musings of a social architect

Loved The Incredibles!

Last weekend, we went to see The Incredibles. What a fabulous movie! A superhero cartoon with heart, depth and GREAT characters. It's been awhile since I've had such a satisfying evening of family entertainment. I was concerned that it might be too long or scary for Gabe, but he enjoyed it immensly - even the part where he was sitting in my lap, hiding his face in my neck. Afterwards, he announced that he wasn't scared AT ALL, and that it was the best movie he'd ever seen.

Creative excuse for staying up late?

Last night, my 5-year-old son Gabe wandered into our room around 10:30 PM (which is WAY past his bedtime) and said "Mom, I can't sleep -- I think I'm nocturnal." Out of the mouths of babes...

More SMS Than Newspapers

Interesting article at E-Media Tidbits about the shift among young people towards SMS, and away from newspapers.

For young people, sending messages using SMS (Short Message Service) over cellular phones is more powerful than doing so through the Internet, according to a recent survey. The results of a study conducted by Ericsson Consumer Lab show that 68 percent of Spaniards between 15 and 24 years old send messages with their cellular phones every day. But only 38 percent of young people connect to the 'Net on a daily basis.

VidLit™ - Yiddish with Dick and Jane

If you appreciate a little Jewish humour, then check out Yiddish with Dick and Jane -- a hilarious introduction to basic Yiddish, done in the style of those old 'Dick and Jane' childrens' books.

My son's favorite soundbite

There's nothing quite like the sense of humour of a 5-year-old boy. This sound bite had Gabe in a helpless puddle of giggles for much of the evening. To check it out:
1) Go to the PhoneBites website
2) Click on soundbite #4, 'Gas' (click the #4 key on the phone)
3) Enjoy! :-)

Staying in touch when you're apart: Ambient Personalized Media

This MediaLab Europe Project uses everyday natural objects to communicate a loved one's sense of presence. Shown here is a wireless, IM-enabled flower that opesn when your friend or lover is online, and closes when she's offline. Beautiful! Here's more about the project:

An important feature of healthy interpersonal relationships is a sense of attachment and closeness that is endlessly evolving and carefully balanced to the mutual benefit of the individuals involved. Lack of contact, whether due to distance or other uncontrollable factors, can throw off this balance and cause unnecessary tension and hardship. In the One2One project, we are developing a technological infrastructure for creating personalized ambient communication links to enhance a sense of presence and togetherness between two distant individuals. We are exploring a variety of passive sensing and display devices to suit individual taste and the character of the relationship.

Timely Quote

A friend sent me this quote today -- it struck me as quite timely.

Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind ...And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded with patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader, and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done.
-- Julius Caesar

Rhythm Toy from Japan

Audio Cubes is selling a cute little Japanese rhythm toy called the Tomy Hokoton, which can "learn" a rhythm that you tap out and play it back, complete with dance moves. This goes on the very top of my holiday wishlist.

Palmistry for Fun

A few weeks ago, I had my palm read at the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival by a neighbor of mine (who turns out to be an amateur palm-reader), and it was a fascinating experience. Since then, I've been learning more about palm-reading and practicing on friends and family members - which is fun!

If you're interested in palm-reading, check out this fun little palm-reading test on Tickle. Also, here a sample reading routine for practicing the basics on a friend (or soon-to-be-friend).