are you feeling lucky?

google page one - adjective

1. used to describe something that is really obvious. Particularly when someone is trying to give you some sort of recommendation

For ex:
"Man, I'm going to NYC next weekend. You know anything fun to do there?"
"oh ya dude, have you heard of 'Central Park'? Its rad."
"dude, that is so google page one. What else you got?"

Which, as you can see by googling "fun stuff in new york city", is verifiably true.

shoptimism

shoptimism - noun
1. buying clothes that are too small for you because you think/hope that you will exercise and diet and soon be able to fit into them.
2. George W Bush's repeated instructions to the US population to "get out and shop" as a way to stimulate the economy and help the nation

free food

ben and jerry's free cone day doesn't seem to be having any impact on traffic congestion in new york or los angeles.

(screenshots as of 3:30pm here and here)

but I highly suggest you all keep a close eye on the situation.

godblessu

i present for your consideration: tissue box

lookin clear

google traffic map of wyoming

the long tail of birdwatching

starlings, tits, and ducks























etc

intellectual banana

"Intellectual property has the shelf life of a banana." - Bill Gates

k thx bye

omg, thx for saving the galaxy!

oh also, thx for fixing ma sign.

but most importantly, thx for all the memories.

the crap keeps flowing

Could it be that as the daily crappy swarm of "where to drink lychee martinis in NYC" mailing lists run out of cheap puns to make on the term "sample sale", so too are they running out of over-priced restaurants to cover?

Two leaders of the crap pack today provide double-coverage of the best new place to find clustering douche bags over the next couple days:
Roll the Dados [dailycandy.com]
Who's Your Dados [thrillist.com]

Update: a THIRD daily email weighs in with even more witless banter about this place! amazing.
The Next Mex Thing [raredaily.com]

new panda bear album

Like the stained glass sky of the beautiful dawn of a summer morning, revealed to dry and weary cracked-out eyes, awake all night on cocaine-fueled partying, the new Panda Bear album is upon us. The future is here. The world is beautiful. There is nothing to be afraid of. You can go home again.

track 1, Comfy in Nautica
track 3, Bros

great -- sans irony

These are some really good ideas!http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
Top 5 Remainder Ideas from blogger Ironic Sans

His terrorist logo taxonomy is pretty good too. oh! and the list of Economist articles cheapunned by their headlines is also good.

hrm ... maybe i just found a new favorite blog.

if LA is Mars then NYC is Venus

yo this confirms what I've been saying for years! proof at last. I feel so vindicated -- my hypothesis proven.

Single Guys Live in LA, Single Girls in NYC

... from strange maps (via today's VSL)

knock knock, who's there, summer hilarity

Some knock knock jokes for summer:

Wayne who? ... Wayne, Wayne, go away, come again another day

Panther who? ... Panther no panths, I'm going thwimming!

Bugspray who? ... Bugs pray that frogs won't eat them!

Oliver who? ... Oliver you there are bugs!

Lucy who? ... Lucy Lastic lets your pants fall down

Tank who? ... You're welcome!

life returning to chernobyl

This is a really interesting link via slashdot about wildlife returning after Chernobyl

Wildlife Returning To Chernobyl [slashdot]

"One of the elderly residents who refused to evacuate the contaminated area says packs of wolves have eaten two of her dogs, and wild boar trample through her cornfield."

wow, first Chernobyl and now this ... that poor old lady really cannot get a break.

the sun has risen on the summer of positivity

art baran

My homey JB Jessica Baran just got a writeup in the Voice!

Let's Be Frank

"Frame Narrative," a solo show by L.A.-based mixed-media sculptor Jason Meadows, presents a kind of natural-history-museum display of a monstrous batik-loving hunter-gatherer, evidently made extinct by his insatiable bad taste.

nice!

web two point oh jeez

my (2nd) hasty, partial-formed idea of the day:

the abundance of new "social" "web 2.0" sites is actually hurting the cause they are purporting to be encouraging ...

this is all about social exchange collaboration etc ... its about folksonomy etc and organizing the worlds information ..

but the more things we have like this springing up (delicious, stumble upon, diigo, etc etc etc) the less valuable they each become. if everyone used say delicious that would make it much more valuable than if half the people use something else ....

i guess the "solution" here is that eventually competition will drive others out and people will naturally standardize ... i just hope that happens soon ... and think of all the wasted annotations that will fall away when these other endeavors start to fall off.

the other angle is that if web2.0 philosophies are truly adopted, these sites will all be able to freely exchange and intermingle their data ... but then what will be the value that each provides? just a slightly different UI on this massive annotated database? so they all will ultimately merge then.

the place for people who love places

half-baked idea of the day:

new york as "the place for people who love places" ...

new york is such a great place, and therefore populated by people who love great places and that is why people get so preoccupied w/ it. which is to say, new yorkers are not obsessed w/ nyc because it is a great place per se, but because people who care about places concentrate here. many new yorkers would probably be obsessed with any place they live if they happened to live there ... but it just so happens they concentrate here ... because its a great place to live ;) ... ok, so maybe its circular logic.

i always love that convo about like "whats it like out there" re: any city or region. like when you meet someone from somewhere and just talk about place generalities ... like, "ya, california is nice. the weather is great. but the people are fake". it is so not of the internet era .. i mean we are in the age of free information transfer ... you can instantly know anything no matter where you are ... but the info of what its actually like to be in a place cant be teleported

fame: I wanna live, period

ok, sit down ... new theory brewing ... This episode of "The Resident" reminded me of this idea i've been having

Earning the American Dream"

my new hypothesis is to view america's obsession w/ fame as just like a desire for community ... media now operates on an (inter)national level much more so than before... didnt people's attention used to be more locally focussed? wasn't it the case in the golden-olden days that media had more emphasis on the local? and international was kind of secondary? ... so you would see the goings on of you or your friends or relatives or neighbors or neighborhood in the paper or whatever other chanels were popular then. so maybe the desire to be famous these days is just the desire to be on tv or in the news, ie to be acknowledged, validated ... ie to see that your friends know about your existence ... maybe not your friends per se, buut, your community ... where "community" is defined as all the people you communicate with by viewing the same channels. by becoming so globally focussed we kind of put our own immediate existence in a less prominent position ... and then end up looking for validation by trying to participate in that new arena

also think about all those "famous to 15 people" quotes ...

homophobic military recruiter email exchange

this is just too hilarious.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Here's some of the email exchange between Corey Andrew of Jersey City and Sgt. Marcia Ramode on Feb. 27 and March 1 as provided to The Jersey Journal by Andrew.


Misspellings, capital letters and grammatical errors are as they appear in the emails:

Sgt. Ramode: My name is Marcia Ramode, and I am United States Army recruiter. I saw your resume on career builder and we have lots of vacant positions in Logistics, Administration...If interested please give me a call at my toll free number.

Andrew: Awesome! Sounds great! The US Military has so many vacant positions and opportunities. I had no idea. I'm seriously considering contacting you. One thing, I'm not up on current politics but since its 2007, I would imagine also that I am now able to serve in the US military as an openly gay man, right?

Ramode: WELL IF YOU ARE GAY WE DON'T TAKE YOU. YOU ARE CONSIDERED UNQUALIFIED.

Andrew: Wow! Unqualified to serve my country just because I'm gay? It's because they think I might all of a sudden desire one last kiss from my fellow male solider if ever facing death at the hands of the enemy in a fox hole, isn't?... Funny, the US Government doesn't mind taking my "gay" dollars every tax season or out of my paycheck every two weeks. I'm stunned that the US ARMY could afford to be so choosey when I see sergeants on my school campus and in the local shopping Mall...begging teenagers to enlist.

Ramode: YOU ARE DEFINITELY UNQUALIFIED, NOW TAKE YOU GAY SELF SOMEPLACE ELSE WE DO NOT TOLERATE GAY PEOPLE LIKE YOU IN ANY PART OF THE MILITARY. AND IF IT BOTHERS YOU PAYING TAXES THEN MIGRATE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY.... AND IF IT BOTHERS YOU ABOUT THE US MILITARY RECRUITING THEN YOU GO TELL THE BOARD OF EDUCATION .... AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE RECRUITERS RECRUITING IN FRONT YOU HIGH SCHOOL THEN COMPLAIN TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OR BETTER YET TRY COMPLAINING TO MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND SEE WHAT HE HAS TO SAY... YOU SHOULD SAY THANK YOU MILITARY PEOPLE FOR WHAT YOU DO SO THAT YOU CAN LIVE A FREE LIFE IN THIS COUNTRY. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE.

Andrew: Before you go on waving your flag all over the place let me first inform you, that as an African American who's ancestry is most likely MORE deeply rooted in American history than yours ever will be...I respect the millions of soldiers fighting to protect my rights every day but just so you know, those rights include me being gay... I applaud servicemen and women everyday for their role in our country's protection. However, for you and the government to deem homosexuals "unqualified" to risk their own lives and defend their own freedom as well as their country's freedom, is moronic.

Ramode: OH I FORGOT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YES YOU MIGHT TO TRY TO KISS A SOLDIER IN THE FOXHOLE SO THAT IS A NO NO.

Andrew: You are living proof that "Don't Ask Don't tell" is a fallacy. You initially rejected me without any consideration whatsoever of my integrity, or abilities. This behavior is at the very core of the discrimination that has plagued the USA for decades. You should know that I never had any intention of joining the military; I simply wanted to have this discussion to prove a point. With over 2,500 cases of anti-gay harassment acts against gay soldiers, including bashings and murders, for you to say the US Military only takes "straights" is delusional.

Ramode: YOU HEAD OFF TO THE GAY LAND OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO MORALS AND GET RID OF YOURSELF. PERSONALLY I THINK BEING GAY IS DISGUSTING AND IMMORAL.... AS AN AFRICAN HAVE NO PLACE TO SAY YOUR ROOTS ARE DEEPLY ROOTED HERE. MY ROOTS ARE MUCH STRONGER THAN YOURS. YOU WERE BROUGHT HERE BEING YOUR WILL POWER WHEREAS MY ROOTS RUN FROM THE NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN. I HAVE MORE RIGHTS HERE THAN YOU AND MY ROOTS HAVE BEEN HERE EVER SINCE BEFORE THE AMERICAS WERE DISCOVERED...YOU TAKE YOUR GAY A-- OFF SOMEPLACE AND GO TO SOME OTHER COUNTRY AND BADMOUTH THE MILITARY...TAKE YOUR A-- BACK WHERE YOU BELONG NOT HERE.

Andrew: Clearly with your limited vocabulary and poor spelling, the Army mayhave been the only option YOU had in life. Granted, there are highly intellectual people in the military. You're just not one of them. ...Native American history you are so proud of and research their position on homosexuality. They are very tolerant and accepting of homosexuals believing that the inner spirit is true to itself in its nature. They are less tolerant of fools than they are of homosexuals. So take that to your next rain dance.

Ramode: YOU GO BACK TO AFRICA AND DO YOUR GAY VOODOO LIMBO TANGO AND WANGO DANCE AND JUMP AROUND AND PRANCE AND RUN ALL OVER THE PLACE HALF NAKED THERE AND PRACTICE YOUR GAY MORALS OVER THERE THAT'S WHERE YOU BELONG....I AM REPORTING YOU AS SPAM AND ADDING YOU TO MY BLOCK SENDER LIST SO I DO NOT HAVE TO HEAR FROM YOU AGAIN....

web2.0 uncoverd

Alot of people ask me, "what is this 'web 2.0' stuff all about?" To which I never really knew what to reply. Until now. I cracked the code. the key to starting a web 2.0 business is:
1. put a random number in your business name, or
2. delete the last vowel from your name.

http://37signals.com/
http://16bugs.com/
http://www.88miles.net/
the 43's:
http://www.43places.com/
http://www.43things.com/
http://www.43people.com/
http://www.height1percent.com/ (slimtimer)

1000tags
14Dayz
23
30Boxes
3Bubbles
3Jam
411Metro
83Degrees
9cays

and,

flickr
flagr
Wrickr
preloadr
Retrievr
gpokr
scanr
grazr
gtalkr
isolatr, and its big competitor, socializr
blufr
browsr

tenor saw, skateland, mmmassive

Some of the best videos on YouTube are the few floating around of these old early dancehall parties in Kingston Jamaica. And my favorite of all those is the mmmmmmassive rrrankin'est skankin'est a'dem all, Tenor Saw. takin it live n direct at Skateland. with Nicodemus and others. ere dis:



n more where dat a'come:
YouTube, search Skateland (ignore the skating videos)

By the way, if you don't know the tragic story of Tenor Saw its time ta lern aboooot eeet:
Tenor Saw, aka Clive Bright [wikipedia]
huge reggae sensation in Jamaica, finally came to the US, was sure to make it big, got hit by a car and died in Texas. as if we needed another reason to hate Texas.

daily crappy craps again

Those sample sale loving bimbos over at Daily Candy are at it again. Longest day of the year? what? I guess on the subway to work this morning someone must've read in am New York that today was the "equinox". Equinox, ladies. Not the longest day (aka, "solstice"). Which, if you paused to think about for 2 seconds you'd realize would be sometime in summer right? Anyone want to go buy some anti-wrinkle cream though? No really. Natch. obvs. Its fab. hearts!

could I get mushrooms, bell peppers and The Onion with that?

cameraphone pic that I took of an ACTUAL headline from the Daily News the day after the Greenwich Village shooting that left 4 dead. such an amazingly ridiculous awful joke of a headline.

also, (via the Gothamist link above) here is the shooter's personal webpage for his filmmaking career:
http://geocities.com/drgarvin/
wonder how long that will stay up.

this is what it sounds like

what it sounds like when doves cry.

... apropos of nothing.

to prove to move in my own way

great live version of Fiona Apple's amazing "Extraordinary Machine" -- which maybe possibly just might feel like my theme song these days.

like dunking on dr ruth

while over at the Intelligencer, I noticed this post:


Air Jordan Fouled by WorldCom! [nymag.com]

Is this not completely in poor taste? Thousands of employees lose their retirement savings and Jordan is suing for $8mil? I mean, its fine and right for him to get what is owed him ... but I hope he takes some of that money and helps some of the "fouled" employees who really need it.

what up my n-word

The most interesting article I've read thus far on the City Council's "n-word" ban focuses on activist and poet Felipe Luciano. He says,

"I used the word nigger to defuse its negativity. When Puerto Ricans call each other the Spanish word 'negro,' it reflects feelings of love." ... Luciano says he understands "the impulse to put up a united front against words that marginalize and stereotype. But morally condemning a word without looking at the substantive problem simply applies a Band-Aid."

I completely agree with that sentiment. ya know if you think about it, and think who this "ban" is really affecting, the ironic thing is that it could actually be construed as a racist policy. Luckily it is a symbolic gesture only. But who's actions are being banned?

Pol and Poet Wouldn't Support N-Word Ban [nymag.com]

conspicuous computation

people using computers in weird strange uncomfortable conspicuous places.
usually with macs.
a new trend that is sweeping the nation.
does using ipods fall into this category? I think so.

tv on the radio, on the magazine (on the blog)

mini-controversy brewing at the village voice about their recent cover -- which TV on the Radio's very own Martin Perna wrote in to condemn.

TV on the Radio Guy Calls Our Cover Racist [villagevoice.com]

ok,,, clearly its not intentionally racist. maybe it is unintentionally so. but the question is, does it matter?

we are a bunch of humans on this planet, going about our business ... if someone jumps onto the subway before me and i cant get on, will i be pissed? ya. will i consider it a human rights violation? no. point is we all live in our separate worlds, that are overlapping and interconnected. it is impossible to go through life and not step on any one else's toes. "Jain monks walk barefoot and sweep the ground in front of them to avoid killing any insect."¹ Are we to all take this degree of sensitivity in every aspect of our lives? This obviously offended some people -- clearly Martin Perna at least -- but it would be hard to say it has any other damaging results. I don't think it will encourage or perpetuate any racial hate, division, or violence -- won't provide any set-backs for anyone "committed to social justice and healing America of its sick racist condition." So Mr Perna you are entitled to your opinion and feelings of offense but I suggest you recall the Stylistics lyrics that "people make the world go 'round."


1 - Jainism, wikipedia

>>>PS1derful!!i!

guys, PS1 is great, but you probably already knew this. After 4 1/2 years in NYC I finally made it out there on Sunday for a great opening. Actually, the opening was good-not-great. My favorite thing I saw was the James Turrell room. amazing. (pictured below.) As far as trendy scenester arty NYC parties go, this totally beats Deitch in all the best and worst ways. can't believe I just wrote that.


PS 1-derful

seamus enjoying the james turrell room

cheapun (the paradoxical post title)

cheapun - noun or verb - to reduce the value of something by associating it with a cheap wordplay.

Ex:
Blogger 1: "Did you read that article in the Times last week?"
Blogger 2: "ya! It was great. Too bad Jennifer 8 Lee cheapunned it with that lame title."
Blogger 1: "Actually I thought it sucked anyway."
Blogger 2: "ya I guess you're right."

I've seen cheapuns (cheapunning, cheapunism) running rampant these days. In everything from the blogosphere to print media to the art world. Don't denigrate yourself by resorting to this lame shallow pseudo-cleverness!

folk off

Its Friday ... that means its time for another YouTune ... this one is pretty fascinating ... One of apparently only two surviving video recordings of Woodie Guthrie performing. Sit through the long talking-heads intro for a pretty great little song. "That'll be the death of me." amen.



(ps -- and here is what the poster claims to be the only other video of Guthrie. again, sit through the annoying intro. amazing.)

good design makes us whole

jesus is this true? I find the degree to which our world is dependent on "design" these days to be somewhat depressing.

When our tools don't work, we tend to blame ourselves, for being too stupid or not reading the manual or having too-fat fingers. "I think there's almost a belligerence -- people are frustrated with their manufactured environment," says Ive. "We tend to assume the problem is with us, and not with the products we're trying to use." In other words, when our tools are broken, we feel broken. And when somebody fixes one, we feel a tiny bit more whole.

... from Time magazine's recent article on the iPhone.

Apple's New Calling: The iPhone [time.com]

gaysted is the new hasbian

dang why didnt I think of this ...

Gaysted [buzzfeed.com]

The Slits vs. Takako Minekawa

I love how these two songs go together in some bizarre way.

Early reggae-punk OG grrl-power group The Slits and contemporary Japanese cutesy rocker Takako Minekawa who's music (like the latest wave of Web 2.0 startups created just to be bought by google) is perfectly suited for the next Sofia Coppola project. enjoy.

coinci-dance

Was walking around town today, pounding the pavement, trying to make money, running around to meetings for various freelance jobs that I've lined up.

On the way back home, waiting on the platform, I saw a dude with the brightest green sneakers I've ever seen. The train came, we got on, and he sat down on the opposite side of the train from a girl sitting there in equally bright green sneakers. She and I got off at the next stop and they never saw each other.

Reminded me for some reason of the liner notes to Joni Mitchell's 1979 album Mingus. (scroll down)

from miu to you

If Miuccia Prada can go from being a mime (yes, a MIME) to what she is now then anything in this world is possible. I mean ... its just a testament to like the power of human volition and the fact that there is no such thing as a wrong path in life.

This was such a surprisingly good interview. She talks about issues of class and dignity and how that is lacking so much today as compared to past eras. And it touches on so much that is great and awful about New York.

The Woman Who Loves Men [men.style.com]

waltz for debby

The first installment of my YouTunes posts ...

I absolutely love Bill Evans. And this is probably my all-time 2nd favorite of his songs. So I was so happy to come across this old video. Check out Bill employing his fancy finger work and his characteristic slouch -- which the bassist does a pretty good job of imitating on and off throughout. oh man its so good.

the subway fold

I found out about the Wall Street Journal's new size today while listening to Studio360 on WNYC. In the segment, so-called "design guru" Chee Pearlman made mention of "the subway fold" -- a term I had never before heard, but, I realized, a technique I had several times tried. So I went to googling for a how-to. It was much harder to find than I thought. I finally came across a decent explanation in, of all places, the New York Times. In the June 13, 2004 edition of the "F.Y.I" write-in Q&A column. It is now, unfortunately cloistered away in the Times's pay section, but I subscribe and so decided to reproduce the explanation here. For you. My dear readers reader.

Subway Origami

Q. One morning on a crowded New York bus, I watched an elderly gentleman fold The New York Times in a manner I had never seen before. He never brushed the person next to him. It was almost like watching a ballet. Ever since, I have been in search of someone who knew how to fold the paper this way, to no avail. Any advice?

A. There are many who, like you, lament the decline of what is known as the subway fold.

According to The Times's Newspaper in Education program, the key is to first fold the newspaper vertically, from top to bottom, to create a crease down the middle. If you are reading the front page, fold again horizontally to create a quadrant. Flip and fold as necessary to read each portion of the page.

To jump to an inside page, open the top corner to that page and peel the front half back, so the paper remains folded vertically. If you want to read the center columns, peel back the inside once more, creating two lengthwise portions. Then fold again into four parts.

Keep your elbows close to your body. And stand clear of the closing doors. MICHAEL POLLAK

Small Street Journal [studio360]

NYC living ... a day in the sunday styles

Where to have power breakfasts with creative professionals:
Breakfast Is Late, So Business Is Good [nytimes]
Me to this article is like a moth to the flame. I'm simultaneously so engrossed and so nauseated. My initial gut reaction was that this must be the work of Jenifer 8. Lee (of "Man date" fame) -- but sadly no.

house envy, life envy:
Art Above and Below, With Life in the Middle [nytimes]
These "habitation" stories always make me so jealous.

And round it out with the story of a crazy yoga romance:
VOWS, Colleen Saidman and Rodney Yee [nytimes]
Who says Asian men are de-sexualized in this country? (You might only get that joke if you see a picture of these two together. google it.)

maira kalman

I've been interested in Maira Kalman's work for a little while now. I like the style and tone of her drawings and poems, but some of the stuff I find really really cheesy.

But I have to post this little slideshow today because that shot of the old woman with the "Sol Moscot" sign in the background is on the corner that I walk through to and from work everyday. That just made this seem even more relevant to shit I've been thinking about lately ...

Completely [nytimes blogs]

McSweeney's List Reject

One of those wry self-satisfied little fuckers over at McSweeney's should make a list of rejected list submissions. Hopefully I'd at least make that list. I mostly love their long list of lists, but I have to say I was pretty shocked and surprised when they denied my submission. Well F them ... thanks to the glory of The Blog I can self-publish. For your reading pleasure:

Leading Characters in a Gangbang Porno Taking Place in a Fictitious Jazz Nightclub

Jay Jay Johnson
Herbie Handcock
Charlie Porker
Dave Bareback
Count Assie
Dexter Hardon
Charles Cunnilingus
Stan Getzalottapussy
Miles Clitoris

and starring, Ella Titsgerald!

Perhaps those little literary hipsters didn't realize that I'm not actually a pornographer and hence were unable to grasp the irony.

hasbianism

ok, so ya know that chick who used to ya know, bat for the other team, but now doesn't? ya know, like, used to use scissors but now uses a pencil? used to eat donuts but now eats hot dogs? ok cutting to the chase, I just thought of a new word:

hasbian (haz-bee'uh-n) noun - meaning should be obvious by now

Sample usage:

Dude: "Did you hear about Debbie?! She totally has been hooking up with Bradley."
Chick: "oh my god, she is such a hasbian."

auld lang syne curve ball

some slightly unusual year-end summaries.

Salon's year in sex touches on Screech's sex tape and the purity ball, among other things, and somehow manages to provide a thought-provoking discussion on all the beaver shots that have made the news lately.
So long, sugar tits! [salon]

Also, on a somewhat more somber note, Slate's year in human rights abuses:
The Bill of Wrongs [slate]

(also, unrelated but interesting:
http://www.salon.com/books/int/2007/01/02/numbers/ )

revenge

This is the best account of the execution that I have read thus far.

Saddam: The death of a dictator [salon]

I know that for most it goes without saying, but I just think its really important to note that the crime Sadam was committed of was the killing of 148 people. ONE HUNDRED FORTY EIGHT. Not a negligible sum, though it is less than the number of Americans that George Bush killed in Iraq in the last two months. Of course in reality we all know Sadam killed hundreds of thousands, and tortured even more than that. But it really drives home the point of the salon article when you think that by the same logic with which he was found guilty, so too are Bush, Blair, and probably most American presidents of the last hundred years.

pushing forward back

makes me so happy
Dairy cows join effort to corral greenhouse gases [east oregonian]

part of broader trend of kind of this retro form of modernization. not retro but like this back-looking moving forward.
eg, poor people been utilizing cow manure in india since forever

marriage of modern science which lends precision and efficiency
with "ancient" or somehow "natural" human practices

funny how when humans really started using science for practical things liek commerce etc it was such a perverse technology-obsessed usage. thinking like from the industrial revolution through to the 60's ... when a technology was introduced it totally replaced the traditional or folk practice. now i think we are finally seeing mroe and more instances of these two things working together.

dispelling myths

santa and mushrooms? this article is of questionable veracity ... but it is fascinating even if only 10% true:
The psychedelic secrets of Santa Claus [cannabis culture]

about the princess obsession among girls in america
What’s Wrong With Cinderella? [nytimes]

article about pentecostalism on the rise:
Christianity reborn [economist]
whats fascinating to me here is how the article seems to show that mysticism is somehow an innate human quality ... as advanced as science is -- and even though it has explained some huge percentage of natural phenomena -- people still turn to these thoughts and feelings about evil spirits and the afterlife and such.

Had an interesting discussion with uday about how to reconcile this or if its possible ... should science explain religion? should science explain the human tendency toward spiritualizing the physical world? (see that recent article about the "religion gene") And if so won't there always be some backlash toward this? that seems to be what we are seeing now. science can explain away all of the mysterious, but won't this innate human quality then rear its head? causing people to talk about these irrational thoughts.

My belief is that psychology can explain alot of this. If there is a devil it is an evil tendency that exists within us all. if there is a god it is the loving ideal that we each hold in our heads. and if there is an afterlife it is in the minds and hearts of people that have known you, or loved you, or known your work or your life.

I think this explanation is really nice ... it touches on the human desire to be immortalized through work -- to build a bridge or a building or cure a disease or write a novel. And it also kind of turns religious dogma into like this contract. You want to be immortalized. So you believe in an afterlife. You believe your ancestors are in heaven. You induct your children into these same beliefs. And you thus guarantee that you will live on after your life in their hearts and minds.

¿oh you nintendidn't!

You have never before seen a video game sing the blues. This is tragicomedy at its finest. Video artist Ryan Kelley created an 8-bit rendering of the Rodney King beating:

8-bit rodney king beating [youtube]

Check it out and give it some stars. His other video is also amazing.

feminists, modern foot-binders, and avoiding SAD

today's trip through the Times

See what happens when those uppity femmes try to stake claims to the male arena? Demise of the species! Stay home ladies.
Neanderthal Women Joined Men in the Hunt [nytimes]

An article about an allegedly emerging practice of people with disabilities using PGD to pass those disabilities on to their children:
Wanting Babies Like Themselves, Some Parents Choose Genetic Defects [nytimes]
I would argue that this practice is analogous to Chinese foot-binding or certain Native American tribes that used straps and boards to flatten the foreheads of babies. But I like how Dr. Sanghavi drew a connection between this practice and our "increasingly globalized society where identity seems besieged and in need of aggressive preservation". I believe celebrity culture and Americans' passive acceptance of being inundated with corporate advertising will soon create a crisis of American identity and this is an early symptom -- people looking for a tribe in a stark cultural landscape.

Editorial on the "Good" War? an over-simplification in my mind ... although this does reiterate how the Iraq quagmire has occurred at the expense of Afghanistan -- but as a major boon to opium addicts the world over!
Losing the Good War [nytimes]

Winter is approaching in NYC ... my advice for powering through the winter blues? Well don't do heroin. Instead stay at home and do crossword puzzles -- or try to think up clever acronyms ... like "SAD". aww.
Getting a Grip on the Winter Blues [nytimes]

or, you could read this book of cool cartoons:
Anxiety, Illustrated [nytimes]

Bush hears our prayers!

Bush doesn't believe the reports and briefings provided to him on Iraq, but he does believe that the nation's prayers will help us ... and that he can sense everyone praying for him. George if you can hear me, I'm praying that you resign immediately so at least a halfway competent person can take your place. amen.

Bush: I feel the power of prayers [salon]

Also, some admiral on the energy crisis ... in 1957. how prescient

Mystery Cassandra [salon]

frank rich on bush's loss of grips with reality
http://select.nytimes.com/2006/12/03/opinion/03rich.html?hp

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6158119.stm
http://thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/UndertheDome/112906.html

So long Robert Altman

Robert Altman passed away. So sad. He is one of my favorite directors even though I've only seen I think two of his movies.

My favorite film of his is the amaazing "Brewster McCloud" although I have at least a half-dozen others in my Netflix queue.

I don't think many people know that there were actually lyrics to the famous MASH theme ... its a stretch but they could be construed as related to his death -- well, to death at least.

Suicide is Painless

Its been performed by many. My favorite version is by surf rock group The Ventures. I didn't know this but apparently the lyrics were written by his son! ... and here is a horribly cheesy MIDI file of the song ... appropriate to his death in the darkly comic way that could be appropriate only to him:



Altman Dies at 81 [nytimes]

yay my first approved Sartorialist comment
http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/2006/11/on-streetsoho-london_17.html

and my second:
http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/2006/11/on-street23rd-st-chelsea.html

On Relating, Redux ...

Everybody knows it was Larry David who once famously said that "a relationship, I think, is like a shark. You know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies."[1]

I was reminded of this today when I came across this painting by one of my new favorite artists, Joe Heaps:
   Shark [joeheaps.com]

In my personal opinion though I think this piece of his more accurately evokes my current thoughts about relationships:
   Interstate Trucking [joeheaps.com]
A masculine and feminine vessel, traveling down the road of life, riding together at the same speed for a while. Its like a "body meets a body comin' thro' the rye" kind of a thing. Hopefully everyone is lucky enough to find someone they can ride with for a while ... and not get split up by ferraris speeding by in the passing lane. or bumps in the road. or detours. or one truck getting a flat tire. ok, analogy now taken to nauseating extreme.

(and I'm kidding of course, that is a Woody Allen quote from my favorite of his movies.)

Some New Yorkers NOT Cultish Gourmands!

[Quick aside: Is it the most wonderful time of the year again already?? I walked in to Cosi (excuse me, "Così") this morning and they have already loaded up their "Holiday" music mix unfortunately. ugh.]

Anyway, I read about this Ghetto Gourmet business a couple weeks ago and bought tickets and, despite it being featured on Daily Candy yesterday, I'm still really excited to attend this Friday.

But who is New York magazine kidding with that headline? Are there any New Yorkers left that still need to be converted to "Secretive Cultish Gourmands"???

Secretive, Cultish Gourmands Aim to Convert New Yorkers [nymag]

On Relating ...

I've been thinking about relationships quite a bit lately for various reasons ... and so here are two little internet tidbits I've come across that are quite fascinating and relevant.

Scott Turow does a You Must Read This piece for NPR about his favorite short story:
Tillie Olsen's Tender Portrait of a Marriage [npr.org]

And here is a 10 minute video by Lo-Fi Saint Louis about the sweetest artist couple ever. I hope I can have as creative and mutually supportive a life with someone as these two have made.
Arthur Osver and Ernestine Betsberg [lofistl.com]

bamboozled

On my trip to DC last weekend, in addition to Société Anonyme at the Phillips Collection, I saw The Green House, an exhibit about sustainable architecture and design at the National Building Museum.

One of the coolest things was all the uses they were demonstrating of bamboo as a cheap, sustainable, stylish, environmentally-friendly building material. So it was particularly relevant when I came across a recent post on Rob Walker's blog, in which he links to his own article in the latest NY Times Magazine about the trend of bamboo as a the new "It" raw material.

High On Grass [murketing]

Borat Reporat

So apparently Pamela was in on the joke. I knew it.
Pam was in on 'Borat' joke [nypost]

And here's a little report card about what Sacha's Borat got right and wrong about Kazakhstan:
The Real Kazakhstan [slate]
My favorite part:

But they also like horsemanship, wrestling, and, occasionally, buzkashi (literally "grabbing the dead goat"). In this popular game (a precursor to polo), players on horseback try to control the "ball"—the headless carcass of a goat or sheep. Then they have a party.

prolonging life

... battery life that is. As per an email convo I've been having with Samantha about MacBook battery life (and MacBooks in general), I did a little reserach about "how to maximize macbook battery life". I figured I'd post the choicest linkage here. (Even though the below links are results 1, 2 and 3 respectively from a google query with the above quote ... maybe having these in one place will be helpful to someone.)

Apple - Batteries - Notebooks [apple.com]
Maximizing iPod and MacBook Battery Life [methodshop.com]
MacBook Pro Battery Life [theappleblog]

the mary tyler moore posting

(As in, love is all around no need to waste it. ok as far as titles go that's a stretch, but then again so are all those leggings the girls are wearing these days.)

yes, this post is about love. sort of. not really. actually just me walking in the spider-www's

Everyone loves Cory Arcangel. jeez.
But ya know what? I think I do too. And that's not anger, its just jealousy. The Super Mario Bros clouds piece sounds amazing. I have to go check out his current show.

Everyone loves 37 signals. But that doesn't mean you should go stalking them. This Web2.0 thing is getting a leeetle beet scary.
Stalking 37 Signals [stanhansen.biz]

Urban Lobster gets no love from anyone. (Somehow a flier for this place ended up at my office. "Urban little neck clams"?? no thanks.)
Urban Lobster Makes Me Crabby [gridskipper]

LES locals get no love from Schillers.
Schiller's, I hardly even know you any more. [gridskipper]

And I'm not sure exactly who or what this Kathy Fagan woman loves, but this is a nice poem about it that my brother sent me. hmm ... still chewing on this one.
"There's just one little thing: a ring. I don't mean on the phone." — Eartha Kitt. By Kathy Fagan [slate]

fact vs. fiction

Let's take a moment to seperate the wheat from the chaffe in the blogosphere today ...

Curbed follows up on the hipster homeowning howto session to report on all the deluded would-be real estate buyers it created.
Hipsters Get Schooled, Lied To [curbed]

I've been researching Parkinson's quite a bit these past few days (due to an extended family member's diagnosis) so I find this Rush Limbaugh thing to be eerily timely in addition to disgusting and offensive. But I still couldn't resist watching the video of his immitation today -- I'd previously only heard the audio. Go Rush. what a scumbag.
Olbermann Gives Us The Visual To Limbaugh’s Attack On Michael J. Fox [crooks and liars]

popbitch made this claim today in its email:

The word trivia comes from the Latin tri + via =
three streets. In ancient Rome an information
booth was situated where three streets met

which reference.com contradicts in its etymology of trivial.

Falsities abound as the email went on to cite OJ Simpson's new alleged hypothetical confession book ... which turns out to be a hoax.

And the Observer reports on this fascinating little technique the Times is using to distinguish objective and subjective reportage. This seems like something I would've heard about from kottke ... but alas, this is via the 37signals blog.
Times Draws Ragged Line Between Fact and Opinion [observer]

morning reading, anti-antibacterial edition

yo i been saying this for yearrrs:
Why You Don't Need "Antibacterial" Soap
its dr bronners for me. all the way. eucalyptus, peppermint, tea tree ... of ye I shall never tire.

Speaking of germs and such ... this LA Weekly article addresses new resistant strains of staff infection that are spreading through the LA area ... this does not bode well for the health care situation in our nation in general -- particularly in regards to our obsession with antibiotics. This article will freak you out and make you a germaphobe.
The Scourge of Skid Row [laweekly]
WARNING: some reeeealy naaaasty pictures in there

and speaking of problems our country is facing ... here is James sounding off about democracy and capitalism. (I've been catching up on old blog posts thanks to the google reader.) Preach brother:
Democracy and Freedom [full metal blog]

and, this post reminds me of that great long article about Christopher Hitchens in the New Yorker recently. Everyone know there is seriously a problem with the left in our country. But I just want to say I whole-heartedly agree. It just seems to be addressing all the wrong issues. Completely unpragmatic. frustrating.
A view from the Right [full metal blog]

Tuesday evening : New York City edition

... spent today reading a bunch of NYC-focussed stuff for some reason.

I've always loved this building ... from the day I moved into the neighborhood. Before I moved actually -- as I looked at a place right next door when I was searching for housing.
11 Spring Street [wooster collective]

This Times account of a protest at an UWS Victorias Secret is a really nice NYC slice-of-life.
Memo to Future Protesters: Don’t Block the Lingerie [nytimes]

Reading the Village Voice story of the above got me thinking about this term I've heard a few times now. Interesting little meme.
freegan.info

And another NYC scene.
The Last Night of 184 Kent: 'Vague Fist Pumping,' Beer [curbed]

Tuesday morning

An article about Hell House. I'm going to see it on Thursday.
There's No Winking in Hell [villagevoice]

Article about a melting glacier in a former tourist town in Switzerland. Think this glacier was featured in An Inconvenient Truth?
Frozen in Memories, but Melting Before Their Eyes [nytimes]

art. modernism. ... A review of a show (“The Société Anonyme: Modernism for America”) at the Phillips Collection in DC. I'm visiting Miki in a few weeks so I'll get to check this out!
Lights From the Dawn of Modernism [nytimes]

I've grown tired of the Harpers Weekly Review, but this week's is pretty good.
Weekly Review 2006-10-24 [harpers]
highlights:

The Maine National Guard has been offering “Flat Daddies” and “Flat Mommies,” life-size cardboard cutouts of deployed service members, to spouses, children, and relatives waiting for them to return.

Tony Snow compared the President to “one of those guys at the gym who plays about 40 chessboards at once.”

The Boy Scouts introduced a new merit badge for learning how copyright law applies to pirated movies and music.

and, A Massachusetts elementary school banned tag.

you-inthearmynow-tube

At my brother's suggestion I finally got around to doing some youtube searches for Iraq footage. This shit is amazing, intense, addictive, voyeuristic etc etc etc.

From the so-called Mullet Mafia. Kinda nice actually. a glimpse into soldiers passing the time and not being too assholish.

ok, craziest thing here to me was this advertisement for RAID insurance. Imagine purchasing insurance for protection in the event that your HOME gets RAIDed ... by the ARMY. Just kind of drove home the sad absurd reality for people trying to live a normal life in Baghdad.

I'll just say "pouch, human remains". sad.

just some soldiers acting acting like assholes. sad that our nation is being represented by people like this.

Some marines crushing a car with a tank. This short is slightly Michael Moore-esque. But still sad as hell.

This is just awful and really graphic. (which of course means engrossing and fascinating.)

This is just a bunch of guys shooting off some roof but its pretty intense. They are just up there blasting away at some shit for what seems like forever.

... ok I cant watch this crap anymore.

suck norris

It is safe to say a small dream has died today for many a internet humorist. Not only has Chuck Norris never counted to infinity, but it turns out his tears don't cure cancer, and he is a jesus-loving weenie who can't take a joke. well maybe. but not very well. Chuck Norris weighs in on himself. Choice quoteage:

There was a man whose tears could cure cancer or any other disease, including the real cause of all diseases – sin. His blood did. His name was Jesus, not Chuck Norris.

That's heavy brother.

On Chuck Norris 'mania' sweeping the Net [wnd.com]

Monday -- late edition

A friend of mine is one of the founders of this project (The Empty Vessel) and I am so endlessly impressed. She is a major project-accomplisher -- so hopefully we can collaborate on something in the near future.
A Ship of Freethinkers, Hemmed in by Landlords [nytimes]

ugh. There is just too much wrong here -- I don't have the patience to ellaborate ... but I encourage you to click through the reference links.
Hipster real estate coaching [curbed]

Excellent op-ed by frank rich on Barack Obama. Times Select. sorry.
Obama Is Not a Miracle Elixir [nytimes]

And also, David Brooks on Obama yesterday, replacing his usual blustering douchebaggery with some sensible thoughts on why he should run. (Also Times Select)
Run, Barack, Run [nytimes]

Some random technology pron, this new camera uses lllaaserrz to take 3D pictures. I'm impressed.
3D Video Camera [the other full metal blog]
(sorry James, I found it googling for your's)

This is what I was googling for ... James chiming in on the "ghetto latte" phenom:
The Ethics of Lattes [full metal blog]
I find moralistic debates against this to be totally absurd. What I am earnestly concerned about though is how this will affect the whole "currency of lattes" concept that has found its way into funraising attempts everywhere. I'm sure you've heard it before: "For the price of just X lattes per <time period>, you can ...." save an orphan in africa? help get a senator elected? switch from traditional to solar power? not any more. These ghetto lattes may change the way people pull at our society's purse strings.

Monday morning reading

"Photographer Clifford Ross shared his list of the necessary ingredients for invention and art at PopTech." [kottke]

More Bad News For Broken Angel [gothamist]

I was just talking to my cousin yesterday about the history of Harlem and how city policies can be racist, and here is a posting about a very relevent recent NY Times article:
Riverside Park inequality [gothamist]

"National Park Service have done some serious upgrading to the park finder." [lifehacker]
This looks really cool -- I want to take advantage of it soon.

Despite that I despise the word "ginormous", this is an interesting post about downloading free music at the internet archive. [lifehacker]

And finally, a post about an interesting list of ways to keep your kids safe online. [lifehacker]
Despite the horrible blog name ("Cool Cat teacher blog" instantly destroys this guy's credibility if you ask me) and one of my petpeeve grammatical mistakes (peruse/browse -- see "Usage Note"), I find this quite fascinating. I'm interested in anything related to the ways the internet and technology are profoundly and quietly changing our lives -- particularly with generational issues.

random you tubeage

'sturb. but hilarious. transgendered sketch comedy music video about some psychologically abused chick who's got lots of 'sues (get it? "shoes")
shoes. [youtube]

more 'sturb. but in a different way. also hilarious. cool illustrations. still image montage of chuck norris joke style humor about one of our nation's illustrious founding fathers
washington, washing-TON [youtube]

what i'm reading today ...

Cringely on the "Google" shipping container data center -- which he predicted a year ago, and is actually being built by Sun.
A Tradition of Empty Boxes [pbs.org]

At least Catholics aren't hypocrites on one issue: after criticizing Islam, the Vatican proves itself to be more tolerant -- at least on the whole "representing religious leaders as cartoons" issue:
Cartoon tribute to Pope John Paul [bbc]
links to the trailer
... now if they could just reconcile that whole "don't have sex unless its with 15 yr old boys" thing.

Speaking of which, could you think of a worse headline than this???
Priest's Relations With Foley To Be Probed [cbsnews]

whoa, what's going on today? This one isn't much better:
Foley scandal no excuse to tear holes in Republicans' `big tent' [mercurynews]

Also ...
Teen Questioned Over Bush Threats on MySpace [aol news]
So ridiculous. Glad to see our nation's investigative bodies are using resources wisely. Osama bin Who? Let's crack down on high schooler myspace terrorist cells.

Also, miscellaneous musings on how to succeed in the office world.
Steer well clear of all meetings [guardian]
I'd like to add my own:
21. Waste all day blogging. whee.

annnd ... this is just bizarre and sad and scary.
Preschool Puberty, and a Search for the Causes [nytimes]
Someone call Rodger D Hodge, this is Harpers Weekly fodder.

And finally, a crazy pic ... at least for me personally. This is exactly the spot where i took a nap 2 Saturdays ago during my london stop-over on my way back from rome.
Park visitors sit on deck chairs in central London's Hyde Park [activate]

kottke on Brian Eno

some great stuff on kottke today about Brian Eno and PopTech. Ryan was telling me about this Cory Archangel piece that he saw the other day.

Love this quote: "Art is created by artists so that the viewer has the opportunity to create something."

Steven Reich to Brian Eno to Cory Arcangel

It's all in your head

77 Million Paintings, a generative artwork by Brian Eno.

plus this really cool random thing about a compositte of world webcams:
Netlag: infovisualization of the world made of exterior web cams over time.

chris floyd is afraid of science

ok, Chris Floyd at truthout going all alarmist and conspiracy theorist (was going to link to New Yorker's article last week on this subject but can't find a link) about some funding that was given to a research project at Cornell and other schools. This is tangentially related to some stuff I do at work. Saying that this program should not exist is kind of like saying that we should stop companies from making faster microchips or something ("but the Bush administration might use them to more quickly stifle civil liberties!") Science shouldn't be stifled just because we have a repugnant would-be fascist regime in charge. This is a cool project that will advance human knowledge. Now lets get a new administration in office that doesnt laugh in the face of checks and balances.
Sentimental Education: Academia Signs Up to Track Down Dissent [truthout]

This is fascinating ... I'm of course no evolutionary biologist, but this seems of questionable science. "Chins would recede, as a result of having to chew less on processed food." ?? What does that have to do with natural selection or evolution? weird.

An evolutionary theorist has predicted that humans may split into two sub-species [kottke]

bye bye boobies

ok, that isn't that funny of a title ... but It'd be hard to beat what Gawker came up with. hilarious. the three highest frequency blogs in my kinja list all chimed in on this w/in minutes of each other.

Thanks for the Mammaries [gawker]
Boob loss leaves SoHo bereft [gothamist]
Deboobing [curbed]

more daily emails

from today's NYT Style email:

Dear New York Style Reader,

In the next few weeks, New York Style will be replaced by Urbanite, an improved guide to the best of New York each day. You can receive Urbanite every weekday or just once a week, as you choose. Click here to receive this new daily update on what's special in New York - arts and culture, nightlife, dining, fashion, style and more.

Otherwise, as a New York Style subscriber, you'll receive Urbanite Weekend once a week, on Fridays.

bummer. So soon I'll have another daily email with recomendations of questionable quality to contend with. ugh. I liked the Style email: weekly, no pressure, and some really good stuff. I hope they don't sacrifice any of the slideshows. from todays:

yo i've been craving a couple good cardigans for a while now
stupid people going crazy over stupid trends
I like the last one here

the sartorialist does saks

hilarious. Sartorialist taking over. I've been a fan of his for a while now. Cool to see him blowing up.

Fashion Blog Steams Up Saks Windows [nymag]

... though I think this is more a case of "fashion industry guy with blog" than "a blogger breaks into the fashion industry" ... just before anyone goes and gets too excited.

linkage

good stuff from the interweb today:

i think i could write a song about this:

jen bekman linking to nyt elephants article

from drudge:

look out, 8000 music industry lawsuits

the 200,000,000th american now has a posh corner office at his law firm. go usa!

from lifehacker:

useful thing for family n friends tech support

on making todo lists more effective

from gawker:

rapper fabolous arranges to get shot for publicity. so sad

also sad: 6-yr-old girl obsessed with dick

and kottke:

personal account of rich dude putting his arm through a picasso

and back to work.

cool. I should really get some books off here ... and the book-binding link seems really cool too:
http://www.lifehacker.com/software/ebook/the-top-100-free-gutenberg-project-books-207623.php

also:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/101306R.shtml

maybe i should become amish

people have too much money to spend on crap these days:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/12/garden/12scent.html?8dpc

amish people seem to deal w/ tragedy with grace:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Amish-School-Shooting.html
... no crying in front of cameras etc etc

is god green

interview with bill moyers about evangelicals and environmentalism:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/100306Z.shtml

... contrast with:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/101006R.shtml

cringely on itv

interesting.
http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20060922.html

the day's linkage

On my I'd-like-to-read-this-but-don't-have-time list for today:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/17/fashion/17diary.html
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/092106J.shtml
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/092106R.shtml
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/092006J.shtml
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/20/business/20hedge.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/20/business/20gore.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/03/travel/03frugalbx.html

chair-man of the dotcom board

Here's a pretty hilarious article in this month's New York magazine about Bill Stumpf, the designer of Herman Miller's legendary aeron chair, who recently passed away.

Remembering the Dot-Com Throne [nymag]

My most poignant aeron chair memory would have to be when ArsDigita moved offices and I was helping to unload dozens of these beauties from the 30' moving truck (which I had only moments earlier gotten wedged on the steep incline of Le Conte Ave.) and it seemed like half of them had broken during the move. We were just chucking aside these damanged $1000-dollar chairs into a big pile in the corner. oh, those were the days.

May he rest in peace on the big aeron in the sky -- his lumbar fully supported and seat-area well ventilated. Programmers everywhere salute you.

mean MUGgin

I really liked today's MUG:
Media: Detonation Nation

... I even liked the joe's nyc picture ... which i almost never do:
West 29th St, 9/19/2006

And this story about this Nancy Grace woman is crazy ... I always seem to catch her show while watching TV on JetBlue ... and its always nauseating.

gearing up for winter

... and loving the new APC stuff:
http://www.apc.fr/us/en/homme.php?camp=6

how now chow chow

wow, I'm somehow just finding out about this now. Big news. Chowhound acquired by cnet. Finally some decent software running the site. Hopefully at no sacrifice to the quality.

info on the chowhound faq

NYTimes.com covers the story (archived)

and probably most informative of all, professor salt interviews founder Jim Leff

bush today

El Pres on Today with Matt Lauer, looking totally nuts.

[Update: link fixed. Thanks James!]

pure potential project

Love this idea:

Jonathan Safran Foer collected emtpy sheets of paper from a group of writers, building "a museum of pure potential".

Love kottke.

Love all around.
(not so much love for JSF actually, but whatever -- still a good idea)

today's nytimes roundup

interesting interview with Richard L. Berke, Assistant Managing Editor of the NY Times
... about the role of editors in journalism, etc.

an article about a book about the army and the draft. its by a conservative guy who at least claims to be attempting to have an honest, apolitical discussion about a very controversial issue:
What if They Gave a War and No One Showed Up?

"Living Design" ... From Aeron to Airstream, Things That Work
I'm kind of sick of all this talk about design this, design that, design your life so everything will be sleek and modern and Ikea-looking ... bla bla bla
but this looks interesting.

more shit to make you want to go party:
all about MisShapes

annd, a little real news,
Judge Says Hussein Was No Dictator
The whole trial of Saddam is so bizarre. How can you put a political leader on trial? Sadam is on trial for killing 50,000 Kurds? That is an awful heinus crime, but what about Darfur? There is a real genocide no one seems to care about. And what about the 20,000+ people that have died as a result of George Bush's war? Were all those lives worth it to settle some score about 50,000 Kurds? It is such a joke.

lonely world no longer

All about lonelygirl15.

So everyone knows this was a fraud now ... but I still find the whole thing so compeltely fascinating. This is like the birth of a new medium. Kind of like how people say reality TV was born with MTV's Real World experiment (the first season of which I really liked actually) ... the difference here though is that its just dramatically reducing overheard and barriers to entry to distribution for content creators. ... I'm looking forward to this new era of totally distributed content creation.

Virginia Hefernan's nytimes.com blog pretty much covers the story, with a collection of good links.

Also, wikipedia has a pretty thorough explanation with alot of background more links.

So now you know.

diebold voting machine hack demonstration

from OVC:

As you may know -- reported on CNN last month -- we have a Diebold TS paperless Direct Record Electronic (DRE) voting machine. We learned today that a group at Princeton has the same make and model. They have produced an elegant hack showing how votes could be stolen on such a system.

They developed working demonstrations of attacks that could be introduced and spread without detection. This is devastating news to die-hard supporters of Diebold paperless systems. Watch the video here. It's great!

http://itpolicy.princeton.edu/voting/

But such a hack requires some insider help. Officials always dismiss the threat of insider attacks. OVC founding member and contributor, Charlie Strauss, passed along this information today:

... the same [Department of Justice] Report noted that a total of
1,213 public officials had been federally charged with corruption
in 2004, that 1,020 of them had been convicted of corruption, and
that 419 cases remained pending. In other words, according to
the DOJ's own findings, the problem of corruption among public
officials is at the very least ten times worse than the problem of
citizens cheating in elections.

So when they say "trust us," remember that the machines they're talking about have proven untrustworthy and government officials are freqently untrustworthy too.

Read the rest here:
http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php

more on electronic voting

NOW segment on PBS about electronic voting (in)security:
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/236/index.html

Real Suri Pics!!@!@

you guys have got to check this out:
http://www.biopark.org/peru/iquitos3a.html

Suri looks really apetizing! [PDF]

buggin out

James sent me this "warm and fuzzy" birthday greeting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeNggIGSKH8

... which reminded me of this cheesy video I made a few weeks ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHKiyfc0jTs

... which, after re-watching, I realized was somewhat of a Steve Irwin parody. To which I now say: RIP, Crocodile Hunter. Fitting that you were stabbed to death in the heart by one of the creatures you loved so much.

some reading

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/082806J.shtml
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/082806J.shtml
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/082806R.shtml
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/082806S.shtml
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/082906A.shtml

interesting observations about our failure-in-chief:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5727910

... basically saying that the most common ways in which he has been perceived as succeeding and failing (9/11 and katrina, respectively) could actually be examples of the complete oppositte in the longer term (a failure in response to 9/11 and a success in response to Katrina)

columbia hospital grafitti

ok, went columbia hospital the other day and on the way in saw this somewhat disturbing tag:

AIDS1

then got to the bathroom and saw this one:


COPE (was here)

... just thought it was an interesting juxtaposition and kind of curious that these hospital-related terms were grafitti'ed on a hospital.

guitar spooning

Heard this story on NPR's all things considered today

Guitarist Behind 'Canon' Video Revealed [npr.org]

... then went and wathced the videos on youtube.

The dude relentlessly wank-rocking out was ok, but I really loved the spoon-slider guy.
From a comment on the youtube page I googled and came across this a link to this movie:
Karoo Kitaar Blues
looks awesome ... I gotta go watch it.

today's nyt update

Little interesting juxtapo on the NYT homepage today:

Kristof blogs about Lebanon:
http://kristof.page.nytimes.com/b/a/257938.htm

Other NYT reportage about:
skulls:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/27/fashion/27SKULLS.html
blood boiling:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/27/business/27heinz.html
and suffering:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/27/arts/music/27sann.html