ldopa.net

I’m probably utterly alone here, but I find this stuff fascinating — it’s a wiki page that documents the Ubuntu developers discussing the current crop of community scripts that enable and install all kinds of popular yet proprietary “non-free” items into the Ubuntu linux distribution. It’s an interesting discussion if not only as a peek into what does and what does not make the cut into Ubuntu, and why; but also because the developers aren’t taking the standard stodgy greybearded linux developer “people shouldn’t install this software” stance, but instead “people shouldn’t go about installing this software in this comparatively kinda messy way, and so hey let’s try and make it easier/safer/better for them to what they want to do or what they’re going to try and do anyway.

Mark my words: Ubuntu will outpace all the other linux distributions — and you know why? Because it’s a dancer.

~jeff

Very useful search engine for royalty free photography — I especially like the color matching function. Found via this article at IBM Developerworks on free resources for broke-ass web designers. I’m paraphrasing.

~jeff

Now “Notify me of followup comments via email” can be enabled if you leave a comment on ldopa.net, and each additional comment posted will be emailed to you. I’ve wanted this feature since day one, and I’m proud to have only taken one (1) friggin’ year to bring it to you. Thanks to Scriptygoddess.com for the code.

~jeff

Hi, my name’s Jeff, and I’m an early adopter.(Hi, Jeff).

…God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot afford, the courage to pre-order the things I can afford, and the wisdom to know the difference. What I’m trying to say is that I will totally be getting one of these kickass wifi Skype phones — and I hate talking on the phone.

~jeff

The Grey Lady appears to like her tacos, as evidenced by this excellent round up of tacos up the California coast. Although, I have to say that one of their favorites, la taq, has always struck me as expensive and not as good of some of the other options out there.

~jesse

Link to an mp3 by Mazen Kerbaj, a experimental musician from Beirut, recorded live as bombs dropped.

~jeff

fig. 1: hopefully not a love scene
I’ve been a fan of PowerBook/crack cocaine user Aaron Sorkin since “West Wing”, so it’s great to see him back on TV. The script for the first episode of “Studio 60″ is (scurrilously) available online; even in rough form, it looks to be classic Sorkin — incredibly perky women, rapid fire dialog, and rampant corruption around every corner. Plan to hole up in September with some rock, ’shrooms, and cheeb and check it out:

MARTHA
You’re on Vicodin?

MATT
Yeah. I may have exceeded the recommended dosage.

MARTHA
Should you be out of bed?

MATT
(beat)
Am I?

~jeff

SomethingAwful.com has a funny article discussing some of the worst video game title screens ever, but honestly, I just wanted to post that awesome picture of a werewolf holding a flag — if you’re in the market for a tattoo, I’d at least consider it.

~jeff

Lovely tribute article here.

~jeff

Art.

ldopa.net contributor Jon Klein is featured on this week’s biota.org podcast — Jon discusses artificial intelligence and his work with the “breve” simulation environment. Jon curiously does not mention his work with me in the “Splinter Cell” simulation environment.

~jeff

Either you enjoy “Tom Goes To The Mayor” or you really, really don’t — I personally don’t “enjoy” it as much as find it calmingly hypnotic, like staring into the swaying eyes of a deadly cobra. So you can imagine my shrill and confused cries of girlish delight when I discovered that Tim and Eric have produced a video podcast (QuickTime format, no iPod actually required to view). Check out the first episode for a look at life in L.A. for Tim and Eric. Also, don’t miss their new “Married News” calendar which you can actually purchase, all the better to creep yourself out all year long.

~jeff

I blame the internet:

Cut to Homer entering “The Vast Waistband”, a clothing store.
Homer: I’m looking for something loose and billowy, something comfortable for my first day of work.
Salesman: Work, huh? Let me guess. Computer programmer, computer magazine columnist, something with computers?
Homer: Well, I use a computer.
Salesman: [quietly, to self] Yeah, what’s the connection? Must be the non-stop sitting and snacking.

Another oldie but a goodie:

On February 26, 2004, we had a snowstorm here in Raleigh, and all the news channels posted the businesses and schools that would be closed the next day. One of these fine news organizations, Time Warner Cable’s News 14 Carolina, chose the most convenient but least secure method to allow businesses to report closings: the Internet.

~jeff