Sad you don’t have an iPhone4 yet? Don’t feel bad – write an NES-themed haiku, and you might win a super-cool NES iPhone 3G/3GS skin.

UPDATE: The winner is Kyle Mitchell for his haiku:
Callouses on thumbs
triangles pressed into palms
8 bits of heaven

I’m a big fan of Infectious, a company that produces custom and artist-contributed skins for all manner of devices such as the iPad, iPhone, laptops, iPods, car decals and more. A little while ago, I stumbeld across two iPhone designs that were too cool to pass up.

The skins I picked were the NES controller and the Supertape old-school mixed tape.

These skins are even cooler in person than they appear in the pictures. While out at Nerdapalooza last weekend, I had the mixed tape skin on my iPhone, and got plenty of comments about it. These are real conversation-starters, especially for geeks.

So here’s the deal. I ordered these skins prior to U-boating my iPhone 3G (dropped in the toilet – don’t ask). The phone that died was buried in the mixtape skin, but after the U-Boating event, I was left with an unopened NES skin that I couldn’t use, since I upgraded to the iPhone 4 and the skin wouldn’t fit.

Rather than just holding a raffle-style contest on Twitter (which would be fun but really hard to keep track of entries with and not as much fun as haikus), I decided to post it here. I’m not in cahoots with Infectious in any way on this – I just love their stuff, and wanted to have some fun getting rid of a great skin I can’t use.

How to Enter

Just reply in the comments withyour NES-themed haiku and your email address, so I can get in touch with you if you win. (Of course, you’re welcome to share your comments and not enter, but any comments in 5-7-5 format will be considered an entry, unless you tell me otherwise.) You’re welcome to obfuscate your email address (as in “snipe [at] snipe [dot] net”) to avoid it being crawled by spambots.

Please have your submissions in before Tuesday, July 27 at midnight. I leave for Defcon this week, so I’d like to get the winner’s skin mailed out before I go. I will announce the winner in the comments by midnight Wednesday, July 28 in the comments.

The winner will receive one unopened, brand new NES skin, compatible with the iPhone 3G/3Gs. This skin is NOT compatible with the iPhone 4. If it was, I wouldn’t be giving it away, I’d have used it, instead of buying the iPhone 4 version.

Once a winner has been decided, I will contact them by email to get the mailing address and details.

You may enter as many times as you want, but remember that quality beats quantity any day.

Entries I deem worthy may be posted on GeekHaiku.Com and/or posted to Twitter, with attribuition but no compensation. Deal, or don’t enter. There is no cash equivalent for winning. It’s a fucking $15 iPhone skin. Don’t bust bust my balls over legal bullshit when I’m trying to do something nice.)

Comments on this blog are held for moderation to prevent spamming my legitimate users, but don’t worry – all entries will nget reviewed and approved.

I won’t do anything nefarious with your email. You won’t be added to any lists or other nonsense. I’m not a dick. I just want to find this skin a new home with someone I know will really appreciate it. Now show me that person is you.

If you don’t have a 3G /3GS, stop by Infectious and check out some of their cool skins for other gadgets. The skins look fantastic on the iPhone 4 with a bumper

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As much as you may hate the phrase “Web 2.0″, you have to admit, websites and web applications look a helluva lot better now than they did just a few years ago. But what if you’re a better programmer than you are a designer?

Naturally, if you develop for a company, one might hope that your crack-team of graphic designers could come up with customized icons for your applications. But sometimes that doesn’t happen, or sometimes you’re flying solo with a great idea for a web app.

We all know that bad things happen when designers try to program, and equally bad things happen when programmers try to design – assuming you’re not one of the handful of people who actually can wear both hats with some success.

Icon Search Engines

There are several free icon search engines that can quickly help you find the icons you’re looking for so you can spend more time developing your kickass software and less time trying to find the perfect icon to use in your user interface. These icon search engines allow you to narrow your search results by specific size, which is great if you’re trying to find a set of various icons that look similar and will all fit within your design specs.

The first two in this list are the first places I go to find a specific icon for a user interface.

IconFinder

Search through over 120,000 icons and many icon sets, lets you filter search results dynamically based on the sizes you need, and you can filter by license and background color. They almost always have a png and an ico version available. This search engine is my favorite because it has the most options, and very high quality images.

IconLook

They don’t mention how big their database of files are, but they also let you filter your search results on icon size. They do not allow you to filter by file type, and often do not have multiple formats available.

Iconlet

No mention of how many files they have, and image results tend to be lower quality, but they do have a lot of very small icon images, if that’s what you’re looking for. No ability to filter results on the fly, but the advanced search gives you more options for file type and image size, and they do have a handy search plugin. www.iconlet.com

VeryIcon

Search a database of over 20,000 icons in ico and png format. Their database is smaller than IconFinder, but they seem to have more specialized icons easily discoverable, for example, their World Places set featuring the Eiffel tower, or aquatic set complete with scuba diver icon. These are likely meant for desktop icons, but could be easily adapted. www.veryicon.com

Large Icon Collections

These don’t offer search, or when they do, it’s unimpressive at best, but their variety in specialized collections is worth a mention.

FreeIconsWeb

The search functionality on this site is less than awesome, but their sets are well organized, so if you’re looking for themed icons, this might be worth your time. It’s a bit of a clunky site, but they do have some nice icons. It wouldn’t be my go-to for standard web icons, but good to have as an option. www.freeiconsweb.com

VistaIcons

This is a nice collection of very slick, Vista style icons available in ico and png formats, organized by collection. www.vistaicons.com

I should mention that I’ve opted not to include many of the desktop icon sites – there are dozens, and many of them are great, but they often only offer ico versions of their images, and it can be a pain to convert many images just to use them in a UI.

Converting ICO to PNG

If you happen to find a desktop icon on a site that is only available in .ico format that you’d like to use online, there are online tools available that make it easy to convert from ico to png, and from png to ico (in case you want to use a snazzy png as your desktop icon). I’m sticking with online tools for this to avoid the Mac vs. PC vs. Linux issues

• ConvertIcon.Com – simple flash-based image converted (ico to png, png to ico)
• ConvertICO.Com – same deal, non-flash

DISCLAIMER: I cannot speak for the legitimacy of the licenses in these sites. I haven’t heard anything about them screwing over artists and stealing work they were not allowed to use in their databases or collections, but I obviously do not endorse any site that does that.

Where do you go for icons? Leave your secret sources in the comments.

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Are you a big fat nerd like me? Specifically a big, fat nerd that loves Futurama? Of course you are. And I bet you’ve always wanted a screensaver featuring the hypnotoad, to delight and annoy cow-orkers. Look no further.

Mac OSX and PC versions are coming – right now, I have only had a chance to create the Mac version, but I promise the Windows version will be ready and available for download for all the Microsofties out there. (And if Sunday rolls around and it’s not posted yet, annoy me on Twitter until I do it.)

Download the Mac Screensaver – with audio
Download the Mac Screensaver – without audio

Some Notes

This is free software, and you get what you pay for. Seriously. I want it to work for everyone, and I’m very interested in hearing if you run into any problems, but please understand that this is not what I do for a living, so be patient with me. I’ll do what I can in the time I have.

Once the Windows version is up, please take a moment to leave a comment, confirming your OS if it does (or doesn’t) work for you. I’m not aware of any issues, but I’d like to be able to note them.

Please do not link directly to these files, or upload the files to your own server for download. Link to this page, that way your friends and users will always be sure to be downloading the most up to date version available. (I mean it about linking directly to the files. Google “hot curry jpg” if you want to know what I did to the last file leech.)

This is VERY basic. Just the toad, doing his hypno-thing on a blue background. I may get more complicated with them in future releases, but for now, it’s just him. My first priority for improvements will be to set the audio on/off in the settings menu or hotkey, rather than forcing you to download two separate screensavers. Please stay tuned.

Also, and perhaps most-importantly, the ASCII Hypnotoad art in the installation readme looks way better in fixed-width text. He’s got sort of a head-melty thing going on right now in the variable width text, but here he is in pre-formatted glory:

               ,'``.._   ,'``.
              :,--._:)\,:,._,.:       ALL GLORY TO
              :`--,''   :`...';\      THE HYPNOTOAD!
               `,'       `---'  `.
               /                 :
              /                   \
            ,'                     :\.___,-.
           `...,---'``````-..._    |:       \
             (                 )   ;:    )   \  _,-.
              `.              (   //          `'    \
               :               `.//  )      )     , ;
             ,-|`.            _,'/       )    ) ,' ,'
            (  :`.`-..____..=:.-':     .     _,' ,'
             `,'\ ``--....-)='    `._,  \  ,') _ '``._
          _.-/ _ `.       (_)      /     )' ; / \ \`-.'
         `--(   `-:`.     `' ___..'  _,-'   |/   `.)
             `-. `.`.``-----``--,  .'
               |/`.\`'        ,',');
                   `         (/  (/

The README

=============================================================
Oh hai!

You’re actually *reading* the README that came with
software? Seriously? Well, good on ya. Only there’s not much to
say here.

I created this screensaver for free. I did not license the image or
sound of the Hypnotoad from Futurama.

In fact, I didn’t even ask
the guy at http://r33b.net if I could use his vectors, mostly
because he didn’t give anyone a way to contact him. (Him. Look
at me with the gender assumptions. See how I am? Shameful, really.)

Hopefully neither of them are going to bust my balls about licensing
issues. It’s not like I’m making any money off this, right? That said,
if they ask me to take it down or threaten to sue me for my entire
stockpile of top ramen, I will comply. So, enjoy it while it’s here.

Anyway – if you decide to link to this, or tell other people where
to download it, that’s cool – just please always direct them back
to the download link on www.snipe.net, instead of hosting the file
yourself, since the version on my server will be the most up to
date available at any given time.

Cheers,

snipe
www.snipe.net
snipe@snipe.net

=============================================================
Link to: http://www.snipe.net/tags/hypnotoad
Last updated: Nov 10, 2009
=============================================================

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I spent (wasted?) too much of today making mp3 ringtones. Since I went through the trouble of creating them, I figured I’d post them, in case anyone wants them as well (assuming your phone can play mp3s). Most of these are clipped to under 30 seconds, but there are a few that are a bit longer.

Most are set at about 48 Constant Bit Rate, however some are a little higher, and the long ones may have been saved at a lower Bit Rate to reduce filesize. I edited most of these myself (all actually, except for the pop music stuff) so blame my editing if it doesn’t capture exactly the bits you wanted.

UPDATE: These links are working again – thanks to @Teifion for bringing the broken links to my attention.
UPDATE Dec 2009: Added a few more, mostly from classic cartoons (“Small fry” and Owl Jolson’s “I love to Singa” and a few from Rankin/Bass’ The Hobbit.)

Family Guy:
* Chumbawumba – 122K (20 seconds)
* Quagmire “Giggitty” – 10k (1 second)
* “I’m a Tumor” song – 59k (8 seconds)
* Stewie: “For the next 5 hours, you’re my bitch” – 22k (3 seconds)
* Quagmire: “Why are you still here?” – 72k (9 seconds)
* Creepy old guy’s answering machine messages to Chris – 194k (49 seconds)
* “Can’t touch me” song – 180k (22 seconds)
* “Why did the dinosaurs die out?” “Because you touch yourself at night” – 30k (4 seconds)
* Chris: “You dropped something – my jaw. Aww right….” – 61k (8 seconds)
* Mayor West: “You are a filthy whore” – 19k (2 seconds)
* Stewie: “Go fuck yourself” – 7k (2 seconds)
* Peter: “Jeez, what a bitch” – 7k (2 seconds)
* Shatner: “Kahn!!” – 146k (18 seconds)
* Brian: “Peanut butter jelly time” – 142k (21 seconds)
* Stewie: “My fat baby loves to eat” song – 206k
* Stewie talking to Brian about his novel – 223k (45 seconds)
* Peter: “Up in my bum” Christmas song – 44k (5 seconds)
* Louis/Stewie: “Worst mother” – 23k (3 seconds)
* “You have AIDS” song – 212k (43 seconds)

Futurama:
* Grunka Lunka “secret ingredient” – 118k (12 seconds)
* Hypnotoad (Loop) – 45k

Space Ghost Coast to Coast:
* Brak: Beef log – 111k
* Brak: “I’m a cucumber” – 193k
* Space Ghost/Brak: “Minky Boodle” – 156k
* Zorak: “We like girls” – 135k

Robot Chicken:
* Apocalypse Pony – 194k

The Hobbit (Rankin/Bass)
* Down to Goblin Town
* That’s What Bilbo Baggins Hates
* Funny Little Things (Fifteen Birds)

Return of the King (Rankin/Bass)
* Where There’s a Whip There’s a Way

Misc Cartoons
* Small Fry (Max Fleischer’s classic cartoon)
* I love to Singa

Muppets:
* Not Easy Being Green – 159k (27 seconds)
* Swedish Chef bork bork bork – 87k (8 seconds)
* Fraggle Rock theme – 134k (22 seconds)
* Kermit: “Who let the frogs out?” song – 158k (26 seconds)
* New Sound song – 235k (30 seconds)
* Habanera (by Beaker and the Swedish Chef)
* Podlings Song from The Dark Crystal – 208k

Charlie the Unicorn:
* Charlie – 82k
* Candy Mountain song – 247k
* Joy and joyness – 53k
* Liopleurodon – 57k
* Shun the non-believer – 86k
* Wake up, Charlie – 87k

Winnie the Pooh:
* “Up, Down, Touch the Ground” song – 165k (24 seconds)

Up:
* “Heeeere snipe”

Jonathan Coulton:
* RE: Your Brains (Chorus)
* Mr. Fancy Pants (Chorus)

Finding Nemo:
* Dory: “Just keep swimming” – 50k (5 seconds)
* Sea Turtle: “Duuuuude” – 90k (13 seconds)
* Dory: “Speaking whale” – 179k (18 seconds)
* Dory: “My squishy” – 64k (9 seconds)

Commercials:
* Coca-Cola: “Lime in the coconut” – 174k (25 seconds)
* Honda Element: “I peench” – 188k (27 seconds)
* Skittles: Yodeling rabbit – 188k (27 seconds)

Weird Al:
* Harvey the wonder hamster – 165k
* White and nerdy – 235k
* Gotta boogie – 235k

Misc. Movies:
* Little Mermaid: “Maybe he’s right, maybe there is something the matter with me” – 24k
* Robots: “Get up offa that thing” – 235k

Music:
* Beck: “Loser” – 151k
* Jane Siberry: “Everything reminds me of my dog” – 244k
* Dixie Chicks: “Goodbye Earl” – 71k
* Fergie – “London Bridge” – 198k
* VIllage People: “YMCA” – 235k

Dr. Demento:
* Carrot juice is murder – 205k
* Junk food junkie – 235k

Misc. (funny):
* “Ding, fries are done” (Burger King) – 228k
* Gay muppet bar – 247k
* Bilbo Baggins (by Nimoy) – 235k
* Ren and Stimpy: “Log” – 180k
* Steve Martin & David Letterman yelling “Vagina!”

Misc. (not funny):
* Mercy – 238k
* Party & Bullshit (Biggie remix by Ratatat)
* Halo 3 ODST Live-Action Commercial song (“Lament”)
* Scene from the movie ‘Carrie’ – “They’re all going to laugh you!” (thanks, @prp2!)
* Cheech’s “Pussy” speech in ‘From Dusk Til Dawn’

Monty Python:
* Lovely bunch of coconuts – 167k
* Altzheimers answering machine – 199k

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