HHHHHEEEEEYYYYY!!!! HOW YOU DOING!!! Oh my gosh! its been so long! You've lost weight haven't you? Hows the family? mayo's back biatches. i've got a real job now, and i'll be writing a whole heap more...now if only i could figure out how to make paragraphs again?
Friday, September 24, 2004
Monday, September 13, 2004
What I wish college/high school would have taught me
Sitting at home with my mom sunday night, we were watching Alton Brown's show on Food Network "Good Eats." Topic of the evening was: baking the perfect cookie.
"THATS what they should have taught you in high school," my mother blurts out.
Its true - Alton smoothly explained his way through the science of baking cookies, why mixing liquids and powdered materials separately lead to a better baked cookie, why a different mixer can mean the difference between crap and elegance, I could go on and on.
And I started thinking - what else do I wish I would have been taught in high school or college that I know now, after spending 2 1/2 years in the real world?
1- People (at least in NY) are almost always out to squash you.
2- Everything you read is almost always wrong.
3- Nothing is fair whatsoever
4- Adulthood really and truly sucks. No seriously. I don't think this was fully explained to me.
What about you guys - question of the day ers - what do you wish you would have learned in school and NOT in the real world?
"THATS what they should have taught you in high school," my mother blurts out.
Its true - Alton smoothly explained his way through the science of baking cookies, why mixing liquids and powdered materials separately lead to a better baked cookie, why a different mixer can mean the difference between crap and elegance, I could go on and on.
And I started thinking - what else do I wish I would have been taught in high school or college that I know now, after spending 2 1/2 years in the real world?
1- People (at least in NY) are almost always out to squash you.
2- Everything you read is almost always wrong.
3- Nothing is fair whatsoever
4- Adulthood really and truly sucks. No seriously. I don't think this was fully explained to me.
What about you guys - question of the day ers - what do you wish you would have learned in school and NOT in the real world?
Saturday, September 11, 2004
My love and fear for the blog
So i've been neglecting mine for a while. Call it writer's block.
But a lot of other bloggers have NOT been neglecting their blogs.
If you've been paying attention to any type of media, you'll see that there's this huge bruhaha over some documents released re: Bush's military record. And the interesting part of this story is that Bloggers are fueling the reporting of this story.
I think this phenomenon is fabulous. After working for big media for a couple of years (as a researcher even) I think making the people responsible for the news they read is an awesome celebration of the concept of freedom of the press. Similar to the way the major music lables had a hold on music until Napster came along, Blogs are quickly destroying the conventional method of acquiring news, analysis, and good old information.
However, I have a fear. I fear blogs are young, and their impact is vast. This kind of analysis has no way of leaving a trace, leaving its history. There are no buildings full of archival issues. Unless someone prints out every post and everything connected to it, there is no easy way to ever retrieve this information again. If we ever lose the ability to go online, the ability to email, the ability to network, the ability to have electricity at our beck and call, we will lose this critical moment in news publishing history.
And not only to document what is true, but to document what may not be true. This morning, I watched this flash presentation about what happened to the plane that flew in to the Pentagon on 9.11. It basically lays information at the doorstep of the theory that the US government flew a missile into the Pentagon, that it was no plane. It lays "supporting" quotes to the claim, quoted from various news reports.
I do vaguely remember hearing about this while i was working at CNN, and in the months immediately following the attack, the same way I remember hearing on the radio the morning of 9.11 that Fort Knox was hit, that the Golden Gate Bridge was hit. Now, this may be a legitimate piece of reporting. At the moment, I refuse to believe that the government blew up the Pentagon. (for people who are freaked out by this trailer as i was, here's SNOPES version) However, there will be no record of it. It is only in this intangible form on the internet. I think it would be great for people to see this, or see more material like this, to dig deeper into this dialectic that otherwise we would never be participating in.
There will be no headlines to hold up, no paper to point to. I sometimes imagine the aliens that will visit this planet years after we have destroyed ourselves. I imagine them walking into cities to find homes destroyed, buildings demolished. But like every good imaginary alien scene, they will stumble upon scraps of newspaper that tumble down the street, giving away the "Annihilation!" or "DOOM!" that comes before a civilization is destroyed.
Yes, the same could be said for television. If we don't have a player, tv, AND electricity, all that stuff is meaningless. But i feel like what Blogging is onto is bigger than televsion.
It is truly democratic broadcasting.
So, I'm going to think about this for the next few weeks - about a way to record the blather that myself, my friends, and my colleagues dump onto this vast network on a daily/weekly basis. (or monthly, as i've been lately)
Question of the day: Have any ideas about how to make this blog thing more real? Or does it need to be?
But a lot of other bloggers have NOT been neglecting their blogs.
If you've been paying attention to any type of media, you'll see that there's this huge bruhaha over some documents released re: Bush's military record. And the interesting part of this story is that Bloggers are fueling the reporting of this story.
I think this phenomenon is fabulous. After working for big media for a couple of years (as a researcher even) I think making the people responsible for the news they read is an awesome celebration of the concept of freedom of the press. Similar to the way the major music lables had a hold on music until Napster came along, Blogs are quickly destroying the conventional method of acquiring news, analysis, and good old information.
However, I have a fear. I fear blogs are young, and their impact is vast. This kind of analysis has no way of leaving a trace, leaving its history. There are no buildings full of archival issues. Unless someone prints out every post and everything connected to it, there is no easy way to ever retrieve this information again. If we ever lose the ability to go online, the ability to email, the ability to network, the ability to have electricity at our beck and call, we will lose this critical moment in news publishing history.
And not only to document what is true, but to document what may not be true. This morning, I watched this flash presentation about what happened to the plane that flew in to the Pentagon on 9.11. It basically lays information at the doorstep of the theory that the US government flew a missile into the Pentagon, that it was no plane. It lays "supporting" quotes to the claim, quoted from various news reports.
I do vaguely remember hearing about this while i was working at CNN, and in the months immediately following the attack, the same way I remember hearing on the radio the morning of 9.11 that Fort Knox was hit, that the Golden Gate Bridge was hit. Now, this may be a legitimate piece of reporting. At the moment, I refuse to believe that the government blew up the Pentagon. (for people who are freaked out by this trailer as i was, here's SNOPES version) However, there will be no record of it. It is only in this intangible form on the internet. I think it would be great for people to see this, or see more material like this, to dig deeper into this dialectic that otherwise we would never be participating in.
There will be no headlines to hold up, no paper to point to. I sometimes imagine the aliens that will visit this planet years after we have destroyed ourselves. I imagine them walking into cities to find homes destroyed, buildings demolished. But like every good imaginary alien scene, they will stumble upon scraps of newspaper that tumble down the street, giving away the "Annihilation!" or "DOOM!" that comes before a civilization is destroyed.
Yes, the same could be said for television. If we don't have a player, tv, AND electricity, all that stuff is meaningless. But i feel like what Blogging is onto is bigger than televsion.
It is truly democratic broadcasting.
So, I'm going to think about this for the next few weeks - about a way to record the blather that myself, my friends, and my colleagues dump onto this vast network on a daily/weekly basis. (or monthly, as i've been lately)
Question of the day: Have any ideas about how to make this blog thing more real? Or does it need to be?
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Don't yell at me! I've been SO busy
I promised you cyberspace readers fun, and I've failed.
I have not posted in almost one week.
I have no excuse. I've been lazy, tired, bored, anxious, antsy, etc etc.
And nothing exciting has happened to me in a week. Well one thing - i have a GMAIL account. Booya. And its not for sale. Like my aol address, I'll probably have it forever. (and you have to email me to get it - i'm going to try and make it a spam-free account.)
SO - since i'm completely unoriginal, i'm going to copy Alex and Teresa AGAIN and answer this dandy little questionaire that was emailed out earlier today
I'm sure that there have been plenty of "get to know me" -style questionnaires in the history of mankind, but the earliest famous one that I know of is the "Proust Questionnaire", of which there are two versions. Neither of them were written by Proust, but rather were made well-known because his answers somehow were saved and later published.The first one he answered at a party at age 13...It is depressing to think what the average 13-year-old now would come up with if faced with this "party game".
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? living to the age of 80 with overwhelming regret
Where would you like to live? Hawaii
What is your idea of earthly happiness? To not want for anything, primarily emotionally.
To what faults do you feel most indulgent? Insecurity.
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction? Mickey Mouse, Harry Potter, Mary Poppins
Who are your favorite characters in history? Walt Disney, the one and only
Who are your favorite heroines in real life? I don't think I have one.
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction? I am really having trouble with this one. I can't think of one right now for some reason.
Your favorite painter? Monet, Picasso
Your favorite musician? i'm not really sure on this one. i'm going to cave and say mozart
The quality you most admire in a man? his dong....
The quality you most admire in a woman? Easy-goingness
Your favorite virtue? Honesty
Your favorite occupation? Ice cream seller.
Who would you have liked to be? Oprah
The second set of questions was put before him at another social function, this time when he was about 20 years old:
Your most marked characteristic? my ass
The quality you most like in a man? knowing when to just leave me the hell alone
The quality you most like in a woman? chastity ;)
What do you most value in your friends? Always being there for me
What is your principle defect? My detatchment from reality at times
What is your favorite occupation? again, selling ice cream
What is your dream of happiness? sitting on a beach, with a girly drink with an umbrella, and not having to do a thing
What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes? Same as above - living with regret.
What would you like to be? Young forever
In what country would you like to live? Spain
What is your favorite color? red for clothing, green or blue for anything else
What is your favorite flower? red rose
What is your favorite bird? peacock
Who are your favorite prose writers? Toni Morrison, Salman Rushdie, Judy Blume
Who are your favorite poets? Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Shakespeare,
Who are your favorite composers? Mahler, Shostakovich, Dvorak
Who are your favorite painters? see above
What are your favorite names? really long romantic/renaissance/elizabethan ones. Guenevere, Elizabeth, Genevive, Isabel, Ophelia -- for boys, i like strapping names like Thomas or Nicholas or Nathaniel or Gabriel or Damien
What is it you most dislike? Stupidity
What historical figures do you most despise? George W. Bush
What event in military history do you most admire? this question is ridiculous and i'm not answering it.
What reform do you most admire? another ridiculous question that i don't think i can answer.
What natural gift would you most like to possess? mind reading
How would you like to die? however it happens, i'd like it to be instantaneous
What is your present state of mind? a little perturbed at two of these questions, and a little disturbed that i couldn't answer some of the others better.
What is your motto? Oh bla de, oh bla da, life goes on WHOA la la la la life goes on.
I have not posted in almost one week.
I have no excuse. I've been lazy, tired, bored, anxious, antsy, etc etc.
And nothing exciting has happened to me in a week. Well one thing - i have a GMAIL account. Booya. And its not for sale. Like my aol address, I'll probably have it forever. (and you have to email me to get it - i'm going to try and make it a spam-free account.)
SO - since i'm completely unoriginal, i'm going to copy Alex and Teresa AGAIN and answer this dandy little questionaire that was emailed out earlier today
I'm sure that there have been plenty of "get to know me" -style questionnaires in the history of mankind, but the earliest famous one that I know of is the "Proust Questionnaire", of which there are two versions. Neither of them were written by Proust, but rather were made well-known because his answers somehow were saved and later published.The first one he answered at a party at age 13...It is depressing to think what the average 13-year-old now would come up with if faced with this "party game".
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? living to the age of 80 with overwhelming regret
Where would you like to live? Hawaii
What is your idea of earthly happiness? To not want for anything, primarily emotionally.
To what faults do you feel most indulgent? Insecurity.
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction? Mickey Mouse, Harry Potter, Mary Poppins
Who are your favorite characters in history? Walt Disney, the one and only
Who are your favorite heroines in real life? I don't think I have one.
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction? I am really having trouble with this one. I can't think of one right now for some reason.
Your favorite painter? Monet, Picasso
Your favorite musician? i'm not really sure on this one. i'm going to cave and say mozart
The quality you most admire in a man? his dong....
The quality you most admire in a woman? Easy-goingness
Your favorite virtue? Honesty
Your favorite occupation? Ice cream seller.
Who would you have liked to be? Oprah
The second set of questions was put before him at another social function, this time when he was about 20 years old:
Your most marked characteristic? my ass
The quality you most like in a man? knowing when to just leave me the hell alone
The quality you most like in a woman? chastity ;)
What do you most value in your friends? Always being there for me
What is your principle defect? My detatchment from reality at times
What is your favorite occupation? again, selling ice cream
What is your dream of happiness? sitting on a beach, with a girly drink with an umbrella, and not having to do a thing
What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes? Same as above - living with regret.
What would you like to be? Young forever
In what country would you like to live? Spain
What is your favorite color? red for clothing, green or blue for anything else
What is your favorite flower? red rose
What is your favorite bird? peacock
Who are your favorite prose writers? Toni Morrison, Salman Rushdie, Judy Blume
Who are your favorite poets? Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Shakespeare,
Who are your favorite composers? Mahler, Shostakovich, Dvorak
Who are your favorite painters? see above
What are your favorite names? really long romantic/renaissance/elizabethan ones. Guenevere, Elizabeth, Genevive, Isabel, Ophelia -- for boys, i like strapping names like Thomas or Nicholas or Nathaniel or Gabriel or Damien
What is it you most dislike? Stupidity
What historical figures do you most despise? George W. Bush
What event in military history do you most admire? this question is ridiculous and i'm not answering it.
What reform do you most admire? another ridiculous question that i don't think i can answer.
What natural gift would you most like to possess? mind reading
How would you like to die? however it happens, i'd like it to be instantaneous
What is your present state of mind? a little perturbed at two of these questions, and a little disturbed that i couldn't answer some of the others better.
What is your motto? Oh bla de, oh bla da, life goes on WHOA la la la la life goes on.
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Optically Violated
I can't bring myself to write a really thought provoking blog.
I just finished watching most of "City of God."
I'm thoroughly traumatized.
You already got the story of the day.
Question of the day: What movie most traumatized you? As an adult (as a child is too easy - i want to know who's been messed up in the head recently by a movie?)
I just finished watching most of "City of God."
I'm thoroughly traumatized.
You already got the story of the day.
Question of the day: What movie most traumatized you? As an adult (as a child is too easy - i want to know who's been messed up in the head recently by a movie?)
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