anti-telemarketing EGBG counterscript

How many times have you been annoyed by a telemarketer? Me: too many to count. Despite being on the Federal and State 'Do Not Call Lists', I continue to get calls for opinion polls, credit card offers, and more. Simply hanging up is not satisfying enough. Cussing and swearing at them seems to lack a certain elegance. By way of BoingBoing, here's a great counter-script you can use against the next telemarketer that calls that should be increadibly fun to try. I'm actually hoping to get a call now, so I can have some fun. OK, yes, I am easily amused.

anti-telemarketing EGBG counterscript

What will you do with your extra second of time?

You will get an extra second of time back this January 1. Why? As you may know, scientifically and practically speaking, time is calculated based on where the sun is at 12:00 in your designated time-zone. This means that our calculation of time is based on the rotation of the Earth relative to the sun, and other astronomical bodies. What you may not know is that the Earth's rotation is slowing ever so slightly. So much that our clocks need to be adjusted periodically, so that when the clock shows 12:00PM, the sun is directly overhead in the timezone. If we never calibrated our clocks to compensate for the slowing of the Earth's rotation, over decades, the effect would become noticeable as the sun rose in the afternoon, and set in the mornings.

This year in January is a "leap-second" year. Scientists will add an extra second to the world's master clocks located in Greenwich, England. The second my seem (eh-hem) minute to you and I, but astronomers and other scientists, telecommunications systems, satellites, guidance systems, and other infrastructure depend on atomic-accurate time synchronization.

Here's an interesting article from the BBC about a contingent of US scientist and their efforts to break the tie of time to solar position. The scientific community is up in arms about the proposal:

Among those upset by the idea is Daniel Gambis who works for the intriguingly named Earth Rotation Service. His job is to decide when to add a leap second. He points out that over time, the Earth would gradually get out of synch with the Sun.

"For me, it would be a problem if the Sun were to rise at 4pm or at a different time like noon or midnight.

"I don't support the idea of the American delegation because I think all our human activities are linked to the rotation of the Earth first.

Leap second proposal sparks row

Bedazzled!: The Fifth Dimension "Paper Cup"

I love cheesy pop music from the 60's and 70's. Here's a great early video from a TV appearance by the Fifth Dimension. Check out the dance moves. And who was the genius that thought standing with your backs to the TV camera for 30 seconds was a good idea?

Bedazzled!: The Fifth Dimension "Paper Cup"

QuestionWar Ribbon

I came across this site while browsing various blogs today. What a great idea - I'm going to order one today!

QuestionWar Ribbon

Joey Buttafuoco Sells Ice Cream

Joey Buttafuoco, who's 17-year-old lover Amy Fisher shot his wife, making national headlines, has set up a business selling ice cream and protein shakes to stars on the sets of various TV shows.

My Way News: "Joey Buttafuoco"

Secret CIA Prisons

Various news source are reporting today on the discovery of dozens of secret CIA-run prisons around the globe. The world was shocked by the prisoner abuse scandals in Iraq and Afghanistan. With these secret prisons flying under the RADAR screens, the international community and human rights advocates are concerned of further systemic abuse and human rights violations at these facilities. The US Government will neither confirm nor deny the existence of these prisons.

The CIA has been hiding and interrogating al Qaeda captives at a secret facility in Eastern Europe, part of a covert global prison system that has included sites in eight countries and was set up after the September 11, 2001, attacks, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

The secret network included "several democracies in Eastern Europe" as well as Thailand and Afghanistan, the newspaper reported, but it did not publish the names of the European countries at the request of senior U.S. officials.

U.S. government officials declined comment on the report, which was likely to stir up fresh criticism of the Bush administration's treatment of prisoners in its declared war on terrorism since the September 11 attacks.
Russia and Bulgaria immediately denied any facility was there. Thailand also denied it was host to such a facility.

U.S. national security adviser Stephen Hadley would not comment directly, but said President George W. Bush had made clear the United States fought terrorism while respecting the law, and investigated allegations of misconduct.

"While we have to do what is necessary to defend the country against terrorists and to win the war on terror, the president has been very clear that we're going to do that in a way that is consistent with our values and that is why he has been very clear that the United States will not torture," Hadley said.

*Sigh* - If only I believed them anymore.

Reuters: Secret CIA Prisons

IV for your plants

UK design shop Vitamin are getting ready to produce this cool self-watering planter. For only 149 GBP (that's ~$265 to us yanks), you can have the look of a clinic in your office or home. They also make some other interesting porceline art objects...Check it out.

Vitamin, A Life Less Ordinary

Gimme back my flesh

Just in time for Halloween, comes this story about a US company under investigation for illegally obtaining and selling human body parts.

The company produced products made of processed human bone, skin and tendons for use in skin grafts, dental surgery, and other medical procedures. The New York Daily News has dubbed the company Biomedical Tissue Services the "body snatchers of New York".

"A lawsuit has been launched against [a Brooklyn NY] funeral home, Biomedical Tissue Services, Inc. and two individuals linked to the scandal that has shaken the funeral industry. The family of a man whose body was ravaged for parts illegally say his death certificate and organ donor card were altered."

CTV.ca | Tissue implants may have come from funeral homes

Cheaper-Pedic

I bought a Tempur-pedic foam mattress, and I've been sleeping comfortably ever since. Today, a friend forwarded this DIY project for making your own memory-foam mattress. For a fraction of the price, and a little research, you can have a true memory-foam mattress, learn something, and get a great night's rest to boot. Enjoy:

ProjectMazda :: Cheaper-Pedic (courtesy of hal - thanks, hal!)

Cheney behind Plame leak?

Various news sources are reporting that secret notes of a conversation between Vice President Dick Cheney and Scooter Libby show Cheney was the one who revealed CIA agent Valarie Plame's identity to Libby. Later, Libby leaked Plame's identity to various news sources in retaliation for her husband's anti-Iraq invasion comments. Libby has testafied that he learned Plame's identity from other press sources, and he was therefore not the one responsible for the leak, (a federal offense).

"Mr Libby’s notes show that Mr Cheney obtained his information about Ms Plame from George Tenet, then the CIA director, in response to questions about Joseph Wilson, who is Ms Plame’s husband and a former ambassador. Mr Wilson had accused the Bush Administration of twisting prewar intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq."

It's not a huge leap to imagine that Cheney instigated the leak, whether actively or implied.

America, United States, Times Online, The Times, Sunday Times

The iPod Is Doomed?

iPod Hacks brings us net-veteran Dave Winer's comments on the iPod. Several days ago, I commented on Apple's strongarm tactics to licence the iPod. See? I may not be that paranoid after all. In any case, I care because I like the iPod so much, yet I'm frustrated by the direction they're taking things.

Be inclusive, right. Where it's exclusive, you're hurt - it's not gonna work. That's the Internet. And you might argue, actually, that that has always, even when we didn't call what we were doing the Internet, that really was what we were doing. That was why the Apple II worked. That was why the Lisa did not work. That's why the Mac worked, you know. That's why ultimately the iPod is doomed. Because the iPod only allows a very, very slim amount of participation by the outside world. And, I guess it's a temporary thing.

The iPod Is Doomed? :: iPod Hacks :: The Latest and Greatest News and Info for Your iPod

Who's on TV?

I am frequently asked things like "Hey, did you catch 'So-and-so' last night on Letterman?". Usually 'So-and-so' is some uber-cool celeb that rarely makes public appearances, and I've missed them. There's so many talk-shows, it's impossible to keep up with who's appearing on what show - until now.

Late Night Lineups lists darn near every talk show on TV - from The Tonight Show to The Daily Show, from The View to The Tony Danza Show (did you know he had a talk show??). Most of the time, they're filled with the usual suspects, but occasionally, you can pick up the odd interesting guest or two. For example, Andy Dick is showing up at the "Too Late with Adam Carolla" show on Comedy Central this Monday. I would normally never watch Carolla, but I would to catch Andy Dick. The site is available as an RSS feed too, so you can easily keep up with the latest bookings. Check it out:

The Late Night TV Page

UN: Mid East Quake - Biggest disaster ever!

Homeless Pakistanis sit beside their collapsed house in Balakot

The devastating earthquake in the mountainous regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan has slipped relatively unnoticed from the public eye. Today the UN warned of an unbelievable catastrophe, as winter begins to set in, and relief donations have been slow in coming.

Over 3 million people have been made homeless - some villages are already dipping into sub-zero temperatures at night, and snow is beginning to fall. With no shelter and no heat, UNICEF says 10,000 children will die from hunger, hypothermia, and illness in the coming weeks.

Relief efforts have been hindered by lack of (and lackluster) international support and donations.

"We are humanitarians, we don't know how to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people in the Himalayas. But the most efficient military alliance in the world should be able to," he said.

"The tsunami-affected areas were on the coast so we could reach them by boat. The high altitude means helicopters must carry reduced loads," Mia Turner of the world food programme told Reuters.

In Balakot quake survivors have started to burn donated clothing for heating as temperatures dropped.

Guardian Unlimited | Earthquake worse than tsunami, says UN

You know I'm loving this

I'm always pleased when a pompous leader displays the depth of their hipocracy. Check out this Washington Post article on Rep. Tom DeLay's arrest today on conspiracy and money-laundering charges. Rep. DeLay was responsible for the gerrymandering of Texas, among other notable accomplishments. DeLay and two political compadres are charged in an scheme to route corporate and special interest donations to candidates for the Texas state Legislature.

A key Bush administration ally, DeLay's legal troubles are going to make it very difficult for the administration to push it's agenda this term.

DeLay Booked in Houston on Charges

How to talk to a human

We've all been cursed by voicemail-hell sometime or another: Calling a company only to be stuck endlessly answering automated telephone prompts. Sometimes you just want to talk to a human, not a phone-robot, and you can't stand listening to the endless menus and bad hold music.

Here's a community maintained web site that keeps track of several-dozen prominent companies, and how to navigate their voice-response systems to get to talk to a human quickly. Example:

"Bank of America - 800-900-9000 - Press 00 after menu choices play
TiVo - 877-367-8486 - Say "Live Agent"

Check it out - This is going to save me hours of agonizing hold time!

Find-A-Human -- IVR Cheat S... - Approved*

Fight the Bull

Yes, I am a corporate drone, and like most corporate drones, I've fallen prey to the disease known as "jargon-speak". I casually use terms like "resources" to mean people, and "opportunities" as a euphemism for problems. I regularly "think outside the box" worrying about the day we'll have "the smoking hole scenario" (I deal in business continuity planning...er...I make sure our crap can keep running if there's a disaster - see how hard it is for me?).

That's why I was excited to find Bullfighter. A free add-in to Microsoft Office products (Word, PowerPoint, etc.), Bullfighter works like the real-time spell check features built into Office with one important difference: It checks for bullshit. From their site:

"Bullfighter is the epoch-defining software that works with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint to help you find and eliminate jargon in your documents. It may look like a little toolbar with three buttons, but it's actually much more. Bullfighter includes a jargon database and an exclusive Bull Composite Index calculator that will allow you to see -- in an actual window, on your PC display, live -- just how bad a document can be.

The rumors were true. Bullshit now has a number. And you now have the power to calculate it, using the freeware originally produced by Deloitte Consulting but now distributed as a standalone product."

Fight the Bull - Download Bullfighter

Apple steps up iPod 'tax' push | CNET News.com

Various media sources are reporting on Apple's strongarm tactics to get other gadget makers to pony up royalties. They have made their royalties and licensing programs a requirement for manufacturers who want their gadgets to plug into the "dock connector" at the bottom an iPod

Essentially hardware companies have to pay 10% of the wholesale price of their device to Apple as a licensing fee.

Apple seems to forget they've tried this route before and lost big time. In fact, you see so many PCs, and not Macs for this very reason: They pursued this scheme too vigorously in the 80's and 90's, stifling innovation and marketshare.

Apple steps up iPod 'tax' push | CNET News.com

Read your EULAgy

A EULA, or "End User License Agreement" is all that legal mumbo-jumbo you see when you install a computer program: you have to "Click 'I accept' to continue".

Few people realize that by clicking 'I Accept', they are signing a legally binding contract; agreeing to the terms and conditions outlined in all that text they never bothered to read.

There's been some controversy lately because game companies have been adding terms to their EULAs allowing them to legally scan their customer's computer for items of interest. Without realizing it, customers had granted legal access to their computers and all of it's information!

So EULAs can be bad, but how do you know when you're about to "click through" some harsh and invasive legal agreement?

Enter "Eulyzer". Eulyzer is software that automatically parses the text of a EULA, and notifies you if there's something of concern contained in the agreement.

Link to Boing Boing: Automatic abusive language detector for EULAs

World's Oldest noodles unearthed in China

The BBC is reporting that scientists have unearthed the oldest noodles ever discovered. Found in China and made from millet grass grains, radiocarbon dating has placed them at about 4000 years old.

This may help to settle the debate as to which culture invented noodles: the Chinese, the Italians, or the Arabs. Prior to this discovery, the oldest recorded noodles were traced via writings to somewhere around 200AD.

"Based on the geological and archaeological evidence, there was a catastrophic earthquake and immediately following the quake, the site was subject to flooding by the river," explained co-author Professor Kam-biu Liu, from Louisiana State University, US.

"Lajia is a very interesting site; in a way, it is the Pompeii of China."

It was in amongst the human wreckage that scientists found an upturned earthenware bowl filled with brownish-yellow, fine clay.

When they lifted the inverted container, the noodles were found sitting proud on the cone of sediment left behind.

"It was this unique combination of factors that created a vacuum or empty space between the top of the sediment cone and the bottom of this bowl that allowed the noodles to be preserved," Professor Kam-biu Liu said.

BBC NEWS: Oldest noodles unearthed in China

White House unraveling?

White House chief of staff and architect of the President's political strategy, Karl Rove, testified for a fourth and final day for the "Valerie Plame Leak Case" grand jury.

Valerie Plame was the the CIA operative who's identify was revealed after her husband, a diplomat, publicly opposed the administration's Pre-Iraq War justification. It is alleged that Plame's identity was leaked by the Bush administration in retaliation for her husband's comments, and as an example to others.

It's impossible to speculate where this Grand Jury is headed, but it sure looks bad for Karl. Or maybe even someone else? Political operative, and Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Scooter Libby was also revealed as a leak source. Coupled with the near "rebellion" in the House and Senate over Bush's Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers, and record-low poll ratings mainly due to Iraq, the chinks in the administration's tarnished armor are starting to show. Meanwhile, Republican leaders Rep. Tom DeLay, and Sen. Bill Frist are under investigation for financial crimes and ethics violations. The Republican strategy in 2008 may need to be "I am not a crook".

Top News Article | Reuters.com

This game sounds awesome!

By way of BoingBoing, I came across this new report on Miami attorney and rabid anti-videogame activist Jack Thompson. To prove how violent video games are, he's proposed his own ultra-violent video game, and is offering $10,000 to charity if any videogame company makes it, to prove his point (huh??? Isn't that a little like Nancy Reagan snorting coke on TV to show how bad it is?).

Anyway, the kicker is that it's so over the top, it seems hilareously bad...Where do I sign up? Here's a snip:

Osaki Kim (O.K.) exits the courtroom swearing revenge upon the video game industry whom he is convinced contributed to his son's murder. "Vengeance is mine, I will repay" he says. And boy, is O.K. not kidding.

O.K. is provided in his virtual reality playpen a panoply of weapons: machetes, Uzis, revolvers, shotguns, sniper rifles, Molotov cocktails, you name it. Even baseball bats. Especially baseball bats.

O.K. first hops a plane from LAX to New York to reach the Long Island home of the CEO of the company (Take This) that made the murder simulator on which his son's killer trained. O.K. gets "justice" by taking out this female CEO, whose name is Paula Eibel, along with her husband and kids. "An eye for an eye," says O.K., as he urinates onto the severed brain stems of the Eibel family victims, just as you do on the decapitated cops in the real video game Postal2.

Attorney Proposes Violent Game

must.have...ipod!!!

Excuse, me, I'm having ipod envy: Apple's just announced the new ipod "video". As you would expect, it plays (do I have to spell it out for you people??) v.i.d.e.o.: tv shows, movies, whatever... How cool is that?? I just hope they dont put in some crippling digital rights management that prevents you from putting "open" format videos on them. I assume they'll use Quicktime. Not the worst format, I guess. AVI support would be nice. I suppose this also means Quicktime player ceases to be a standalone product?

Apple announces new iPod

Real Hobbits?

The Daily Telegraph refreshes us on a story you may have missed a few months back: The discovery of a miniature species of hominids on Earth at the same time as modern man (albiet ~12000 years ago). While unlikely in the extreme, it's fascinating to imagine that early human mythology could have some root in truth.

Scientists led by Australian anthropologist Michael Morwood of the University of New England announced their sensational discovery of a delicate skull and partial skeleton of a female, nicknamed "Hobbit" and believed to be 18,000 years old.

In addition, they found bones and fragments of other individuals ranging in age from 12,000 to 95,000 years old.

It ignited a controversy unlike any other in the often contentious study of human origins.

The tiny bones have enchanted many anthropologists, who accept the interpretation that these diminutive skeletons belonged to a remnant population of prehistoric humans marooned on Flores along with dwarf elephants and other miniaturised animals, giving the discovery a fairytale quality.

If true, the discovery grafts a strange and tangled evolutionary branch near the very top of the human family tree.

Its discoverers speculate the Hobbit evolved from homo erectus, which had spread from Africa across Asia. They attribute its small size to its isolation.

Hobbits family tree grows

Backyard Imagineering

By way of BoingBoing, I came across this interesting web site, just in time for Halloween. They have a whole section on "Backyard Imagineering", or rather, replicating cool special effects from Disney World at home.

One more advanced discussions details ways to make your own "jumping fountain". Another, how to make the cool Haunted Mansion "ghost" effects that appear on the ride.

I found myself reading project after project full of great ideas. They're well written too. For example, the "how to decorate your cube like a tiki bar" was pretty much "no duh", except that including the step to...

Get rid of non-essential stuff Eliminate all non-essential work-related clutter from your cube. File excess paper. Put away corporate awards, coffee cups, paperweights, etc. Take old memos and calendars featuring kittens off your bulletin board.

...makes all the difference for an impressing execution, and something you might not have consciously thought of.

Backyard Imagineering

DaVinci's Notebook

Slashdot refers us to the British Library today.

They have published scans of Leonardo DaVinci's personal notebook, loaded with sketches, writings and quotes in his own handwriting. You can flip through the pages, and helpful pop-up text translates a few interesting bits, like these "Profetie" (or prophetic riddles) DaVinci collected:

Riddle: The dead will come from underground and by their fierce movements will send numberless human beings out of this world.
Answer: Iron, which comes from under the ground, is dead, but the weapons are made of it which kill so many men.

Riddle: There will be many which will increase their destruction
Answer: The ball of snow rolling over the snow

Sounds like a good secret society passphrase to me.

Turning the Pages™, the British Library

StuffYouShouldSee to DeLay: Isn't this kind of fun?

Here's a case of "back-atcha" - A few weeks ago, I blogged on Tom DeLay's insensitive comments to Katrina victims.

Back at you, Tom: Isn't this kind of fun?

AP: DeLay, Blunt Traded Secret Donations

God told me to invade Iraq, Bush tells Palestinian ministers

In a previous post, I mentioned that "God" had told Ashley Smith to drive her car into oncoming traffic.

Today, the BBC is reporting "God" told George W. Bush to invade Iraq. I hear a bunch of people have found God. If you talk to the guy, ask him what's up with the bad advice lately.

BBC - Press Office - George Bush on Elusive Peace

Brief Review: Foo Fighters, Weezer, Kaiser Chiefs at Denver's Pepsi Arena

On Friday, September 30th, I had the opportunity to see the Foo Fighters, Weezer, and the Kaiser Chiefs at Denver's Pepsi Arena.

Thanks to my good friend, Stefanie Eulinberg, drummer for Kid Rock, and her friend Red, we got "working crew" passes, which meant we could go pretty much anywhere we wanted to in the arena.

I spent most of the evening with Stef and Red, chatting about the technical aspects of the show (lights, sound, touring, and other interesting stuff).

Unfortunately (or perhaps not), I was backstage during the Kaiser Chief's set meeting the Foo's drummer, Taylor Hawkins, and didn't get to check them out.

Taylor Hawkins and Stefanie Eulinberg

We went out for Weezer, though. While I was generally a little disappointed in their stage show, they sounded great. At the end of their set, they brought a random audience member up on stage to play acoustic guitar with the band for "The Sweater Song". The guy looked like it was the thrill of his life (it probably was!). At the end of the song, they escorted him off stage, and let him keep the acoustic guitar he played on stage. I hope he managed to hold on to it through the Foo's pounding, energetic set -- But more on that now...

Around 9:45 the Foo Fighters took to the stage. The difference between the bands was immediate. The energy level coming off the stage was amazing. Backed by a wall of (faux) speakers and amps, floating video panels, robotic lighting, and lasers, they looked as tough as they sounded. The crowd, ranging from head-bangers, to 10 year olds, and disabled folks in wheelchairs sang along through most of the set.

With one part demanding attitude and two parts humor, Dave Grohl kept the audience shouting, jumping, and generally keeping up with the band. One of the highlights of the show was Dave's acoustic (well, actually clean-electric) rendition of "Evermore". Truly spectacular - it gave me a new appreciation for the song, and I haven't stopped humming it for 5 days.

The Foo's came off a lot harder in concert than on their recordings. I immediately thought "of course: this guy was in Nirvana, after all". Dave Grohl's ability to keep head banging, jumping, and running across the stage while singing was stunning. At the end of the show, he did a brief "raise your hand if..." poll with the audience to gauge his demographics. "Enjoy it while you can" he says to those under 30. "I'm 36 and it sucks! I just blew out a muscle in my leg!" he admitted to the audience. They went nuts. Closing their encores with "Monkey Wrench", he led the band, limping off stage.

Dave Grohl "I blew out a muscle in my leg!"

I must admit, I've never really been into the Foo Fighters. This show really gave me an appreciation for the band. I've since gone back and listened to their music with a new-found interest.

The Foo Fighters rock out

The Foo Fighters are currently on tour with Weezer and the Kaiser Chiefs. Link to Ticketmaster

An Electro Goth Tribute To Prince

Here's an interesting project: Folks like Heaven 17, Information Society, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, and others (including Rebecca Romijn Stamos???) cover Prince songs. Worth a listen for entertainment value alone. Some of the songs are actually pretty good too!

AllofMP3.com: Prince, Electro Goth Tribute To Prince

See, drugs do bring people together

The Washington Post reports on Ashley Smith's upcomming book. Ashley was the hapless single mom who was taken hostage by the brutal Atlanta "courthouse gunman", Brian Nichols. In it, she reveals that she gave Nichols crystal-meth from her personal stash. After they were both high, she went down the spiritual path, winning him over by reading chapters from "The Purpose Driven Life".

"She writes that she asked Nichols if he wanted to see the danger of drugs and lifted up her tank top several inches to reveal a five-inch scar down the center of her torso _ the aftermath of a car wreck caused by drug-induced psychosis. She says she let go of the steering wheel when she heard a voice saying, "Let go and let God."

The lesson I picked up: those voices in your head from God might be the horn of an oncomming car.

Hostage Gave Meth to Atlanta Fugitive

Off to the 'Springs

Next week, I'm travelling to Colorado Springs for business. If anyone knows of fun, hip, interesting or art-y things to do in the 'Springs, please post!

If I'm lucky, I may get some time to drive up to Boulder, and visit my good friend Stefanie Eulinberg, drummer extraordinaire for Kid Rock.

I may be a little slow on posts next week, but don't let that stop you from visiting. I may have a few little tidbits of cool, funky or outrageous "stuff you should see"

Brief Review: Beck @ Cleveland's House of Blues, 9/25/05

I was lucky to get tickets for the Beck show last night. The sold out performance was filled with people eager to hear Beck's live take on his new album.

After what seemed like an eternity of bad music (me thinks this was an intentional and clever strategy on the band's part, actually), the crowd was literally roaring for Beck. By the time the band took stage, the crowd was ready to go.

Starting out the night with "Black Tambourine", Beck appeared on stage to cheers. Or did he? He was on stage jumping and jiving to the beat, but was that Beck dressed in a white suit and fedora? No - it turned out to be his dancer/percussionist/backup singer. In a second, the man himself popped on stage, and launched into his set.

On stage, he had quite a line-up: keyboardist, guitarist, bass player, dancer/percussionist, and drummer, with Beck himself on lead guitar and vocals. For this night only, he had a special guest video DJ from Japan who projected abstract computer images and video on the giant white backdrop. The dancer added pop-locks, splits, and shadow boxing (which was actually a lot cooled than it sounds) on some songs, while on others, he took to a second drum kit or percussion, adding texture. The band was tight, and reproduced a lot of the complexity of sound you hear in the recordings. Totally cool!

As on past tours, Beck and company did not disappoint. The energy level was tangible as the band covered hits from nearly his entire catalog. By the time he hit "Two Turntables (And a Microphone)", and had the audience yelling "Ooh La-La Sassoon", they were ready to follow him anywhere. Eventually, the entire audience ended up jumping up and down like pogo sticks as the band pumped on. I bet those idiots that wore sandals last night were regretting that fashion statement!

About mid-way through the set, he brought it down a level by covering a several of his slower songs in an acoustic setting, while the video DJ displayed kaleidoscope images across the stage. In closing the acoustic set, they brought out a dining table at which the band was seated. As he played two remaining acoustic numbers, the band tapped and plinked out rhythms on the glasses, plates, and bowls on the table.

Beck closed out with a single encore: E Pro, which ripped (of course). All in all, it was an amazing show, and highly recommended.

Will we see a space elevator in our lifetimes?

MSNBC reports today on one of the first successful tests of a prototype space elevator.

Long speculated by sci-fi writers, space elevators are viewed as an economical launching pad to outerspace. Think of the story of Jack and the Magic Beanstalk - the concept is so simple, it seems impossible: hang a tether all the way to the ground from a satellite in orbit, then have a device that can climb the tether, all the way to outer-space. Some scientist have further theorized that one could generate the power required to run them (plus a hefty surplus) from electro-static charges that would natually develop on a tether this long. Of course, there are some major hurdles to clear. This team appears to have developed a robot climber, and tested it attached to a high=altitude weather baloon.

"The space elevator would be anchored to an offshore sea platform near the equator in the Pacific Ocean. At the other end in space, the ribbon would be attached to a small counterweight. Mechanical “lifters” — robotic elevator cars — would move up and down the ribbon, carrying such items as satellites, solar power systems and eventually people into space."

Space elevator robot passes 1,000-foot mark - Space.com - MSNBC.com

Start your own talk show: Set from "The DailyShow" for auction

BoingBoing points out an interesting auction on ebay:

eBay Seller: dailyshowwithjonstewart: Television Memorabilia, Entertainment Memorabilia items on eBay.com

The coming digital Dark Age

Some scientists are beginning to sound warnings: all of that digital information we store may be unreadable and unusable to future generations.

As unbelievable as this seems, what would you do if someone came to you with an Edison wax-cylinder recording? Chances are, it would be virtually unplayable to you. Heck, some folks wouldn't even be able to play a 45rpm record or 8-track tape made a few years ago. Now with technology exploding with file formats, PC formats, and encryption schemes, this kind of problem only gets worse. I've already experienced this - not more than 15 years ago, I wrote lots of poetry and lyrics in MultiMate word processor. Even though I still have the files, they're virtually unreadable anymore, because no program easily supports a MultiMate conversion.

Personally, I think large corporations are blazing some trails here. Most large companies place an extreme value on data, and preserving it's integrity during upgrades and conversions. Perhaps there's a consumer-grade parallel here?

"Jeff Rothenberg, a Rand Corporation scientist specializing in digital longevity, provides a hypothetical, very human example of the problems that flow from accelerating obsolescence.

It is 2045, he suggests, and his grandchildren are exploring the attic of his old house when they come across a CD-ROM and a letter, which explains that the disk contains a document that provides directions to obtaining the family fortune. The children are excited. 'But they've never seen a CD before - except in old movies - and, even if they found a suitable disk drive, how will they run the software necessary to interpret the information on the disk? How can they read my obsolete digital document?'"

The digital Dark Age - Technology - smh.com.au

Troy's Mixtape Of Love

Here's a hilarious 14 min declaration of love by "Troy" for his girlfriend at their 6 month anniversery. She left him 3 days later. I think it was his singing that did it.

Did I mention it was 14 minutes long? I hated being a teenager.

purevolume™ | Troy's Mixtape Of Love

Pre-Katrina Emergency conference calls revealed to NPR

NPR has obtained exlusive audio tapes of the disaster planning meetings between all facets of state, local, and regional emergency managers in the days leading up to Katrina. They reveal an already strained, and poorly prepared team that struggled to set direction, right up to the storm's breach.

As emergency preparations gave way to coordinated actions and pleas for equipment, the recorded calls depict an emergency command center in Baton Rouge that became a center of frenzied activity.

As late as Saturday morning -- 48 hours before the storm struck -- officials were debating how best to handle an evacuation. At one point, Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans brought up a troubling issue: If community leaders simultaneously told residents to leave, gridlock could result.

Check out the audio clips along the left side of the page.
NPR : Conference Calls Detail Katrina Concerns, Failings

Record labels wrecking your hard-drive

Apparently the recording industry has decided how you should be using your computer. For your convenience, they have developed a program to delete software from your own computer that they don't like.

Even though there's thousands of legal, non-music related, non-copyright infringing uses for file-sharing software, this program will delete or disable software that they've decided to target, and you've elected to use.

Record labels tout program to disable swapping | CNET News.com

George Hitting the Bottle?

The National Enquirer is reporting inside source's claims that the President is back on the sauce after years of sobriety. This was apparently brought on by the aftermath of the hurricane Katrina disaster.

Not that I consider the National Enquirer a bastion of journalistic excellence, but before you go knocking them, I might remind you that they also broke the Monica Lewinski scandal; and at the time, that was pretty unbelievable too.

"Bush, who said he quit drinking the morning after his 40th birthday, has started boozing amid the Katrina catastrophe.

[...]

"When the levees broke in New Orleans, it apparently made him reach for a shot," said one insider. "He poured himself a Texas-sized shot of straight whiskey and tossed it back. The First Lady was shocked and shouted: "Stop George!"

National Enquirer - Bush's Booze Crisis

Cops scheme to frame journalist who criticized photo radar program

BoingBoing links to an outrageous story about the Edmonton BC police force, who targeted a journalist after he wrote an article critical of the city's new automatic photo radar system.

[IP] Cops scheme to frame journalist who criticized photo radar program

Beck coming to Cleveland this weekend

I am totally pumped to see Beck this weekend, at Cleveland's House of Blues. If you've ever seen Beck perform live, you know what a great show this will be.

Beck (real name, Beck Hansen) has been around for a while. Although he came to prominence with his hit single, "Loser" in 1994, he had been writing as a grunge-folk artist for several years prior on indie labels.

Around 1996, a friend of mine got a gig as Beck's DJ after we saw Beck at another concert in Cleveland that year. DJ Swamp went on to do his own musical and DJ projects, and become something of a sensation in his own right.

Anyway because my friend was "in the band", I had some great opportunities to see Beck perform. He is one hell of a showman. If you're in the Cleveland area this weekend, and lucky enough to score some tickets to this small-venue show (all sold out -scalpers only!), I guarantee you will not be disappointed. The HOB in Cleveland has been open less than a year, and is state of the art. It's an small and amazingly intimate venue. More like a club than a concert hall.

On past tours, Beck had a full horn section and backup singers. They sang and played all of the stuff you would normally hear other artists play on a synth or (even worse) tape. His keyboardist Roger Joseph Manning, known for his own project Moog Cookbook, only plays vintage 70's synthesizers and their ilk. He creates sounds like I've only heard in 50's sci-fi movies and 70's disco, adding a whole new texture to the performance.

I hope he's touring with the same great artists that made his past shows really pop.

Link to Beck's "official" web site.
Link to Beck's latest album "Guero" on allofmp3.com

Start saving face

The BBC reports doctors at the Cleveland Clinic are going to attempt to transplant a donor-cadaver's face to a patient with severe facial disfigurement.

"After a year of discussions, the Cleveland Clinic won approval to go ahead with the operation from an internal review board, which included surgeons, psychiatrists, social workers, therapists, nurses and patient advocates.
[...]
Dr Siemionow told Associated Press: 'You want to choose patients who are really disfigured, not someone who has a little scar.'
[...]
'It is our view that today's excellent conventional surgery combined with the very best psychological and social rehabilitation programmes can very effectively enable patients with severe disfigurements to live full and active lives.'"

BBC NEWS | Health | US plans first face transplant

Boing Boing: Speech bubble sticker gallery

Today BoingBoing turns us on to a project by international graphic artist Ji Lee. He went around the NYC, sticking speech bubble stickers all over surfaces. He went back and took pictures of what people wrote.

Speech Bubbles

You may also want to browse around Jai's site. He's done some really interesting work that is finely displayed in flash on the site.

Argh! 'Tis International Talk Like a Pirate Day

Known to it's observers as TLAPD, International Talk Like A Pirate Day is becoming an actual, observable event. Started in 1995, TLAPD is the one day a year you can walk around talking to people like a pirate, and actually have a legitimate excuse (well, OK, Halloween might qualify too, but aren't you getting a little old to go trick-or-treating, anyway?).

From the FAQ:

Q. The big one: WHY?

A. Why not?

Talking like a pirate is fun. It's really that simple. It adds a zest, a swagger, to your every day conversation. Do you need another reason?

Try it out. Let go, have a beer, burp in public. Say "Aarrr!!" Feels good, doesn't it?

International Talk Like A Pirate Day - How It All Began

Michael Jackson. 'Nuff said.

Summary:

• In Bahrain
• The trial sucked
• Recording a new song (ostensibly to benefit the New Orleans cause) with anyone dumb or naive enough to be seen publicly with him.
• He's friends with Prince Abdulla

There. Just saved you from rubbernecking on the information superhighway. Move along now - nothing to see here:
Michael Jackson speaks publicly for the first time after trial

Water Vapor Discovered on Tiny Moon of Saturn

NASA is reporting to have discovered water vapor jets eminating from the south pole of one of Saturn's moons. Scientists are calling this "one of the most important things ever to come out of planetary science".

Water Vapor Discovered on Tiny Moon of Saturn

Nikka Costa - Can'tneverdidnothin'

I've recently been listening to Nikka Costa's latest album, "Can'tneverdidnothin'", a rock and funk heavy rip featuring her fabulous vocals.

You may remember Nikka from her first hit, "Like a Feather", which catapulted her to fame after being featured in a Tommy Hilfiger commercial. Here's a link to her site. At the bottom of the page, there's a cool video interview.

Nikka Costa

Prefab Housing Reborn? No Double-Wide Here

Check out this site. This company makes pre-fab housing like I've never seen before. This actually looks like someplace I'd like to live.

the dwell homes by Empyrean

Michael Larsen, Gameshow Legend

A fascinating story about a guy who figured out how to break a popular gameshow.

"Michael Larsen, then an unemployed ice cream truck driver from Ohio, came to the conclusion that the swift, seemingly random flashing lights that bounced around the Press Your Luck board were hardly random at all. By taping the show religiously and pausing the tapes, Larsen discovered that there were just six light patterns on the board. With this bit of knowledge, he practiced at home while watching the show and realized that he could stop the board wherever and whenever he wanted, if he just had patience.

Armed with that knowledge, a fifty-cent thrift store shirt on his back, and money borrowed for airfare to Los Angeles, Michael tried out for the show and was booked."

Michael Larsen, PYL Legend from BoingBoing

Snowflake and Snow Crystal Photos

My next several posts will likely echo a series of links I've collected from BoingBoing today.

This particular site contains achingly beautiful photographs of snowflake crystals. The beauty and diversity are simply astounding. Highly recommended"

Snowflake and Snow Crystal Photos