June 07, 2008

The Evolution of Tech Logos

Neatorama strikes again....

June 01, 2008

For Political Polling Wonks, Only

I've raved several times here about Mark Blumenthal's work on Pollster.com. If you are as obsessed about the presidential race and all the complexities of trying to poll voter preferences as I am, you'll also love Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight.com...

May 24, 2008

You Park Like an [NOT SAFE FOR WORK]

Beware, errant parkers. You are no longer safe. [Thanks to John DiBartolo]...

May 18, 2008

Solitaire

What's Microsoft's most used application? According to this article, it's solitaire! Here's an interesting rumination about the humble little game....

May 17, 2008

If It Looks Like a Duck

It probably isn't....

May 05, 2008

Fun with Google Maps

What with the price of gas and all, perhaps a nice long drive isn't the greatest idea. That hasn't stopped one intrepid blogger from finding the longest routes on Google Maps (be sure and read the comments from readers, too)....

April 29, 2008

Sneezecount

I just hope this guy doesn't get a book or movie deal....

April 25, 2008

YOUNGME - NOWME

You can go back again....

April 07, 2008

Time.com's First Annual Blog Index

Time picks its 25 favorite blogs and asks us to rate them. Although many of the usual suspects appear, including Indexed (as this is written, rated #1 by Time readers), I'm now subscribed to a couple of blogs I hadn't...

April 03, 2008

April Fools Day on the Web

How's this for a niche: a compilation of the myriad April Fools stunts on the Web. [Thanks to Gin Petty]...

March 23, 2008

Things for Sale That I Will Mail You

Someone will think about you for a minute -- a bargain at one dollar. [Thanks to Paul Fryd]...

January 18, 2008

Rube Goldberg meets the Netherlands

You can't beat an Online Winkelin. [Thanks to Mark Evanier]...

January 15, 2008

The 7 Most Bizarre Celebrity Blogs

According to Cracked, anyway......

November 30, 2007

Google Reader Has Gotten Better

One of the blogs that I subscribe to on Google Reader is The Official Google Reader Blog. Today's entry is a plug for the Discovery Page. Based on what you've searched for and the websites you've visited, it suggests blogs...

November 25, 2007

The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks

I thought I was the only one who got a kick out of the proliferation of misused quotation marks. Not true. [Thanks to James Gleick]...

October 29, 2007

Heroes of the Writers Strike

What will writers do if the Guild strikes?...

October 03, 2007

Missed That TV Show?

Forgot to videotape that show you wanted to watch? Did you suffer from a DVR malfunction? Relief might be on th way. TV Guide has launched Online Video Guide, a roundup of where you can find previously aired shows online....

September 25, 2007

Free Popcorn

Well, sort of. Dale and Thomas, one of the best purveyors of "gourmet" popcorn is offering two bags for the reasonable shipping cost of $2.95. The deal includes some of D&T's most popular flavors, including Chocolate Chunk 'n Caramel, Butter...

September 23, 2007

The MC Hammer School of English

[Thanks to Susan Thomas]...

September 20, 2007

Refund Please

I've bought so many items online that were "protected" by a price guarantee. But I've never received a penny compensation when a price gets lowered. Why? I've been too lazy to check. Refund Please has come to the rescue....

August 11, 2007

Movie Pulchritude Morphing

Beauty through the cinematic era. [Thanks to Mark Evanier]...

August 01, 2007

Song Tapper

Search for the name of a song by using your keyboard. Well, actually, just by tapping on the space bar. As Gloria Estefan would say if the lyrics to her wrong were slightly different, the rhythm's going to get you...the...

July 24, 2007

Darn It!

I thought I was the greatest author in the world. But I was so wrong....

July 18, 2007

Cashing Checks with the Stars

Few showbiz-oriented blogs break more stories than Nikki Finke in her Deadline Hollywood Daily. Even if she is a little smug about her accomplishments, at least she has something to crow about. Yesterday she linked to a list (originally compiled...

July 15, 2007

FormatChange.com

Arguably the most important oldies record station in the country, WCBS-FM, switched to the "Jack" format several years ago. Jack was a quasi-alternative format that didn't stick to a particular genre of music, and flattered its listeners with promos indicating...

July 11, 2007

Skull-A-Day

For those who have heretofore only seen five skulls a week -- here's the solution....

July 08, 2007

Why Do [Most] Forks Have Four Tines?

Good Imponderable. But actually I wasn't asked this. Bram Cohen, creator of BitTorrent, has some thoughts on the subject on his blog. The comments by his readers are worth a look, too....

July 07, 2007

Google Maps Trick

My pal Dave Friedman writes: Go to Google Maps and do driving directions. When you get your route back, drag a point on the route somewhere else. Pretty cool. Cool, indeed....

July 05, 2007

It's Always Something

If you're going to have two mishaps, why not do so within one minute?...

June 28, 2007

Bringo

Trapped in "phone tree hell," unable to find a human at the bank, or the airline, or the hotel chain? Bringo rides to the rescue. In concept, it sounds great. Have any readers of this blog had a personal experience...

June 19, 2007

25 Web Sites To Watch

At least, that's what PC World thinks....

June 14, 2007

Triumph Does the Tony's

And nobody does it better....

May 31, 2007

Finally, the Answer to Gilligan's Island

The Professor did us proud. As we posted yesterday, the Profesor posed an Imponderable question and teased the answer. Our intrepid reader, Sondra Harris, whose name has adorned many an Imponderables book with her wit, was the first to spot...

May 24, 2007

Is This the Cutest Cow in the World?

Ree thinks so. [Thanks to Monkling]...

May 23, 2007

Google's HOT TRENDS

What's new? Google knows....

May 17, 2007

100 Movies, 100 Quotes, 100 Numbers

Here's a keeper from YouTube....

May 02, 2007

Google Reader

I am an unabashed fan of Google's latest masterpiece, Google Reader. I've tried other RSS feeds, but Google's is so simple and elegant that it's the first time I've preferred the blogs coming to me instead of me going to...

April 29, 2007

Critical Metrics

Somehow, this very cool website has eluded me until I read about it in the Wall Street Journal. Here's how the site describes itself: Every week, artists, DJs, music tv networks, newspapers, magazines, retailers, and bloggers recommend hundreds of their...

April 23, 2007

The Rejecter

I love websites that give aspiring writers solid advice. If you are contemplating a life in publishing, as a writer, an editor, or an agent, you might want to read this blog. The Rejector is written by an anoynmous assistant...

April 22, 2007

The Best Book Promo Website I've Ever Seen

Miranda July's. [Thanks to Malcolm Mead]...

April 15, 2007

You've Had a Little Work Done

One video you probabl won't see on MTV. Or CMT....

March 21, 2007

K-Yahoo

This is not a joke. I think....

March 20, 2007

Associated Content

Associated Content is a hybrid of MySpace and Wikipedia. Users can publish videos, essays, poetry, photographs, or audio, and get paid for their contributions (submissions are screened by AC's staff). AC calls itself "The People's Media Company," although the interface...

March 07, 2007

How Google's Search Technology Really Works

Maybe this is really why you never see baby pigeons. [Thanks to Neala Schwartzberg]...

March 01, 2007

Jimmy Wales

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales is not only trying to make a few bucks with his Wikia, but is challenging Google with an open-source search engine. Good luck! Money/CNN profiles Wales and what he's up to: good reading....

January 27, 2007

Can You Save a Man from Hanging?

How's your hangman? [Thanks to Agnes from France]...

December 31, 2006

Newseum

Today's newspaper headlines. Today!...

December 23, 2006

Stationery Movies

For those who love quizzes. And movies. And stationery....

December 03, 2006

Are You in the Target Audience for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip?

The Studio 60 Flowchart will tell all....

November 29, 2006

RinkWorks

Don't have time to watch movies these days? How about a movie-a-minute? A book-a-minute can save you even more time. Plenty of other stuff to check out at RinkWorks, and I especially recommend the All Movie Talk, a weekly podcast...

November 27, 2006

Sploofus

Because there aren't enough ways to waste time on the Internet. A very cool trivia site....

November 18, 2006

I Thought Daniel Craig Was James Bond

But evidently I was wrong....

November 10, 2006

Dull Men's Club

These are my soulmates. This site revels in National Fig Month (you do know that this is National Fig Month, don't you?). It studies the direction in which carousels around the world rotate. And it includes a book review section...

November 09, 2006

OneBee

I stumbled onto this blog while researching Gerard Mulligan, former headwriter of The Late Show with David Letterman. I liked Jameson's take on Gerard, so I started reading other entries. Good blog, especially the musings on television....

November 02, 2006

Thriller...

...with Legos!...

October 25, 2006

The Other Ballgame

The World Series isn't the only game in town, at least for me. I'm also an election junkie. I'll leave out my own political views, and focus on the best place to view the how the horse-race is shaping up...

October 24, 2006

Product Placement on the Web

The world has gotten a little less innocent. The next time you see a blog recommending a product, a service, or another website, you have to think: Is it real, or is it PayPerPost?...

October 21, 2006

Like Visual Quizzes?

I don't think you'll find any better than Margaret Nissen's at Modesty Panel. [Thanks to Jack Estes]...

October 18, 2006

Spiked

What is Spiked? It's an excellent online magazine based in England. So what? It's free and worth checking out, especially for a fascinating poll of many of the world's top scientists, asking them: If You Could Teach the World Just...

October 17, 2006

How Many David Feldmans Are There in the U.S.?

According to this website, approximately 284. Watch out for those annoying flashing banner ads -- they could blind you. [Thanks to Newton Caldwell]...

October 15, 2006

Piero Scaruffi

Piero Scaruffi is a man obsessed, and the New York Times wrote a profile of him yesterday. He's interested in many subjects, but one of his obsessions is making "best of" lists of rock music. He shares them at his...

October 06, 2006

Iggy Pop's Concert Rider

One of the great features of The Smoking Gun is the collection of concert riders. Iggy Pop's is not the most demanding, but it is certainly the funniest....

September 30, 2006

Mouseprint

Today's New York Times's What's Online column included a link to a site, mouseprint.org, that explores the fine print in all kinds of ads and commercials. The latest post is about how Scot toilet paper has retained the standard of...

September 06, 2006

It's Jerry Time!

And it's about time....

August 31, 2006

The Simpons vs. Star Trek

Nobody's a winner....

August 28, 2006

Slo-Mo Home Depot

Molasses and Home Depot. A great combination....

August 24, 2006

The Top 200 Singles of the 1960s

Pitchfork is one of the better pop/rock music sites on the Web, and often features irresistible lists, such as the "Top 100 Albums of the 1980s." But here's the latest. I must confess that one of the reasons I enjoyed...

August 10, 2006

Hair Makes the Woman

Imagine taking a photo of your face in the same position every day for three years, and then assembling a video of each photo in quick succession. That's what Ahree Lee has done in less than one minute's worth of...

August 07, 2006

Build It and They Might Not Come

This morning, Mediaweek Online reports: "OfficePirates.com—Time Inc.'s much-hyped answer to the viral video-blogging phenomenon, is struggling to build an audience, and some Time Inc. insiders are speculating that its lifespan may be short. The site, launched in late February, has...

August 03, 2006

Bedazzled

The amount of video online is staggering, and a trip to YouTube can induce a migraine and overload. So it's always great when someone with an astute sensibility and an archivist's soul filters a part of what's "out there." Such...

Jon Stewart Is Not God

But not everyone agrees....

July 31, 2006

The Answer Is: Today's Link

The question is: Where can I find the Jeopardy Archive? [Thanks to James Gleick]...

July 26, 2006

Wikipedia

In the current issue of the New Yorker, Stacy Schiff writes a balanced article about Wikipedia (I hope this link works indefinitely). I was particularly struck by this passage: "Wikipedia functions as a filter for vast amounts of information online,...

July 24, 2006

Obsessed with Wrestling

I'm not, but I started watching professional wrestling when I was four years old. My grandfather informed me at that tender age that it was "fake," and then proceeded to yell his tonsils out at the grapplers on his black...

July 23, 2006

Google Without the Ads

We're here to help. [Thanks to Malcolm Mead]...

July 18, 2006

Video Blog of the Day

You can keep your music videos. You can keep your porn. I want to watch a white guy eating foreign foods. [Thanks to Jim Cypher]...

July 05, 2006

Celebrities Have To Eat, Too

Even if they are photographed doing so....

June 30, 2006

Favorite Blog Title of the Week

And a pretty cool blog, to boot....

June 26, 2006

Obsessed with "Lost"?

Some of my friends think that I'm obsessed with all televsion shows, but for whatever reason, Lost just doesn't grab me (even though I used to be pals with Matthew Fox's wife when they lived in New York -- she...

June 25, 2006

KeepVid

Want to know how to find that video that you liked on YouTube or Google Video? Why not keep it?...

June 24, 2006

Televisionary

This is a cool blog about television, written by, of all people, a young TV development executive....

June 08, 2006

Was the 2004 Election Stolen?

In the current issue of Rolling Stone, Robert Kennedy, Jr. concludes that the answer is yes. During the 2004 election, I was riveted by the Mystery Pollster blog. After the election, he wrote extensively about why the exit polls that...

June 07, 2006

Gervais Meets David

Perhaps the two funniest writers on television meet. And talk. We're all winners....

June 01, 2006

"Let Me Go the Right Way"

A user on YouTube has posted a slew of vintage 60s Supremes video, including my favorite song of the group, Let Me Go the Right Way. It was a superb single that didn't break out in the pop market. This...

May 18, 2006

The LibraryThing

Care to eavesdrop on other people's book collections? Care to share yours? If so, try this Thing....

May 16, 2006

TV Upfronts

May is always a big television month. It's the all-important May Sweeps (which is why series finales are more common than pollen) but also the upfronts, when the networks announce their new Fall lineups. Aaron Barnhart, the Kansas City Star's...

May 11, 2006

I Can Digg It!

Still sick, but better (thanks for the virtual chicken soup from blog readers!), thanks. But I had to pass along this tip from John DiBartolo -- Digg.com....

May 03, 2006

Geek Love

Dave Loves Elizabeth....

April 11, 2006

Make Him Watch TV

Go ahead. Make his TV day....

March 15, 2006

Google Mars

Very cool. But Google Maps won't give us driving directions on how to get to this beautiful place. [Thanks to John DiBartolo]...

February 10, 2006

Zillow.com

Want to know how much your home is worth? Want to know how much your enemy's home is worth? You can find your Zestimate here....

February 07, 2006

Website of the Day

Candy's World....

January 26, 2006

Net Disaster

Hate a website? Why not deface it? [Thanks to Gin Petty]...

January 16, 2006

Kitten War!

Now you know why I'm not a betting man. Not too bad. I went 2-2 on my playoff picks. Maybe it's because I'm distracted by a more important battle. [Thanks to Dave Friedman]...

December 30, 2005

Best of Best Ofs

Like year-end best lists? So does this guy....

December 24, 2005

Christmas Time for the Jews

I'm finally imbued with the Christmas spirit. The subways are running again in New York, last night Darlene Love once again performed a transcendent version of "Merry Christmas (Baby Please Come Home" on David Letterman, and I saw Robert Smigel's...

December 18, 2005

Google Music Search

Try typing "Bob Dylan" into the Google search box. Here's what you get......

December 14, 2005

The Award Season Is Here

No, I'm not talking about the Golden Globe nominations. We're talking about the 2005, but the 2005 Crunks, from the addictive website, Regret the Error....

December 13, 2005

You've Been Reading Too Many Blogs...

..if you get most of these jokes. [Thanks to Jeremy Osner}...

December 12, 2005

World's Worst Weathermen?

The first one will do until a worse one comes along....

December 11, 2005

Top 10 Words Most Searched at Merriam-Webster's Website

Evidently, Pamela Anderson and Britney Spears aren't in the dictionary....

December 10, 2005

Jersey Boys Soundtrack

I don't have a "theater" category on the blog, because it usually requires a crowbar, a free ticket, and some medication to drag me to a Broadway show. I haven't seen Jersey Boys, the show chronicling the Four Seasons. But...

December 08, 2005

The Carpetbagger

New York Times reporter David Carr has just launched The Carpetbagger, a blog chronicling the race to the Oscars. Carr portrays himself as a newcomer to the madness (he is) but the site is full of fun links. This is...

November 26, 2005

There Is a Worse Website Than Mine

And it's right here. And if you hate frames, make sure you check out the links on the left....

November 21, 2005

Pandora.com

Do you listen to music on the Web? Perhaps to a streaming radio show? Why not create your own station that plays the music you like best, and the music you didn't know you like best?...

October 28, 2005

TV Squad

Here's a cool blog, written by a group of TV fans, full of tips, news, and annotated listings of what's worth watching every day. [Thanks to Laura Tolkow for the tip]...

October 26, 2005

Good News on the Spam Front?

It looks promising....

October 18, 2005

Where Does the Caffeine Go?

In Are Lobsters Ambidextrous? (originally published as When Did Wild Poodles Roam the Earth?), I discussed what happens to the caffeine that's taken out of coffee. Now in a four minute photo-essay on the National Geographic site, you can see...

October 16, 2005

The 62-Pound Hamburger and Other Great Moments in Junk Food

The Junk Food Blog is devoted to chronicling the latest development in arterially-clogging and cavity-inducing foodstuffs. We were sent there by another cool site, Strange New Products, that let us know that the world is no longer without candy corn...

October 10, 2005

Screen Shots from Pete's Pond

For those of you didn't heed my earlier call to visit Pete's Pond, another website has scores of screen shots from the webcam -- zebras, elephants, giraffes, crocodiles, vultures, monkeys, and much more. [Thanks to Ruth Bavetta]...

October 02, 2005

Roger McGuinn

Roger McGuinn, leader of the Byrds, keeps one foot firmly in the past (he loves traditional folk music) and one foot securely in the future (he was an early adapter of the Internet and loves technology). Does that mean he...

September 27, 2005

Judd Apatow's Diary

This week, the auteur behind Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, and The 40-Year-Old- Virgin is posting a journal on Slate.com this week. His first entry is about reality television, and I like his taste. Any fan of Rock Star INXS can't...

September 26, 2005

Wild Cam Redux

We've received a few complaints that the Wildcam site is down. Yep, it's popular -- if the other link is busy, try this one as well....

September 24, 2005

So You Want To Be Cool?

Are you sure you want to be cool? I know only one way to assure that you will be cool. You can learn how by watching this video....

September 22, 2005

WildCam

Now THIS is a reality show. [Thanks to Jerilyn Dufresne]...

September 20, 2005

Two New Sitcoms and a Modest Proposal

Four new sitcoms have come with buzz, and two of them debuted Monday night: How I Met Your Mother and Kitchen Confidential. My main constructive criticism applies to both: Relax and stop trying so hard. Both shows have attractive casts...

September 15, 2005

Google Strikes Again

It was inevitable. Not content to let Feedster and Technorati carve out a franchise, let's welcome Google Blog Search to the worldwide web....

September 06, 2005

Beatles Timeline

Since I've been plugging Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys, how about some love for the Beatles. The Beatles Timeline site is a lot of fun -- and educational, too!...

August 31, 2005

The Writing Life

My friend Beth Amos is a terrific suspense and mystery writer, but like many talented novelists, she's had her shares of bumps in the road to commercial success. Her official website is full of tips for aspiring suspense novelists. But...

August 30, 2005

This Is Not the Worst Blog in the World

I'm proud to say that others agree....

August 19, 2005

More Kept Blogging

An eagle-eyed reader of this blog (O.K., it was me) noticed that the blog of Seth, the winner of the reality show Kept, links to the blog of his pal and runner-up's, Austen. Austen is more articulate than Seth, only...

August 18, 2005

Kept Blog

On the off chance that any of you followed the VH1 show, Kept, the winner, Seth, has a blog. Seth is 34, but his blog chronicles a life not unlike a parody of frat life....

August 13, 2005

You're Rich!

Can I have a loan? I know you can afford it....

August 10, 2005

Jossip

There are scads of blogs on the web devoted to media news and gossip. I visit too many of them. My latest main squeeze is Jossip. What I like least about it is its snarky tone. It's not as well...

July 31, 2005

Bustamove.com

You don't know how to do the electric slide? Help is on the way. [Thanks to Simone Cox]...

July 30, 2005

Logogle

Tired of your logo? Why not rip off a good one?...

July 29, 2005

Mark Evanier on Hold

The hell that is "on hold" with customer support is chronicled in real time in yesteday's entry at Mark's wonderful site, News from Me. (Be sure and read from the bottom up, as Mark's entries are time-stamped). Yesterday, the villain...

July 25, 2005

Joel on Software

Although I've been on the Internet since the Paleolithic Era, I'm not in the least bit technical. I don't know how to program, I'm not interested in learning, but am in slavish admiration when I find a program I like....

July 22, 2005

I'm Not Happy About the Name of This Website

And no, I'm not THIS David Feldman. And for that matter, I'm not THIS Michael Feldman....

July 21, 2005

My Idol

Here's someone who has/had a bigger vinyl collection than me, and finally did something about it (my bedroom has a "wall of vinyl," containing nothing but 45s and LPs). The seller on this Ebay auction, Marty Pekar, produced was a...

July 20, 2005

Google Moon

Google's mapping everything these days. Make sure you zoom in all the way. Thanks to Dave Friedman for the tip....

July 10, 2005

This Is Broken

That's the name of a cool website that documents visually some of the products and services provided by big corporations that just don't make sense....

June 21, 2005

No Redeeming Social Value (Part 2)

A few months ago, I admitted that I was known to frequent a gossip site called The Superficial, which is going as strong as ever. But I surprise even myself, someone with zero interest in fashion, that I find myself...

May 31, 2005

I Ain't Nothin' But a Chowhound

Like a dog, I'm always thinking about when and where my next meal is coming from. I like to think I'm a bit more discriminating about what food I shovel in my mouth than the average canine. I've always been...

May 19, 2005

Next Fall on TV

What will the Fall line-up look like? I like the way Laurel Krahn designed her grid to indicate new shows, programs that have changed time or days, and those standing still. And you can do worse than using her daily...

The Wait Is Over

The hamburger has finally gotten its due....

April 09, 2005

Need a Ride? Right Now?

Google strikes again. [Thanks to David Friedman for the tip]...

March 27, 2005

No Redeeming Social Value (Part 1)

When I'm not researching why pirates wore earrings, or poring over EPA emission standards, I must admit I save a minute or two for checking out websites that offer little but pointed and scathing gossip about celebrities. One of my...

March 09, 2005

You Are Liked

Yes you are. Thanks to Jim Cypher for the "referral."...

March 07, 2005

Steve, Don't Eat It!

We've got to help Steve! He's suffering for us. Thanks to Jeremy Osner, major domo of Readin blog....

March 06, 2005

Dancing With Cats

Better than the Broadway show....

March 01, 2005

The Name Game

Baby Book -- please meet Casey Kasem....

February 25, 2005

Eradicating Social Problems...

...one step at a time....

February 15, 2005

So You Want To Publish a Book?

I stumbled onto the Everyone Who's Anyone website via a Google link and I couldn't stop reading it. Gerard Jones has assembled a gigantic directory of literary (and Hollywood) agents and editors, along with their email addresses and whatever correspondence...