LINK Clerks II snippets and commentary on iTunes. »
This is brilliant marketing. And what is amazing is the number of clips that’s been released by View Askew since back in September of last year! Man, I was way behind on this one.

LINK BBC News interviews the wrong guy. »
This clip has been around for a while, but I just came across it again and it’s too good to not share.

LINK Thom Yorke talks with the New York Times »
about Radiohead, working on his solo stuff, and other things of interest.

LINK WriteRoom »
“WriteRoom is a full screen, distraction free, writing environment.” I really like the idea behind this.

LINK TED conference audio and video »
were just released. Talks by Al Gore, Tony Robbins, and others.

LINK New York Times Crossword Creator Will Shortz Gets Rich Off Sudoku »
“Will Shortz’s crosswords are about to make him a word-nerd movie star. But Sudoku is making him rich.”

LINK Old TV spots from Apple »
reveal Apple’s suprising tagline from the past: “Macintosh, It Does More, It Costs Less, It’s That Simple.” Too bad the “costs less” part is no longer true.

LINK Software, Swiss Army Knife Style »
is a plea for more and I like it.

LINK Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World »
presents an abridged look into the man of many talents.

LINK The Observer interviews Thom »
“Thom Yorke talks to Craig McLean about how the band nearly split, their carbon imprint, the death of David Kelly – and his first solo album.”

LINK Books for sale »
from Shawn. He says “leave a comment if you would like to buy any of them (for a small fee). In exchange, you can tell me what you think of the book after you read them, and I can post your thoughts here or link to your review.” Pick one up for your summer reading.

In the spirit of focusing on the positive things around me (and inspiring myself to write more often!), I’m starting a monthly column here entitled “Things I’ve Been Enjoying.” Beyond the loosely titled subject, there are no rules to the actual writing. Things can range from stories to books to moments or anything else that I’ve found noteworthy in the last few weeks. It’s neither complete or extensive, just a few things that happen to be on my mind as I write.

With that said, here goes the inaugural column for the month of June, 2006.

Cooking at home Since moving into my pad in Brooklyn last month, I’ve developed a new found interest in cooking. This could have something to do with the fact that the first few weeks after the move, I was left without a working stove and had to eat out virtually every meal. Nonetheless, I’ve discovered the joys of the local farmers’ market, buying everything from fruits and vegetables to meat. So while a bit time consuming, cooking has found its way into my routine.

Brooklyn brunches This goes directly against the cooking bit, but I can’t deny the unique brunch spots around my ‘hood. Garden seating, prix fixe menus, lazy weekend mornings and a friend or two add up to just the right experience.

Wordplay I may have an affinity towards documentaries, but I think it’s unlikely anyone could dislike this movie. Wordplay dives into the subculture of crossword enthusiasts. I’ve done zero crossword puzzles in my life, but having watched the movie, I’ll try one or two early next week (crossword puzzles are presented in increasing difficulty from Monday through Saturday, starting from easiest to hardest). The crossword puzzle cult is led by none other than Will Shortz, the New York Times puzzle editor. Will has been organizing the annual crosswords tournament in Stamford, CT since he was in his mid-twenties. Each competitor’s character is as interesting as the cameos made of fellow CW addicts like Bill Clinton and Jon Stewart. I happened to attend on a night when a couple of the puzzlers from the movie took Q&A afterwards, and it was one of the most enjoyable sessions I’ve gone to recently. Go watch the movie for a unique, fun experience.

If you found this enjoyable, please feel free to start a “Things I’ve Been Enjoying” column at your local publishing outlet. »

LINK A blog by the Homeless Guy »
Not your typical blogger and I’m sure there’s more than meets the eye here.

LINK Top Designer Says World Cup Design "Just Embarrassing" »
“I mean the mascot itself is a typical effort by too many parties. It’s a lion, which has no historical relevance to Germany whatsoever. “

LINK The Believer:The Syncher, Not the Song »
You’ve seen the video, now read the article.

LINK Files Are Not for Sharing »
or so they say. A children’s storybook for the new golden age.

We just launched a new initiative aimed to help new small businesses by giving away our time tracking tool. A new company every month will receive a year’s worth of Harvest subscriptions so they’d have one less thing to worry about as they get their businesses set up. For more details, please check out the New Founders Program page over at Harvest! »

LINK The Harvest New Founders Program - Free Time Tracking »
Harvest is offering its time tracking service for free to select new companies in their first year of operation.

LINK Search Engine Optimization »
good tips to read later.

LINK The Smugglers' Due - New York Times »
” Chen, who at age 14 was sent by his parents to this country from China, by himself, with the assistance of smugglers; over the next four years, Chen worked to pay off a smuggling debt of $45,000, plus interest.”