zen-y

"Selecting a font is like getting dressed, Ms Strawson says. Just as one chooses an outfit according..."

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:00:44 -0400

“Selecting a font is like getting dressed, Ms Strawson says. Just as one chooses an outfit according to the occasion, one decides on a font according to the kind of message you are seeking to convey.”

- BBC News - Do typefaces really matter?

“Roger Waters and David Gilmour perform charity show...

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:00:00 -0400

“Roger Waters and David Gilmour perform charity show together last night.”

Wow. Just. Wow.

And Gilmour’s going to show up at one of Waters’ “The Wall” tour dates. Amazing. It’s like Coke and Pepsi holding hands and making out on the ferris wheel.

Miller High Life Overhaul - Brand New Love it, even if I...

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:55:47 -0400

Miller High Life Overhaul - Brand New

Love it, even if I don’t love the beer. But I do know a pair a fellas (Don, Cowboy) who do, even if one has already given a thumbs down.

via PostSecret.

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:55:46 -0400

via PostSecret.

fyeahstarwars: thedailywhat: Clever Counterprotest of the...

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:47:46 -0400

fyeahstarwars:

thedailywhat:

Clever Counterprotest of the Day: San Diego Comic-Con patrons take on the hateful Westboro Baptist Church, who are in town to harangue attendees for false idol worship (seriously).

God bless geeks.

(More photos here and here.)

[comicsalliance.]

“What do we want?”

“Gay sex!”

“When do we want it?”

“Now!”

Man, and the church’s signs aren’t nearly as fun.

"Because, in addition to being a dick, I’m also the Mayor of Remember Someday You’re Going to Die..."

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 22:57:45 -0400

“Because, in addition to being a dick, I’m also the Mayor of Remember Someday You’re Going to Die Alone With Poop in Your Pants and Your Relatives Will Drop All Your Shit off at the Goodwill and Sell Your Car and Barely-Used Guitar and They’ll Give Your Cat to a Stranger and Everyone Will Probably Mostly Remember How You Spent All That Time Dicking Around and Acting Like Anyone Could Conceivably Be Friends With a Rails Application So Holy Daddy Jesus and the Spook Please Try to Do Something Useful With Yourself While You Have the Goddamned Chance.”

- Merlin Mann | kung fu grippe

Oil spill in Dalian, China - The Big Picture - Boston.com Makes...

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:47:41 -0400

Oil spill in Dalian, China - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Makes me want to be an oilman.

"For a few hours, a thousand or so people were best friends in the world and it was the most..."

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 17:03:10 -0400

“For a few hours, a thousand or so people were best friends in the world and it was the most beautiful place you could have ever wanted to be.”

- Mr. Chris Driver over at Your Morning Rock, on the Gaslight Anthem/Hold Steady show last Thursday. He got it right.

I’d give anything to play the first Street Fighter.

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 23:22:49 -0400

I’d give anything to play the first Street Fighter.

I feel like I’m breaking the law.

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:00:43 -0400

I feel like I’m breaking the law.

madmenfootnotes: Christina made this poster and she also made...

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:03:42 -0400

madmenfootnotes:

Christina made this poster and she also made equally minimal and sophisticated illustrations for the book.

Gorgeous. Can’t wait for the new season.

Found this at work. At least my co-workers are reading.

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:36:43 -0400

Found this at work. At least my co-workers are reading.

"I don’t think we capture the right moments. The camera flashes and we pose. We pose. We create..."

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 08:00:44 -0400

“I don’t think we capture the right moments. The camera flashes and we pose. We pose. We create moments as artificial as the memory we want of them. We stare into lenses and lie, if only a little, so that the record shows we were there, enjoying or not enjoying ourselves, in precisely the way we’d prefer it.
But the perfect moments always allude us.”

- Big Contrarian → Pictures. And I’d agree, which is why I try to take the un-posed shots as often as possible, because those are the fun ones.

Faith No More - Evidence Mike’s right up there with...

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 23:33:44 -0400

Faith No More - Evidence

Mike’s right up there with Chris Cornell as one of my favorite rock voices. Ever.

Here’s the evidence.

The weight of stars

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 23:41:42 -0400

There are three albums I would call favorites - a kind of musical trinity that includes Smashing Pumpkins’ “Siamese Dream,” KMFDM’s “Nihil,” and Type O Negative’s “October Rust.”

All three classics. All three born in the mid ’90s. And I can never determine which one is my absolute, king-hell, ranking favorite.

But what if I added the relative star weights of their iTunes ranking? Add up all the stars I’ve assigned to the album tracks, and see what comes out on top.

Here’s how it went:

Smashing Pumpkins, “Siamese Dream” - 35 stars
Type O Negative, “October Rust” - 33 stars
KMFDM “Nihil” - 26 stars

Not nearly as close as I thought. In terms of song quality, the Pumpkins and Type O rank pretty highly - while KMFDM sits at least seven stars below second place.

Now what about actual play counts? How many times, combined, have I played each albums songs? Pretty stunning: “October Rust” ranks first with 70 total song plays, “Nihil” in second with 43, and Pumpkins take the rear with 38 total song plays. This is not a clear indication of favoritism, however, since I’m much more prone to take the actual CD and play it as opposed to grabbing it on my iPod or through iTunes (and I’m not sure that iPod plays get counted in iTunes play counts - it doesn’t seem like it).

If I were to add up the song stars and the play count, for some jumbo super score, Type O wins by a big margin. “October Rust” is on near-constant rotation, especially in the morning when I wake up for work. “Love You to Death” alone has 13 plays listed.

The other thing is, my star rankings change from time to time. A song will come on and I’ll think, “Golly, did I rate that high enough?” The above examples are just snapshots in time.

Historically, I would say “Siamese Dream” was a high school favorite, definitely. As I was graduating, “October Rust” took its place well into college, while “Nihil” has been consistently played through and through. It’s also a favorite of mine when I’m driving, especially on long trips.

But when I think about it, I still can’t place one above the other two. They’re a set. They go together. They get played depending on my mood, or whatever band’s catalog I’ve been cycling through (I go in phases where I want to hear a certain band, and I’ll play all their albums in random succession).

So the album trinity remains.

Evolution of the Hipster. (via i.imgur.com)

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:35:42 -0400

Evolution of the Hipster. (via i.imgur.com)

"The scientific space program is small change compared to the errors in the Department of Defense..."

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 11:34:42 -0400

“The scientific space program is small change compared to the errors in the Department of Defense budget.”

- Carl Sagan, The Cosmic Connection

Living in America - Rocky IV Maybe it comes from my years...

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 12:03:43 -0400

Living in America - Rocky IV

Maybe it comes from my years watching wrestling, but I’m a sucker for a good entrance. Think Undertaker. Or Tony Stark’s entrance during the beginning of “Iron Man 2.”

That being said, poor Apollo.

Happy Independence Day.

"‘Our very way of life is under siege,’ said Mortensen, whose understanding of the..."

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 08:00:43 -0400

“‘Our very way of life is under siege,’ said Mortensen, whose understanding of the Constitution derives not from a close reading of the document but from talk-show pundits, books by television personalities, and the limitless expanse of his own colorful imagination. ‘It’s time for true Americans to stand up and protect the values that make us who we are.’”

- Area Man Passionate Defender Of What He Imagines Constitution To Be | The Onion

iPhone 4 me

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:05:46 -0400

Andy Ihnatko on the iPhone 4’s FaceTime:

And which when you think of it, FaceTime represents the strongest of all possible strong-arm tactics in family marketing. “Well, sure, Dad … I suppose you could buy an Android-based phone, if that’s what you really want,” a seven-months-pregnant daughter will say via email. “I guess I assumed you’d be buying an iPhone 4, like the one I have. Because, you know, I thought you might be interested in seeing your new grandson’s first steps and his first word and all of those other little milestones. Oh, well, no worries … his other grandpa is buying an iPhone. I suppose little Tralfaz will just form an unseverable lifelong bond with him instead.”

I will be purchasing an iPhone 4; it’s only a matter of time, and saving up the $300 for the top-end model. Like when I bought the iPhone 3G, I’m glad I waited through the in-between round (iPhone 3GS) before making another purchase, because this was the one worth waiting for.

It’s not just about the FaceTime deal. Sure, I’ll be able to connect with buddies who also have iPhone 4s, and perhaps later Android devices who have Apple’s open-source FaceTime protocols installed.

What really excites me: the increased speed, the better camera, and the multitasking. You can almost hear my iPhone 3G weezing under the weight of iOS 4. It’s not as fast as it used to be, and I’m pretty sure the home button is about to give out. But it’s been a great phone. It was a fun experience on opening day, it’s been a joy to use (despite AT&T’s vile retchedness), and I can honestly say it’s made my life just a tad bit better. Or at least more fun.

Since I was there on release day two years ago, waiting hours in line for this year’s iPhone didn’t seem a compelling experience. Been there, done that. This time around, I can wait it out and make sure Apple gets all the bugs out. Or switches to Verizon.

People keep asking me if I’m going to buy an iPad. What do I need an iPad for? I have a smaller, lighter version that accepts phone calls in my front pocket. When I purchase the new iPhone, it’ll be more advanced than the iPad in some ways.

I like my Macs. I like my iPhone. There’s no iPad-shaped hole in my life.

There is, however, an iPhone 4-shaped hole in my life. But not for long.