Links posted in September 2008
September 30, 2008
Remember movies before cellphones? - The LA Times reflects on how the the ability to reach anyone at any time has changed the way movies and TV have to be written to maintain believability. The discussion reminds me of 24: The Unaired 1994 Pilot.
September 29, 2008
Your Universe - log scale. Hmmm.... [more inside]
September 26, 2008
The Evil League of Evil is accepting video applications until Oct. 11. Henchmen need not apply.
September 25, 2008
Pop Will Eat Itself Listening to the CSS song "Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above", I decided it would be fun to enumerate a playlist of «songs that mention other contemporary musicians or songs by name».
My own reflection yielded a tantalizing few... and then I put the challenge before the formidable pop compendia that are @natedogg, @nanocindy, @habcous and the Strangers. I've placed our enjoyably eclectic playlist below the fold -- rack your brain and tack a few on. [more inside]
For all you bikers out there: Need a new frame for you bike? Grow your own.
Sharpie Basement - when you visit my house ten years hence, know that this is where I stole its design scheme from
September 24, 2008
Fantastic summary of the legality of the "trans panic" murder defense in the context of the recent Angie Zapata murder case.
Suzanne Vega's rambling blues about remix, inspiration, and being the mother of the MP3.
PETA urges Ben and Jerry's to switch to human milk - I think that an excellent way to gauge how fringe your group's ideas are is to take a poll and see how many people think your press releases are Onion articles. As an aside, I know where they can get a recipe to start with.
September 23, 2008
MyHope - Do you long for someone to unblinkingly look you right in the eyes and earnestly speak their heart -- preferably from the other side of a commodity DV camera? If that ZeFrank-sized hole in your heart is vaguely Ukelele shaped, see if you share the Portal-playing pigeon-poisoning sweetafton23's hope that "your MySpace stays forever - and I hope that your kids find it" [via Waxy].
If you need something hipper and/or hopper to scratch (ha!) that itch, try Jay Smooth. His core audience might tune in to hear about how the RZA invented the digital turntable or why rapper TI needed a Davidian's branch worth of machine guns, but anyone can enjoy his insights on politics, TV news and creativity. (via ze)
September 22, 2008
So, yeah, the economy. Good time for a job hunt. This American Life had a really excellent piece in May about what the subprime mortgage crisis is and why it hurt Wall Street so badly. It really taught me a lot and explained how the herd mentality and a veneer of legitimacy let it all get so out of hand. (Hilarious bonus: the piece ends optimistically but it was made well before the recent major failures). The site ProPublica puts recent bailouts in historical perspective. WaPo had a recommended reading article that had some hits and some whaaaaaa?s. A Nobelist has some prescriptions but they might make too much sense. Housing prices in SoCal are off 34% and falling fast (driven mostly by foreclosures). Good luck getting a loan though! Remember: Always privatize the gains and socialize the losses!
September 17, 2008
I thought the iPhone fans would be interested in a look behind the vetting process for the App Store.
September 13, 2008
David Foster Wallace dead at 46 - suicide. He was quite likely my favorite modern author. What a bummer.
September 12, 2008
Two nutjobs going 40+mph in blue suits - friends of pablo's, going by the beards. Skip straight to 2:10 in. [more inside]
September 11, 2008
mistahflip and I had a political discussion over tack-ohs at Torchy's the other day (we recommend the Fried Avocado and the Trailer Park respectively). We couldn't quite articulate our thoughts but got down to the feeling that somehow a rational discourse can't happen because the parties can't even agree on a basis from which to build. (Example issue: Among Fox News and the NYT one is objective and one is biased, but which is which?) mrflip uttered the memorable line "I never thought I'd say this but the world needs more philosophers." Ask and ye shall receive...What Makes People Vote Republican?
September 10, 2008
The whole "More Cowbell" thing happened. We have to have face that it occurred, enjoy the laughs we had, and move on. I was all set until Morecowbell.dj happened. Add a cowbell track and Walken quotes to your song of choice and host it Muxtape-style (Amazon's S3, for those in the know). For at least the next 10 minutes or so, I am loving the awesome chorus ending call-Bessie-to-feed cowbell ring in 50 Cent's In Da Club.
I am duly impressed about how much hurricane track prediction has improved year over year since the 70's. Hydrodynamic models are worth something!
September 09, 2008
GOOD Magazine - GOOD is a collaboration of individuals, usinesses, and nonprofits pushing the world forward. Since 2006 we've been making a magazine, videos, and events for people who give a damn. This website is an ongoing exploration of what GOOD is and what it can be. [more inside]
September 08, 2008
If Brett Favre, Jay-Z, and Jordan can do it...why not Lance? He better have some good undetectable stuff.
September 05, 2008
Give your ex crabs. this seems fun. someone should do this and report back.
If you haven't read this letter about Sarah Palin by Anne Kilkenny yet you should. It's an interesting read and it'll be interesting to see how the facts pan out over time. [more inside]
September 03, 2008
Don Lafontaine is dead. Movie trailers won't be quite the same.
September 02, 2008
Tax Plan comparison - this is the graph I wanted the other day. Would like to see final avg. tax rate, but this is a stark illustration of why saying 'Obama will raise taxes' is not only BS -- in a real sense he's cutting way more than McCain.
For those of you keeping track of our descent into fascism, the government is now arresting journalists. They freed her, but this is fundamentally messed up. On so many levels.
September 01, 2008
My first thought about Google's new Chrome browser was "Why the hell do I need another browser?" After reading Scott McCloud's commissioned comic, I realize how badly I've missed running tabs as separate processes (so that when one goes down it doesn't take down the whole browser).
Republican Convention Schedule. Someone at the times is having some fun.