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Daniel Gets In To Virginia Tech…
Posted by Dave Mark on Feb 25, 2010 in family
Me so proud. 
This is the first college we’ve heard from, and definitely one of Daniel’s top choices. What a great day!!!
– Dave
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1986 World Series, According to Nintendo…
Posted by Dave Mark on Feb 25, 2010 in Animation, Major League Baseball
In 1986, the Mets played the Red Sox in one of the most memorable World Series games ever played. Though the series itself was well played and closely matched, it was the incredible comeback in the bottom of the 9th inning of game 6 that came to define that series.
You remember, the one where the ball rolls through Bill Buckner’s legs?
Well, this rendition of events is played out using an early Nintendo baseball game. Genius! Could not stop watching, despite the cheesy graphics. Or perhaps because of. Thanks to Stubabes for the link. Enjoy…
– Dave
Techshelf Interview With Me and Jeff LaMarche…
Posted by Dave Mark on Feb 18, 2010 in Beginning iPhone Development, More iPhone 3 Development, blog
Jeff LaMarche is one of the smartest people I know and my coauthor on a number of books, including our latest, More iPhone 3 Development. Recently, Paul Mayson from Techshelf.com did an interview with Jeff and me. I just love how it turned out. If you are at all a fan of Jeff’s technical virtuosity or of our writing, this will give you a chance to get to know us both a bit.
Here’s the link to the Techshelf interview page.
And here’s a link to the audio file itself, for direct listening pleasure.
Thanks, Paul, and hope you all enjoy listening to this…
– Dave
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Bing Maps Challenges Google…
An interesting article in FastCompany shows what the marriage of Flickr and video to Bing Maps looks like. Some terrific ideas. The video below is part of the story…
– Dave
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The Japanese Art of Hikaru Dorodango…
Posted by Dave Mark on Feb 12, 2010 in art
I came across this post on kottke.org which described the traditional Japanese art of Hikaru (shining) Dorodango (balls of mud). This practice takes incredible patience as you first shape the ball, then slowly extract the water from it and, finally, gloss it to a beautiful shine:
I find it just incredible that these beautiful objects started life as simple dirt and water. There are a few youtube videos that show the balls being made (search for “dorodango” – the Mythbusters episode was fun) but this step-by-step web page really explained the process to my satisfaction.
Enjoy!
– Dave
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China and Internet Cyber Threats…
This article in the New York Times gives an interesting perspective on China and the Internet, specifically pointing out that as much as supposed Chinese cyber-attacks are trumpeted in the press and by our government, China themselves are dealing with the exact same issues. And because so many of the government computers are said to be running pirated versions of Windows, those computers do not have access to the latest security patches and, therefore, are much more vulnerable to outside attack.
The article also explores the use of social tools like Twitter as vehicles to stir unrest, foment revolution. Fascinating reading…
– Dave
Abraham Lincoln and Truth…
Posted by Dave Mark on Feb 8, 2010 in History
“I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crises. The great point is to bring them the real facts.”
– Abraham Lincoln
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Letterman. Leno and Oprah SuperBowl Ad…
Posted by Dave Mark on Feb 8, 2010 in advertising
In case you missed it, here’s the 15 second ad that brought the three of them together. The backstory is pretty interesting. Here’s an article that lays it out…
– Dave
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Possible Google SuperBowl Ad?
Posted by Dave Mark on Feb 7, 2010 in Google, advertising
Google CEO Eric Schmidt sent out this tweet yesterday:
Very interesting! Sounds like Google plans on finally running some advertising. As far as I know, this would be a first. Could the ad below be the one we’ll see?
– Dave
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The Great Blizzard of Twenty-Ten…
Posted by Dave Mark on Feb 6, 2010 in nature
Well, we are about halfway through this epic snowstorm and we still have power. Woohoo!!!
Here’s a picture my son Ryan took earlier this morning. This is the scene looking out my front door:
Though you can’t tell from the picture, the snow is coming down heavy at a 45° angle. The whole experience is magnificent. Sort of like riding out a storm at sea in a relatively stable boat, but knowing things could go south at any second.
Here’s one more picture. This one out my back window:
Hope everyone is safe! I’m going out to shovel…
– Dave
