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.