So it looks like YouTube has rolled out a new version of it’s embedded flash video player. I use Youtube alot because they have such a huge content base, and I always embed the clips to the blog. But let me also say that the horrible video quality and ugly user interface bug me to no end. The new embedded player makes me want to never embed a youtube clip again. There are all sorts of annoying UI bits in your face - prev/next circles with no tooltips about what they do, OS X dock style expanding ‘related’ thumbnails (that arent even very relevant) complete with extraneous reflections and worst of all an overlaid “menu” that sit right on the video you’re watching. And to make this all go away you have to mouse off for 3 or 4 seconds!!! GRRRR. Hit play below to see what I’m talking about.
So I guess this is what happens when you take Google’s amazing design sensibilities and apply it to Youtube’s already spectacular UI work. UGH. time to look for new embedded video options…
It might be quite appropriate just after the 5th anniversary of 9/11 to link to this interesting article about the right of American citizens to fly without government issued IDs. It might seem that showing your ID at the airport is unavoidable, however this might be one of the lies the government is feeding us, along with the corporations/airlines. I’d really like to learn more about this issue and what the real dirt is. It is scary that in our increasingly controlled society we are fed BS and so many accept it without question. I’m no conspiracy theory nut, but the grip of the government on the masses of deluded seems to be growing stronger.
I’ve been a big fan of Alton Brown’s Food Network show Good Eats since I first caught the show on TV. The food + science format really appealed to the geek in me. So when I heard Alton was coming out with a new show, Feasting on Asphalt, I was quite excited. The premise is that Alton and his camera crew go on a motorcycle road trip from the East coast to the West, eating at roadside eateries along the way. They stop at random places, as well as pre-planned visits to spots that are significant to the history of roadside dining. The show is pretty interesting, and there is a certain appeal to the fact that the camera crew is riding with him also. 4 episodes later, and I’m sad that the short series is over… They ate so many things that i had no idea existed - from Native American specialties to Brain Sandwiches. There are are bike-breakdowns and other trip related asides, but mostly they focus on food. The last episode is my favorite, packed with drama (hospital visit - uh oh!), and two neat ways to cook while on the road. The crew make a stew by putting ingredients in a metal pot (made for a snowmobile), strap it to their bike exhaust, and ride for 200 miles. Voila! Biker stew! Alton also discovers the ‘Trucker Oven’ - a small oven that can accomodate contents about the volume of a loaf of bread - powered by a 12 volt lighter socket. Meatloaf ensues. If you like Mr. Brown, and haven’t caught this show, I highly recommend it.
Your Patience is Appreciated as the old GoDaddy webhost server gets a Kicking and Thwapping from yours truly before being tossed into the webhosting dumpster. We will return shortly with brand spanking new webhosting by Site5.
I’ve been seeing an ad for Chilis lately on the boob toob that looked like a ripoff of a White Stripes video I’d seen once. I recognized the style and had only seen the White Stripes video maybe twice. Was it produced by the same company? This is again the whole sticky issue of technique / style, and to what degree can does a style belongs to an artist. Lugz sued Apple for the style they used for an ad that was too similar to their own - but it seems to me that the style had already been part of the cultural landscape for quite some time. The Chilis ad however is using the same specific visual technique/trick, as well as the color palette and similar music to the “Seven Nation Army” track. To me, this clearly crosses the line into blatant ripoff-ery.
This afternoon, drinking a cup of coffee while sitting in the Jesse Brown V.A. Medical Center on Chicago’s south side, a Veterans Administration cop walked up to me and said, “OK, you’ve had your 15 minutes, it’s time to go.”
“Huh?”, I asked intelligently, not quite sure what he was talking about.
“You can’t be in here protesting,” officer Adkins said, pointing to my Veterans For Peace shirt.
“Well, I’m not protesting, I’m having a cup of coffee,” I returned, thinking that logic would convince Adkins to go back to his earlier duties of guarding against serious terrorists.
Flipping his badge open, he said, “No, not with that shirt. You’re protesting and you have to go.” Read on …
I’m not sure what to make of the Jack dude from the Jack in the Box ad campaign having his own myspace page. Oh wait, I know. It means myspace is now so painfully obvious as a marketing strategy tool that even the big corporations have glommed onto it. *barf*
i may as well continue my rants with a “i hate godaddy” entry. Horrible site & navi, hosting that doesn’t allow geeks to do geek stuff, and stupid-ass identity system. bleh. got anything to add?
I can’t buy music on iTunes Japan Music Store. It won’t let me use my US Apple Account, or accept non-Japanese credit cards to create a new Apple account. That sucks. Poop on you Apple.
One solution seems to be to buy iTunes Japan Music Cards from some online retailer and redeem them on the iTunes JP store.
