Mars

In the great tradition begun by Jeff, I’d just like to say, “Say hello to my little friend.” Every Apple employee was given a free 1 GB iPod shuffle yesterday. w00ts are in order.

I think everyone who gets an iPod shuffle has to introduce it with a blurry (optionally cellphone camera-produced) shot of their left hand holding the unopened box. That would be great. Thanks.

I named my first iPod “Apollo” after the god of music, since mine holds all the music I’ve ever owned, and then some. This iPod is named “Mars” after the god of war, because I think it’s the most aggressive little product we’ve ever released. I love this little thing. It’s actually really refreshing to not know what’s coming next, or sometimes, to not even know what’s playing right now and have to really listen to it instead of allowing the iPod’s screen give you an easy answer.

When I’m wearing it on its lanyard I tend to keep it under my outer shirt and over my t-shirt because I don’t like the tangle of white cords showing. It looks messy. But it’s still really easy to operate because I can feel the button placement through my sweatshirt (or whatever I’m wearing). So when I pause or skip a track, it looks like I’m pressing an invisible button on my sternum. Maybe some day Apple will make a shuffle that has direct integration with biological life-forms. Sweet. Until then, lanyards are OK.

MS Schadenfreude?

I don’t usually indulge in schadenfreude, but in the case of Microsoft I’ll make an exception by posting this article.

GHETTOCHIP MALFUNCTION

Beck is at it again with a new EP called Hell Yes, a blipping, buzzing portent of his upcoming album Guero (which means “white boy” in Spanish). I discovered the EP on iTunes just now, and subsequently freaked out and clicked the “Buy Now” button so quickly that I think I broke some kind of land-speed record. There was a thunderous rumble, and then the sound of breaking glass. I think I may have blacked out momentarily.

If the final sound of the album, due in March, is anything like the four tracks on iTunes, I’m going to totally love it. It’s possible that the four tracks on iTunes are all remixes that don’t resemble the final sound, but I doubt that. I can only guess that Beck must be circuit bending and using emulators, old-school software and other modified equipment to create these sounds, because they are incredibly authentic. I doubt it’s anything like the cover of the EP (on the right), showing a guy plugging his GameBoy into a stack of amps, but it’s a great mental picture. I would love to know how he created those sounds. The interesting thing is that for a couple years now I’ve been considering writing some programs to make exactly this sort of music. This absolutely solidifies Beck as my #1 favorite artist.

Be sure to check out the music video for GHETTOCHIP MALFUNCTION (a.k.a “Hell Yes”) on iTunes. Unless you have epilepsy or react strongly to strobe lights, in which case, steer clear. Seriously.

If I could write a poem about this EP, it would be written in COBOL.

Update: Since so many are googling for it, here’s a direct link to the GHETTOCHIP MALFUNCTION video on iTunes.

Logic Puzzle

I heard a brain teaser from a friend of mine the other day. I thought it was fun so I thought I’d share it here.

A king has 3000 subjects in his kingdom, both men and women. The king comes into a large amount of money one day, and decides to spread the wealth by giving $45 to every man in the kingdom who asks for it, and $60 to every woman in the kingdom who asks for it. One of every nine men and one of every twelve women request and receive their money. The question: how much money does the king give away in total?

The answer is a real, numeric figure. There aren’t any “cheap shots” in the clue, so don’t read for double-meanings or anything. If you’re a math whiz this won’t take you more than 60 seconds, but it’s fun to attempt and solve even if you’re not. Go for it! Oh, and don’t look at the comments until you’ve solved it, because the solution will be in there soon enough, probably posted by one of the proud readers who solves it.

ADHD in Musical Form

Ever wondered what ADHD sounds like? Then by all means, head over to iTunes and check out Nice by Polysics, on the energetically-titled Hey! Bob! My Friend! album.

Sugoi!!!!

Sexy Bill

Look! It’s a sexy Bill Gates circa 1983. If there was a photo that explained why I hate “slacks” and everything associated with them, it would be one of these.

Warning: may cause burning sensation in eyes and brain.

Web Devs Only

Warning: only for geeks and web developers. If your log files are filling up with DAV exploits, here’s a nifty little idea that will motivate the folks who are capable of fixing the underlying problem.