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Thinking the Unthinkable

Clay Shirky on the demise of print journalism and thinking about what might replace it: Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable. Don’t let the fact that it’s long turn you off; it’s a brilliant essay on adapting to the digital revolution.

When someone demands to know how we are going to replace newspapers, they are really demanding to be told that we are not living through a revolution. They are demanding to be told that old systems won’t break before new systems are in place. They are demanding to be told that ancient social bargains aren’t in peril, that core institutions will be spared, that new methods of spreading information will improve previous practice rather than upending it. They are demanding to be lied to.

There are fewer and fewer people who can convincingly tell such a lie.

(Via Waxy)

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McSweeney Jokes

I’ve been enjoying the jokes from McSweeney’s.

Call me a food snob if you want, but I’m not apologizing for having a favorite gas-station hot dog.

My girlfriend was bi-curious until she found out it had nothing to do with speaking a second language.

I knew it was time to trim my beard when crazy panhandlers started offering me their spare change and that was where I stashed it.

Have you ever been so stoned that you crashed your car into a tree? Then did you get out of your car and see there wasn’t actually any damage from the accident—not so much as a scratch on your bumper? Then did you notice that there also wasn’t any tree? When you were finally able to calm down and get back in your car to drive away, were you embarrassed to realize that all along it was the air freshener hanging from your rear view mirror?

Me neither.

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The Untold Story of the World’s Biggest Diamond Heist

In February 2003, Leonardo Notarbartolo, was arrested in connection with a break-in to a vault two floors beneath the Antwerp Diamond Center. The thieves were thought to have made off with an estimated $100 million worth of diamonds, gold, jewelry, and other spoils.

Wired News shares the incredible story:

The vault was thought to be impenetrable. It was protected by 10 layers of security, including infrared heat detectors, Doppler radar, a magnetic field, a seismic sensor, and a lock with 100 million possible combinations. The robbery was called the heist of the century, and even now the police can’t explain exactly how it was done.

The loot was never found, but based on circumstantial evidence, Notarbartolo was sentenced to 10 years. He has always denied having anything to do with the crime and has refused to discuss his case with journalists, preferring to remain silent for the past six years.

Until now.

The video is great, but the article delves into the captivating details.

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Happy Birthday to Me!

I was born at around 6:30am on this day in 1979. That means I’m joining team old today, unless of course you subscribe to that whole 30 is the new 20 malarkey or, alternatively, you realize there’s no point in worrying about your age.

Either way, I’m 30 today and I’ve never been happier.

Birthday images of Jeff Milner

These are a few photos taken on previous birthdays.

My friends Rich and Cindy held a party for me at their place! Thanks guys.

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Foursquare

Foursquare is the iPhone app that rewards social behaviour.

It’s not out yet, but according to The New York Observer, it should be available in time for SXSW.

“What we wanted to do is turn life into a video game. You should be rewarded for going out more times than your friends, and hanging out with new people and going to new restaurants and going to new bars—just experiencing things that you wouldn’t normally do.”

So, a video game that rewards being adventurous and outgoing in, you know, real life?

Kottke is calling it the new Dodgeball. One significant change I’m wondering about, will it work in Canada?