Cool Stuff My Friends Sent Me This Week

November 1, 2010

One of the things I love about the Internet is its habit of bringing us little presents. No, I’m not talking about the complete set of Reboot action figures that I purchased on eBay for my retro-animation-obsessed kids. I’m talking about all those groovy little finds that friends pass along to me thanks to the joy of e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter.

This week brought an exceptional rich trove, so I’m going to inaugurate a new series, frequency TBD: Cool Stuff My Friends Sent Me This Week. Here goes:

  1. Woogie
    from Annemarie Templeman-Kluit of Yoyomama

    The real reason to have children is to justify buying tech doo-dads you otherwise would have no excuse for coveting. Like this huggable iPhone case with built-in speaker, which our children will definitely be seeing one night this Hanukah.

  2. Japanese Teenagers Teach Something About Being In Two Places at Once
    from Naunihal Singh

    Naunihal is like a really smart clipping service, delivered by Facebook. Here’s a snippet from the NPR story he sent me this week:

    3. Anthropologists looking at the matter were surprised to discover that the kids rarely send informative or detailed messages. As a general rule, they are not telling each other anything. Rather, they are just letting each other know that they are “there,” that they are online, in reach. Texting for the kids is a way of “pinging” each other. They bounce pings back and forth and so signal their presence for each other.

    Read the rest.

  3. The End of Journalism as We Know It
    from Ed Butler

    Ed tweeted this amazing speech by Annabel Crabb, an Australian journalist. It’s an amazing read. Here’s a taste:

    4. Here’s another secret about working online. It’s fun. The great joy and fulfillment about working online is a very human one. The thrill of calling out and hearing an answering voice. Of getting in touch with the funny, smart people out there who think of things that you didn’t. Who read your analysis, and come back with an idea or a criticism that sends you off down another line of inquiry. Who send you jokes that are funnier than your own and that, after a decent period has elapsed, you can pass off as your own.

    Read the whole thing    .

  4. Tomboy Tools
    from David Cox

    Tomboy Tools runs parties that are kind of like old-fashioned Tupperware parties: you know, a chance to get together, drink wine, and buy stuff. Except this time the stuff isn’t little plastic containers: it’s tools. And you actually learn how to use them:

    5. See products and basic home improvement repairs in action, learn simple techniques and solutions, and gain confidence to tackle a basic home improvement project on your own. Some of the demonstrations include basic tiling, basic drywall and plaster repair, leaky faucet and toilet repair, and basic woodworking and trim molding. You will truly have a fun and unique experience!

  5. Become your own Superhero
    from Deborah LeRose

    I was griping on Facebook about all the über-sexy pics that came up when I was looking for superhero costumes that could inspire our approach to App Girl. Deb cheered me up with a link to this image:

Thanks to all of you for the goodies, and keep the suggestions coming!