go anywhere near QWOP.
Real world athletics isn't much better as the drones have started to attack. This is only the beginning.
In Android news, there'll be ads on your lock screen before long. Allegedly.
Bubble? What bubble?
A Polish politician is travelling to the UK to find out what life is like as a migrant. In the process of solving Poland's emigration problem he has incidentally secured himself quite an amount of media coverage. Well played, Artur Debski, well played.
Today In Facepalm
Kate Mulgrew has caused consternation amongst geeks by providing the narration for 'The Principle'. The Sun really does revolve around the Earth after all. Because of science, apparently.
Because of serendipity, that page also provides today's bottom half of the Internet highlight.
I showed your online tellarium and the animated Geocentricity pictures to our share a lunch together church group. They were very surprised but very interested. Our pastor told us that he believed in Geocentricity.
I sent an email to the president of the world Society Of Evangelical Arminians, informing him about your belief in Geocentricity, and he replied, ‘do you really expect me to answer this email.’
I did not expect this answer. I never replied to him.
Fusion Television
My Heart Bleeds For You, Internet
heartbleed.com, engadget.com, test your server.
Vox.com launched and the New York Times got breathlessly excited about the whole thing, especially the bespoke CMS, Chorus. This must be the first time that a CMS has been described as being "sexy enough to be a recruiting tool." Go here for your helping of card-based journosplaining.
Totally Confused
Angry Apple emails, petrol-sniffing spiders, light on Mars, tipping smart cars and the salvation of your eternal soul is now downloading.
Cold music. A song for Winnipeg winters. 'These Are Grounds For Violence'.
Relevant music. Beastie Boys, 'Intergalactic'
Finally, this is extremely pretty and for a very good cause. Go and make some memories …
☆ Want You To Know: Whatever Happened To ‘Winter Is Coming’?
Game of Thrones returns for it's fourth season this weekend. It seems old habits die hard and 'sexposition' is still an important narrative device. If you've forgotten what's happened up until now, here's a decent recap. As that one is in traditional text format, for good measure here's a recap that uses emoji. 14 most brutal deaths in Game of Thrones as 8-bit GIFs. And finally, 'If The Media Reported The Events Of "Game Of Thrones"'.
Internet
Crowdfunding game of the day: Kickstarter simulator 2015.
Glass is 'merely descriptive', so no patent for you, Google. At least not yet. Yelp reviews might be a bit dodgy. As if that possibility has never occurred to anyone before.
At the start of this week I had heard the name James Franco, but didn't really know who he was. Then the Internet told me he was mostly a creep, and who was I to disagree? Now, at the end of this week it turns out he just has some product to promote.
Local flavour alert. An Irish Farmer's Journal piece about the County Kildare geep is spreading rapidly ('going viral', as many twits are still fond of saying).
To Ponder, Or Not To Ponder?
Very Important Documentary Film
'Catnip: Egress to Oblivion?' [YT]
Art Corner
George Bush paints other world leaders.
JENNA: You think you got to the soul of you?
GEORGE: You're going to have to ask other people who know me better, such as yourself. This is an improvement of the first one I did of myself.
'Two Monks Invent Renaissance Art'
Totally Confused, Mostly Long Video Edition
Books versus movies, Tyrion Lanister slapping Joffrey for ten hours, shrinking women, Hurtigruten timelapse, and fifty years of James Bond.
Cover version of the day: 'Wave of Mutilation', Kristin Hersh
☆ Want You To Know: It’s Safe To Come Out Now
It’s Safe To Come Back Out Now
April Fool’s day has thankfully passed without any major casualties. Disappointingly The Onion still refuse to publish only actual news stories on April Fool’s day.
To celebrate surviving April Fool’s day, I recommend playing this highly topical and informative clicking game that will tell you everything you need to know about Bitcoin. Then have a giggle at this journo who was caught looking at dogs on the Internet when he should have been looking at footballers.
Many people have been in this meeting [YT], which is doing the rounds at the moment. People who have not been in that meeting may suspect that it’s an April Fool’s prank. It isn’t. It is horrifyingly accurate.
Keep Your Bible Close To Your Crest
Someone went on a crashing spree through whatever it is Trinity has decided to call itself and then proceeded up Dawson Street, with continued crashing all the while. There were inevitable rumours that the perpetrator may have been upset at the university’s decision to remove the bible from its crest as part of the rebranding. This has to be unlikely, but you can’t keep a good rumour down.
What was also notable was the difficulty some media outlets had in even roughly estimating how old the front gates of Trinity actually are. Hint: it’s not 1500 years.
Known Unknowns
A properly long read, ‘The Certainty Of Donald Rumsfeld‘ from the New York Times. Part 1, 2, 3, 4.
For more long reads and different opinions, keep an eye on Buzzfeed Ideas which has only just launched but looks like it could be an interesting part of the Buzzfeed project.
Anniversaries
The Matrix is 15 years old. I actually would have guessed it came out longer ago than that.
Gmail is 10 years old.
Totally Random, Food Edition
Kit-Kats you bake, burgers you smash, ranch dressing you can swim in, pizza for breakfast and general food eye-candy.
Bonus KitKat. (This one’s about Android, not chocolate.)
Today’s recommended version of David Bowie’s ‘Heroes / Helden’ is by Andrea Schroeder [YT].