raleighnet.org

So Many Links, I don’t know where to begin clicking. It feels a little like memepool on crystal meth. Some of those elephant links look mighty interesting too.

G.M. O’Connel has been engaged in interactive marketing since 1987. Joseph Jaffe Interviews him for imediaconnection and O’Connel has some interesting things to say:

What I’m saying is that the creative hasn’t worked for the most part. What we tend to do from an industry perspective is that we want to make it bigger, louder and more intrusive. Those are the wrong answers. The right answer is how we can make things more complementary to what someone is trying to get done. And once we figure that out, we’ll be in business. That’s the problem with Advertising on the Internet. [link]

I’ve deliberately avoided becoming a gamer. Whenever I get a new computer game (which I try not to do unless I really can’t stop myself), I become completely addicted to it. I’ll find myself staying up until 4, 5 in the morning thinking I have to get some sleep so that I can get into work tomorrow. Let me just complete this (level, mission, whatever).

You see, I have no ability to moderate my playing. This is why it comes as such a blow to me that I can feel myself getting closer and closer to breaking down and buying a Play Station 2. That Vice City game just looks too cool for words (which hasn’t stopped everybody on the web from using lots and lots of words to describe just how cool it is). I’m pretty sure that soon, I will have no life of my own. I will be owned by this game.

Fortunately, I was never even tempted to play Everquest, or Evercrack as the kids like to call it. But, while I’ve never played or even wanted to play it, I found Cringely’s latest Pulpit, Get a Life (Which One?), about the battle between Everquest’s cheaters and Sony to be a very interesting read.

On the same day get the unfortunate news that Brainslug is going to move away from the charming little vignettes that Christian does so well, Matt points towards a fantastic little story from Adam. Looks like there are many more interesting stories over there, so much like Jerry Seinfeld, I find that I am Even Steven.

When was the last time you said I love you? - is an exploration of the love stories of strangers, told through the voices of older people. Scripted from over 200 anonymous responses over three years to an online questionairre distributed by artist Jeanie Finlay. (requires Real Player)

There is a funny article posted over on frictionmagazine.com, Please Stop Talking, I Have to Use the Bathroom. [via Biz Stone]

I have to admit. I find cosplay to be - kinda creepy. I’m sure it’s all good fun, but it always seems to be sexualizing young girls in ways I’m not entirely comfortable with. Still, for all of its disturbing images, cospaly can’t hold a candle to the creepiness factor that is people dressed up like dolls. They seem similar, and yet they are exactly the opposite. There’s just something so strangely dehumanizing about the dolls. I find that I am filled with equal parts horror and fascination. I can not turn away.

Domo Kun is (as near as I can tell), an animated character promoting some Japanese TV station. There is a 100 Meg movie linked off of this page. Now, if somebody’s going to put a 100 meg video up on the web, you have to think it must be spectacular. Otherwise, who’s going to put up with the download times on something like that? Working on this assumption, I downloaded it. I have to say the magic was lost on me — that is, until I got to the dance sequence at the end. The dance sequence features somebody in a big Domo Kun suit, bouncing around with like 100 cheerleaders to the song Xanadu. Now that was so bizarre to see it completely justified the download time.

This has got to be one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen in my life (12.7 Meg MPEG video of Tetris Game). Seriously, I can’t even think that fast much less react that fast. You can’t even know until you see it, it’s like zen master, stop your heartbeat Tetris. Wow! [via Boing Boing]

Update: Looks like we knocked it off the net. I hear it’s available on Kazaa though if you want to go searching for it: “Tetris Japan Finals.mpeg”

It was explore new music night at the Raleigh homestead.

Take a look at: Lygia Ferra, Fez Dispenser, The Alice Project, Bird York and a final special call out to The SIBL Project - Songs Inspired By Literature. Proceeds from The SIBL Project go towards promoting adult literacy.

Important Note: All independant artists, so I can feel good about supporting music without funding the RIAA’s attempts to steal and erode our rights.