May 2009
79 posts
Light posting for the next few days, as I’ll...
WatchI, for one, am very excited about the Kindle 3. Yay literacy! (Via)
“At this stage in its evolution, the Web is like an endless novel populated with...”
– Jim Windolf (via)
Up
2 good reviews of Pixar’s up-coming (see what I did there?) animated film, Up.
A/V Club Review
Slate Review
I’ve enjoyed past Pixar films- they’re well-written, clever, visually appealing and they don’t talk down to audiences- children or adults. But I’m very excited to see Up. From the reviews, it sounds like a poignant, wonderful story.
“Without a soundtrack, human interaction is meaningless…I never have any...”
– Chuck Klosterman
The Problem with Cities and Elephants →
Q: Mathematically speaking, how are cities and elephants the same?
A: Both cities and elephants have developed a similar level of efficiency in the distribution of resources and transportation.
Interesting idea, and interesting article. Especially for you math-loving folk out there.
Conceptual Terrorists Encase Sears Tower In Jell-O →
From The Onion: “In what is being called the first conceptual terrorist attack on American soil, the landmark Sears Tower was encased in 18 million tons of strawberry gelatin early Monday morning, leaving thousands shocked, angry, and seriously confused.”
“Your outdated ideas of what terrorism is have been challenged,” an unidentified, disembodied voice announces following...
“The Internet is basically a Skinner box engineered to tap right into our deepest...”
– Sam Anderson (via)
25 and Over →
Great article that once you turn 25, it’s time to grow up. Some great, practical advice. A few:
1. Remember to write thank-you notes. When in doubt, write one anyway; better to err on the side of formality.
11. Do as invitations ask you. Don’t bring a guest when no such courtesy is extended. Don’t blow off an RSVP; it means “please respond,” and you should.
14....
How Introverts Travel →
Great article about how many introverts approach travel differently. I have to admit, I’m drawn to articles (like this one, titled “Caring For Your Introvert”) that describe personality differences between introverts and extroverts. A sample of the article:
“But I don’t seek people out, I am terrible at striking up conversations with strangers and I am happy exploring a...
RunPee.com →
This, my friends, is why the internet was invented. Runpee.com is a great website that lets you know the best moments in movies that you can duck out and run to the bathroom while not missing any huge plot developments. They also tell you what will happen in the few minutes you’re gone, so you’re all caught up when you get back.
Use and enjoy. An iPhone app is in the works, and should...
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“Tell a writer you write and depression sets in; tell a writer you read and...”
– Thomas Swick in an essay titled “Have Book, Will Travel”
40 Ways to Download Free Music Legally →
Normally, I have no problems with lies, deception, and subterfuge (I tend to get myself confused with Jason Bourne), but hey, if you can avoid all that, then why not?
Great post about how to legally download music- some really cool options including free torrents, free songs from music festivals (SXSW for example) and music from upcoming indie artists. But, by all means, don’t let me talk...
Please don't hate me. →
Please don’t. It was not possible for me not to post this.
So, enjoy!
“For 25 years I have read criticisms of my stories and I don’t remember a single...”
– Anton Chekhov
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How an Intern Stole NASA's Moon Rocks →
A really interesting story about how a NASA intern orchestrated and carried out the theft of moon rocks. It reads like something out of a spy novel, or the plot of a great heist flick.
“Building 31 North’s white halls are empty, because it is the middle of the night. NASA interns Thad Roberts and Tiffany duck inside a bathroom, and tear off their clothing. Then they change into the...
“We are still told that we are special, just as we are told that our individualism and self-actualization is the key to our national prosperity and, on top of that, that anything we want is to be ours. It is our entitlement, passed down from the shores of Iwo Jima and the buses of Birmingham. Yet the causes and subsequent responsibilities of generations past are no longer on the table....
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you...”
– Mark Twain (via)
Ever wonder about those White House photo ops? →
The NY Times started up a photography blog- their first post was an interesting video giving a behind the scenes look at how White House photo ops work. The photographers are in the room for less than 25 seconds:
The “pool,” a White House staffer once told me, is a “thing.” If the thing is sitting in the briefing room for hours or in vans outside a restaurant, it doesn’t matter. It’s a thing,...
“The dullest person becomes interesting if you feel that he is really himself,...”
– Arthur Christopher Benson
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“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”
– William Wordsworth
“You can have Jesus or Dan Brown. But you can’t have both.”
– Ross Douthat, writing on “Angels and Demons”(Via)
My Personal Credit Crisis →
A fantastic article by Edmund Andrews, an economics reporter for the NY Times, who details how he got caught up in the sub-prime meltdown by getting a mortgage that he and his wife couldn’t afford.
“If there was anybody who should have avoided the mortgage catastrophe, it was I…..But in 2004, I joined millions of otherwise-sane Americans in what we now know was a catastrophic...
“Everyone is given a place. You should be what that place needs.”
– Wendell Berry (via)
“I’m a guy who doesn’t see anything good having come from the...”
– Michael Lynton, CEO of Sony Pictures
Facebook- More than just borderline stalking!
A fun little trick I found out about on the interwebs. (I promise- this is not one of those circa 1998 “Send this message to 11 people and the name of your crush will appear!!!!!”)
Go to Facebook and press:
up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, b, a, enter
Then, scroll up and down. Cool, huh? How on earth do people find this stuff out?
“The secret of drunkenness is that it insulates us in thought, whilst it unites...”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson (That’s my way of saying happy weekend!)
My Life is Average →
A response to the blog F*** My Life, where users submit depressing daily moments, I bring you My Life Is Average, (MLIA) where users submit, well… very average things about their life. The site tagline? “Life if pretty normal today.” There’s a definite understated brilliance to the site. A few examples:
“My toilet was making funny noises today. I thought it was...
Recession F-bombs: Why swearing feels great →
Yes, that’s the actual title of the article.
“There are a lot of elements that are out of our control right now and as a result, there’s a lot more frustration, a lot more fear and anxiety,” she says. “When people feel that, many cuss. Swearing is something that gives us an instantaneous release.”
“People feel better when they swear.”
Well, damn, I enjoyed the HELL out...
LOST Roundup: "The Incident"
The LOST season finale was…. amazing. Wonderful backstory, mythology, and cliffhanger. I think that all LOST fans were impressed. Some recaps:
-Doc Jensen’s recap- New favorite LOST blog. In depth, funny, and great theories.
-Best Week Ever recap- Dan’s done us proud for a season
-A.V. Club recap- Another well-written, solid recap.
Well, hope you Losties enjoyed the finale as...
Interviews with LOST cast members Michael Emerson...
Previously on LOST….
In honor of tonight’s season finale, I thought I’d link to two A/V Club Interviews with Michael Emerson, who plays Ben Linus, and Jorge Garcia, who plays Hurley.
Jorge Garcia (along with the LOST fans still addicted to the show) said he wanted to know what happened in Libby’s backstory…. and why were they in the same mental institution at the...
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“Note: the “record store” was a popular retail strategy in the 1990s,...”
– Rob Sheffield, in Love is a Mix Tape (I feel like I’ll have to explain this to my kids. Hell, I’d probably have to explain it to any 16 year old)
Classmates.com Employees Don't Have Heart To Tell... →
From The Onion:
“He knows something is going on,” Classmates.com web coder Josh Krzysch said while combing his boss’s newspaper and removing any offending articles. “The other day he asked me why people aren’t interested in getting in touch with old friends anymore, and I told him that the Internet just isn’t very popular right now. What else was I supposed to...
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