Walking through K Town was fun this morning
Based on everyone celebrating in soccer jerseys, I take it Korea won its World Cup match. I only was able to catch the very end of the photographed mini parade.
Look who I met at Intelligence^2 in DC
That's not the riddler, it's Matthew Lesko, whose commercials about free government money are still seared into my brain. This photo (thanks, Brian) illustrates the exaact moment when, in just a few seconds, he'd taught me how to get over a dozen grants ;)
Lucky to have fans like this (homemade alien & breadpig!)
It's really humbling to see any fan art, especially the kind that's made with things other than pixels - not only because of the extra work it requires, but because I spend too much time stuck in a digital world. These adorable creations are the work of a breadpig legionnaire named Flordelyn. I shall now shower her in praise for her great work. *Praise shower!*
Really, all of you supporters rock. Thank you.
Spot the reddit alien in these cupcakes!
I've gotta agree with aaaa@_daisymay, there's a little bit of reddit alien in these cupcakes. These probably taste a whole lot better than our mascot, though.
I found a LEGO me!
Speaking of which, while I can custom build entire LEGO kits to be sent to my home, box and all, can I also get custom LEGO people? This would be killer. Alert Denmark!
Innovations like this are the reason why Germany is the economic backbone of the EU
They're basically the cereal "Smacks," but these rice puffs can be put in your custom-made Ritter Sport chocolate bar. That's right, there's a Ritter Sport store in Berlin that's like an Apple Store for chocolate. Sure it's touristy. Sure it's full of Ritter Sport propaganda (if it has sport in it - it must be healthy!). But it's still a good time in chocoworld!
My day at Book Expo America a success!
I met with a lot of interesting folks, many of whom were interested in xkcd: volume 0, which we (breadpig) published last year. I don't want to spill any beans yet, but let's just say you might be seeing more of that fine book in the near future.
I'd like to take a moment to thank Christopher Hitchens for remembering me - or feigning it really well - as well as for complimenting me on my Animal Farm shirt. Thanks! I'm enjoying your memoir, though it's making me want to sip Johnny Walker Black every time I pick it up.
Oh, and please disregard the "Berkeley" written on the pass (long story, but we're now actually Maryland-based now!).
The reddit alien brought to life via 3d printer- neat!
via flickr.com
You'd better just click through the entire photoset. The dimensions appear to be pretty spot on, though the way its eyes bulge wigs me out a little bit. Maybe it's just very surprised. All in all, this is some great work.
Don't even get me started on how awesome 3D printers are...
At Newseum for Intelligence Squared Debate on Cyber War
They even put the day's newspapers on display here at the museum. How old school! If you're watching/listening at home, I'll be the one chanting "Bruuuuuuuuuce!"
NYTimes article on why reddit (and modern tech lifestyle) is ruining a 16 year old's grades
Researchers worry that constant digital stimulation like this creates attention problems for children with brains that are still developing, who already struggle to set priorities and resist impulses.
Connor’s troubles started late last year. He could not focus on homework. No wonder, perhaps. On his bedroom desk sit two monitors, one with his music collection, one with Facebook and Reddit, a social site with news links that he and his father love. His iPhone availed him to relentless texting with his girlfriend.
When he studied, “a little voice would be saying, ‘Look up’ at the computer, and I’d look up,” Connor said. “Normally, I’d say I want to only read for a few minutes, but I’d search every corner of Reddit and then check Facebook.”
via nytimes.com
OK, that headline isn't the thesis of the article, but there are quite a few reddit mentions in here. While I'm thrilled to have Connor and his dad as avid redditors, finding the right balance in life is key -- Steve & I needed to be able to pull ourselves away from WoW if we wanted any chance of creating reddit in the first place. Connor sounds like the kind of kid who could grow up to create a tech startup of his own, I'd hate for sites like reddit & facebook to get in the way of that.
We designed reddit to be addictive, which isn't really fair because -- unless it's changed since I was in high school -- homework is generally rather torturous. Most kids have trouble focusing on homework, which may or may not have been related to his recent slump in grades (I made the mistake of taking Calc 1/2 way too early, which doomed me for a semester).
But as much as I'm supposed to encourage the addiction, I'd rather see redditors, especially young ones, developing the discipline that'll make them great friends/parents/startup founders in the future. We love technology, but we're also supposed to be its master (for now at least, until it becomes self-aware).
I've been using RescueTime (a fellow YCombinator company) since they launched and find their "Get Focused" feature (which blocks distracting websites for a user-selected period of time) quite effective. I'm sure we could get their family a pro account...
If any of you know Connor or his family, please pass along this note from me, a reddit co-founder. I'll send him a reddit shirt, too, as long as he promises to wear it outside to go exploring one day.