...more recent posts
I'm amazed and pleased to learn that Laura Miller, a muckracking journalist of many years (not the Salon book critic), has just been elected Mayor of Dallas in a runoff vote. Dallas is the heart of Bush Country, a city run behind the scenes by righteous conservative businessmen. Miller's in for the fight of her life, but that this can happen in Dallas, now, gives me hope that there may be enough populist anger about Enron, etc., to evict Bush and the other thieves come 2004. The odds against her winning were simply unbelievable!
Oh, those tabloids!
When I saw the giant Daily News headline SARAH! I thought they were congratulating our friend Sarah Macfadden on her big jewelry sale to toney retailer ABC Carpet & Home, but our Sarah's not that big (not yet): it was surprise gold medal figure skater Sarah Hughes of Long Island. She's also on the front of the Post, under a big headline screaming MURDERED, which made me start, until I saw that it was an unfortunate congruence with the sad story of captive Wall St Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. You know these editors are agonizing over what is the real news. But the best line was on the back of the Post, where a picture of fallen favorite Michelle Kwan was tagged NO KWAN DO!
I like the fractal tree. Very bauhuaroque!
im listening to a radioshow which asked, "whats the worst tv spinoff of all time?"
1) The Ropers
2) Enos
3) Fish
4) Flo
5) afterMASH
they disqualified joanie loves chachi because they thought it too obvious. others mentioned were a jeffersons spinoff for the housekeeper, carmine apparently had one from laverne and shirley, three sanford and sons spinoffs, two whats happening spinoffs and gloria and archie bunkers place from all in the family. any favorites?
whats the deal with ultra wideband, not to be confused with the average white band?
Hey Alex, have you seen this: Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter?
One Last Pathetic Lie from a Dying, Former Free Internet Service Provider
"AltaVista's free Web-based e-mail is the last of the portal-like services that the site offered, and, as many of you became aware of AltaVista's pure search focus, usage of the service has waned. As stated in our e-mail, the company will no longer support free e-mail after March 31st, 2002."
Translation: "As more and more of you saw flies hovering over our company..."
No, wait! I see what they mean. "As more and more of you realized how incredibly good the AltaVista search engine was getting, you guessed that email couldn't possibly be a priority for the company, so you began seeking out services for which you would have to pay." Right?
Or, maybe it means, "As our pure search focus improved, you began spending more time surfing the web and less time sending email..."
Hard to know which half-truth actually applies here. But hats off to the copywriter for such well-crafted BS.
Welcome to the home of extreme ironing - the latest danger sport that combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well pressed shirt.
geek love
Valentine's Day Special
Through the magic of the internet, I've located my first crush, or at least a picture of her.
It's Sandy, from Butternut Square, a Canadian kiddie show I watched in the mornings when I was five years old. I was crazy about her, but then they packed me off to school and I never saw her again.
Sigh…
Country Outlaw Waylon Jennings is dead.
Century 21 to reopen.
Now I can go back to just buying new clothes and quit doing laundry.
deposed monarch
blast off
running numbers
Never Mind Bono at the World Economic Forum in New York, Here's the Edge
at "The Future of Theoretical Physics and Cosmology" in Cambridge (Jan. 11)
Real Life Rock science correspondent Steve Weinstein: "The Edge was seen
chatting with astrophysicist Sir Martin Rees following Rees's talk at the
recent 60th birthday party for Stephen Hawking at Cambridge University.
Hawking is known as the Keith Richards of theoretical physicists, and indeed
remarked to one bystander that despite his recent brush with death while
speeding in his new wheelchair, he 'wasn't lookin too good but [he] was
feelin' real well.'
"The Edge has recently been collaborating with Hawking on a bold new idea
intended to make sense of the ill-defined Euclidean path integral that plays
a central role in Hawking's 'no-boundary' proposal for the initial state of
the universe. Later in the evening, the U2 guitarist was spotted with
cosmologist Neil Turok in the VIP 'behind Hawking' area, with a rare view of
the screen on which Hawking's communications appear. The Edge reportedly
needled Turok for stealing U2's 'Unforgettable Fire'' title for his recent
paper with Khoury, Ovurt and Steinhardt on what they call 'The Ekpyrotic
("out of fire") Universe.'
"The evening concluded with a song to Hawking written by general relativity
expert Bernard Carr, and performed by Hawking's students and The Edge
(vocals, not guitar). This was the high point of the evening to that moment,
but it was eclipsed by the appearance of a Marilyn Monroe impersonator and
then the Can-Can Dancers, six women in 'Moulin Rouge' costumes displaying
what some characterized as 'a lot of leg.'"
from guest Brian T
Folklore has it that Valentine's Day is when birds start pairing up, so I though I'd mention that I saw Kestrel Falcons mating on an aerial in LIC on my way to work today.
Beats porno.
any one familiar with this cargo cult science speach ?
and this ?
RIP dave van ronk
van ronk was not known as a songwriter but he could cover the hell out of some one elses material + always with great gusto. I was always amazed by his version of "teddy bears picnic" from his songs for ageing children album.
The Asian Long-horned Beetle has been found in Central Park. This is real bad news, and could lead to the cutting of many trees. The beetles have been on Long Island for a few years; McCarron Park in Greenpoint lost all it’s Maples about four years ago. Last year they finally made it to Manhattan, and now the Park. The Conservancy has been pretty vigilant, and one hopes the damage can be limited, but once the insect has dug in there’s nothing to do but cut and burn the tree, to keep it from spreading. This has the potential to be the worst thing to happen to the Park since they let cars in.
Fast 'N Bulbous: the CAPTAIN BEEFHEART PROJECT
I'm going crazy trying to remember who recorded, wrote etc. the psychedelic song "Time" You know, the one that slows down and speeds up, with the cow bell....I was unable to make a google search work. Alex? Bill? anyone?
The Towers of Light proposal is back. Apparently the new mayor likes it. It has some aesthetic appeal, but many people living nearby don't want it. Neither do birders, since the skyward lighting is apt to confuse night-migrants. According to Rebekah Creshkoff, the technology is the old ceilometer system, once used for measuring cloud ceilings around airports. There is evidence that such lights have affected flocks in the past, and placing them near a lot of tall buildings on a major flyway is a bad idea, at least during migration season, which will be underway (though not at peak) before this proposal runs its course.
mike was asking about photographic images of the pranksters. Gene Anthony was clicking away in sf in 67