KSFO's Web Wanderer

The Links for June 29, 2002

Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics - Dudley

Dudley says: "This is not a submission, but I found it rather interesting to read. It tells the stupid visual and other effects that movies use that have no relation to reality. It lists the various subjects, then at the end are movie reviews of famous recent movies and a critique of the effects used."

GP = Good physics in general
PGP = Pretty good physics (just enough flaws to be fun)
PGP-13 = Children under 13 might be tricked into thinking the physics were pretty good; parental guidance is suggested
RP = Retch
XP = Obviously physics from an unknown universe

The site includes "GENERIC BAD MOVIE PHYSICS," some general bad physics issues you will see in too many movies to mention. Also there - some movie reviews of several movies, evaluating how good the physics is.

It's not a big site, but it's a fun read. Give it a go.

Thanks, Dudley!

Terrafly - Dudley

Dudley says: "Here's a site where you can put in location (longitude/latitude) or street address then view it seamlessly as you seem to fly over the site."

I flew over my house. It was VERY cool. With a 56K modem, it took a long while to load, but was well worth it.

It's one of those sites that you can use at work and attract a HUGE crowd. Similar to TerraServer, but MUCH cooler.

Thanks, Dudley!

SatireWire - Santa Rosa Steve

Santa Rosa Steve says: "Regular readers know that I'm a satire fan. If bizarre stories like "FBI ACCUSED OF PASSING SECRETS TO U.S." tickle your funny bone, you'll find lots more laughs at Satire Wire "

I'm a big fan of SatireWire. With so much going on in the news, it's fun to take a break and check out some good satire on current events.

Here's a few quotes from articles on SatireWire:

"U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that corporate earnings statements should be protected as works of art, as they "create something from nothing."
"Controversy over a Southwest Airlines' policy continued today as advocates for the obese angrily insisted overweight passengers should not be forced to buy an extra ticket, but should instead be allowed to eat the person in the seat next to them."
"Office of Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge upped the country's alert status from yellow to bridal white today, saying terrorists were now attempting to marry U.S. Forest Service workers in hopes of eventually burning down the United States acre by acre."
"Known for its long-standing opposition to whaling, logging, strip mining, genetically modified food, nuclear power, the chemical industry, wars, corporations, politics, and weapons, the activist group Greenpeace today announced that as of 12:01 this morning, it will just oppose everything."
"Moving into what insurance executives concede is "uncharted territory," five of the nation's leading HMOs announced yesterday they will begin paying health insurance claims for sick and injured people."

This is funny stuff. It's a must visit for news junkies who need an occasional break.

Thanks, Steve!

So You Wanna... - Dudley

Dudley says: "At first I thought that this was a silly site (it does have some bizarre instructions), but it actually has real instructions on how to do many diverse things. Worth a look."

The site covers everything from Apartments to Work. Examples from Work:

asking for a raise
aceing a job interview
give an impressive speech
write a cover letter

Each article is DETAILED, and often stretch over several pages. There's also some "Mini Wanna's" for smaller, quicker subjects.

There's a TON of stuff here, about all sorts of topics. You could spend a few days on this site.

Another cool find. Thanks, Dudley!

Redneck Dragon Chinese Food - Thom from Orangevale

Thom from Orangevale found this funny joke site. Imagine if a bad Chinese restaurant opened up in some redneck town, and adapted the food for the locals. It might look something like this.

I got a laugh - check it out.

Thanks, Thom!

Free For All!

"Free For All" picks are hot, FREE items or services. It can be software, online services, you name it - but it's got to be free, with no strings attached.

Spark Me: MAC Audio Editor - Charlie

Charlie found this free Audio Editor for Mac. It's exclusively for MacOS X.

From the site: "SparkME is a core version of SPARK, TC WORKS’ highly acclaimed realtime audio editing and processing application. SparkME goes beyond many common audio editors with its innovative user interface concept, featuring an integrated data base, play list and a lot of processing features."

"SparkME includes a lot of pro-features, such as lightning fast editing with unlimited undo and sample-accurate waveform display and even VST Plug-In support. The Play List section allows preparing projects for CD and includes realtime crossfades and export of play lists in Roxio Toast format. The QuickTime movie feature enables digital media production with frame accurate and stutter-free movie playback, including different sizes for the movie window."

"All major audio file formats are supported – from AIFF to WAV and SDII and all file formats imported thru QuickTime. Sample rates of up to 192 kHz and bit depths up to 32bit ensure not only full compatibility with DVD specs – but actually go beyond! The realtime sample rate conversion even enables monitoring playback and editing of such high resolution files without requiring optional professional audio hardware."

This sounds like a great program. Amazing it's free.

Thanks, Charlie!

Altavista Translate - Charles in San Francisco