Thursday, October 25, 2007

Whats Happening, Doobie?

Check it out 3:30. Oh, Rerun...

Last Night

So I saw the Shins last night at Terminal 5 (used to be Exit). I had not heard them much before that and no one could tell me who they sound like. You'll be pleased to know that I, yes I, have figured out who they sound like. Their a combination of Modest Mouse, the Strokes and Radiohead (they even played a Floyd cover). The crowd was post-college professionals and everyone was looking to see where the weed smell was coming from, so they could find something to help ease their pain from glaucoma.

Friday, October 19, 2007

To the lady on the subway platform this morning

Thank you for blasting "I Will Always Love You" on your earphones so loud that everyone around you could hear it. It was truly a delight to hear the lovely - and inspiring - shrill voice of Whitney Houston at 7:30 in the morning. I look forward to possibly hearing some Celine Dion on the way home.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

More On The Road

The legend is that Jack Keroauc wrote "On the Road" in a three-week, benzedrine-filled marathon writing session in 1951, recounting his travels back and forth across the country. The truth is that Keroauc had decided to write "On the Road" years before he even went on the road, and had worked on multiple variations and settings for years before the three week session that produced the scroll, which later became "On the Road," fueled almost entirely by coffee.

While "On the Road" is in many ways a love letter to the mentality of Keroauc’s friend Neal Cassidy, the writing of the book itself is also a tribute to Cassidy’s writing style. Before writing the scroll, Kerouac was fascinated by a letter that Cassidy wrote over a marathon of three days, and emulated that method in writing the scroll. While "On the Road" recounts Keroauc following Cassidy’s travels across the country, it was Kerouac following Cassidy’s writing style that similarly led to "On the Road."

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Tail Ripped Off

Here's an amazing video of a comet being hit by a wave from solar eruption, ripping off the tail of the comet. More details on apotd.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Aliens In America

After reading a great review in the NY Times, I made a point of watching "Aliens In America" on CW last night, about a loser in high school whose parents bring in an exchange student from Pakistan to be his friend. What makes the show so interesting and real is the blatant racism coming from the chacters. The mother, having expected a white European, wants to return him, a teacher asks which of the students don't like the "terrorist," and the kids at school call him "Fudge-Pakistan." Almost as good as the Steve Urkell Show.