No one from the Web is famous
Posted: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 10:44 PM by Will Femia
25 Web celebs? - Has there ever been a true Web celebrity? Someone who everyone knows, and they're in magazines like a real red carpet celebrity, but they got their start on the Internet? Jessica Lee Rose (lonelygirl) is probably the closest there is. Actually, does anyone remember Cindy Margolis as the most downloaded woman in the world? She ended up with a show and a career. She's the best example I can cite of a Web celeb. (Which means, in case I didn't actually get around to saying it, I don't think any of the people in the slide show are celebrities even though I link to or read most of them regularly.) Am I overlooking anyone? Viral video stars don't count unless you know their name.
A 13 minute Battlestar Galactica gag reel. Contains curses. Also contains a good amount of the Shannon Moon Hoon version of 3 Is A Magic Number, which rocks.
The Wii laptop - Next Tuesday they'll show how it was made. I was just asking my IT guy the other day why we see PC build instructions but never laptop builds, so this will be interesting.
Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year - Apparently different colors require different energy. He figured how many people hit Google and for how long and did the math on how much energy it takes to light that many screens. His result is a broad assessment of the cost to display the page with a cheaper color.
The funniest thing about these viral Saturday Night Live clips that get passed around every week is the expressions of amazement that Saturday Night Live is funny again.
Folks are worked up about a single frame McDonald's ad in an Iron Chef clip. It's hard to imagine what it could be other than a subliminal marketing attempt. Even so, I don't feel especially outraged.
Kitchen beat box - Thankfully no real food involved.
The New York Times makes a fun tool to play with that utilizes the full text of past State of the Union addresses. Unlike other word clouds that choose keywords for you, this lets you search anything. "But" has an interesting result. I saw one blogger recommend "diplomacy." Clicked flashback:
U.S. presidential speeches tag cloud - The page is a weird layout because the top is all graphic and navigation. What you want is the middle of the page. The timeline dragger is above the word cloud on the right. It reminds me of the State of the Union word count interactive timeline. -requires Java but worth it. (And the State of the Union parser.) The really early speeches are the most interesting I think.
Among the abundant coverage of last night's speech I saw sizeable discussion of whether Webb upstaged the President. I didn't think so when I watched it, but I clicked Jonathan Alter's piece anyway.
CIA recruiting through Facebook
Nike's environmentally friendly sneakers
The insanely great songs Apple won't let you hear. If you're at all familiar with real-world, tangible music media then you've heard of the Japanese import. It only stands to reason that with the Web bridging all barriers, every song, no matter where it was released would have global availability. I wouldn't even have thought there was an issue there. Turns out I'd be wrong.
I keep reading about pillow fighting as the new erotic performance (compared to mud wrestling and foxy boxing, though it seems closer to roller derby to me for some reason in the way it's connected to that new burlesque-chic style).
"A species of shark rarely seen alive because its natural habitat is 2,000 feet or more under the sea was captured on film by staff at a Japanese marine park this week." The video is included on the article. Is there anything cooler than a prehistoric deep sea species that looks like alien death?
Globorati is a brand new global travel blog.
Social Media – Under the Microscope - What happens when you're linked by a site like Digg?
A parkour pair - If you head to their site, advertised in the video, they've got a section with tips, though let me be clear, "don't try this at home." I'm not clear what they train for to prepare for this. It looks more like martial arts than gymnastics, but not combative; more like a floor exercise. UPDATE: OK, hold your mail, I actually bothered to look up wushu.
Ecstasy, the new prescription drug?
Duct tape use number 323: parenting aid.
REVERSE GRAFFITI: Clean Green Street Art - It's a fancier version of when people write "wash me" in the dirt on the back of a truck. There are probably a lot of opportunities for it in New York City. UPDATE: OK, so this is probably more literally a fancy version of writing "wash me" on a truck.
Scientists Optimistic on "Bionic" Eyes - So far it's just being done on cats, but it's a cool article. Sounds like we'll have Terminator eyes before we have Geordi La Forge eyes.
Following a glowing review from TechCrunch folks online are buzzing about TellMe. With TellMe installed on your phone, all you have to do is speak the name of the person or place whose number you need and it automatically accesses the directory assistance database and gives you the info you need. Now all you need to do is install it on a watch and run it through your black Trans Am.
Keep an eye out for solicitations for participants in a new reality show featuring virgins questing for carnal accomplishment. I guess it's better than eating bugs.
Pirating the 2007 Oscars - Waxy looks for how many Oscar nominated films are available in pirated versions online and with what level of quality.
