February 16, 2005
I knew he looked familiar!
This guy and I shared an elevator in my DC apartment building yesterday. He was more talkative an elevator companion than I've had in a while, throwing a "have a good one" my way as he got off on the fifth floor. (I'm on nine.)
I guess, then, that this should count as my endorsement.
[Sniffle]
Now, it's really official.
[Thanks to rachelleb's Street Writing project for the photo. Those are her feet.]
As an aside, I live two blocks (one down, one over) from the spot where Bettman announced it. As usual, if I had a normal job that let me work where I live, I'd have likely taken a long lunch and waited outside to hear in person, as close to first hand as I could. Double sniffle.
February 15, 2005
How Zen
Eric Idle just now on the Daily Show:
"That's really the point of getting into Broadway musicals, you see: young girls in spangly tights putting their legs over their heads."
If I'm a tenth that funny at that age, I'll consider it all a success.
Art? Maybe. Awesome? Definitely.
[Let it be known that finally catching up on Jon's writing has shamed me into writing this entry. Not that I hadn't planned to, but having him call me out definitely moved it up in priority.]
Jenny and I were big geeks and got up early to see Christo and Jeanne-Claude's "The Gates" unfurled Saturday. (Click those links: they're all photos.) I could say a lot about the exhibit: the gates are not "hazard orange" as the Washingtonpost.com review said; it doesn't have a point except that which you apply to it; it is stunning from certain vantages; etc. Ultimately, though, it doesn't matter what you or I or anyone else thinks. Here's why, from Thursday's Post:
New York magazine called it the grandest public artwork since the Sphinx. But, as Jeanne-Claude explains, "the Gates" was never about pleasing the public.
"We create for us," she says. "We don't create for the public. But, of course, those who like it, that's a bonus for us. It's very much like a father and mother walking down the street holding the hand of their little boy and someone stops them and says, 'What a beautiful little child.' Mom and Dad are very happy, but you know they didn't make that child for another person. It's only a bonus."
Said another way, they paid for it themselves, got permits to put it up on public land, and are donating any proceeds from the sale of books and posters of his sketches to the Central Park Conservancy. Where does anyone get off complaining?
February 14, 2005
Workplace Satisfaction: Down 29%
Last week the water line feeding our big coffee urn machine broke, so I had to walk to the end of the floor to get coffee. Previously the drawers were stuffed with Starbucks ground coffee, and at any moment of the day one could go in and get a mug. Now, still true, but a long walk. Satisfaction down 8%.
Today I get here to see that all coffee makers, even the ones that were still working, were replaced with Keurig K-Cup machines. Ordinarily I'd be thrilled, as the K-Cup machines at our offices in NY are free, and the coffee is pretty good too. (A little weak, but not bad.)
The gotcha? Coffee is now $0.50 per mug. And it's not even a full mug.
Anyone know how to hack a K-Cup machine so that the coin drop doesn't lock out the "brew" button? If so, can you do it without making it look like you had? The eternal gratitude of an entire building of creative and talented people will be sent your way for your assistance.
[Perpetual Jet Lag, Attempted Chemistry, the Greenfield Gerbil, and all authors herein denounce tampering with or disabling coin-operated snack and drink devices in any way. I just really really like free coffee.]
February 09, 2005
What?!?
I'm not even through the first commercial break yet, and I'm already flummoxed.
Tonight on the West Wing Lawrence Lessig visits the White House to help write the Belarussian constitution. Yes, that Lawrence Lessig. Only it's not Lawrence Lessig - it's Christopher Lloyd playing Lawrence Lessig.
How do you go from "Free Culture" and "Future of Ideas" to "one point twenty-one jigawatts[sic]?"
February 07, 2005
Sighting
Saw Dave Attell, 4:57PM, heading east on 42nd Street near 8th Avenue.
He looks even more homeless in person than he does on TV. I half expected him to relieve the hot dog cart guy's shift, or even pull some Windex and newspaper out from under his sweatshirt and clean windshields at the traffic light.
February 03, 2005
News for Music Fans
First, tickets for Interpol on March 25 and 26 at the 9:30 Club in DC go on pre-sale tomorrow, open sale this weekend. If anyone is interested in going with, please let me know ASAP so I can buy you a ticket. If you're coming in from elsewhere, you can bring a sleeping bag or an Aero bed and sleep on my floor.
Second, tickets for Maroon 5 on April 2 at Agganis Arena in Boston go on sale Saturday at 10 AM. Not yet planning on going (though I know someone who might like to go) but if you want a second, I could definitely be convinced.
Third, make every effort to watch Saturday Night Live this weekend. I know, I know; find something else to do while Paris is on, but stick around for Keane. Jenny went to their show at Hammerstein Ballroom last night and loved it, and she's a tough critic. Go listen to a clip on their site, and I'll bet you'll be looking forward to SNL for once.
Death of a Sport
It's nearly official - the NHL will likely cancel the rest of the season tonight, after the close of today's bargaining session.
The havoc that this lockout has wrought is much more damaging than just losing a season, the first time this has ever happened in professional sports. Fans across the country are going to give up on the league, preferring instead to watch college hockey, at reasonable prices and with actual competition and drive, or none at all, having been completely disillusioned.
Professional hockey as we know it has to die. When half the teams are playing themselves into bankruptcy, the most solvent team plays to 1/5 of a crowd, and the same handful of teams get all the network coverage (and then, only in the second half of the season) the game is no longer a game: it's an industry, and a very bad one at that.
The NHL has grown too bloated, too top-heavy, to survive. Contraction has to occur, as does a complete renegotiation of player / team relations. Turn the NHL into a giant "minor" league, get butts in seats, and get people excited about the game again. In due time, the rest will work itself out.
Today's Really Bad Idea™
I will never ever ever eat at Moto in Chicago, after reading about them in today's New York Times. The first clue of danger approaching is that the article is not in the Food or Style section, but in Circuits.
If this doesn't put you off your lunch, nothing will:
He prints images of maki on pieces of edible paper made of soybeans and cornstarch, using organic, food-based inks of his own concoction.... At least two or three food items made of paper are likely to be included in a meal at Moto, which might include 10 or more tasting courses. Even the menu is edible....
Mr. Cantu is experimenting with liquid nitrogen, helium and superconductors to make foods levitate....
He also plans to buy a class IV laser to create dishes that are "impossible through conventional means." (A class IV laser, the highest grade under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's classification system, projects high-powered beams and is typically used for surgery or welding....)
He is testing a hand-held ion-particle gun, which he said is for levitating food. So far he has zapped only salt and sugar, but envisions one day making whole meals float before awestruck diners.
Yes, you too can eat some mad scientist's concoctions for the low low price of $240 per person! (Price of the tasting menu at Moto.) I consider myself something of a foodie, but this is just sick.
February 02, 2005
Today's Really Good Idea™
A marching band / drum and bugle corps arrangement of "Seven Nation Army."
I know one exists, as a quick Google search unearthed a marching band discussion board where someone boasted of playing it as a stand cheer, but I've been unable to find any notation on it. To be sure, there are lots of creative ways to do this. My idea is to do an extended cadence to the drum and bass beat, a whistle-less signal to begin the lyric, and a big fat loud chorus.
This idea brought to you by half of the team that tried to convince our high school to do a flag routine set to "Black Hole Sun."
Punk'd, or Everyone Hates Comment Spammers
Bloggers left and right are laughing about the abducted soldier that turned out to be an action figure, but it seems people are missing a salient point that startled me (being an amateur blog sysop) when I first read it:
The message and photograph were posted on a site run by a group calling itself al-Muntada al-Ansar, which has in recent months restricted access to the site to registered users in an effort to avoid unknown groups posting messages.
Once again it seems "get it first" is more important than "get it right." First the news media breathlessly reported the abduction, which should have raised flags immediately. First off, go look at the picture. It looks faker than the infamous "tourist of death" photo. Second, the armed forces weren't missing anyone. It should have been clear from the start that it was a hoax.
Second, though, everyone now takes this to be a blunder on the part of the insurgent group, assuming that they had tried to pass this off to get attention, hoping no one would notice. Given the allusion in the Reuters write up, though, we can't be sure who put that claim up. I wonder if this isn't a psyops operation - someone opening an account with bad info and posting embarrasing material to make the insurgents look bad. If it is, all the better if it works, just try and cover those tracks a little better. If not, I guess they really are that stupid.
It shouldn't be long now before the al-Muntada al-Ansar message boards are flooded with solicitations for kiddie porn and no-limit Texas Hold 'Em.
February 01, 2005
New Addition to "The List"
She's on Celebrity Poker Showdown tonight (to be repeated throughout the week, if you missed it.) During her intro piece she mentioned she just had a baby, and let's just say that the residual effects of such are quite, um, flattering to her.
She's sitting across from long-time List resident Allison Janney, which really only adds to the enjoyment. There was that unfortunate incident earlier where Jason offered to "do her" on the table, but I think I've managed to put that image out of my head.
If you're not sure what "the list" means, go watch old Friends episodes, or ask in comments. It's probably a pretty widely known meme by now.