Monday, July 31, 2006

Pretty in Purple

Sunday, July 30, 2006

Good mood

Sounds of laughter shades of life are ringing
Through my open ears inciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a
Million suns, it calls me on and on
Across the universe...

(lennon/mccartney)

An Inconvenient Truth

Everyone should see this film even if it suffers from a little too much Al Gore backstory. The data on global warming seem irrefutable and phucking alarming. The contrast in glaciers from past and present is visually arresting.

Monday, July 24, 2006

Best potato chips ever

Thursday, July 20, 2006

A real accomplishment


I saw this at age 9 on TV. Our parents woke us up in the middle of the night to see this historic moment.

More pix can be found at the NASA site but here's this caption:

(20 JULY 1969) --- Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, Apollo 11 commander, descends the ladder of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module (LM) prior to making the first step by man on another celestial body. This view is a black and white reproduction taken from a telecast by the Apollo 11 lunar surface camera during Extravehicular Activity (EVA). The black bar running through the center of the picture is an anamoly in the television ground data system at the Goldstone Tracking Station.

Root cause & flaw of fundamentalism

Two quotes from this eSkeptic book review reiterate what I concluded years ago about fundamentalism: its attraction and fault are the the same, an innate desire for certainty.

According to the authors, the major attraction of fundamentalist religion is the “unifying philosophy of life” (p. 15) that the sacred text provides.

In other words, it is not just a particular personality type that is driven to fundamentalist belief. Rather, the stable, clear-cut worldview offered by fundamentalist faiths appeals to the general human need for security and understanding.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Willpower? What's that?

Picking up skim milk at the Grand Union after an intense workout this morning (sounds healthy so far, right?) I spy a new Light Haagen-Dazs flavor in the freezer case: Blueberry Cheesecake. Resistance is futile.

Monday, July 17, 2006

Another view of the Cape

Strangers with Candy (the film)

I love the TV show and have it on DVD. The film is okay but nothing great. Fans will want to see it. I have no idea how someone who has not seen the show will react to the movie. It just doesn't break any new ground.

Paula Poundstone

Her show at the Provincetown Town Hall last night was an hour and 40 minutes. Like certain Beatles' songs, there were several false endings. Just when you thought she was winding up the show she kept going, meanwhile admitting she has OCD that results in her inability to stop talking, both in personal and professional settings.

The show was very enjoyable despite no air-conditioning and stifling humidity. I have always enjoyed the way Poundstone has long set-ups for punch lines that really pay off. She poked a little fun at her public problems and engaged some improvisatory dialogue with audience members. I like everything about her delivery, her voice, her timing and her brand of humor.

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Dr. Michael Schermer rules

My hero Dr. Michael Schermer played psychic for a day to debunk the silly phenomenon. This money quote from a must-read article could also apply to any superstition (or religion!):

But people are eager to believe, and easy to fool. I asked Shermer, by e-mail, about what happens when people find out they've been taken in. "My experience with disclosing to subjects that I've been pretending to be psychic is not at all positive. No one has ever said 'Oh, wow, I never realized how easy it is to fake being a psychic, I guess this means I should rethink my beliefs about ESP.' Instead what I always get is anger and resentment that I've tried to take something away, that I'm evil for being a spoiler of a cherished belief, and that it is none of my business," he answered.

Friday, July 14, 2006

The Devil Wears Prada

I would call this movie mildly enjoyable and very flawed. It's always a treat to watch Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci act. The characters were interesting. On the other hand this one is just a transparent, predictable and even juvenile morality tale that's pretty much "dumbed down". The premise is good and could have been developed so much better.

One major irritant was the cloying and obtrusive soundtrack. I've done no research (and don't care to) but I bet the director was an MTV-generation "victim". And worse, the music was awful. It's not like they inappropriately inserted quality selections like Joni Mitchell or Nick Drake here and there; instead it was musical pablum. Again, more important, the music was just an unnecessary and ever-present browbeating on how viewers were supposed to react.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

This makes my head want to explode

The Reverend Dr. Bill Lawson compared [convicted Enron exec Ken] Lay with civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesus Christ, and said his name would eventually be cleared.

"He was taken out of the world right at the right time," he said. "History has a way of vindicating people who have been wronged."

Do you think the "people" referred to in this last sentence are the thousands who saw their retirement go up in smoke at the hands of this crook? Will they be "vindicated"? Grrrrrr...

Song of the Day

"Without Rings" is a simple song that typifies what Neil Young does best. Musically, it's a repetitively hypnotic acoustic guitar riff. Lyrically, it combines many elements one loves in Neil's songs in order to express the evanescence of a past but ambiguously ongoing relationship. This popped up on shuffle today and it reminded me how many great songs Neil has penned--this gem is stuck at the end of a mediocre album.

Surprises abound in the words:
"fighting drugs with pain", the distinction between "mind" and "brain" in stanzas 3 & 4, and the general perspective in stanza 1 that gives way to the first person in the rest of the song. Finally, there is the triplet of "without's" in the final stanza that simply blows me away when followed by the passage of time illustrated by the final lines.

Someone's hiding out,
Who can't forget about
Things that people do
when they're free.
Like visitors from space,
It's hard to find a place,
To blend in and go unrecognized.

I'm waiting for a sign,
I'm standing on the road,
With my mind outstretched to you.
I'm picking something up,
I'm letting something go,
Like a dog I'm fetching
this to you.

Pictures in mind:
Rows of poppy fields,
Harmony entwined,
Changing gears that grind.
Pictures in my mind.

Pictures in my brain:
Electrical energy,
Fighting drugs with pain,
There's a war inside.
Pictures in my brain.

I'm looking for a job,
I don't know what I'm doing,
My software's
not compatible with you.
But this I can't deny,
I know that you can fly,
'Cause I'm here
on the ground without you.

Angel without wings,
Owner without things,
Sharpshooter
without rings around you.
The road we used to ride,
Together side by side
Has flowers pushing
through the dotted line.

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Practice, practice, practice

I'm finally playing some acoustic guitar on this summer vacation. Trying to get my callouses back on my fingertips for easier fretting. Playing along with the iPod, here is this afternoon's set list before I head to Herring Cove beach:

Coming Up Close, Til Tuesday
and by Neil Young........
Thrasher
Ride My Llama
Pocahontus
Winterlong
Campaigner
Sugar Mountain (live)

It's amazing how I remembered 98% of the chords after years of not playing these. Must be something about physical memory.