weekend picks

by Steven Garrity

A song, movie, and TV show you should enjoy:

song:
Westray by Weeping Tile (now of Sarah Harmer fame)
 
movie:
The Truman Show. Watch it again, for the first time.
 
show:
The episode of Northern Exposure where Chris Stevens, the host of KBHR builds a giant catapault to fling a live cow (it’s art).

If the media companies weren’t busy peeing their collective pants, I would have some way of linking you to these fine works. As it stands right now, you couldn’t even go find these gems even if you were willing to pay for them. Let’s wait and see if capitalism works it out.

 

the tao of telecom

by Steven Garrity

The local telephone company defines happiness on their bill envelopes. View a larger image of the envelope »

happiness is $30/month
 

who am I kidding, who am I fooling, when they be like: “what’s up Fatlip?”

by matthew

What's Up Fatlip?

And I say: “coolin’.”

“What’s Up Fatlip?” by Fatlip, formerly of hiphop group The Pharcyde is currently my choice for song of the year. It’s the saddest funny song I’ve heard in a while and it’s got a chorus you’ll be humming to yourself as you strut down the street (rocking a diaper or not).

Also: Some days more than others.

 

blind progress in the visual sciences

by Steven Garrity

I think the logic goes something like this:

Premise :
1995 was better than 1985

Premise :
T2 was better than Terminator

Conclusion:
The higher the number, the better.

While I worry that much of what is happening in the world is powered by such logic, my concern today is more specific.

I read an article on News.com about upcoming software for the 3D Internet. I can’t wait to try to convince some online stamp store that they don’t need 3D walkthroughs of their stamps. It’s hard enough convincing people that they don’t need a cartoon at the start of every site.

Of course, there are good potential applications for the third dimension in computing, but as the ultimate computer weenie, Jakob Nielsen, says (roughly paraphrased) 3D is not always an efficient mode of navigation on a computer. For example, think how easy Quake or Doom would be if you just looked at a 2D map from above and click on the bad guys you wanted to kill.

* The first premise is subjective, but the second premise is clearly true.
 

pseudo-Canadians

by rob

I am always happy when I see a Canadian performer become a household name in the States. Whenever I see these Canadians I get this odd little feeling in my belly (specifically the ileum) which is national pride.

Oddly enough I get this same feeling around a select few Yankee Doodle performers. Does this happen to anybody else?

Consider the following foreign actors:

  • Steve Martin
  • Tom Hanks
  • Robin Williams

I think they are Canadian.

There are a few more out of towners who radiate Canadian pride, but the names escape me right now. You know who I mean, however, let me know if you can come up with any others, I’m interested.

 

blue sky research.

by matthew

I can’t believe I forgot to pimp my work which has surfaced on Forget Magazine. But then, you’re reading it every day anyway. Right?

Also. You must see this. But then, since I recently recommended this site which links to it you’ve probably already seen it. Right.

 

the screaming in my head.

by matthew

The person who lives above me is in the midst of the world’s longest shower.

Fine.

Except the pipes in this building have recently started to make an unbelievably distressing high-pitched screaming noise which apparently only dogs and myself can hear.

Go to A Whole Lotta Nothing. Nice site. In case you don’t find it there, here is a picture of a cat.

Goddamn. The shower has not ended yet. Excuse me, I am about to instigate the world’s shortest and most violent confrontation.

 

suck on this you weasel. We’re going to Mexico.

by matthew

Three bootlegged Beck songs you should obtain:

Mexico (live@KCRW)
An touching acoustic number about getting stoned and robbing a McDonalds.

One Foot in the Grave (live@W54th)
Some mean harmonica action accompanied by clever crowd banter.

Pulling up Roots (live with DJ Swamp)
No beck here actually. Just DJ Swamp rocking hard with the hard rock. Yeah. It’s like that.

Novocane (live@Muchmusic)
Beck screaming like the death-metal superstar you never knew he was. Also a discussion with Sook-Yin Lee about the current location of the fish he had for supper.

 

the internet advertising industry board of self gratification

by Steven Garrity

The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) is not a regulatory board as you might think, but an association of internet advertisers making recommendations for themselves. Their latest recommendation: make banner ads bigger.

 

robots: fast as hell, still not so great with context.

by Steven Garrity

The following email was sent from Network Solutions in regards to a domain name update request. I was aware that robots were sending emails, but I had thought we were still a few years away from the robots actually writing the emails themselves.

At least the robot was polite enough to wish us “Best regards”. Thank you, robot, but I don’t appear to be the first to have trouble with you and your “solutions”.

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