Letter Never Sent

MIT to launch $100 laptop prototype in November “The 500MHz laptop will run a “skinny version” of the open-source Linux operating system. It will have a two-mode screen, so it can be viewed in color and then by pushing a button or activating software switch to a black-and-white display, which can be viewed in bright sunlight at four times normal resolution, according to Negroponte. He estimates the display will cost around $35.”

Study: Squirrels Have Complex Language

Love this woodcut from Pruned, the topography / landscape blog:

Good names are important. It’s true. Props to Freakonomics for this interesting tidbit. “There is a clear pattern at play: Once a name catches on among high-income, highly educated parents, it starts working its way down the socioeconomic ladder. Amber, Heather, and Stephanie started out as high-end names. For every high-end baby given those names, however, another five lower-income girls received those names within 10 years.”

Internet Service to Put Classic TV on Home Computer “Warner Brothers is preparing a major new Internet service that will let fans watch full episodes from more than 100 old television series. The service, called In2TV, will be free, supported by advertising, and will start early next year. More than 4,800 episodes will be made available online in the first year.”

Let Paris Hilton hypnotize you with her practiced smile. Mesmerizing.

Good online soul / R&B station. Soulful Classics. “Hey my brother, can I borrow a copy of your “Hey Soul Classics”? No, my brother, you must buy your own.”

Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0 “You scored as Batman, the Dark Knight. As the Dark Knight of Gotham, Batman is a vigilante who deals out his own brand of justice to the criminals and corrupt of the city. He follows his own code and is often misunderstood. He has few friends or allies, but finds comfort in his cause.” Je suis Batman.

Take a stand on important issues. There’s no middle ground.

Try World of Warcraft free for ten days It’s been difficult to keep myself from reopening my account. I just keep thinking about all the fun I used to have with my friends chasing down level thirty newbs with our mounts to pwn them. When I quit, my warlock alter-ego, Sivori, was level 43. One of my favorite tactics was to have my succubus run up and seduce the opponent with a kiss so they would be mesmerized. Then I’d dump some high damage spells on them and fear them a couple times so that they ran off uncontrollably. Ah, memories. By now all the people I played with have advanced to 60 if they’re still playing, that is. It’s crack though. I must stay away.

iWorkWithFools Rant about stupid coworkers. “She could get an Academy Award for her performance as a tired yet plucky single mom, struggling against all odds to be the best darn homemaker and mother she can. But listen closely to the personal calls; the content revolves around her soliciting free childcare for the night/weekend so she can devote attention to the pursuit of happiness (hers) and the boyfriend du jour.”

Whimsical mouse taxidermy. Yeah. I like the mouse version of the martyrdom of Saint Sebastien.

Upside down Christmas trees. Stupidest Holiday Fad Ever. Hell, let’s just turn everything upside down.

Gigantic Apes Coexisted with Early Humans “A gigantic ape standing 10 feet tall and weighing up to 1,200 pounds lived alongside humans for over a million years, according to a new study. Fortunately for the early humans, the huge primate’s diet consisted mainly of bamboo.”

Gawker Media peeps annoyed with Movable Type Slowness “Ever since I started posting to Lifehacker several times a day, I’ve developed a deep resentment for the software that publishes the site, MovableType. There are days when it takes between 40 and 50 seconds to publish a single post. Fifty seconds probably doesn’t sound like a long time to you, but when you do it a couple of dozen times a day – what with edits and updates – we’re talking about almost half an hour of my life, snatched from me. I’m a perpetual mugging victim.” MT has been in my experience good for sites that don’t update all the time, but bad if you’re constantly rebuilding and adding content. Add to it the license situation and WordPress stands out as the superior alternative.

Lot 328: a pair of embarrassing trousers “You are bidding on a mistake. We all make mistakes. We date the wrong people for too long. We chew gum with our mouths open. We say inappropriate things in front of grandma.

And we buy leather pants.”

First wild beavers for 500 years Beavers have been reintroduced to England, 500 years after they were hunted to extinction for their fur.

Barnacle Press A collosal compendium of our collective comic culture. A real treasure you will need to bookmark. I compell you! There is much to gnaw on here that will make your drawing hand itch with anticipation.

How to Prototype a Game in Under 7 Days: Tips and Tricks from 4 Grad Students Who Made Over 50 Games in 1 Semester Courtesy of digg. Productivity is the most important thing in almost any enterprise.