No weblog entries today. I’m running into too many popup ads and the one for Microsoft XP with Madonna singing “Ray of Light” pushed me over the edge. I think I need a web surfing break.
The J.W. Westcott II sank on Tuesday, losing two crew members. The tugboat was a U.S. marine post office that traveled the Great Lakes delivering mail. It had its very own zip code, 48222.
Usually, I steal links from Yahoo’s Daily Picks. But today, they got one from me (the Berkeley Breathed site). You may think I am just blowing smoke, but I have friends in high places. OK, just one very well-placed friend. Thank you, you know who you are. I am pleased to have given something back to the Picks.
When I was a kid and got bored on long car trips, I thought that a way to contact people in other cars using their license plates would be useful and exciting. Now that I am a driver and have experienced both sides of road rage (mild cases, thank goodness), I’m not so sure I would sign up for DriverSMS if it were available where I live.
GirlHacker’s Random Log is honored to be among the many fine sites in The September 11 Web Archive. (Even if I never get a book published, at least I can say I was archived by the Library of Congress.)
Amongst the Low Fashion galleries is a set of ads which “speak of the unbelievable lameness of generic modern American life”. This cigarette ad was the scariest one for me. I recognize a lot of these from when my mom got Better Homes & Gardens about 15-20 years ago. (via the happy return of Pop Culture Junkmail)
After I stopped my regular checking to see if it was finally up, Berkeley Breathed launched his own website, accessible via bloomcounty.com and berkeleybreathed.com. His selection of favorite strips includes my all-time fave: pear pimples for hairy fishnuts.
“Microsoft’s biggest underlying fear is that it will become like IBM—a company that still has a strong business but no longer sets computing standards.” The Economist does a nice analysis of Microsoft’s upcoming Windows XP launch and proprietary strategies. With Xbox they are staking a claim into controlling the platform of home entertainment. No slouches in looking forward since the Internet nearly wrestled the web from them (remember when everyone used Netscape?), Microsoft is poised to control it all with .NET. It’s doubtful that Apple’s mysterious Tuesday announcement will take any wind out of Bill’s sales, errr I mean sails.
I just discovered New Scientist’s Q&A; section which included a description of the similarity between tapping the top of a soda can and burping babies (only they called it “winding babies” ’cause I guess that’s Brit-speak… I was stuck for a minute with the mental image of someone winding a baby up with a large key).
I bring you news from the mall: The Holiday Shopping Season has begun. Even the carols on the sound system. But don’t despair, there’s still plenty of Halloween stuff left for those of you who blinked and missed it.