ISSUE # 84

~A LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR~

These weeks just seem to fly by.  This week went by espically fast.

The fact that I didn't get one singel comment this week was discouraging.  I get more comments than that when I dont update for 6 months at a time.

Granted, that last issue sucked more than usual, but you could have at least comment to tell me it sucked.

I'm thinking about starting a webring for all my loyal minions to join once I've offically left Xanga.  That is, if I have any minions left. 

-doot-doot-

~POINT YOUR BROWSER HERE~

Jalapeno Burns is the first blog I'm going to turn you toward today.  When I first surfed past this blog I thought, "Nifty, its Q-bert.  Awww....the little green guy looks concerned."

And, why I was never able to get past the first level of q-bert, I did managed to get past the first entry of this blog.  I read the entire front page.  I did not browse the archives, but I did check out the cartoon gallery, in which I found THIS image confusing and disturbing and for some reason it brought to mind images of a certain television mini-series written by Stephen King.

Oh, wait, I was talking about content, wasn't I?

So, what EXACTLY made me want to share this blog?  If I had to pick one thing, just ONE thing it would be this line right here:

“Hi there handsome. My name is Candi and I’m going to be your gastroenterologist. O’mygod, that’s like so many syllables!"

~

Moving on to our second blog of this issue, I bring you Adventures of Mooney Angelo.

This place is not quite pure genious, but pretty damn close.

Its poetry.  Not necesicarly GOOD poetry, but poetry regardless.  And child friendly.  With amusing pictures to go alone with each poem.

My favorite?  The Snowball Fight

~

And this brings us to our last (but not least favorite) of this issue's blogs, Pretentious pretenses (of thoughts in pixels)

This one won me over solely on the faceless, not-quite-stick-figures that accompany each post.  Even without the accompanying text, the picture tells the story in its own right.

A picture is worth a thousand words?  Quite possibly, yes.

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~RANDOM IMAGE~

It's a link.  Click it.

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~THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU ARE BORED~

You could always start a new blog.  There's  new blog host in the world.  Coming from the minds behind Blog Explosion, the new host, Blogcharm, is offering something that no other host out there is offering.  THEY are offering to pay YOU to use their blog...not the other way around.

You could take time to read a book.  Not just any book, but a CLASSIC NOVEL...all without having to log off the iternet.  Just check out The Library of the Classics and read one of many well loved classics.  (Which all happen to also be horror novels, but thats not my fault.)

You could visit the Daily . Wav to hear and download sound clips from various movies and television series.  Also comes in handy if you've created a podcast over at podomatic and need nifty things to use in it.

And then there is Bloglinker.  I don't know YOU figure it out and explain it to me.

-doot-doot-

THE END
(next issue schedule for....date undecided)

Want a better issue?  Send me some good content.  Rules for submission are located at http://www.randomizedv2.blogspot.com

ISSUE #82

~A LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR~

See, here it is, the same day I promised it even.  Yeah for me!

Not a whole lot to report from my person life.  One of my rats is sick, and I'm learning how to crochet.  Thats about it.

And don't forget, Issue #90 will be the LAST issue of Randomized on Xanga.  After that it will be moved to its new home at http://www.randomizedv2.blogspot.com

-doot-doot-

~NEW THINGS TO READ~

Late I've found much joy in reading I Talk Too Much.  It is a site that reviews the blogs of people who ask to have their blogs reviewed.  (They do not review sites that you submit for a review that IS NOT YOURS) The reviews can be very harsh, even for the few blogs they actually LIKED.  I've submitted one of my many blogs for review.  That should be fun.

And through them I found People You Might Meet on the Internet where pictures people have posted of themselves on the internet get posted and poked fun at.  Some of its very mean spirited.  PYMMOTI even has had and Anti-pymmoti blog made against it.  However, some of it is very funny.  Anything online that makes me laugh out loud (really laugh out loud, not just net speak lol) I have to pass on as readable.

In Xanga land...

M0NKEY_see_M0NKEY_do is going to be in Peter Pan playing the crocodile.

TigressDrusilla turned 22 on the 12th.  Go wish her a happy late one.

-doot-doot-

~A BRIGHT IDEA~

Clocky, An MIT Media Lab Research Project
Profile By Gauri Nanda

Note: Gauri received her MS in media arts and sciences from MIT in 2005 as a member of the Object-Based Media research group.

Clocky is, quite simply, for people who have trouble waking up.

When the alarm clock goes off and the snooze button is pressed, Clocky will fall off of the bedside table and wheel away, bumping mindlessly into objects on the floor until he eventually finds a spot to rest. Minutes later, when the alarm sounds again, the over-sleeper must get up out of bed and search for Clocky. Because you employ multiple senses to find the clock, you are sure to awake before disabling the alarm. Small wheels enable Clocky to move and reposition himself, and an internal computer helps him find a new hiding spot every day.

I've been known to hit the snooze bar for up to two hours or even accidentally turn it off. I've known people who put the alarm clock in the living room, but then forget to set it before going to bed. Others say they are trying to wean themselves off of snoozing, as if it was a bad habit like smoking or drinking. In the foggy logic of our drowsiness, we disable the very device that is meant to wake us up. Having the alarm clock hide from me was just the most obvious way I could think of to get out of bed.

Current alarm clocks are obnoxious, stressful devices that don't do their intended job very well. Clocky is less of an annoying device and more like a troublesome pet that you love anyway. He is playful. He likes games like hide-and-seek and catch me if you can. And he is a bit ugly. But his unconventional looks keep the user calm and incite laughter in one of the most hated times of the day.

Clocky is not trying to solve all of the problems with alarm clocks—for example how they disrupt other people in the room—but I think maybe someday he can. I think the answer rests in the usage of multiple Clockies. Let's say there are two people with different sleep schedules sharing a room. Maybe one person's Clocky can tell the other to hush up if he has sounded off one too many times. Or, maybe they can form an alliance and simultaneously target the offending over-sleeper. I have adopted the philosophy that when two devices communicate, they can solve more problems—that is, two Clockies are better than one.

I like to explore how bad designs become adopted and then, through my work, show how they can be different. There is a perception that technology has to be complicated. My work typically focuses on industrial design projects that add some intelligence into the mix in a way that is simple. So objects do their jobs better without additional complexity. I don't want to have to use things that require me to know or learn something beforehand. So those are the kind of designs I try to create.

Clocky uses inexpensive chips and sensors. He is currently being prototyped in several soft, durable designs, and with multiple personalities.

Clocky is an academic research project and is not commercially available at this time.

See a video clip of clocky HERE.

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~RANDOM PICTURE~

(FYI: Each random picture (from now on) is link to the place where I found it)

-doot-doot-

~BOREDOM BUSTERS~

Jennababygurl so totally mopped the floor with me in last weeks game of Copter.  Her higest score (hightest score reported to me anyway) was 1768!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today you should go to Best of Blogs and put in your votes for each category.  That should be a real boredom buster if you actually READ all the blogs before you cast your vote for your favorites.

So, you've heard of podcasting, right?  Well, go to Podomatic and create your own podcast FOR FREE.  Later you can even advertise it here to get listners.

Do you enjoy sketching, drawing, painting, computer art?  Try Illustration Friday where hundreds of artistic bloggers around the world are given a "theme" to draw on every friday.  Even if, like me, you are not so very artistic, all the picutres shared are still fun to look at.

-doot-doot-

~THE CALSSIFIEDS~

BEAUTIFUL
The advitiser writes, "A personal site run by me, where I keep my blog and have goodies for my visitors."

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~RANDOMIZED WANTS YOU~

You may submit:

Classifieds: YOU the reader can advertise your non-profit personal site. Be it a blog, a web page or something esle, as long as its not a "buy my stuff" venue.

Reader Reccomendations: If there is a blog or webpage that YOU think is worth a mention, send me the title of the page, the url to the page an a short review by YOU. If you do not include those things it WILL NOT be included.

Teh Haiku: (On the new page only) Each page is started with a Haiku. The Haiku will change every time a new issue is put up. Send me your best 5-7-5 (along with your blog link so I can give you linky love) and TEH HAIKU could be YOU.

You may also ask for:

A Randomized Review: Where you ask for a review of your blog and I give you one.

Send all properly labeled submissions (Properly labled meaning the subject line should be what is bold up above) to: zippyb@gmail.com

-doot-doot-

THE END
(next issue scheduled for approx. Jan. 20)