Netflix launches in Canada with limited selection
it’s here finally – $8 a month. Selection does seem limited, especially new release films and TV series, but there is still a shit ton of stuff that I would watch.
‘Alarming’ rise in dementia comes with a crippling price tag
“If dementia were a country, it would be the world’s 18th largest economy, ranking between Turkey and Indonesia.” A country I hope I never visit, but I am genetically likely to.
Looxcie Wearable Camcorder
always on, always recording. The documentary possibilities are fascinating. You’d look fairly dorkish though. (via waxy)
The Great Divergence
An essential series of articles about the growing gulf between rich and poor in the US. Income disparity is now worse than it was in 1915, and the US has lower class mobility than the UK. “Income distribution in the United States is more unequal than in Guyana, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and roughly on par with Uruguay, Argentina, and Ecuador. Income inequality is actually declining in Latin America even as it continues to increase in the United States. Economically speaking, the richest nation on earth is starting to resemble a banana republic.”
Panasonic Lumix GH2 Announced
The successor to my beloved GH1. The video bitrate is upped to 24MBPS from 17, it has a touchscreen and touch focus, and allows stills while recording video. They’re also releasing a $250 3D lens.
Mobile Homestead by Mike Kelley launches in Detroit
Mobile Homestead enacts a reversal of the ‘white flight’ that took place in Detroit following the inner city race riots of the 1960s.
Detroit Lives
It’s a strange time when a boot company covers an issue better than any media source. A three part doc where Johnny Knoxville tours some sites in Detroit, showing the hopeful creative development going on as well as the fabulous ruins.
Letters of Note: Okay, you lazy bitch
I may have linked to this before, Hunter S. Thompson’s rant to a studio exec about the stalled Rum Diary film. So many great lines: “We are not even spinning our wheels aggresivly” … “I’d much rather deal with a Live asshole than a Dead worm with No Light in his Eyes” … “I’m in the mood to chop yr. fucking hands off.”
I owe you an update
People have been asking where I went.
My father died two weeks ago, the funeral was last week. This week I am back at work and trying to adjust to normal life, which right now, quite honestly, feels like trying to get interested in meaningless busywork. Twitter, facebook, this site, they all seem a bit silly to me. But I know I want to get out of that headspace as it’s all stuff I liked to do before this went down. Right?
So, I’ll ease back into things. I’m away in Windsor for the weekend shooting some stuff and hopefully having fun. Then I have next week off for TIFF, which theoretically should also be fun, and is (in theory) a good excuse for some film reviews up in this bitch.
Here’s a track from my dad’s play.
Miss you, pops.
Amazon Kindle Third Generation Review
sounds pretty good. The only thing that tempts me to upgrade is the improved contrast screen. Everything else with the Kindle is already plenty great.
When Juggalos attack: A firsthand account of the Tila Tequila incident at the Gathering Of The Juggalos
Phosphor E-Ink Watch
good idea (via A wholelotta)
Playing it safe: The A.V. Club’s fall/holiday 2010 games preview
sequelitis runs rampant. I’m penciling in Halo Reach and Civ 5 for september.
Geek Studies » Scott Pilgrim vs. the Cultural Critique
“the pop culture image of the nerd is finally catching up to the self-image of the nerd”
Sony Gets Desperate: Releases Second App Store Smear Ad
There’s a germ of truth in these ads: a lot of iPhone games are so casual as to be fluff, and I personally find the virtual joysticks found in a lot of the more advanced games to be borderline unusable. That said, the PSP’s sales are clearly being decimated by the iPhone and iPod Touch – as if they weren’t having enough trouble competing with the DS.
Man dies from head injuries in bike crash and fuels helmet debate
“It is known that helmets are of very limited value in the event of a collision with a car… The promotion of helmets implicitly shifts responsibility of care to the cyclist and away from drivers, and away from the provision of safer streets by means of street calming or bicycle facilities.” Why not do both. I personally wear a helmet all the time, but I still want better bike lanes and safer motorists.
Visualizing the Creative Process
“like a snake swallowing a series of tennis balls” I usually cringe when people try and talk about ‘the creative process’ but this is decent.
YouTube – Return of the Jedi Missing Lightsaber Scene
would have been the opening scene
'too hard to keep' archive
‘I have started an archive of photographs deemed “too hard to keep.”‘
The Interactive Way To Go
how to play Go
Game Design Essentials: 20 Real-World Games
an analysis of some board, card and paper games with a view to lessons that can be applied to video games.
Folk music, viral weirdness, and the Ballad of Steven Slater
Simon Pegg on the merits of slow zombies
“speed simplifies the zombie, clarifying the threat and reducing any response to an emotional reflex … a quick thrill at the expense of a more profound sense of dread.”
The Swell Season covers Neutral Milk Hotel
The protags from “Once”. His facial expressions while singing are so intense.
The YouTube 'Bed Intruder' Meme: A Perfect Storm of Race, Music, Comedy And Celebrity
(via Funkaoshi)