luis is a co-founder and social software architect at Infinite.ly. he likes building small web toys a whole lot. More ...

quick links to the good stuff

• 25 First Dates 25 May 2009
• True Crime: Confessions of a Criminal Mastermind 17 Feb 2009
• Finding Your Soul Mate: A Statistical Analysis 27 Jan 2009
• Sex and Schrodinger's Cat 07 January 2009
• An Extended Rant on Heroes 26 September 2008
• Zero Barrier 05 May 2008
• Sweatshop Blogging Economics 08 April 2008
• The Doomsday Singularity 25 February 2008
• Piracy and Its Impact on Philippine Music 21 January 2008
• The Manila Pen-etration by the Hotelier Antonio Trillanes 29 November 2007
• Journey of a Thousand Heroes 17 December 2006
• Shake, Rattle & LOL 30 December 2005

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• 1

  iPod Mini (2nd-Gen) review

  27 Feb 2005

  

  Ipodlounge reviews the 2nd generation iPod Minis, which were released last month in 4- and 6-gb flavors and feature a much-souped-up 18-hour battery life. The new batch is also cheaper than the originals, at US$199 for the 4gb model and US$249 for the 6.

  What’s peculiar about these new minis is that they don’t seem to come with a power adapter, meaning you will be stuck charging your iPod via your computer’s USB 2.0 port (unless of course, you had the foresight to buy the now-optional cables). I find this to be really weird because 1) not everyone has USB 2.0 ports on their machines, and 2) it’s mildly inconvenient to have to free up a port for four hours of iPod-charging every other day. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever charged my iRiver via USB, although the option is certainly available. Most desktops don’t have more than 2 USB ports accessible from the front of the chassis, and reaching around the back is a real hassle when your computer is under the desk. Charging with a dedicated power adapter just makes more sense don’t you think?
  

  Posted in Hardware | 1 Comment »

• 0

  A Series of Unfortunate Events

  26 Feb 2005

  

  This is going to be short because it’s been over 4 days since my friends and I caught this movie and the initial glow has faded, so to speak. As most of you are already aware, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events is based on books of the same title, which were in turn, probably written because Harry Potter made so much money. As such, the books were a bit on the bland side, and didn’t have much of the childlike wonder that made JK Rowling’s series so successful. (On the other hand, one might argue that the lack of childlike wonder — replaced by a sort of deadpan gloom — is one of Unfortunate Events‘ defining characteristics.)

  The one and only thing I enjoyed about the books was Brett Helquist’s wonderfully morose artwork. In many ways, this is the same thing that makes the movie version so successful. Fueled by production designer Rick Heinrichs (Sleepy Hollow) and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Great Expectations), the movie revels in its gloomy ambience … even in broad daylight.

  If I had written this review the night I saw the movie, it might have been a lot more positive, but now that I’ve had time to digest it some more, I think that I was more excited about the next dark, foreboding set or sequence, than the characters or the story. The problem with Unfortunate is that its very nature prevents you from being excited. Everything is so deadpan and staged; extreme emotions like mourning or terror are reduced to ambivalent sketches. It’s roughly the same issue I had with The Royal Tenenbaums, a wonderfully quirky film that got muddled by its own neutrality. It works sometimes, but it becomes progressively more difficult to maintain the audience’s empathy the closer you get to the film’s climax. Toward the end of the film, when the children finally get to the bottom of the mysterious fire that killed their parents, I was paying more attention to the lighting than what was actually going on.

  All in all, it’s a good film to see. The end credits animation alone is worth the price of admission. Just don’t expect yourself to actually care what happens at the end though.

  Posted in Movies | No Comments »

• 0

  Google Calendar

  24 Feb 2005

  The folks at WebProWorld have been discussing the possibility of Google developing an online diary application similar to Yahoo! Calendar. This seems like a pretty likely project for Google, given that their endgoal is to rule the world. Even with the hypothetical calendar though, I’m not sure if I’d be able to switch to the Google productivity suite just yet — I’d also need things like …

  1. an instant messaging application that interfaces with my calendar, address book and inbox
     
  2. a desktop tool that syncs my online address book, calendar and inbox with the Outlook-based one on my laptop
     
  3. a WAP-enabled inbox
     
  4. a inbox backup tool that allows you to archive old messages
     
  5. webhosting services that interface directly with your inbox and address book

  … all of which you can already do with Yahoo’s suite. (It also bears mentioning that nearly all of my contacts use Yahoo, so it’ll be a bit of a trick to get them all to switch with me.)

  The truth of the matter is, the Yahoo group of apps is one of the most mature online suites out there, and Google will have its hands full trying to come up with a product of the same level. Their recent video search gaffe proves that even they can get it wrong sometimes.

  Search is a key feature in every software suite, but it isn’t everything.

  Posted in Software | No Comments »

• 0

  Paper > PDA

  23 Feb 2005

  From Apartment Therapy:

  After mounting frustration with multiple power failures and memory loss, I demoted my Microsoft Outlook Calendar Program and Tungsten Palm Pilot with Bluetooth capability and a whole load of other bells and whistles for a paper based calendar that costs a fraction of the price and guess what? It works a whole lot better.

  The article goes on to note a few of the key benefits of using a paper-based planner, most of which are pretty much what you’d expect: no power required, no boot time, no memory loss or storage issues, etc.

  Although I can definitely see the advantages of going with paper, I’ve been living and working in a paper-less environment for the last six months and I can honestly say it’s definitely possible. Right now, the only paper in my workplace is stuff I have to sign, or bills I have to pay for. Everything else — my calendar & contacts, my notes and doodles — are contained within my TabletPC, my desktop or online at Yahoo.

  There’s definitely a learning curve to doing this properly though, and there are certain types of people who will probably not find this workable at all. I think I’m slightly more eco-friendly than your average paper-based designer though, so that’s a definite plus.

  Posted in Hardware | No Comments »

• 0

  Sony NW-E505

  21 Feb 2005

  

  Oh My God, I think this may be the sexiest portable audio player I have ever seen. You see those Japanese characters beside the SONY logo? That’s an OLED display beneath the surface of the player.
  
  With technology like this, it almost doesn’t matter that the darn thing only comes with 512mb storage.

  Posted in Hardware | No Comments »

• 0

  Paris Made Me Change My Phone Number

  21 Feb 2005

  The closest thing to real-time fashion I’ve ever seen. Less than 72 hours after news of Paris Hilton’s phone (and phone book, don’t forget) getting hacked, and we’ve already got a shirt design commemorating it.

  Posted in Randomness | No Comments »

• 0

  Of MacGyver Kits

  21 Feb 2005

  

  From the EBay Listing:

  This one of a kind MacGyver style utility kit is sure to save the day in any emergency. It can be configured to repair a punctured tire, used as a weapon to fight off terrorists, or even act as an emergency generator.

  Items included in kit:

  • red bic pen cap
    
  • genuine rubber band
    
  • slightly used twist-tie
    
  • giant paper clip

  If you’re planning any overseas trips this is a must have. If your plane should happen to crash in the sea you can use this utility kit to craft a survival raft, catch marine animals, or radio for help.

  Posted in Randomness | No Comments »

• 20

  Of Forcible Penis Removal

  21 Feb 2005

  Woman cuts off boyfriend’s penis, flushes it down toilet. Penis is later reattached after it is recovered by utility workers. Hrmm.

  Posted in Randomness | 20 Comments »

• 1

  The Organ

  20 Feb 2005

  
  
  I think I’ve found my new Band of the Month, although they’re not exactly new (their album Grab That Gun debuted middle of last year). The Organ is a Vancouver-based all-girl band (if you couldn’t tell from the picture … androgyny is in these days) I discovered by way of indietorrents last week.

  There’s a whole lot of The Smiths in their music, which makes me think of another Morrissey-style melancholy-rock (and female-led) band, Echobelly. The whole album has so far been a great listen (I’m working my way through it a second time as I write this), and it’s positively brimming with these brilliant, snippet-length riffs. Not quite as intense as The Bravery, but still really, really engaging stuff.

  Posted in Music | 1 Comment »

• 0

  Two heads, and all that.

  20 Feb 2005

  
  
  I was expecting this pic to be part of some stupid hoax when I first saw it, and to be honest, I still am. On the other hand, if that’s a photomanip, it’s not a very good one … which probably means it’s real, because reality, as far as I can tell, is pretty bad at making weird shit look cool.

  Read the Reuters article here.

  Posted in Randomness | No Comments »

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