Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Ricky Jay on Talk of the Nation Magician, author, and curiosity historian Ricky Jay was interviewed today on National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation. The always-engaging prestidigitator talked about the art of the con, the secrets of Three Card Monte, and his new book, Extraordinary Exhibitions: The Wonderful Remains of an Enormous Head, the Whimsiphusicon & Death to the Savage Unitarians. (The book is due out in June, but you can buy it early through the Museum of Jurassic Technology bookstore. Link) From the description of Extraordinary Exhibitions: An informal look at sensational, scientific, satisfying, silly and startling attractions based on 17th, 18th and 19th century playbills from the collection of Ricky Jay. It is the contention of Mr. Jay that neither the tongue of the most florid orator, or pen of the most ingenious writer can sufficiently describe the elegance, symmetry, and prodigious accomplishments of those who are featured in this volume. Included are broadsides advertising: an armless dulcimer player, a ghost showman, a singing mouse, a chess playing automaton, a cannon ball juggler, an African hermaphrodite, a chicken incubating machine, a rabbi with prodigious memory, a ventriloquist, a spirit medium, a glass blower, a woman magician, a speaking machine, a mermaid, a bullet catcher, a flea circus, & an equestrian bee keeper. Link to Talk of the Nation archive [bOing bOing] 11:09:19 PM    comment []

Sci-Fi Cooking Tries Dealing With Reality. The opening of a new restaurant in Chicago invites an examination of the development of avant-garde cuisine in America. By FRANK BRUNI. [NYT > Dining and Wine] 9:50:18 PM    comment []

The Not-So-Secret History of Filibusters. The proposal by some Republican senators to change rules that have governed the Senate for two centuries now puts the system of checks and balances in danger. By GEORGE J. MITCHELL. [NYT > Opinion] 5:26:26 PM    comment []

Did Frank Zappa Invent Music Downloading in 1983? (Ernest Miller). Legendary musician Frank Zappa wrote an extremely interesting article on home taping back in 1983 (A Proposal for a System to Replace Ordinary Record Merchandising): Every major record company has vaults full of (and perpetual rights to) great recording by major artists in many categories which might still provide enjoyment to music consumers if they were made available in the right way. MUSIC CONSUMERS LIKE TO CONSUME MUSIC . . . NOT PIECES OF VINYL WRAPPED IN PIECES OF CARDBOARD. [emphasis in original] Read the whole thing. Very cool. via MeFi [Copyfight] 5:24:24 PM    comment []

Game, Set, Film. Cinemasports is the Iron Chef of filmaking: Contestants are given a list of 'ingredients' to be crafted into a short made in a day. Ryan Singel reports from the Santa Cruz Film Festival in California. [Wired News] 5:24:12 PM    comment []

Randy Farmer on SonyBay and Designing Virtual Economies. KidTrade: A Design for an eBay-resistant Virtual Economy is Randy Farmer's 2004 paper about the external models that were springing up around the virtual objects in game worlds. In this recent post from Habitat Chronicles, Farmer comments on Sony Online's latest moves in regard to their multiplayer online games business: Last October in my KidTrade paper, I asserted that eBay virtual goods markets are the direct result of design choices that have important (and potentially harmful) side-effects. Not all virtual economies need follow the same path. But some companies continue on boldly... In part, I wrote: From Twinking to EBay: The MMOG Virtual Economy Design “Slippery Slope” 1. Gifting → Twinking 2. Gifting + Multiple Chars/Server → Muling 3. Gifting + Messaging + Trust → Trading 4. Trading – Messaging – Trust + In World Machinery → Robust Trading 5. Robust Trading + Scarcity + Liquidity → External Market (eBay) 6. External Market – Trust + In World Machinery → GOM It seems that Sony has embraced this inevitability and has announced that Everquest II will take the final step on the slippery slope and create an online market for users to exchange real-world money ($$$) with virtual goods, within the game. I guess that's one way to handle an economic design that leads to farming - rather than fix it, 'legitimize' it. :-P Honestly, a system that has a market like this should be designed from the ground-up to mitigate abuse and manage production rates. [Smart Mobs] 5:20:18 PM    comment []

Evolution of iTunes (Alan Wexelblat). Last Friday's Cringely column has some interesting speculation on the near future of iTunes, noting that there are (currently unused) icons embedded for new formats such as .ogg and .wma as well as video formats, though Apple remains officially mum on plans for "iMovie" and a video iPod. [Copyfight] 5:20:17 PM    comment []

Philosophical Insights in Beatles' Lyrics. This is fairly clever, and philosophers, at least, will find it amusing.  (Spotted via Weatherson's site.) [Leiter Reports] 6:58:56 AM    comment []

Gay and Straight Men React Differently to Sexual Odors. New research shows that men and women respond differently to odors that may be involved in sexual arousal, and homosexual men respond in the same way as women. By NICHOLAS WADE. [NYT > Science] 6:54:59 AM    comment []