Monday, August 31, 2009

Whitney Houston - Million Dollar Bill

Never said this about any other Whitney Houston song, but this one is my jam of the week. Listening on repeat. Where are the remixes? Sony will surely take down this youtube soon.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

throwthefdown2


throwthefdown2
Originally uploaded by technochick
One of us went on to Techno stardom.

Do Kids Still Read?

In more "to hell in a handbasket" news, Reading Rainbow, after a 26 year run, is being canceled.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Are You There, Door? It's Me, Cyclist.

It was quite a memorable meeting we had today, wasn't it? Very exciting! I wish I could say it was a pleasure, but perhaps a little more notice before our next meeting would lead to less shouting and blood loss.

It all began when I was pedaling happily through Wrigleyville today. Suddenly you popped out and surprised me!

"Oh!" I exclaimed.

"Oh!" said the man in the car to which you were attached.

Thud!

Then came the second surprise when I realized I was still on my bicycle! Oh, but what is that stinging sensation? That must have been where you poked me! Right on the first knuckle of my right index finger it was: a warm and runny souvenir of our brief rendezvous! Red, just like you! It looked like the beginnings of a Jackson Pollack! How pretty!

A second later, I was glad when my finger performed as hoped. It was then that I decided there was no need to draw out an otherwise very to-the-point and impactful get together. I turned my head to give you one last look and saw that the man who had been inside the car was now out and ministering to you, concern in his eyes. I hope you are okay!

How close we had come to a much more sorrowful exchange! How was it avoided? Had I swerved just out of the worst danger? Another inch and I surely would have lost control of my steed and been redirected pavement-ward. I was counting my lucky stars, but also wondering: had the lovely Alpha King I communed with only a quarter-hour earlier left me spellbound?

These thoughts and the surge of adrenaline were more than enough to keep me from being bored on the bike, but unfortunately the open wound and messy blood drips, no matter how pretty on my index finger, required heed. Forlorn, I cut short my ride and turned home, where I could properly attend to your gift! But on the way, I sure felt rough and tough to be seen riding with an open wound!

That didn't seem to make the drivers take any more notice of me, sadly. As I approached my street I was nearly force-hugged by one of your colleagues! My head was turned to check traffic (I needed to get into the turn lane) and when my gaze was redirected forward, I saw nothing but the rear hatch of an SUV that apparently wanted to try the bike lane on for size - right in front of me! This heartbreaker's rear door was full of happy glowing red lights and he must have liked the bike lane a lot, because he was stopping in it! What a flirt! But I pretended not to notice Mr. Bikelane McBrakeLights and slipped along to the left side without even a nod.

It was as if I was wearing a very door-friendly fragrance, because before I got home, I was approached by yet another! This time I coyly dodged a passenger side door of a car that was turning without using any of those festive lights! I hope I wasn't rude in my aloofness, but I'm gentleman and don't tap just any door that comes my way. You understand, of course.

Finally I got home, and after a very civil exchange with my apartment door (we have a very open relationship), I proceeded to put my Boy Scout first aid training to work! A good refresher! And now, I've earned the right to wear that t-shirt I've been admiring!
So, door, thanks for the memories! Next time though, a little heads up would be appreciated.

8/24/09 mix

A little disco, a little acid, and a little deep, all house. Enjoy.

megaupload link

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Radio Lab 16: Moments

This video was a nice surprise from the folks over at the Radio Lab podcast.

It's worth the HD and full screen.

What kind of cyclist are you?

Had a laugh today viewing the new Bike Hugger's guide to Bike Culture. As for me, I do have three bikes, but I haven't yet shaved my legs, and I also commute, so where does that put me?

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Clothes Line Movie!



Text from the post over at Treehugger:
We should reconsider if living electricly is still better for us, as we spend $5 billion every year drying clothes in the US. Since the dryer is responsible for 6% of the average household bill, drying clothed on a line is common sense, but not a right everyone has. Drying For Freedom follows the fight for the right to dry clothes naturally and reveals how drying clothes became a life threatening, environmental social catastrophe. The film is made by WL:DOCS, producers of documentary and factual programming. ::Drying for Freedom

Friday, August 14, 2009

Andy Kessler RIP

I didn't know anything about Andy Kessler before his death this week. He suffered a fatal allergic reaction an insect sting at age 48.

I wish I could embed this lovely video of him skating and talking about skating. I recommend following the link to remember what the simple pleasures are all about. (video at the bottom of linked page)

Bret Anthony Johnson wrote these poetic words in the NYTimes:
Think not of swimming in a pool, but of becoming the ocean itself. Think not of flying, but of floating in a place where the ground or gravity has never existed — a place
where, at long last, there is no irony, no pain or struggle, where there’s no such thing as falling.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Running Good For Knees?

I love reading stuff like this.

From NYTimes:
Instead, recent evidence suggests that running may actually shield somewhat against arthritis, in part because the knee develops a kind of motion groove. A group of engineers and doctors at Stanford published a study in the February issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery that showed that by moving and loading your knee joint, as you do when walking or running, you “condition” your cartilage to the load. It grows accustomed to those particular movements. You can run for miles, decades, a lifetime, without harming it. But if this exquisite balance is disturbed, usually by an injury, the loading mechanisms shift, the moving parts of the knee are no longer in their accustomed alignment and a “degenerative pathway” seems to open. The cartilage, like an unbalanced tire, wears away. Pain, tissue disintegration and, eventually, arthritis can follow.

It's all about Performance

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Lusine - Two Dots

Monday, August 10, 2009

Right To Dry


Watch CBS Videos Online
(this video is sometimes uncooperative - there's an unembeddable you tube version here.)

I line dry. I do it indoors, because I don't have a yard. It works fine. I may never use a dryer again!



And here's an interesting set of data. Apparently, fewer people are considering the items listed below - including the very unnecessary clothes dryer - necessities, the exceptions being the ipod and flat screen. (?) I could live (and do live) without many of these things. Yes, I need my cell phone, computer, and internet. I could live without the rest (though to be honest, I would miss the TV a tiny bit). Click the image for a bigger version. (link to Pew Study report)

Saturday, August 08, 2009

REMI!

Take one part Borat, one part Jackass, and one part Marcel Marceau, and you get Remi, the crazy art/prank/stunt/clown of France. His schtick is juvenile, rude, irresponsible, and hilarious. I especially love how he particularly targets golfers. In this video, Remi and friends cohorts accomplices do the Pac Man thing. Yes, it's been done before, but not quite this destructively hilariously. Plus, in this skit, Remi really suffers for his art/prank/disturbance. If you like this, check out Remi's other vids - hilarity!

Thursday, August 06, 2009

No Impact Man

No Impact Man is a man, a blog, a movie, and maybe a book. He's a man after my own heart. His movie is being released (everywhere?) on Sept 11.



Here's his blog.

Medium Cool

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Pedaling

Europe is the example we need to follow, bike lanes encourage more cycling, and the more cyclists on the road the safer things become.

More and more, it seems to me that that 80's were an aberration in the natural evolution of society that we have been playing catch up from ever since. The deregulation of the financial system, the birth of the "war on drugs," the willful ignorance of the lurking energy crisis, and as detailed in this volume, the turning away from the bicycle, are the legacy of the decade that we are paying for today. But now that the hangover from the financial crisis is settling in, it seems to be the perfect time to reconsider those choices.

Jeff Mapes went far and wide to chronicle the ongoing resurgence of the bicycle and the result is a must-read for anyone interested in promoting cycling. The history of the bicycle lobby in the US, the burgeoning urban bike culture, European bike meccas and more are examined. Mapes tell tales of riding through NYC in a critical mass herd, navigating the choreographed chaos of Copenhagen by bike, and commuting in Portland, OR, and along the way introduces lawmakers, industry types, academics, activists, and just plain everyday folks who happen to ride bikes.

The reasons to ride a bike today are legion, but Mapes seems convinced that the only one that really sticks is that it's just plain fun. And so is reading his book. A mellow optimism infuses each page, and I suppose it would be hard not feel otherwise when you learn about all the blood, sweat, tears, gears, beers, and laughs that have been had pushing the bike movement on.

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

the good life

Few things in life taste as good as a well crafted ale after a grueling bike ride, at midday.

Of course I would wait in line for this.

Daft Punk on the soundtrack puts this firmly in the "no-brainer" decision category.

Good Beer


Half Acre Beer is the latest brew out of the Chi. I'm going out on a limb and saying that Half Acre's Over Ale is my new favorite. I'm not one for flowery descriptions, so I'll leave that up to the craftsmen.
Half Acre Over Ale is what we call an American Style Bitter. This deep brown beer is brewed with six varieties of malted barley and balanced with three generous hop additions. You’ll find a mild malt body with bitter bones. Enjoy this beer.
I don't know if this is available anywhere outside the city. I get mine at the Jewel across the street from the headquarters on Lincoln Ave.

Half Acre gets super bonus points for sponsoring a local cycling team.