Daisy: Please oh please oh PLEASE don't let me see a cigarette!
Baba: Okay, I will try.
Daisy: I wasn't talking to you Baba. I was talking to THE WORLD.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Three Failures of iTunes "Genius"
Don't get me wrong - when Apple introduced the Genius feature to iTunes, I flipped backwards in excitement. I love making playlists, but I am also lazy, and since with so many (read: 1) hip friends who have made it their (his) life's mission to accumulate ALL THE MUSIC IN THE WORLD, I have a pretty vast library full of music that I haven't listened to and don't even know the best place to start. What's the best Devo song after "Whip It"? Couldn't tell you. Pandora is great for the whole, "if you love this, you'll probably enjoy this" route, but I am one of the five remaining 18-35 year-olds who doesn't have an iPhone and I do nearly all my music listening on the go.
So while I have embraced Genius with open arms, it has made a few head-scratchingly baffling fails, some of which I will share with you.
1. Rickie Lee Jones/Tom Waits/Chuck E. Weiss
I love me my Tom Waits so very, very much. I love every period of his career, and love him so much that I have sought out his influences, his influencees, and his contemporaries, including his Tropicana Hotel roommates, Rickie Lee Jones and Chuck E. Weiss. Now, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that absolutely everyone who has purchased a Chuck E. Weiss album in the last ten years has done so because of the Waits connection. But when I Genius (it's a verb now) any Weiss song (say, "Anthem for Old Souls" for instance), I am compiled a list of Dixieland jazz and roots blues and a palpable absence of Waits. Perhaps even more surprising, the catalog of Rickie Lee Jones, Tomcat's former flame and pre-Brennan muse, comes up loaded with Joni Mitchell, Edie Brickell and every other proto-Lilith Faire songstress, but no Waits, no Weiss, no nothing. Not even the song "Chuck E's in Love" which is ABOUT CHUCK E. WEISS.
2. any big hit.
This came to light today when I thought I could make an easy Christmas mix for my daughter by Geniusing Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas" (Shut up, hipsters. I will slap you upside the nuts with your own mustache.) To it's credit, the second song was Lennon's "Happy Xmas" and the third Chuck Berry's "Run Rudolph Run." But track four? "Mmm Bop" by Hanson. Five? "Circle of Life," Elton John. I can understand that Genius has a variety of different criteria that it weighs when compiling playlists, but I would think that were it to live up to its name, it might understand that there are times when some criteria should be weighted more than others. Specifically: in the case of holiday music, the first thing it looks for should be things of a similar genre; less so the units sold or the Billboard chart position.
(Netflix is in the same boat, actually. Earlier today I added "A Charlie Brown Christmas" to Daisy's queue. Did the red envelope suggest I might enjoy "The Polar Express" or "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"? That's silly. Clearly by adding a Christmas movie to my queue in December, what I really want are films like "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown", "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown" and "Bandslam." You're probably right, Netflix. You know best.)
3. The Beatles
An announcement that will change my life forever?!? Really iTunes? Are you going to give away your songs for free? Are you going to allow me to telepathically select which songs I download just by what I hum as I walk down the street? No? You just ... oh, you got the Beatles. Well that's nice. I mean, I already have a lot ... most ... absolutely all of their albums, singles compilations, Cirque du Soleil show soundtracks .. but hey! at least now they'll show up in my Genius playlists, right? I mean, just the other day I Geniused Pixies cover of "Wild Honey Pie" and thought "How great would it be to have some White Album tracks show up? But they didn't. And then I did one for Elton John's "Burn Down the Mission" (I'M ALLOWED) and thought "Well surely the progenitors of British pop will appear on this one," but yet again, not so much. "Satisfaction," "Good Vibrations," "LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE" - not one of these managed to score a single Beatles track in its playlist. I don't know if this was some obscure contractual agreement George Martin, Yoko, and Steve Jobs agreed on, but I will say this: LAME.
But hey, I don't make the algorithms. I just mock 'em. Thanks again, O Genius of the all-knowing Eye-Tunes - what you do do, you do be do be do so well.
Tweet
So while I have embraced Genius with open arms, it has made a few head-scratchingly baffling fails, some of which I will share with you.
1. Rickie Lee Jones/Tom Waits/Chuck E. Weiss
I love me my Tom Waits so very, very much. I love every period of his career, and love him so much that I have sought out his influences, his influencees, and his contemporaries, including his Tropicana Hotel roommates, Rickie Lee Jones and Chuck E. Weiss. Now, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that absolutely everyone who has purchased a Chuck E. Weiss album in the last ten years has done so because of the Waits connection. But when I Genius (it's a verb now) any Weiss song (say, "Anthem for Old Souls" for instance), I am compiled a list of Dixieland jazz and roots blues and a palpable absence of Waits. Perhaps even more surprising, the catalog of Rickie Lee Jones, Tomcat's former flame and pre-Brennan muse, comes up loaded with Joni Mitchell, Edie Brickell and every other proto-Lilith Faire songstress, but no Waits, no Weiss, no nothing. Not even the song "Chuck E's in Love" which is ABOUT CHUCK E. WEISS.
2. any big hit.
This came to light today when I thought I could make an easy Christmas mix for my daughter by Geniusing Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas" (Shut up, hipsters. I will slap you upside the nuts with your own mustache.) To it's credit, the second song was Lennon's "Happy Xmas" and the third Chuck Berry's "Run Rudolph Run." But track four? "Mmm Bop" by Hanson. Five? "Circle of Life," Elton John. I can understand that Genius has a variety of different criteria that it weighs when compiling playlists, but I would think that were it to live up to its name, it might understand that there are times when some criteria should be weighted more than others. Specifically: in the case of holiday music, the first thing it looks for should be things of a similar genre; less so the units sold or the Billboard chart position.
(Netflix is in the same boat, actually. Earlier today I added "A Charlie Brown Christmas" to Daisy's queue. Did the red envelope suggest I might enjoy "The Polar Express" or "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"? That's silly. Clearly by adding a Christmas movie to my queue in December, what I really want are films like "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown", "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown" and "Bandslam." You're probably right, Netflix. You know best.)
3. The Beatles
An announcement that will change my life forever?!? Really iTunes? Are you going to give away your songs for free? Are you going to allow me to telepathically select which songs I download just by what I hum as I walk down the street? No? You just ... oh, you got the Beatles. Well that's nice. I mean, I already have a lot ... most ... absolutely all of their albums, singles compilations, Cirque du Soleil show soundtracks .. but hey! at least now they'll show up in my Genius playlists, right? I mean, just the other day I Geniused Pixies cover of "Wild Honey Pie" and thought "How great would it be to have some White Album tracks show up? But they didn't. And then I did one for Elton John's "Burn Down the Mission" (I'M ALLOWED) and thought "Well surely the progenitors of British pop will appear on this one," but yet again, not so much. "Satisfaction," "Good Vibrations," "LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE" - not one of these managed to score a single Beatles track in its playlist. I don't know if this was some obscure contractual agreement George Martin, Yoko, and Steve Jobs agreed on, but I will say this: LAME.
But hey, I don't make the algorithms. I just mock 'em. Thanks again, O Genius of the all-knowing Eye-Tunes - what you do do, you do be do be do so well.
Tweet
NSFScience!
Before the cement dried on one portion of the sidewalk outside the U of C lab school, someone wrote "FUCK LAB." Though I'm certain this was intended as a juvenile invective against the school, I always imagine it to be the name of the place where the best kind of science gets done.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Dreams
"Baba, I had a dream that you were parking the car. In the dream, you could park anywhere you wanted and you didn't even have to pay any money."
"That sounds great! You know who gets to park like that?"
"Yes. Kings."
(I was going to go with 'rock stars', but as always, my ambitions pale by comparison.)
"That sounds great! You know who gets to park like that?"
"Yes. Kings."
(I was going to go with 'rock stars', but as always, my ambitions pale by comparison.)
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Foodie in Training
The biggest downside to learning to cook is that frequently inspiration hits at a time when it is impossible to follow through. And unlike other crafts or arts, epiphanies of possible culinary masterpieces don't just leave one artistically frustrated - they also make you very, very hungry.
Currently, I am daydreaming about a burrito combining fried plantains, chipotle black beans, guacamole, roasted garlic and roasted jalapeno, cilantro rice, and mango salsa. If someone out there is not too busy and wants to get started on this project, I would not begrudge you the founder's credit, so long as I get first tasting.
Currently, I am daydreaming about a burrito combining fried plantains, chipotle black beans, guacamole, roasted garlic and roasted jalapeno, cilantro rice, and mango salsa. If someone out there is not too busy and wants to get started on this project, I would not begrudge you the founder's credit, so long as I get first tasting.
Friday, June 4, 2010
The Next Books I Read.
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
- The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
- Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon
Sunday, May 23, 2010
My Lot In Life.
Daisy (calling out from the bathtub): Mama!
(Baba enters)
Daisy: Not you. I want to talk to Mama.
Baba: What am I, chopped liver?
Daisy: What's chopped liver?
Baba: It is the thing you do not want.
Daisy: Yes, you are a chopped liver. I want Mama.
(Baba enters)
Daisy: Not you. I want to talk to Mama.
Baba: What am I, chopped liver?
Daisy: What's chopped liver?
Baba: It is the thing you do not want.
Daisy: Yes, you are a chopped liver. I want Mama.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Scar!
Oh my heavens, I am so remiss in blogging. I have so much backed up blog fodder, it's going to take ... a great deal of restraint not to go any further with that metaphor.
Sorry about that. Anyway, the big news! A little over a week ago (2/5), as I was leaving work, I was in my first ever major car accident. I am, as most of the people who read this blog know, completely fine physically, but my beautiful six-month old Hyundai Sonata is, well, "worse for wear."
Synopsis: I was driving in the far right lane on Indianapolis Blvd. It was snowing. To my left was an Acura, to my right, a Shell station. And as we went along, the driver to my left decided it was time to buy cigarettes RIGHT NOW and turned into the Shell station, taking me along with him. Which had not been a destination on my itinerary, to say the least.
So a week later, having had a number of conversations with insurance companies, independent assessors and appraisers and the body shop recommended by the Hyundai dealership, the damages are looking like they will total somewhere between $4,000 - $6,000. There is denting all along the driver side, especially in the front and rear panels, a headlight is popped out and broken, a hubcap is cracked, and the driver's mirror was snapped off clean, which needless to say has made driving on the highway lately very anxiety inducing.
Should everything go according to plan, the insurance company and body shop will be in communication today and sort everything out that I might drop my car off tomorrow and pick up a rental for the interval. Meanwhile, 'Shark' (thus named by Daisy for his dorsal fin-like satellite radio antenna) has been rechristened 'Scar', and I am spending a lot of time looking over my shoulder.
And the moral of the story is, you should quit smoking. RIGHT NOW.
Sorry about that. Anyway, the big news! A little over a week ago (2/5), as I was leaving work, I was in my first ever major car accident. I am, as most of the people who read this blog know, completely fine physically, but my beautiful six-month old Hyundai Sonata is, well, "worse for wear."
Synopsis: I was driving in the far right lane on Indianapolis Blvd. It was snowing. To my left was an Acura, to my right, a Shell station. And as we went along, the driver to my left decided it was time to buy cigarettes RIGHT NOW and turned into the Shell station, taking me along with him. Which had not been a destination on my itinerary, to say the least.
So a week later, having had a number of conversations with insurance companies, independent assessors and appraisers and the body shop recommended by the Hyundai dealership, the damages are looking like they will total somewhere between $4,000 - $6,000. There is denting all along the driver side, especially in the front and rear panels, a headlight is popped out and broken, a hubcap is cracked, and the driver's mirror was snapped off clean, which needless to say has made driving on the highway lately very anxiety inducing.
Should everything go according to plan, the insurance company and body shop will be in communication today and sort everything out that I might drop my car off tomorrow and pick up a rental for the interval. Meanwhile, 'Shark' (thus named by Daisy for his dorsal fin-like satellite radio antenna) has been rechristened 'Scar', and I am spending a lot of time looking over my shoulder.
And the moral of the story is, you should quit smoking. RIGHT NOW.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Oh Noes!
For a brief moment this morning, I was overcome with fear and panic - we are out of coffee! But, I soon found the emergency reserves hidden away on the top shelf. Whew! Close one.
(I apologize for the bootleggy nature of this clip, but the Broadway version of this song is spectacular, even in this difficult to discern detail version.)
(I apologize for the bootleggy nature of this clip, but the Broadway version of this song is spectacular, even in this difficult to discern detail version.)
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Slow Cookin', Fast Eatin'
Certainly the best investment anyone in this household has made this year has been HBC's purchase of a slow cooker (along with this book.) We have become a family of slow cooking fiends, having already produced about eight different batches of savory goodness, including a million bean soup, a North African beef stew (with cumin, cinnamon, and dried apricots), and a sauerkraut and beef stuffed cabbage. Most of these have been the masterful Mama at work, but I have tried my hand once or twice, and yesterday brought my own personal triumph - Black Bay Corn Chowder.
I knew just reading the list of ingredients that this would be absolutely delicious, but having completed it in all its slow-cooked glory I now deem it my favorite soup ever. When I am offered my last meal, I would like a rare Kansas City strip steak, some mixed greens with a balsamic vinaigrette, and a bowl of this soup. (And, of course, a Talisker, neat, with nice IPA as a chaser, but as most last meals are a 'death row' deal, this seems an unlikely grant.)
I seem to be the only one raving about it - Mama was pleased but not gaga and Miss Marguerite went quickly from very excited to disquieted. (D appears to be going through a textural/aesthetic food phase - often things with a heterogeneous appearance or offering a varying mouth feel are rejected despite flavor.) In any case, the crowd was supportive enough that I shall certainly make this dish again.
Without further adieu, the Recipe!
Black Bay Corn Chowder
transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the potatoes and corn. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 to 7 hours.
at the end of cooking time, stir in the cream, cover the slow cooker and cook on low for an additional 30 minutes. Season with salt and Tabasco.
serve the chowder hot.
I knew just reading the list of ingredients that this would be absolutely delicious, but having completed it in all its slow-cooked glory I now deem it my favorite soup ever. When I am offered my last meal, I would like a rare Kansas City strip steak, some mixed greens with a balsamic vinaigrette, and a bowl of this soup. (And, of course, a Talisker, neat, with nice IPA as a chaser, but as most last meals are a 'death row' deal, this seems an unlikely grant.)
I seem to be the only one raving about it - Mama was pleased but not gaga and Miss Marguerite went quickly from very excited to disquieted. (D appears to be going through a textural/aesthetic food phase - often things with a heterogeneous appearance or offering a varying mouth feel are rejected despite flavor.) In any case, the crowd was supportive enough that I shall certainly make this dish again.
Without further adieu, the Recipe!
Black Bay Corn Chowder
- 8 strips bacon, cut into 1/2 inch dice
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 3 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 1 & 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- Tabasco sauce
- 4 cups diced potatoes (red, Yukon gold, fingerling, or white creamers), skin-on
- One 16 oz pkg frozen petite white corn, defrosted
- 1 cup heavy cream
- salt
transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the potatoes and corn. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 to 7 hours.
at the end of cooking time, stir in the cream, cover the slow cooker and cook on low for an additional 30 minutes. Season with salt and Tabasco.
serve the chowder hot.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Unbridled Joy
Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. Please welcome tonight's featured entertainer, the stunning Marguerite Booth Coleman.
(click here)
Please to enjoy.
(click here)
Please to enjoy.
Monday, January 11, 2010
You 'Oughts' To Know
Get it? 'Oughts' to know? Because this is my Best of Decade list? Funny?
I appreciate your patience.
Anyway, 2009, you did a nice job, but it seems the hip thing to do (or to have done a month ago, but since when have I ever been timely?) is to bypass the traditional Best of the Year listing for the much grander BEST OF THE DECADE (despite the fact that technically 2010 is itself the final year of the first decade of the 21st century, which actually began January 1st, 2001.)
I am, of course, a barstool critic at best and my media consumption is by and large pre-filtered - that is, I read enough criticism ahead of time that I don't spend a lot of time on things I'm not already predisposed to enjoy - so I shan't make any stab at creating any sort of critical or unbiased 'Best' list. Rather, I present here my choices for 'Favorites' of the last ten years.
Television!
The 2000s had some really memorable moments and trends. For me, the best things seemed to be a move toward television-style writing coupled with a lot of European influenced artists. My favorite writers of the decade would have to include Grant Morrison, Warren Ellis, and Brian K. Vaughan for their big ideas, Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka for their scripting talent, and of course, Alan Moore for, as always, being the total package. As for artists, I would read anything illustrated by Frank Quitely, J.H. Williams III, or Paul Pope for their sheer imagination, and I've also enjoyed Marvel's propensity in particular toward more 'cinematic' style artists like Steve Epting, John Cassaday, Steve McNiven, Michael Lark, Alex Maleev, and Mike Deodato. Oh, and Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim is joy incarnate.
I appreciate your patience.
Anyway, 2009, you did a nice job, but it seems the hip thing to do (or to have done a month ago, but since when have I ever been timely?) is to bypass the traditional Best of the Year listing for the much grander BEST OF THE DECADE (despite the fact that technically 2010 is itself the final year of the first decade of the 21st century, which actually began January 1st, 2001.)
I am, of course, a barstool critic at best and my media consumption is by and large pre-filtered - that is, I read enough criticism ahead of time that I don't spend a lot of time on things I'm not already predisposed to enjoy - so I shan't make any stab at creating any sort of critical or unbiased 'Best' list. Rather, I present here my choices for 'Favorites' of the last ten years.
Television!
- The Daily Show & The Colbert Report
- Deadwood
- Mad Men
- Arrested Development
- Doctor Who
- Futurama
- Slings & Arrows
- Justice League Unlimited
- 30 Rock
- Battlestar Galactica
- Pushing Daisies
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Angel
- The West Wing
- The L Word
- Oz
- The Sopranos
- The Simpsons
- WWF Monday Night Raw
The 2000s had some really memorable moments and trends. For me, the best things seemed to be a move toward television-style writing coupled with a lot of European influenced artists. My favorite writers of the decade would have to include Grant Morrison, Warren Ellis, and Brian K. Vaughan for their big ideas, Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka for their scripting talent, and of course, Alan Moore for, as always, being the total package. As for artists, I would read anything illustrated by Frank Quitely, J.H. Williams III, or Paul Pope for their sheer imagination, and I've also enjoyed Marvel's propensity in particular toward more 'cinematic' style artists like Steve Epting, John Cassaday, Steve McNiven, Michael Lark, Alex Maleev, and Mike Deodato. Oh, and Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim is joy incarnate.
- Planetary (Warren Ellis & John Cassaday)
- Y: The Last Man (Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra & others)
- Scott Pilgrim (Bryan Lee O'Malley)
- All Star Superman (Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely)
- The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill) / Lost Girls (Alan Moore & Melinda Gebbie) / Promethea (Alan Moore & J.H. Williams III)
- The Perry Bible Fellowship (Nicholas Gurewitch)
- Asterios Polyp (David Mazzuchelli)
- Captain America (Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting & others)
- 100% / Heavy Liquid / Batman: Year 100 (Paul Pope)
- Tales Designed to Thrizzle (Michael Kupperman)
- Queen & Country Greg Rucka & others)
- Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Boy on Earth (Chris Ware)
- Achewood (Chris Onstad)
- Daredevil (Brian Michael Bendis & Alex Maleev / Ed Brubaker & Michael Lark)
- Ratatouille (Brad Bird)
- Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki)
- Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton)
- The Prestige (Christopher Nolan)
- Dave Chappelle's Block Party (Michel Gondry & Dave Chappelle)
- Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Alfonso Cuaron)
- Spider-Man 2 (Sam Raimi)
- Amelie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
- Man On Wire (James Marsh)
- Howl's Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki)
- The Princess and The Frog (Ron Clements & John Musker)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Gore Verbinski)
- The Triplets of Belleville (Sylvain Chomet)
- Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe)
- Wet Hot American Summer (David Wain)
- Syriana (Stephen Gaghan)
- High Fidelity (Stephen Frears)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Peter Jackson)
- Primer (Shane Carruth)
- Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch)
- The Royal Tennenbaums (Wes Anderson)
- Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Shane Black)
- Sex and Lucia (Julio Medem)
- Iron Man (Jon Favreau)
- Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World (Peter Weir)
Monday, January 4, 2010
You're Looking At The Cat Who Ate The Cream
Puss in Boots, 1988, directed by Eugene Marner
I am immeasurably pleased to have introduced Daisy to Christopher Walken. Now for the next step - The Deer Hunter or King of New York?
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Favorite Christmas Present
Hello to the year Twenty-Ten - now where the balls is my flying car?!? Since The Future has failed to live up to the science fantasy promises it made me in my youth, I have decided to regress to a simpler age, eschewing technological advances and embraces the culture of days gone by. At least insofar as my grooming habits, that is.Ever since reading a post on How to Shave Like Your Grandpa, I have been coveting an old fashioned safety razor and shave kit. And come Christmas, Heidi delivered, gifting me a Merkur razor, badger-haired (!) brush, Col. Conk soap, and possibly the most charming shave cup ever (though according to my dad, my own great-grandfather had a shave cup with a terrier on it; this is an heirloom I desire.)
Of course, it is taking some getting used to. I have already acquired a fair share of battle scars, but fortunately among the gift package was a styptic pencil, a thing I've not made so much use of since I first started down the path of beard removal a decade and a half ago.
Still, a few nicks are a handy trade for the satisfaction and just pure fun that comes from the whole process of hot towel, lathering, and loading up that single razor blade. I haven't had this much fun in my morning ritual since ... well ever. It's the new best part of waking up!
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