One of the things I absolutely adored as a child is staring at the incredibly intricate and detailed book covers for old hard science fiction novels, and their stunning depictions of what space colonies would look like in the future. Most of them were these massive, vast, spinning feats of engineering that wouldn’t just have their own gravity, but their own entire ecosystems, carefully managed and regulated, complete with plants, trees, atmosphere, farms, everything you can imagine. Granted, it makes sense in the context–if you have a massive space colony that needs to be self-sufficient, this is a great way to do it assuming you have the energy required to power such a colony and technology required to build one.

Still, those colonies haven’t materialized, despite the best predictions of futurists from the 1960s and 70s, although many of them didn’t predict we’d have them by now anyway – most of them looked farther forward to 2050 or so before they estimated humanity would be technologically sophisticated enough to build anything of the like. Until then though, there’s always this project from the folks at the NASA Ames Research Center and Stanford University, under the drive and curation of Princeton physicist Gerard O’Neill, who apparently has the same passion for these beautiful pieces of art as I do.

Hit the link below to see more – they really are something special.

[ Public Domain Review :: Space Colony Art from the 1970s ]

This gorgeous Skyrim timelapse comes to us thanks to @wrenthereaper, and his viral Skyrim timelapse that’s been features on sites like Dorkly and How-To Geek, the latter of the two being where I stumbled on it.

Now I’ll be honest right now – I haven’t played Skyrim. I’m waiting for the holidays, going to try and catch the game as part of a Steam sale possibly, but I’ve been really enjoying everyone else’s stories about it so far. This video, on the other hand, was the closest I’ve come to actually breaking down and buying the game just to experience all of this myself. Check it out – the video’s below.

[ YouTube :: Oh Gorgeous Skyrim ]

MattD, over at TechGrid, has had his home office shown on web sites far and wide. In fact, it’s likely you recognize the shot above, from the second iteration of his home office, the one that got so much publicity on the web when he unveiled it back in 2007. Back then, rumors flew about who the owner was and what he did for a living that he could afford so much high-end gear in a home office, and what he did for a living that necessitated it.

While we still don’t know much about Matt’s life beyond TechGrid, we do know that he hasn’t stopped working on his home office, and in the most recent iteration, he’s put in some new flooring and furniture and paid attention to a part of the room that means a lot to me: his DJ nook, complete with audio gear and turntables, and some really awesome posters on the wall (all three of which I would love to have in my home!)

Head on over to TechGrid to see the latest evolution of his home office, and then start planning how you’ll up the ante with your own home workspace, if you have one!

[ TechGrid :: Evolution of the Ultimate Home Office ]

If you have more than a little cash to spend, or more likely you’re just eagerly checking out cool and fun items on the internet that you wish you could add to your holiday wish lists, check out this list of nine items that will thrill the sci-fi fan and futurist in you from Wired.

From the gorgeous brush above that will work with any capacitive touch screen to a full-on DeLorean, the list is chock full of items–some attainable and others not–that I’d happily welcome under my tree come Christmas morning. I’m a big fan of the caffeinated Aeroshots that look like shotgun shells. I’m going to have to get some of those.

[ Gifts from the Future: Nine Items That’ll Take You to Tomorrow ]

(this brand new image for Spinning Gears columns is courtesy of Narilka, who graciously gave permission to use it!)

Now that Google+ is open to the public (and you can add me to your circles here by the way,) some of the first people who have joined are the people eager for an alternative to Facebook. Obviously, the first few people on the network were the geeks and techies who wanted first access to assess it for features and usability so they would write about it, tell the world, and use it for themselves. I was more than happily one of those people – after all, it’s my duty to tell others about it, right?

Well, after that, the next few people to sign on were people who were desperately looking for an alternative to Facebook either because they have issues with Facebook and it’s privacy policies, dislike the way Facebook handles data, have had it up to here with Facebook’s design changes, or they dislike Facebook for some other reason. Naturally those people tend to be vocal about their dissent and departure. What’s been unexpected though in the past few weeks and months has been exactly how vocal Facebook users on the other hand have been defending their platform against anyone perceived as a threat. While Twitter users don’t seem to have much problem talking about Facebook or Google+, and Google+ users tend to look at Facebook with a little disdain but prefer to speak instead of the merits of Google+ as opposed to denigrating Facebook, Facebook users actively dislike any mention of Google+, and will go out of their way to be vocal about it, even if it’s mentioned in passing. What I don’t understand is why.

Continue reading Spinning Gears :: Why are Facebook Users So Threatened by Google+?…

Back in August, Scott Hanselman wrote an excellent post at his blog that I’ve been taking my sweet time digesting: titled I’m a Phony, Are You? in the best possible sense, Hanselman points out that sometimes it’s the people with the most ability that underestimate their own capabilities: people who are living the life that other people dream of who are quickest to minimize what they do. It very well may be instrumental in the reason why we’re so chronically unhappy, even if we get the things we’ve always desired. Here’s one interesting point:

I used to speak Spanish really well and I still study Zulu with my wife but I spoke to a native Spanish speaker today and realize I’m lucky if I can order a burrito. I’ve all but forgotten my years of Amharic. My Arabic, Hindi and Chinese have atrophied into catch phrases at this point. What a phony. (Clarification: This one is not intended as a humblebrag. I was a linguist and languages were part of my identity and I’m losing that and it makes me sad.)

But here’s the thing. We all feel like phonies sometimes. We are all phonies. That’s how we grow. We get into situations that are just a little more than we can handle, or we get in a little over our heads. Then we can handle them, and we aren’t phonies, and we move on to the next challenge.

…

I got an email from a podcast listener a few years ago. I remembered it when writing this post, found it in the archives and I’m including some of it here with emphasis mine.

I am a regular listener to your podcast and have great respect for you. With that in mind, I was quite shocked to hear you say on a recent podcast, “Everyone is lucky to have a job” and apply that you include yourself in this sentiment.

I have heard developers much lesser than your stature indicate a much more healthy (and accurate) attitude that they feel they are good enough that they can get a job whenever they want and so it’s not worth letting their current job cause them stress. Do you seriously think that you would have a hard time getting a job or for that matter starting your own business? If you do, you have a self-image problem that you should seriously get help with.

But it’s actually not you I’m really concerned about… it’s your influence on your listeners. If they hear that you are worried about their job, they may be influenced to feel that surely they should be worried.

I really appreciated what this listener said and emailed him so. Perhaps my attitude is a Western Cultural thing, or a uniquely American one. I’d be interested in what you think, Dear Non-US Reader. I maintain that most of us feel this way sometimes. Perhaps we’re unable to admit it. When I see programmers with blog titles like “I’m a freaking ninja” or “bad ass world’s greatest programmer” I honestly wonder if they are delusional or psychotic. Maybe they just aren’t very humble.

I stand by my original statement that I feel like a phony sometimes. Sometimes I joke, “Hey, it’s a good day, my badge still works” or I answer “How are you?” with “I’m still working.” I do that because it’s true. I’m happy to have a job, while I could certainly work somewhere else. Do I need to work at Microsoft? Of course not. I could probably work anywhere if I put my mind to it, even the IT department at Little Debbie Snack Cakes. I use insecurity as a motivator to achieve and continue teaching.

Goodness this rings true. When I was working in an office, people would ask me how I’m doing – especially on those days when I looked stressed, and I would reply “I’ve had better jobs,” and revel in the grin they would give me, expecting me to say “I’ve had better days,” but the twist gave them something to laugh about. At the same time, I definitely know those days where I’m just grateful to have work, or grateful to wake up, much less take too much joy in what I’m doing.

Still, that’s only part of the story, and part of what Hanselman is saying: a lot of us teach things they we’re passionate about and are forced to learn the lessons that we’re teaching others. I write for Lifehacker, one of the most widely read sites on the Web, and yet I still think I have a lot to learn, both from our commenters and from my colleagues. While it’s certainly true and it’s definitely me being humble, I still have a hard time taking compliments from those colleagues and look up to them like rockstars – which I don’t feel bad about, but I have a hard time considering myself a rockstar too. Just last week, I had a really difficult time begging my Editor-in-Chief to include me on our masthead as an actual member of the team, instead coming up with reason after reason why I shouldn’t be a bother or I shouldn’t nag.

We’re all phonies – and I think that we definitely need to come to terms with the fact – but we also need to make sure we’re aware of it and not let it keep us down, or keep us from being aware of how long our arms are. Otherwise we’ll never reach as far as we can or tap into our real potential.

[ Soctt Hanselman :: I'm a Phony, Are You? ]

Source: SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration

I can hardly believe that I let the 45th anniversary of Star Trek go unmentioned here, but as you can tell, I’ve been pretty busy at Lifehacker. Still, this infographic crossed my desk a while back and I still adore it – so much so that I wanted to post it anyway, especially for other Star Trek fans out there who find themselves missing the franchise, or missing Gene Roddenberry himself.

I know, I know, there’s been a reboot, it was a good action flick, but honestly, it didn’t feel or seem at all like a Star Trek movie. I could wax rhapsodic about my criticisms over the Star Trek movie, but I think they’re aligned pretty well with the reboot movie’s Wikipedia article. That said though, I take solace in the fact that both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are both on Netflix streaming and thus available to me instantly.

So it’s with nostalgic eyes that I looked this infographic over, and a little optimism for the future. You never know, Star Trek as a franchise is part of our global consciousness, and I think it always will be. It’ll be interesting to see where it goes from here.

[ Space.com :: The Evolution of Star Trek via The How-To Geek ]

This is totally the work of a PR firm, but the video is so entertaining that I figured it was worth a look. After all, while it’s not quite “the evolution and history of music,” it’s definitely a fun look back over formats, changes, and how far music and the way we enjoy it has come over the past 60+ years. But then, the PR firm that made the video is pimping its ability to make cool videos.

[ Mashable :: The Evolution of Music in 3 Minutes ]

Dorkly is wonderful for many things, especially its old-school video game videos (are they machinima? I suppose so!) but this article has a special place in my heart. Now granted, I’ve fought a number of bosses that didn’t make the list that I really think should have (I’m looking at you I-no, Guilty Gear XX) but it’s still a good list regardless. Anyone who’s a big fan of videogames will proabably agree with at least some of them.

Frankly, I think M. Bison is a classic example of what we like to call the “rubberband AI,” meaning a first fight that’s so ridiculously easy that anyone can handle it, but is programmed only to lure you into a false sense of thinking that the fight will be at all reasonable in the long run. He then – like every boss like him – turns around and behaves impossibly good, reading the buttons you’re pressing to determine what you’re about to do and counter/avoid it, and does impossible amounts of damage on every hit.

Well, that’s my opinion anyway – who do you think should have been on the list that didn’t make it?

[ Dorkly :: 7 of The Cheapest Boss Fights in Videogame History ]

If you were a fan of Reading Rainbow as a child, and miss having the opportunity to share it with your kids or with a new generation of young readers, you’re not alone. When Reading Rainbow officially stopped airing, LeVar Burton noted on Twitter that this wouldn’t be the end of the show (you can follow him, if you don’t already at @levarburton) and now he’s made good on the promise.

LeVar is rebooting the series as an iPad app and other tech-based resources, called RRKidz, along with a wealth of companion content that will get to young readers right where they are these days: on mobile devices like tablets. From an excellent article at FastCompany about this:

LeVar Burton, a children’s literacy advocate and a former star of Star Trek: The Next Generation, plans to make an ambitious comeback, giving the once-loved Reading Rainbow brand a 21st-century upgrade. Burton’s for-profit venture, RRKidz, plans to launch an educational iPad app that lets children explore topics of interest–such as, say space–in a multimedia-rich environment, with voice-over-enhanced children’s books, familiar videos of Burton at real-life places (like NASA), and, of course, games. Burton tells Fast Company he’s on a mission to “get kids hooked on books,” and says his company is “going to where kids are today; those devices that they love to spend time on.”

From the way that FastCompany explains it, this is just the beginning – the iPad app is only going to be one component in what will hopefully be a rich and long-lived educational venture, and with LeVar Burton behind it, I can’t see how it’ll be anything but wonderful.

[ Fast Company :: Reading Rainbow: The Next Generation ]