Ed Parton Blog » Zoo circus

I wanna surf your couch

ed — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:04:37 +0000

Couch Surfing—The internet has made it easy to find alternative housing arrangements. whether you are traveling as a tourist, are on a visa run or are a full-time nomad. There are scores of couch surfing matchmaker sites, with different business models. They can also be used as temporary housing while you look for a place to rent or buy. To discover such services, Google [couch surfing], [home stay], [alternative travel], etc. Here are three examples with which I have had personal experience:

by Sandy X

Airbed and Breakfast (http://www.airbnb.com/). This service matches up people with rooms for rent, with alternative travelers. It protects both the travelers and the hosts, by escrowing rental payment. They also have mutual ratings/comments.
Couch Surfing (http://www.couchsurfing.org/). This service lists free hosting. Hosts may ask for some contribution, but mostly they do it because the like meeting new folks. As with Airbed, travelers can rate hosts and vise-versa.
Craig’s List (http://craigslist.org/). Started in San Francisco, Craig’s List now circles the globe. Go to the main page, click on the country/city where you want to stay, then click on whatever you are looking for under the “Housing” section. You can also search for jobs, companionship and everything else in your target city.

My experience with all three services has been extraordinary. I have met the most interesting people. Alternative travel appeals to the adventurous. It’s also way less expensive, and much more “homey,” than sterile hotels.

Semi-Nomadic—If you have a motor home, sailboat or just frequent flyer miles, you can rotate among two, three or more countries you like. Follow the sun or follow the calendar. A few months in Rio for Carnival, winter in Costa del Sol, spring in Buenos Aires, and so on.

DEFINITION: Couch-Surfing:
1. A cheap form of lodging used mainly by college-students or recent college-grads, where one stays on acquaintance’s couches rather than a hotel.

2. What someone who can’t afford rent on their own and/or can’t find roommates quick enough does when they are “between” places

1. dude 1: I’m hittin’ up NYC this weekend.
dude 2: WOW, thats gonna be expensive.
dude 1: Not really, my boy from college just got a job and a place in Manhattan, and I’m couch surfin’.

2. person 1: Whats up with Joe, he’s been here like all the time.
person 2: he just broke up with his girl, and doesn’t have a place yet, so he’s couch surfin’ here ’til then.

more…

Hospitality Club
Hostelworld.com
WWOOF
Lonely Planet
Couch-surfing.org

plep

ed — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:31:18 +0000

A riotous place with too much to see and too much to do. Cram-packed with the most interesting places on the internet… Not updated since 2007 or so. Still worth your while. Don’t forget to feed the goldfish…

Plep
Plep
Plep

Let the Sleeping Tiger Lay

ed — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:50:41 +0000

Never wake the sleeping tiger.
Dreaming deeply in the night.
Far from home the big cat wanders.
Starry sky his only friend.

Explore, Adventure, Sugar

ed — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:13:43 +0000

Just a short list of some VERY interesting items.

You know you want to visit…go ahead…treat yourself.

www.casasugar.com
holykaw.alltop.com
www.fastcompany.com
shine.yahoo.com

No April Fool's at CNN

ed — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 04:03:05 +0000

Greenwich Metric Time
Washington D.C.’s The Department of the Interior revealed that the USA would soon be converting to “metric time” along the same lines as Daylight Savings Time. Under the new system there would be 100 seconds to the minute, 100 minutes to the hour, and 20-hour days.

Furthermore, seconds would become millidays, minutes become centidays, and hours become decidays. The report included an interview with Director Pasthoure who praised the new time system. The Library of Congress was even shown sporting a new 10-hour metric clock face. Another source TelevisionAU.com shows a reporter posing with a smaller metric clock. CNN was swamped with numerous calls from viewers. One frustrated viewer wanted to know how he could convert his newly purchased digital clock to metric time.

The respected CNN news show anchors Nancy Grace and her partner Jane Valez Mitchell expressed strong opinions on their nightly news broadcasts. Others expressed their outrage.

Huge numbers of callers to their shows at CNN wanted to know how people were going to receive their pay and send their kids to school. “How many days are in a week?” To this the CNN host replied diplomatically, “place your trust in the United States and this will all work out.”

Odd, I seen that before

ed — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:05:10 +0000

You know its funny when you click the links in your own blog and you find places that you never knew existed. I HAVE seen that before! Be prepared for a few wasted hours.

oddee
2leep
toy zone
atlas obscura
cool showcase

Warning! You might see something that you rather wish you hadn’t.

Don't touch the teddy

ed — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 06:29:19 +0000

Don’t touch the teddy.
Don’t touch the teddy.
Don’t touch the teddy.
Don’t touch the teddy.
Don’t touch the teddy.

Bamboo Tractors, Oddities and Ghita

ed — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:32:18 +0000

We just can’t resist a good web crawl into oddity. Makes you wonder what the rest of the world is doing. And the little singer, Cleopatra, is a true jewel…don’t you think??

oobject.com
2leep.com
planetoddity.com
weburbanist.com
oddee.com

Ghita lyrics

The coat is inside out,
There is no sun above
Nothing is going good
Since I think of Ghita.
But Ghita’s not in town
I asked why he’s not around
It seems to me he’s gone
He’s gone abroad

Hard, I think it’s very hard
Want, I don’t know what I want
I know that you like me too
Ghita, what is up with you?
Young, come on in or go
Young, tell me yes or no
Ghita, please don’t anger me
Tell me how your life will be

Ghita,
Tonight I’m waiting at the wicket
Me at the station I bought a ticket
Come to,
But don’t come as you did before
As usually with empty hands…
Who else
Will wait and sing for you as I do
Entire evening just getting there
Ghita,
Show me a girl who’s fond of you
That loves you more as much as I do…

Ghita, te-astept diseara la portita
Langa portita de la scoala
Vino da numa nu vini cum vii tu
De obicei cu mana goala
Cine te mai asteapta ca si mine
O seara intreaga numai pe tine.
Ghita, arata-mi tu o fata care
Sa te iubeasca asa de tare!

Just get lost

ed — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:46:30 +0000

For no particular reason this list is served up from the Twilight Zone of internet surfing. It is a lot of fun getting lost for an hour. And this ugly little tidbid is for Technorati:GT77WFYFZGMY.

0lll⇔ 2 or 3 things I know⇔aalog⇔ actar⇔ adam curtis⇔ agence eureka⇔ aggregat 4/5/6⇔alice the architect⇔ all about nothing ⇔all things considered ⇔alphaville⇔alttext⇔ambit magazine⇔anarchitecture⇔and another thing⇔anti-mega⇔apothecary’s drawer⇔arcspace⇔arch daily⇔archinect⇔archidose⇔archiveteam⇔architects’ journal⇔architect’s newspaper blog⇔architectural review⇔architectural ruminations⇔ architecture.mnp⇔ archnewsnow⇔ arkitektur⇔ art fag city⇔ art is everywhere⇔ art newspaper⇔ arts journal⇔ artnotes⇔ ashleyb⇔ atelier a+d⇔ ateliermob⇔ atlas (t)⇔ atlas obscura⇔ badaude⇔ bad british architecture⇔ bifurcated rivets⇔ the big picture⇔ blanketfort⇔ bldg blog⇔ blissblog⇔ b’blog of ‘israeli⇔ boing boing⇔ b******* to architecture⇔ books from finland⇔ booooooom⇔ bottom drawer ⇔ bouphonia⇔ bowblog⇔ bradley’s almanac⇔ buchanansmith⇔ butterpaper⇔ cabinet magazine⇔ cabinet of wonders⇔ candyland ⇔ cartoonist (the)⇔ cartype⇔ caterina⇔ city of sound⇔ city comforts⇔ collision detection⇔ conscientious⇔ continuity in architecture⇔ coromandal⇔ core77⇔ coroflot⇔ cosmopolitan scum⇔ coudal⇔ creative review blog⇔ curious expeditions⇔ daily jive⇔ dancing bears ⇔ daniel eatock⇔ dark roasted blend⇔ david thompson⇔ death by architecture⇔ delicious⇔ delicious ghost⇔ deputy dog ⇔ derelict london⇔ designboom⇔ design bivouac⇔ design observer⇔ dezain⇔ dezeen⇔ diamond geezer⇔ digitally distributed environments⇔ diskant⇔ efimera⇔ eliot shepard⇔ ephemera⇔ ephemeralism⇔ excitement machine⇔ eye of the goof⇔ fantastic journal⇔ fed by birds⇔ feuilleton⇔ ftrain⇔ fireland⇔ first drafts⇔ five foot way⇔ Ffffound!⇔ further⇔ future feeder⇔ gadgets.fosfor.se⇔ gapers block⇔ giornale nuovo⇔ greg⇔ grow-a-brain⇔ haddock⇔ halvorsen⇔ hat projects⇔ hchamp⇔ hello beautiful!⇔ hot wheels⇔ htc experiments⇔ hyperkit⇔ hyperreal and supercool⇔ i like⇔ iconeye.com⇔ incoming signals⇔ infinite thought⇔ inhabitat⇔ the interior prospect⇔ irregular orbit⇔ iso50⇔ jean snow⇔ joe moran’s blog⇔ josh rubin⇔ judit bellostes⇔ kanye west⇔ kazys⇔ keep left london⇔ kosmograd⇔ kottke⇔ landliving⇔ languagehat⇔ largehearted boy⇔ last plane to jakarta⇔ lewism⇔ life without buildings⇔ lightningfield ⇔ limited language ⇔ linkmachinego⇔ literary saloon⇔ loca london⇔ london architecture diary⇔ london review of books⇔ low tech magazine⇔ made by machines for people⇔ made in china ’69⇔ magCulture⇔ making light⇔ mananarama⇔ map room⇔ material world⇔ mcsweeneys⇔ men’s vogue daily⇔ metafilter⇔ metafilter projects⇔ microkhan⇔ militant esthetix⇔ millennium people⇔ mimoa⇔ miss representation⇔ mocoloco⇔ moosifer jones’ grouch⇔ monocle⇔ monoscope⇔ mountain 7⇔ mrs deane⇔ music thing ⇔ myrtle street⇔ netdiver⇔ no, 2 self⇔ nothing to see here⇔ noisy decent graphics⇔ noticias arquitectura⇔ NTK⇔ nyclondon⇔ obscure store⇔ obsessive consumption⇔oobject⇔ open brackets ⇔ ouno design⇔ overmorgen ⇔ panopticist⇔ parenthetically’s⇔ partIV ⇔ pcl linkdump⇔ the peel tapes⇔ perpenduum⇔ personism⇔ platforma arquitectura⇔ plasticbag ⇔ pointingit ⇔ polar intertia⇔ plep⇔ print fetish<
/a>⇔ quiet feather ⇔ raccoon rashomon⇔ re: design news⇔ reference library⇔ rock, paper, shotgun⇔ rodcorp⇔ rogue semiotics⇔ rolu⇔ rossignol⇔ rotational⇔ route 79⇔ russell davies⇔ sachs report⇔ salon⇔ samuel pepys’ diary⇔ school of life⇔ scrubbles⇔ segal books⇔ sensing architecture⇔ sensory impact⇔ sesquipedalist⇔ sevensevennine⇔ shape and colour⇔ sharpeworld⇔ shift⇔ shorpy⇔ sit down man, you’re…⇔ slow web⇔ snopes⇔ space and culture⇔ spambot_stopper⇔ speak up⇔ spillway⇔ spitting image⇔ strange attractor⇔ strange harvest⇔ strange maps⇔ strawdogs⇔ subterranea britannica⇔ subtopia⇔ sugar-n-spicy⇔ supercolossal⇔ superspatial⇔ swapatorium swiss miss⇔ tecnologia obsoleta⇔ tecznotes⇔ telstar logistics⇔ tesugen⇔ textism⇔ that’s how it happened⇔ the art of where⇔ the deep north⇔ the letter⇔ the model city⇔ the moment blog⇔ the morning news⇔ the nonist⇔ the northern light⇔ the one train⇔ the serif⇔ the silver lining⇔ the white noise revisited⇔ they rule⇔ things to look at⇔ this isn’t London⇔ tom phillips⇔ tomorrow’s thoughts today⇔ transpontine⇔ turquoise days ⇔ typographica⇔ urban cartography⇔urbantick⇔ vitamin q⇔voyou desoeuvre⇔ vwork⇔wallpaper⇔ we make money not art⇔ we will become⇔weblogs.com⇔ weburbanist⇔ where ⇔ white noise of everyday life⇔ wikipedia⇔ wikio⇔ witold riedel⇔ whole lotta nothing⇔ wood s lot⇔ wrong distance⇔ xblog

Six list equals play time

ed — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:01:55 +0000

I just can’t help myself. Spreading the nonsense and the sources of adventure we come across is more than just fun. It is a little bit of a time waster, some may say, but you get the idea…more fun for all!
Like this:

Un Necessary Knowledge .com

Veryfunnyads
Veryfunnyads, as the name suggests, is a site which brings you some of the funniest video adverts of different products. There are different categories you can choose from, like animals, cars, gadgets, kids and more. You could also pick specific brands or watch ads by countries in which they appeared.

AudienceSounds
Another really interesting way to kill time. AudienceSounds is a repository of sounds. Be it clapping, laughing, giggling, snoring or cute baby sounds, they've got all covered. There are different categories too, like crowd sounds, people sounds, sounds by gender and baby sounds. Listen to them online or download them to your computer/mobile phone to use them as your ringtone.

College Humor
College Humor is a well known comedy site that has humor videos submitted by users along with pictures, articles and much more. Some of the videos are really innovative like this prank played on a guy in a basketball court. It's awesome. Along this same line is a site named Funny or Die. It was created by Will Ferrell and is pretty funny.

The Onion
The Onion is another very well known source of laughter and entertainment on the web. It is a satirical news site and is also circulated in print in the U.S. It contains current event and news parodies, some of which are simply hilarious.

Miniclip
Miniclip is a popular site which hosts games of all kinds. From flash games to nifty puzzle games, car racing games to big multi-player games, there are a number of options for games addicts.

Unnecessary Knowledge
Unnecessary Knowledge presents you facts which are weird, hilarious and could well be untrue. But that doesn't matter. The site is entertaining and the facts, true or not, give you the opportunity to have a good laugh. Just rate the facts and flip through them to keep enjoying.