One of my dad's jokes:
Three turtles is sitting in a bar. Having a great time, but just after they get the second round, it starts to rain outside.
Joe Turtle says to Ira Turtle and John Turtle: "Durn. One of us should go home to fetch our umbrellas."
Ira agrees. He says: "John, you up for it? We'll owe you one."
John says: "Okay, I'll do it. But don't drink my beer, guys!"
Time passes. And passes. And passes. Still no sign of John.
Finally Joe says: "This is getting ridiculous. Let's drink his beer anyway."
Voice from the door: "Guys, if you drink my beer I'm not fetching those umbrellas!"
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Melissa Rauch aka Bernadette
Another one in the looooong series of "actresses I worship", Melissa Rauch as Bernadette (youtube) on The Big Bang Theory. If I were her, I'd wear those glasses always, she is so durn cute with them!
Sure, she is clearly a gorgeous woman no matter what, but there is something about her Bernadette character's innocence and the glasses that I just adore.
(You would think it would be easy to find a good picture of her as Bernadette, but noo! This happens often, it's puzzling.)
Sure, she is clearly a gorgeous woman no matter what, but there is something about her Bernadette character's innocence and the glasses that I just adore.
(You would think it would be easy to find a good picture of her as Bernadette, but noo! This happens often, it's puzzling.)
LensWork Online
The small but high-quality B/W magazine LensWork is now available in various digital versions. They do good work, and a lot of it.
It's impressive that they have a lot of online work on the web, and also versions now for both iPad and Android.
The yearly price for subscription is only thirty bucks, highly reasonable, just like when founder Brooks Jensen sells his art photo prints. I have one of his portfolios (October Seas), and they are lovely prints. It was $145 for twelve prints, that's normally what you pay for one or two prints.
It's impressive that they have a lot of online work on the web, and also versions now for both iPad and Android.
The yearly price for subscription is only thirty bucks, highly reasonable, just like when founder Brooks Jensen sells his art photo prints. I have one of his portfolios (October Seas), and they are lovely prints. It was $145 for twelve prints, that's normally what you pay for one or two prints.
Patti Smith in Swedish??
Look at this screenshot? Does it not seem like enough information if you know you want the book Just Kids?
... Sure seemed like it to me. So I bought it yesterday. And starting on the book today, I discovered... It's in Swedish! One can only see that if one clicks through all the way.
I think the abbreviated titles in the search results on iTunes are a pest. For example, one always have to click through a couple of times when a video podcast is broadcast in three or four different sizes, to see which one is the desired one. Surely it could be done better.
And it seems only the Swedish version is out in audio, goldurnit. Well, I guess if I really want to hear it, I have to prop up my Swedish and go at it. I do understand Swedish pretty well (though I can't speak it well). Perhaps because my mother was Swedish, but I don't know. (When I was maybe nine or ten, my parents were pretty struck to see me read a book for my little sister, translating on the go from Swedish to Danish.)
Update:
Vineland said...
The Swedish audiobook of Just Kids was the first one to be released. There is also a German one and an English one. Patti Smith reads the English one herself - it was published a few weeks ago by HarperCollins and is highly recommended.
eolake said...
Ah, thanks for the info.
I have a US iTunes account too, and when I checked there, hey presto, there it was.
... Sure seemed like it to me. So I bought it yesterday. And starting on the book today, I discovered... It's in Swedish! One can only see that if one clicks through all the way.
I think the abbreviated titles in the search results on iTunes are a pest. For example, one always have to click through a couple of times when a video podcast is broadcast in three or four different sizes, to see which one is the desired one. Surely it could be done better.
And it seems only the Swedish version is out in audio, goldurnit. Well, I guess if I really want to hear it, I have to prop up my Swedish and go at it. I do understand Swedish pretty well (though I can't speak it well). Perhaps because my mother was Swedish, but I don't know. (When I was maybe nine or ten, my parents were pretty struck to see me read a book for my little sister, translating on the go from Swedish to Danish.)
Update:
Vineland said...
The Swedish audiobook of Just Kids was the first one to be released. There is also a German one and an English one. Patti Smith reads the English one herself - it was published a few weeks ago by HarperCollins and is highly recommended.
eolake said...
Ah, thanks for the info.
I have a US iTunes account too, and when I checked there, hey presto, there it was.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Patti Smith - Redondo Beach
I've just been recommended her autobio, which I'm looking forward to. She is one of those artists who you just know is a "Real Artist", whether you really know their work or not.
"It's just transfusions, don't worry about the words." - Patti Smith
Les Barker - Teaching Geography To George W Bush
There is quite a lot of Les Barker on YouTube, it turns out, fortunately, because there's no DVD collection.
"Be gentle with yourself. Bear in mind that depression is anger without enthusiasm."
"A closed mouth gathers no feet." - Les Barker
"Be gentle with yourself. Bear in mind that depression is anger without enthusiasm."
"A closed mouth gathers no feet." - Les Barker
"Anti-Cosmetic Surgery League"
Kate Winslet, Rachel Weisz Form "Anti-Cosmetic Surgery League", article.
I think this is praise-worthy (Sher's face was like hard plastic last I saw (Will and Grace)). Though I wonder where they will stand on this in 10-15 years' time.
By the way, I find it odd that this Rachel Weisz makes the headline, but not Emma Thompson. I've seen a dozen good movies with Emma, but I don't recall anything at all with Ms. Weisz in it.
I think this is praise-worthy (Sher's face was like hard plastic last I saw (Will and Grace)). Though I wonder where they will stand on this in 10-15 years' time.
By the way, I find it odd that this Rachel Weisz makes the headline, but not Emma Thompson. I've seen a dozen good movies with Emma, but I don't recall anything at all with Ms. Weisz in it.
"Post-industrial countries"
There's been talk about the severe trade-imbalance between the West and the East. In short, dollars are not real, and the East is producing most of the real artefacts of the world now by far, very little is being made in the west, and some say that has disaster written all over it.
William Gibson the writer commented about how we are living in the West in a "post-industrial" society. And that is clear, the bulk of the industry has moved out of US and Europe. And like he says: if we no longer make things, what is it we do, exactly? And whatever it is, is it sustainable in the long run?
William Gibson the writer commented about how we are living in the West in a "post-industrial" society. And that is clear, the bulk of the industry has moved out of US and Europe. And like he says: if we no longer make things, what is it we do, exactly? And whatever it is, is it sustainable in the long run?
Eccentricity
My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people.
-- Orson Welles
Hell hath no fury like a bureaucrat scorned.
-- Milton Friedman
Eccentricity is not, as dull people would have us believe, a form of madness. It is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat are frequently regarded as eccentrics because genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd.
-- Edith Sitwell
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Iggy Pop Shades
"I think I helped wipe out the sixties" - Iggy Pop
From Iggy Pop's most melodious and soft period, the Blah-blah-blah album in the mid-nineties. He had decided, he said an interview, that it sucked being an underground idol but not earning any money, so his primary goal with this album was there "not being any obvious reasons it couldn't be played on radio. Radio neglect has hurt me more than anything in the past."
I think he succeeded, it's a very good pop-rock album, probably helped along a lot by David Bowie pitching in on compositions, as he did on two others of Iggy's best, The Idiot and Lust For Life in the seventies.
Very interesting interviews of both guys here:
Iggy said later that he didn't feel that further collaborations with Bowie would be a good idea, though he didn't explain why. I suspect that such explosive collaborations are very emotionally draining.
Oh, he's done good work without Bowie, a lot of it. But then some of his late albums, like Skull Ring and Beat Them Up, sucked dry cum from a dead hell hound.
Another good tune from Blah blah blah:
A pretty good live version I just now found:
It's interesting that a song like Fire Girl and one like Search and Destroy (Heart Full Of Napalm) can come from the same throat. Either vocally and emotionally/artistically. They just seem so incompatible. Although I'm one of those who like both.
From Iggy Pop's most melodious and soft period, the Blah-blah-blah album in the mid-nineties. He had decided, he said an interview, that it sucked being an underground idol but not earning any money, so his primary goal with this album was there "not being any obvious reasons it couldn't be played on radio. Radio neglect has hurt me more than anything in the past."
I think he succeeded, it's a very good pop-rock album, probably helped along a lot by David Bowie pitching in on compositions, as he did on two others of Iggy's best, The Idiot and Lust For Life in the seventies.
Very interesting interviews of both guys here:
Iggy said later that he didn't feel that further collaborations with Bowie would be a good idea, though he didn't explain why. I suspect that such explosive collaborations are very emotionally draining.
Oh, he's done good work without Bowie, a lot of it. But then some of his late albums, like Skull Ring and Beat Them Up, sucked dry cum from a dead hell hound.
Another good tune from Blah blah blah:
A pretty good live version I just now found:
It's interesting that a song like Fire Girl and one like Search and Destroy (Heart Full Of Napalm) can come from the same throat. Either vocally and emotionally/artistically. They just seem so incompatible. Although I'm one of those who like both.
Audio Pod Chronicles
Len Edgerly is one of my favorite podcasters, he's exceptionally intelligent, and almost always interesting, despite having many interests.
Audio Pod Chronicles seems to be discontinued. But I'm just listening to show 30, The Art of Interviewing (scroll down on the page), and it's very interesting. I've read and listened to many, many interviews, and I've done many interviews on both sides of the mic/keyboard, and I find it's an excellent form of journalism if done right. If done poorly it's meaningless, but if done well, it's entertaining and enlightening, it's less work for the journalist, it's fun and free publicity for the interviewee, and it's interesting to the reader/listener.
A photo Len took yesterday:
A photo Len took yesterday:
Removing stickers
A little household tip: the best way I've found for removing stickers is lighter fluid, which seems to be the same as "cleaning gasoline" as it's called in Danish. Pure gasoline, though I'm not sure what ingredients are missing which are in the gas we put in cars.
If there's a lot of glue, I put a patch of kitchen roll paper on top, and squirt some lighter fluid on it, and then put a plastic bag on top to hold the volatile fluid in place while it works. After a couple of minutes, the glue can usually be wiped off easily.
And it does not seem to swell or damage cardboard like water would, so it can be used on books or paper DVD covers, for example. (What a pity it is to design a beautiful cover, just so the next step in the selling chain can put a brazen sticker on it.)
Alex said
As well as purpose made solvents like "goof off" and "goo gone", the other one that works on plastics, china and glass is olive oil. Don't use that on your books though.
If there's a lot of glue, I put a patch of kitchen roll paper on top, and squirt some lighter fluid on it, and then put a plastic bag on top to hold the volatile fluid in place while it works. After a couple of minutes, the glue can usually be wiped off easily.
And it does not seem to swell or damage cardboard like water would, so it can be used on books or paper DVD covers, for example. (What a pity it is to design a beautiful cover, just so the next step in the selling chain can put a brazen sticker on it.)
Alex said
As well as purpose made solvents like "goof off" and "goo gone", the other one that works on plastics, china and glass is olive oil. Don't use that on your books though.
They have Goo Gone at Amazon UK, with great reviews, so I've ordered a bottle. Thanks.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Les Barker
Thanks to Pat for tipping me about a unique comedian, Les Barker.
"Remember that good health is merely the slowest way to die." - Les Barker
"Remember that good health is merely the slowest way to die." - Les Barker
Holding cigarettes
I wonder why people hold joints different from cigarettes? Cigarettes are typically wedged between forefinger and middle finger, while it seems joints are mostly held securely between thumb and both other fingers. Is it because when people get stoned, they tend to drop it if they don't pay close attention?
Pardon my ignorance. I haven't smoked any cigarettes for many years, I quit when I was twelve. And I've never been stoned. I tried pot in tea once, and it didn't seem to affect me at all. Maybe I didn't do it right, or the dose I got was calculated to a smaller person, I dunno.
OK... I like to say "I quit when I was twelve", it's funny. But of course I'd only been doing it for a couple of weeks, in secret, with a friend. But when I felt that it could become a serious habit, I got so scared I quit right away, this was mid-seventies, after horror stories of their health danger were common.
It used to be cool. James Bond famously apparently smoked 60 a day! Very macho! I wonder how can you do that in his job? Being a secret agent must take a lot of hiding and being inconspicuous, and spouting smoke and leaving butts 15 hours a day must get in the way, one would think. ...But of course, being fictional helps. It also helps with the being in such great shape despite smoking that much!
Pardon my ignorance. I haven't smoked any cigarettes for many years, I quit when I was twelve. And I've never been stoned. I tried pot in tea once, and it didn't seem to affect me at all. Maybe I didn't do it right, or the dose I got was calculated to a smaller person, I dunno.
OK... I like to say "I quit when I was twelve", it's funny. But of course I'd only been doing it for a couple of weeks, in secret, with a friend. But when I felt that it could become a serious habit, I got so scared I quit right away, this was mid-seventies, after horror stories of their health danger were common.
It used to be cool. James Bond famously apparently smoked 60 a day! Very macho! I wonder how can you do that in his job? Being a secret agent must take a lot of hiding and being inconspicuous, and spouting smoke and leaving butts 15 hours a day must get in the way, one would think. ...But of course, being fictional helps. It also helps with the being in such great shape despite smoking that much!
Glock 17
Now here's a guy who loves his guns! I'm not saying he's a violence freak or anything...
Though I wonder if this is faked? I find it hard to believe that any handgun can fire that fast, big magazine or not. Also the Glock 17 is said to be a semi-automatic, meaning that while it loads the next round automatically (I think with the recoil), it requires one pull of the trigger to fire one bullet, it won't keep on firing.
Googling around a bit, some claim that "fully automatic handguns are out there", but it seems to me that overheating and handling the recoil would make them dangerously impractical.
Though I wonder if this is faked? I find it hard to believe that any handgun can fire that fast, big magazine or not. Also the Glock 17 is said to be a semi-automatic, meaning that while it loads the next round automatically (I think with the recoil), it requires one pull of the trigger to fire one bullet, it won't keep on firing.
Googling around a bit, some claim that "fully automatic handguns are out there", but it seems to me that overheating and handling the recoil would make them dangerously impractical.
Tee-shirt printing
For many years there's been economical ways of copying color art or photos to decals and transfer to tee-shirts. It's very cool, but the issue is that those I've tried, including Cafepress' service, fade a lot after only a couple of washes. Does anybody know if there is any new technology/service which can copy a color photo/artwork to a shirt in just one or two copies with reasonable economy (like less than $50 for one) and have it be quite wash-proof?
Crowd + Outsourcing
Crowdsourcing, another of those unpredicted but very powerful ways the Internet is changing the world.
artificial libertarian islands
Silicon Valley billionaire funding creation of artificial libertarian islands, article.
That should be interesting. Is a human Utopia really possible?
That should be interesting. Is a human Utopia really possible?
Too early
Three o'clock is always too late or too early for anything you want to do.
-- Jean-Paul Sartre
There is no reciprocity. Men love women, women love children, children love hamsters.
-- Alice Thomas Ellis
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Streaming Killed The Video Star?
Streaming Killed The Video Star?, infographic.
Streaming gradually replacing TV is another one of those dead-clear trends, like computing on portable devices.
Streaming gradually replacing TV is another one of those dead-clear trends, like computing on portable devices.
Monday, August 15, 2011
AvaSmurf
I think the Smurf Movie trailers lack charm and wit, and I never could get into Avatar, but this one looks promising.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Demi Semi Quaver - Pasta Paradise
Demi Semi Quaver - Pasta Paradise, sorta Asia-punk. Warning: an acquired taste!!
Scam warning (Ponzi scheme)
Here's a type of scam which works well, beware of it.
The scammers present an apparent "investment", which sounds amazing. It's something that gives fantastic returns, and very few people know about it. In fact, it's preferably a bit hush-hush, which makes it even more attractive. The "powers that be" don't want you ordinary people to know about it, you know?
Early investors actually do get some returns! This is sometimes paid out via specially made cash-cards, making it even more believable. The returns make the scheme seem very convincing to the early investors, so they 1: get greedy and they invest more, and 2: they tell their friends about it, who believe it because they are friends and they've already got proof it's real. And of course they get a commission per investor they bring in, adding the pyramid scheme flavor to it.
As time goes on, some "problems" arrive though, like the scammers' bank account is being apparently barred by their evil bank or other evil authority who doesn't want people to know about this amazing investment form. Or the new kind of payout card is being delayed and delayed...
Over time, people get more and more apathetic about ever getting their profits, or even their money back, and the scammers disappear quietly with a few million bucks.
This can take many forms, but look out for the pattern. Remember the silver rule: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. There is no investment without risk which pays more than maybe 7 percent per year (minus inflation). Over 15% per year, big risk. If it claims fifteen percent per month, it's sure to be a scam.
It's called a Ponzi scheme after Charles Ponzi, thanks to A.
The scammers present an apparent "investment", which sounds amazing. It's something that gives fantastic returns, and very few people know about it. In fact, it's preferably a bit hush-hush, which makes it even more attractive. The "powers that be" don't want you ordinary people to know about it, you know?
Early investors actually do get some returns! This is sometimes paid out via specially made cash-cards, making it even more believable. The returns make the scheme seem very convincing to the early investors, so they 1: get greedy and they invest more, and 2: they tell their friends about it, who believe it because they are friends and they've already got proof it's real. And of course they get a commission per investor they bring in, adding the pyramid scheme flavor to it.
As time goes on, some "problems" arrive though, like the scammers' bank account is being apparently barred by their evil bank or other evil authority who doesn't want people to know about this amazing investment form. Or the new kind of payout card is being delayed and delayed...
Over time, people get more and more apathetic about ever getting their profits, or even their money back, and the scammers disappear quietly with a few million bucks.
This can take many forms, but look out for the pattern. Remember the silver rule: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. There is no investment without risk which pays more than maybe 7 percent per year (minus inflation). Over 15% per year, big risk. If it claims fifteen percent per month, it's sure to be a scam.
It's called a Ponzi scheme after Charles Ponzi, thanks to A.
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