This Thing We Do

So, this blogging thing that we do... Kinda cool, right? I mean, yeah. Like, the pre-1990 version of this was...what? Newsgroups? BBS's? Bzzzzt. No. Well, sort of, sometimes. But really? Not.

And no, I don't have some rare insight about blogging that hasn't netted, desiccated and pinned to a board by now. I was just marveling once again about how unprecedented and cool so much of the Internet is, and today's particular gee-whiz is blogging.

In high school, one of my English teachers assigned a daily journal for each semester. Due at the end of the semester. Both semesters, I stayed up all night the night before it was due writing all the entries -- I didn't have to pretend that I'd written them earlier; the assignment just called for X entries, with zero content restrictions (within reason for a high school course, but that was just implicit). So I just riffed and wrote stream of consciousness stuff and transcribed Monty Python skits and whatever else popped into my 17-year-old head at 4am.

And now, almost 20 years later, I'm publishing those random half-formed thoughts instantaneously for a global audience. (Well, o.k., a potentially global audience.) And see, you obviously think that's pretty neat, too, 'cos you're reading this.

But this time, I'm doing it daily. In "realtime," as the kids say. So I have this record of what I (and great big bunches of my friends, and assorted Very Smart People that I don't really know yet) thought about and experienced on a given day, week, or year. I can't help but think how incredibly useful this will be 40 or 50 years down the road when even the new memory enhancing drugs aren't doing much more than keeping my car keys out of the freezer.

Assuming I remember to back all this up before the big one hits, that is.

Anyway... Thoughts?

For Sophia

This week my sister gave birth to Sophia, her second child and my first niece. So I'm suddenly a bit more attuned to stuff for babies and kids and girls. Which is why this cool chair caught my eye -- well, that and the way cool design. It's a 14" chair and a 10" chair, and a rocking horse chair all in one. And it's only $169 here.

[via BLTD]

File Under: Perfect for Burning Man

The folks at Ziploc finally listened! I've been writing them letters for years telling them they should make BIG Ziploc bags, and now... well, o.k., I never mailed those letters. Or wrote them. But I thought about it! Anyway, there are probably countless fine uses for these, but keeping playa dust off my clothes and things until I need them trumps all other uses.

[via kottke.org]

Shot & a Beer in One Step

Put your beer (or other chaser) in the bottom of the Quaffer, then top off with an appropriate liquor. If you don't know what to do next, you're too drunk or too stupid and should stop there.

We recommend the Party Sampler Pack:
Two of everything! 2 Glass Quaffers, 2 Plastic Quaffers, 2 Beer Quaffers, 2 Pour Spouts, 2 Recipe Cards, and 2 Stickers. All for $24.99 (includes shipping!!!)

[via productdose]

No, they don't come in fleshtone.

File under: "What Took Them So Long." They're the Nexcare 3M Duct Tape Bandages. I can't find them for sale anywhere on the Interweb yet, but clicking the pic to the left takes you to an interesting page -- new products for drugstores.

[via Strange New Products]

Anything, Everything, Forever Friends

Cute, potentially useful, and affordable. Just $22 each, here.BTW, I nominate this for my weakest posting title so far.

[via BLTD]

L'Ego

Who's your Lego alter-ego? Lego your Ego, here.

[via YesButNoButYes]

Not Getting Enough Fiber?

We hope your overactive imagination can think of all the right puns and witticisms you need for this item, because frankly we're speechless. The Dynamic Composites carbon-fiber toilet seat.

See, and you were just wondering what to do with that extra $229 burning a hole in your pocket.

You're welcome.

Flashlight Fetish

Here at Doublejack, Inc., we loves our flashlights. They turn dark into not-dark -- it's magic! So when we see a new twist on the ol' torch, we like to let y'all know about it. Like these: the Stanley 369 Tripod flashlight, and its little sister, the 369 Mini-Tripod keychain flashlight. Cute, yes? The big'un, which costs around $35, takes 3, 6, or 9 AA batteries depending on just how much not-dark you need. The little one just says, "Battery included," but it's too shy to say what kind. We think that's just adorable.

Hamster Knife Fight!

Apparently this has been on the Interweb since at least May, but it's new to me...and apparently to BoingBoing, too. (Though I saw it first this morning at jwz's LJ.)

Main reason I'm blogging it? Some of my friends' new favorite meme is Hippie Knife Fight!, and HKF has entered our sub-subcultural lexicon. That's why.

Advance 300 Attoparsecs*, Turn and Fire.

Originally attracted to artist Jeff de Boer's portfolio by pictures of his beautiful medieval armour for cats, mice, and such, I was delighted to discover the Atomic Dueling Pistols as well.

*Attoparsecs

[via piratehead's LJ]

Glow, Damn You! Glow!!!

Let the sun be your nightlight. Sort of. This cute GlowBrick sits in the sun all day long like a cat, but instead of clawing the sh*t out of your favorite leather chair, it just sits around all night long glowing back that energy it soaked up during the day. Simple, non? $45 here.

[via BLTD]

No Way! (Way.)

200ft. tall bunny to stay right where it is for 20 years.

Fly, Damn You! Fly!!!

Very cool site with 7 or 8 pics of The Flying Mobulas of the Sea of Cortez. Yes, it would be great if there were even more pictures. But the accompanying text is very satisfying, so quit yer whining.

[via BoingBoing]

So. Totally. Cute.

Being a new boyfriend again myself, this totally made me smile. (But only a girly man would tear up, so I didn't do that. At all. Not even a little bit. Ah, geez, who am I kidding...)

Read the whole thing here.

[via mrgazpacho's LJ]

Ol' Buckaroo Must Be Raking It In

We just ordered one of these immediately upon reading about it over at CoolTools. It's a simple USB Flash drive, but it uses whatever SD cards you have lying around as its only memory. Keep an SD card in the drive and another in your camera -- Bonzai!, no more USB cable needed. Plus, it's infinitely pretty darn upgradeable.

UPDATE: Oh yeah, it's the Bonzai Expandable USB Drive, available at Amazon for less than $10.

Bwahahahaha!

Now that's some good funny!

[via porphyre's LJ]

All One Thing I Want for Xmas...

Is a ZoomBox. Sure, the video will probably be, um, suboptimal at best. But who knows? No stats available yet, and sales will be limited to New York and online beginning in December, with availability for the rabble sometime in 2006. Basically, it's a "video game projector," but it also plays DVDs and CDs, and the press release leads one to believe that it will have all your standard (if basic) home entertainment inputs, so... Project your movies and stuff on the wall at "up to 60" across" for only (approx.) $299. Sweet.

UPDATE: It's real, and it's for sale. Buy it here.

[via SNP]

Spread the Word and Pass the Parmesan

We're sure you'll make a joyful noise unto the Flying Spaghetti Monster when you design your own propaganda-wear. Also, we are heartened by this new (to us) service -- perhaps we will finally be liberated from the Tyranny of CrapéPress!

Color Me Intrigued

I have no idea how revolutionary this is will be or not, but my interest is piqued. It's a new coming soon web browser, with <buzzword>social networking</buzzword> capabilities built in...or something.

From the website: We're introducing the world's most innovative social browsing experience. We call it the two-way web.

[via H2ORANGE:Live]

One Nation, Indivisible...

I have to agree, I've always thought this seemed so obvious as to make all debate moot. (Even as a kid I used to say "Underdog" instead.) But, well, my fellow Americans simply aren't the sharpest tools in the shed...

U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton ruled that the pledge's reference to one nation "under God" violates school children's right to be "free from a coercive requirement to affirm God."

[via The Huffington Post]
[via USA Today]

For the Stalker Who Has Everything...

I expect to see this on MAKE:blog any second now -- if it's not there already. Cal Poly and Stanford have teamed up to create the CubeSat program -- which they call the "Apple II" of satellites. It's a DIY satellite kit that you put together for about $40k, then Cal Poly launches for you for another $40k. Pretty cheap when you think about it. Each unit weighs about 2 lbs. ("...cannot exceed 1kg in total mass..."), for cost-effective launch into low earth orbit. Man, when I was a kid only Superpower nations could launch satellites...

[via Engadget]

Dustbunnies

Here's an art installation that I'd like to steal emulate for Burning Man. These communicate with each other via RF and sense the world around them with motion detectors. When there's no one in the room, they roll around and murmer to each other...but when a person enters the room, they all freeze and pretend to be dead. The only way to observe them in their animated state is to freeze yourself. They also react to your touch...if they like the way you treat/touch them, they'll emit pleased sounds. But if one of them feels abused, they'll all start screaming. Heh. The possibilities for a variation on this for the playa are just wonderful, don't you think?

Want to know more?

[via we-make-money-not-art]

Safety Third First (Sometimes)

A friend posted a useful list of What To Do Right Now to prepare in case of a New Orleans-esque disaster. Living in San Francisco, I've been meaning to get more prepared for an earthquake or whatever for years. This month I will be putting together my kit(s).

Read it here.

Speaking of Space Savers

We also saw this at Propeller -- the collapsible funnel from Normann-Copenhagan, designed by Boje Estermann. But it took us so long to find the picture and designer info (we were spelling Normann wrong, for one thing) that now we're too tired to write more. But look for it. It's neat. Prices seem to vary from $25 to $40 -- a bit steep for what you get if you ask me, but there you are.

All The House You Can Afford These Days

Want. Desire. Covet. Need. We've always love the efficient use of small spaces, as epitomized by submarines and the Japanese. Well this fellow in Sausalito, CA -- just across the Golden Gate Bridge from us -- offers a whole line of Tiny Houses. Prices range from about $15,000 to $40,000, plus $2.00/mile to have it delivered. (Which, really, is the only way to go since he has no room for you in his backyard.) I was thinking of getting one of those cute little designer Airstream trailers, but since these are a) in the same price range, b) small enough to legally travel on almost any road or highway, and c) almost certainly better built...well, the choice seems obvious.

Portable Vase, Anyone?

I'm sure someone's already blogged about these somewhere obvious, but we saw them today at Propeller in Hayes Valley and were instantly smitten. Vinyl "envelopes" with very nice graphics of a vase printed on each side. The Q-Vase, from Gallery 91, is perfectly flat when empty, but fill it with water and it becomes a very attractive post-post-modern vase. I'm not sure just how large a floral arrangement they can safely hold, but pop a few fresh-cut flowers in one and you have a quite attractive display. Then the vase slips back into a drawer when you're done, taking up no space at all. Perfect for your Tiny House. (See next post, above.)

Join Us on the Porch

If you're as uncertain as we are about how to help the victims of the Bush administration's incompetenceHurricane Katrina, may we suggest buying one of these stickers, and showing that you're at least as concerned as President Bush. All proceeds go to highly rated charities aiding said victims.

[via Wonkette]

Brushed Metal = Has Been

Daring Fireball has a hilarious (to me, anyway) skit about the new look-and-feel of iTunes 5.

Mike: They’ve gone with someone else for iTunes 5. I thought you knew.

Brushed Metal: You’re my agent. How the fuck am I supposed to know if you don’t tell me?

Mike: This is not a big deal, Brushed.

Brushed Metal: How can you say this is not a big deal? It’s fucking iTunes! The most popular app in the world. It runs on Windows. Windows! Fuckfuckfuck!

Read the rest here.

In Which We Reveal Our Political Bent

This was just too delicious not to share.

[via Wonkette]

Don't Bend Over for the Soap -- Reach Up.

We've spent more than a few brain cycles trying to come up with a better soap dish because we, like you, hate that goopy soap sludge that forms under any bar of used soap. Our personal solution was to simply banish bars of soap from our home. Dr. Bronner's in bottles all the way, baby.

Here, though, is a solution that's not just elegant, it's cool -- it uses magnets! Just push the magnetic cap into your bar of soap, and the bar is then suspended high and dry over your sink by the strong magnet in the holder. Slick! (Or, uh, not, as the case may be.) From Noveletti.

UPDATE: Reading the comments on the OhGizmo post, it seems this genius solution has been around for more than 20 years -- everywhere but the United States. Oh well, still neat.

[via OhGizmo!]

Break Out the Fava Beans & the Chianti...

Unfortunately, we suppose it was only a matter of time. HuFu -- the tofu alternative to...wait for it: human flesh. The big question -- is this for real? Apparently, the answer is Yes. Again, unfortunately. We hereby welcome all genuine reviews of this...interesting product.

From their website:
How do you know HufuTM tastes like human flesh?
The taste and texture of HufuTM are the result of painstaking research and extensive testing in our kitchens. We are supremely confident that our food products would satisfy the tastes of even the most demanding cannibal.

[via StrangeNewProducts]

Lick It

Short post, because the wi-fi from the playa is spotty...at least from my tent.

One of the best things I've seen so far all week is (full disclosure) right at the entrance to our camp -- Fandango!

Lick it. The salt lick for humans. I've availed myself of it every day, and encourage nearly everyone I meet to do so as well. It's wonderfully conceived and very well executed, and it's amazing how much better you feel after a few licks. So many people only think they're getting enough salt out here. O.k..... let's hope this posts...