Friday, December 28, 2012

2012 Through Fuzzy Eyes

I'm taking a spin back through the things I collected in my diigo feed, fav'd on youtube, liked on vimeo, posted on facebook and spammed into IRC. Here's the cream of the crop:

Web Sites

I've never been good at being organised. Over the years I've tried a heap of different project management / todo list software and for some reason only Trello has ever worked for me.

I've got calibre (the software I manage my kindle books with) hooked into GoodReads so I'm able to track what I've read, what I want to read next and get recommendations for more books.

Simple online photo management and hosting (when combined with dropbox, box.net or similar).

Articles

Charles Stross' predictions of what the world will look like in 500 years.

Not once in any Star Wars movie does someone pick up a book or newspaper, magazine, literary journal, or chapbook handmade by an aspiring Jawa poet.

The unique adaptability of Homo sapiens is what allowed us to survive when so many other species died out, paleoanthropologist Rick Potts contends.

The Hacker Way is an approach to building that involves continuous improvement and iteration. Hackers believe that something can always be better, and that nothing is ever complete. They just have to go fix it — often in the face of people who say it’s impossible or are content with the status quo.

I hope this goes down as one of the all time best speaches given by a human. More people should be aware of these words.

YouTube

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cyl_KbHFmQY?list=PLham2Zudq-cblHeq5xCd9EYDidngCCYHB]

6 wonderfully produced videos which focus on professional poker player Russell Thomas in the 3 month lead up to the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table. Russell contacted fellow professional Jason Somerville to help prepare.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWfph3iNC-k]

Incredible footage of Jeb piloting his wingsuit through the infamous "crack".

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oss0bTL14eE]

Aussie comedian Troy Kinne and his mates sum up the olympics in typical Oz gutter mouth style.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OIJRMqYAA0]

TV channel TNT in Belgium placed a big red push button on an average Flemish square of an average Flemish town. A sign with the text "Push to add drama" invited people to use the button.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBbPGQ3Bpug]

The closest most of us will ever get to a hot lap behind the wheel of an F1 car.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkviQ41u0eQ]

This video perfectly captures the thrill and freedom of downhill longboarding, with out the risk of losing your own skin.

Vimeo

[vimeo 35114449 w=425 h=240]

This amazing footage makes me so excited to fall out of a plane again.

[vimeo 35981251 w=425 h=240]

Armed with a paraglider, amazing skills and a kick ass camera, Jean-Baptiste Chandelier created an amazing video.

[vimeo 53914149 w=425 h=240]

1200 frames per second while zooming beside a sprinting cheetah, brilliant.

Books

I finally got around to reading this master piece and it didn't disapoint. I trudged through the next two books in the series, but they don't come anywhere near the heights of the original.

Sensational. Stephenson has always been one of my favourite story tellers and in Reamde he delivers again.

One of my all time favourite books, I re-read this book during the year and the sequel, The Gripping Hand for the first time. Both are highly recommended.

TV Shows

Don't be put off by the fact that it is about Manhattan's top corporate lawyers; this show is funny, smart, sexy and deep.

My lovely wife is addicted to this show and dragged me into her obsession. Highly watchable and witty. The Castle drinking game is also pretty awesome.

If you haven't seen this yet, don't read anything about it. Just go watch both season. In order. Go. Seriously.

From the opening scene I knew I was going to love this show. Its Aaron Sorkin (of West Wing fame) at his best.

A modern spin on the old classic. It is thrilling, funny, and outrageous. Just as advertised.

A show about a bunch of friends who are in a fantasy football league. Doesn't sound like much does it? It is awesome.

Movies

Set in Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a bootlegging gang is threatened by a new deputy and other authorities who want a cut of their profits.

The surviving crew members from NASA's Apollo missions tell their story in their own words.