onfocus

More GF1 data. Want.

Currently lusting after this camera. Looks like the perfect combination of size and quality.

Hacking architecture with John McClane.

Nice Inconsolata mod that straightens out the quotes. I use Inconsolata as my programming font, haven't noticed a quote problem, but I'll give this a shot.

"I think that it’s a real possibility that in 10 years, general purpose computers will be seen as being strictly for developers and hobbyists." Rafe has an important analysis of the iPad announcement. We're headed toward closed platforms.

He used the Processing environment to calculate the number of track layouts possible with a simple train set from Ikea. I'll have to try these! [via Daddy Types]

Matt's final post to PVRblog: a recap of the rise of the DVR and quotes from famous web folk talking about the impact of TiVo et al on their lives.

Nice detailed instructions for installing a SSD in a Mac. I have an older Mac Pro, but it sounds like it's worth the hassle. [via mathowie]

"The Walt Disney Company has acknowledged that Baby Einstein does not teach anything nor does it promote better brain development in your infant. In the face of the scientific research, they are offering a full refund to any parent who has bought a Baby Einstein DVD in the last five years." [via briansawyer]

My son loved looking at and talking about these pictures of animals. You might need to skip past a couple with toddlers, but most are great for kids.

ooh, I'd like to try one of these for my working OSX drive.

Nice article about a couple good iPhone photography apps. [via merlin]

I love lists too, and I think they're going to be fantastic once everyone has them. I agree with Mat that lists will lead to fewer folks in my 'following' list, but 'listing' is lower impact so it might lead to more actual following.

Some samples of single-pane comics by H.T. Webster. Sadly, his collections appear to be out of print and there aren't any at nearby libraries.

Scan of the 1955 book with wonderful caricatures by Ronald Searle. [via peacay]

"So, this is why I say white supremacy is the only functional form of racism; the only kind that actually works."

"...you’re just making a fool of yourself when you go around telling users of singular they that they’re wrong, because they’re not."

It's going to be that time of year again soon. These Thule chains look nice, but I'd rather see real people putting on chains in freezing weather in the demo, not spinning/floating CG.

Eight rules for writing a short story. [via merlin]

"The fundamental problems with the American health care system are all linked, directly or indirectly, to the fact that the vast majority of folks get insurance solely through their employers." Amen, and go Wyden! [via Kattullus]

"The problem is Twitter isn’t really open. For Twitter to be truly open, it would have to be possible to use “Twitter” without an any way involving Twitter the institution. Instead, all data goes through Twitter’s centralized service." I'm not a fan of people pushing content to Twitter like it's an RSS reader for social reasons as well, but that's probably just me.

Looks like a nice stand for a MacBook or MacBook Air.

Saving this handy list of SQL Server shortcuts for reference. Needed to look up how to indent a block of highlighted code: [Tab]!

Bruce Sterling is taking over as editor of Cool Tools. Neat.

"Open, decentralized micropublishing." A distributed Twitter sounds fine, but don't we already have this in the form of "weblogs" and "newsreaders"--and without the 140 character restraint?!

"Joe Raiola, Senior Editor of MAD Magazine will present his one man show, The Joy of Censorship." Sounds fun. At the Corvallis library April 4th, 7pm.

A recording of The Decemberists in Austin. [via protherj]

This little plug computer that runs Linux looks like it'd be fun to play with.

The new iPhone OS will have an interface for physical peripherals. "A rapid prototyping platform for physical/digital interactions? A mobile sensor platform for personal and urban informatics that's going mainstream?" I missed this new feature in all the cut+paste celebration.

One computer scans incoming calls for the Caller ID number and then broadcasts the number over the network to various devices. Looks like something fun to hack around with.

That's not Chernobyl, it's Detroit. [via kottke]

Blog focused on changes in corporate branding.

$20 for a little adapter? Plus $4 shipping? This is the real iPhone profit strategy.

Nice step by step guide to getting 3rd party apps running on aTV.