Community Radio
[Zany radio ad music; fades beneath stereotypical obnoxious commercial radio announcer voiceover] Down at KFAI community radio, we don’t play ridiculous ads that sound like this! In fact, we don’t play ads at all! [Honk of a horn and a slide whistle drop; into little boy’s earnest voice] Then how does KFAI stay on the air, mister? [Announcer] I thought you’d never ask, Jimmy! But I’ll be honest…uh…I don’t know. [Zany music screeches to a halt; Jimmy cries, then fades out; begin real voiceover] Listener support keeps KFAI on the air. That’s how community radio works. Because of people just like you. Right now, KFAI is looking for listeners to help us answer phones during our upcoming pledge drive. It’s easy and fun — and we really do appreciate it. [Frightening overproduced commercial radio announcer voiceover again] So if you prefer your radio without boundaries — and lame-o commercials for tanning salons and muffler shops — volunteer today.
Mediterranean Olive Spread
The Mediterranean basin is the homeland of all things “olive.” No inhabitant of that region can live for long without ingesting this delicacy either in the form of cured olives or its greatest treasure, olive oil. This recipe highlights both and can be used as a condiment with meats, vegetables, or as a dip for crackers and bread.
1 cup of pitted black oil cured olives.
½ cup of extra-virgin olive oil.
1 tsp of ground cumin.
1 tsp of red pepper (or paprika if you want no “heat”).
3 cloves of garlic.
½ tsp of sugar
Juice of ½ a lemon.
1 tsp of lemon zest.
Best Wishes, Pat Boone
I once knew a guy who would autograph all the Pat Boone books he found in bookstores. I really liked him.
In No Particular Order
These things have been cracking me up reliably for the last couple of months (some for much longer):
1. On old Seinfelds, when Larry David does the voice of George Steinbrenner
2. Drawings of robots with big tits.
3. Manowar
4. Animal jokes
5. Any situation where someone harmlessly takes advantage of the fact that someone else does not speak the same language.
6. On the Colbert Report, when Stephen Colbert pumps up the crowd on his way over to interview his guest.
7. Lady Sovereign
8. Underpants
Daniel Chang
Eyebeam
FYI:
The Eyebeam OpenLab is a home for artists, engineers and hackers pioneering open source creativity. The first initiative of its kind, the lab is focused entirely on incubating experimental technologies and media that directly enrich the public domain. With funding from the MacArthur Foundation and others, Eyebeam has awarded fellowships to a talented, interdisciplinary group of OpenLab fellows who work in a new facility equipped with a laser cutter, 3D printer, workstations, web servers, and electronics workbenches. These fellows are already generating ideas and building new projects, extending the innovative work of Eyebeam R&D.
The Persistence of the Exotic Menial
From Design Observer:
“I want finally to address in some detail,” Caplan said toward the end of this talk, “a role that I call ‘the designer as exotic menial.’ He is exotic because of the presumed mystery inherent in what he does, and menial because whatever he does is required only for relatively low-level objectives, to be considered only after the real business decisions are made. And although this is a horrendous misuse of the designer and of the design process, it is in my experience always done with the designer’s collusion.”
The Case for Impeachment
In the March 2006 edition of Harper’s, editor Lewis Lapham outlines the case for impeaching George Bush. An excerpt from the article can be found online.
Nature’s Supergrain
It’s called quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) and if you haven’t tried it and are bored with the usual brown rice routine, you should head to the nearest Whole Foods. This tiny grain-like seed was called “The Mother Grain” by ancient Incans. A bonus: it cooks in 15 minutes.
From Whole Health MD:
Nutritionally, quinoa might be considered a supergrain–although it is not really a grain, but the seed of a leafy plant that’s distantly related to spinach. Quinoa has excellent reserves of protein, and unlike other grains, is not missing the amino acid lysine, so the protein is more complete (a trait it shares with other “non-true” grains such as buckwheat and amaranth). The World Health Organization has rated the quality of protein in quinoa at least equivalent to that in milk. Quinoa offers more iron than other grains and contains high levels of potassium and riboflavin, as well as other B vitamins: B6, niacin, and thiamin. It is also a good source of magnesium, zinc, copper, and manganese, and has some folate (folic acid).
junkmail for blankets
Thanks for the link from junkmail for blankets.
Malcolm Gladwell Blog
Malcolm Gladwell has a blog.
Garden in a Petri Dish
Stuart Bailey
From an interview with Stuart Bailey:
I suspect what I’m really against is what that term “graphic design” has come to represent, i.e. synonymous with business cards, logos, identities and advertising, and, again simply put, those are things I’m just not interested in. To me that idea of “graphic design” is as far removed from my interests as being a milkman or a lawyer. In fact, I’d rather be a milkman.
Addictive
Aphorisms
For those fascinated by the succinct, James Geary has a book, The World in a Phrase, a Brief History of the Aphorism.
Switzerland
What do they speak in Switzerland?
There are four national languages in Switzerland: German, French, Italian and Romansh. In principle, all four languages have equal rights. In practice, however, things sometimes are different since the smaller groups, although geographically fairly homogeneous, more often than not have to assert their political and economic influence. Switzerland’s religious and linguistic borders do not coincide, and the country also has strong cultural links with the neighboring countries (Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, France, and Italy). These relationships are somewhat ambivalent since they vary historically between a strong leaning towards a neighboring culture and a rejection of it because it might pose a threat to Swiss identity. The Federal Constitution (Art. 70 of the new Constitution) stipulates that German, French, and Italian are Switzerland’s official languages, whereas Romansh is an official language for communicating with Romansh-speaking persons. German, French and Italian enjoy equal status in Parliament, the federal administration and the army. The most recent census produced the following picture of how the languages are distributed: (Swiss)German 63.9%, French 19.5%, Italian 6.6%, Romansh 0.5%, others 9.5%. Schools play a key role in bringing the languages closer together, since cantonal school regulations require that every child learn a second national language starting in primary school. English is increasingly taught at an early age, sometimes taking priority over a second national language.
Echale ganas muchachitos!
For awhile, this was something I looked at all the time. It made me happy and smarter. I feel much the same way now. When it was new to me, I referred a few people I know to it hoping that it would bring them a similarly positive experience. All of these people reported confusion to me.
The Station Agent
For all my extroverted friends who don’t understand their introverted friends allow me to recommend The Station Agent.
40 Bond
From triple mint:
Now that the necessary period of intrigue and speculation has past, it’s time to take a closer look at Ian Schrager’s 40 Bond Street condominium designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning Swiss duo of Herzog & de Meuron. What they have essentially done here is reinterpret New York’s downtown loft vernacular through their own avant-guard prism. And to that Ian Schrager has added an expensive sheen of luxury to make this one of the most ambitious projects we’ve yet seen.
Aeroscraft
People!
Sometimes my fingernails remind me of people.
My Humps
I’m beginning to think the Black Eyed Peas’ My Humps is the worst song ever recorded. Discuss.
I Woke Up Today Thinking
The only difference between shampoo and ham poo is an “s”.
Truth in Comedy
Everybody’s a comedian — except Dane Cook.
Cirque du Calder
The latest release from M Sarki’s Handmade Books is Cirque du Calder, with text translated from the French by Norman Lock and accompanying CD-R by Faruk Ulay. For more information, go to Rogue Literary Society and prowl around.
