From author and speaker James Howard Kunstler we have hisr
(architectural) eyesore of the monthr
WTC Design Study
The design for the new World Trade Center looks amazing. From German architect Daniel Libeskind, the design features a “wedge of light, a series of two triangular plots that will form the “park of heros”, a place formed by the the arc of where the sun will shine every Sept. 11ths to mark the period from the first plane crash to the collapse of the second building.
(Click on the image to see a large version.)
It’s snowing
Holy crap, it’s snowing here in Ann Arbor! I know it’s now November, but I ain’t ready for snow yet.
From my friend Godfrey comes this bizarre news item about a Detroit rapper who has “begun kidnapping people for his profit and their fun.” As if the Detroit area doesn’t have enough bad press.
Weblogs and the Mass Amateurization of Publishing
Living in the Blog-osphere
Eminem on marriage
I recently read this great quote from Eminem that I just had to pass along…
“I would rather *#@&^ be on a coach flight with ‘N Sync at the back of the plane in the last row in them seats that don’t go back, just stuck there with the bathroom out of order than get married again”.
Amazon Restaurants
Holy Moly, now there’s an Amazon.com Restaurants section.
I (sort of) get the idea of Amazon adding to product lines like tools, electronics and toys, but restaurants? I tried putting in Ann Arbor (my home town) into the search engine, and the results were dismal.
More signs of spring
More signs of spring:
Trees starting to bud on my street.
75 degree weather and people running around in tank tops.
The smell of sunscreen.
Signs of Spring
Tonight I was walking through downtown Ann Arbor (where I live), and saw one of the surest signs of spring yet – flocks of people filling the downtown streets at 10pm. Some the things that make Ann Arbor such a great place to live are the cultural life, restaurant selection, and the activity level of its downtown.
I remember driving down Main Street at 11pm on a Tuesday night coming back from an out of town trip to find the streets and outdoor cafes teeming with people. “THIS, is a cool town” I thought to myself.
I was having a discussion with one of my co-workers this morning about the concept of “sweet bagels”. You know, bagels with cinnamon, blueberry or apple crumb in/on them. To me this a total affront to bagels and all of bagelry. If you want an apple-crumb something for breakfast, have a muffin. It’s basically a sweet vs. savory issue.
Tell me if you think I’m wrong.
Watching Ellie
There are very few TV shows that make me laugh out loud, and Julia Louis-Drefus’s brand new Tuesday night series Watching Ellie is one of them.
NY Water towers
One of the things I love about listening to “All Things Considered”, is the pieces they do about the everyday aspects of live. Today, they did a wonderful piece about the rooftop wooden water tanks that you see on every building in Manhattan that’s taller than six stories.
Listen to the story: Charlie Zimmerman, water tower builder.
Where Have I Been?
The fact that there haven’t been entries here in many days is not due to lack of interest or time on my part. Over at my hosting site, some boneheaded customer ran some rogue script that made toast of many folks sites.
For the past few days I have been doing the tech support waltz trying to get things back to the way they were pre-bonehead. Thanks for being patient.
Are You Smarter Than Miss America?
Are You Smarter Than Miss America? “The 2001 Miss America pageant featured, for the first time ever and for no apparent reason, a multiple-choice quiz section which covered subjects from civics to Betty White. Answer the eight questions and you can discover whether you’re smarter than some or all of the five finalists. Because you have to know.
Nine Minutes, Twenty Seconds Review
I just finished reading Nine Minutes, Twenty Seconds: The Tragedy & Triumph of ASA Flight 529. With the lack of time to read books and a long backlog of worthy material, I’m not quite sure why I picked this one up. From “Into to Thin Air” to “The Perfect Storm”, to now this title, we seem to have a grim fascination with detailed accounts of personal tragedy. It certainly didn’t make for good bedtime conversation… “Honey, did you know that a 26 year old with burns over 80% her body has a better chance for survival than a 70 year old with burns over 20% of hers?”