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Politics, open government, and safe streets. And the constant incursion of cycling.

Category: Personal Page 43 of 59

A Black Hole of Meta

By

On December 4, 2007

In Distribution, Personal, Society

Aside from the underappreciated Gridskipper (and, okay, the occasional Gizmodo), I’ve long ago abandoned reading anything published by the Nick Denton House of Cards Media Empire. But this article at NYTimes.com (I know, I know, why am I still reading *them*?) caught my eye, and brought appreciation and satisfaction on a number of levels:

O.K., so people who follow this boring Manhattan media insider stuff know that the managing editor of Gawker, Choire Sicha, and his top writer-editor, Emily Gould, announced that they were quitting, in a blog post that was ostensibly about a five-year history of Gawker in n+1, the literary journal. [Gawker]

From the aforementioned five-year history by Carla Blumenkranz, now available in full: “The Gawker editors have always been forthright about the fact that what they wanted was to leave Gawker — its low pay and marginal status—and work for the people they maligned… Gawker retained the stance of a scrappy start-up and an attitude of populist resentment toward celebrities and insiders, even as it became the flagship publication of an online media empire.” [n+1]

[ . . . ]

Mr. Sicha told Women’s Wear Daily he wouldn’t mind a job “reporting on fires.” Ms. Gould’s quote: “Whatever Gawker originally set out to do, it kind of did, and now it just feels over. I would love it if it just fell off the face of the Earth… I don’t want to say the meanest thing or the most shocking thing possible anymore, because it gets so old and so soul-killing.” [WWD.com]

So, if you’ve read this far, you probably know and have an interest in the backstory and context. Tell me, doesn’t this feel good? To be clear, I’d still love to see an upstart overcome and conquer the likes of Fox and Condé Nast. But by these kids? Schadenfreude is the word, I think.

(Yes, I will probably regret this post tomorrow morning. It’s sort of like admitting that you’re following the Britney Spears custody saga.)

Overnight Music

By

On November 30, 2007

In Personal, Society

Working late here, with some trash TV on in the background. Another VH1 rehash. But then this clip comes on:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-bvgv3g__Y[/youtube]

It’s an amazing performance, and (I think) a fair analog of the man. He starts out a little off and hesitant. Gets stronger, but some doubts remain. And then, he gets there. Some place the rest of us never could, but recognize nonetheless. It’s amazing. Man, did we lose something when we lost him.

(Title and concept stolen from Atrios a long time ago. Just now got around to making the theft public.)

Arlington Turkey Trot

By

On November 22, 2007

In Personal, Ride Report, Virginia

 

Arlington Turkey Trot

On a day not exactly associated with physical activity (tho’ perhaps the lack of), hundreds of runners participated in the Arlington Turkey Trot. Routed through the decidedly not-flat neighborhood of Lyon Park, everyone who participated earned at least a second helping of pie tonight.

Snapped a good number of photos, which you can find here.  An absolutely beautiful fall day.  If you’re a runner, and want a copy of the original, just drop me an email and link to the picture I’ve posted.

Fall TV Recommendations

By

On November 16, 2007

In Personal

So, it’s getting darker and colder. And much easier to opt for some couch time over more road miles.  All of which, despite the backup of books that I’ve got, has somehow led to more television watching. So, in case you can identify at all, here are some recommendations (besides going to the gym or picking up a book, of course):

  • Friday Night Lights – I know what you’re thinking. No show about football could possibly be interesting. Well, that may be true, but it doesn’t matter – this isn’t about football. It’s about high school. And not in all of the awful ways that high school has been done to death on television. It manages to nail the reality of relationships and public pressures without slipping into overcompensating irony or cloying sweetness. You can probably pick this up midseason and enjoy it, but I’d suggest going back to last season for the really good stuff.
  • Dexter – Oh, this is a delicious show. Michael C. Hall as a perfectly sensible serial killer in Miami. Acting is great, storylines compelling, and the aesthetics are perfect.
  • Weeds – What’s up with this? Shotime having better shows than HBO? Well, that’s what happens when you kill Deadwood, Carnival, etc. Mary Louise Parker is the newly-widowed suburban mom (complete with the ever present iced whatever-you-buy-at-Starbucks) trying to make her way in the world. As a dope dealer. A cringe-inducing premise, to be sure, but wonderfully executed. Bonus: a new cover of Malvina Reynold’s Little Boxes with almost every new episode.

Almost all are midway through the season, but I let them pile up while the sun was still out, and am just now getting around to them. Lots of networks have their shows online, though, or available for free through your cable operators on-demand service. Check them out. And let me know if I’m missing something good.

If those don’t work for you, remember that BSG: Razor is on next week. Or, perhaps it’s time to borrow/catch up on any season of The Wire that you might have missed – the fifth and final season takes us back into Baltimore in January. Also, Jericho may be worth your time, and new episodes are already cued up to act as mid-season replacements.

Finally, two shows I’m watching, but won’t recommend. Nip/Tuck. I tried to stay away. I’m disappointed that I can’t. And, unrecommended for entirely different reasons – Boondocks. Have you *seen* this season? Aaron McGruder must have one rock solid creative control clause in his contract. I have to say, when I heard he was taking the strip to animation, I didn’t think it would work. But this? This is brilliant.

Vinegar: The Wonder Substance

By

On November 12, 2007

In Personal

As a general rule, I try not to use this place to inflict my own personal joys upon the readership.  But this coverage of a book about vinegar is just too much to pass up.  Vinegar is near and dear to me.  It is half of my favorite crisp flavor.  It is the word my dear (English) grandmother thought she could make understandable to Germans by simply saying it louder (Grandma, I know it’s too late, but the word you’re looking for is “essig“.).  And it’s the substance that occupies a sizeable percentage of my kitchen cabinets.

Veterans & Remembrance Day

By

On November 11, 2007

In Personal, Society, UK

Thank you.

Photo by smcgee.


Friday Notes

By

On November 9, 2007

In Cycling, DC, Personal, Tech

Okay, $16 million! Nope, I see $20 million, from the lady in the bad hat!  Do I hear $25 million?  Anyone?

~

WashCycle (one of the most consistently informative of local cycling sites, btw) brings us up to date on the goings on at the last Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting.

~

A nicely done article on resources for fixing your broken gadgets.   A few years ago, I realized that the gadgets I already owned did what I needed them to (for the most part), and I stopped being the person with the newest whatever (much to the surprise of my friends, it seems.)  Since many of these things appear to be built for a year or two of useful life, max, I’ve found myself using many of the listed resources.  Check it out.

~

As we move through life, I think we mostly achieve or drop our dreams.  Rarely do we find new ones.  But I think I just did.

Mortified

By

On November 8, 2007

In DC, Personal

I found out about Mortified: Angst Written too late to go to last night’s show at H.R. 57.  I only found out about it when listening to Kojo’s show, and by the time I got in front of a computer to order tickets, they were sold out.*  Which is probably a good thing.

What am I talking about?  I’m talking about Mortified, an ongoing performance piece which describes itself as:

a comic excavation of adolescent artifacts (journals, letters, poems, lyrics, home movies, stories and more) as shared by their original authors before total strangers.

Yes, people go through their old stuff from high school, pick out the most embarrassing of it, and are brave enough to get up on stage as adults reading their teenage words.  If being at the show is anything like listening to the radio interview, it’s probably as painful as it sounds.  In a good way.  I think.

Anyway, they’re still touring.  Check out the links, and consider hitting a show near you.  It might not be for everyone, but I think some of us would really appreciate it (hi, Beth!).

*I rather unexpectedly ended up at Anthony Bourdain’s appearance.  I’m somewhat appalled that I paid to go to what was essentially an extended book signing, but it was terribly entertaining.   C’mon, anyone who jokes about being able to “drop a charging Rachael Ray at 100 yards” is worth at least a few dollars.  On the other side, I wanted at least 50 cents back for the lame-assed vegetarian jokes (there are much *much* better vegetarian jokes to be made).

Small things are big

By

On October 24, 2007

In DC, Personal

Went to my law school for a lecture this evening.   The route there took me past the Cart Lady.  I don’t know her name.  She doesn’t know mine.  Our command of the other’s language is limited to nonexistent.  So we don’t really know each other.  But she did feed me one out of every three meals for nearly three years.  And even though that started over 10 years ago, she recognized me.  She stopped me, said that it had been a long time, asked if I had a good job, and offered me a free one of my old favorites.

How could that not make anyone’s day?

Democracy Hurts: Bhutto’s Motorcade Bombed

By

On October 18, 2007

In Personal, Policy, Society

I harbor no illusions about Benazir Bhutto, but she doesn’t – Pakistan doesn’t – deserve this:

[T]wo blasts in Benazir Bhutto’s motorcade were suicide hits and have killed more than 52 people while injuring close to 80 [it has since reportedly risen to 85 dead]. The dead and the injured include security personnel and PPP supporters who had come to welcome Benzair from across the country including those from Lahore.

The motorcade was on its way to visit the mausoleum of the father of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah:

Jinnah Mausoleum

Would that everyone involved had paid more attention to Jinnah’s words and principles.

Update: NYTimes puts the dead at over 100.

Further update: I’m going to post my take on Pakistan’s current political situation here because it’s as good a place as any to post it. That said, there are far more informed and interesting places for a real discussion to take place (not that I’m going to point you to any of them. If you think partisanship makes discussion hard in the US . . . ). So, that said, here’s my take as distilled for a comment over at dKos:

 

Both Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif are crooks. Pervez Musharraf‘s a strongman who may have had the right intentions, but found that he quite likes being a dictator. The imams hover in the background (and while serious, they are not the enormous threat some would like everyone to think). And the other options are mostly political unknowns (hi, Imran!).

So, all in all, a real mess. But it’s a mess mainly of Pakistan’s making, and I don’t think that the US ought to get involved in picking a winner in this battle (not that it really could, if it wanted to).

Bhutto’s recent reemergence in Western political circles can be ascribed to 1) a general assumption that a woman in Pakistan has to be a good thing (thus they overlook what a crook she was/is), and 2) an incredibly well orchestrated (and funded) PR and lobbying effort of late. She’s got (a lot of) supporters, to be sure, but she’s no Second Coming (so to speak).

The picture above is from a rather peaceful day.  To see the awfulness of today, click here.  And imagine that that is your city.

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