The View-Point

Labels: best of the web, must-see videos

posted by Jason  # 1:00 AM 0 comments

• Looking for an RSS / XML feed for Michael Savage and "The Savage Nation"?
  

RSS/XML: MichaelSavage.com News Headline Feed
(via Ponyfish.com)

• Daily archives of the Thom Hartmann Show

Labels: best of the web, commentary

posted by Jason  # 10:50 PM 0 comments

• Cricinfo.com coverage of the Cricket World Cup 2007
  By far, the best site for live match coverage -- use this site to follow the action as it happens. Exclusive & live ball-to-ball commentary and updates. Includes a new, experimental Cricinfo 3D feature that uses computer animation to render the action for you in near-real time. A full set of statistics and other analyses available for each match, plus News, Photos, Audio Commentaries, Video, and more.

Video Highlights:

• YouTube Video Highlights from the Cricket World Cup 2007
  A YouTube video search optimized to display the most recent video highlights from the World Cup. Note that coverage is rather spotty and limited to what videos fellow cricket fans have uploaded.
  
• Options for downloading and saving YouTube video highlights:
  KeepVid.com -- Download & save videos from YouTube & other video services
  KissYouTube.com -- A simple option for downloading & saving YouTube videos
  
• Options for playing YouTube Flash video (.flv) files:
  Wimpy Standalone FLV Player -- For Windows 2000/XP & Mac OS X
  K-Lite Codec Pack w/Media Player Classic (other D/L options) -- Best for Win98 / Win98SE

(Originally Posted: 3/18/2007 @ 10:05PM)

Labels: best of the web

posted by Jason  # 10:10 PM 0 comments

• Upload a file from your computer (or enter a URL) -- 100MB max -- select the file type you want to convert to, and Zamzar will email you when your file is ready! Very slick. Converts a ton of file types, including:
  Image - bmp, jpg, gif, etc.
  Document - doc, html, pdf, ppt, rtf, txt, etc.
  Music - aac, mp3, wma, etc.
  Video - avi, flv, mov, mp4, wmv, etc.

The Antiochene Syriac Maronite Church Podcast - Daily Prayers Podcast

• Podcast recording of the daily prayers of the Maronite Catholic Church. Recordings can be played directly on the webpage, downloaded via MP3 file, or subscribed to with RSS/iTunes. Provides a very nice daily devotional.
  
  Other Catholic Daily Devotional Podcasts
  XML/RSS: Daily Office of Readings
  XML/RSS: Verbum Domini

Labels: best of the web

posted by Jason  # 11:30 PM 0 comments

• Very slick and straightforward to use. There are some issues with needing the correct codecs to play Google Videos (.avi / .mp4) and using a FLV (Flash Video) player to play YouTube videos (.flv).
  
  See this article on Dvorak's blog for additional video download options.

• One step beyond KeepVid, vixy automatically downloads (to its own servers) and converts those pesky Flash Video FLV's (YouTube, etc.) to an MPEG4 AVI/MOV/MP4/3GP/MP3 (audio only) file than can more easily be played on a variety of devices.
  

• Search for 1.3 billion items in more than 10,000 libraries worldwide & sort results by proximity to your location

Labels: best of the web

posted by Jason  # 4:30 PM 0 comments

• English language interface with Flash video content in various languages
• YouTube-style options for linking and embedding videos
• RSS feeds galore

TuDou.com - The Chinese (Mainland) YouTube

• Chinese (Simplified) language interface ONLY (sorry, anglophones)
• Flash video content primarily aimed at Chinese-language speakers
• YouTube-style options for linking and embedding videos
• Lots of Chinese / Korean / Japanese / American TV Dramas

Labels: best of the web

posted by Jason  # 1:30 PM 0 comments

• BEN JONSON'S PLAYS
  THE ALCHEMIST
  BY
  BEN JONSON.
  
  [...]
  
  ACT 1. SCENE 1.1.
  
  A ROOM IN LOVEWIT'S HOUSE.
  
  ENTER FACE, IN A CAPTAIN'S UNIFORM, WITH HIS SWORD DRAWN, AND SUBTLE WITH A VIAL, QUARRELLING, AND FOLLOWED BY DOL COMMON.
  
  FACE. Believe 't, I will.
  
  SUB. Thy worst. I fart at thee.
  
  DOL. Have you your wits? why, gentlemen! for love --
  
  FACE. Sirrah, I'll strip you --
  
  SUB. What to do? lick figs
  Out at my --
  
  FACE. Rogue, rogue! -- out of all your sleights.
  

Labels: best of the web

posted by Jason  # 5:36 PM 0 comments

The things one can find in the New Listings section of the University of Pennsylvania's Online Books Page can shock, amaze, and disgust. Here is just a tiny sample:

Roman History Lesson of the Day: Nero the Pervert
Title: Dio's Rome, Volume V., Books 61-76 (A.D. 54-211) (Translated in 1906)
Author: Cassius Dio
Excerpt (Source):

• "Now Nero called Sporus Sabina not merely on account of the fact that by reason of resemblance to her he had been made a eunuch, but because the boy like the mistress had been solemnly contracted to him in Greece, with Tigillinus to give the bride away, as the law ordained.... After that Nero took to himself two bedfellows, Pythagoras to treat as a man and Sporus as a woman. The latter, in addition to other forms of address, was termed lady, queen, and mistress.
  
  Yet why should one wonder at this, seeing that this monarch would fasten naked boys and girls to poles, and then putting on the hide of a wild beast would approach them and satisfy his brutal lust under the appearance of devouring parts of their bodies? Such were the indecencies of Nero.
  
  When he received the senators he wore a short flowered tunic with muslin collar, for he had already begun to transgress precedent in wearing ungirt tunics in public...."
  

Female Beautification: Ooo Ooo That Smell...
Title: Natural Magick (1658)
Author: Giambattista della Porta
Excerpt from: The Ninth Book of Natural Magick, "How to Adorn Women, and Make them Beautiful."

• Chapter XXVIII
  "How to correct the ill scent of the Armpits."
  
  "The stink of the Armholes makes some women very hateful. Especially those that are fat and fleshy. To cure this, we may use such kind of experiments. The Ancients, against the stink of armpits, used liquid Allome with Myrrh to anoint them. Or the Secrets and Armholes were strewed with the dry leaves of Myrtles in powder. The roots of Artichokes smeared on, does not only cure the ill scent of armpits, but of the whole body also. But Zenocrates promises by experiment, that the faultiness of the armpits will pass forth by Urine.... So in some days we shall correct the strong smell of those parts. But it will be done more effectually thus. Pound Litharge of Gold or Silver, and boil it in Vinegar. And if you wash those parts well with it, you shall keep them a long time sweet. And it is a remedy, that there is none better."

Note: If you think this excerpt is bad, then you should not read the next chapter, Chapter XXIX.

(Originally Posted: 9/25/2006 @ 5:09PM)

Labels: best of the web

posted by Jason  # 4:00 PM 0 comments

• Minuscule - The Ladybug
  A combination of live-action country-side footage mixed with CGI animation of some cute insects. Poor spider!
  
  Paris Hilton Punked by Bansky
  Sorry to sink so low as to include this kind of content, but it is yet another example of a new form of 'art' that blends with and extends upon the contours of our consumer capitalist society (in the UK this time).
  
  Flatulating Granny
  Yes, I do realize how far I have fallen by posting fart jokes, but this is just too hilarious. If you need a good (and rather low-class) laugh, then watch this!
  
  Must-See Videos (August 2006)

Labels: best of the web, must-see videos

posted by Jason  # 3:59 PM 0 comments

Haþema Covered Swimsuits from Turkey

• I rather like the bright colors of some of the outfits found in the Products section, also viewable here.
  
  Honestly I'd have to say that I would prefer seeing this kind of swimwear to some of the cotton-from-a-pill bottle bathing attire so common in America today. The View-Point dealt with this issue back in July 2005:
  SUMMER = HOT = ITSY, BITSY, TEENY, WEENIE...EVERYTHING!
  
  UPDATE: In early September 2006, Paul Harvey featured a story on this new kind of swimwear for the 'modern' Turkish Muslim woman.

(Originally Posted: 8/11/2006 @ 11:25AM)

Labels: best of the web

posted by Jason  # 10:16 AM 1 comments

Must-See Videos (August 2006)

• Some of these videos are entertaining, some are quite shocking eye-openers, but all are Must-See:
  
  Islamo-Fascist Children's Indoctrination TV
  Warning: Contains Psychological Nudity
  
  What Tom Cruise Actually Believes
  "Truth" is stranger than Science-Fiction; a portrayal of Scientology's beliefs about the 'origin' of humanity
  
  Matrix-style Live-action Ping-Pong
  Unbelievably cool Matrix-style special effects re-created live!
  
  Slo-Mo Home Depot by ImprovEverywhere
  "225 Improv Everywhere Agents shop in slow motion at a Manhattan Home Depot."
  Question: Is this Art? Does it represent a new blending of modern consumerism and theatre?
  
  Japanese Toilet-Training Cartoon
  Consider it research into intercultural dynamics...
  
  The Antics of the Dear Professor and Student (VW Commercial)
  Inside-Joke-Warning: Our dear Professor Opi and his most-esteemed student getting graded
  
  'The Office' (BBC) Faux-Training Videos for Microsoft UK: Part 1 & Part 2
  Faux training videos for Microsoft UK employees featuring Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant in their roles from the BBC version of 'The Office'.

Labels: best of the web, must-see videos

posted by Jason  # 1:30 PM 0 comments

• Understand the Islamic mind by watching the very propaganda Muslims are exposed to from childhood. MEMRI TV features clips from major Arab TV channels, with onscreen English language translations. What you will see will frighten you.
  
  Children of the Future Jihad (on YouTube.com)
  A 10-minute compilation of MEMRI TV clips featuring segments aimed at inciting and indoctrinating children. Features cartoons of suicide-bombers, children singing anti-Israeli songs, etc. An absolute Must-See. (Thanks to John Dvorak for sharing this clip.)

(Originally Posted: 8/16/06 @ 4:13PM)

Labels: best of the web, news

posted by Jason  # 10:06 AM 0 comments

Time Magazine's 50 Coolest Websites 2006

• Lots of fresh and new websites; I haven't even heard of most of these.
  
  See also Time's supplement of more established and highly useful websites:
  25 Sites We Can't Live Without

Pictures That Lie - from CNET News.com

• In the wake of the Reuters Photogate scandal, CNET brings us a nice little compilation of past and present (and mostly benign) photo fakes.

• Blimey... Just when we thought we'd seen it all. I'll say one thing for the Islamo-fascist terrorist scum: They certainly know how to make effective use of the Propaganda machine. George W., where is your blog?
  
  Since this blog is most definitely not in English, you might want to read the related NewsMax article.

Labels: best of the web

posted by Jason  # 2:58 PM 0 comments

• "Your BlogShow lets you host your own talk show online. Receive live callers, interview guests, and broadcast to an unlimited number of listeners. All you need is any type of phone, an internet connection, and something to say. All your listeners need is streaming audio or any type of phone should they choose to call in."
  
  Yet another website offering services to host your own Internet-based, call-in, archivable talk show. Do-it-yourself talk shows are quickly becoming a new trend, but quality of content is still the long sought after holy grail.
  
  Thanks to Rafe Needleman over at CNET for the down-low on this one. See his article for info on other interactive podcasting services.

Bizarre Statues from Around the World - Viewer Discretion is Advised

• It's hard to believe that some of these are real statues that exist in public places. You just have to see and judge for yourself. A few are cute, and quite a few more are simply absurd.

Labels: best of the web

posted by Jason  # 1:52 PM 0 comments

• This digital darkroom technique can create some truly stunning photos, rich in detail and color.
  
  10 Pictures of Tokyo Gotham
  Must-see examples of H.D.R. photography from Japan. Make sure you view the 'Large Version' of these images in order to appreciate all of the detail.
  
  NY Times article, "Was It Done With a Lens, or a Brush?" on H.D.R.

Labels: best of the web

posted by Jason  # 2:56 PM 0 comments

• Free Image Hosting -- so what? The differentiating feature of this service is that no individual user account or log-in is required to upload & host images. In this sense, it is totally anonymous. And on a practical level, this service makes it very quick and easy to upload a file and get a URL for sharing the file. Negative: Don't upload anything that you might want to delete later!
  
  The 2600-reading H4X0R in me makes me wonder about the level of file-format verification that this service implements...

Xdrive - Coming in Early September: AOL offers everyone 5Gb of free storage

• With a slick-looking user interface, automated backup options, and online sharing tools, this could come in handy! I personally cannot imagine maxing out the 5Gb... Check back in early September, but in the meantime, read more about it in this article.

Labels: best of the web

posted by Jason  # 12:57 PM 0 comments

TiddlyWiki - A reusable, non-linear, self-contained personal web notebook/wiki

• Talk about cool! You have to go to the site and play with it to see how it works -- it's hard to describe. Certainly provides an interesting alternative to the traditional linear blog.
  
  There seems to be a slight learning curve to learning how to use/edit/save/update a TiddlyWiki, but it is well worth the effort.
  
  I wonder how this might be used in an educational setting, to provide a static set of content for students to interact with. Definitely on the cutting-edge.

Labels: best of the web

posted by Jason  # 1:41 PM 0 comments

meebo -- Web-based Instant Messaging (IM)

• Supports simultaneous, mutliple IM accounts from all the popular services: AIM/ICQ, Yahoo! Messenger, Jabber/GTalk, MSN
  
  Also has a meebo me widget feature to intergrate IM-style chatting into any webpage, so that visitors can chat with the website's author

Photosynth from Microsoft Live Labs -- 3-D Imaging from 2-D Photos

• This technology represents the future of digital photography. I can just imagine how this software could be used on sites like Facebook to stitch together photos taken on a college campus by various people.
  
  Check out the video demonstration of Photosynth

Labels: best of the web

posted by Jason  # 1:47 PM 1 comments