Category: News

FYI – I’m no longer with Gizmodo as of July 3 but I do love the folks I worked with over at Gawker and really had a blast. Right now I’m working on a few books as well a new blog in the BWL empire that is due to launch July 15.

I’m sure people are finding my Skype ID via Skype itself, but if you suddenly feel the urge to ask me my ASL and discuss the weather in Wisconsin with me via Skype, please refrain. K. Thanks.

Happy Cheese Weasel Day!

Unknown to most, April 3rd is Cheese Weasel Day, the holiday where the Cheese Weasel brings dairy goodness to all the good boys and girls in the tech industry. While the origins are murky, it seems to have started around 1992 when a weasel was spotted carrying a Kraft Single. This, they assumed, must be the Cheese Weasel, and therefore, that it must be Cheese Weasel Day. What was the weasel going to do with the cheese? He must be off to put it under the keyboards of good tech workers everywhere.

The practice of the holiday seems to spread through word of mouth. I first heard of it when I showed up to work on April 3rd many years ago and a fantastic spread of exotic cheeses was laid out in the middle of the office. It wasn’t until a few hours later, after the food coma had started to wear down, that I started to think about the legend, “The Cheese Weasel leaves cheese under the keyboards of good tech workers… cheese under the keyboards… keyboards.” I looked, and there was a cheese single, still wrapped. I wonder how long it would have lasted had I not found it.

The holiday does seem to be growing. Each year, more and more sites show up with a reference to the holiday or the song (yes, there is a song). One site even offers Cheese Weasel Day (CWD) ecards. The methods of celebration vary. Some prefer to celebrate with the best cheeses and freshest baguettes, while others eschew that practice and insist on keeping with the tradition of cheese food singles.

I’ve since moved on and brought the tradition if CWD with me. How do you celebrate Cheese Weasel Day?

Thanks to Jeremy for pointing this out.

The Gateway NX100 is a departure from the bold, powerful and heavy laptops that now seem to be the rage. It is wafer-thin, and its striking black case could elicit double and triple takes when opened on a long-distance flight.

Available today at www.gateway.com, the $1,400 12.1-inch laptop comes with an external DVD burner and has built-in 802.11g wireless networking.Gateway is also offering optional integrated Bluetooth networking and a larger battery, as well as a port replicator for docking at the office.

A Powerful Featherweight in a Class Dominated by Bulk [NYTimes.com]

AudioMonger.com has an interview with Kristin Diable and Slushpile.net has an interview with Anya Kamenetz. Two great women, one a musician, one an author, and two great interviews. Check them out.

Kristin Diable [AudioMonger.com] Interview: Anya Kamenetz, Author [Slushpile.net]

Spoke to ABC news today about Microsoft’s Origami project.

What is Origami [ABCNews.com]

BWL Blogger Scott conducted an excellent interview with John Grisham over on Slushpile.net.

Read it here.

In what I’m sure will become a popular meme, I’ve registered our 1 month old son’s first domain name – KasperBiggs.com. Hopefully, ten years from know the web will still exist in its current form and he can post a bit.

Let’s all get together and welcome the latest member of the BWL family – AudioMonger.com. Edited by Blake Robinson of NOLA, AudioMonger is about music – the bands, the guitars, the lifestyle. AudioMonger isn’t about East Coast/West Coast, Hipster vs. Emo, it’s about good music and good writing.

AudioMonger

NY Times – Creative, which was making portable MP3 players long before there was an iPod, has designated its latest player, the Zen Vision:M, as a powerful weapon against Apple’s juggernaut.

The 30-gigabyte Vision:M can play MP3’s and copy-protected music, display pictures and even play video on its 2.5-inch color screen. The $330 player comes in black, white, green or pink.

Read more.