Mind the Gap

Two months since I last posted, I know. I do plan to keep this blog going. Just between class and work and a few other projects, I haven’t had the time t0 update this that I’d like.

Over the break I went to London on a class trip. It was fantastic. And I spent much of my time off the grid. My phone didn’t work out there. I didn’t touch my DS. I barely touched my iPod. I think, when one is traveling, it’s probably best to disengage from that stuff.

Would anybody here be opposed to me reposting my columns here? I’m sure you could find something to talk about in them.

There’s Snow Escape

There was a huge snowball fight in Federal Hill today organized via Twitter and Facebook. The Sun says 106 were confirmed to attend. They had a longer report from after the snowball fight that seems to have since disappeared. They were calling it “Snow Say Can You See?” according to reports. I was actually going to go, but I like my car and I want to keep it. Right now, Mother Nature is keeping it under about two feet of powdery goodness. Yep, safe and sound.

And we seem to have some dueling hashtags for the storm. People are using either Snowpocalypse or SNOWKILL2009.

So how are you guys braving the snow? Any fun games or new toys out there?

Slow poke

Yeah, sorry for the lack of posts lately. Exam season will do that to you.

This blog was originally just for a class project, but I’ve been having fun with it. I’d love to keep it going. I could use some ammo though. If you have an idea on stuff I should cover, let me know.

Painting the town red

The music turns up. The duelists pick up their weapons. As the crowd cheers on, they fight a long, bloody struggle all over the stage.

This isn’t a Roman gladiator fight or an action movie or a professional wrestling bout. This is Super Art Fight, where the weapons are markers and the fighters are artists from around the mid-Atlantic region and beyond.

Best described as a mix of pro wrestling, punk rock, Pictionary and “Iron Chef,” Super Art Fight is the brainchild of a group of local webcomic creators. It sprang out of the “Iron Artist” competition at Katsucon, an anime convention in Washington, D.C. Artists Jami Noguchi and Nick Borkowicz enjoyed facing off with each other so much that they wanted to do it more often.

(Grid)lock and (Down)load

I can think of a few spots — like southbound I-83 towards the Beltway or Cross Campus Drive — where this might come in handy.

All it’s missing is a cup holder. And bonus points for the reviews. A “T. Meadows” from West Virginia raves:

Wow is this thing great! I use it as a “mini-bar” when the friends and I go out to the bars. I can quickly fix multiple shots of tequila for myself and the friends as we drive from one bar to the next. We also discovered that if you place a pillow on top of it and turn on the cruise control you can catch quick naps on the interstate. If you swerve to the left or right the rumble strips on the road wake you up in plenty of time before you get into trouble. I can now take longer trips without being tired!

Also, i am now dating a midget and she fits nicely on the steering wheel desk which allows us to experiment sexually while driving. This thing is like WD-40 or duct tape, it is a million and one uses!

I somehow don’t think this’ll stay on Amazon much longer. Shame, the reviews it’s getting are even better than this gallon of milk.

(via David Pogue)

Audience Participation Time!

Hey readers! What are you asking for this holiday season? What gadgets or games catch your eye? Your responses could be featured in Baltinerd’s upcoming holiday feature.

What wouldn’t Google do?

Check out my column this week in The Towerlight. I take Google (and Jeff Jarvis) to task. I could have gone a lot longer if I had the time or the room.

Recently, I was assigned to read Jeff Jarvis’ book “What Would Google Do?” for my Writing for New Media class. How was the book? Oh, it was pretty useless. But that idea – that there’s still a question about what Google would do – is kind of quaint in that it implies there are things Google doesn’t already do.

That’s hard to come by in the industry these days. Any time now, in fact, I expect some of their outlandish April Fools gags to become reality. Google Gulp, Gmail Paper and AdSense for conversations would probably be awesome additions to their portfolio.

Oh yeah, these (Anime USA 2009 pictures)

I spent my Friday evening and Saturday at Anime USA in Crystal City. I’m getting a very special guest post coming up to talk about what went down (said poster is detained this weekend, sadly). But here are some awesome pictures by yours truly.

Soapboxing

I’m balancing quality gaming time with lots Towerlight writing and course work. I’m working my way through next week’s Tyler Tech, which will be about how Google is straying from its “Don’t Be Evil” philosophy and how maybe having its hand in everything might not be such a good thing. I have seen the beast, and it may soon be Sergey Brin. What do you guys think?

Also, coming soon (tomorrow, probably, when I get around to uploading): Anime USA pics and rundown.

Happy Caturday

It’s Caturday and since this blogger is out of town, keep the party going.

Post some cats, people. The best will be highlighted upon my return.