Tools and Technology – Page 7 – A Honey of an Anklet

The next next big thing?

kottke.org explains the appeal of Twitter, or lack thereof.

If your friends are not on Twitter, I can’t imagine it would be that interesting.

Some links: 11

Via Lifehacker, Google Maps has added subway station markers for the New York, Washington, and Chicago systems—perhaps more.

Short bits of string: 3

Via Birderblog.com, a discussion thread is active on Birdchat concerning methods and materials for cleaning optics. Jerry Blin recommends Lens Clens and Kimwipes.

Christopher Joyce hangs out in Thomas Circle with Brian Hayes, student of street furniture. Not in the Thomas Circle neighborhood, but in Thomas Circle. Follow the link for a nice slideshow of manhole covers.

Related: Drainspotting, including snaps of manhole covers in Rome marked SPQR. (Say thank you, Leta.)

Hydration management

The fire hydrants in my neighborhood got a fresh coat of paint recently, so their spiffy colors really pop out. Every so often, it’s good to be reminded of these stubby sentinels, in their shiny red and silver livery, posted every few hundred feet or so, a line of defense against conflagration.

One annoyance dealt with

My new favorite Firefox extension is Flashblock. The extension replaces each Flash movie on the current web page with a button. Click the button if you really want to see the latest animated insult to your intelligence from LowerMyBills.com.