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22 May 2010 11:29

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Culture: Pac-Man creator has bizarre ideas of what women want

  • When you think about things women like, you think about fashion, or fortune-telling, or food or dating boyfriends. So I decided to theme the game around ‘eating’ — after eating dinner, women like to have dessert.
  • Pac-Man creator Toru Iwatani • Regarding how he came about creating what some call the first casual game. Other notes: Yeah, he came up with Pac Man’s design based on a pizza that was missing a slice. And it’s weird to consider, but it was the first character-driven video game. The game celebrates its 30th anniversary today. (Google simply got a head start.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Apr 2010 12:29

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Culture: Elton John redefines heartfelt with open letter to Ryan White

  • Twenty years ago this month, you died of AIDS. I would gladly give my fame and fortune if only I could have one more conversation with you, the friend who changed my life as well as the lives of millions living with HIV. Instead, I have written you this letter.
  • Elton John • In an open letter to Ryan White, the child with AIDS he befriended in the ’80s. He died 20 years ago this month, at age 18. White’s life and death brought significant attention to the disease, in part because he was vilified for having it (he got it through an accidental blood transfusion). Much has changed since White died – many people with AIDS live productive lives with the disease thanks to improved medication. Medication which, in part, was paid for in his name. Four months after he died, the Ryan White Care Act, which set aside $2 billion yearly for AIDS medication, passed. His life helped take a stigma away from a disease which was initially loaded with one. It’s too bad he couldn’t live to see that. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

22 Apr 2010 10:39

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U.S., World: Happy Earth Day or something. It’s 40 years old today.

The New York Times (of course) has a killer timeline on the environment, and Earth Day’s role within that history. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Feb 2010 10:30

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Tech: Happy 20th birthday Photoshop! We’ve used you before, we think

  • Yay Photoshop! No single app has brought graphic design into a mainstream light better than Photoshop, which is a great reason to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Strangely enough, this timeline doesn’t mention anything about that slow transition to supporting Intel Macs. Must’ve forgot that. Either way, heck yeah! Happy birthday Photoshop! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Feb 2010 11:21

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Music: “We Are the World 25”: The original was much, much better

  • This song is like seven minutes long. It’s like they couldn’t fit all the celebrities that wanted to help in a three-minute tune so they just made it longer and added lots of breakdowns. Including creepy appearances by a deceased Michael Jackson, who we’re sure would be helping if he were still alive (since he co-wrote the song). But that said, however misguided, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t help Haiti. So donate. Anyway, our recap of the video:
  • » Best moment: Lil’ Wayne busting out the autotune because he can’t sing at all. There was a rap breakdown, man. Why didn’t you bust out a couple of rhymes on that?
  • » Second best moment: Wyclef Jean throwing some vitality into that second chorus. He’s pretty much the most welcome voice on the whole production.
  • » Second worst moment: Teen super-heartthrob Justin Bieber singing the intro like a 12-year-old girl. Downright awful replacement for Lionel Richie.
  • » Worst moment: The rap breakdown, which we’re sure wasn’t in the original version. It wasn’t necessary for any other reason but to get more people on the record.
  • » Oddest celebrity cameo: Barbara Streisand, who barely – just barely – took this mantle from Tony Bennett. She was simply a downright strange choice.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Feb 2010 10:13

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World: 20 years later: Nelson Mandela’s release from prison celebrated

The South African political prisoner, and later president, signaled the end of apartheid with his release. His iconic post-release march was re-enacted today. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Jan 2010 11:12

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About: ShortFormBlog turns one! Anybody want some cake or something?

  • Julius can now eat solid food! Today, ShortFormBlog celebrates its first birthday, and boy are we excited. A lot has happened in the last year, and boy, we’d love to tell you about it. Our crazy idea of making a blog focused on numbers, quotes and other short stuff has been nothing if a lot of statistics. So here’s a few:
  • 6,098 posts, including this one have been put on the site in the last year
  • 268k people have found their way onto the SFB site in the last year; neat
  • this is our most popular post of all time. People love Transformers, kids!
  • So, what’s next? Well, we’re gonna keep doing what we do best. Blogging and keeping you jerks informed. After a year of doing this, we’ve gotten pretty good, and are always trying new things. That’s our plan for 2010.
  • Any ideas? As you might know, we’re totally open to cool ideas, so send us some! We’re all ears, especially if the ideas are good and can extend our mission of giving the news in as short of a space as possible. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 8 Comments • Permalink
 

26 Dec 2009 10:44

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World: Twitter reflects on the Indian Ocean tsunami, five years ago

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Dec 2009 10:28

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World: Today’s the fifth anniversary of the major Indian Ocean tsunami

  • 250,000 died in the quake’s aftermath – the largest disaster death toll in modern times, easily
  • 170,000 died on Indonesia’s Aceh province alone; those who survived were devastated source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Nov 2009 10:45

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U.S.: The New York Times overanalyzes Obama in great detail

  • A year after Barack Obama was elected president, he is juggling many of the issues that defined his candidacy — and then some.
  • The lede to a New York Times piece on Obama’s status one year after the election • The piece, which visually is immaculately broken down, splits his presidency into ten different parts, from “Terrorism Suspects” to “Influence.” Plus, it’s interactive and allows for reader comments. Way to show off, NYT. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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