It seems like people are making a habit of having street parties in my neighbourhood. A couple of weeks ago, it was a Doors cover band in front of my building. Today, only a couple of blocks away, The Black Eye Peas are doing a public concert in the street. As I understand it, it's to celebrate the grand opening of a new Best Buy store. I guess The Black Eye Peas really get excited over big box stores, and spontaneously organized all their friends to par-tay.

Am I totally un-hip for admitting that I don't know who The Black Eyed Peas are? I honestly don't know. Today anyway, for me, they're the guys who turned the neighbourhood into a zoo of screaming teens and traffic cops. Well, it was actually the teens who were doing most of the screaming.

Seriously... the buildings echo with the sound of "woooooo" and "eeeeeee" and all those things that one says to musicians that one really likes. I think I'll put on my favourite CD, crank up the stereo, and party like it's 1991. Hm. Yeah, even for un-hip guys, I'm pretty un-hip.

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I discovered today that author Cory Doctorow has published his new novel "Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town" in the virtual world, Second Life. Copies of the book are entirely free. What this means is that you don't have to read Doctorow's novel in the real world -- you can log on and let an avatar do the reading for you.



Unfortunately, the format is somewhat larger than a pocket book.

Greetings from fifty thousand kilometers above Second Life.



Yes, that altimeter is correct.

So I look out my window this afternoon, and discover that someone has barricaded the street. Not only that, but they're currently in the process of building a crude stage out of palettes and plywood, and talking about bringing in a band and a keg.



Impromptu street party? Dunno. Now you know as much as I do. I thought the shopping cart was a nice touch, though. And the purple balloon taped to a lamp post makes the street feel almost festive.



Hours later, I was amazed that this Doors cover band was still going. They demonstrated amazing endurance and an unflagging capacity to repeat the same few songs to fill the time.

While browsing Craigslist.org, I found this ad for a silent computer. It's unremarkable except for the oddly poetic title "Powerful Computer working in silence", which evokes images of Deep Thought ruminating on the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.

Also curious is the line that says, "This system is completly silent, i sleep next to it with my girlfriend, we cant hear it, trust me."

Link: Craigslist.org: "Powerful Computer working in silence"

I was almost literally rolling on the floor laughing my ass off when I watched this: Titanic in 30 seconds, re-enacted by bunnies. I think I like it better than the original.

Thanks, River Selkie for the fine link.

Over at sci-fi novelist Adrian Bedford's blog, he's taking great pains to not announce something really cool and amazing that he has in the works. I think he should follow Dean Kamen's example (he invented the Segway scooter), and give the secret news a codename. Kamen already used "Ginger", so Adrian could call it "Nutmeg", for example. That'll create a huge buzz while people speculate and make crazy predictions.

"The 'Nutmeg' project? It's a penguin farm! What else could it be?"

"Are you nuts? Nutmeg is obviously a secret project to adapt Orbital Burn into a remarkable TV documentary about sharks that attack!"

It also helps if well-known individuals drop vague hints about its nature. For example, someone might overhear Steve Jobs saying, "I can't say exactly what Adrian's 'Nutmeg' project is, but what I will say is that it will revolutionize the way we make coffee and/or brush our teeth."

How long will Adrian keep us in suspense??

Link: kabedford.com: "Mmmmmmmmmph, Mmmmmmph, Mmmmmmph!"

If you feel that your life is sadly lacking in the karaoke department, you should visit River Selkie's pet project, the Sing-a-Long Karaoke blog. That's right! At last, you can sing and blog at the very same time!

Although I'm allergic to karaoke myself and break out in itchy spots when I get near a microphone, I'd encourage anyone with a microphone and vocal cords to join the fun. Best of all... it's anonymous!

Read the karaoke FAQ to find out how to post your vocal stylings.