Dear Film industry: Your metadata is not granular enough. The MPIAA ratings G, PG, PG-13, and R do not fulfill my needs. I need information relevant to my particular disinterests. I need to know ahead of time if a movie contains elements that I consider unacceptable. I’m not talking about…

Last week I spoke at OSCON Ignite, the evening entertainment bit of the O’Reilly Open Source Conference and the Google Awards. Talks took the traditional Ignite format of five minutes, 20 slides. Slides auto-advance after 15 seconds, ready or not. Speakers were encouraged to address their personal brand of geekery….

I went to see Children of Men today, which was fantastic, disturbing, hopeful, and cautionary. I cried a bit, but left not resenting the movie for making me sad. Beforehand, we saw four trailers which ALL fell into the new Librarian Avengers Film Rating System. There was a Creepy Child…

Update: There is an updated version of the Librarian Avengers Film Rating System! Movie ratings suck. “Rated R” doesn’t tell me anything I need to know. I need to know if a movie contains cannibalism, synthesizers, or Jim Carrey. I need a rating system that reflects the diversity of obstacles…

FOUR JOBS YOU’VE HAD IN YOUR LIFE Historical Reenactor (1800s) Historical Reenactor (Renaissance) Waitress/Bartender (Dublin) Designed a website for a group of Butterfly Researchers FOUR MOVIES YOU WATCH OVER AND OVER The Quiet Man A Room With a View The Commitments Standing in the Shadows of Motown FOUR CITIES YOU’VE…

You guys rule. Thanks for the comments and updates. I’m still sick. Here’s some replies to the kind souls who wrote yesterday… Carisse: Hook ‘em horns! From what I hear, the philosophy department had one heck of a softball team. Catrina: I totally agree. I’ve beendrinking pints of DeTox and…

Amid the body pain, sore throat, fever, and seal coughs, I’ve managed to keep myself entertained. Here’s how to beat a week-long flu using only a laptop, broadband, and some good over-the-counter drugs. Web South Park character maker Version Two. Yes, I said version two. With even more hairstyles, weird…

Good design can make anything wonderful. Even something as dreary as surge protectors. I came across these in my e-travels. Belkin Clamp-On Surge Protector I do grow so weary of crawling under my desk every day and messing up my chic outfit. No, I’m not reenacting scenes from Secretary. I…