Gallery of photos by the recently deceased Henri Cartier-Bresson
Gallery of photos by the recently deceased Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Anil puts all of the SEO kidz
Anil puts all of the SEO kidz in their place and wins the nigritude ultramarine contest.
Video game faces
If you can brave the Flashcrapular flippa-dee-do-da interface, Evan Baden's Illuminati photos are worth a look. They depict people's faces bathed in the light of their computer screens, iPods, and video games. See also Phillip Toledano's Video Gamers series. Toledano is also behind the fantastic Days with My Father. (via conscientious)
Update: Also see also Dennis Chamberlin's Screen Culture photos. (thx, blaine)
Rave Kindle review
Rave review of the Kindle by Justin Blanton, who is a gadget freak of the first order.
I love the Kindle, and totally see myself using and enjoying it (and its progeny) for many years to come. I'm reading more because of it, and seriously doubt I'll ever read a paper book again.
It still looks like the Pontiac Aztek of e-readers but it solves one of the things I dislike about reading in bed:
One of the nicest things about the Kindle, and something that is inherent in such a device, is that, unlike a regular book, its orientation and weight aren't constantly shifting. With a paper book, you are made to move [it] around as you shift from the left to the right page, flip pages, etc. With the Kindle however, all of that shifting disappears and you can hold your chosen position indefinitely.
Such a "feature" generally allows you to expend less energy when reading. For example, I like reading in bed while lying on my side. With a paper book you have to constantly hold the book to keep it open and to move it slightly depending on whether you're reading the right or left page; with the Kindle, you can just let it rest on the bed and then tap the next-page button as needed. I realize that this may sound like a trivial thing to devote a paragraph to, but it really is amazing how such a device can change the way you read, or make the way you're used to reading that much better.
As Justin notes, Kindles are back in stock at Amazon.
1880s Brooklyn brownstone has swastika patterns as
1880s Brooklyn brownstone has swastika patterns as part of the wood flooring. "We turned to the landlord guy and said, 'You haven't fixed this?!?!' He suggested that we could just put furniture over them. All four, in every room. And then he told us that there had been a number of Jews who'd looked at the place and 'seemed really bothered by it.'"
Social network map of the New Testament.
Social network map of the New Testament. Jesus Christ, supernode. (via waxy)
Neal Stephenson on the larger lessons of Star Wars
Neal Stephenson on the larger lessons of Star Wars. "Nothing is more seductive than to think that we, like the Jedi, could be masters of the most advanced technologies while living simple lives: to have a geek standard of living and spend our copious leisure time vegging out."
Here are some of the
Here are some of the 5 word Webby speech suggestions I got from people. The one I've decided on is not on the list. My favorites are marked with an asterisk.
Anyone need a Web designer?
Greg Knauss should have won.
You people make me sick.
Every good boy does fine.
I didn't prepare a speech.
The Webbys are a crock.
Shop Amazon dot com...fuckers!
This one's for my homies.
Yellow and blue make green.
Thank you Jesuuuuus!!*
I'd like to thank Jebus.
If I wasn't so high on crack, I'd count my words.*
Thanks for nothing, assholes!
Much better than actual respect.
Hello? Is this thing on?*
Fools! Release the giant robot!*
De gustibus non est disputandum.
Kottke: more rock, less talk.
This speech has five words.
Pants, pants, pants, pants, pants.*
Screw it. Who wants pie?
Bees! Bees in my hair!
I'm king of the world!
Paying off the judges worked.*
Thank you, you old bastards.
Thanks! I totally deserve this!
Free Tibet! Down with China!
I am the Web god.
Hot dish is on me!
See you in hell, fuckers.*
The Web is about people.*
Fuck I'm good! Damn good.
Five words is not enough.
I am not a pipe.*
Thank you. Purple monkey dishwasher.
You really really like me.
Nice to see you, Bob!
Whoa! Is this real gold?
Only five words? Well, shit.
Fame is a filthy whore.
Intelligent design of playlists
Merlin Mann recently wrote two posts about managing your music library using iTunes Smart Playlists. His suggestions for making music-only playlists (for those that have a lot of podcasts & audiobooks in their libraries) and the "sure you really like that?" playlist are especially helpful. One of my recent favorite Smart Playlists is helpful for discovering good stuff that I haven't listened to in awhile:
The Last Skipped bit is in there because while listening to this playlist, I found myself skipping stuff I didn't want to hear and that rule gets it out there so that it doesn't come up again. An item on my Smart Playlist wishlist is the ability to measure popularity acceleration (basically, something like "gimme the most played over the last week"), but there's no way (that I can find) to ask iTunes how many times a song has been played in the last x days.
Several more Smart Playlist suggestions are available at smartplaylists.com and Andy Budd.
Mark Rothko's Seagram murals were to hang
Mark Rothko's Seagram murals were to hang in the then-new Four Seasons restaurant in NYC. How did they come to hang instead in the Tate Modern in London?
The Legend of Zelda map
The Legend of Zelda map. I prefer my tattered childhood copy, but in its absense, this will have to do.
This grass armchair gets its shape from
This grass armchair gets its shape from a cardboard frame. "It's a flatpack do it yourself kit consisting of a 14 piece corrugated cardboard frame and a package of grass seeds. It starts to grow after just 10 days." ... "First find the right spot, because once the armchair has grown you won't be able to move it!!" (via treehugger) -dj
Microsoft wants to buy Yahoo! for $44 billion.
Microsoft wants to buy Yahoo! for $44 billion. This sounds like a horrible deal...big mergers/acquisitions like these often don't work well.
The pace of razor development is staggering;
The pace of razor development is staggering; we could be at 14 blades by 2011. (via airbag)
10 kick ass opening credit sequences from movies (+
10 kick ass opening credit sequences from movies (+ accompanying YouTube videos). The credits for Se7en will forever be my favorite, if only because they inspired me (in part) to become a designer.
Fascinating clip from the This American Life
Fascinating clip from the This American Life TV show about some grade school kids who became obsessed with using fake video cameras. Animated by Chris Ware. The thing is though, I remember fights in grade school and even in the absence of fake video cameras, students didn't step in to stop fights. (thx, matt)
Eater doesn't come right out and say
Eater doesn't come right out and say it ("note new equipment..."), but I think that when the Shake Shack opens for business on Wednesday, they'll be distributing those light-up buzzer thingies that vibrate when your food is ready instead of having everyone mill around the window while employees yell things that sound like your name even though it's not.
Update: Confirmed...the ShackWand will be in full effect. (And psst, rumor has it the Shack opens today, not Wed...)
It Must've Been Something I Ate
Meg and I are both currently hooked on the writings of the obsessively funny Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue's food columnist. She's tucked into The Man Who Ate Everything while I'm reading It Must Have Been Something I Ate. It's like Mr. Wizard meets David Sedaris meets The Galloping Gourmet.
The best part of this whole Steingarten-a-thon is that Meg has started cooking meat. You see, Jeffrey loves meat. And butter. And lard. And cheese. And eggs. He doesn't believe the hype about salad. He believes people can eat meat, fat, and cheese and still be healthy (see the French Paradox) and probably a whole lot happier. I am delighted on so many levels to hear this viewpoint - my viewpoint also - expressed so convincingly.
In the last week, Meg has twice stopped at Ottomanelli's Butcher Shop on Bleecker, once for filet mignon for Valentine's Day (which when combined with mashed potatoes and a small salad, is surprisingly economical for how damn good the meal is) and this past Friday for a whole chicken (which took far too long to cook due to a faulty oven, but turned out wonderful anyway due to Meg's skill in the kitchen and Dean Allen's whimsical directions). My tummy and taste buds are plently happy. Thanks, Jeffrey.
New edition of Best American Science Writing 2003
New edition of Best American Science Writing 2003 out soon, edited by Oliver Sacks.
There appears to be a bit of
There appears to be a bit of a problem with Yahoo's text ad program: you aren't allowed to show pages with Yahoo's ads on them to people outside of the US.
Through the viewfinder
I picked up a Kodak Duaflex II camera at an antique store this weekend. I'm going to use to it do some through the viewfinder shots with the D70. The idea is that you take a photo of the Duaflex viewfinder with the SLR camera, thereby picking up all the spots, scratches, and curves of the old lens. A lens hood is required to block unwanted light reflections. Here's a tutorial describing the process. Of course, it was after I bought the Duaflex that I discovered the need for a different lens on the SLR to make it work properly. We'll see if the 50 mm lens at home works. Some results soon. Hopefully.
Inner ear protein is likely a "key to hearing"
Inner ear protein is likely a "key to hearing". It helps convert sound waves into electrical impulses that the brain can understand.
BBC (rightly) praised for making stuff up
BBC (rightly) praised for making stuff up. unsung thousands of hours of original plays/movies/drama on radio
Staring contest
Love at first sight apparently applies to men only:
Researchers believe that this difference between men and women can best be explained by the fact that the former use eye contact to seek fertile and fit mates. Meanwhile, the latter shy from making eye contact or drawing unwanted attention onto themselves for fear of unwanted pregnancies and single parenthood, it has been said.
The same study found that it takes approximately 8.2 seconds of eye contact for a man to decide if a woman is attractive. It's hard not to stare at the eyes of photographer Rankin's hypnotizing Eyescapes for a whole lot longer, but that's a different type of beauty.
Bill Clinton is speaking in
Bill Clinton is speaking in SF today. At Moscone Center. Right where Web2000 is going on. It's going to be a freakin' zoo. Freakin'. Zoo.
Posted via Wireless Blogger on a Palm V
Let's Bowl is my new
Let's Bowl is my new favorite TV show (catch it Sunday nights on Comedy Central). The show is basically The People's Court with bowling: two people settle their disagreements at the alley...whoever wins the game wins the dispute. The best part is that the whole thing is filmed in Minnesota (at Stardust Lanes, where I took a sign picture for the Minneapolis Sign Project) and the you-betcha contestants vie for prizes like snowmobiles, pop-up campers, and a 1/3 of a side of beef. Real good, then.
Pine tree #45197.28
The issues discussed in The Test Tube Forest, an article on genetically modified trees, are going to become more and more important as genetic engineering becomes commonplace. Yet, I don't really see anyone doing anything about it...this type of thing will most likely just slide under the radar of most people (myself included). I'm not entirely sure why that is, but I think it has something to do with our short attention span (i.e. how does this directly affect me, right now).
This needs a bit of
This needs a bit of copywriting help (italics mine):
"Many states have resources on the Internet that help movers obtain necessary forms and information on-line, so you don't have to stand on line."
DFW questions answered
DT Max answers readers' questions about his long article on David Foster Wallace in the New Yorker. (thx, ben)
Winged Migration
A beautiful study of life and of earth by way of some birds. The cinematography in this film is amazing.
Errol Morris describes his unique interviewing device, The Interrotron
Errol Morris describes his unique interviewing device, The Interrotron.
So glad it's over
I'm listening to a live RealAudio broadcast of the impeachment vote. It's over. He's been acquitted.
Yay!
Some couples are waiting to get married
Some couples are waiting to get married until gays and lesbians have the right to marry.
Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art NOW THEN online exhibit
Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art NOW THEN online exhibit. "What did professional comic artists draw like when they were 12 years old"?
Excellent! neighbor-sex is just what
Excellent! neighbor-sex is just what I was looking for from Blog of the Week.
Writer Roger Angell on a leisurely approach
Writer Roger Angell on a leisurely approach to reporting. "Shawn didn't have a sense of deadline. [David] Remnick now wants it next week, which is fine. It's that sort of a magazine, and I try to oblige. Shawn thought, Everybody knows what the news is; now tell us something else about it." More on William Shawn.
Dan Bricklin is at Comdex
Dan Bricklin is at Comdex and is delivering behind-the-scenes pictures and commentary. An interesting coversational tidbit by Bill Gates at the keynote after-party-thingie:
[Gates] waxed nostalgic about when he last got to write real code (including the TRS-80 Model 100 and Color Computer I think he said) and had to wring the last 1KB out of his work by various hand-coded machine code tricks. (He kept looking my way to find a face that understood from experience what he was talking about.)
Not fit to print
Earlier today I posted a link to Frank Bruni's new food blog over at the NY Times. At the same time, I added a comment to this post about how restaurant reservations work here in NYC. I went back to see if there was any further conversation and my comment had been deleted (or had otherwise disappeared). Not such a good start. I've resubmitted the comment...we'll see how long it lasts.
Extensive notes on the 1st amendment of the US Constitution
Extensive notes on the 1st amendment of the US Constitution.
Nintendo wins anti-piracy suit against Lik-Sang
Nintendo wins anti-piracy suit against Lik-Sang. Hong Kong retailer sold game copying devices
The AAAS, the organisation which publishes Science
The AAAS, the organisation which publishes Science magazine, has produced a book called The Evolution Dialogues. "Meant specifically for use in Christian adult education programs, it offers a concise description of the natural world, as explained by evolution, and the Christian response, both in Charles Darwin's time and in contemporary America." (thx, mike)
Last week's highbrow discussion of
Last week's highbrow discussion of all things underwear reminded me of one of my favorite mock insults: pantywaist (the equivalent of calling someone a sissy or a pansy). I also enjoy referring to someone in jest as a milquetoast. Interestingly, Milquetoast was the name of a timid cartoon character from the 1920s from which the current meaning of the word was derived.
Dancing to the Beat Radio
I went a'dancin' last night. Beat Radio is going off the air so they threw a little party at First Ave last night called "Beatoff". It was fun...for the most part...it was a little annoying because of the nature of the crowd. Usually, a techno show at First Ave means a techno crowd; a crowd that comes to dance and experience the event instead of scoping for that night's lay or getting drunk. Instead, last night's crowd was very much the typical bar crowd. Sigh. Don't get me wrong, the music was good (most of the time) and I had fun dancing, but it just wasn't the most ideal atmosphere to deal with when all I really wanted to do was dance.
The balcony is closed
Nice remembrance from Roger Ebert on the end of the long-running At the Movies show.
One thing we never did, apart from an occasional special show, was depart from the format: Two critics debating the week's new movies. No "advance looks" at trailers for movies we hadn't even seen. No celebrity interviews. No red carpet sound bites. Just two guys talking about the movies. At one point, our show and two clones were on the air simultaneously. Then we were left alone again: The only show on TV that would actually tell you if we thought a movie was bad.
Snatch was pretty good; best
Snatch was pretty good; best performance by a dog in a movie in recent memory. The music was pretty good as well. I'm currently grooving on the track from the big chase scene.
While I was looking for the site for Snatch, I mistakenly typed in "snatch.com", pressed return, and all of a sudden I was looking at porno on the job. Stupid Web is gonna get me fired!
Hans van der Meer takes beautiful photographs
Hans van der Meer takes beautiful photographs of soccer fields in Europe. Also available in book form. (thx, dirk)
US tax dollars at work
US tax dollars at work. my level of disgust for my gov't is at 11 on this one
Franz Ferdinand wins the Mercury Music Prize,
Franz Ferdinand wins the Mercury Music Prize, the top UK music award.
4000 year-old pot of noodles found in China,
4000 year-old pot of noodles found in China, settling (for now) the "hotly contested" question of who invented the noodle.
Chart by Ben Schott (of Schott's Original
Chart by Ben Schott (of Schott's Original Miscellany) detailing the 5 years since 9/11.
The Washington Post confirms that Mark Felt is Deep Throat
The Washington Post confirms that Mark Felt is Deep Throat. Woodward, Bernstein, and Ben Bradlee confirmed the story as well. Woodward is writing an article about the experience to be run on Thursday.
Pop culture will feed itself
There's a football team in Massachusetts called the New England Patriots. There are a group of women called the New England Patriots Cheerleaders who dance and cheer for the team & fans during the game. To promote themselves, the cheerleaders have produced a swimsuit calendar for 2004. To support the making of that calendar, there's a DVD about the making of the 2004 New England Patriots Cheerleaders Swimsuit Calendar. Personally, I'm waiting for the anime movie based on the album based on the book based on the DVD based on the swimsuit calendar of the cheerleaders for the New England Patriots. That'll be good.
Snow Crash
When I mentioned Neal Stephenson here in February, several people recommended starting with the smaller Snow Crash rather than plunging head-long into Cryptonomicon or the Baroque Cycle. When I ran across a copy in my own household (who knew that we had one?), I picked it up and barely put it back down until I had finished. I mean -- come on! -- the main character's name is Hiro Protagonist, but Stephenson has the chops to back that sort of cheesy bullshit up:
The Deliverator's car has enough potential energy packed into its batteries to fire a pound of bacon into the Asteroid Belt. Unlike a bimbo box or a Burb beater, the Deliverator's car unloads that power through gaping, gleaming, polished sphincters. When the Deliverator puts the hammer down, shit happens. You want to talk contact patches? Your car's tires have tiny contact patches, talk to the asphalt in four places the size of your tongue. The Deliverator's car has big sticky tires with contact patches the size of a fat lady's thighs. The Deliverator is in touch with the road, starts like a bad day, stops on a peseta.
Why is the Deliverator so equipped? Because people rely on him. He is a roll model. This is America. People do whatever the fuck they feel like doing, you got a problem with that? Because they have a right to. And because they have guns and no one can fucking stop them. As a result, this country has one of the worst economies in the world. When it gets down to it -- talking trade balances here -- once we've brain-drained all our technology into other countries, once things have evened out, they're making cars in Bolivia and microwave ovens in Tadzhikistan and selling them here -- once our edge in natural resources has been made irrelevant by giant Hong Kong ships and dirigibles that can ship North Dakota all the way to New Zealand for a nickel -- once the Invisible Hand has taken all those historical inequities and smeared them out into a broad global layer of what a Pakistani brickmaker would consider to be prosperity...
Roll model!
Aside from the entertaining writing, Snow Crash (excerpt) is packed full of ideas. Stephenson gives the reader as much to think about as do the authors of recent non-fiction books like Blink, The Wisdom of Crowds, etc. And whereas Steven Johnson gets a bunch of shit for winkingly calling his book "Everything Bad is Good for You" and suggesting that this miserable culture we're stuck with might be good for us in some way, readers of Snow Crash might say, "hmm, that's an interesting idea" and ruminate on it without feeling the need to completely disagree with the whole premise of the book. Is fiction better at presenting ideas in a non-theatening manner than non-fiction? Maybe Gladwell's next book should be a novel?
Brandweek presents Superbrands: America's Top
Brandweek presents Superbrands: America's Top Brands. McDonald's tops the list (as one might expect), but the list gets a little confusing after that. The rest of the top 5 are:
2. Circuit City
3. Burger King
4. Valassis Coupons
5. News America FSI
When I think of top brands, none of these spring to mind. What of Coca-Cola (#22), Disney (#131), Volkswagen (#30), and Microsoft (#613)? Of course, it would help to know what the criteria are and what those impressively detailed numbers mean, but those tidbits are apparently reserved for paying users of the Brandweek site.
Also from Brandweek comes a list of the best TV commercials of the 1990s. Nike, VW, Levi's, Budweiser, and Little Caeser's rate highly overall, with several entries apiece. I don't agree with many of the choices (particularly the Budweiser ones), but there's some good stuff in there.