RSS feed | Log | Archive | Personal Site | Email Contact | Links | About
Martha Stewart has filed to trademark Katonah, the name of her current hometown, for use on her company's products. The Katonah Village Improvement Society isn't liking this one bit and is making plans to file a formal opposition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. A lawyer for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia has cited Nantucket Nectars and Philadelphia cream cheese as examples for placenames used as trademarks without negative consequences for the communities. The chocolate chip cookies Stewart brought to a recent neighborhood meeting apparently didn't further her cause.
archive location
When I thought to myself "Where has Paula Cole been?" I didn't expect to get a detailed response just by visiting her website. There, in about 500 words, is a mini-autobiography of her life since she stepped out of the spotlight. She became a mom, dealt with her daughter's severe asthma, tried to relax, left her record label, thought about leaving music altogether, but regained her joy of that creative process after she moved back to the east coast. Her new album, appropriately titled "Courage" is scheduled for release on June 12, 2007.
archive location
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Plastic shopping bags at large markets are being phased out by law in San Francisco. I encountered my first plastic grocery bag on my first day of kindergarten. A Stew Leonard's bag was being cleverly re-used as an art smock, with the bottom cut open and the handles sitting on the shoulders of a five-year-old. Stew Leonard's ("the World's Largest Dairy Store") displays walls of photos of its customers holding the iconic bag in front of landmarks. And some pour soul(s) actually scanned them into a database so they could be viewed online. While I couldn't find any of myself (I know I was in a few Girl Scout trip shots but I don't know who submitted them or where they were taken) I found some 30+ year old photos of my best friend snapped in Williamsburg with her mom's Instamatic (no I'm not going to link to them, she'd kill me).
archive location
Baseball is full of ritual and many a player harbors superstitions, some bordering on compulsive behavior. The Seattle Times' Art of Baseball series went in depth on the tradition of superstition in 2005 from lucky items to obsessive behaviors to strict routines. Yesterday they revealed a few of the Mariners' rituals. Right fielder José Guillen is very picky about his bats and won't use one if he knows someone else has touched it. Left fielder Raúl Ibáñez ignores his statistics all season. And on opening day, pitcher Félix Hernández will be doing his usual skip-step on the foul lines each time he heads to the mound.
archive location
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
There must've been some sort of record store vibe in the air yesterday. After I posted about the SF Chronicle's article on independent record stores, the Seattle Times went to press with an article on local chain Silver Platters. This "fiercely independent" CD and DVD store was one of the first CD-only stores when it opened in 1985. With three locations in the Seattle area, the owners displayed outrageous chutzpah in opening a fourth in the defunct Tower Records building in Queen Anne. That's an additional 42,000 square feet of retail space, 120,000 CDs and DVDs. They've kept 11 Tower employees and carry more CDs than the previous occupant. They also have an eye on cornering the used CD market. "Selection and service, service and selection," says co-owner Mike Batt.
archive location
Back in 2003 when the musician's union Local 802 threatened a strike against Broadway producers, risk management came in the form of the orchestra synthesizer Sinfonia. The theater press took note of this potential replacement for fully staffed pit orchestras and more controversy arose in 2004 with Sinfonia's use in a new show alongside real musicians. Now a competitor product, Notion, has gotten the attention of the N.Y. Times. While this PC software has yet to debut on Broadway, it has been successfully bulking up the sound of touring groups and amateur productions. The primary sample source for Notion's instrumentals is the London Symphony Orchestra ("no American ensemble would cooperate"). The musician operating Notion just taps along with the conductor (any key on home row will do). Some argue that this new technology isn't putting musicians out of work, but bringing more music to people who would otherwise not be getting the experience of a full orchestra. Local 802 may have some choice words about that.
archive location
Monday, March 26, 2007
A controversial decision at my high school is getting national attention with an article in the NY Times and a feature on Good Morning America. The principal of Wilton High School canceled performances of a play about the war in Iraq which drew from the writings of American soldiers. A student found the script too critical of the war and parents complained. The theater teacher greatly altered the script in response, but the subject was still deemed too inflammatory to be performed. What angered me was the mention, via the principal that "a school administrator who is a Vietnam veteran also raised questions about the wisdom of letting students explore such sensitive issues." Nicholas Madaras, a 2005 graduate, was killed serving in Iraq last September. Some of these students are going to vote for the next president of the United States. Maybe the play was too one-sided. But believing it's unwise to let students explore these issues? Education isn't just about learning facts. It's about teaching people to think for themselves and make their own decisions.
archive location
The San Francisco Chronicle has rounded up a listing of what amounts to a health report on local independent record stores. Some common survival themes include giving up on the younger crowd who are just going online for their MP3s and focusing on customer service and specific vintage collectibles and memorabilia. The article reminded me of the map of Cambridge and Boston my brother gave me when I went to college. It pinpointed his favorite used record stores and formed the basis for many off-campus shopping trips. I dug it out from my college files, put the scan up on flickr, and did a little web research to see if any of them were still in business. A surprising number still are.
archive location
Friday, March 23, 2007
It's been a while since we took a look at "amusing NY Times movie review ratings descriptions." Here's this month's batch:
"The Last Mimzy" is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). It has a thimbleful of strong language and a bucketful of New Age ideas.
"TMNT" is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). It has toothy monsters, scary female body images and ferociously ripped reptiles.
"Memory" is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It has strip poker, mild violence and a terrifying lack of logic.
"Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon" is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It has slashing, bashing, baring and scaring.
"Shooter" is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). Did I mention the exploding heads?
archive location
Nostalgia Friday (don't worry, it's not music videos this time), prompted by Jason Kottke's link to Marc Hedlund's comment: "One of my favorite business model suggestions for entrepreneurs is, find an old UNIX command that hasn't yet been implemented on the web, and fix that."
archive location
Thursday, March 22, 2007
A costume David Bowie wore at his final Ziggy Stardust performances is going on the auction block at Christie's. The April 26st auction of rock memorabilia will include the blue with red & orange flames Ziggy Stardust leotard.
archive location
Ever left your keys behind somewhere? Or maybe you left your cell phone on someone else's desk at work? That's OK. Someone, probably not you, left their car, yes their car, on the Kingston-to-Edmonds ferry yesterday morning. The forgetful owner eventually showed up. The police were of course called to look the vehicle over.
archive location
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
I didn't intend to take an entire week off from here, but it worked out that way for various reasons. Being a parent certainly keeps life interesting. For now I have a few tidbits to share:
Orders for the new Buffy comic (Season 8) have exceeded the first printing of 100,000. A second printing is coming.
I thought Jasper Fforde was done with Tuesday Next, but a new sequel arrives in July.
The L.A. Times details the trail of a thief who stole two violins from the house of a Los Angeles Philharmonic violinist on December 23rd. He flew to Europe with his dog intending to sell the violins and live off his profits. Dealers in a Paris violin shop, suspicious of this guy's story, checked the Internet and found the instruments had been stolen.
archive location
Administrative Goings-On: After briefly investigating other blogging software, I realized I don't have time right now to learn how to manage a different tool. So I bit the bullet and upgraded to the new version of Blogger. I've also decided to give FeedBurner a whirl. Redirects are in place to make the RSS changes (hopefully) seamless so no action is needed from you. My RSS file has changed to index.xml. The previous index.rdf has a permanent redirect to index.xml. index.xml does a temp redirect to the FeedBurner feed (which in turn is actually reading from the feed file that Blogger generates). If you see any problems, email me.
archive location
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Spring's around the corner which means it's bulk Zoo Doo time at the Woodland Park Zoo. Those who want to get in the lottery for purchasing Doo in bulk or the new offering of Bedspread (a composted mulch) can send a postcard in for the random drawing.
archive location
The Denver Post fine arts critic notes that a half-dozen young female violinists are poised to bring balance to the male-dominated world of solo violinists. Female violinists have achieved fame in the classical music world before, but this up-and-coming group of mostly 20-somethings illustrates the changing demographic in the field. "Women have made up at least half of the violin students in music schools for at least 15 years." And they are going on to success at the highest levels of achievement. Kids entering music as a profession no longer feel it's a man's world. I'd like to see a gender comparison of salaries for professional musicians.
archive location
Monday, March 12, 2007
WA is running out of license plate numbers. "State Licensing Department spokesman Brad Benfield says Washington is about two years away from running out of all configurations of letters and numbers in the current system" (AAA-000 through ZZZ-999). A decision on the replacement scheme will be announced in a couple months.
archive location
Lush opened this weekend in Seattle's Westlake Center. (And as an Eastside resident I must point out that we had it here in Bellevue first.)
archive location
I don't know which was more surprising: finding out that there's a company that will spin your pet's fur into yarn or finding out that a woman had a sweater made out of her cat's fur. A YouTube video of the news report has close-ups of the knit and of course the long-haired cat who provided the 5 gallons of raw material. (via StyleDash)
archive location
Friday, March 09, 2007
Kelsey Grammer as My Fair Lady's Henry Higgins is no-brainer casting. The rest of the casting in this New York Philharmonic concert staging at Avery Fisher Hall is even more inspired. Kelli O’Hara (Light in the Piazza) as Eliza, Brian Dennehy as her dad, Charles Kimbrough (Jim Dial from Murphy Brown) as Pickering, and, most wonderfully, Marni Nixon (the singing voice of Eliza in the movie, and many other uncredited dubbings) as Mrs. Higgins (unfortunately not a singing role). (N.Y. Times review)
archive location
YouTube videos of toddlers are a lot funnier when you have one. Emma Feeding Crowley Popcorn illustrates superb toddler logic: of course daddy can see you when he's on the telephone. Besides, when she gets a phone of her own one day that will be true! The Amazing Breakdancing Toddler demonstrates those brilliant mimicry skills essential to early learning. And a 22-month old playing Wii Tennis...well, I don't know what to say about that!
archive location
Thursday, March 08, 2007
I'm breaking my "don't repeat popular weblog postings" rule to make sure that my Mythbusters-fan friends don't miss Metafilter Podcast 3 which consists of Matt Haughey interviewing Adam Savage: "MetaFilter's one of my favorite sites, I swear!" Excellent job Matt!
archive location
Lotus cat furniture looks like a lovely alternative to those carpet-covered cat trees. Though the largest version is priced at almost $300, that actually sounds reasonable if you've been purchasing human furniture (perhaps not at IKEA -- Hey it'd be super cool if IKEA made a stylish cat tree!). (via Luxist)
archive location
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
I didn't expect a full-length N.Y. Times Business article on the Coca-Cola and Pepsi "healthy sodas." But with consumer turning to beverage alternatives perceived as being healthier I suppose it's interesting news that Coke and Pepsi are trying to retain and grow the "diet" cola market by appealing to the health conscious. Diet Coke Plus and Pepsi's Tava will be marketed as "sparkling beverages." Both are fortified with vitamins and minerals. Diet Coke Plus arrives this spring and Tava is expected to launch in the fall.
archive location
The English term "high tea" does not refer to what I thought it did. The Seattle Times fielded a reader question about an advertisement enticing you to "enjoy British high tea in Victoria." Traditionally, "afternoon tea" is what I thought "high tea" was, namely the formal event with fine china, cucumber sandwiches, scones, and clotted cream. "High tea" actually refers to an informal early evening meal (think steak-and-kidney pies and pasties), with its origins in the working class. The name comes from the placement of the food on a high mantel or main table. Meanwhile those of us on this side of the pond who regularly abuse the King's English thought "high" meant "fancy" or "formal" and incorrectly evolved the term to refer to "afternoon tea."
archive location
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
How did we ever survive?
Some days (or perhaps all days!) life without the Internet seems unthinkable. I can't remember how to plan a trip without the World Wide Web. I recall perhaps using a travel agent or buying and borrowing a lot of books and making many phone calls. Today I can easily find and finalize details not only around transportation and hotels but also local attractions. And the amount of information can approach overwhelming quantities. Vancouver's Stanley Park and Washington State's Mount Rainier National Park both suffered winter storm damage. Tourists seeking the latest Stanley Park news can read about the restoration project and peruse a detailed chronology of events and major donations since the December windstorm. Those interested in Mount Rainier will find that although the park is still closed because of November floods, there is a thorough flood recovery status page with maps pinpointing the damage and recovery work, photos and slideshows, news and newsletters. Plus, there's a climbing blog. This type of information not only wouldn't have been easily accessible prior to the Internet -- I wonder if it would have existed at all!
archive location
Monday, March 05, 2007
Very clever: a cake server shaped like a lady's shoe (well, slipper really). There's a magnet so you can hang it as a lovely decoration and the heel comes off if you prefer less whimsy. I bet it's handy for pie too. (via Seattle Times Digs)
archive location
Maya Lin will be making a special appearance at Tacoma's Museum of Glass on March 16 & 17. Lin will direct the Hot Shop Team in creating hot-sculpted clear glass "water drop" forms. The results will be incorporated into a new installation, part of the Mining Glass exhibit of contemporary artists. Mining Glass brings together the work of seven prominent artists who have not been directly involved with the Studio Glass movement but have nevertheless used glass in their work.
archive location
Thursday, March 01, 2007
After hearing news reports about the stock market drop, I naively thought "I wonder what Alan Greenspan's been up to lately?" Well, turns out some people believe the comments he made to a Hong Kong business conference triggered the plunge. Greenspan said "When you get this far away from a recession, invariably forces build up for the next recession, and indeed we are beginning to see that sign." And then the Chinese stock market went south. Others think it's just a coincidence. Charles Jones from Columbia Business School: "It just so happens that [Greenspan] made one comment that ends up being right in front of a big stock market move. I think that's more coincidence than anything." I got what I wanted to know: Greenspan has not retired.
archive location
As much as I respect the folks over at Serious Eats, I'm not sure that National Pig Day is supposed to be about eating pork! According to Internet sources (the Internet is always right, you know), "National Pig Day was first conceived in 1972 by two sisters, Ellen Stanley of Lubbock, Texas, and Mary Lynne Rave of Beaufort, North Carolina. The day has grown to become a celebration of and appreciation for the pig’s best qualities and attributes." Of course, a lot of pork is being consumed to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Boar. Celebrate the pig however you wish, on a plate or in a pen. Oink!
archive location
