Monday, November 10, 2008
Write or Die
This is a fantastic idea:
Dr Wicked's Website Write or Die lets you set up a word-count goal and a time limit. If you pause for too long, or get distracted, the screen turns red, then your words start getting erased! Talk about motivation!
At any point, you can hit Done and save what you've written to your clipboard. The website also offers the following HTML code as a badge of honor. Its a bit messy, I haven't edited it, just dropped it in so you can see what it looks like:
I'll let you guess what the two words were...
Thanks to Lifehacker for the link.
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
0 Comments
Permalink
Dr Wicked's Website Write or Die lets you set up a word-count goal and a time limit. If you pause for too long, or get distracted, the screen turns red, then your words start getting erased! Talk about motivation!
At any point, you can hit Done and save what you've written to your clipboard. The website also offers the following HTML code as a badge of honor. Its a bit messy, I haven't edited it, just dropped it in so you can see what it looks like:
 | 2 |
 | |
1  | |
 | |
| lab.drwicked.com | |
I'll let you guess what the two words were...
Thanks to Lifehacker for the link.
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: Cool Website, Writing
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Blog Review: ZenHabits
It's sites like ZenHabits.net that make me want to be a better blogger. I've no delusions that conradzero.com is useful by any stretch of the imagination, but ZenHabits is chock-full of useful, practical, real-world information on how to make your life simpler and better.
It's positive and cheerful too, but don't let that get you down.
There's a marvelous post over there right now by Leo, titled Success Isn’t a Competition: Boosting Others Helps You in the Long Run. It's title pretty much sums the post up. There's some good examples of the idea applied to blogging, but the idea lends itself well to other areas of life. I'd argue that competition is healthy to a point, but there's a lot of truth to what Leo says.
Leo's also starting a "Helping Hand" program, and reaching out to offer support to other bloggers in any way he can. That's great, and I wish him the best. He's already helping me by blogging useful advice. I'm helping him in return by telling all three of my blog readers what a great site ZenHabits is. It's the least I can do.
Ya'all really ought to read it. Leo's got a lot of useful wisdom to share.
Don't pass up on zenhabits! It'd be like starting every sentence of your blog post with a contraction.
That'd be lame.
Art's Resistance
-Z'ro
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It's positive and cheerful too, but don't let that get you down.
There's a marvelous post over there right now by Leo, titled Success Isn’t a Competition: Boosting Others Helps You in the Long Run. It's title pretty much sums the post up. There's some good examples of the idea applied to blogging, but the idea lends itself well to other areas of life. I'd argue that competition is healthy to a point, but there's a lot of truth to what Leo says.
Leo's also starting a "Helping Hand" program, and reaching out to offer support to other bloggers in any way he can. That's great, and I wish him the best. He's already helping me by blogging useful advice. I'm helping him in return by telling all three of my blog readers what a great site ZenHabits is. It's the least I can do.
Ya'all really ought to read it. Leo's got a lot of useful wisdom to share.
Don't pass up on zenhabits! It'd be like starting every sentence of your blog post with a contraction.
That'd be lame.
Art's Resistance
-Z'ro
Labels: Blogging, Cool Website, Ubercool
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Save the Internet from the Thought Police
It's sad when we have to create laws simply to keep people and businesses from doing things that are intuitively evil and wrong.
Props to savetheinternet.com. They are trying to push a bill called the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, which would stop Big Businesses from twisting the existing system of internet to their own design, and screw over independent artists and labels.
Data service providers are pressuring Congress to allow them to create different levels of internet access speed; not to the music and media consumers, but to the providers. Media providers willing to pay more money would have their content moved through the internet at a preferred/faster rate. We can also look at this from another point of view: those who cannot or will not pay extra get their data traffic slopped into the slow lane.
So it won't matter if you have a full-blown 25GBPS connection, if you aren't accessing sites that can afford "Premier Platinum Top-Shelf Delivery" you're going to be remembering what it was like when you had a 28.8 dial-up modem. OK, maybe that's a bit harsh, but not impossible. But the problem is worse than simply an issue of speed, and it goes deeper than just music.
The phone companies should not be allowed to monitor your voice communication and edit out swear words, or political phrases they don't agree with, right?
Internet Service Providers should not be allowed to block blog posts that are anti-Republican, or Anti-Anything, right?
But we've already seen AT&T censor political statements during their web broadcasts. If the Republican Party can afford to pay AT&T more money, their messages get premium (read: unfiltered) service. If the Green Party can't.... well, without some intervention this is where the system is headed.
Comparing this to the way the cable company works is not an accurate analogy. The cable company decides their own content, and they can make you pay more for better content. This makes sense; you pay for content. Data service providers have NOTHING to do with the content coming through them. They are a service, and they have no right to tamper with the data going through their pipes, unless they would like to be held responsible. Do you think AT&T could be held responsible for providing data service to terrorists? Could your internet service provider be held responsible for allowing you access to illegal pornography, or allowing someone to send e-mails about how to construct an atomic bomb?
This is the very reason the FCC exists, to stop nonsense like this from happening. Otherwise, the services might just as well be deregulated, shut down the FCC and save the taxpayers a few billion.
Thank goodness a more reasonable solution was devised, a bill called The Internet Freedom Preservation Act or HR5353, which basically tells data service providers to leave the system the way it is, and let the data flow "...without unreasonable interference or discrimination..."
What you can to do help is make your representative aware of this bill, savetheinternet.com provides a simple way for you to get in contact with your rep and a prepared text to make him/her aware of the situation, and hopefully get the bill passed into law.
Props (as always) the Future of Music Coalition for the linkage and their ongoing efforts to maintain Net Neutrality.
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
0 Comments
Permalink
Props to savetheinternet.com. They are trying to push a bill called the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, which would stop Big Businesses from twisting the existing system of internet to their own design, and screw over independent artists and labels.
Data service providers are pressuring Congress to allow them to create different levels of internet access speed; not to the music and media consumers, but to the providers. Media providers willing to pay more money would have their content moved through the internet at a preferred/faster rate. We can also look at this from another point of view: those who cannot or will not pay extra get their data traffic slopped into the slow lane.
So it won't matter if you have a full-blown 25GBPS connection, if you aren't accessing sites that can afford "Premier Platinum Top-Shelf Delivery" you're going to be remembering what it was like when you had a 28.8 dial-up modem. OK, maybe that's a bit harsh, but not impossible. But the problem is worse than simply an issue of speed, and it goes deeper than just music.
The phone companies should not be allowed to monitor your voice communication and edit out swear words, or political phrases they don't agree with, right?
Internet Service Providers should not be allowed to block blog posts that are anti-Republican, or Anti-Anything, right?
But we've already seen AT&T censor political statements during their web broadcasts. If the Republican Party can afford to pay AT&T more money, their messages get premium (read: unfiltered) service. If the Green Party can't.... well, without some intervention this is where the system is headed.
Comparing this to the way the cable company works is not an accurate analogy. The cable company decides their own content, and they can make you pay more for better content. This makes sense; you pay for content. Data service providers have NOTHING to do with the content coming through them. They are a service, and they have no right to tamper with the data going through their pipes, unless they would like to be held responsible. Do you think AT&T could be held responsible for providing data service to terrorists? Could your internet service provider be held responsible for allowing you access to illegal pornography, or allowing someone to send e-mails about how to construct an atomic bomb?
This is the very reason the FCC exists, to stop nonsense like this from happening. Otherwise, the services might just as well be deregulated, shut down the FCC and save the taxpayers a few billion.
Thank goodness a more reasonable solution was devised, a bill called The Internet Freedom Preservation Act or HR5353, which basically tells data service providers to leave the system the way it is, and let the data flow "...without unreasonable interference or discrimination..."
What you can to do help is make your representative aware of this bill, savetheinternet.com provides a simple way for you to get in contact with your rep and a prepared text to make him/her aware of the situation, and hopefully get the bill passed into law.
Props (as always) the Future of Music Coalition for the linkage and their ongoing efforts to maintain Net Neutrality.
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: Business Phenomena, Call To Action, Cool Website, Good Cause, political
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Chill
You can thank Xtina for this one. She was visiting a friend who had XM radio, and landed on a station called "Chill". A quick search turned up the wikipedia entry and the website where you can listen to chillin' ambient, trance, and soothing digital mellowness that they call "Tai Chi for your Ears".
Did I mention it's FREE? So I guess I'm calling my monthly internet access service "Value Added"...
But sadly, they don't play Jagged Spiral :(
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
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Did I mention it's FREE? So I guess I'm calling my monthly internet access service "Value Added"...
But sadly, they don't play Jagged Spiral :(
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: Cool Website, music, Ubercool
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
darktwincities.com
Gothy places and events in the Twin Cities are difficult to find outside of Ground Zero. Not that the Heartland doesn't have a dark side, far from it. Its just that the cool events like the Zombie Pub Crawl and the Goth Prom get lost in the deluge of mook bars, DJs, and karaoke nights.
I try to help when I can, but even I miss out on things; for example, I didn't hear about the Zombie Fashion Show until after it was over. And I'm sure there's plenty of people who don't want to wade through my slanderous movie reviews and delirious raving about DRM, just to pick out the occasional gothy tidbit.
Therefore, the need for a website like darktwincities.com "Your source for all things Dark and Spooky in MSP". They focus mostly on music and clubs, but they also have music reviews and plenty of other gothy-goings-on in the forums; fashion, news and whatever else your dark heart desires.
If you know of a Dark and Spooky event going on in the Twin Cities, make sure to stop over at darktwincites.com and post it in the forums, or e-mail their staff using the link on the homepage, they will even get your event flier posted on the frontpage.
Like the Jagged Spiral concert next Thursday, for example:
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
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I try to help when I can, but even I miss out on things; for example, I didn't hear about the Zombie Fashion Show until after it was over. And I'm sure there's plenty of people who don't want to wade through my slanderous movie reviews and delirious raving about DRM, just to pick out the occasional gothy tidbit.
Therefore, the need for a website like darktwincities.com "Your source for all things Dark and Spooky in MSP". They focus mostly on music and clubs, but they also have music reviews and plenty of other gothy-goings-on in the forums; fashion, news and whatever else your dark heart desires.
If you know of a Dark and Spooky event going on in the Twin Cities, make sure to stop over at darktwincites.com and post it in the forums, or e-mail their staff using the link on the homepage, they will even get your event flier posted on the frontpage.Like the Jagged Spiral concert next Thursday, for example:
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: Cool Website, Ubercool
Friday, January 18, 2008
Songboom!
The wait is over.
Songboom is a site that reviews other online music delivery sites. None of the sites reviewed have DRM. They even lay out a great comparison matrix of all the sites reviewed.
And FINALLY, download prices are realistic. How's about a DIME per song? Doesn't that sound better than the i-screw? I mean you could go to i-tunes and download Within Temptation's "The Silent Force" for the same price as a hard-copy, un-DRM-infected, artwork-included version, or you can to go mp3fiesta.com and download the entire album for $0.99
Oh, I'm sorry, i-tunes doesn't *have* "The Silent Force". Heh. Hey i-tunes? Blow me.
Or you could pay import prices for Coil's "Music to Play in the Dark 2" album, or you could get download it from mp3fiesta.com for $0.97
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
1 Comments
Permalink
Songboom is a site that reviews other online music delivery sites. None of the sites reviewed have DRM. They even lay out a great comparison matrix of all the sites reviewed.
And FINALLY, download prices are realistic. How's about a DIME per song? Doesn't that sound better than the i-screw? I mean you could go to i-tunes and download Within Temptation's "The Silent Force" for the same price as a hard-copy, un-DRM-infected, artwork-included version, or you can to go mp3fiesta.com and download the entire album for $0.99
Oh, I'm sorry, i-tunes doesn't *have* "The Silent Force". Heh. Hey i-tunes? Blow me.
Or you could pay import prices for Coil's "Music to Play in the Dark 2" album, or you could get download it from mp3fiesta.com for $0.97
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: Cool Website, DRM Sucks, music
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Silver Ladder
0 Comments PermalinkFriday, November 09, 2007
Jagged Spiral Dot Com
Ah yes, so this is what this blog looks like. I'd almost forgotten about it; guess you could say I've been away on vacation, the way some people go up to the cabin for hunting, or south to their summer home for the winter. For those wondering what I've been up to, you can check here:
http://www.jaggedspiral.com/
I did all of the code and 99.9 percent of the content. The band is gearing up for it's first CD release, two years of work entitled "Days From Evil". The songs are licensed under Creative Commons, which means they are free to download from the merch page, although you can make a donation through strategically placed buttons on the website. One new track from the album will be released each week, you can check the countdown timer on the website for the release date of each track.
The band is working on art for the Days From Evil CD and hope to have it done by the end of 2007.
Oh, and I've also been known to camp out here for some lengths of time:
http://www.adagioholistic.com/
I did all of the code and none of the content, and it is my first paid venture in web programming. Kim Hart is as close as Minneapolis is going to get to a spiritual healer, she makes frequent trips to South America for training on healing techniques, and her business, Adagio Holistic, offers all kinds of alternative medicinal treatments, therapeutic massage, energy work, etc. Check their treatments page for more info.
If either of the sites looks screwed up, shoot me an email.
So I think the vacation is over, and it's good to be home again. Hmm, seems this place could use a little sprucing up...
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
0 Comments
Permalink
http://www.jaggedspiral.com/
I did all of the code and 99.9 percent of the content. The band is gearing up for it's first CD release, two years of work entitled "Days From Evil". The songs are licensed under Creative Commons, which means they are free to download from the merch page, although you can make a donation through strategically placed buttons on the website. One new track from the album will be released each week, you can check the countdown timer on the website for the release date of each track.
The band is working on art for the Days From Evil CD and hope to have it done by the end of 2007.
Oh, and I've also been known to camp out here for some lengths of time:
http://www.adagioholistic.com/
I did all of the code and none of the content, and it is my first paid venture in web programming. Kim Hart is as close as Minneapolis is going to get to a spiritual healer, she makes frequent trips to South America for training on healing techniques, and her business, Adagio Holistic, offers all kinds of alternative medicinal treatments, therapeutic massage, energy work, etc. Check their treatments page for more info.
If either of the sites looks screwed up, shoot me an email.
So I think the vacation is over, and it's good to be home again. Hmm, seems this place could use a little sprucing up...
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: A Day In The Life, Cool Website, Days From Evil, Jagged Spiral
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Cool Website: Will It Blend?
Fantastic. You get to sate your burning need to know, without blowing up your house. Cuz, you've always wanted to know what would happen if you put a bunch of disposable lighters in a blender...
...or a can of EZ-Cheese...
Or an I-Phone!
The best part is the cheezy smile the guy has while he's blending up a $400 I-Phone.
Man, I could have saved a lot of money if I'd only known about willitblend.com! (It wouldn't have prevented "The Shaving Cream Incident", but that's another post for another day...
Thanks to James for the link...
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
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...or a can of EZ-Cheese...
Or an I-Phone!
The best part is the cheezy smile the guy has while he's blending up a $400 I-Phone.
Man, I could have saved a lot of money if I'd only known about willitblend.com! (It wouldn't have prevented "The Shaving Cream Incident", but that's another post for another day...
Thanks to James for the link...
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
Labels: Cool Website, Funny, Videos
Monday, August 27, 2007
Basic Instructions
If you haven't seen Basic Instructions, you really should swing over there and check it out. This weeks comic on "How to Quit Drinking Caffeine" had me instantly hooked. Scott Meyer's main character reminds me of my friend, "Schaffdog". (Except the "Dog" has more hair.)
I used to read CTRL+ALT+DEL, which is hit-or-miss, but going through basicinstructions back catalog had me LLOL (Literally Laughing-Out-Loud) on almost every comic.
I added his rss feed to my list next to Dilbert, cuz I'm an ornery-sum-bisch if I don't get some daily laughs with my caffeine, otherwise I'm just a tired-sum-bisch...
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
I used to read CTRL+ALT+DEL, which is hit-or-miss, but going through basicinstructions back catalog had me LLOL (Literally Laughing-Out-Loud) on almost every comic.
I added his rss feed to my list next to Dilbert, cuz I'm an ornery-sum-bisch if I don't get some daily laughs with my caffeine, otherwise I'm just a tired-sum-bisch...
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
Labels: Cool Website, Funny
Friday, July 20, 2007
Reveille Magazine
Can't quite tell you how excited I am to see the birth of Reveille, a new local Minnesota music magazine .
My love for the City Pages as a local music reference has waned ever since the day the Twin Cities Reader gave up the ghost, and C.P. slowly declined to where it is today.
Part of the problem is that City Pages doesn't always focus on local, and it rarely focuses on music. It's ventured so far from its 'Sweet Potato' roots, that it seems to have forgotten where it came from, and worse, doesn't seem to care. And why should it? The advertising $$$ keep rolling in, the XXX ads in the back never change, and deciding ??? to do this weekend is Your problem, not the City Pages.
Sure it works fine to cover the garage floor when you were touching up the paint on that ugly ceramic animal you made back in grade school. What the hell was that thing? A chicken? A fish with a long neck? No telling anymore, maybe you could paint it and sell it at the Maple Grove Art Fair???.... [Author's Note: Um, where was I? Oh yes, the advertisements. I remember now.]
For me, the usefulness of City Pages is reduced to the advertisements for all the local clubs, whick are in one relatively convenient section. For many weekends it was my treasure map for discovering new local music. But I had always wished for something more.
So did others. That's why the Rake, Pulse, Siren, Rift, howwastheshow.com morecowbell.net and minneapolisfuckingrocks.com and about a thousand more online sources came into being. There is SO MUCH art being made in the Minneapolis area, people want someone who can collect it all to one convenient place, and give you an idea of who's who and what's what in the local music scene. Local art by local artists. Put ads in there if you want, and put all the personal ads in the back too, I don't care. But keep it free, keep it local, and keep it away from the sensational-pseudo-journalism. If I want to know about local sports or politics I have better sources for that. I wanna know who is playing, where, when, and why the hell I should go see them! As great as the 'alternatives to the alternative' are, they don't have the distribution and stamina that City Pages has. Siren went under some time ago, the Pulse is gone and Rift is floundering due to production costs, threatening to become web-only.
So I was pleased as punch to see vita.mn emerge. Although it's run by the Star Tribune, but don't judge it too harshly, they have their heart in the right place, and I suspect their distribution will rival the City Pages. Vita.mn pulls everything I liked about City Pages out and puts in in one place. On paper. And their website is fabulously useful, clean, informational and intuitive.
But I'm even more excited about Reveille. If nothing else this line from their mission statement makes me all tingly:
When mainstream media can't afford to cover the depth of music on offer in the Twin Cities and beyond, we're here to go deeper. When the internet seems like nothing but a glut of news tidbits and buzz, we're here to actually write about music. Original, insightful, informative, inspiring: This is what we seek to be.
At the very least, Reveille will provide real competition that was so sorely lacking before. Check out the full mission statement, and the cast of characters here.
http://www.reveillemag.com/about/
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
Part of the problem is that City Pages doesn't always focus on local, and it rarely focuses on music. It's ventured so far from its 'Sweet Potato' roots, that it seems to have forgotten where it came from, and worse, doesn't seem to care. And why should it? The advertising $$$ keep rolling in, the XXX ads in the back never change, and deciding ??? to do this weekend is Your problem, not the City Pages.
Sure it works fine to cover the garage floor when you were touching up the paint on that ugly ceramic animal you made back in grade school. What the hell was that thing? A chicken? A fish with a long neck? No telling anymore, maybe you could paint it and sell it at the Maple Grove Art Fair???.... [Author's Note: Um, where was I? Oh yes, the advertisements. I remember now.]
For me, the usefulness of City Pages is reduced to the advertisements for all the local clubs, whick are in one relatively convenient section. For many weekends it was my treasure map for discovering new local music. But I had always wished for something more.
So did others. That's why the Rake, Pulse, Siren, Rift, howwastheshow.com morecowbell.net and minneapolisfuckingrocks.com and about a thousand more online sources came into being. There is SO MUCH art being made in the Minneapolis area, people want someone who can collect it all to one convenient place, and give you an idea of who's who and what's what in the local music scene. Local art by local artists. Put ads in there if you want, and put all the personal ads in the back too, I don't care. But keep it free, keep it local, and keep it away from the sensational-pseudo-journalism. If I want to know about local sports or politics I have better sources for that. I wanna know who is playing, where, when, and why the hell I should go see them! As great as the 'alternatives to the alternative' are, they don't have the distribution and stamina that City Pages has. Siren went under some time ago, the Pulse is gone and Rift is floundering due to production costs, threatening to become web-only.
So I was pleased as punch to see vita.mn emerge. Although it's run by the Star Tribune, but don't judge it too harshly, they have their heart in the right place, and I suspect their distribution will rival the City Pages. Vita.mn pulls everything I liked about City Pages out and puts in in one place. On paper. And their website is fabulously useful, clean, informational and intuitive.
But I'm even more excited about Reveille. If nothing else this line from their mission statement makes me all tingly:
When mainstream media can't afford to cover the depth of music on offer in the Twin Cities and beyond, we're here to go deeper. When the internet seems like nothing but a glut of news tidbits and buzz, we're here to actually write about music. Original, insightful, informative, inspiring: This is what we seek to be.
At the very least, Reveille will provide real competition that was so sorely lacking before. Check out the full mission statement, and the cast of characters here.
http://www.reveillemag.com/about/
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
Labels: Cool Product, Cool Website, Minneapolis Event, music, music reviews
IPOD, Izzard, Claret, and Elbow
Last night I got to catch up with the Ice Princess of Darkness (Also known as IPOD and fairly famous too, just Google "IPOD" once and see for yourself.)
Anyway, it was good to catch up with her and have some laughs. It made me miss "the old days" even though we used to fight a lot. Every time we met, if I remember correctly.
IPOD knows of a Ghost who turned me on to Eddie Izzard. Probably the funniest male active transvestite comedian I've ever seen. I was going to drop some youtube links in here, I've been watching them for about an hour now. There's so many you should just go to youtube and look up Eddie Izzard for yourself. Great stuff.
While you are trolling the interweb, check out Ghost's band: Claret. They have some shows booked in the coming weeks, and don't let the fact that they label themselves "Christian" dissuade you, they aren't preachy. I might hit one of their shows; incognito, of course, I wouldn't want to get any shine on my perfectly tarnished image.
Ghost also set me up with some music by one of his influences, a UK band called Elbow. I know, poor name choice, but Knee was taken, AND they suck, so Elbow was probably a good second choice as far as ligament joints were concerned. Anyway, Elbow definitely does Not suck, they are in fact, quite refreshing, reminding me of Pink Floyd's Echoes album, or early Marillion (not too early, Hogarth not Fish).
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
Anyway, it was good to catch up with her and have some laughs. It made me miss "the old days" even though we used to fight a lot. Every time we met, if I remember correctly.
IPOD knows of a Ghost who turned me on to Eddie Izzard. Probably the funniest male active transvestite comedian I've ever seen. I was going to drop some youtube links in here, I've been watching them for about an hour now. There's so many you should just go to youtube and look up Eddie Izzard for yourself. Great stuff.
While you are trolling the interweb, check out Ghost's band: Claret. They have some shows booked in the coming weeks, and don't let the fact that they label themselves "Christian" dissuade you, they aren't preachy. I might hit one of their shows; incognito, of course, I wouldn't want to get any shine on my perfectly tarnished image.
Ghost also set me up with some music by one of his influences, a UK band called Elbow. I know, poor name choice, but Knee was taken, AND they suck, so Elbow was probably a good second choice as far as ligament joints were concerned. Anyway, Elbow definitely does Not suck, they are in fact, quite refreshing, reminding me of Pink Floyd's Echoes album, or early Marillion (not too early, Hogarth not Fish).
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
Labels: Cool Event, Cool Website, music reviews, Videos
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Vampirefreaks.com
Although I detest the name of the website, vampirefreaks.com is like myspace.com, only wearing black studded leather and carrying a bullwhip. The music is better by far, although the coding for the site is "fair to partly" if you know what I mean.
These online spaces are virtual extensions of your so-called-life, and part of the attraction is to make them your own, by adding lists of friends and bands and "I Like Ponies" and "I Hate Emo" and joining like-minded individuals (called Groups on myspace, but called Cults on vampirefreaks) Anyways, here is the latest cult I've been contacted by:
We shall see if they accept my application...
Blog on,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
These online spaces are virtual extensions of your so-called-life, and part of the attraction is to make them your own, by adding lists of friends and bands and "I Like Ponies" and "I Hate Emo" and joining like-minded individuals (called Groups on myspace, but called Cults on vampirefreaks) Anyways, here is the latest cult I've been contacted by:
We shall see if they accept my application...
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Blogging, Cool Website
Monday, May 21, 2007
Miss Snark Retires
As The Demonslayer's Handbook nears completion, I have found myself casting the net of Googleness into the icy vastness of the interweb, hunting for morsels of information about what the hell I'm supposed to do with this stack of 120,000 words.
There's plenty of info out there on the process of landing a book deal, and you can get some good stuff from writers who have been through the whole rigamarole, but if you asked me for one source which would give you the layman's low-down on agents/inquirys/submissions/slushpiles/publications and everything leading up to any kind of "Book Deal"...
I would send you to Miss Snark. I have read her blog posts every week for at least the past six months, and saved/memorized/internalized as much as I could.
Yesterday, Miss Snark announced her retirement from the blog, and while I'm flummoxed and saddened, I'm not too surprised. There are only so many ways you can keep answering the same questions.
Her archives will remain open for those who get to the point of seeking agents/publication, and seekers will find a lot of harsh reality there for them.
I'm sad to see her retire, but also pleased that she was aware enough to know when it was time to move on. Off the top of my head, I can give you the very best of her advice:
-Write well
-Follow the damn instructions
-Focus on the writing
-Query much and widely
-Keep Writing (well)
Goodbye Miss Snark, and thanks for the good laughs and the good info. I hope you and Killer Yapp have fun slurping from the Gin Pail with George Clooney...
Blog on,
-CZ
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There's plenty of info out there on the process of landing a book deal, and you can get some good stuff from writers who have been through the whole rigamarole, but if you asked me for one source which would give you the layman's low-down on agents/inquirys/submissions/slushpiles/publications and everything leading up to any kind of "Book Deal"...
I would send you to Miss Snark. I have read her blog posts every week for at least the past six months, and saved/memorized/internalized as much as I could.
Yesterday, Miss Snark announced her retirement from the blog, and while I'm flummoxed and saddened, I'm not too surprised. There are only so many ways you can keep answering the same questions.
Her archives will remain open for those who get to the point of seeking agents/publication, and seekers will find a lot of harsh reality there for them.
I'm sad to see her retire, but also pleased that she was aware enough to know when it was time to move on. Off the top of my head, I can give you the very best of her advice:
-Write well
-Follow the damn instructions
-Focus on the writing
-Query much and widely
-Keep Writing (well)
Goodbye Miss Snark, and thanks for the good laughs and the good info. I hope you and Killer Yapp have fun slurping from the Gin Pail with George Clooney...
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Authors, Cool Website, Praise, Writing
Monday, May 07, 2007
I-Tunes is the new Real Player!
Oh...
...please...stop!
Your'e killing me!
[Editors Note: Sorry to all friends of Conrad Zero who are Macintosh users. You are obvioulsy exempt from any intended harrassment via the above link.]
Blog on,
-CZ
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...please...stop!
Your'e killing me!
[Editors Note: Sorry to all friends of Conrad Zero who are Macintosh users. You are obvioulsy exempt from any intended harrassment via the above link.]
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: anti, Cool Website
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Ms Dewey - The Future of Search
0 Comments PermalinkTuesday, February 20, 2007
Cool Website Tool: Readability Info
Upload your Microsoft Word Document to this website, and it returns useful info on readability. Below is the report for my short story, Suicide Kings....
Readability Report for SuicideKings.doc
readability grades:
Kincaid: 6.3
ARI: 8.2
Coleman-Liau: 9.8
Flesch Index: 82.4
Fog Index: 8.4
Lix: 35.3 = school year 5
SMOG-Grading: 6.9
sentence info:
47454 characters
10919 words, average length 4.35 characters = 1.25 syllables
599 sentences, average length 18.2 words
46% (281) short sentences (at most 13 words)
15% (95) long sentences (at least 28 words)
190 paragraphs, average length 3.2 sentences
3% (18) questions
40% (240) passive sentences
longest sent 112 wds at sent 510; shortest sent 1 wds at sent 90
word usage:
verb types:
to be (304) auxiliary (118)
types as % of total:
conjunctions 5(588) pronouns 11(1171) prepositions 12(1283)
nominalizations 0(44)
sentence beginnings:
pronoun (150) interrogative pronoun (23) article (116)
subordinating conjunction (16) conjunction (9) preposition (30)
Blog on,
-CZ
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Readability Report for SuicideKings.doc
readability grades:
Kincaid: 6.3
ARI: 8.2
Coleman-Liau: 9.8
Flesch Index: 82.4
Fog Index: 8.4
Lix: 35.3 = school year 5
SMOG-Grading: 6.9
sentence info:
47454 characters
10919 words, average length 4.35 characters = 1.25 syllables
599 sentences, average length 18.2 words
46% (281) short sentences (at most 13 words)
15% (95) long sentences (at least 28 words)
190 paragraphs, average length 3.2 sentences
3% (18) questions
40% (240) passive sentences
longest sent 112 wds at sent 510; shortest sent 1 wds at sent 90
word usage:
verb types:
to be (304) auxiliary (118)
types as % of total:
conjunctions 5(588) pronouns 11(1171) prepositions 12(1283)
nominalizations 0(44)
sentence beginnings:
pronoun (150) interrogative pronoun (23) article (116)
subordinating conjunction (16) conjunction (9) preposition (30)
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Cool Website, Web Tools, Writing
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Get A *First* Life
For those of you who tried out SecondLife..
Check this out. Way funny.
"Access your closet to build your FirstLife look!"
"Fornicate using your actual genitals!"
"Why can't I build a dirigible with my mind?"
"Membership is Free!"
Priceless.
Blog on,
-CZ
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Check this out. Way funny.
"Access your closet to build your FirstLife look!"
"Fornicate using your actual genitals!"
"Why can't I build a dirigible with my mind?"
"Membership is Free!"
Priceless.
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Cool Website, Funny
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
First post of the new year
I'm not big on New Year's Resolutions. They're great for people who don't generally bother to make changes in their lives, so at least once a year they reevaluate what they could to to make things better for themselves and the world around them.
But, I decided I would start out this years blog posting with something special, something that would set a new tone for this blog, and turn it into something more useful, something extraordinary, a reference that people will turn to again and again throughout the year.
And so, I give you - Cats That Look Like Hitler
[Thanks Mom, for the link]
Blog on,
-CZ
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But, I decided I would start out this years blog posting with something special, something that would set a new tone for this blog, and turn it into something more useful, something extraordinary, a reference that people will turn to again and again throughout the year.
And so, I give you - Cats That Look Like Hitler
[Thanks Mom, for the link]
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Cool Website, Funny
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Youparklikeanasshole.com
Not much to explain, really. Useful, intuitive design. Wonderfully executed.
Make sure to download/printout the infraction forms and keep them in your glovebox for violators.
Blog on,
-CZ
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Make sure to download/printout the infraction forms and keep them in your glovebox for violators.
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: anti, Cool Website, Etiquette, idiots
Friday, December 15, 2006
The year in vlog reveiw
I was just compiling a list of vlogs I'm more or less keeping up with.....
www.zefrank.com I pointed this out ages ago, but without a doubt, Zefrank wins my VLOG OF THE YEAR...um, if I had one.
http://www.askaninja.com/ Ask a ninja. Sehr lustig. Second place.
Honorable Mention: In other words, if youre really really sick, you could kill a day sifting through them.
http://vlogsanta.tv/
http://www.hopeisemo.com
Yeah, that's about it. I don't watch TV, and I don't have time to spend an hour a day watching stupid video blogs, but now and again, these tend to cross my cursor...
If you have others, please let me know...
Blog on,
-CZ
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www.zefrank.com I pointed this out ages ago, but without a doubt, Zefrank wins my VLOG OF THE YEAR...um, if I had one.
http://www.askaninja.com/ Ask a ninja. Sehr lustig. Second place.
Honorable Mention: In other words, if youre really really sick, you could kill a day sifting through them.
http://vlogsanta.tv/
http://www.hopeisemo.com
Yeah, that's about it. I don't watch TV, and I don't have time to spend an hour a day watching stupid video blogs, but now and again, these tend to cross my cursor...
If you have others, please let me know...
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Blogging, Cool Website, Ubercool, VLogs
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Cool Website of the Day
Where else can you find kewl sites like this?
Why, at www.coolsiteoftheday.com of course.
Make sure to bookmark this site (Warning: Slow Load time, even with high-speed)
and check back after Dec 16th for the 2006 "Running of the Santas" which will make you wonder what the hell is wrong with Philadelphia.
Ever want to know where you would end up if you dug a hole straight through the earth? Where would you come out on the other side?
Wonder no more.
Need Obscure Horror Movie Reviews? Look no further. Where else could you go to get a review of Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter?
And, I'm not sure I understand this one, but hey, I heard that some people even like Dashboard Confessional; I guess it takes all kinds....
OMG! If U really need 2 kill some time on the Interr-webb, ch3ck th1s 0u7 -
http://www.1041jackfm.com/pages/89325.php
Blog on,
-CZ
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Why, at www.coolsiteoftheday.com of course.
Make sure to bookmark this site (Warning: Slow Load time, even with high-speed)
and check back after Dec 16th for the 2006 "Running of the Santas" which will make you wonder what the hell is wrong with Philadelphia.
Ever want to know where you would end up if you dug a hole straight through the earth? Where would you come out on the other side?
Wonder no more.
Need Obscure Horror Movie Reviews? Look no further. Where else could you go to get a review of Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter?
And, I'm not sure I understand this one, but hey, I heard that some people even like Dashboard Confessional; I guess it takes all kinds....
OMG! If U really need 2 kill some time on the Interr-webb, ch3ck th1s 0u7 -
http://www.1041jackfm.com/pages/89325.php
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Cool Website, Ubercool
Friday, November 03, 2006
Instant Hitman
Finally! I have been waiting for this online service. Makes it very easy to order an assassination. I ordered 'the Works' which, according to the website is
'...combined strangling, stabbing, bludgoning, shooting, and dismembering.'
For a meager $75.29.
By the way, if Chris Carrabarra owes you any money or favors, you might want to collect soon.
I'm just sayin...
Blog on,
-CZ
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'...combined strangling, stabbing, bludgoning, shooting, and dismembering.'
For a meager $75.29.
By the way, if Chris Carrabarra owes you any money or favors, you might want to collect soon.
I'm just sayin...
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Cool Website, Funny, Web Tools
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Radio Play: The Dark
If you can listen past the awful sound quality (which sounds like it was sounds like it was recorded onto a rusty shoelace) this is a awesome radio play. I remember listening to this in Middle School, and the sound effects made the entire class shriek with laughter.
Plenty more where that came from here
Blog on,
-CZ
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Plenty more where that came from here
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: audio, Cool Website
Thursday, September 21, 2006
The Ring in thirty seconds (with bunnies!)
This should keep you busy for 30 seconds or so, and save you about four bucks rental on the full version....
If you go to www.angryalien.com there are LOTS more, including 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', 'Jaws', 'Brokeback Mountain', 'Fight Club', 'Alien', 'The Exorcist', 'Borat', 'Casablanca'.....
Blog on,
-CZ
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If you go to www.angryalien.com there are LOTS more, including 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', 'Jaws', 'Brokeback Mountain', 'Fight Club', 'Alien', 'The Exorcist', 'Borat', 'Casablanca'.....
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Cool Website, Funny, Ubercool, Videos
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Hope Is Emo
Perhaps this is old news and I am the last to catch on, but I am enjoying the trend of indie short videoblogs being hurled at the interweb. Two I am currently addicted to:
Hope Is Emo (Thanks GrammaEm for the link)
The Show with ZeFrank
Given that I gave up on network television ever since the X-Files went off the air, this is a significant achievement, for something to catch my attention enough that (dare I say) LOOK FORWARD to seeing more of these programs. I really can't recall the last time I anticipated a TV show, but 'Hope' and 'ZeFrank' have rekindled my spirit towards the new media.
I suppose it won't be long before network television is in the same boat that music industry is in now. Who was it that said that trends in the video industry lag trends in the music industry by about five years?
Oh yeah, it was me.
More than once, if I remember correctly.
Blog on,
-CZ
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Hope Is Emo (Thanks GrammaEm for the link)
The Show with ZeFrank
Given that I gave up on network television ever since the X-Files went off the air, this is a significant achievement, for something to catch my attention enough that (dare I say) LOOK FORWARD to seeing more of these programs. I really can't recall the last time I anticipated a TV show, but 'Hope' and 'ZeFrank' have rekindled my spirit towards the new media.
I suppose it won't be long before network television is in the same boat that music industry is in now. Who was it that said that trends in the video industry lag trends in the music industry by about five years?
Oh yeah, it was me.
More than once, if I remember correctly.
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Cool Website, Videos, VLogs
Friday, July 14, 2006
The Trunk Monkey
Check out the revolutionary new feature, Trunkmonkey. At least the commercials are better than that gorram 'OnStar' crap...
Blog on,
-CZ
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Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Cool Website, Funny, Videos
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Props to my Peeps
If you read my post the other day about the service industry, you will appreciate this fine addendum by Trees, regarding her experiences.
While I did do a short stint as a coffee jerk in Minneapolis, bad experiences with customers were rare. Really rare. Which was why I was shocked to find what Trees verified was true: MN might just be "the land of ten-thousand dickheads". But Trees hits home that not letting their negativity bring you down is powerful mojo. Returning vinegar with sugar is more powerful yet (sometimes). Good to know. Thanks, Trees!
And if you want to read someone who can add another angle to my rant about L.A., check out this post by the Northern Misfit. More specifically leveled at the self-proclaimed 'critics' of the entertainment industry, Avindair suggests the movie critics make their own movie and get put on the hotseat.
Amen to that. I want to see Simon try to sing in front of judges on national TV, and I would like to be in the judges chair to hand him his ass. I would send that boy home, cryin to his mama! That goes for music, film, and writing reviewers as well.
Lastly, take your peepers for a walk on this site. The Geek Goddess Speaks! I'm looking forward to what happens here.
I'm also really digging Lifehacker (OK, I said Lastly before with the Geek Goddess link, but it's too late to correct it now, I've already uploaded this blogpost...) The advice is all over the place, but has the ultimate goal of making life easier, simpler, more organized, while still embracing your inner geek. For example, you could learn how to kill 90 days in the slammer, how to open a beer bottle with another bottle, How to make Windows stop annoying you, and that's just the useful stuff!
Blog on,
-CZ
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While I did do a short stint as a coffee jerk in Minneapolis, bad experiences with customers were rare. Really rare. Which was why I was shocked to find what Trees verified was true: MN might just be "the land of ten-thousand dickheads". But Trees hits home that not letting their negativity bring you down is powerful mojo. Returning vinegar with sugar is more powerful yet (sometimes). Good to know. Thanks, Trees!
And if you want to read someone who can add another angle to my rant about L.A., check out this post by the Northern Misfit. More specifically leveled at the self-proclaimed 'critics' of the entertainment industry, Avindair suggests the movie critics make their own movie and get put on the hotseat.
Amen to that. I want to see Simon try to sing in front of judges on national TV, and I would like to be in the judges chair to hand him his ass. I would send that boy home, cryin to his mama! That goes for music, film, and writing reviewers as well.
Lastly, take your peepers for a walk on this site. The Geek Goddess Speaks! I'm looking forward to what happens here.
I'm also really digging Lifehacker (OK, I said Lastly before with the Geek Goddess link, but it's too late to correct it now, I've already uploaded this blogpost...) The advice is all over the place, but has the ultimate goal of making life easier, simpler, more organized, while still embracing your inner geek. For example, you could learn how to kill 90 days in the slammer, how to open a beer bottle with another bottle, How to make Windows stop annoying you, and that's just the useful stuff!
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Cool Website, Praise
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Please Hammer, Don't Blog Em'
Yes, The wait is over. MC Hammer has a blog.
Bomb-Diggity-Off-The-Hook! Where are my red parachute pants?
Blog on,
-CZ
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Bomb-Diggity-Off-The-Hook! Where are my red parachute pants?
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Cool Website
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Revolver Modele show / Wine Tasting
For those who don't yet know about Revolver Modele, you really ought to check them out. And if you don't know about the Suburban World Theatre, you really ought to check that out as well. If you haven't heard of either, you are in luck, because Revolver Modele is playing Thursday, Apr 27th 2006 at the Suburban World Theatre! The event is a wine tasting for Solovino wine (Chile), with wine and appetizers (as well as a cash bar) and the uncanny sound of Revolver Modele begins at 8ish.
Thursday, April 27th @ Suburban World Theater (Uptown Mpls on Hennepin) - Solovino Wine Tasting , wine and appetizers, cash bar also avail.
7-9pm $15
RM perform around 8pm
If you can't make that, make sure to catch Revolver Modele at Club Underground next month:
Saturday, May 27th @ Club Underground
Club Address: 355 N.E. Monroe St., Minneapolis, MN 55413
If you just can't wait, you can find their music on www.myspace.com/revolvermodele
Rock on,
-CZ
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Thursday, April 27th @ Suburban World Theater (Uptown Mpls on Hennepin) - Solovino Wine Tasting , wine and appetizers, cash bar also avail.
7-9pm $15
RM perform around 8pm
If you can't make that, make sure to catch Revolver Modele at Club Underground next month:
Saturday, May 27th @ Club Underground
Club Address: 355 N.E. Monroe St., Minneapolis, MN 55413
If you just can't wait, you can find their music on www.myspace.com/revolvermodele
Rock on,
-CZ
Labels: Cool Event, Cool Website, Minneapolis Event, music
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