2010.02.07
Super Bowl Date Trends
It’s been my observation that over the years the Super Bowl has been coming later and later every year. I remember from my youth that it was a mid-January event. Now it’s more and more an early-February event. Soon enough it will become a mid-February event. Using these dates as reference I’ve put together this handy chart clearly showing this tendency. Click on the chart for full size.
I’d be curious to hear what people’s thoughts might be concerning the incursion of the Super Bowl on Valentine’s Day (which should happen in 2016) and how this will affect gender relationships, if at all.
1 Comment | Catergorized: thoughts2010.02.06
Cutting Services
I read this article and my first thoughts were, “Holy shit!”
COLORADO SPRINGS — This tax-averse city is about to learn what it looks and feels like when budget cuts slash services most Americans consider part of the urban fabric.More than a third of the streetlights in Colorado Springs will go dark Monday. The police helicopters are for sale on the Internet. The city is dumping firefighting jobs, a vice team, burglary investigators, beat cops — dozens of police and fire positions will go unfilled.
The parks department removed trash cans last week, replacing them with signs urging users to pack out their own litter.
Neighbors are encouraged to bring their own lawn mowers to local green spaces, because parks workers will mow them only once every two weeks. If that.
Water cutbacks mean most parks will be dead, brown turf by July; the flower and fertilizer budget is zero.
City recreation centers, indoor and outdoor pools, and a handful of museums will close for good March 31 unless they find private funding to stay open. Buses no longer run on evenings and weekends. The city won’t pay for any street paving, relying instead on a regional authority that can meet only about 10 percent of the need.
Yet the more I thought about it, the more I came to appreciate what was happening, especially in places where people are averse to taxes. “You don’t want to pay taxes, then here are the consequences.” I think this is pretty much what the state of California needs to do. You don’t want to repeal Prop 13? You want to keep heaping on voter initiatives that cost the state money? Then you will have to deal with the consequences and, like Colorado Springs, it will be painful.
No Comments | Catergorized: political thoughts2010.01.24
Wedding Invitations
Rosa and I thought long and hard about our wedding invitations. In the end we’re decided to work with Larissa at Papercake Designs. We were going to do a video, but then we saw someone else beat us to the punch line with that idea…
2 Comments | Catergorized: life movies2010.01.10
Stab Me With That Pointy Thing
So I’ve started off 2010 with something I never thought I would try: acupuncture. Rosa got me the appointment at the Kabuki Springs in Japan Town.
I tend to not to go in for these folk remedies and favor hard science (though as everyone knows, it is sometimes far from “hard” as new discoveries are made). Never the less, I went in with an open mind and while I don’t know if it will help, it was an amazingly relaxing experience. Once the needles were inserted I was left in the darkened room by myself for about 40 minutes. If you had asked me how long it was, I would have said ten or fifteen at best. During that time I meditated and let my mind wander. Weirdly I saw a lot of faces. Most of them I didn’t know but Rosa and my Mom’s were in there, as well as my friend from Prague, Richmond.
Afterwards, when heading to my motorcycle, I felt very calm. I felt very light and yet very grounded to the earth. Heavy and light at the same time. It was a nice feeling… Very pohoda.
I wouldn’t recommend acupuncture for everyone, but for me it was extremely relaxing and, who knows, it might even help me in the long run.
1 Comment | Catergorized: life2010.01.02
Best of Bootie 2009
If you love mashups, it’s that time of the year again to pick up the столовеBest of Bootie. Go get it!
No Comments | Catergorized: audio2010.01.01
Happy New Year
I hope everyone is having a safe New Year’s celebration. May 2010 bring many wonderful event for everyone!
1 Comment | Catergorized: life2009.12.16
Doug’s 2009 Mix
I’ve just finished putting together my 2009 mix that I give out to friends and family each year. This year’s was particularly difficult and I rather wish I could have put out a double-disk mix. Maybe I’ll look into jewel cases for next year. The cover was something of a challenge this year. The main portion is a modified version of a piece called “Little Spanish Dancer” and the background is a modification of some lovely detail work by Echo Chernik. Here’s the play list; I’ll put up an iTunes link when I can.
Just You and Me – Zee Avi
Mi Swing Es Tropical – Quantic & Nickodemus
Bruises – Chairlift
5 Years Time – Noah and the Whale
Lisztomania – Phoenix
Love Me Dead – Ludo
Guilty Pleasure – Cobra Starship
Everything Is Everything – Phoenix
Nth Degree – Morningwood
Underwater – Mock & Toof
We Are All Connected – Symphony of Science
La Flaca – Jarabe de Palo
Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts – The Gaslight Anthem
Forever – The Explorers Club
Mingus – I’m from Barcelona
Foundations (Full Explicit Version) – Kate Nash
The Step and the Walk – The Duke Spirit
Graffiti Eyes – Stellastarr*
Supernatural Supergirl – josh kramon
My Beautiful Rescue (Renovated) – This Providence
UPDATE: Here’s the iTune’s Store iMix. It’s $20.01 for all the songs except “We Are All Connected” (which is a free download) but if you write me I might give you a super secret download link…
No Comments | Catergorized: audio life2009.12.13
Spanish Textbook Update
A while back I was taunting the French because their Academie Francaise is trying to freeze French and control its usage in terms of grammar and vocabulary. Alas, their government supports them. This is why I was happy to see that when the Spanish updated their official language texts from the old 1931 version, they have taken a more enlightened approach which allows for all the variations of Spanish around the world.
The book is billed as a sort of linguistic map that painstakingly documents today’s Spanish in all its richness — there are nearly 20 ways to say ballpoint pen, for instance — and how it varies from country to country, or within one, or from one social class to another.
…
The new grammar shies from setting cut-and-dry dogma on what is correct and what is not, making instead recommendations as to what the language gurus generally accept to be proper Spanish. The Puerto Rican twist, for instance, is respected as a localism but not something textbook traditional.These gurus say languages are living things that embrace new words — often English intruders like Internet — and there is no use in trying to control them completely.
“Rules are set by speakers. What the academy does is observe and document,” Garcia de la Concha said at a news conference Wednesday night.
Congratulations to the Spanish Royal Academy on their work!
1 Comment | Catergorized: thoughts2009.12.11
Holiday Music
I haven’t been terribly active lately. Uninspired for much of the time (to write, not for many other things!) and busy. It’s the holiday season! So here’s a quick blurb that Apple is releasing a holiday music sampler for free. Go get it!
While you’re at it, you might want to pick up the new A Very Bootie Christmas, a collection of holiday themed mashup music. I haven’t listened to the new one yet, but the 2006 version was amazing.
No Comments | Catergorized: apple audio2009.11.06
A Few Free Apps
Hey Mac Users,
If you’re interested in a few free apps head over to MacHeist. They’re giving a few away. Most of them aren’t useful to me, but some are and, if enough people do this, MarinerWrite should be well worth the price of free.
Cheers!
No Comments | Catergorized: apple
