rant time! i don’t rant enough. or maybe i do, but they’re dispersed amongst any number of websites through my pithy commentary. oh look…a new social network has emerged. and from google no less. and while i am all for early adoption of new media, it’s not because i’m forward thinking or anything…its really because i like to reserve my names and handles early on. though in the case of google+, it’s tied to my gmail name anyway. *shrug* oh well.

so now i’m on google+, and some friends find it less than exciting, others already pointing at the death of facebook. which got me wondering…huh? let’s backtrack a bit. before google+, there was a discernible chorus of people complaining about facebooks privacy issues, etc…and that they would like to bail on it for really…anything like facebook, but not facebook. which had me wondering a bit to myself. what the fuck were people posting on facebook that was soooo important as to be deemed ‘top secret…don’t steal my info brah‘. the fact that you were drunk last night? your shit stain looked like jesus? you like nyancats? oh fuck…they’re on to you! if you added your email, phone number, etc…then that’s on you. but really…what then? nobody cried when phone books were delivered in the past. the point is, nobody gives a fuck about you. there is no secret department within facebook noting every minutiae of your life via your profile and news feed. and even if there were, their weekly reports would be something along the lines of “watches shitty movies, likes reality tv, gets drunk alot.” but let’s get this straight…if you had issues with fb’s privacy issues, oh yes, google would be a much better place. the company that knows everything about you already. yea the perfect alternative.

i continued wondering some more…about modern society’s need to clearly define the new and the obsolete. that if they’re not rebuilding the shrine every 20 years, that they become irrelevant. this topic of course extends beyond just social networks (for instance dumbasses buying a new iphone every year), but with social networks, it worked a bit differently. do people really love rebuilding their profile and friends list every few years? because i sure as fuck don’t. it was first friendster, then myspace, then facebook, and now google+. while i’m all for keeping up with the progression of technology and bemoan those that refuse to adopt, in this particular case it wasn’t about a technological progression. friendster was a first step, myspace was eyeball herpes…but facebook had everything most need and expect from a social network. the facebook newsfeed is their crowning achievement and gift to social networks everywhere. google+ brings circles. yea, taking bets how long before facebook brings out a similar update. what else? not much.

the point of this rant isn’t to say i wont be on google+, since i am. it’s to question the necessity of another social network, and as a corollary, people’s oddly misguided malignment of facebook when they clearly want what they offer. from google’s perspective, of course another network…their network…is necessary. but from a user standpoint, it seems kind of pointless.

the entirety of the known universe, as mapped out for the hayden planetarium.  it puts in perspective our place in existence…which is to say, we are a speck in this universe.  via gizmodo.

oh yea…im totally going to link this. via pop sci

World Builder from Bruce Branit on Vimeo.
sigh…if only studio max were this user friendly…via gizmodo.

i think its been a while since ive actually posted any kind of interesting scientific doohickey. but hey, look what we have today! via gizmodo, scientists say that they’ve figured out a way to reverse the casimir force, effectively allowing objects to repel rather than attract each other. in other words…hoverboards yo! well, not yet anyway. their primary concern was reducing the friction in nanotechnology when small objects would be inclined to stick together. but whatever…hoverboards! since the casimir force is independent of electricity or gravity, this allows for a broader range of applications once they can control the attraction and repelling of atoms. and once they’ve perfected the science, it wouldnt be too far out there before we see hoverboards, hovershoes, hovercars, and a host of other cool shit we’ve been waiting for since the start of the 21st century. silver jumpsuits are forthcoming.

in other news, that woman in the photo really could use some moisturizer…

> casimir force reversed (via gizmodo)

those new apple tv spots featuring the tubby guy and the submissive from dodgeball are starting to annoy the hell out of me. just when it seems like we got past the wholly retarded pc vs mac thing, they feel the need to beat the dead horse some more. these old stereotypes between the two formats are getting out-dated. itunes, ilife, idontgiveafuck? of course they all work together. when you have all of 2 third-party software companies, you’d better damn well make your own fucking apps. dur. pc’s crash and macs dont? ha! pcs crash…sure, but so do macs. with pc’s, you can also feel when somethings about to crash. you go…”aw fuck me“, and start hammering away at ctrl+alt+del. macs just ninja crash. itll mysteriously bomb for no apparent reason, and then reboot itself and pretend like nothing happened. either that, or you get that little fucking spinny rainbow for all of eternity.
i used to jump all over these mac vs. pc arguments…sure. but theyre boring now. and hey, i even used macs exclusively at my last job…and liked it! but the bottom line will always be, apples+games=suck…pcs+games=rock! til that changes, these comparisons dont mean shit.

end rant.

remember how i mentioned that the ipod nano was something thatd actually interest me? oh yea…i wasnt kidding. so i get home last nite to a package waiting for me at the front desk…and im thinking “naah, the invoice said itd take another week.” whatever, it arrived…woot! my new ipod nano! i bought something apple! holy shit! exclamation mark! for those that were unaware, this is a big step for me. ive never been the biggest fan of apple, and ive never really had the desire to jump onto the massive 10-mile long ipod bandwagon. but damnit this thing is tiny and gorgeous. and im not exactly one to hold prejudices when it comes to shiny new toys.

oh yea…free engraving if you order online too! word.

see…i still dont particularly like apple and its slavering brainwashed cult of jobians. but ill readily admit that this is something that would appeal to me. very swish. but knowing all things small, apple, and mp3, they’ll make 10 of these, and put anybody who wants one on a list, where you’ll wait a year before they notify you that theyve considered your application to purchase one and potentially be graced with the beautiful glow that is apple.

> apple nano

ive been talking about getting a digital slr for a while now, saying ill get it when ive saved enough money, or when the weathers nicer out, or blah blah blah. so i kinda got bored of talking about it and just went and bought one yesterday…woo! well technically “ordered”…so itll probably be another week or so til i get it. but i went and ordered a nikon d70s yesterday along with a starter nikkor 28-200 lens. yay me! it was a tough call between the d70s and the rebel xt. i think i read about a dozen reviews and comparisons before picking the d70s. i fig’d even with the rebels 8 megapixel res (and *cough* cheaper base price), the nikon would still be a better fit for me. so woo for bday presents to myself. no tattoo this year…just a spankin’ camera.