Just Watch This

This is a video everyone needs to watch. It’s Clay Shirky at the Web 2.0 Expo SF 2008 giving a speech about “Cognitive Surplus” and what we can do with all our wasted time.
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Reavealing Rokuzen

Some of you (none of you) have been wondering, “Ryan, where’s the name ‘Rokuzen’ come from?” Well, in the spirit of filling space, here’s the scoop:

In 1998, my first year in college, I was the proverbial noob when it came to the Internet(s). Thought it only being about two years old in mainstream years, I really hadn’t missed all that much. It would take me an additional three months to realize there were computers in my dorm’s basement that were available for student use. Not too swift on the uptake me.

When I began making friends they began asking me what was my email? Screen name? Aim? Concepts I had no clue about. The closest to these was my Mechwarrior call sign on an un-networked computer in another state. It wasn’t till a nerdly-wise pal came to my aid… mainly because she was tired of tracking me down the old fashioned analog way (read: foot). Thanks Laura!

Screen name…. identity for the internets… but what?
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In The Dog House

Dear Mr. Eccentric

My name is Miguel. I am a jockey from Florida, and keep a whole bunch of horses on my land. But my son, he wants a real pet like a dog. I told him if I won my next race, I would get him his dog. At the time, I didn’t realize that my entire family was deathly allergic to dogs. What do I do?

Miguel
Sarasota, FL

Dear Mike,

Ah Florida… land of sun, rain and its legally binding verbal contracts. You sir are in a jam, especially since it is also the land that gave birth to kids divorcing parents.

At first, I thought, that due to your stature you could easily dress up in a dog suit and pose as the family pooch. You wife would say you went out for oats and never came back. But I won’t go there.

Then I was watching The Tick on DVD the other day (yes, its a plug. A man can’t live on dispensing free advice alone!). In an episode to be released later on he comes across Speak, the capybara, and mistakes it for a dog. Now, I am in now way advocating importing a 140lb rodent into your family.

No, you can easily go for a Nutria, a 20lb rat / beaver… thing that’s become quite plentiful in your neck of the woods. They were introduced into Louisiana in the 30′s by fur trappers as a new source of pelts. Since then they’ve gone forth and multiplied and have spread throughout the southeast and become quite the pest. But your adopting and spaying and/or neutering one will help curtail the spread of the “brown menace!”

Call it a Chilean Root Hound. The boy will be happy, the family won’t sneeze to death, and you have a good excuse for your HMO to approve rabies vaccines.