December 11, 2008
Science and Morality
“The richer we have become materially, the poorer we become morally and spiritually,” he said. “We have learned to fly in the air like birds and swim in the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.” --Martin Luther King, Oslo 1964 accepting the Nobel Peace Prize. http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/12/dayintech_1211
December 08, 2008
Screen Time
In a weekend Sprout discussion with friends, Ariane brought up a tidbit she'd heard on the radio that had caught her by surprise: Americans spend an average of 40-hours per week in front of the TV screen. Surely she had mis-heard this number, right? I mean that's like having a full-time job watching TV. Ariane started to back-peddle...maybe she did mis-hear? Maybe it was 40-hours a month?
I thought I'd look into it a little bit more especially it's relevant to my job (at Apple and at home as a parent of two). Well, according to this article we spent 30+ hours in front of the screen last year and that doesn't include video games (in which we Americans average (average!) 85 hours a year...and this number is accelerating. It also doesn't include time spent online (you're soaking in it).
Let me publicly say it then, Ariane I was wrong and I'm sorry for having doubted you. Let me also say that this sort of freaks me out. Carry on.
Oh, BTW, check out Emiliana Torrini's album Me And Armini if you dig on Thievery Corporation (she sang with them) or Feist (same breathy vocal-feel).
Written while groovin' to Bleeder from the album “Me And Armini” by Emiliana Torrini
November 20, 2008
November 07, 2008
Beat Generation:First Studio Product
I've been working on a new song in the home studio for a few weeks now...in the creases, here and there. Feeling inspired by the cohesion the recent election results seem to portend I decided to put it up in its current form for peer review. Please be gentle.
S1W
Public Enemy always has bodyguards on stage with them, they're the S1W. They're the dudes who stand in the back, arms folded, scanning the audience for trouble. This passivity is punctuated with the occasional spirit of '68 olympics fists in the air. I couldn't help but notice that Biden looks like Obama's S1W in this pic taken today in Chicago with their economic advisors.
“Uh, your bad self
Help me break this down from off the shelf
Here's a music servin' you so use it
Papa's got a brand new funk
Get down (party for your right)
Huh, let's get it on
Like we said before
They say the brothers causin' trouble
Hate to bust their bubble
'Cause we rumble
From our lower level
To condition your condition
(We're gonna do a song)
That you never heard before
Make you all jump along to the education
Brothers gonna work it out
And stop chasin'
Brothers, brothers gonna work it out”
November 04, 2008
Pete Seeger:Authentic and Refreshing
Pete Seeger (PS): I confess I've never heard of Pitchfork. Is it sold in music stores?
Pitchfork: No, it's on the internet.
PS: An internet magazine! So you don't have to cut down trees. I'll be damned. I'm living in the past. I tried to learn how to use a computer a year ago, but I gave up on it.
Read the rest of the interview.
Written while groovin' to Madlib's WLIB AM from the album “Stones Throw Podcast” by Stones Throw
October 27, 2008
“The Downside of the Interruption” or “Focus!”
“As our minds fill with noise — feckless synaptic events signifying nothing — the brain gradually loses its capacity to attend fully and gradually to anything.” Desperately trying to keep up with a multitude of jobs, we “feel a constant low level of panic and guilt.” http://is.gd/4VPx
October 09, 2008
Zip Code™
The USPS trademarked Zip Code™ but it's since expired (http://is.gd/3Mtr). Nobody told usps.com though, they still have a “™” symbol in the recipient address field. Goofy. And makes the USPS look out of touch. That is all.
September 24, 2008
Warren Buffet Tries To Save The Day
It's 80 degrees in Palo Alto today...oh, and the US financial markets are crumbling...
Warren Buffet in last year's letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders:
“As house prices fall, a huge amount of financial folly is being exposed,” he wrote. “You only learn who has been swimming naked when the tide goes out -- and what we are witnessing at some of our largest financial institutions is an ugly sight.”
Yesterday Goldman Sachs announced he was investing $5B (that's a 'b') in the beaten down financial services firm. His timing has been really good in the past..is he a canary in a coal-mine indicating that the worst is over? Or is he an altruist trying to single-handedly stave off further declines in the broader US financial markets? We'll know in five years or so.
September 17, 2008
Michael Franti in the Office Today
Michael Franti, who I've known for years now, is gonna be in the office today...and from the looks of the sound gear set up, he's gonna perform too. Did I mention I like my new job?
September 11, 2008
Borat Wins Legal Ruling
Borat has won a legal ruling. I'm happy to report that this is actually work-related now...http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080910/ap_en_mo/borat_lawsuit
September 05, 2008
August 01, 2008
A Campaign of Persecution A Campaign of Persecution Against a Faith of Tolerance
A good article about the situation of the Baha'is in Iran:
“It is difficult to imagine a purer strain of religious intolerance than the fanaticism that pervades Iran's leadership class. It is just as difficult to conjure a purer essence of tolerance than that which distinguishes the Bahais, who recognize Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad as divine messengers; who preach pluralism, equality between the sexes, universal education and the harmonization of secular and religious knowledge; and who stress the oneness of humanity, to the point of explicitly encouraging interracial marriage.”
July 30, 2008
Joe Cocker Lyrics
Joe's Cocker's voice is impressive. His enunciation not so much. (props Huntsman)
Written while groovin' to 2 Brothers From The Gutter (feat. Diamond D) from the album “Perseverance” by Percee P
Grado SR-60
My Grado SR-60 headphones (hereto for “cans”) have been faithful companions for the past nine years. They sound pristine for under $70 but, and perhaps more importantly, they have a very sophisticated bio-feedback mechanism that alerts me to get up from my desk at least every hour and stretch my legs. You see, because of their old-skool design the cans make my ear cartilage ache something awful at just about the hour mark. Kudos Grado. Ku. Dos. hese really are the best cans....for me to poop on! No, seriously, they are terrific and I highly recommend them though they aren't the most comfortable pair you can find.
Written while groovin' to Theme From Paris from the album “Welcome” by James Pants
July 24, 2008
Ballmer on Apple
Ballmer : “In the competition between PCs and Macs, we outsell Apple 30-to-1. But there is no doubt that Apple is thriving. Why? Because they are good at providing an experience that is narrow but complete, while our commitment to choice often comes with some compromises to the end-to-end experience.”
Written while groovin' to KCRW Music
July 16, 2008
¡unɟ ƃuıddılɟ
lɯʇɥ˙dılɟ/ɯoɔ˙pɐɟʌǝɹ˙ʍʍʍ//:dʇʇɥ ˙ɹǝʇʇıʍʇ ɐıʌ ɹǝʇuıod ǝɥʇ ɹoɟ qoɹ oʇ sʞuɐɥʇ lɐıɔǝds ˙ʇɐǝɹƃ sı sʇuoɟ ƃuıddılɟ
July 14, 2008
July 11, 2008
Wireless Music Bliss
Happiness is: My entire music library streaming from my laptop to multiple Airport Expressi especially when they're connected to the Audio Engines A5B powered speakers. Oh, and all controlled via iPhone thanks to Remote.app for the iPhone/iPod Touch.
July 10, 2008
Fake Speed Bumps
As a parent who lived on a street that some used to drag race down I can appreciate the positive effect fake speed bumps are having in some metro areas. Do they, though, like bacteria-resistant strains encourage a kind adaptation we'd rather not see? Discuss.
California is Burning INdeed
No need to look further than this map to see why.
Written while groovin' to Replica from the album “Modern Guilt” by Beck
July 02, 2008
Radiohead's In Rainbows Streaming for Free
If you haven't heard Radiohead's newest album, In Rainbows, you have no excuse now. It's streaming for free @ Last.fm. It really is quite a remarkable album.
June 30, 2008
The Power of Hospitality
I read Danny Meyer's “Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business” last year when it was given to me by Phil Terry. I have to admit I was skeptical about the relevance about a restauranteur's book having much relevance or applicability in my own life. After reading it, though, I realized that it confirmed many of the same principles I hold so near and dear to my heart...most significantly the fact that a kindly tongue can act as a magnet to people. Danny Meyer's success in the highly-competitive New York City restaurant business is the proof in the [ahem] pudding. This is not to say that the food at, say, Union Square Café isn't terrific (it is) or that the locations he picks aren't inspired (they are). But there are plenty of restaurants with great food and a great location that don't make it. I think Danny's principled approach to managing his business is the reason why he's been so consistently successful. Oh, and his book has done much better than other similar business books.
June 11, 2008
A Few Music Sites
Muxtape is amazing but I'd been itching to search the mixes when I was itching for a particular song. Ffffound! Muxfind.
The Rock Hard Times is a great place to get lost in musical information. I've been itching for something close to this for a while. Downside? They don't have The Replacements in their DB yet?!
Written while listening to http://usvsthem.muxtape.com/
June 04, 2008
The Cool Kids
Saw them last night and this morning saw this description of the genre which I was having trouble describing...
Hipster-Hop : An extension of the “skurban” (skater meets urban) fashion movement, one of the latest trends in music is a new breed of hip-hop that targets hipsters rather than the traditional “urban” audience. Artists such as Kid Sister, Cool Kids, and Santogold mix hip-hop sounds with hipster-approved retro influences and clubby electronica and are winning over ethnically diverse audiences of influencers by playing venues such as Brooklyn's Studio B and happenings sponsored by tastemaker events website Flavorpill.These artists tend to share a “geek chic” sensibility that fans can relate to rather than the flashier images of radio hip-hop artists.
