August, 22, 2004 archives

this interactive isometric map of washington, dc is incredible. (via waxy.org.)

the trigger cases from 5inch.com are pretty nifty. (as are all of the printed cd-r, too.)

i went into garden state with dangerously high expectations, but was not disappointed. i managed to avoid all reviews and most of the information about the film, so i went in only really knowing what is in the trailers (which is not much, plot-wise). okay, i was a little disappointed that some of the most clever cinematography was included in the trailer, so it didn’t have the same impact it might have had if it were completely fresh in-context, but that’s a pretty minor nit. the comedy is really understated, and the movie is pretty deliberately paced, but it all really works. (and natalie portman is really cute….)

technorati has reportedly raised some venture capital (via anil dash), but the thing that struck me is the valuation and amount of investment: $12 million valuation, $6.5 million investment. that would put the VCs in control.

i wonder if i’m being dumb for not pursuing blogging-related dollars.

if you’re getting a sense of déjà vu, it is because i also gave money to the southern poverty law center in august 2003. (and if you’re really keeping track, august 2002, too.)

i think one reason i’ve been a faithful supporter of the splc is that they send what i consider to be a reasonable amount of fundraising literature, but also the really great intelligence report magazine. they are guilty of doing the silly ploy of having the forms with the donation levels that are based on your previous contribution. (so the smallest one is the same as your previous contribution, the middle one is 1.5× that, and the high amount is double.)

recently the world wildlife fund has been getting on my nerves by sending what seem to be weekly brochures for their travel program.

i took a dip into the itunes music store again, and picked up the eponymous debut album from mosquitos. i found it via salon’s music sampler. it’s a fun album, although too short. they have another coming out in october.

now i’m thinking that i may have jumped the gun in buying it from the itunes music store, though. i’ve got another growing itch to visit amoeba records.