Links tagged "geekingout"
I was in the middle of doing the exact same thing as this guy (copying all of my movies to my computer so they would be accessible via AppleTV... instead of having my kids scratch the discs), and I got to a movie he mentioned - Lord of the Rings (and Dances with Wolves... though my kids don't watch either of those movies). I love named chapters in movies, and wanted to have both a combined file, and have chapters. Simple walk-through right here. The added bonus is him pointing the way to iDentify, since MetaX has become abandonware. #
Just to prove how long I've kept some tabs open in my browser, this one dates back to June of 2014. Every now and then, I re-watch this looping gif, and love how the ball ends up in so many different places, with (seemingly) the exact same beginning. As a Dodgers fan, I love watching Clayton Kershaw pitch. #
My own article about "one of the biggest mistakes I've made in my career" would be different, but I love Andrei's advice. I think it applies to more than just designers debating whether or not they should learn to code. I feel like everybody should learn a specialty, whether or not it becomes the thing you do every day. Additionally, I'm a big proponent of being able to take your ideas to the next level or step. If you can design, figure out how to make your product come alive (through code or prototyping). If you can build wood-only furniture, learn how upholster. If you can cook, learn how to plate. If you can plate, learn how to serve. Maybe it's better summarized as learning how to do the job of the person you hand your "finished" product to. There's a glorious energy, and collaboration point to be found when you're really familiar with the next person in line. Learning to code as a designer is one of those steps. #
If you use OS X, and a lot of markdown files, you'll probably benefit from this handy quick look extension. Don't just see the markdown as a text file, but see it as the nicely formatted document your markdown turns into. I've had it on my computer for a couple years, but I never thought to link to it (and feared that I'd forget it if I ever changed computers). #
Mike Bostock gives a thoroughly fascinating view into a few different types of algorithms. Some of it was way over my head, but I still really enjoyed the essay. I was particularly drawn to the organic feel of Bridson’s algorithm for Poisson-disc sampling, the innate story-telling nature of the colored thread visualization for sorting, and the creeper-like reaching of Wilson's Algorithm for maze generation. #
I feel like I've tried to understand PGP and public-key cryptography multiple times, and each time I've failed. However, after reading this article, I feel like I perfectly understand it. Kudos to Panayotis Vryonis for such a clear explanation. #
I forgot to say something about this last year when Twitter implemented their new obnoxious layout (of auto-showing all pictures and videos). Thankfully, I had largely forgotten it, thanks to this easily installed hack. Here you can somewhat see a before and after. #
Rod Christiansen shares some great ideas on journaling, using one of my favorite tools - DayOne. Of particular note here is the list of tags he uses. Digital journaling, combined with tags makes for an awesomely powerful tool. Personally I really like writing in a journal. For those of you that have never done it (or have only done it with an audience (apart from yourself) in mind), I would highly recommend it. I'm not sure if it's the forced-introspection, or the liberating nature of getting thoughts out of your head, but I think most anybody could benefit from it. #
Yet another item I forgot to link to a while ago. I enjoyed this trip down memory lane for the various version of Mario. Admittedly, the first Mario I beat was actually Super Mario Bros. 2 (which some would call an abomination), but the introduction of Toad into the family has changed things forever. #
I read this article about a month ago, and I haven't been able to get this piece out of my mind:
Entertaining their parents, for the King children, was part job, part enrichment. At bedtime, they were the ones expected to tell their parents stories, instead of the other way around.
Ever since then, I've put this into practice, recording the results. If I'm really cool, one day I'll do something with them. The results so far have been pretty fun and varied. Maybe you should give it a try. #