February 15, 2012
Ark Codex ±0 launch
For those near NYC, I’ll be coming soon to launch the newest Calamari book, Ark Codex ±0:
• on February 28, from 7-10 pm, there will be a launch mixer/exhibit in NYC at Lolita Bar &
• on March 3 at 8 pm there will be a launch party, featuring Tempers, at Collab (304 Hudson st, 6th floor)(please RSVP to this one)
For those not in NYC, the (physical) book is now available (at 25% off) on Amazon or as a pay-what-you-want digital book.
I’m also getting this tattooed on my belly for the occasion:
February 14, 2012
R.I.P. Dory Previn (1925-2012)
Twenty-Mile Zone, the song I liked from that one Dory Previn album I bought when I was sixteen.
Ms. Previn rose to prominence as a singer-songwriter with a substantial cult following in the early 1970s and she enriched a period in pop music history that also saw the emergence of Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Laura Nyro.
She never became as widely known as they were (though she did record a live double album at Carnegie Hall), partly because her voice was never as big as theirs, but also because her lyrics — frank and dark, even when tinged with humor, and often wincingly confessional — were not the stuff of pop radio. They were, however, clear antecedents of the work of later balladeers like Sinead O’Connor and Suzanne Vega.
The Art of Urban Sketching
The Art of Urban Sketching is both a comprehensive guide and a showcase of location drawings by artists around the world who draw the cities where they live and travel. This beautiful volume explains urban sketching within the context of a long historical tradition and how it is practiced today.
Among the artists featured: Wil Freeborn.
Update: See also the Urban Sketchers blog. Really good stuff.
Valentine message
After young Mr. B got home from school, I saw a small paper under the windshield wiper of his car. In permanent marker it said, “You are beautiful.” Written with a flourish, signed with a heart.
not just to sell Field Notes
This made me happy.
Owen Pallett: Baroque Pop
SO COOL
Alessandra Marc: “In questa reggia” (Puccini’s Turandot, 2002)
This past weekend in Dallas I heard Alessandra Marc perform live (as guest artist at a ballet festival) and met her briefly. No matter your affection for opera (mine has waned over the years), tell me this woman doesn’t have a voice.
Best experienced live.
Welcome to San Francisco
A few Direct Messages from Kelsey, who asked me to post them:
SF tweet from an old friend whose tweets are private:
“Walking along Mission, I saw a guy with a funny belt buckle. Then, I realized they were his BALLS, and he TOUCHED THEM as he passed me.”
probably not a good sign
The ‘Anglicism of the Year’ jury defined ‘Shitstorm’ as a public outcry, primarily on the internet, in which arguments mix with threats and insults to reach a critical mass, forcing a reaction.
“This new kind of protest is clearly different in kind and degree from what could be expected in the past in response to a statement or action,” said jury member Michael Mann, who runs a language website called Lexikographieblog.
The jury said in a statement on Monday: “Shitstorm fills a gap in the German vocabulary that has become apparent through changes in the culture of public debate.”
February 13, 2012
And I sure do regret it.
We all went over and listened to Willie smile.
quote out of context
Without missing a beat the maître d’ said, “February 14 is for wives, February 13 is for girlfriends and mistresses.”
Inside Nature’s Giants
I’ve been infatuated with the PBS series Inside Nature’s Giants ever since I saw comparative anatomist Joy Reidenberg cradle and spank the prehensile penis of a sperm whale. Last night, Amy and Sheila and I watched an episode of Channel 4′s version: Inside Nature’s Giants: Rogue Baboon.
It seems almost every episode of the British and American versions are online.
February 12, 2012
Is it possible cat urine may be an aphrodisiac for infected men?
After I return from Prague, Flegr informs me that he’s just had a paper accepted for publication that, he claims, “proves fatal feline attraction in humans.” By that he means that infected men like the smell of cat pee—or at least they rank its scent much more favorably than uninfected men do. Displaying the characteristic sex differences that define many Toxo traits, infected women have the reverse response, ranking the scent even more offensive than do women free of the parasite. The sniff test was done blind and also included urine collected from a dog, horse, hyena, and tiger. Infection did not affect how subjects rated these other samples.
13 Years After The Phantom Menace
To mark its re-release in 3D, Moviefone asked 13 writers, reporters and critics to reflect back on their experience watching The Phantom Menace for the first time:
We drove home in silence. The first thing I can remember saying was “Well … it looked cool.” The droid army was absolutely intimidating. Yoda didn’t look like a pile of spoiled lunchmeat. And it certainly wasn’t weird that Samuel L. Jackson was on the Jedi council … at all. I had developed Stockholm Syndrome — I’d become a full-fledged Lucas apologist. “No, that was just bad. Really bad.” Kate paused, “And you’re not allowed to pick out any movies anymore.”
Some wounds take longer to heal.
Anamorphic Illusions
Swiss artist Felice Varini has a fantastic series of anamorphic illusions. It took him 30 years to complete the body of work.
Tumblr Is Hiring Journalists
Not sure how I missed this, but Tumblr is hiring writers and editors to cover itself:
“Basically, if Tumblr were a city of 42 million,” Ms. Bennett said, referring to the number of Tumblr blogs that exist, “I’m trying to figure out how we cover the ideas, themes and people who live in it.”
Journalists covering online communities – a novel idea.
February 11, 2012
from the moderated comments
WRONG, i’m female and anime FREAK.
from the comments
Erica, kale will grow very nicely in a container. It likes the cold, as you know. I don’t have personal experience with deer (rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, birds and lately a raccoon!). But I have heard of some things that can help if you don’t have a tall fence.
Fragrant bars of soap hung from branches or a bamboo stick, etc., about 30 inches from the ground. Think Irish Spring. Or human hair (ask a barber for trimmings) in mesh bags three feet off the ground. Plant spray made of three raw eggs in a gallon of water. Supposedly deer hate that. Also, row covers can help for a while, anyway.
I’ve also had success with mirror mobiles. I had one that was just a long fishing-wire string with small round mirrors attached. I laced it from a piece of wire protruding from a fence and nothing bothered my garden for ages. It would swing around in the sun and wind and it must have freaked out the varmints. Then the Iowan managed to knock it off onto the brick walk and broke a lot of it.
So I bought some very thin fishing wire and a bunch of little mirrors from a craft store. One mirror, glue, attached to the back of an identical mirror. Either one string or attach multiple strings to, say, a wire hanger, which is not pretty but will do the job. Speaking of, you also might string fishing wire between posts in the garden because supposedly that confuses deer.
Good luck!
2100°/451°
A short film by Alistair Banks featuring the art of Etsuko Ichikawa.
I can’t remember if I’ve already shared this particular project, but it never hurts to revisit good art.
February 10, 2012
DIY, Growing Food in Winter
These are lettuce and pea seeds I put in last week. They are growing in my back yard, in a plastic container that held spinach. Yes, it is cold. And it freezes and sleets and ices up, still. But this is winter gardening and people do it even in colder climates than northern Virginia.
You just wash a plastic container that has a lid, punch some holes in the top and bottom, put in some soil (I use a seeding mix) and sprinkle in seeds. Water, close the container, label it with a permanent marker. Place it outside in a sunny area. Now you have a greenhouse environment for your seeds to grow. I may need to transplant these into a larger container before it gets warm enough to plant in the garden.
I also have some flowers and pampas grass sprouting.
Your seeds really want to grow, even in harsh conditions. Like us, they are animated by the life force.
How does Deron feel about this car?
Or anyone else, for that matter. The Tesla Model X will have gull wing doors. In the back, apparently.
