Nick Gall's Weblog

Thursday, July 29, 2004

Amazing (and mysterious) dictionary.

Just came across this amazing dictionary: Webster's Online Dictionary: Rosetta Edition. Each entry has an unbelievable amount of information linked into it. Try out commodity for example.

Apparently, the author is Philip M. Parker, who appears to be an academic in Singapore? I am completely mystified as to how he pulled together so much information in his spare time. Apparently, he even sends emails to people asking for permission to use their content. He must be using some kind of automatic content aggregation engine, but that still begs the question of where he found the time to create the engine and operate it. This site is DEFINITELY going onto my short list.

BTW, I came across this dictionary while exploring a hit on my blog from someone searching Google for (allotopi OR allotopia) AND (utopi OR utopia). Site Meter lets you click on the actual search that brought someone to your site. I often follow such links to see who else is writing about obscure topics.

4:47:51 PM

Tuesday, July 13, 2004

Yet another genetic variation.

It appears that the lateral arm/leg rotational synchronization neurological artifact (someone please give me a pithier name) may be yet another a genetic variation like blinking when you look at the sun, tasting MSG, or rolling the sides of your tongue into a tube. Some people have it and some don't. My wife definitely does not sync the rotation of her limbs at all. She continuously rotates her right arm counter to her right leg without any difficulty at all.

I suppose I will now have to test my three children to see who's genes they have inherited!

11:21:09 AM

Saturday, July 10, 2004

So much for being the first analyst firm to blog.

Just found out that Jupiter has a healthy number of company sponsored blogs for its analysts. Looks like they are using Radio Userland.

(Actually, I checked my email and its turns out that I discovered Jupiter's weblogs back in October 2003.)

5:59:04 AM

Yet Another Neurological Shortcut (and Meme).

Came across this while tracking down a friend for Cheryl:

1. While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor
and make clockwise circles.
2. Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your
right hand.
Your foot will change direction and there's nothing you can do about
it.

Note, you must draw the six (or just a circle) in the counterclockwise direction (i.e., from the top of the six, not the bottom). Some people claim their feet don't change direction. I believe some of them are just drawing the six wrong.

This has been around the blogosphere for a while (see these Feedster hits). I tracked it back to "Foot fetish" at My Weblog (dated August 1, 2003), but the web site seems to no longer exist.

Don't know why this intrigues me. I suppose because I've been thinking so much about cycles, spirals, chirality, and vortices so much lately.

5:07:35 AM