There is a part of me that is incredibly tempted by the existence of Boxer - a DOS emulator for Mac mainly aimed at letting people run classic games on their machine. I think a good round of Another World would be a great way to spend an evening. Maybe it's my pessimistic attitude or just overt nostalgia but DOS games have a certain charm to them that I don't experience so much with any of the console creations of late.. constraints breed creativity and these games certainly fit that bill.

I need to remember to snag IMG 2 ICN the next time I've got some great new app with a horrible icon that needs updating (last time I remember this happening was with the now defunct Visual Hub). This looks to be the easiest way I've encountered to create the icons for applications - a process that has always been baffling in its level of difficulty.

I'm not a huge Lego or Steampunk enthusiast (though I appreciate them both) but when the opportunity arises to think on the concept of a dirigible... you take it. Such is the case with this article that Lee sent over that contains a number of links to some impressive creations; including this Flickr collection and Web Urbanist article. Take a moment to browse through the offerings and be sure to be on the lookout for the Lego Steampunk Ghostbusters lurking around.

Twenty years ago, yesterday, the Berlin Wall came down in Germany. This NY Times piece has a nice writeup and side-by-side slideshow of how things looked then and now. I actually remember this happening (despite being just 10) and it's great to see so much progress has been made over the years. Now if someone would just tell U2 about it.

Paige has posted a new mix over at Flux-Rad for your consumption and I have to say, I'm a fan. There are one or two songs I'm not keen on but the rest are all artists I plan on finding out more about. That's a healthy ratio of goodness in my opinion. Go download it.

I dunno how it happened but I came across a ton of stuff this week without even trying. Here's the Playlist and the breakdown...

• We Are Douchebags. - NSFW language. It's pretty well done and I'd be easily convinced these guys really are douchebags.
• Different Kinds of Strangers - adults are terrifying!
• Toasty! - this is so ridiculous that I had to share.
• Trouble with your Neti Pot? - forget that Neti Pot, get a Nasopure! It's hard to believe this video is legit.
• VentriloChoir on Hungarian TV - There is nothing creepier than a ventriloquist.. except maybe a choir of them.
• Seduction Scene - Gary Busey. Sax on the Beach. Nuff said.
• Sittin on tha Toilet - this is what YouTube does best.
• Germans trying to say Massachusetts - I think Paul told me about this. So good.

Bonus

I Love You, Mr. Star Wars - actually, just a great compilation of movie titles as spoken by characters in the film. Pretty much fantastic. That's it! Have a great weekend everyone. I'm off to Texas this weekend to nerd out big time and partake in some Fun Fun Fun.

Way back in May of 2008 I was fortunate enough to see this fantastic animated film Sita Sings the Blues and was always a little bummed that it never got a wider release so my friends could partake in its goodness. Well, it appears that creator Nina Paley has released the film with a full-on Creative commons Attribution-Share Alike License; which means you can download the whole thing with the full blessing of the creator.

I suggest you snag it, view it this weekend and then consider donating a few dollars if you enjoy it as much as I think you will.

Stumbled across CoverSutra yesterday; an application that runs in your dock or menubar as an easier way to navigate your iTunes. On the whole it looks pretty intriguing but I'm curious if anyone has some first hand experience with it?

• Google releases Closure, the tools behind the JS geniuses - Personally I think it's safe to say that the web is moving in a more javascript powered application direction and Flash will become more of a desktop application language. That being said, it's rad to see these tools that Google has developed to enhance Javascript.
• Page Speed - an open source Firefox plugin that you can use to evaluate the performance of your site - includes insight on how to improve things. I'm certainly going to look into this one.
• CodeIgniter from Scratch - a series of tutorials on how to use CodeIgniter; a PHP platform that I'm absolutely curious about for using as a platform for a new yewknee.

• Local Lixx: Austin: Episode 1 - Paige has started posting an Austin-centric podcast over at WOXY and it's off to a great start. Very enjoyable listen.
• Jeremy Davis Mix: Things Change - Jeremy and I overlap in musical enjoyment in many departments.. Awesomely, we don't always listen to the same things so I get exposed to great new music that's right up my alley but new to me. You should get it too.

I can confidently say that after having browsed the entirely of the Dó Plu Dó Flickr pool that there's nothing in there that I don't enjoy. There's a great bit of consistency / variety throughout and every bit of it has something to appreciate.

Via Daniel's Editorial.

In my opinion, Dia de los Muertos gets far too little attention `round these parts. Halloween certainly plays a hand in the overshadowing but I think next year we should all make an effort to appreciate it a bit more. I mean, check out this collection of arts associated with it - incredible! And that's just a tiny glimpse of the whole. So, for pure artistic appreciation - let's all try harder next year...

I'm not sure what else there is to say - Kurt Russell's Star Wars Audition. It may not be as hysterical as this but if you're an uber Star Wars nerd, it's an interesting little nugget to watch.

When Demetre posted a link to this childrens learning app, ABC Oddity, I was impressed by the design of the interface and the overall vibe of the software but, not having children, didn't think a whole lot about it. Then I watched the video of the child interacting on her own with the iPhone and it struck me how my parents probably felt when they saw me furiously traversing my way around in DOS. The app is great but the deeper notion that children are going up with these far advanced devices kind of blows my mind.

The fine folks over at Gizmodo have been kind enough to share some interface notes on the Microsoft Courier device I posted about last week. The gallery of images gives insight into the numerous ways in which a user can interact with the device. If the actual UX is as good as they are making it out to be here, I'm more and more sold.

Heads up via Stephen.

Back in September American Songwriter asked a group of bands here in town (known as Holly House) to record a song they would want to hear on their deathbed. The group obliged and have released the results for free download. There's not a single choice from any of the bands that doesn't feel appropriate in some way or another - for a deathbed song that is.

• And The Relatives (feat. Caitlin Rose) - Be Here to Love me (Townes Van Zandt)
• Caitlin Rose - You Are My Sunshine (Jimmie Davis)
• Eureka Gold - I Go To Sleep (The Kinks)
• Shoot the Mountain - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (Neutral Milk Hotel)
• Tristen - On and On and On (Skeeter Davis)

Go download them now!

What would be your choice for a song to hear on your deathbed? I think I might go with Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain" or anything by The Books. Strange, I know, but probably true.

This announcement from Third Man Records (Jack White's label project) is one of the more surprising things I've encountered in some time. They will be releasing "A Glorious Dawn" on vinyl this coming November 9th. If you've not seen the video you're missing out on Internet greatness but it's not something I thought would ever get picked up by a hip label and released to the masses (with an etching of The Golden Record on the b-side no less). The mp3 is already out there but I'll be honest.. I'm buying the 7".

Via TwentyFourBit.

I will not claim to know much of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement but if this article is to be believed in terms of the details of the recently leaked version of the documents.. well, it's not good. It sounds a whole lot like politicians and lobbyists making broad stroke regulations for a phenomena they don't really comprehend at all. Scary.