Test Kitchen Update
It’s been a few days now since we posted Words of a Man’s Mouth. Tons of folks have visited (averaging over 1000 a day) thanks to help from kottke.org, retecool.com (in Dutch, and in the comments they wonder if it’s a hoax – it’s not), and now one of the USAToday.com blogs.
What’s cool about all the traffic is that people have started to translate the book. Particularly neat tidbits include:
- “This classmate copied a quote from Mencius, the great Chinese Warring States period Confucian thinker. The writer also includes his “eternal address” at the end, somewhere in Shanghai.”
- “The year should be 1942, since it is written in the year of the Republic of China, which started in 1911. So the year 31 is 1942.”
- “These entries are like a yearbook or friendster testimonials, just a lot more sophisticated. Lots of quotes from ancient texts (Taoist classic Zhuangzi on this page), poems, sayings, etc. for someone who has just finished his studies and about to embark on his career. And people leaving their contact information.”
Take a peek if you have a moment. Even though it’s a tiny effort it’s interesting to watch both how excitement propagates across the internet, what that excitment translates to in terms of traffic, and how a small percentage of the community gets together to make the site into something even more interesting (via translations and comments).
One Response to “Test Kitchen Update”
[...] Rather late posting, i know, but some days i’ve a twenty track mind. Like this morning’s mental invention: a remote-controlled nanotech vibrator implant for lazy femmes going thru a social dry spell. Of course, if a gal’s out and about – at work or shopping, say – and her vibrator happens to be on the same frequency as some guy’s cell and he makes a call as she’s passing, well, things could get downright entertaining. Just not for her. Or maybe so. Let’s face it, some of you are a bit of a freakydink. Artsy Goodness: Carlos Quitério. Vera Brosgol. MP3: Another Train. Amnesty International, with the support of The Observer UK newspaper, is launching a campaign to show that online or offline the human voice and human rights are impossible to repress. Irrepressible Info. “In December of 2005 this autograph book was found at a used knicknack store in Hong Kong’s central district and purchased for 380 Hong Kong dollars. The identity of the book’s original owner is a mystery. The stories the book reveals are hidden in plain sight. Aside from a few quotations in English, the bulk of the entries are in Chinese.” You are invited to enjoy and help translate Words of a Man’s Mouth. (Jackson Fish Market Initiative) Banksy’s Free Shop. Great art for the great price of nada. The M Man. Not your typical superhero. Wallspankers Issue 3 is available for download and features 250 ready-to-print black & white stickers. Game: Flash Element TD. Recipe: Beer Shrimp. Found Sentence: (Girl on cell) I couldn’t imagine myself stabbing someone… although i would understand if someone stabbed me. Listening To: Folk Alley. Okay, so have a great weekend, hear? If i’m not too busy dreaming up vibrating implants or iBoobs, perhaps we’ll bump into each other again tomorrow. [...]