web watch - 2004 archives

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Open the iPod door Hal >permalink<

The folks at Apple must be happy to the core with a product that is as appealing as it is successful. We're talking about their iPod and it could serve as a poster product for the Lovemark theory of brand attachment.

First, there's George Masters' self-made tribute to the mobile music machine that he's obviously in love with. And Apple must love it too, as George's Flash-driven ad soon caught the attention of Wired, Slashdot and the New York Times -- and it also became a blog darling. George's little home movie was downloaded nearly 100,000 times in less than three weeks and is quickly establishing itself as the reference point for what is now called 'viral marketing' (something we at the Last Link call 'word-of-net'). George's spot looks great and uses the Darling Buds song "Tiny Machine." Now, come to think of it, either George really loves his iPod or he's found a crafty way to draw attention to his freelance motion graphic design portfolio. In any case, George has more than his 15 nano-seconds of fame, and Apple got millions of dollars' worth of exposure for - should we say it - a song. For more stuff like this, visit the web watch - animations page.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, it might also be worth thousands in the bank. The folks at iPod My Photo are hoping to cash in with a service that puts you in the iPod picture. Upload a photo and they'll send you back (for a fee, of course) your very own customized iPodified likeness. As they say at their site "iPod My Photo is not affiliated with Apple Computer in any way, except that we love iPods." That sound you hear is Apple investment stock ... blossoming.

Christmas crackers >permalink<

The folks at the North American Aerospace Defense Command have been tracking Santa for the past 50 years and why not - it's not like any incoming missiles have ever bothered us in all that time. This year they've got Ringo back to help out in the celebrity endorsement category (like Santa's the one who needs help in the name recognition department) and the former Beatle contributes some wonderful tunes to the Christmas Music page of Norad's site.

Nothing says Christmas like Diving Penguins, and the folks at Macromedia haven't let us down with their cute little seasonal stress-buster. A few minutes at this this site will be sure to put the bounce back into your festive spirit!

  • The Geek Gift-O-Matic

    • Lost in the last minute maze? Got a geek to get a gift for? The answer to your anguish is just a few clicks away when you use the Geek Gift-O-Matic (not sold in stores).

    There's one on every block >permalink<

    You know the type. He's out there in October stringing enough electrical cable to wire an amusement park. In November he's installing 5,000 lightbulbs and by December the local brownouts start as he tests his work. He's the guy with the really big Christmas lights display. But he's got nothing on Alek because Alek's display is on the net. With a webcam. With 17,000 lights. And ... you can control his display! Seems it was all a hoax! Read Alek's timeline and comments of media reports on his Christmas lights web site of mass deception. We don't mind saying it fooled us - and we have to admit we like his style.

    Well, not everyone is in the Christmas spirit. Either that or the folks who run this site live in the wrong neighbourhood. Displays ranging from the tasteful to the tasteless get the terse treatment (you may want to check if your display made their list).

    Extreme makeover time >permalink<

    Who knows how history will treat George W. Bush? He's already been Time Magazine's Person Of The Year twice and how he will be remembered may be determined by the images he leaves behind. Now through the miracle of the internet, you can come up with your own lasting image of the President. And in the interest of fair play, you can do John Kerry as well.

    Glad I didn't think of that >permalink<

    During those sleepless nights when we find ourselves staring at the ceiling (or perhaps at the latest available-only-on-TV informercial) our thoughts often turn to all the things we didn't invent and make a million dollars with. It seems all of the great ideas have been taken: the electric light bulb, velcro, post-it notes, airbags ... but take heart. There are countless fools trying their hands at the next hula-hoop and their work is on display at the Gallery of Obscure Patents. Everything from anti-eating masks to diapers for birds, from Braille slot machines to round chess and checker boards -- it's all here. Now, if you think these ideas are crazy, visit the Gallery's Historic pages. From humble beginnings ...

    Place your orders now >permalink<

    We don't know where this is going. Today - pets, tomorrow - who knows? The greatest scientific minds in the field are genetically engineering a breed of cat that is hypoallergenic, allowing millions of people (at least those who place orders) to safely enjoy kitty companionship without suffering the symptoms of allergy. It would be hard to place a monetary value on such a joy, but the folks at Allerca have come up with a number: $3,500.00 USD. Meow-ouch!

    How do you spell cash in pocket? >permalink<

    Some poor sucker has placed his prized Picasso on e-Bay but after a week he hasn't received any bids. Why? Who would think to look for a Piccaso? Auction Intelligence deliberately misspells search terms to find the items that can't be found by literate buyers. Buy a low-mileage Humer and re-sell it for thousands more than you paid for it. Snap up a Stradavarious and whistle a happy tune all the way to the bank.

    Oh my God! >permalink<

    Yes, but which one -- there's thousands of them. If you need to check up on a supreme being (or perhaps shop for a new one) drop in at the folks at Godchecker who have more Gods than you can shake a stick at. Their Mythology Encyclopedia currently features over 2,000 deities online. And like any other organised house of worship, they invite you stop in at the gift shop for all your needs to believe (be sure to check the God of Vomit postcard pack).

    We'll take Pictures for 400, Alex >permalink<

    The challenge here is try and determine what question posed to Google's image search produces the dozen or so images shown. A great way to kill a few minutes ... or hours. For more stuff like this, visit the web watch - animations page.

    All of the above >permalink<

    One of the items that exists in surplus quantity on the net is the 'test.' If you have an e-mail address, somebody has sent you at least one of them. Normally they are purely intended for entertainment (and sometimes annoyance) but at the BBC site there are dozens of activities that you can actually learn from. What sex is your brain? What makes you squirm and say "yuck"? Can you guess someone's personality from their face? Enroll at the BBC and improve your life skills.

    Those were the good old days >permalink<

    Are you tired of hearing Uncle Fred talk about how things were better when he was growing up (and has he really grown up since, you ask)? Were things really so great or is his memory pulling the wool over his rose-coloured glasses? What really was the price of a loaf of bread on October 5, 1953? What really was the top song on June 12, 1974? Now you can go back in time with the dMarie Time Capsule and reflect on the fact that perhaps sometime soon today will be part of the good old days.

    He had a familiar face >permalink<

    When Gil Grissom was growing up, he would have given an arm and a leg (but not an ear) to play with this one. Combining elements of police identification kits with the work of one of modern art's masters would have given the CSI Chief hours of pleasure that his Mr. Potatohead couldn't. At this site, you can do your own profiling while creating a masterpiece. For more stuff like this, visit the web watch - animations page.

    He's a be-lever >permalink<

    Archimedes said "Give me a lever long enough, and a place on which to rest it, and I will move the world." Well, Wallace Wallington, a 58 year old retired carpenter from Flint, Michigan is well on his way to doing just that. He's moved barns, 10 ton concrete blocks and has even built a near full-scale Stonehenge replica using only his bare hands and crude levers (and his site has the videos to prove it).

    Partying on a paved parking-lot paradise >permalink<

    Celebrating a tradition as old as the pick-up truck itself, these folks party-hearty wherever there is a football game and acres of asphalt. Recipes, stadium specifications and trivia - everything you need to know about tailgating (parties that is).

    Arrrr! Wot yo waitin' fer laddie? >permalink<

    It may be a while until the next Talk Like A Pirate Day but there's no time like the present to brush up on your barnacle-encrusted banter. Oh! You think Pirate talk is not exactly fashionable? Well, it's worked for Keith Richards (and just ask Johnny Depp).

    Paging Mr. Warhol >permalink<

    Almost 40 years ago, Andy Warhol promised that everyone will be famous for 15 minutes. Now we have people who are famous only for being seen with famous people ... and only at the age of two! Seems Jeremy's Dad got it into his head one day to photograph his infant son with famous people. One thing led to another and now people are asking "Who is that with Jeremy?" Good thing Dad's got all the pictures on a web site because when Jeremy grows up the kids in kindergarten are never going to believe him.

    Getting punctilious with punctuation >permalink<

    Ever since Eats Shoots & Leaves became the obsessively compulsives' best friend, attention is now being turned to the quotation mark. The sharp-eyed among us see gross violations of the use of that "little" pair of marks everywhere, and thank heaven that Evan A. Davies has seen fit to collect hundreds of abuses. A truly "fabulous" site, well worth "checking."

    And then there's Sue Palmer's haven for the little punctuation mark which has been cruelly misused by greengrocers and other uncaring notice-writers.

    Paved with good intentions >permalink<

    For years, and ever since we can remember, we at the Last Link have been told that we were going straight to Hell for one thing or another. Firstly, it was for breaking Mr. Hrychuk's pointer stick in school and more recently it was for telling people that we were actually voting for Ralph Klein. But what would this trip look like? How do you actually get to Hell? We've heard of doorways to Hell, but where are they? Luckily, our questions have been answered and according to this site, Hell's threshold is surprisingly ordinary in appearance. Whatever you do, please read the Safety Page!

    Jules Verne would be proud >permalink<

    Next to finding the Doorway To Hell, the most exotic trip we can think of is finding a portal through which we can travel to the inside of the planet. It seems that Olaf Jansen and his father accidentally discovered the North Polar opening into the hollow Earth on July 1, 1829 and 177 years after the 'fact' Steve Currey and his crew are inviting you to check it out. The trip leaves June 26, 2006 and you must book early - only 100 seats are available and the cheap ones ($18,950 USD) are going fast.

    There's an Edison born every minute >permalink<

    The thought of tapping alternate forms of power has always earned a green Last Link thumbs up, but even we think that this seems like an awful lot of work to harness so little energy! Have they figured out how much energy it takes to fuel the little guy in return for how much light he would shed? And ... would he perform when you needed him most?

    Huh? >permalink<

    We don't know about you, but sometimes we see a commercial for something and we end up thinking "What the heck was that all about?" It seems these high concept ads have gone over the heads of more than one of us, and that's the inspiration for the folks at Huh? They're the most environmentally friendly company we've ever seen - they don't seem to consume anything, leave any waste and for that matter, actually do anything.

    Dear [insert name here] >permalink<

    If you're one of those who sends out a long newsletter come Christmas time (only to visit your friends and find your thoughts lining their birdcage) then Tilly can help make your humble life's story sound like an epic. Heck, she'll even write one for you - for a price, of course.

    What goes up must come down ... or thrown up >permalink<

    With space travel soon coming down in price and available to the general public there's no time like today to start your training. Ride Zero-G's Boeing 727 aircraft (named G-Force One) through a series of parabolic flight manoeuvers and experience weightlessness for about a minute at a time. But ... there was a reason that the astronauts called their training plane the "Vomit Comet" -- you've seen Apollo 13 haven't you?

    Finally, affordable space travel - no more outrageous price-gouging like at those government run programs. Count yourself in for the big countdown - sign up now for the best seats. They're going fast ...

    Final answer >permalink<

    Regis Philbin may have coined the phrase but the last word belongs to Cecil Adams, World's Smartest Human Being, who has been fighting ignorance since 1973 (and he says it's taking longer than he thought). If you're obsessively curious it's best you stay away from this site.

    It's all in the digits >permalink<

    There are a number of American zipcodes that we're familiar with up here in Last Link country. There's 90210 - famous for the TV show set in Beverly Hills, 99201 out of Spokane and 90125 (sorry, that's a Yes album). If there's a zipcode stuck in your head and you want to know where it is, then try Zipdecode and your face will light up just like the map at this site. For more stuff like this, visit the web watch - animations page.

    It's all in the genes >permalink<

    Want to have your DNA be part of an Audi A3 Sportback? Send them an e-mail and have your name be part of an online Audi commercial.

    Is that why they call themselves Fido? >permalink<

    Sure, they show the product on a dog, but how is it that seeing it on a small person is not unimaginable?

    I see Sarah and Nick and Catherine and Jim ... >permalink<

    We used to think that they used re-runs of Romper Room but there is a more orderly method to how the Federal Emergency Management Agency assigns names to hurricanes. So, how do they come up with them? Apparently, there is this list ...

    Have you seen any trees being built in your neighbourhood? >permalink<

    They're the sort of erection that some folks take an exception to. Sometimes they're called "stealth trees" but they're actually cellular telephone towers in disguise. If you spot a brand new 100 foot tree around the corner (and it's not a species native to the area) check the Fraud Frond site. They may already have a picture of a tree just like it.

    Autumn leaves >permalink<

    From green to yellow and gold - the colours of fall. It all seems so natural but it's really endothermic transformation involving chlorophyll and carotene. Scientists don't have all the answers, but this site gives it a try.

    We Rather liked Dan >permalink<

    Wednesday, March 9th, 2005 marked Dan Rather's last broadcast as anchor of the CBS Evening News. For 24 years, through numerous sweater & tie changes and equally bizarre Ratherisms, Dan has branded his network's media coverage with distinction and controversy.

    Dan Rather reporting from DallasEverything seems to have happened to Dan Rather. During his career he was punched, mugged, threatened with a shotgun, tear gassed, and even accused of stoning people! He was on the ground in Dealey Plaza when Kennedy was shot. And he was the only American television news anchor who had a rock song written about him (REM's "What's The Frequency Kenneth?"). Some folks were happy to hear about his retirement plans, but we here at the Last Link will miss Dan's rather unpredictable behaviour. Rather Biased is now widening its focus and takes aim at CBS News in general in their lively blog in much the same way that The CBS Evening Lies did 15 years ago.


    And let's not forget how this whole Memogate thing started. The Bush "Guard Memos" Are Forgeries! is the now-certain claim made by Dr. Joseph M. Newcomer. He was one the pioneers of electronic typesetting back in the sixties and he holds several patents. He is a certified Adobe PostScript developer, and has a written book about Microsoft Windows font technology. If there is anyone who could determine a typewritten forgery - it's him. Dr. Newcomer has posted an extensive and detailed examination of the Bush documents which may have helped push Dan out of his big comfy anchor chair.


    And now that Dan is off the back burner and on the shelf, Rathergate.com is keeping the heat on CBS News. Read all the latest as CBS tries to restore credibility to its news division.

    Counting sheep >permalink<

    Do thoughts of terrorist attack keep you up at night? What if burglars enter your house and you don't want to crawl out of your warm bed to hide in your home's panic room? Well, the folks at Quantum Sleeper may have the solution for you! Why count sheep when you can count the many ways the Quantum Sleeper will keep you safe: polycarbonate bulletproof plating, bio-chemical filtered ventilation, cover & door actuators with emergency release, one way see through head cover and air & water tight sealing. Drawbacks? Sure, but they're minor. If you can afford the $100,000US, then the 2000 pound weight shouldn't be of concern. While baby boomers grew up with "Duck and cover", a whole new secure generation can fall asleep with a bedtime story that ends with "Duck under the covers."

    Don't hit the wall halfway through the day - instead hit a MetroNap Pod, specially designed with power snoozing in mind. So far, they're only found in New York (after all, it is called the city that never sleeps), but franchise opportunities are available.

    Everyone rides the bus >permalink<

    School daysThe most visible of buses at this time of year are big, ugly and bright yellow (it's called National School Bus Chrome Yellow). Josh Baumann must have spent a lot of time in school buses, and if his site is any indication, he must like them a lot. Whether it's a Bluebird or a Wayne, Josh has got the pictures - lots of them, both inside and out. Turns out his fascination with school buses was so great that when he grew up he became a school bus driver. So did his wife. And they're not the only two with this obsession. Check out the Links page for dozens of other "enthusiasts."

    A bus Now, if the subject of buses is still holding your interest, you've got to check out Bus And Rail Pics. These folks are serious! We've pointed to the Alberta Transit Systems page, but if the 3000 pictures listed here aren't enough, go to the site's main page and pick a province. You'll never look at mass transit the same way again!

    The doctor has checked in >permalink<

    Regular visitors to this site know that we have a soft spot for quirky Flash animation. Han Hoogerbrugge has created another one of his bizarre interactive stories, this one involving volunteers for various experiments. There's no point to these adventures - just pure (and sometimes peculiar) fun. For more stuff like this, visit the web watch - animations page.

    Olympic finishes >permalink<

    History will take care of recording all the winners, but what about fourth place? Or last place? For all us underachievers, here's what the podium looked like:

    Standing for Dead F***ing Last, DFL celebrates last-place finishes at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Why? "Because they're there, and you're not" says site operator and Canadian Jonathan Crowe.

    In fine Olympic form, this site focuses on all events "where seconds count." Site run by James Seamus, also Canadian.

    Run by Holger Hupf and Juergen Wagner of Germany. This is just a small part of the Olympic Games Museum - a wonderful trivia site.

    Initial reaction >permalink<

    We don't mind telling you that here at the Last Link there has been a quiet debate raging over the use of initial capitalisation for the words "internet, net, and web." Wired News has just announced that it is going lowercase. The CP (Canadian Press) Style Guide - the "bible" for all journalists, issued a notice over a year ago stating that CP will no longer capitalise Net, Internet or Web. For some of us, it may take a while to get used to these 'updated' conventions. While we're on the subject, is it web site, website or web-site? What about e-mail or email? On line or online? And what about the folks at Corner Gas calling the whole darn thing the Inter-web. Or is that interweb?

    On a related subject, when you speak generically do you ask for a soda or a pop? Or do you specify Coke or Pepsi? At the Pop vs. Soda site, they've mapped what different folks call the carbonated beverage around the U.S. And at the bottom of their page, there is a link to a Harvard University dialect survey listing other phrases and words with regional distinctions.

    Rooms without a view >permalink<

    We've never been able to decide what this was: art? a puzzle? a game? Turn off the lights, turn up the sound and pretend that this is the stuff that didn't end up in a David Lynch movie. For more stuff like this, visit the web watch - animations page.

    Television - it's infotaining! >permalink<

    It's all happened to us. You're watching a TV program and some obscure reference to a real life event is mentioned which leaves you puzzled. Or, there's a strange twist in the plot and you think "That couldn't possibly have happened!" Well, if your head starts to need scratching, then Footnote TV may cure that itch. Stephen Lee is a journalist and a lawyer. And he watches a lot of TV. Whenever something on the tube seems to be intruding on real life, he digs up the news stories on which they're based and posts the connections on his site. So the next time there's a lull in the buzz around the water-cooler, you can even make even last night's Simpsons episode a foray into enlightened discussion.

    The Old Wide Web >permalink<

    The Internet in its present form has been around for just over a decade now, but did it always look this way? Have you ever run across an old printout of a site and noticed how much the site has changed in appearance and features?

    GhostSites has been collecting snapshots of web sites that have been abandoned for various reasons. If you've been an avid surfer over the years, this might be like a trip down the memory lane of the information super-highway. And be sure to check the Museum Of E-Failure for 1,250 glorious screenshots of defunct web sites and their sordid secrets.

    Surf the web as it was! The Archive contains over 100 terabytes and 10 billion web pages archived from 1996 to the present. Type in your favourite url and see what the site looked like back in the glory days of 14.4k

    A special Wayback collection of web sites that began the Internet revolution. Of interest are the sites that are still around, proving that coming in early into the game sure counts.

    Artist's conception.

    Rebus revisited >permalink<

    Here's another one for the puzzle crowd. Phrases are displayed using pictures from Google's Image Search. Sounds easy - but is as difficult as it looks. Thankfully answers are posted along with comments. For more stuff like this, visit the web watch - animations page.

    Time >permalink<

    "Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you." - Carl Sandburg.

    At the Playing With Time site, unseen worlds of change have been captured, slowed down and sped up. You can play with time, create it and replay it. And as the site claims, you might not look at things quite the same way again. From the Science Museum of Minnesota.

    You might be able to get the answer at this site. After filling in a quick interactive form, you'll get an estimate of the number of weeks, months, and years you've spent doing ... all sorts of things. You can even get a detailed profile via e-mail. Give it a try. You won't be wasting your time -- at least not much of it.

    No jokers here >permalink<

    The folks at the CDC know a good thing when they see one. Hockey cards and baseball cards have long been popular with the young folk. Even George Bush thought it was a great idea to stack the deck to justify his Iraq attack by creating a series of cards featuring his favourite prominent bad guys. Now we have Disease cards. Soon the playgrounds will be filled with the sounds of kids trading one rare Avian Flu card for two West Nile Virus cards ...

    The other down under >permalink<

    It's the town so nice they named it twice - but you've probably not seen it like this before. An urban look at New York City ...

    Calling himself a "guerrilla historian," Steve Duncan takes his camera to places closed off and shut down. Abandoned subway stations, the tugboat graveyard, and the rusting relics of the 1964 World's Fair site are captured by Steve's unblinking lens. And the stories behind how he gets his pictures are as fascinating as the photos themselves.

    David Pirmann's site covers the 150 years and thousands of miles of track that make up the New York subway system. Of particular interest is the section devoted to abandoned stations, architectural marvels that give a glimpse into the city's past.

    One of the enduring images of the New York transit system is the sight of graffiti covered trains. This unique urban art form has all but disappeared thanks to an aggressive clean car program. To preserve these mobile murals, a group of former taggers and writers have assembled an exhaustive tribute to NYC graffiti called The Cyber Bench. Included are historic timelines, galleries of work, biographies of crews and bombers, and thankfully, a glossary of terms.

    If the work at the site above has inspired you, try bombing your own hood with tags - online. Create your own logos or messages, and print them off or save them. Best of all - no spray can fumes!

    You'll never know if these links are working or not >permalink<

    . . . because they're all about pages not found!

    I love my ... >permalink<

    We all love certain items or products. They become the things we couldn't live without. What makes us 'bond' with a brand name? The folks who run the advertising firm Saatchi & Saatchi had a hard look at what makes us loyal to certain products beyond reason. They've posted over four thousand comments and testimonials, and even offer a test to see if your favourite brand makes the grade - from trademark to Lovemark.

    You mean, there was a name for that? >permalink<

    Sometime between Art Deco and Tupperware, Googie architecture and design flourished. If the term Googie doesn't spark an image, then think Jetsons. Precious little Googie architecture has survived in Edmonton, so if you missed how the "future" looked forty years ago the first time around, then a visit to this site will quickly take you back to the Space Age.

    Dog River days >permalink<

    A big hit here in Western Canada, the show simply baffles the folks who live at the centre of the universe (it's just our revenge for Toronto's Mike Bullard). The inter-web version of the town of Dog River is just as memorable as the one we see on TV, and the view is just as good - no mountains or other tall objects to block the views of endless scenic prairie. What would life be like if you lived in the middle of nowhere? At Corner Gas, it's way beyond normal.

    Hey, this could be your father! >permalink<

    We all have our hobbies, but how far we go to let everybody know what they are is the question. Building working models of Doctor Who Daleks so you can ride to the local Imax theatre with your buddies is actually kind of neat. So is creating your own costume based on those worn in the 1982 Tron movie. Both sites above go into a lot detail to show the craftmanship involved. But the guy in the Tron suit should perhaps have ... hit the treadmill before these pictures were taken (scroll down a screen or two). Remember, he is someone's loved one, so don't be too harsh.

    Brainwashing >permalink<

    It's okay. If the boss catches you playing with this one, you can always tell him you're experimenting with space, color and visual rhythm in accordance with the theories of Dutch neo-plasticist painter Piet Mondrian. The easy to master controls provided let you divide, balance and change the appearance of large blocks of colour, creating a relaxing zen-like feeling of calm and reflection (while also learning about modern art). This sort of brain-washing is encouraged ... at the Mondrimat. For more stuff like this, visit the web watch - animations page.

    Who's in charge here? >permalink<

    This one has been a Last Link favourite for years and we're glad it's still up and working. It's the official web site for the 2000 Darren Aronofsky film and it has had web folks scratching their heads as to how it works. Is the site reacting to your mouse, or does your mouse follow the workings of the site? And, do you follow the same path each time you visit? Try it out - your own mileage may vary!