November 6, 2010

	GPS units with errors and directions obtained from Google maps have been blamed for many things — trucks going down roads that are too narrow, people driving into lakes, and pedestrians being hit by cars due to walking along routes lacking sidewalks, to mention three. This time, Google Maps nearly started a war.
Always wanted to have sex with Obama? Now you can! In a manner of speaking. Introducing the Obama sex doll.
	We hear quite a bit these days, about how the Internet is destroying traditional publishing industries — most particularly newspapers and magazines. So it is always funny to see examples of just how little traditional publishers understand the Internet and copyright law — here’s a recent example — two little pieces from a letter sent from an editor (who had plagiarized a blogger’s material in their print magazine) to the blogger (who wrote asking for credit and compensation): I do know about copyright laws … the web is considered “public domain”
I’ve never been a fan of the phrase “fight fire with fire”. It simply seems like bad advice. Fight monkeys with monkeys, on the other hand? That’s a phrase I can get behind.
	Everything is better with butter … … even your brain?
There’s an owl crisis in India. Which is to say, that owls are in danger of becoming an endangered species. Why? India blames a children’s book. Rather than, you know, the idiot parents who think that giving their (presumably non-wizard) children owls as pets is a good idea.
	Let us revisit the Tea Party. Or, perhaps, the T Party. The way it was meant to be.
While on the subject of the Tea Party, the Big Bad Blog would like to note that Tea Party supporters often hold signs that say things such as “God Hates Fags”. It has been pointed out that God Hates Figs. We assume that the Tea Party’s previous signs have actually just contained a typo, and are looking forward to seeing a correction.

July 31, 2010

	Note to would-be phone thieves: try not to steal a phone that is being used as part of a GPS tracking demonstration.
Got arthritis? It might be a good idea to get drunk.
	Frogs did not always land on their feet. Once upon a time, they would belly flop and slide on their faces.
Apparently a Battleship movie is in the works. Based on the board game. Candyland, too.
	Note to residents of Missouri: Acting in a flirtatious manner towards a video camera implies consent to having your shirt pulled off on the video, and a video of your tits to be sold for profit.
Australia plans on snooping on what their citizens do while on the Internet. How? We can’t tell you because 90% of the document is censored. Why is it censored? To prevent debate. Seriously. Australia is still supposed to be a democracy, right?
	“Why would vampires sparkle?” is a common refrain these days. “That’s stupid.” Well, boys and girls, they might sparkle … if they were insects! Butterflies, to be more exact.
Here’s a big surprise: The software industry makes up statistics to support their views on software piracy.

April 27, 2009

According to Amateur Photographer, the UK government is training thousands of volunteers — security guards, council workers and others — to be on the lookout for potential terrorists doing reconnaissance.

These terrorists can be found at hotels, rail/underground stations and shopping centres.

They can be identified by the possession of one or more of the following:
- Cameras, particularly those with zoom lenses
- Camcorders
- GPS systems (ie, smart phones)
- Maps

In other words, if you have a camera, a map, and go to a hotel or use a rail station, you are to be suspected of tourism terrorism. You may be detained without charge for a ridiculously lengthy period of time.

If you see one of these tourists terrorists, make sure to report it to the MET, so action can be taken quickly.

You are encouraged by the Big Bad Blog to report every instance of potential tourism terrorism that you see, separately. You are encouraged to spend time near hotels, Parliament, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, and nearby tube stations to watch for them, as this is their natural habitat.

Be Vigilant!

(Photograph courtesy of Philip Greenspun)

February 22, 2009

In a previous article, I considered trying GPS-aware social networking tools. As something that both intrigues me and fills me with a little bit of dread, they are absolutely fascinating to me.

Not one to back down from trying something new, I went ahead and downloaded whoshere. The concept is simple — it lists people who are nearby. You can chat and (presumably) meet up with people.

Attempt One:
At work, I head out for lunch alone. I want to sit down, so maybe I’ll find someone to chat with over lunch? It seems like a good opportunity to see if it works. Central London at 12:30 has plenty of people about.

So who is the person nearest me? SwedishStallion. Byline: I am who I am – today: Hot and Horny.

I kid you not. Worst fears realised? Maybe. But the Stallion and I seem to be on the same wavelength: He does not try to contact me. I do not try to contact him.

Craig from Leeds then starts messaging me. He is, actually, in Leeds. And here I was expecting someone local. I chat with Craig a little bit. He wants to talk about snow. As a Canadian, I feel that my expertise is useful.

Attempt one is a definite failure — I did not do this in an effort to chat over the Internet with strangers when I could be enjoying my lunch and watching people.

Attempt Two
Attempt two was not much of an attempt — more of an extended browse. The profiles are filled with people’s sexy pictures.

Common interests:
“Guys, I don’t want to see your cock, please stop sending me photos”. Interesting.
“Guys, I’m not gay. Stop sending me pictures of your cock.” Also interesting.
“I’m not going to send you nude photos, so please don’t ask”. Great.

And on, and on. And on.

In the end, I didn’t contact anybody using it — perhaps it’s the people, perhaps it’s the application, but it feels like a dating tool and not a “meet new people platonically” tool. Perhaps I’m judging it too quickly — I have not, after all, tried to meet anybody through it. But the whole thing just feels too odd. The problem is that I am in London, and would want to meet other Londoners. But why meet up with them?

I have at least a half dozen friends who work within walking distance of my office — not to mention people actually in my office. I can have lunch with these people, or meet up for drinks after work. Why look for strangers on my iPhone? People are seldom on a constant look-out for new friends, but single people tend to often be on the lookout for new mates — and so that’s what this technology has been hijacked for.

It stays on the phone, though. Maybe I’ll decide to give it an attempt three. Maybe I’ll want to use it if I am trapped at an airport somewhere, at some point in time. But it certainly is not getting top billing.

However, one interesting thing has occurred — my discovery of a GPS-aware option on my Twitter application. It will tell me what nearby Twitterers are saying. And while I do get a bit too much from the BBC, it seems to be filled with interesting people to follow and tweeting about local events.

Now that is awesome, and in regular use.