beatnic - just wondering

11, 10, 9, 8…

It’s not getting quite the same hype as the Y2K “bug”, but this year we get an extra leap second in our countdown to the New Year!

According to BBC News:

A leap second is added to Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) to keep it in step with solar time - based on the Earth’s rotation on itself - to within a second.

Tidal friction causes the Earth’s rotation to slow down, which means that solar time tends to drift out of sync with atomic clocks.

If this disparity was not corrected, the “error” could increase to several seconds within a few decades; and, claim astronomers, eventually make some of their software and possibly hardware obsolete.

There have been 22 leap seconds added - and no subtractions - since the first one on 30 June, 1972.

The new leap second will be inserted at the end of the final minute of 2005, giving the familiar “six pip” BBC radio time signal an extra pip before the long pip marking the hour.

Make the most of it :)

Microsoft has unveiled some of its visions for the future.

Is it just me or does this (and others’ ideas of the future) feel as though they’re pretty much here now, or at least a lot nearer than the futures of yesteryear?

I wouldn’t be surprised if someone somewhere has written on how there might be a correlation with Moore’s law.

• Bold predictions for the savvy designer, 2006 edition ~ Authentic Boredom
  (tags: 2006 predictions design webdesign web trends)

Every so often an idea comes along that has the potential to change the game. When it does, you find yourself saying - “Sheesh, of course that was going to happen. Why didn’t I predict it?” Well, I didn’t predict this happening, but here it is, happening anyway.

In short, Alexa, an Amazon-owned search company started by Bruce Gilliat and Brewster Kahle (and the spider that fuels the Internet Archive), is going to offer its index up to anyone who wants it. Alexa has about 5 billion documents in its index - about 100 terabytes of data. It’s best known for its toolbar-based traffic and site stats, which are much debated and, regardless, much used across the web.

[...]

I am quite sure this means that Yahoo and Google will have to stare hard at their own (somewhat limited) search services and APIs, and think what they might do to compete, that much is certain. And if this starts to gain traction, all of a sudden, Amazon is a major search player, right next to Yahoo, Google, MSN, and IAC. A9+Alexa+web services= hmmmm….

Via John Batelle’s Searchblog

• Cheers for Yahoo’s move to a community-driven Web | News.blog | CNET News.com
  Yahoo! buys del.icio.us - I wonder how much they paid…
  (tags: delicious yahoo web)
• del.icio.us/about
  In case you’re wondering what the folk at Yahoo! have just bought, here’s del.icio.us explaining itself.
  (tags: delicious bookmarking social web about)

• Step Two Designs Home Page
  Lots of really useful stuff on intranets
  (tags: intranets)

• User-centered design (UCD) - 6 methods
  (tags: ucd design web usability)
• ISO 13407 - Google Search
  Google search results for ISO 13407 [Human-centred design processes for interactive systems]
  (tags: 13407 ISO13407 UCD ISO)

• evhead: Ten Rules for Web Startups
  Good tips. Thanks to Paul H (oneanother) for the link.
  (tags: lists toptens tips)
• Bearsac.com
  A bear that goes out and about and meets people. Photos on the site. I had a random moment meeting Bearsac on the tube today.
  (tags: teddybear bearsac)

There I was staring at the Independent on the District Line this lunchtime when I heard this slightly high-pitched voice coming from a seat nearby.

“Can I have a sip of your cappuccino?” said the voice.

“No, you might burn yourself” said a man’s voice.

I looked round to see small brown bear wearing a red hat who was now asking another man next to him for a sip of his water!

Some fellow tube passengers didn’t know where to look. Some moved slowly away, others hid behind their books or pretended to read the adverts again.

Bearsac today on the London Underground

Turns out this wasn’t just any bear. This was Bearsac who has his very own website at bearsac.com where you visit his house and check out his photo album.

He’s travelled extensively and also seems to have spent quite a lot of time hanging around Borehamwood as he’s been photographed with virtually the entire cast of Eastenders. Not to mention quite a few members of the Arsenal squad including Thierry Henry and Robert Pires.

If you’re a Numanoid there’s a treat in store (click on the picture hanging on the wall in the house).

And if you’re feeling a little peckish there are a few recipes to try out in the kitchen.

Bearsac is not politically affiliated (I did ask). And just to double-check I asked whether he was backing Cameron or Davis but he just gave me a “do I really look that stupid?” look.

Random tube journey.

Ambient serendipity.