The Donkey's Mouth http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/ "Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth..." (Num. 22:28) en Copyright 2008 Wed, 28 May 2008 11:21:28 +0100 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.0 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Test TrackBack Post Just a test:

Beyond Church Walls

]]> http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2008/05/test_trackback_post.php http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2008/05/test_trackback_post.php Wed, 28 May 2008 11:21:28 +0100 We now know of one person at ZDNet that's smokin' crack! David Berlind over at ZDNet has posted an article on trackpads vs pointing sticks of the kind that you find on thinkpads.

One MacBook with a Thinkpad keyboard please (or OS X running on Windows, when hell freezes over) by ZDNet's David Berlind -- Just because almost everybody is doing it, does that mean it’s a good idea? Or does that mean that we’ve somehow been hoodwinked into thinking this makes sense. I’m talking about touchpads. Somehow, users have been convinced that these kissin-cousins to the digitizing tablets that graphics artists use (where the technology benefits productivity) make [...]

Is this guy on crack or something?  Sure, I agree with him about trackpads.  Who really uses the trackpad on their mac laptops anyway?  I'm a macfreak but I avoid using the trackpad on my powerbook as much as possible.  I'm also a productivity freak so I use keyboard shortcuts as much as possible.  But pointing sticks?  Please, that's so 90's.

My only brief experience with a  pointing stick was when I had to help a friend with his Toshiba back in the 90's.  My only hope was that I could get the job done as soon as possible so I wouldn't have to use that stupid, little pointing stick anymore.

Sure, it was fast.  Too fast.  Speed went up and accuracy plummeted.  The fact that it may be harder for manufacturers to make or maintain is not the real reason why it has never caught on.  People don't like them.

Want speed and accuracy?  Use a mouse.  Want productivity?  Keep your fingers on the keyboard as much as possible and use shortcuts.  That is unless you get paid by the hour, of course.  In that case, feel free to use whatever outdated, outmoded technology you wish to use.

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]]> http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2007/08/we_now_know_of_one_person_at_z.php http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2007/08/we_now_know_of_one_person_at_z.php Communication Tue, 14 Aug 2007 10:01:21 +0100 Free Music! This is a link post for any fellow podcasters out there.  As you may well know, if you are trying to make a podcast, it's nice to have some background music/intro music/bumper music.  However, you can't just use any old music because of copyright laws.

This actually goes for anyone who is trying to make a presentation or a video of some kind which will be displayed in front of a larger audience like a church or even distributed via the internet.  It's my understanding that if you're just showing the video/presentation to a small audience in your own home then you're safe to use whatever kind of music you want, however, if at some point you decide to post it on your blog or show it to your church on Sunday morning, then you're going to have either redo your presentation using copyright-free music or obtain a costly license to use the music.

Well, here are some links to places that offer free music that you can use for just about anything except for commercial purposes (some of them can even be used for that).  Please refer to the license information provided with each song or on the website itself.  Some artists do ask to be notified if it is going to be used publicly, and some of them ask you not to remix the music in anyway (using excerpts notwithstanding), but others place absolutely no restrictions at all on their music.  Two of them are secualr websites where you might find some Christian music and the last one is specifically worship:

Podsafe Music Network
macjams.com
freeworshipmusic.com

Powered by ScribeFire.

]]> http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2007/07/free_music.php http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2007/07/free_music.php Communication Mon, 23 Jul 2007 11:26:03 +0100 Dude! Pownce! So I wake up this morning and I've got a bright and shiny Pownce invitation in my inbox.  Cool.  Now what?

Pownce is kind of like twitter, right?  I also have a twitter account, but I never use it.  Apparently twitter is one of those extremely useless, highly addictive things.

Anyway, I have 6 invites.  Who wants a pownce invite?  I'll warn ya' though, it's gonna cost ya'!  Ha ha.  How about a link exchange?  You provide a link on your cool, hip blog read by thousands of actual people to my uncool blog read by, well, actually I think even the spambots have stopped dropping by.

People hate comment spam, but I actually kind of liked it, because they were just about the only comments I was getting.  It made me feel a little less lonely.

Anyway, if you want an invite, leave a comment with the link to your blog. Maybe I'll be in touch.

UPDATE: Oh yeah, I guess I left out this part - pownce.com/thedonkey is my address.

]]> http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2007/07/dude_pownce.php http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2007/07/dude_pownce.php Communication Mon, 23 Jul 2007 09:50:09 +0100 Donkey's Mouth News Network :: Episode 2 :: June 15th, 2007 Download Episode #2 (5:13 mins., 25MB)

Or watch it right here:

Show notes:
Stupid Danish Robbery Caught on Tape!

Danish baby laughing. [EDIT: The film starts with some language I assume to be Danish, so the baby must be Danish. My logic is IMPECCABLE!]

Atkins Diet Recipes Mock Danish

Shocking Turn of Events: The accordion is the city of San Francisco's official musical instrument.

According to Accordionists Tom Torriglia and Gary Sredzienski, it was the Beatles that ruined the accordion's popularity.

Don't forget to get your National Accordion Awareness Month Animated Greeting Cards.

]]> http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2007/06/the_donkeys_mouth_news_network_1.php http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2007/06/the_donkeys_mouth_news_network_1.php News Network Sat, 16 Jun 2007 13:58:25 +0100 The Donkey's Mouth News Network-Episode 1-1 June 2007 Welcome to the first episode of this weekly news podcast. The show will be airing every Friday, so check back here regularly.

Download Episode #1

National Accordion Awareness Month
Facts one and two: Mr. Smarty Pants Accordion Facts
Fact three: Accordion
and four: Accordion cut
Squeezebox field guide - Squeezebox - a Wikia wiki

Happy Birthday to:
Kentucky
and
Tennessee

]]> http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2007/06/the_donkeys_mouth_news_network.php http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2007/06/the_donkeys_mouth_news_network.php News Network Fri, 01 Jun 2007 16:39:45 +0100 1001 Podcast Tips Podcast Episode 1 Hey Guys, here's a new podcast for ya'. 1001 Podcast Tips Podcast. A tongue-in-cheek look at making a podcast, with a cameo appearance from Dimitry, ex-KGB, presenting a new gadget to you. Enjoy. Click on the image below to start the video.

You can also visit the podcast's new blog.

]]> http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2007/02/1001_podcast_tips_podcast_epis.php http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2007/02/1001_podcast_tips_podcast_epis.php 1001 Podcast Tips Sat, 03 Feb 2007 17:08:45 +0100 Evolution Assimilates Creationism I recently picked up the November issue of National Geographic to peruse an article called "From Fins to Wings". The article is once again trying to explain how simpler forms in nature - a fin for example - evolved into something more complex - a limb or a wing.

]]> http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2007/01/evolution_assimilates_creation.php http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2007/01/evolution_assimilates_creation.php Science Fri, 12 Jan 2007 10:12:01 +0100 Dutch TV Goes Digital I woke up this morning to snow. No, there was no snow on the ground, it was on my tv. Last night here in The Netherlands (December 10th-11th), the analog television signal was taken off the air and replaced with a digital signal (DVB-T, to be exact). This means that Dutch tv is now 100% digital. I know I should be happy about this - there are places where this ideal is only a dream - but I'm not, yet.

]]> http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2006/12/dutch_tv_goes_digital.php http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2006/12/dutch_tv_goes_digital.php Technology Mon, 11 Dec 2006 13:43:29 +0100 Ancient Computer This is really cool: An Ancient Computer Surprises Scientists - New York Times

It raises a hypothetical situation in my mind. What if we were to set this object in front of a Creationist and an Evolutionist and ask them to explain its origin. Which answer would make more sense?

]]> http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2006/12/ancient_computer.php http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2006/12/ancient_computer.php Fri, 01 Dec 2006 10:39:23 +0100 Showtime Apple's highly-touted announcement, cryptically labeled "Showtime", came and went yesterday bringing us several new Apple products.

There was no new "Video iPod", rumours of which had been floating around the internet for months now, but the present iPod did get a bump in capacity, the larger model going from 60GB to 80GB.

Apple Store

The Nano also got a facelift. Check them out here:

Apple Store

And the Shuffle is smaller, now being touted as the smallest mp3 player on the market:

Apple Store

Other noteworthy news, is that you can now buy and download full-length movies via the iTunes Music Store. For instance:

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

iTunes also got an update moving up to version 7, from version 6:

iTunes 7

(If you click on the links and buy something, you also help support this website.)

]]> http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2006/09/showtime.php http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2006/09/showtime.php Technology Wed, 13 Sep 2006 20:19:58 +0100 Awesome Animation of the Cell Check out this animation of the inside of a cell and all the stuff that goes on.


Studio Daily | Cellular Visions: The Inner Life of a Cell

After seeing this, could anyone still believe that it all evolved?

]]> http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2006/09/awesome_animation_of_the_cell.php http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2006/09/awesome_animation_of_the_cell.php Science Sun, 10 Sep 2006 20:49:20 +0100 The Donkey Speaks Podcast Episode 8 - Videocast Here is the first video edition of my podcast.
You can subscribe to it (RSS or iTunes), download it directly or view it here in my blog, thanks to blip.tv.

You can still subscribe to the audio version using the links on the right-hand side of the page.


Click to Play

This video was originally shared on blip.tv by thedonkey with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.

]]> http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2006/09/the_donkey_speaks_videocast.php http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2006/09/the_donkey_speaks_videocast.php Podcast Mon, 04 Sep 2006 10:25:08 +0100 Awesome Galleries with SimpleViewer I just found a great way to make simple yet awesome-looking galleries with SimpleViewer. Check out my example.

You can export into this format in several different ways. The easiest is probably using a desktop program like Picasa for Windows or iPhoto on the Mac (instructions here). You can read about all of the other different ways to export your photos here.

Another cool way to export your photos into a gallery for Mac users and iPhoto is using the WebExport plug-in. Check it out.

]]> http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2006/08/awesome_galleries_with_simplev.php http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2006/08/awesome_galleries_with_simplev.php Technology Tue, 29 Aug 2006 11:32:38 +0100 The Donkey Speaks Episode 7 Yes, that's right, after a very long wait, I have finally recorded a new episode of The Donkey Speaks podcast. You can subscribe by right-clicking on this link (control-click on a Mac): copy that link and paste it right into your favorite podcatching program.

Alternatively (and much easier), in iTunes, you can subscribe by clicking here:

]]> http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2006/08/the_donkey_speaks_episode_7.php http://www.thedonkeysmouth.com/2006/08/the_donkey_speaks_episode_7.php General Wed, 09 Aug 2006 11:55:44 +0100