I've decided to take my blogging in two different directions, so this will be my last post on Blogue. The blog still gets great numbers, especially for some of the archival pieces (and the Reddit piece below is still on fire), so I won't delete the blog unless I see that it has faded into history. So, what's next?I have just launched a new blog about Australian artists, designers and thinkers
Saturday, 6 June 2009
Saturday, 18 April 2009
Reddit: yeah, I geddit
Posted on 21:55 by Unknown
Reddit.com’s RSS feed (“what’s new online”) has been in my news reader for a while. As part of a cull of noisy, useless feeds, I’ve just deleted it. A more literate version of 4chan, with significantly less users, it produces the same results over and over. Here’s everything you need to know about Reddit users' worldview.1. McDonald’s is bad.In fact, all multinational corporations are bad, but
Sunday, 12 April 2009
OMG, Mr Darcy!
Posted on 07:35 by Unknown
Excerpts from 1-star reviews of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice on Amazon.com.It just goes on and on and on, only to lead this sister ending up with that guy, this sister ending up with that guy, etc. — Adam ApplebyPersonally I am disgusted. I think that they are all pompous and rather annoying. — A CustomerA terrible bore, really sort of a nightmare that never ends. — Laura “witchbaby”I find
Saturday, 11 April 2009
Pile o' linx #1
Posted on 06:01 by Unknown
toyA simple audio interface with instant gratification.[link]badFor Easter, a pair of horribly designed Christian sites.[Exhibit A][Exhibit B]usefulIf you find something you want to read online but don’t have time to read it now, use Instapaper.[link]pointlessHow fast can you click your spacebar?[link]videoEvery straight man’s fantasy. A demo ad by Adam Green and Will Barratt.[link]oddHow to make
Saturday, 4 April 2009
Inconspicuous consumption
Posted on 03:03 by Unknown
The economic downturn and the growing awareness of the consequences of diamond mining have already heralded the death of bling.As the economy worsens, flashing the cash is seen as more and more inappropriate. Formerly logo-smothered fashion and accessories are out; discreet luxury is in.Leading online luxury fashion retailer Net-a-porter is, not surprisingly, embracing the trend. Its standard
Friday, 3 April 2009
Thursday, 2 April 2009
Making sense of the money mess
Posted on 02:34 by Unknown
I suspect that most people outside the money industries don't really understand why the financial system collapsed and how pervasive it is. That's why all the various elements of it have just been put in one big conceptual box and called the "economic crisis".This video, made by Los Angeles–based designer Jonathan Jarvis, is the best graphic visualisation of how this all came about I have seen,
Saturday, 21 March 2009
Nice to meet you, too: some first impressions of Twitter
Posted on 18:40 by Unknown
I’m aware that blogging about Twitter is like dancing about architecture, but I can’t write 140-characters-or-less forever. I also get that I'm late to the party but that's never stopped me before.I started an account for the magazine I work for first. It’s a sign of the times that after 25 years in print, I get a daily report on UBs and PIs for the magazine’s website. “It’s the future!” everyone
Monday, 16 March 2009
Writing, writing, writing
Posted on 05:32 by Unknown
I'm working on several writing projects at once at the moment, including contributing to a book, two other blogs (in another voice!) and my work.I'm also trying out Twitter, so feel free to follow me there. I'm @kollektor.
Friday, 27 February 2009
Why I love 30 Rock. Why I love Tina Fey. Why I love Alec Baldwin
Posted on 09:30 by Unknown
Jack + Elisa = Jalisa. Because they went here for one second: Jack's pink and blue Jalisa T-shirts.And as Liz and Kenneth came out of the subway: the X train to Zorgonia Avenue and a "coming soon" poster for Jenna's movie, Janie Jimplin.
Monday, 23 February 2009
How'd I do? Hopeless!
Posted on 05:10 by Unknown
My Oscar picks were terrible! Only one right: Sean Penn. It's a good thing I didn't have money on them!I should have taken a stab at the Visual Effects award, because the team on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button achieved a real and important technical breakthrough, despite the film's Forrest Gump–backwards plot. For the first third of the film, the Brad Pitt character is completely virtual,
Sunday, 22 February 2009
Yes, I know the way to San Jose
Posted on 06:44 by Unknown
I don't know what Dionne Warwick's problem was. If your weeks in LA turn into years – how quick they pass – and it's time to head to San Jose, here's the way.
Driving directions to San Jose, CA
339 mi – about 5 hours 22 mins
Los Angeles, CA
1.Head southeast on E 1st St toward S Los Angeles St
404 ft
2.Turn left at N Los Angeles St
0.4 mi
3.Turn right to merge onto US-101 N
Driving directions to San Jose, CA
339 mi – about 5 hours 22 mins
Los Angeles, CA
1.Head southeast on E 1st St toward S Los Angeles St
404 ft
2.Turn left at N Los Angeles St
0.4 mi
3.Turn right to merge onto US-101 N
Thursday, 19 February 2009
Just because you can type, it doesn't make you a writer. Or a mathematician
Posted on 03:42 by Unknown
In a rare moment of restraint, TMZ marked the passing of Mickey Rourke's beloved chihuahua simply:Loki Rourke1991 - 2009"Sometimes when a man's alone, that's all you got ... is your dog."-- Mickey @ the Golden GlobesThe second and third reader comments on the story:2. That dog did not live 28 years. No way.Posted at 11:57PM on Feb 17th 2009 by Stephen3. Umm... a 28 year old dog? Is that a typo?
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Calls for lynching and torture on the evening news: Welcome to Australia 2009
Posted on 03:58 by Unknown
On Thursday last week, a man was arrested and charged with starting a fire in Victoria, one that burned through the small town of Churchill, where he lived. That fire killed at least 21 people – the entire town has been declared a crime scene and the final number won’t be known until a forensic investigation is completed – and destroyed about 200 homes.His name is Brendan Sokaluk and he’s 39. He
Monday, 16 February 2009
No deal
Posted on 23:16 by Unknown
It's been a while but I have a couple of new writing projects on the go so, as always, the blog has to suffer.Anyway, I raced home tonight to beat the big storm that was moving down the coast and flicked the TV on. Deal or No Deal. I have absolutely no idea what the rules are. It seemed to be very complicated, with all sorts of language that only made sense to the host and audience. At least The
Sunday, 25 January 2009
恭喜發財
Posted on 05:19 by Unknown
Another new year party! Sydney is going all-out for its Chinese New Year celebrations this year. The festival, which started on Friday, goes for another three weeks, so it overlaps with the Sydney Festival, still in full swing, by a week. Much to be seen and eaten and explored, in that case.Oh – it's Australia Day today, as well, so for me it means there are going to squadrons of warplanes
Saturday, 24 January 2009
Too darn hot
Posted on 01:10 by Unknown
It hit 40.1°C today. That's 104°F. Too much summer all at once for my liking. Then the southerly came through at 6 and the temperature dropped 10 degrees in an hour. Ahhhh.
Thursday, 22 January 2009
Picking on Oscar
Posted on 05:55 by Unknown
The Oscar nominations were just announced.Yeah, all right. I'll go there. These aren't necessarily my personal favourites, but they're my favourites to win.My picks are, appropriately, in gold.Best Picture: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," "The Reader," "Slumdog Millionaire."Actor: Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"; Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"; Sean Penn, "Milk"; Brad
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Because balloon animals need love, too
Posted on 11:00 by Unknown
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Thank you for playing. Now get out.
Posted on 11:35 by Unknown
A moment to lift the heart. Bye-bye!Update: Maureen Dowd's op-ed piece in today's New York Times, 'Exit the Boy-King', is excellent.
Sunday, 18 January 2009
Black in name only
Posted on 15:32 by Unknown
It turns out that black box flight recorders aren't black.This is the flight recorder from the US Airways plane that landed on the river in New York. While it's somewhat blackened around the edges, it's not black. Being bright orange makes it easier to find.In related news, as I was saying in this post, it's not legitimate news unless there's an Aussie onboard. And so, on the front page of the
The angry man
Posted on 06:19 by Unknown
My local supermarket is open until midnight. At about 11, two guys start to close down the deli section. It’s obviously a big job: they have to put away all that neatly folded ham, coleslaw, fish fillets and mystery meat.I like to shop late when the place is pretty much empty. I shop fast and don't need obstacles like people hunting though the 50 different mouthwashes to get in my way. It’s just
Saturday, 17 January 2009
Now arriving at MC Escher Airport
Posted on 21:33 by Unknown
There something strange going on in this picture on CNN . . .
Monday, 12 January 2009
Goodbye to all that
Posted on 12:41 by Unknown
The "Dick Cheney Lie Count" from last night's Letterman.In related news, I got a press release today from the Lyndon LaRouche Political Action Committee – I have no idea why I'm on this list – saying that in the final week of Bushdom, Cheney will push Israel into a multi-front offensive with Lebanon and Syria that will give him the excuse to start a war with Iran that Obama will be forced to
Tuesday, 6 January 2009
There's cutting edge and there's just getting it wrong
Posted on 12:00 by Unknown
I'm not an apostrophe Nazi unless it's work-related. I recognise that English is complicated and that punctuation can be tricky, so I'm fairly forgiving – by which I mean I wince but I get over it – when I see things like "CD's" as the plural of "CD". However, this job ad caught my eye. They really need to fill this position.
Monday, 5 January 2009
Barbie's resume
Posted on 12:10 by Unknown
Barbie turns 50 years old this year and, like many mature-age workers, she has quite an impressive resume. Here's a random sampling of her work experience.DefenceAir Force Fighter PilotUnited States Army officerUnited States Navy officerEducationArt TeacherSign Language TeacherSpanish Language TeacherStudent TeacherEntertainmentAmerican Idol contestantBallerinaCircus StarMovie ProducerMovie
Back to work: Ouch!
Posted on 03:02 by Unknown
I went back to work today after two glorious weeks off, and it wasn't pretty.I got in to the office very early only to discover a weird smell – something had gone off but we couldn't locate it. The computer network was acting up, I couldn't remember half my log-ins, and it took all my concentration to bang out a handful of stories. To make matters worse, it was a particularly beautiful day: sunny
Friday, 2 January 2009
Did they change our meds or is this place really crawling with clowns?
Posted on 12:00 by Unknown
Thursday, 1 January 2009
A matter of inches: just how tall are our modern stars?
Posted on 12:00 by Unknown
At 5’4” (162.5cm), here’s a group of statistically average height women: Drew Barrymore, Catherine Deneuve, Queen Elizabeth, Madonna, Britney Spears and Elizabeth Taylor.
At 5’9” (175cm), here’s a group of statistically average height men: Antonio Banderas, Albert Einstein, James Dean, Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas and Jack Nicholson.
Tom Cruise is regularly characterised as being “short”,
At 5’9” (175cm), here’s a group of statistically average height men: Antonio Banderas, Albert Einstein, James Dean, Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas and Jack Nicholson.
Tom Cruise is regularly characterised as being “short”,
A flying start
Posted on 00:55 by Unknown
At 11pm last night, Mike and I were having a quiet-ish margarita at the Bayswater Brasserie. By 11.30, with Amy and Janie, we were in a little boat leaving Double Bay wharf. We boarded the MV Flying Fish, moored in the middle of the harbour, and 10 minutes later the New Year’s Eve fireworks started, and this was our view. Awesome!
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