Look at Rion's rain series.

Everyone has probably seen this already, but this is an excellent set of photos on Flickr, posted by the granddaughter of a photographer working in Hollywood from 1914 to 1932.

Hey -- Pinter won the Nobel.

AOL released their MacOS AOL Radio software today.

The fire alarm in my building is going off. I don't smell anything. I'm staying in bed.

POTD

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To all the companies whose hopes were crushed today by Apple computer, all the film studios, syndicated networks, and satellite distributors who realized they were too late, I dedicate this to you. There are always DVD sales, right?

So Apple introduces a new iMac with a snappy remote and "Front Row" software (great name) to navigate all your "media," a new version of iTunes in which they are selling video, as well as a video iPod that can play your purchased video. The iMac even has S-Video out.

Very cool stuff.

But one thing has me baffled.

Why would Apple run right up to the door, only to stop? Why is there no video in? A cable TV tuner and some DVR software are the only things missing. With those present, this would be a fantastic media center.

This leaves me thinking one of three things: 1) all those people at Apple are idiots, or 2) TV is so 90's, or 3) a separate TV-like device that will integrate via 802.11g is in the works.

As a person who writes desktop software for people, the web has had an interesting effect on the way applications are designed.

For the last few years, for every bit of software I've written, upon first using the application, the end-user inevitably asks "where is the 'back' button?"

The web and web browsers are so deeply a part of people's computer software experience that many expect everything to act like a web browser. Granted, sometimes they are hoping for some kind of omniscient back button that magically returns them to some imaginary state.

But sometimes they are on to something. I think more applications need a "back" button.

DPReview has finally posted a review of Canon's 1Ds Mark II. This is the camera I really wanted, but, alas, didn't have $8000 sitting around.

POTD

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Dude -- your job sucks way more than mine.

POTD

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Yahoo! Podcasts. In case, you know, you haven't had enough of podcasting yet.

Two questions:

• What are we doing to help people in Pakistan after the earthquake?


• What are we doing to help people in Guatemala after the terrible landslides

Can we cancel the jackass bridge projects in Alaska and help these people?