A Pic, A Tick, and a Flick

Went to Tony's yesterday for a no-brainer Saturday: take a few photos, grab some dinner, then play Wii-version of Resident Evil 4 until we passed out from video-game-induced stress. After a late start (thank you so much, nap fairies!) we tooled around Sterling, Virginia, looking for inspiration. That didn't work out so well, so we just pulled into a parking lot near a field to capture the low sun. It was perfect. Except for the fat, black tick I found on my leg. Cue phobia!

We hightailed it to dinner, where Tony captured the lovely photo above, among others that may see the light of blog sometime. Or maybe not. Junk food and camera phones turned out to be more fun than expected.

Back at his place we fired up the Wii after David, the third leg of our tripod of destruction, showed up. The game was awesomely fun. In fact, zombies + Wii = fun. And what did we learn from this educational experience? If a friend says "Don't jump out the window!", jump anyway. And if the online guide says "Shoot the old woman!", just don't.

Facebook

So I've signed up for FaceBook and spent a fair amount of time exploring. To quote a co-worker: I'm still not sure why this is fun. Maybe one day, I'll have a FaceBook epiphany. Until then, it's in the "research for work" category.

If you want to find me and manage to do so, give me a poke.

Engineering Animated Model of 9/11 Attack

This generates a weird mix of sadness and scientific curiosity. They don't sit together very comfortably.

Other Things Ecstatic

I stumbled upon this site while I was redesigning Everything Ecstatic. These kids take the idea of a blog, add their own fetishes and mediated experiences, mix it with MySpace, and end up completely blowing the concept of a "webpage" out of the water.

Not all are cutting edge: Some still have links in a recognizable order. But others look like the electronic version of a 16-year-old girl's brain. If you want to see the future of online design, communications, publishing, community, and your own teenager, look no further.

Someone's Trying to Steal My New Glasses

Tuesday Time Capsule: Omni Magazine

When I was growing up, I read Omni magazine religiously. I can now admit to only understanding about one quarter of what I found between it insanely evocative covers. But those stories described a world outside my suburban mind that I couldn't wait to explore.

Too bad the timing sucked. Omni missed the nerd-worshipping internet-loving world by a decade. And though it limped into an online version in 1996, it ceased publishing in 1998, and disappeared from the web in 2003.

While I can't imagine living without the web's horizonless ocean of content, there's something to be said for keeping all the world's geeky coolness in one place, between two slick covers. Gives a teenage outsider something to look forward to.

My Favorite Photography Blog

Strobist is one of the coolest and most practical blogs around. I rank it up there with Lifehacker for it's consistent "wow, I never knew I could do that" factor.

An example? It taught me how to build an in-home studio for $12 that actually works. Can't beat that.

Web 2.0 in Less Than Five Minutes

Some people have asked: What the heck is this Web 2.0 thingamajiggy you keep talking about? This short inspirational video explains it better than I could.

GoodReads

I've been doing a lot of research into Web 2.0 and social media for work in the last few months. I have to admit that, while there are many very cool things out there, I don't get a lot of it. Maybe I've crossed that "your heart dies when you grow up" threshold they mentioned in The Breakfast Club. Nonetheless, one site that has become a nutty obssession is GoodReads, a combination of Amazon, NetFlix, and Match.com.

I've just added the GoodReads widget to Everything Ecstatic. Now you can see what I'm reading and what I've read. (I know, I know--start the parade.) If you join and become my friend, though, you can also read my reviews, join discussion groups, and pick up other book nerds across the country.

It's not for everyone. But this nerd loves it.