Are we there yet?

So, unlike what I would have expected a couple years ago[*], it turns out that people are being brought to the Internet through Facebook and Twitter. Two very recent examples:
From Drop Box

The burger joint I went to with a bunch of colleagues tonight. I can only recommend this place, by the way, these were made of yummy PLUS you can have beer with them. Like grown-ups.

From Drop Box

The Fremont Market, also called:

  • "The Hippie Market" by people who are as astoundingly tongue-in-the-cheek-funny as me.
  • A "European-Style Market" if you're a hippie.
  • A market for Soccer Moms -- if you're writing in the Lonely Planet (wherein contributors seem to believe being a Soccer Mom is Wrong).

As you can see, both have regular, normal, URLs but communicate using their name on Facebook or Twitter or both. Steve Jobs would say "this is phenomenal" (and I'll stop quoting half of the planet soon, honest). I don't consider it's bad news, I'm just surprised it happened this way. Also, I realise I'm probably late to the game, but that's OK, all my former teachers can confirm it's usual.

Also, LiveJournal keeps making me significantly sadder every time I use it so I might switch to something else soonish.

[*]: But at least I eventually realised it. If I were Bruce Schneier, I would have started my article with "As I wrote a couple months ago in this article and also this one, [...]" :)

Science Fiction metrics

I didn't know Attack of the 50 Ft Woman until I went to the Science Fiction museum in Seattle yesterday.


Quite frankly, it would be a lot less scary if everyone used the metric system. Also, The Six Million Dollar Man was worth 3 billion in France. That's all I have to say for today.

Peace haven

If you're looking for a small space on the Internets that's not talking about the rumoured Apple tablet, here it is. I'll setup a Paypal account soon so you can thank me appropriately.

Pride

I'm proud of what I did at work today so far. Every time I feel this way, I stand up, turn to the window, face the sun, look inspired and shout "MILESTONE". Man, I'm good.

Happy New Year, by the way. You're probably delighted to read me.

MILESTONE.

Video Games Live: Facebook wins

I just came back from the Video Games Live Concert. Very good stuff if you're a smelly video games nerd and wonder what a real orchestra looks like and how it sounds when they play Mario theme. Also, I was surprised and impressed they simply said on stage that you just have to subscribe to their fan group on Facebook. No "if you would like to receive information about us, you can subscribe to our mailing list. So, you have to put 'subscribe' in the subject... no, wait... in the body of your message... and send your email to... er... complicatedemail@verylongdomainname.tld. I'll spell it: see oh emme pee..." People don't need to write anything down, they can easily remember it and they just know how to subscribe to something in Facebook. And, if they don't, they can easily find someone who does. I'm not sure how Facebook is going to make (enough) money -- in case they aren't already -- but they sure have achieved much so far.

Toons

Living with kids is like being in a Tex Avery cartoon. Sometimes. Some other times, it's more like Titanic. But overall, it's not too bad.

Left bank. No, the other left.

I'm in Mountain View, CA. Yesterday I went to an ATM to get some cash. It looked like a friendly ATM:



Insert your card.
[I insert my card]
Do you want a receipt?
[In a large and environmentally friendly gesture, I press "No thanks"]
Do you want a pony?
[I already almost have a pony, I press "No thanks"]
Do you want to buy this bank?
[I press the "No thanks" button again]
Are you sure you don't want to buy this bank?
[I press the "Yes" button]
Pretty please?
[I press the "No, I want cash" button]
We don't have cash anymore. Come back in the past.
[I press "Cancel"]
This operation will be charged $3.

What has the world become?

I have a dream... But it requires Internet access

So, people actually pay the somewhat expensive fee for Internet access in airports to just log into Facebook. I'm not speaking of nerds who can't not check their email every 30 minutes, but "real people" (I hate this expression, but it happens to be quite close to what I mean.) I think we're there, finally. Good, it should just be a couple years until cheap data plans arrive massively.