brandon james allen

A Short Break

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 02:22:00 GMT

I'm posting this via mysql command. I've been using SimpleLog as my blogging platform for quite a while, but development has ceased and apparently there are some issues with Ruby1.9. It's time for something new. In the meantime this little site will be quiet.

Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 09:46:00 GMT

I love that the rebuttal to the research presented in this article relies on asserting the safety of such re-agents as “hydrochloric acid and caustic soda.” Funny how that doesn’t make me feel much better.

(via Daring Fireball)

Reflecting Pool

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:04:00 GMT

I keep coming back to this photo today. Simply beautiful.

Photographer: Richard Powers
Architect: Barton Myers
Link Via: Stephen Coles

Bike Fail

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:01:58 GMT

At least this city has bike lanes.

Skating Video

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:49:39 GMT

This video is mesmerizing:

skate - shot on red - 120 fps from opus magnum prod. on Vimeo.

You can also watch it in HD, and read the article about the camera in Wired.

Convenient Environmentalism

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 04:41:03 GMT

I’m really tired of the pop culture green movement.

Buying “green” items has become so cool, that everything is now being marketed as environmentally friendly. The current landscape of over-emphasizing the environmental benefits of products feels a lot like the trans-fat marketing blitz from a couple of years ago.

Every product on the market put a label on its box that said “no trans fats.” That’s all fine and good, but most people shouldn’t be eating most of those foods anyway. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s probably a really good thing that trans-isomer fatty acids are entering the bodies of fewer Americans these days. Let’s just not kid ourselves into thinking these doughnuts are OK to eat because they don’t have trans fats. Maybe the label should be more like, “this doughnut won’t kill you with trans fats but the saturated fat and refined sugar sure aren’t going to help.”

The “green” movement has taken a very similar path in that many products are labeled as environmentally friendly regardless of their actual toll on the environment. The recent example that prompted this little tirade is the new Studio Hybrid desktop from Dell:

Dell’s most unique, stylish, and conscientious desktop PC. Designed to fit into your environment while protecting the environment. [from Dell’s website]

Really? Protecting the environment?

That’s ridiculous. A Studio desktop may be less harmful to the environment, but it’s certainly not protecting the environment. Analogous to the doughnuts, I think that buying computers that have lower power requirements is very important as the number of computing devices in our daily lives increases, but — once again — let’s not kid ourselves into thinking that we’re saving the environment by purchasing a computer with a bamboo sleeve.

P.S. I was very surprised to find that Chevrolet barely even mentions the environment in talking about their reduced-gasoline initiatives. Instead they refer only to the high prices of gasoline and how they are working to bring cars to the road that get us to a “gas free” situation.

Why Do I Fork Over $100/yr for .mac?

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:29:36 GMT

Yeah, let’s do all of this, too, but first can I please just sync my phone with .mac?

Alexis the Dog

Sun, 04 May 2008 13:18:32 GMT

Seeking Residuals

Fri, 02 May 2008 07:11:38 GMT

Good thoughts on why the current “make money from touring” theory for musicians just isn’t a good idea for them in the long run. I do think that most of his suggestions are a bit lame. How about you make really good albums and then ask me to give you money for them?

Times NewsReader

Fri, 02 May 2008 06:58:30 GMT

“Times” is a very interesting news reader. It’s not really made for the way I read feeds. I subscribe to lots of blogs of individuals who write articles in a single stream. “Times” looks like it would be really good for people who subscribe to lots of actual news sites. If you subscribe to TechCrunch, Engadget, and NYTimes Tech, maybe this would be a great way to read.