What better way for Technologizer to celebrate Independence Day than with a drawing of Uncle Sam from one of many, many patents involving the old gent?
Tag Archives | Holidays
Ho! Ho! Ho!
Merry Christmas! Here’s a 2008 story I forgot I did: The Santaland Patents, a look at the art of the Christmas-related patent drawing.
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Here in the U.S., it’s Thanksgiving Day, so I’m (A) taking most of the day off, and (B) feeling thankful. And since I’m visiting Des Moines–which was my grandparents’ home, but a place I haven’t been to at all in a decade–one of the things I’m feeling grateful for is instantaneous access to information.
When I picked up my rent-a-car the clerk asked me if I needed a map, and I took one. But I’m not sure why: My iPhone contains all the data I need to find my way around town, determine which businesses I remember from my childhood are still here, and otherwise get my bearings. Ten years ago, I barely owned a cell phone, let alone one that puts the Internet in my pocket, and which is smart enough to figure out where I am in relation to where I want to go.
(Yes, yes, I’m far more thankful for family, friends, and good health–but I’m still grateful for the tech in my life, and I’m still startled to remember that most of the stuff that seems indispensable is so new.)
A peaceful and pleasant Thanksgiving to all of you, and a question: What tech-related matters are you thankful for this year?
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Hey, It’s 2009!
(It’s kind of obvious I’m obsessed with patent drawings, huh?)
Best wishes for 2009 from Technologizer–thanks for being part of our community. Hope you have a great year in all respects–both technology-related or otherwise.
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Today is Thanksgiving in these United States, and I’m feeling in an appropriately grateful, contemplative mood. Mostly for family and friends, of course–but a few technology-related items have snuck onto my list of things I’m thankful for this year. Here are some of them, in no particular order:
1. The Internet Archive. I’m frustrated with its Wayback Machine these days–it fails me as often as it works–but the rest of Archive.org remains amazing. My favorite feature: The endless repository of old-time radio shows.
2. Cheap storage. Incredibly cheap storage. Why, when I was a boy, 89KB TRS-80 floppy disks were $50 for a box of ten; I couldn’t afford even one box, and had to buy single floppies from a teacher who sold them at a profit…
3. My iPhone 3G. It’s not perfect. Actually, it’s sometimes infuriating. Sometimes it even leaves me infuriated with Apple. But it’s still the best phone I’ve ever owned, and the most exciting new platform since the original Mac.
4. iPhone vs. Android. It’s shaping up to be one of the most interesting platform battles in a long, long time. And the longer it goes on for, the more consumers will benefit.
5. Internet Explorer vs. Firefox vs. Safari vs. Opera vs. Chrome vs. Flock. Don’t you just love Browser Wars II?
6. WordPress.com and Ning. Two remarkable free services; I use both of ’em to power Technologizer, and recommend them every chance I get.
7. Google’s phone apps. The company does consistently good stuff, for multiple platforms. Some of its best stuff, in fact.
8. Google Web search in your pocket. No matter how you get to it, and no matter what phone you use it on. It’s a joy to be able to answer nearly any question that pops into my head, no matter where I happen to be.
9. Lala. A spectacular music service.
10. Pandora. A really neat music service–especially on the iPhone–which may escape an untimely death.
11. Verizon BroadbandAccess Connect EVDO service. I finally broke down and signed up for it a couple of months ago, when it dawned on me just how much of my time on earth I’ve wasted to date trying to connect at Wi-Fi hotspots. Best sixty bucks a month I’ve ever spent.
12. Twitter. Mock me if you must–I don’t care. It brought me joy this year, especially during the presidential debates.
13. Hulu. Who would have thunk a video site from the oldest of old-school media companies could be so nicely done? Speaking of which, have you seen the original Casino Royale?
[vodpod id=Groupvideo.1804662&w=425&h=350&fv=]
14. You. All of you who visit Technologizer, that is–and especially those who participate in comments and/or join the Technologizer Community. I’m having the best time of my career doing this, and all the feedback I get from smart people is one big reason why.
So happy Thanksgiving, everybody–I hope yours is pleasant, peaceful, and filling. And if you’ve got any tech-related things you’re thankful for today, why not share them here?
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Google Talks Like a Pirate
Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, a holiday that dates only to 1995 but which is as beloved on the Web as any day of the year. Among the examples of the celebration going on all over the planet is Google Pirate–a new version of the search engine with an interface that, arrr, be in pirate-talk, matey. (Okay, that’s all the talking like a pirate I’m going to do today.)
It’s a good example of the Bizarro Googles I wrote about a little while back. And here’s an image, in case you’re too busy forcing your enemies to walk off the plank to click through and check out Google Pirate for yourself:
I don’t mean to be a party pooper, but I’m worried that Talk Like a Pirate Day has jumped the shark–there’s an interesting image!–since it’s hard for a holiday to remain quirky and culty when it’s been embraced by big companies such as Google. May I suggest that we all concentrate our efforts on making sure that Don Martin’s National Gorilla Suit Day receives the attention it deserves next January 31st?