ThinkBlog

http://quantumhowto.blogspot.com/

Another blog by WallyJ (see previous post!), this one filled with nothing but “random musings.” Interesting reads; worthy for your RSS aggregator.

http://byzantineattack.blogspot.com/

A new blog by WallyJ about minor hacks and computer tricks.

In his own words:

If the human body was never exposed to ailments, it would be impressivly vulnerable to the slightest cold. If our country was never exposed to hacking, it would be oppressivly vulnerable to cyber terrorism. With out the creation of a malicious hacking, Afganistan could have destroyed America’s economy with a ping flood. This is why I encourange maclicious hacking, as an ethical practice. Without strengthening our defenses, we are weak. No credit is needed anywhere. However if you are a publisher, I would appriciate credit. I am an advocate of open source, so copy and paste and call it your own if you like. If my work is good enough for you to plagerize then that is my biggest compliment. If my work is good enough, I will be approached and asked to write more … this is natural selection of the digital age.

http://www.allscreamsconsidered.net/

The personal site of the personage known to those closest to him as Bowman, this was lovingly hand-coded by the man himself to have exactly what he wants it to have—and that’s quality, friends.

I have never met someone so adept at all things dealing with either, or both, music and technology. To say Bowman is “into” punk and indie is to say that the Pope is “into” Catholicism. Music is the realm of Bowman, where he dwells. Highly opinionated, drastically cultured, incredibly knowledgeable: visit AllScreamsConsidered.net for an educated opinion on the most cutting-edge music.

http://www.ericrose.net/

Eric and I have known each other for a number of years, and he consistently impresses me with his wit, candor, and intelligence. Very knowledgeable in the fields of computer science and philosophy, he is a sometimes-vocal but oft-friendly iconoclast whom I highly esteem. This is his personal blog, which you’ll do well to add to your RSS aggregator (I recommend Thunderbird).

http://www.megatokyo.com/

MegaTokyo is a thoughtful, well-drawn, thoroughly enjoyable webcomic about the adventures and misadventures of two American guys that find themselves in Japan. Rich, imaginative manga that I recommend to all my friends.

I had heard of this comic a long while back, perhaps even when it first started, but I thought it would just be another somewhat silly comic, or just harsh. One of my major complaints with most webcomics is the lack of either creative thought or accountability through editing, the latter of which I believe is the reason that certain comics can suffer to the point of being essentially unreadable. This is never an issue with MegaTokyo: the creative powers at Fredart Studios don’t need to resort to sophomoric humor and expletive overusage to get the readers’ attention.

“relax, we understand j00” — This tagline captures the essence of what makes this webcomic (+ multiuser blog) so accessible to me. I’ve spoken 1337 since before it was fashionable to do so; I know what it’s like to be a social outcast for want of confidence—and be okay with that; and I enjoy pouring my heart into my creative work (writing, in my case, not drawing, but that notwithstanding…).

I read the first 600 comics across the span of two days (copious downtime at work one weekend), so immersive is the MegaTokyo experience. You will do well to start at the beginning, and won’t be able to put it down (or, in this case, stop clicking “Next”). Buy the manga, too.

For anyone who has ever spoken 1337, who knows what it’s like to be suspended in a video game temporal distortion, who knows real animé and manga aren’t “cartoons” by a long shot—enjoy it, fellow geeks: there are those who understand j00.

http://corbeledg.blogspot.com/

The Taranis Posts: A Corbeled Gallery Work

Speaking of Walter Jones, you need to check out his weblog at Blogspot. Wally’s thoughts on everything. It’s worth subscribing to the RSS (Atom)—I am!

Walter is an accomplished writer, magazine publisher, student, and now blogger.

<shameless_plug>Buy his magnum opus to date, Training for Utopia, at Amazon.com! </shameless_plug>

In his own words:

I’m finally writing again. Read it here first, because I’m going to TFU these posts. By that I mean I’m going to turn all these posts into a big story one day, publish it, and make 60 cents per copy of the book, and once a year I’m going to have a badass dinner.

w00t

http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Anonymity/blog-anonymously.php

Everyone these days is fairly paranoid about being found by Google or other search engines when it comes to posting on his or her blog. To be “Googlable” is to be potentially vulnerable to an impromptu search of very personal details. Some of my friends have chosen, if they blog, to do so anonymously; or to omit their last names; or, in some cases, to blog about nothing that could “incriminate” them, including simply making them look bad in front of their potential employers.

The point is that anyone can eventually find your blog if your real identity is tied to it in some way. And there may be consequences. Family members may be shocked or upset when they read your uncensored thoughts. A potential boss may think twice about hiring you. But these concerns shouldn’t stop you from writing. Instead, they should inspire you to keep your blog private, or accessible only to certain trusted people.

Here we offer a few simple precautions to help you maintain control of your personal privacy so that you can express yourself without facing unjust retaliation. If followed correctly, these protections can save you from embarrassment or just plain weirdness in front of your friends and coworkers.

http://www.dawgiestyle.com/blog/

One of my longest-standing and valued readers, Chris runs a blog at Dawgiestyle.com, the RSS to which I subscribe and read for insights about the latest technological advances and news in the IT industry (with insightful commentary and helpful links). Bookmark it and return often! Here’s what Chris has to say about his site:

Originally started to help me keep track of my PHP scripts, I post more now about open source software and security issues; my Linux, BSD, and software experiences; and helpful information for new admins of UNIX-like systems.

Syndicated in RSS 0.92, 1.0, 2.0, and Atom!

http://deepersideofsooz.blogspot.com/

The blog of a personal friend I met years ago from my tenure (so to speak) at Clemson. Here’s what she has to say about her blog:

A place to learn more about who Suzanne (a.k.a Sooz) is on a day to day basis (assuming if, of course, I can keep up with this regularly), and a place for me to humble myself before my friends, perfect strangers, and most importantly The Lord. Simply put, it’s a place where I’m going to attempt to journal my life and thoughts for all to see, criticize, and comment.

http://nethub.org/

Jeff is self-described as a “college student, an entrepreneur, and an avid coffee drinker,” and you’ll find at nethub.org his resources linking you to information and the latest news pertaining to wireless technology, business, telecommunications, and economics.

http://sensitivelight.com/

Graham Jeffery’s photography website (photoblog) is full of images he’s captured. Some are astoundingly surreal. Check out this smoke picture, for instance (of whose official title I’m unsure but someone has called it a “faerie” so I’m going with that):

Hello, and welcome to Sensitive Light, a growing collection of images by an enthusiastic photographer.

The pictures here mainly come into the category of ‘found photography’ those things, creatures, people and places that present themselves in everyday life.

My aspiration is simple, to photograph what I see, in a sensitive light.

You shan’t be disappointed with the wallpapers, either: scaled at 800×600, 1024×768, or 1280×1024, these sharp, clear images add some unique flavor to your desktop.

http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com/blog/blog.asp

If the term “cyberpunk” means anything to you, you probably know Gibson’s work Neuromancer, which spawned the thus-dubbed genre. The man who coined the term “cyberspace,” foresaw the Internet (calling it, by the way, the “matrix” before Keanu donned a trench coat—or even beat out riffs on an air guitar—but I digress), and introduced to us the logically dystopic consequence of a highly individualized society disillusioned by technology.

While he can no longer exactly claim, as he did in several interviews even up through the early and mid-nineties (cf. 1993 interview), that he has no email address, he still is “proudly behind the technology curve,” so there’s something very strange about seeing a blog from this postmodern giant.

Google me and you can learn that I do it all on a manual typewriter, something that hasn’t been true since 1985, but which makes such an easy hook for a lazy journalist that I expect to be reading it for the rest of my life. I only used a typewriter because that was what everyone used in 1977, and it was manual because that was what I happened to have been able to get, for free. I did avoid the Internet, but only until the advent of the Web turned it into such a magnificent opportunity to waste time that I could no longer resist. Today I probably spend as much time there as I do anywhere, although the really peculiar thing about me, demographically, is that I probably watch less than twelve hours of television in a given year, and have watched that little since age fifteen. (An individual who watches no television is still a scarcer beast than one who doesn’t have an email address.) I have no idea how that happened. It wasn’t a decision.

I do have an email address, yes, but, no, I won’t give it to you. I am one and you are many, and even if you are, say, twenty-seven in grand global total, that’s still too many. Because I need to have a life and waste time and write. [“Since 1948″ :: 6 Nov 2002]

He’s letting people inside his mind, even if it’s just a very little bit, one post at the time. Take him up on it.