Habits

I don't think I have an addictive personality, but I do make habits quickly.

For instance, I remember the first time I bit off one of my nails and held it in my mouth. It didn't taste like anything particularly interesting, but I do so love to chew on things.

Thus: a decade+ long habit was born. One which lead to many other mouth-based self-destructive habits: cuticle biting, compulsive zit popping (not with mouth), biting-off-the-skin-inside-your-mouth, etc.

I've finally managed to quit all of those. Now I'm working on knuckle popping (down to only popping thumbs and index fingers: progress!).
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It wasn't long ago that I realized I could also form good habits with as much ease as I had created bad ones.

New Years eve 2007: I was alone in my apartment, listening to the Beatles and feeling sorry for myself. Around me, the raucous calls of Frat boys rang through the night. After my ludicrous pronouncements at midnight I decided that I wanted to eat better, and I would do it by only drinking one pop per month.

And I am proud to say I have stuck to this pledge (with rare exception) for over a year now. It might be the first time I have a made a personal choice and stuck with it. As a result, the few pops that I do drink are nice treats that I can let myself indulge in.

Just a few months ago, I added flossing to my list of "good habits." I've been trying to floss regularly for years, mostly at the behest of my dentist. Their warnings about gingivitis were constant:

2001: You might get gingivitis unless you start flossing!
2002: You're going to get gingivitis.
2003: You've got bleedin' gums, kid. But your teeth are great!

Anyway, I've stuck with that one, too. And my teeth are even more fantastic, now that my gums are healthy and firm.
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This past week, I've been fed up feeling like a rat in the proverbial wheel. So, I am making more habits.
First, 30min of banjo everyday. I had really let the ball drop on practicing, but just after a few days I'm already feeling like I have improved. Who knows how my garbled version of "Wild Horses" will sound by next month?

Second: 1 hour of reading per night. I've fallen behind on the New Yorkers around here, so I may as well put them to good use. It's also given me a chance to make some headway in my Collected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, which I've been meaning to do for years. Who knows? Maybe this is the year that I finish Gravity's Rainbow?

The next step: make writing a habit. And blogging. And cleaning. And laundry.

Well, it's a start.
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Even I thought that was boring. Here's a cool video to make up for it.

Cornstarch is AWESOME.

The Blog Horse Won't Move

I planned to blog today. Set aside time and everything.
But I just don't have anything to say. I am very blank this evening.

Maybe something will come to me!

He's the Question Mark Suit guy

Barb writes:

OK. I'll bite. Who's Matthew Lesko?

Who indeed?

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Famed more for his dress and ridiculous advertisements, DC native Matthew Lesko has made his mark on American culture by staring into a camera and repeatedly shouting "FREE MONEY!"



Any avid watcher of late-night basic cable, or mid-day Sci-Fi channel has seen his shtick. The suit, the shoes, the screaming; all to push his book, or website, or whatever he's got these days.
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There's more than a few people online angrily "outing" Lesko as a fraud, which I think is in poor taste. Of course the man is a fraud! He makes his living jumping around on TV in a question-mark suit with multi-colored socks screaming that you can get free money from the government, for goodness sake. Out him if you must but I really don't feel like he deserves the vitriolic fervor that is laid upon him. He's just a guy trying to make living like everyone else -- he just does it with books of fake information and a Riddler motif.
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So that's Matthew Lesko. If I ever see him around DC (and I am told he wears the question-mark suit all the time) I will be sure to get an autograph.

Blog Horse

Fell off the blog horse this week. Work got very hectic, and the weather took a famous turn around these parts. Between the ice, the editing, and everything else I just couldn't keep up.

My reflections on the inauguration are forthcoming. I started working on it last week and realized it could be even better than I anticipated. Look forward to it!

In the meantime, here are some things I think you should know about.
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George Herriman has finally been immortalized and digitized. Take a look at this fascinating digital shrine to him and his seminal creation: Krazy Kat.

For those unaware, Krazy Kat is a delightfully surreal comic strip from the 30's/40's based around a simple premise: Ignatz the mouse throws bricks at Krazy Kat, which Krazy takes as signs of affection, and Offica Pup tries to intervene on Krazy's behalf to win her heart.

With this simple, Sisyphusian triangle at its core Herriman was able to experiment wildly with the setting and the dialogue eventually creating a bizarre desert world with it's own inflected language for the residents. Like Pogo, Lil' Abner, and the writings of Mark Twain, the language and setting become almost as important (if not more so) than the stories themselves.


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From out of nowhere comes SPACE GIRL! In the proud tradition of newspaper adventure comics (see: Flash Gordon, Prince Valiant) Travis Charest (who I know I have seen the art of, but can't remember where) gives us a beautiful side project that is sure to please. Though it has older, prouder roots, I cannot help being reminded of the occasional Calvin and Hobbes feature SPACE MAN SPIFF! In fact, I am almost certain that Waterson did a panel identical to Space Girl! #3.

It's a hoot.


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Noted friend and artist Kris Jacque has a moving reflection on the end of VHS casettes. The only thing I can add is:

Remember duplicating bootleg anime tapes to exchange with friends? Remember taping every episode of the Simpsons between 1991 and 1998? I do.
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Gorgeous photos of the most destructive devices made by humanity. Beautiful and terrifying. A must-see.


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And to cleanse your pallet: a car covered in singing fish. It even has a conductor.

The Inauguration Pt. 1

Part one? Is he making promises he can't keep again?

I hope not! I'm just incredibly tired from my adventures today, and I want to put up something worth reading -- not just something off the cuff.

To tide you over, here are some vital links.

More than one person told us that more than anything, the sight they wanted to see at the inauguration was George Bush flying away via helicopter. I can't say it didn't make me happy to see him get outta town, but I was non-plused by some of the booing in the crowd during the swearing in.

Out in the field, we had only hearsay and rumors to work off of. For instance, I learned via text message and rumor that two people had been killed when they fell onto the tracks of the metro around the China Town stop. I was relieved to learn that while one woman did fall on to the tracks, she was not struck and did not die. A pretty harrowing tale.

As of right now, just under one million people used the Metro today. That's amazing; especially because Metro has said that the system can only move one million when running at full capacity for an entire day. Personally, I think we're going to pass that figure before the day is out.

Possibly the most amazing thing that happened today: Obama receives the nuclear launch codes.

How crowded was it on The Mall today? CNN has an interactive satellite photo, but you can take it from this eyewitness that it doesn't look right. I think this picture was taken well before the crowds started to come in.

The big question is: Was Matthew Lesko at the inauguration? From the "Manifest Destiny" blog.

MOST EXCITINGLY: I'm pretty sure I saw Matthew Lesko walking down my street as I returned home. I mean, okay, it could have been someone else. But whoever it was, he was wearing a leather jacket emblazoned with question marks, pants with question marks on the back pocket, a question mark hat, and ludicrous shoes (which seem likely to have also involved punctuation symbols of one sort or another).

Inauguration and Packages (non-stimilus)

For those unawares, I'm going to the inauguration on Tuesday. Claire's dad is coming in and staying with us for a few days, so we figured we'd give it a shot and try to get down to The Mall.

It will be cold, it will be crowded. But I'm probably never going to have another chance to see a presidential inaugural, let alone one I care about.

Pictures to follow. Tweeting will likely be limited on the day of, due to the huge bandwidth draw of so many people.
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The USPS lost some serious business today, since they closed at 1pm on Saturday. Who does anything before one on Satuday? Nobody, that's who. I'll bet you $50 that the post office didn't even bother opening today, since no one would show up anyway. Jerks.

As a result, the UPS store down the street got a lot of business out of me today.

IF YOU LIVE IN THE FOLLOWING CITIES, YOU'RE RECEIVING A PACKAGE FROM ME

LONGMONT
CORVALIS
ANN ARBOR

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Have you ever wondered what Archaeologists think of tv and movies vaguely related to archaeology? WELL, NOW YOU CAN FIND OUT! (Hint: They tend not to like them.)

If I ever need this, I can just show the movie Troy to Claire again. Hilarity ensues.
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The Greek Orthodox Church has a wiki. That's kinda cool, actually.

Patrick McGoohan

Wired has an excellent obituary on the late great actor/writer/director Patrick McGoohan, who was apparently born an American and adopted the UK.

While many probably know him from Ice Station Zebra, I believe McGoohan made his mark with the incredible 1967 television series The Prisoner. In this 17-episode series, a nameless former spy (called #6 by his captors) is kidnapped and taken to a mysterious place called The Village where he is to spend the rest of his life. Isolated from the world and controlled by omnipotent yet unseen forces, the Village is a place of terrifying mindless existence which #6 struggles against.

He also fights against a large, white weather balloon named Rover. This show is amazing.

As I've blogged before, it's also being remade with Ian McKellan as the nefarious #2. A nifty by-product of this remake effort is that all 17 episodes are available for viewing online.

You should watch them now.
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I first saw The Prisoner at my uncle Gary's apartment in Detroit. Mom was very excited by it, and I'd like to say that I was instantly enraptured by the series but it lacked spaceships so I played on the computer instead.

Up until pretty recently, the presence of spaceships was my benchmark for quality.

However, I have grown to love the series as a touchstone for how powerful television can be. It is remarkable that 31 years after it's original run, these few episodes are still celebrated. I can think of few things that have accomplished so much.

So watch it.
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It also has the most amazing intro.

Barb and Gary on NPR

Barb and Gary Ratner, my dear aunt and uncle, appeared in a recent story on NPR about the wide-spread effects of the economic collapse.

Listen to it here.

Maybe I am just being protective of my family, but I am a little miffed about the rather unsympathetic tone of the comments. Personally, I don't think it matters how much money you have; anytime the situation is such that you need to eat the money you've set aside, rich or poor, it's unfortunate.
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Regardless of what the Internet thinks, my aunt and uncle (and their dog) are smart, loving people in a tough spot. Both of them have had a tremendous influence on my life -- instilling a love of Douglas Adams, river freighters, the Prisoner, Pogo, and the Detroit Tigers among other things. They're good folks, and I sincerely hope they have a change of fortunes.
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Need a painting? Call my aunt!
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Also, Patrick McGoohan, creator and star of The Prisoner, died the other day. Ricardo Montalbán, too.

Bowling for Mason Proper

Some of the Gargkids (read: the new staff) took out 3/5 of popular band Mason Proper bowling in order to produce an article and a very neat video.

For those unaware, Matt Thompson (the tall one in circular glasses) is a Garg Alum himself. And I don't know if it's clear from this artistically edited movie, but the entire band is a bunch of really nice guys. They even let me and Keith hangout backstange with them when we saw their show in November -- gave us free beer with them and everything!

Mason Proper at the Black Cat

Oh, and buy their album. Buy it for real, or download from iTunes.
And subscribe to the Gargoyle.

This Post To Be Chiseled Into Solid Rock For A Nominal Fee

This is an interactive display based around a 1000 year old rune stone currently on display in Denmark. Without words, the stone tells the story inscribed on the stone, and then has some cool interactive stuff to boot.
There are not words for how cool this is. WATCH IT. READ ABOUT IT.


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Get the DMZ trade paperbacks for only $43. It's a good deal, but this series got pretty dull for me by trade #2. It's been called the "best comic of the Bush era," but I hope that's not true. DMZ strikes me as far to self-concious -- so much so, it is occasionally preachy. I think of Pogo, another incredibly pointed comic that took on world politics, and it's truly remarkable how effortless it felt and how forced Wood's work is. But if you like his stuff, you could do worse.
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This lineup for the Inaugural Concert sounds pretty good, but I am pretty disappointed that Wilco isn't on it. Especially after they did all those concerts for Obama, and shilled for the new Prez on Colbert (1 and 2).
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The Weather Under (the mason-dixon line)

You can see the music I am listening to, and see what I have been listening to. It's not very surprising if you've met me.
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I got Spore for Christmas (Thanks, Grandma!), and I adore it. However, Claire has really taken to the game and has used my account to create all sorts of bizarre wonders. Take a gander. The Moa Kuus are mine, everything else is hers.
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Winter in Virginia is an odd experience. Around late October and through November, it was genuinely cold -- and getting colder! I fully expected to get a little bit of snow come December.

Instead, it just got very, very wet. It sometimes rains for days on end. The temperature also fluctuates greatly. Before Christmas (and I mean, a few days before Christmas) it was 70ºF outside.

In reality: Virginia Winter == Michigan Late Fall/Late Spring.

We've only had one or two frosts here, and they weren't very severe at all. Everything still smells wet and alive. I think the flowers have only died back out of habit or a feeling of obligation.

I'm told that it will get worse come Inauguration time, but honestly I can't imagine it could be bad at all.

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It's 39º out right now. It's 28º back in Troy, Mi. In Reykjavik Iceland, it's 34º. Has the whole world gone mad?

Oww

This morning I awoke rather happily (despite having a dog on my face). I went to bed before midnight and woke around 9am, so the term "well-rested" applied. However, my dreams of a energetic and productive day were quickly dashed as I attempted to move my head.

After several minutes of painful probing, I confirmed that my neck was not just stiff. During the night, I somehow managed to pull a muscle in my neck. I can turn my head all the way to the right, but not much past 45º to the left. Touching my chin to my chest isn't a problem, but looking up is a bit of a trick.

As you can imagine, getting Tenzing "OH BOY THE WORLD IS EXCITING" Dog to the park was a bit of a trick.

Unfortunately, I've had to scrap my plans to go downtown today. Claire and I had planned to see an exhibit on the art of Pompeii, but that'll have to wait until later. Prayerfully I will quickly be healed. The last time this happened it was because of excessive hole-digging and wheel barrowing. It took three weeks to be right again.
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Yesterday, I realized that my work computer has two monitor ports. On a whim, I plugged in the old monitor that's been hanging around my office for over a month. To my surprise the computer was able to handle two monitors! Within a lunch break, I had everything set up and was dual-monitoring my way to victory.

For those who've never experienced the joy of two monitors, the second screen acts as an extension of your desktop. Usually, I'd put my media player, or mail client on the second monitor while focusing on the main screen. It's especially hand when you're doing research: you can leave your source on the second screen and type on the main screen.

Anyway, it makes me happy to have this set up. Totally made my Friday.
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Django is playing in the apartment right now.

Everything in Pictures

It's the little things: in this time between Holidays there are very few people commuting to work. Thus, I am driving and making my normal 3 hour round-trip in about 1.75hrs.
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I've been ogling infographics lately. Academically, I am interested in them because they compress complex information into simple and often beautiful packages. I revel in the appealing mixture of science and art to create these almost poetic creations. It also appeals to my belief that through careful choice and construction, the most complex things can be transferred with the most simplicity (see: haiku).

They're also pretty.
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The New York times has some truly fantastic infographics:
Movie box office performance
Spread of nuclear weapons
Consumer spending
A year in Iraq
Human disease

Especially notable is how frightening information can be displayed so beautifully.
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Furthermore: The New York Times data illustration lab. Using a the NYTimes library of Datasets, you can construct not only neat looking but interactive flash representations.

Sadly, the tools are limited to the (scant) data sets provided by the Times. Also, the amount of customization for each representation is greatly limited. It's still fun, though. Worth at least a few short moments of your time.
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This isn't really an infographic, but it is still very neat. The New York times breaks down the new NASA launch architecture one element at a time. Brought to you in tastefully mute-tone flash.
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Unrelated: Now you too can join me in the land of iPhone bliss!
Keep in mind that these are 3g phones, not like my little 2g that slides quietly passed the nastier AT&T restrictions. Still, a good deal.
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All Cleaned Up

Shaved, showered, and ready to face tomorrow. After defeating airports, plane delays, and many other sundry antagonists I have arrived home and prepared myself for work tomorrow.

I had a great time over my little vacation. It was a joy to see everyone again, and my only regret is that I couldn't spend as much time as I would have liked in any one place.

Christmas behind, New Years ahead.

Trapped In The Airpot (Updated)

I am trapped in the Indianapolis airport. Normally, I wouldn't mind since delays are just part of flying these days. This particular airport even has free wireless, which is very nice -- luxurious, even. However, I don't have a seat assignment yet. This makes me incredibly nervous.

Worst case scenario is that I sleep in the airport and miss a day of work. I'd rather not, but what can you do?
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Yesterday, I saw The Spirit. As all the reviews will tell you, it is not a "good movie." At least not in the same sense that Casablanca is a "good movie." However, it is a very fun movie to watch. It is, simply put, the comedy event of the century. Not because it is so bad (although that might be part of it), but because you will never see a movie that goes as over-the-top as this one does. It makes Buckaroo Banzai look like A Room With A View. Tank Girl becomes a predictable, but enjoyable, romantic comedy when compared with The Spirit.

A lot of what makes the movie great is how surprising it is, so I don't want to go to into detail. But I will say that if you want a movie that is straightforward in intent, DO NOT see this movie. If you, like me, enjoy the absurd and don't mind laughing while wondering "ARE THEY SERIOUS?!" then this movie is for you.

I pulled a line from an article on The Spirit taken from a comic book blog. Personally, I don't think it's worth comparing the two. Miller's movie captures the (no pun intended) spirit of Eisner's creation with its use of comic book style violence and emotions (read: ridiculous, over-the-top). All the characters stand, move, and speak like they came right off the page. This is problematic for two reasons. First, because all this hokeyness is a little jarring when compared to Miller's trademark style of film. Second, because if you don't realize that it's supposed to be silly, then it won't be any fun at all.

Anyway, this line sums up the major problem with the movie: Miller never seems to decide how cartoony the movie is supposed to be.

If it was clear from the get-go that this was going to be like Dick Tracy, then I think the critics would have been a little kinder.
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UPDATE: I have a seat, but the plane is still delayed. Progress!

Good Morning

It's time for the official song of the auto bailout.



Don't forget!
New phone number!

SAME AREA CODE AS BEFORE

SAME FIRST THREE DIGITS

THEN

9157

ATTN: iPhone

Original title was going to be iPHONE or IPHONE, but the problem with apple's lowercase-i-based nomenclature is that it is impossible to put in all caps.

The point is, friends, that I have an iPhone.

Because I changed carriers, I had to get a new number. Thankfully it's easy to remember.

SAME AREA CODE AS BEFORE

SAME FIRST THREE DIGITS

THEN

9517

I look forward to your calls!

End of the Marathon

On the thirteenth of December, I began a magical journey.

It was that day that I began my non-stop all-out work-every-day effort on the Weapon's System Handbook. Well, part of that is a lie. Admittedly, my primary motivator when I hauled myself out of bed everyday was to earn enough extra hours in one pay period to take a big swatch of time off around Christmas. Because I travel home (from VA to MI) for the Holidays, I had to decide early on how many days I would take off. Meaning that I had to come up with twenty-four additional hours this week, or pay exorbitant cancelation fees from the airlines.

My original plan had me working nine hours a day for eight days. The obvious problem here is that I wouldn't get home until very late every day. The less obvious but more pressing problem was that I tend to either run out of work or run out of energy before nine hours. In the end, I came up about two days short and had to burn through my comp. leave time.

Yesterday, the big decision was whether or not to go into work and make up the -.15hr I now have. I decided against it.
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That's not very interesting, but do you know what is interesting?
CHRISTMAS.

As mentioned earlier, my plans are to trek up to Michigan followed by the annual Indiana Pilgrimage. However, Christmas has found a home at 1801 DeWitt. About two weeks ago, Claire and I bought a very small Christmas Tree while coming back from the Cathedral. It's about 3.5-4ft tall, and is one of the famous Frasier Fir trees.

Most people may not remember this, but in the mid- to late-90's a survey was released which placed the then-unkown Frasier Fir as KING OF CHRISTMAS TREES. And I can see why. The needles are fat, blunt, and resiliant. Its perfection of shape and structure is such that it sometimes looks more like a fake tree. As far as needle-retention goes it is peerless. I clipped several branches and used them to fashion a festive spray for the front door. These branches have had no water for over two weeks and despite being very dry are still supple and have all their needles.

I was also able to score some LED Christmas lights for the first time ever -- they are awesome, and also ECOLOGICALLY FRIENDLY. Or they at least lead you to believe that they are, and that's all that is really important anyway.

But it's what's under the tree that counts, and this year that has included some excellent woolen winter gear and delightful Christmas ornaments from Claire (in addition to a delicious meal) but also gifts for the faithful hound Tenzing.

From Tenzing

Click to see the exciting battle between Tenzing and a tasty bone wrapped in paper towel. I figure that everyone deserves to unwrap something.

From Virginia Apartment: Awesome

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

It's Still the Seventh

I break the story of the century.
Happy Birthday, Dad.

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Sorry, ABC. But I am not interested in seeing a Fables TV show at all. I am tired of having my heart broken.

(And you had better ALL be reading Fables. C'mon, people!)

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The development of the touch-tone phone keypad. Neat!

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Awesome archaeological dig in the Sahara. The Big Picture is the best photoblog.

It's Six AM

Do you know where your children are?

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Yes, actually. I do want this guy's job.

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A few weeks ago I caught up with Garg-alum and all around cool guy Matt Thompson at a performance of his band Mason Proper. Keith (Garg-alum and all around cool guy) snapped a few commemorative frames.

Incidentally, Mason Proper has a new album out and it is great. Highly recommend it.

(Fun fact: the last two pictures are BACK STAGE with Mason Proper! Lead Guitarist Brian explains to me that they were told to pick one beer, and the club provided 40-some bottles of it. They choose Red Stripe.)

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Further plug: buy the new Mason Proper album via InSound or iTunes.

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Floating cranes are cool. Floating cranes picking up submarines is even cooler. Scroll about halfway down.