A nice catalog page of early visual media (from drawn)
The anamorphoses are especially interesting.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
The 10 most Incomprehensible Bob Dylan interviews of all time
(nymag)
But who can blame him? I wish I had a dime for every time I said:
"Carelessness. I lost my one true love. I started drinking. The first thing I know, I'm in a card game. Then I'm in a crap game. I wake up in a pool hall. Then this big Mexican lady drags me off the table, takes me to Philadelphia. She leaves me alone in her house, and it burns down. I wind up in Phoenix. I get a job as a Chinaman. I start working in a dime store, and move in with a 13-year-old girl. Then this big Mexican lady from Philadelphia comes in and burns the house down. I go down to Dallas. I get a job as a "before" in a Charles Atlas "before and after" ad. I move in with a delivery boy who can cook fantastic chili and hot dogs. Then this 13-year-old girl from Phoenix comes and burns the house down. The delivery boy — he ain't so mild: He gives her the knife, and the next thing I know I'm in Omaha. It's so cold there, by this time I'm robbing my own bicycles and frying my own fish. I stumble onto some luck and get a job as a carburetor out at the hot-rod races every Thursday night. I move in with a high school teacher who also does a little plumbing on the side, who ain't much to look at, but who's built a special kind of refrigerator that can turn newspaper into lettuce. Everything's going good until that delivery boy shows up and tries to knife me. Needless to say, he burned the house down, and I hit the road. The first guy that picked me up asked me if I wanted to be a star. What could I say?"
(nymag)
But who can blame him? I wish I had a dime for every time I said:
"Carelessness. I lost my one true love. I started drinking. The first thing I know, I'm in a card game. Then I'm in a crap game. I wake up in a pool hall. Then this big Mexican lady drags me off the table, takes me to Philadelphia. She leaves me alone in her house, and it burns down. I wind up in Phoenix. I get a job as a Chinaman. I start working in a dime store, and move in with a 13-year-old girl. Then this big Mexican lady from Philadelphia comes in and burns the house down. I go down to Dallas. I get a job as a "before" in a Charles Atlas "before and after" ad. I move in with a delivery boy who can cook fantastic chili and hot dogs. Then this 13-year-old girl from Phoenix comes and burns the house down. The delivery boy — he ain't so mild: He gives her the knife, and the next thing I know I'm in Omaha. It's so cold there, by this time I'm robbing my own bicycles and frying my own fish. I stumble onto some luck and get a job as a carburetor out at the hot-rod races every Thursday night. I move in with a high school teacher who also does a little plumbing on the side, who ain't much to look at, but who's built a special kind of refrigerator that can turn newspaper into lettuce. Everything's going good until that delivery boy shows up and tries to knife me. Needless to say, he burned the house down, and I hit the road. The first guy that picked me up asked me if I wanted to be a star. What could I say?"
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Just an question I'll throw out there: Does anyone on earth doubt the legitimacy of anything that former Whitehouse spokesman Scott McLelland claimed in his new book? Why is Bush even reacting?
And just because he's finally telling a watered down version of the truth about the utter villainy that went on in the Bush administration doesn't mean he should be forgiven. This guy was complicit in the treachery and subversion of democracy that Bush inflicted upon American citizens for 8 years. He fed the public lies, greased the skids for the enormous paydays that administration insiders are still enjoying, and should be remembered as a crook and a liar.
And just because he's finally telling a watered down version of the truth about the utter villainy that went on in the Bush administration doesn't mean he should be forgiven. This guy was complicit in the treachery and subversion of democracy that Bush inflicted upon American citizens for 8 years. He fed the public lies, greased the skids for the enormous paydays that administration insiders are still enjoying, and should be remembered as a crook and a liar.
Canadian border guards to check for ipod infringement?
The federal government is secretly negotiating an agreement to revamp international copyright laws which could make the information on Canadian iPods, laptop computers or other personal electronic devices illegal and greatly increase the difficulty of travelling with such devices.
The federal government is secretly negotiating an agreement to revamp international copyright laws which could make the information on Canadian iPods, laptop computers or other personal electronic devices illegal and greatly increase the difficulty of travelling with such devices.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
A Milk Bottles collection.
If you're looking to start a collection yourself, there are still plenty of dairies who use glass milk bottles today. Or if you live in rural PA, you could just get Mr. Milkman to deliver to your door.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
I've got Detention anxiety. The Last Roundup (Radar)
"There exists a database of Americans, who, often for the slightest and most trivial reason, are considered unfriendly, and who, in a time of panic, might be incarcerated. The database can identify and locate perceived 'enemies of the state' almost instantaneously." He and other sources tell Radar that the database is sometimes referred to by the code name Main Core. One knowledgeable source claims that 8 million Americans are now listed in Main Core as potentially suspect. In the event of a national emergency, these people could be subject to everything from heightened surveillance and tracking to direct questioning and possibly even detention.
"There exists a database of Americans, who, often for the slightest and most trivial reason, are considered unfriendly, and who, in a time of panic, might be incarcerated. The database can identify and locate perceived 'enemies of the state' almost instantaneously." He and other sources tell Radar that the database is sometimes referred to by the code name Main Core. One knowledgeable source claims that 8 million Americans are now listed in Main Core as potentially suspect. In the event of a national emergency, these people could be subject to everything from heightened surveillance and tracking to direct questioning and possibly even detention.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Winds of Change (Salon)
A stunning new report just issued by the Bush administration finds that for under 2 cents a day per household, Americans could get 300 gigawatts of wind by 2030. That would:
A stunning new report just issued by the Bush administration finds that for under 2 cents a day per household, Americans could get 300 gigawatts of wind by 2030. That would:
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation by 25 percent in 2030. Reduce natural gas use by 11 percent. Reduce cumulative water consumption associated with electricity generation by 4 trillion gallons by 2030. Support roughly 500,000 jobs in the U.S.
The report doesn't mention that this would require adopting policies the Bush administration opposes. But that's what elections are for.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
The people who have traditionally waged war in meat-space are becoming increasingly interested in online attacks against. And vice-versa.
A nice animated short by Chris Ware for This American Life about a Jackie O sighting. (via drawn)
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Paperback Writer: The Story Behind the Song
When he wrote Paperback Writer, McCartney had been living in an attic room in his girlfriend's parent's large townhouse on Wimpole Street for almost two years. His girlfriend, Jane Asher, and her brother, Peter, then in Peter and Gordon, were both well- read and had large collections of books. The influence of living in an upper-middle class artistic household on McCartney was immense: he attended first nights, art openings, concerts of experimental music, all of which fed into his musical compositions. By this time he was collecting his own library.
When he wrote Paperback Writer, McCartney had been living in an attic room in his girlfriend's parent's large townhouse on Wimpole Street for almost two years. His girlfriend, Jane Asher, and her brother, Peter, then in Peter and Gordon, were both well- read and had large collections of books. The influence of living in an upper-middle class artistic household on McCartney was immense: he attended first nights, art openings, concerts of experimental music, all of which fed into his musical compositions. By this time he was collecting his own library.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Sub Rosa: Emails from the Dead (popmatters)
Posthumous e-mail services are an example of what has been described as the “transcendence industries”, enterprises that can be loosely divided into two categories: those that place emphasis on pragmatic issues, and those that cater to emotional fears and needs (though there is, of course, much overlap between the two). The practical services allow you to leave vital posthumous instructions for family and friends concerning such things as funeral arrangements, financial records, estate details, and insurance plans.
Blogger now lets you post in the future. Expect a nice note from me on May 6, 2108.
Posthumous e-mail services are an example of what has been described as the “transcendence industries”, enterprises that can be loosely divided into two categories: those that place emphasis on pragmatic issues, and those that cater to emotional fears and needs (though there is, of course, much overlap between the two). The practical services allow you to leave vital posthumous instructions for family and friends concerning such things as funeral arrangements, financial records, estate details, and insurance plans.
Blogger now lets you post in the future. Expect a nice note from me on May 6, 2108.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Get a free, DRM-less copy of Nine Inch Nails latest album, The Slip, here.
the music is available in a variety of formats including high-quality MP3, FLAC or M4A lossless at CD quality and even higher-than-CD quality 24/96 WAVE. your link will include all options - all free. all downloads include a PDF with artwork and credits.
the music is available in a variety of formats including high-quality MP3, FLAC or M4A lossless at CD quality and even higher-than-CD quality 24/96 WAVE. your link will include all options - all free. all downloads include a PDF with artwork and credits.
Friday, May 02, 2008
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Bad and getting worse: Gas is bad here, but it's $12/gallon in Aruba and $18.50 in Sierra Leone.
There's always Venezuela, where you can get a gallon for $0.12.
There's always Venezuela, where you can get a gallon for $0.12.
Harvard Law professor Elizabeth Warren on "The Coming Collapse of the Middle Class" (via metafilter)