Maybe I'm Losing My Mind

It's been a minute since I really cared much about street riding/BMX, but the above video, posted this morning by The Big Lead, pretty much made me question if I was still drunk from last night's holiday party, that's how mind-blowing it is. Great music too.

The fact that the Yankees just traded for Javier Vazquez (¿Tienes Leche? No, actually, not anymore--sorry, Danielle) and AT&T won a 12 city 3G network speed test certainly added to my general feeling of what-the-fuck-itis, but again, watch that video. You won't regret it.


More soon.*

JS



*Or not, because honestly, this time of year is putting a vicious cramp in my internet-ing.

PANK Magazine--"The Fourth" And An Interview

As you may or may not have noticed, I added a "My Findings On The Apocalypse" section to Artificial Night. These are, in apocalypse-speak, my recent publications. On 11/15, I added a link to my story "The Fourth," published in the first-rate PANK Magazine. On the off-chance you don't feel like doing much scrolling, here's the link:

The Fourth

What PANK also does that's pretty cool is interview each contributor. My interview went live on their blog yesterday. Here's the link:

Ask the Author, Joe Stracci

And on the off-chance you don't feel like navigating to their site, which I can't really fathom why you wouldn't want to, especially since you should leave comments about how witty and good-looking I am, here's the interview:

Ask the Author, Joe Stracci
[Roxane Gay / December 9th, 2009 / Interviews ]

Joe Stracci’s evocative story, The Fourth, perfectly captures a holiday weekend spent with family. In his interview, he talks about writing that is neither this nor that, authentic dialogue, and beverages of choice.

1. I can’t quite put my finger on “The Fourth”. It can read as flash fiction or a prose poem with multiple parts. Which of the two is it?

I’m not sure if it’s either. I tend to work on a smaller scale in all facets of my writing life. Labeling a specific piece as “flash fiction” or “minute fiction” or a “prose poem” seems to indicate a choice, rather than just writing until I’ve completed a thought, which is always the goal.

If “The Fourth” is anything, it’s my attempt at a list story—something in the vein of Mary Robison’s “Why Did I Ever”, or Joe Brainard’s “I Remember.” I wanted to present tightly woven clusters of specific moments and images and ideas and dialogue and have the end result be a monument to something bigger. It’s never specifically stated in the story that “The Fourth” is taking place on the Fourth of July, only colloquially in the title, but by the end, you still know that’s what the piece is about, or at least I hope so.

2. “The Fourth” has some excellent dialogue. What do you do to prepare the voices of your characters so they sound authentic?

I listen very closely at family gatherings. After, I say a prayer that my relatives never read my work. (And guys, if you read this—just kidding!)

3. When I was younger, my cousin chased me around with lit sparklers and it scared the shit out of me. What, if any, type of festive explosive spooks you?

The block I lived on in the Bronx from ages 6-13 was a literal warzone on the 4th. It was the best day of the year. You’d fall asleep to the sound of the manhole covers rattling every fifteen, twenty seconds. Even better was the day after—the carpet of spent fireworks on the street. I’ve got a love for things that have fuses and blow up. I actually used a well-known International parcel-shipping company (unbeknownst to them) to mail myself fireworks while on a trip to Key West not too long ago. Good thing that worked out too—my fiancée would have gotten in a lot of trouble when they checked the shipper information and got her home address.

4. What is your favorite thing to eat from the grill?

Sausage—it’s the Italian in me. Slighty-burnt hot dogs too. Basically anything, especially if it’s being eaten outside too. There’s a line in an Amy Hempel story that goes something like, “Food eaten while sitting outside doesn’t count,” and that’s an ideology I’m willing to subscribe to.

5. What have you killed with fire?

Many, many relationships. Kidding—although I have been accused on multiple occasions of having a healthy preoccupation with fire. I did invent the “Flaming Burrito” which is when you take a Penny Pincher, rip out five or six pages, roll the Penny Pincher around the loose pages so they stick out, and then light both ends. It’s a sight.

6. I think this line alone sums up America as a whole “Our country’s cake was chocolate. Inside—Mexican vanilla frosting and raspberry preserves.” Would you agree with this statement? If not, how would you sum up America in a sentence.

A doctor recently told me that 80% of the people in this country have either a first or second generation relative that lived in the Bronx or Brooklyn at some point. I don’t know if that’s true, but I’d believe it. Growing up in the Bronx, diversity wasn’t diversity—it was part of the backdrop of everyday life—so in that sense, I’m somewhat disconnected.

I thought of the idea of “America” recently, actually. I’m making my way through “Infinite Jest,” and there’s a part where two ETA students are discussing annular theory and the idea of (and I’m paraphrasing) fusion creating waste, which becomes the fuel for a different process, and that process’s waste becoming fuel for the original fusion. I don’t think DFW intended it to be interpreted in that way, but to a reformed pessimist, it makes a great deal of sense.

7. What’s your preferred beverage on our day of independence?

Sam Adams Summer Ale from noon until dinner. Bud Light until 8 or 9, and then gin and tonic for the rest of the night. And a Bud Light chaser with any shots that take place along the way. But who’s counting?

--

Again, please go to PANK Magazine's site and check out some of the othe other kick-ass pieces that were in the issue with me.

More soon.

JS

Where Brooklyn At?

Haven't posted in a while, I know. Between the holidays and having minor surgery and then getting caught up at work, it's been one big clustercuss (that's my way of hinting that I recently saw The Fantastic Mr. Fox--see my review here).

Anyway, I've got a couple of bigger posts planned, but in the meanwhile, be sure to check out what I believe is now last week's issue of New York Magazine. They did a multi-armed piece on the Brooklyn music scene, broken down here:

-A piece on the scene in general, especially Dirty Projectors

-An interview with MGMT, where they talk about their upcoming album

-An interview with DJ /rupture

-A guide for finding great venues in Brooklyn

-A guide to great Brooklyn music blogs

-And the biggie, a 40 track play list of the best songs that define the scene. I took the time to download everything and put it all together (they give you a pre-made iTunes link, but it's missing three of the songs) and while I was familiar with some of it already (TV On The Radio, Grizzly Bear, MGMT, etc.), some of it really blew me away (Matt and Kim, The Antlers, The National, etc.). Definitely worth your time/money if you're looking to discover some fresh sounds.


More soon.

JS

Changes

I'm making some changes to Artifical Night, so over the next couple of days, things might be out of place, or missing, or just plain awful.

Ignore it.


More soon.

JS

The Magic Mouse: Is It Really Magic?

When I first heard about the Magic Mouse, I thought it was a joke.

I didn’t think the name could be real, especially coming from a company that already offers a product that many sarcastically refer to as “The Jesus Phone.”

But the Magic Mouse is real—and I have one—and after a weekend of use, I’m ready to decide if other people should take the plunge. I won’t go over the specs/basics of the Magic Mouse. We all know—it’s touch capacitive. Read Gizmodo or Apple to get the finer details. What I can share is the experiences of an everyday user.

Also, I was going to overload this post with pictures, but uploading them is a pain in the ass, so I finally started a Flickr stream. Be sure to check out:

The Magic Mouse: Unboxed and In Its Element

and also check out:

Apple Store, Upper West Side Opening

for some pictures of the, well, yeah, you guessed it.

Anyway, let the reviewing commence:

-The design of the MM makes sense. It’s both longer and wider than I expected it to be, yet it’s quite small in your hand. Almost too small, actually, but it truly feels like it couldn’t be any other size, which I like.

-“Yeah, it’s pretty fantastic looking.” Those were Danielle’s first words when I showed it to her on Friday, and I can’t think of a better way to sum up the MM, visually. It looks like something you’d be using in 2029, forget about 2009. Aesthetically, it matches the white/aluminum iMac and keyboard perfectly.

-The click action is responsive. Solid. I enjoyed it more as the weekend went on. The Mighty Mouse felt like you were pressing down the casing, which I hated. The Magic Mouse feels like you’re pressing down a button, which you are, except you--aren’t. It makes using it with the right-click turned on feel more organic, a big bonus for me.

-This may just be my desk, but when moving it, it still has some noise to it, hence the mouse pad you see in the pictures, which I really don’t mind. If that’s going to be a deal breaker for you, you probably didn’t want it anyway.



-For iPhone users—prepare to fall in love with, and then hate, the Magic Mouse. Think about it—your scrolling action is always swipe/flick based! It’s amazing! The MM totally simulates the feel of the iPhone, which I loved at first. Until I picked up my iPhone, and it felt like it weighed ten pounds in my hand. It was downright—chunky. I kept looking at the bottom of the MM and wondering what it would look like with my home screen on it. In the future? Maybe? Please?

-“Scrolling is money.” Those are from my notes that I took down on Friday when I wanted to capture my initial impression. And my affection only grew as the weekend went on. Scrolling with one finger is perfectly executed. You can adjust how responsive the surface is, although I have it turned up to full responsiveness, and I never overshot anything. I love it. I don’t want any trackballs, or nipples, or rubber wheels ever again. This is the future.

-Ah—the two-fingered swipe. I didn’t really understand from the videos and reviews what the two-fingered swipe would be used for. So far, all I’ve found is: a) to scroll through photos in iPhoto, b)to scroll through cover flow in iTunes (or at least try to), and c) to page back and forward in an Internet browser. To be honest, this is one of the two areas where the MM gets failing marks from me. First of all, the physics behind the two-fingered swipe are boinked from the start, and I’ll explain why in the next bullet. Second, it doesn’t always work. You can’t swipe too slow, but you can’t swipe too fast. You can’t start too far to the side of the mouse, but you can’t start too close to the middle either. You’ve got to nail it just right, and the payoff isn’t really all that big, because there are simpler ways to achieve the three things I listed, and frankly, I’ve done those three things the same way for so long that I don’t see myself investing the time to re-learn how to do them the MM’s way. I wouldn't be surprised to see this feature dropped in the future, unless by some miracle it can be refined a great deal.

-The MM is not ergonomic, although part of me wants to follow that with "whatever the hell that means." It’s height off the table is really low, and what happens, because of the touch-based gestures, is you wind up holding around the mouse, rather than holding the mouse itself. This will be the greatest challenge for people, especially those moving from some clunky Logitech number. And as I mentioned before, holding the sides of the mouse, rather than resting your palm on its butt, is exactly why two-fingered swipe doesn’t work—you don’t have the fingers readily available.

--



While I ended on two negative notes, I’m giving the Magic Mouse an enthusiastic endorsement. The touch-based scrolling is reason enough--a huge reason, actually--to buy this mouse, and then take into account the design, the look, the feel, and for Mac users, the grace with which it completes a recent Mac setup, and it all adds up to a mouse that may not be magic, but is certainly worth your money.

More soon.

JS

AT&T, I Hate You

So, my Magic Mouse arrived this morning. Expect the full review on Monday morning--complete with unboxing shots, pictures, and maybe some video of it in action.


I'm currently (like, literally right now as I type this) on the phone with AT&T trying to figure out why they just won't admit there's a 3G outage in the area,* so in the spirit of that, thanks to Petey, I'll post something I laughed quite hard at a few minutes ago (click to get a bigger version):






More soon.

JS

*I, along with the eight other iPhone owners I know who happen to live with/near me, haven't had any type of service since Wednesday. First there was no outage in the area, then there was, and now there isn't again. AT&T keeps 'troubleshooting' with me on the phone, which basically involves them telling me to turn the phone off and turn the phone on again. I happily pay $200 a month for me and Danielle to use the best phone currently on the market, but when it gets fucked by the network, well, that really sucks, both for me, and the provider. Verizon, I implore you--get the iPhone. I will come back. I will give you my $200 a month. I will even take back all the nasty things I told poor Kathy when I terminated my contract so many months ago. Just get it, please.

Finding The Angles

Since Robinson Cano fielded Shane Victorino's ground ball last night and threw to Mark Teixeira to record the final out of Game 6, giving the New York Yankees their 27th World Series, I've been thinking about finding an angle. This is a post that many (I hope) expected I'd write, and I didn't want to let anyone down.

But I had nothing.

It's all been said before--how great of a group this is, how A-Rod finally forgot about the calendar, how the Fab 4 returned for one more, how they won one more for the Boss, how the new stadium fit like a glove--

All old news.

I posted a picture of the trophy celebration and figured that singular expression of joy would be enough to get across my excitement over the fact that the team I love so dearly are once again on top of the world.

But writers--we have this thing.

We have to write.

We wake up wanting to write, and if we don't, we go to bed wishing we had.

And so the itch was not scratched.

--

Around 10:15 this morning, I tweeted:

Does 2 WS victories, 4 AL Pennants, 4 ALDS appearances, and 1 ALCS appearance officially make the Yankees the team of the 2000's?

My gut response was, of course, yes. I followed up that tweet with:

That was a rhetorical question, by the way--of course it does. Write a book about it, Buster Olney!

And I thought that would be the end of it.

But then, a friend commented that he was pretty sure that the Yankees held the best overall record of the decade, another jewel in the "Best of the 2000's" crown.

It wasn't enough for me to assume he was right--I needed to know. Baseball provides a healthy outlet for those of us with a slight dusting of the OCD. I love finding and compiling numbers, and when those numbers are linked to athletics, well, color me a shade of terrific.

So I started digging and adding and then I found some more stuff and well, I found my angle.

Let me tell you why the Yankees are the team of the 2000's.

--

A couple of things to remember:

-I put all of this together in about 2 hours, while at work. I'm sure I made some oversights, bad calculations, and mistakes. My bad.
-I am a Yankees fan.
-I have a fierce belief that the American League is vastly superior to the National League, and that the American League East is the toughest division in the league.

--

So what I looked at first was 2000-2009 records. There was no convenient spot for this, so doing it for every team was not an option, or really necessary for that matter. I decided to go with the:

New York Yankees
Boston Red Sox
Los Angeles Angels
St. Louis Cardinals
Philadelphia Phillies
Los Angeles Dodgers
New York Mets

Yes, I know the AL Central isn't there. The Twins, Tigers, Royals, Indians, and White Sox should win more. Moving on.

Here's what the record breakdown came out to:

New York Yankees: 965 & 651
Boston Red Sox: 920 & 699
St. Louis Cardinals: 913 & 706
Los Angeles Angels: 900 & 720
Los Angeles Dodgers: 862 & 758
Philadelphia Phillies: 850 & 769
New York Mets: 815 & 803

In the interest of time--and my sanity--I decided that any further analysis should be limited to the top 4, and it seemed fitting that that decision limited the group to 900 wins or more.

What I looked at next was the outcomes of each season for the four teams:

New York Yankees
2000: WS Win
2001: WS Loss
2002: ALDS Loss (Lost to the Angels #1)
2003: WS Loss
2004: ALCS Loss (Lost to the Red Sox)
2005: ALDS Loss (Lost to the Angels #2)
2006: ALDS Loss
2007: ALDS Loss (Wild Card Team)
2008: Did not make the playoffs
2009: WS Win

Boston Red Sox
2000: Did not make the playoffs
2001: Did not make the playoffs
2002: Did not make the playoffs
2003: ALCS Loss (Wild Card Team--Lost to the Yankees in ALCS)
2004: WS Win (Wild Card Team--Beat the Yankees down 3-0)
2005: ALDS Loss (Wild Card Team)
2006: Did not make the playoffs
2007: WS Win (ALE Winner)
2008: ALCS Loss (Wild Card Team)
2009: ALDS Loss (Wild Card Team)

St. Louis Cardinals
2000: NLCS Loss
2001: NLDS Loss
2002: NLCS Loss
2003: Did not make the playoffs
2004: WS Loss
2005: NLCS Loss
2006: WS Win
2007: Did not make the playoffs
2008: Did not make the playoffs
2009: ALDS Loss

Los Angeles Angels
2000: Did not make the playoffs
2001: Did not make the playoffs
2002: WS Win (Wild Card Team--Beat the Yankees in the ALDS)
2003: Did not make the playoffs
2004: ALDS Loss (Lost to the Red Sox #1)
2005: ALCS Loss (Beat the Yankees in the ALDS)
2006: Did not make the playoffs
2007: ALDS Loss (Lost to the Red Sox #2)
2008: ALDS Loss (Lost to the Red Sox #3)
2009: ALCS Loss (Lost to the Yankees)

So what can we take from all of this?

-The Angels are the only team of the 4 that did not make it to more than 1 World Series.

-The Yankees missed the playoffs only once. The Cardinals--3 times. The Red Sox and The Angels? 4.

-The Yankees won 4 Pennants--nobody else won more than 2.

-Of the Red Sox 6 playoff appearances, 5 were as the Wild Card team. The Yankees and Angels, only once. The Cardinals--never.

-While the numbers keep the top 3 teams (Yankees, Red Sox, and Cardinals) close, for me, it comes down to the Yankees and Red Sox.

The Cardinals play in a clinically weak National League Central, while the Red Sox and Yankees faced each other over 200 times during 2000-2009, and that's not taking into account the seasons filled with match-ups against the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Rays, all 3 of which are teams that are far better than the records account for.

Deciding between the Yankees and the Red Sox is hard. While the numbers sway towards the Yankees, it's impossible to account for what the 2004 ALCS meant to the rivalry. That Sunday night, coming off a 19-8 victory, nobody in the world thought the Red Sox had any chance of coming back.

And they did.

I still get physically sick thinking about it, actually.

Now, I think that the Yankees may have finally gotten back on equal footing, mentally, but they are nowhere near the dominant older brother that they once were when the decade began.

That being said, the numbers and the immeasurables are clear (to me, at least):

The Yankees are the best team of the 2000's.

Let the arguing begin.

--

No wrap-up is complete without casting an eye towards the future. Here's some random thoughts:

-The debate has already begun about who should be brought back for 2010--Matsui or Damon. Matsui now has a WS MVP under his belt, one that he deserved. But Matsui went through long stretches this year where he didn't hit for shit.

Damon certainly brings more athletic prowess to the table, although it wouldn't be a shock to see his defense fall off rather quickly (as if it has too far to go). And the reality is that once Damon's legs go, he'll be worthless in the field. My answer is this:

Don't sign either of them.

The Yankees want to get younger. They want talent. They love big names and big headlines.

There's only one logical choice:

Matt Holliday.

I know. I know.

The rich keep getting richer!

Just spend more money!

To the naysayers, I'll paraphrase Patrick Roy:

"I'm sorry, but I can't hear you. My 27 World Championships are clogging up my ears."

Seriously though, Holliday is the answer. The Yankees have said that they are not looking to expand payroll for 2010. Except, that was before they were the Defending World Series Champions. Matsui and Damon made a combined $26 million dollars in 2009. I would think that Holliday, who will certainly be overpaid, would come here for less than that. It's overestimating, but I'd say $20 million/per is the magic number.

Holliday is 29. He's a doubles machine--since '06, he has 45, 50, 38, and 39. He is the perfect add-on player--a guy who will thrive at being the third or fourth (or fifth) best player on the Yankees. Bonus--he plays the position that Damon currently inhabits, except about a million times better. Best of all, he's on record as saying that his two choices of where to go are the Yankees and the Mets. A six year/$120 million contract will wrap him up, and I believe the Yankees need to--and will--do it.

-The Yankees should re-sign Andy Pettitte. One of the main reasons I wasn't too too nervous going into Game 6 was because he was pitching. Sure, started to wonder if the 3 days rest thing would bite him, or if he was just too old, or tired, but then I remembered--

this is Andy-fucking-Pettitte.

The guy has seen it all before, and more often than not, come out on top. And he proved why once again.

The Yankees should sign him because he will be the perfect fifth starter--he'll get extra days to rest, he'll be able to rely on brains just as much as stuff, and he'll be an outstanding presence with the younger pitchers on the team, which brings me to my next point--

-The Yankees are set, pitching-wise, for the next five years. We know who's already penciled in for the 1 and 2 spots. But let's not forget--we have a pool of MLB-ready talent that includes Joba, Hughes, Wang (who won't be rushed back from injury again), and Kennedy. They will be able to get two starters from that pool, no doubt about it. In a perfect world, my choice would be Hughes and Wang, leaving Joba as the heir to Mariano and Kennedy to develop more, which means the Yankee rotation would be:

Sabbathia
Burnett
Hughes
Wang
Pettitte

Everyone made a big deal this postseason (myself included) out of the fact that the Yankees only had 3 reliable starting pitchers. Well you know what--the Phillies only had 1. Look at the group of 5 up there--you wouldn't sign up for that right now?

-The Holliday signing is important because it brings some stability to the Yankees outfield. I still believe that Melky is just good enough to trade and Gardener, as fast as he is, just can't hit on the major league level. That in mind, I would be thrilled with an outfield of Holliday/Melky/Nady with Swisher and Gardener playing slightly more than support roles. How could you not be?

--

Exhale.

Smile.

Ballgame over.

World Series over.

The--well you know how it goes.

This is why we we get sick for these guys, and their pinstriped-laundry.

And there's always more sports to watch, always more angles to pursue, but I think I'm going to sit back and enjoy this one for a bit.

I'm an unapologetic fan of the best team of the 2000's.



Itch--scratched.


More soon.

JS

27!

That Cobain Pussy

There's a scene in Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler" where Mickey Rourke and Marissa Tomei are on an impromptu date--sitting in a dark bar in the middle of the day, both looking pretty beaten down by life. Suddenly Ratt's "Round and Round" comes on the bar's jukebox and Mickey Rourke decides to live in the moment:



It would be better if that clip wasn't in overdubbed Italian, but here's what they say after they stop laughing:

Randy 'The Ram' Robinson: Goddamn they don't make em' like they used to.
Cassidy: Fuckin' 80's man, best shit ever !
Randy 'The Ram' Robinson: Bet'chr ass man, Guns N' Roses! Rules.
Cassidy: Crue!
Randy 'The Ram' Robinson: Yeah!
Cassidy: Def Lep!
Randy 'The Ram' Robinson: Then that Cobain pussy had to come around & ruin it all.
Cassidy: Like theres something wrong with just wanting to have a good time?
Randy 'The Ram' Robinson: I'll tell you somethin', I hate the fuckin' 90's.
Cassidy: Fuckin' 90's sucked.
Randy 'The Ram' Robinson: Fuckin' 90's sucked.

That scene always cracks me up, because it highlights an important aspect of history--perspective. For me and so many people my age, Nirvana represented something pretty significant in the cultural landscape. But where did it leave the displaced? Relegated to the position of butt-of-jokes, involving hairspray and leather pants. No longer an angsty teen (well, maybe still angsty, but definitely not a teen), it's strange to think about how my personal music revolution came along and destroyed what had been established before it.

--

I wasn't old enough to ever fully appreciate Nirvana. Kurt Cobain had killed himself almost two years prior to my discovering his band's music, but I quickly made up for lost time. I read every book that was out there, memorized all of the stories, bought all the t-shirts I could find, hung up the posters, and bought all the music. It all spoke to me on a level like nothing had before. Nirvana's music had the kind of hold on me that the preachers and parents of yesteryear warned against when hand-wringing over the effects of rock 'n' roll.

And remember--this was pre-Internet. No iTunes. No torrents. No Amazon. No eBay. It was so long ago that I actually had to get "From The Muddy Banks of The Wishkah" on cassette because Sam Goody had already sold out of the CD and I didn't know when the next chance would come around to buy it.

--

Eventually, I moved on from Nirvana. Sure, I still remember all of the lyrics, still have my worn copy of the Michael Azerrad book "Come As You Are," but the fascination is no longer there. I didn't even bother to buy "With The Lights Out" when it came out, didn't bother to buy Frances Cobain-approved "Sliver: The Best of the Box". I downloaded the Greatest Hits CD, though, if only for "You Know You're Right," a song that will always give me goosebumps, no matter how many times I hear it, as it will always be a chilling reminder of what could have been.

It's funny--maybe two years ago, I even sat down and read Everett True's massive biography of Nirvana. British music journalism is unlike anything, anywhere, and while the book was good, something strange happened:

I wound up wondering what I had seen in Kurt Cobain ten years ago.

It hurt, but I didn't like Kurt anymore. I found his gripes to be petty and put forth in a inarticulate and narcissistic way. He didn't seem to be nearly as smart anymore. He seemed downright--immature.

I remember laying awake one night, wondering if he would have approved of my putting sports, music, and technology on equal footing in terms of personal devotion, and then getting mad at myself for even thinking about it in the first place.

--

I've been thinking about all of this because of an article by Seth Colter Walls in Newsweek:

Nirvana Heaven, And Hell

Walls talks about two new just-in-time-for-the-holidays Nirvana releases--a reissue of "Bleach" and a CD/DVD of their '92 performance at the Reading festival. He talks about the editing of the CD version of the Reading performance compared to the DVD. On the CD, some of the on-stage banter and posturing is left out in order to stick to the 80 minute CD time limits, and he feels that it changes the emotional weight of the performance as a whole.

Regarding the reissue of their first album, he sarcastically quips how their tiny budget ($600) forced them to record over their outtakes, which left nothing in the vaults to include inside the 2009 reissue--a remastering of a show that took place at the time would have to suffice.

Walls also talks about recent battles by the Cobain camp to keep Activision from including a Cobain avatar in the next Guitar Hero--a move that I swiftly applauded.

At first.

But now, I'm having trouble.

I'm having trouble deciding what makes the Guitar Hero avatar all that different from any of the other stuff that's been released--the books and the bios and the journal reproductions and the box sets--shit, look at the picture that leads this post. That's one of two Nirvana-tribute shoes designed by Converse, intentionally made to look like Kurt's beat up Chucks.

I didn't know Kurt Cobain, but I can say with a fair amount of certainty that he would not have signed off on a signature shoe.

It's fun to think that preserving the legacy of someone involves keeping true to their ethics and their beliefs, but how realistic is it? If it is the music that will live on--and it will--and Guitar Hero is just another medium in a long line of innovations that gives impressionable kids a chance to blow the doors off of their boundaries, how can it be wrong?

--

So where will I be in twenty years?

Will I be in a bar like Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler," putting "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle," on the jukebox, reminiscing about life before music sucked?

And what level of Nirvana reissues will we have reached by then?

Will there be theme park rides? Oliver Stone movies? Virtual Reality tours of his Olympia, WA home?

I don't know--even in Walls's seemingly indignant article, he writes about how the Reading CD is, "a Nirvana live show you could listen to while working out at the gym."

Ten years ago, that statement would have drawn every ounce of my ire.

Twenty years from now--will I agree?


More soon.

JS

Philip Spooner

This is a video, just under 4:00 in length, that doesn't need much of an introduction, or much commenting after.

It's a video meant to be watched and processed, hopefully by many, to show how sometimes, the most important point of view--that of the people--is all we really need.

There's no fancy words here, no expensive educations, no pandering, and no mud-slinging.

There's no hidden agenda--just the simple point of view of a man, a father, a veteran, delivered with conviction from the heart.

So take 4:00 out of your day and watch this.

It'll only make you a better person.




More soon.

JS

Christmas In October

For us Apple whores, the note above usually results in a fluttering of the heart, because it means new toys are on their way to the Apple online store.

The "yellow sticky" went up this morning and the heart flutters were worth it, because today was damn near Christmas in October.

Rumors have been floating around for weeks now--updates to the iMac, MacBook, Mac mini, and the Mighty Mouse.

But as anybody who's waiting to buy their iTablet can tell you, rumors have an evil way of, well, not being true all of the time. Let's see how it all panned out.

First up:





Those would be shots of the new iMac, which now comes in 21.5" and 27" inch flavors. 27" goddamn inches. Wow. Check out Apple's in-depth look as well as Gizmodo's.

Next up:





A newly-designed MacBook. Updated screen, updated trackpad, updated enclosure, amongst other features. Check out Apple's in-depth look as well as Gizmodo's.

Batting third, my personal favorite:





A mouse that can only be described as sexy, although Apple thought better of it and called it the Magic Mouse. After reading about it and watching the videos, I'd describe it as a cross between a mouse and a trackpad (right on pace with the rumors, of course). I absolutely will be ordering one the first minute that I can. Check out Apple's in-depth look as well as Gizmodo's.

And last, but certainly not least:



An updated Mac mini. Check out Apple's in-depth look as well as Gizmodo's.

--

So what have we learned here?

Apple is damn bad at keeping secrets, that's for sure.

But really, how could you contain something like this?

Also, it's important to note that I only scratched the surface here in terms of what's new in each product. I also didn't meantion the new Apple Remote, as well as the upgrades made to the Time Capsule and Airport Extreme.

Now, the question becomes: how do I possibly stop myself from buying one of each?

If only my credit cards could post a sticky on themselves that read: "Be back soon."


More soon.

JS

Not The Only One

Ken Davidoff touched on something in today's Baseball Insider column that I need to put out there for all to see.

I've been defending the sometimes-douche pictured above since Day 1. He let me down at times, and then he really let me down when he admitted he was a juicer.

I still stuck with him because that's what we do as sports fans, and he's finally paying me back for the support.

That's all well and good, but I need more vindication.

Everybody has made a huge deal about how A-Rod hit in the playoffs from 2004-2007. There's no doubt that he struggled. From Davidoff's column:

Look at it this way: From 2004 ALCS Game 5 through 2007 ALDS Game 4, A-Rod put up a .314 on-base percentage and .214 slugging percentage. Pretty difficult to win when your best hitter hits like that, right? You betcha.

Couldn't agree more.

Here's where it gets a bit foggy for me:

But how did the Yankees' starting pitchers perform in the same period? In 16 starts, the Yankees' starters allowed 54 earned runs in 75.1 innings pitched, for a 6.45 ERA. It's awfully difficult to get much done when your starters are routinely putting you in such big holes.

54 runs in 75 innings? That's not just a "big hole," that's failure on a monumental level. But were there any graphics from TBS/FOX about it every time a Yankee pitcher started an inning?

No.

Were there boos raining down from the Yankee Stadium crowds?

No.

Newspaper back covers devoted?

Sometimes, but not nearly as much.

Up until recently, A-Rod struggled in the playoffs. There's no way around it.

Just don't tell me he was the only one.


More soon.

JS

I'm Being Told It's For Sale

I'm always hesitant to jump on the bandwagon for causes.

Once you do, you're lumped in with whoever else is on board, and as we all know, the world is full of idiots, which means that there's a good chance people will think that I'm an idiot, a notion I fight long and hard every day to disprove.

But I watched a video today, and it got me thinking, and by the end, I was convinced.

--

Anybody who knows me knows I went through an intense energy drink phase. I liked 'em cold, I liked 'em big, and I liked 'em often. Fruit juice added, extra vitamins added, artificial coloring--it didn't matter. My pee stank, I got the shakes, and I was awake for a longer portion of the day.

What could be bad?

Costco carried two types--Red Bull and Monster. Red Bull was more expensive and contained less, um, energy than Monster, so Monster it was.

And I was faithful to Monster until I finally realized that sucking down 54 grams of sugar per sitting probably wasn't the best idea.

Now, I've relaxed--literally and figuratively. I'll get a sugar-free Red Bull from time-to-time, but otherwise, I'm sticking to coffee.

So what does this have to do with Rock Art Brewery?

It has to do with a letter, a Cease and Desist order, actually, that Rock Art Brewery's founder, Matt Nadeau, received from Monster's lawyers.

Monster wanted Rock Art Brewery to stop selling one of it's beers--The Vermonster--because people "would be confused with the two products."

Nadeau sent back a response saying he understood the issue and would give up the rights to "The Vermonster" in the energy drink category--certainly a fair agreement--since he didn't operate in the energy drink world, nor Monster in the alcoholic beverage world.

But then, Monster said, "Thanks, but no thanks."

Nadeau was told:

The energy drink category was never the concern to my client; it is that my client would now like to enter the alcoholic beverage market.

And so the battle began.

Nadeau has been told by numerous trademark lawyers that Monster doesn't have a case here, that it is clearly a "nuisance lawsuit."

But they advised that he give up and just change the name, because in the end, Rock Art Brewery would lose.

Monster has the ability (read: money) to drag the case out in court for so long that Rock Art Brewery will have to tap out eventually. We're talking about a company with nine employees--and that's counting the founder and his wife.

So as far as I can tell, there's three options: give money to Rock Art Brewery, or don't give money to Monster, or both, which is my plan.

And while you're at it, watch this video put together by Nadeau:



My favorite quote:

We're going to continue this for as long as we can. I'm a man of principles and its principles at stake, its liberty at stake, its justice that's at stake, and I'm being told it's for sale. I don't buy it.

I couldn't agree more.

Anybody--and I don't care if you're a liberal or a conservative or a Democrat or a Republican--should be mad as hell about this.

It's time to take a stand.

Time to jump on a bandwagon.

For once, I'm taking the bait.

(Just one thing--if you're an idiot, please, don't jump with me.)

(Thanks.)


More soon.

JS

The Men You Watch Every Sunday

There was an NFL commercial a while back--I think it was about Sprint’s partnership--and it featured a wife making promises to the camera while her husband eagerly looked on behind her. She said something to the effect of:

I promise to watch football all day Sunday.

And on Monday nights.

And sometimes on Thursday, or Saturday, depending on the time of year.

And I love this commercial because it captured the spirit of what so many NFL fans go through. During football season, our moods are defined by what our team did that week. We watch games even when we’ve got no real rooting interest in either team because--

It’s football.

It’s what would happen if ballet and Nascar had a child. It takes place from September to February each year and then that’s it. Sixteen games, a few more if we're lucky, and so we enjoy them while we can.

But is this all coming at a price--for the people involved?

Because what we’re finding out lately is that it is.

While sixteen games may not seem like a lot, when combined with practices and college games and college practices and high school games and high school practices, the hits add up.

And they've been taking their toll for quite some time now.

--

There's a new piece by Malcolm Gladwell in The New Yorker that should be read by any person who considers themselves a football fan:

Offensive Play: How Different Are Dogfighting and Football?

It’s a shade under 8,000 words, brilliantly constructed, and raises questions about morality and the future of a sport that is loved by many but is undeniably destructive to the people who play it.

And as for the comparison to dogfighting--well, you’ll see for yourself just how many parallels can be drawn.

Like many of the people in the article, I’m not sure how to deal with the reality that NFL players are far too likely to have their brains pounded to mush as a result of playing the sport that they love--and that this process will begin long before they’ve signed their first professional contract.

What I do know is that reading this article is a first step.

And if you’re an NFL fan, you should take it too.

You owe it to the men you watch every Sunday.

And Monday night.

And Thursday, or Saturday, depending on the time of year.


More soon.

JS

Dead-On-Balls Accurate

On September 2nd, with 30 games left, I posted my prediction for how the Yankees would finish out the remainder of their season. Here's what I wrote:

-1 w/ Baltimore: W
-4 w/ Toronto: W,W,L,L
-4 w/ Tampa Bay: W,W,L,L
-3 w/ Baltimore: W,W,L
-1 w/ Los Angeles: W
-2 w/ Toronto: W,W
-3 w/ Seattle: W,W,L
-3 w/ Los Angeles: W,L,L
-3 w/ Boston: W,L,L
-3 w/ Kansas City: W,W,W
-3 w/ Tampa Bay: W,W,L

Going into tonight's game, the Yankees are 84-48. If they stay on track with what I've laid out here--19-11--they will finish the season at a super impressive 103-59.

Now, as the Yankees sit back tonight and watch the Tigers and Twins play a one-game playoff to decide who will fly into NY to play Game 1 of the ALDS tomorrow at The Stadium, I wanted to go back and see how I did.

I didn't predict game-by-game since I didn't know the pitching match ups, so 'Correct' or 'Incorrect' refers to the series as a whole compared to how I picked it. The first set of brackets is how it affected the prediction overall (I was incorrect in my pick of a sweep over Kansas City so they lost a game, but I was also incorrect in my pick of two losses to Tampa Bay, in which they picked up two games), and in the second set of brackets is how the series actually played out. Here we go:

-1 w/ Baltimore: W
Correct (W)

-4 w/ Toronto: W,W,L,L
Correct (W,L,W,L)

-4 w/ Tampa Bay: W,W,L,L
Incorrect (+2) (W,W,W,W)

-3 w/ Baltimore: W,W,L
Incorrect (-1) (L,L,W)

-1 w/ Los Angeles: W
Correct (W)

-2 w/ Toronto: W,W
Incorrect (-1) (L,W)

-3 w/ Seattle: W,W,L
Incorrect (-1) (L,W,L)

-3 w/ Los Angeles: W,L,L
Incorrect (+1) (L,W,W)

(It's worth pointing out here that the Yankees clinched a playoff spot in the second win of that series. At the end of the series, with a record of 97-56, they were still on track for my 103-59 prediction with 9 to play.)

-3 w/ Boston: W,L,L
Incorrect (+2) (W,W,W)

(With the sweep against an uninterested Sox team, they reached 100 wins and clinched the division. I was now an overall +2 over my prediction. I figured this series would be more important for the Sox than it was.)

-3 w/ Kansas City: W,W,W
Incorrect (-1) (W,W,L)

(Clinching the division helped me here, as the Yankees played mostly subs/kids in these three games, understandably so.)

-3 w/ Tampa Bay: W,W,L
Incorrect (-1) (L,L,W)

(I'm a genius! Actually, I was really nervous going into this series. I wanted to be right about 103 wins, but I didn't really want the Yankees to go into the playoffs on a losing note. While opening with the two losses helped me out in my prediction, it was tough to watch. Kudos to A-Rod for getting to 30/100 in an injury-shortened season and giving a positive ending.)

So. I was right on the money. Dead-on-balls accurate, if you will.

3 series were correct and 8 were incorrect, but at the same time, that's counting three as incorrect because they won more than I predicted. I assumed the Angels would continue their dominance in LA and that the Red Sox and Rays would be playing harder at those points.

But still--103 and 59. Hard to believe (or is it?) from a team that managed only 89 wins last year and didn't even sniff the playoffs.

Now we wait and see who they'll play. I think the Tigers will win tonight, but I'd rather play the Twins. Joe Mauer is a beast, no doubt about it, and they've got some other offensive talent (although nobody better than Cabrera/Granderson), but with no Morneau, and nobody on their pitching staff even in the same league as a Justin Verlander, I think the Twinkies would be a better match-up.

Then again, the Yankees only lost once the entire season to both of these teams combined, so I feel pretty good about it either way.

My prediction? Yankes play the Tigers and beat them in 4. I'm thinking we'll see a big offensive series out of A-Rod and Tex, an extremely well-pitched game from Burnett, and an over/under of 5 for stolen bases by Gardner, and I'm taking the over.

Also, I see the Red Sox beating the Angels in 5, setting up another Yanks/Sox October pairing.

And as if that's not enough, here's a gift to myself, and you:



Starting at the 1:28 mark, specifically.

More soon.

JS

The Moral Fork In The Road

That's the result of a hit-and-run that occurred on April 9th, 2009--the driver was drunk and ran a red light and three people died.

The story gained national attention because one of the people who died was Nick Adenhart--a 22-year-old pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels. He had just pitched six scoreless innings that night.

In the time since the tragedy, we've learned more of the facts. Andrew Gallo, the driver of the vehicle that caused the accident, had a prior DUI. He also had a marijuana possession and a seat belt citation on his record.

Even worse, the driver of the car Adenhart was in, who also died, was later found to have been legally drunk at the time of the accident as well.

Now, we've all heard these stories before. We shake our heads and push away the horror of the thought--how many times have we all gotten behind the wheel after drinking--even if it was just one or two beers?

And it could have been me, it could have been you, on either side of the equation, and when it involves sports, even more is said.

We say, "Tragedies like this put it all in perspective."

We say, "Tragedies like this force you to not take the little things for granted."

We say, "Appreciate every day that you have."

--

This morning, I thought about all of this when I heard the news that the Angels had clinched the AL West.

And pictures like this started to come out:



And this is where I come to the moral fork in the road.

I understand and respect and appreciate the Angels players wanting to pay tribute to their friend and teammate, lost far too soon for not nearly a good-enough reason.

And I also understand and am fine with the traditional alcohol-soaked sports locker room celebration (although with all the hand-wringing over what professional athletes mean to children, it sometimes seems to me like a "Candy Cigarettes" type-of-deal).

But to combine the two--knowing the history and the facts and the reasons and the presence of television cameras, I don't know.

It doesn't feel right.

I wonder what the Adenhart family thinks about that picture.

--

Usually, I write these posts and know where I stand on the matter.

This time I don't.

But I do know that I'll be thinking of what happened the next time I have a couple of drinks and thinking about getting into the driver's seat.

That's a tribute.

--

All background information via Deadspin.


More soon.

JS

Technologial Evolution--Darwinian Concepts Applied To Cellphone Usage

My first touchscreen phone was the Samsung Glyde.

It was the only touchscreen phone Verizon had at the time and I was suffering from severe iPhone envy. I still wasn't in a Blackberry frame-of-mind yet, and my Palm Treo had become too obnoxious to use without a data plan. So I got the Glyde.

It sucked as a touchscreen, but the slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard was nice--real nice, actually. I liked the landscape keyboard better than the portrait style keyboard on the Treo. So naturally, when I got the Blackberry Drizzle--I mean, Storm soon after, I rotated that sucker into landscape mode just about every time I picked it up (and waited three seconds while the software followed suit--oh, how I miss you, Blackberry Drizzle).

(Yeah, not really)

Then, after the finance Gods smiled down on me, and I finally gave up on an under-supported, still-too-green Drizzle, I got the iPhone 3G. And there was a dilemma:

The iPhone didn't support a landscape keyboard (mostly).

I became a portrait guy again.

Fast-forward to when OS 3.0 was announced--the landscape keyboard would now be supported throughout: How exciting!

Fast-forward to when OS 3.0 was available for download: Can't wait to use that landscape keyboard!

Fast-forward to now: I never use the landscape keyboard.

Ever.

Except for the times where I think: Oh yeah, I could be using the landscape keyboard right now and rotate the phone to use it just that once.

Why did this happen? Because I was forced to use a portrait-style keyboard (that functions really, really well) and I adapted. And that's what I use, even when I have the option to use both, because it's what I like and what I'm used to.

I had the option to use both on the Drizzle--I didn't.

The portrait keyboard sucked.

And I promise, this all comes into play later.

--

So this morning, I was reading this article by Elinor Mills of CNET and that's what got me thinking.

I'm a iPhone fan. I loved the 3G and love my 3GS even more. As a matter of fact, I can honestly say that it's the ninth or tenth cell phone I've owned in my life and it's the first time I've never uttered the phrase, "God, I hate this thing" at some point.

I've used every major carrier, I've had flip phones, direct connect phones, smart phones, touch screens--everything. I went through the Nextel bleeping craze, the Palm PDA-to-phone craze, the text messaging revolution, the data plan revolution, and now the portable media device-as-a-phone revolution.

Still, to me, the iPhone is the head of the class.

Now, I've heard the complaints about AT&T's service. I've been told how much it sucks, how spotty the reception can be, the delays in text and visual voicemail, and I've got to say it:

I've never really had these issues.

Why? Am I am anomaly?

Do I happen to always inhabit a spot where AT&T's service is strong?

Is it possible that I'm so Apple-centric that I am blind to reasonable complaints and confirmed short-comings? (highly possible)

Or--

Am I experiencing technological evolution?

Because here's the thing--

I don't talk on the phone.

I know, I know--mind blowing, right?

But the reality is that I don't, or at the very least, not very often.

I pay for unlimited text messages. I pay for unlimited data. I have instant messenger, Facebook, and Twitter applications. As of this Friday, I'll finally even have access to MMS, which to be honest, I probably won't even use that much, also a result of my evolution.

Technology is a living organism. It doesn't exist in a vacuum. It takes into account what the user wants--our feedback and our complaints and our highlights and our lowlights--and it all gets filtered and applied.

I don't not use my phone as a phone because of AT&T's service. I use a host of other easier, faster options because they work for me, and from what I can see, a lot of other people too.

And this might be the reason why AT&T doesn't see the need to put out the "your service sucks!" fire as fast as some would like.

Think about it--the next time you text a friend, the next time you write on your sister's Facebook page, the next time you e-mail a picture to someone.

--

I forgot who said it, but I'm fascinated by the notion that humans tend to think of themselves as the end of the evolutionary line, when really, on a developmental level, we're still very much a beta version.

It's the same with phones--telecommunications now is light years away from where it was ten years ago, twenty years ago, fifty years ago.

It's no longer enough to say, "Kill or be killed."

More like, "Text or be deleted from contacts."


More soon.

JS

It's Here

My birthday is this Saturday.

Twenty-five.

Soon I won't be eligible for the "young, up-and-coming author" status, which keeps me up at night.

While I'm expecting good times and a good party and love from family and friends, I just got what will probably wind up being the best gift I receive.

It's here.

Live right now on Word Riot is a chapter from Whitney entitled, "My Bike Short Are Not Yours, Or My Bulge."

Read it here.

Listen to it here.

Tell your friends about it.

Tell me what you think about it.

Tell me what you think about it.

It's a great feeling to see your hard work pay off.

Share with me.


More soon.

JS

There's The iPod, And Then There's Everyone Else

Anybody who reads this blog knows I'm a fan of Apple products.

It's a strange place to be in the technology world. From a theoretical standpoint, Apple is the underdog, yet they have the public perception as being front-runners and elitists. It's the equivalent of the Pittsburgh Pirates being treated as if they were the New York Yankees.

One thing you can't take away from Apple is the iPod. There's the iPod and then there's everyone else, and now, as Apple looks to begin taking the brand into clear multiple directions (Shuffle for workouts, Nano for on-the-go music/amateur video, Touch for gaming, Classic for your car), we'll see if the competition can at least make it interesting.

And with Apple having already sold 220 million iPods (and counting), it will certainly be an uphill climb.

That's why today is so important.

Today, the Zune HD is available (16 GB, $220/32 GB, $289) for purchase. And normally I'd complete that sentence with something like, "at a Microsoft store location," but since that doesn't exist (yet), I'll just give the link for the Zune store.

Normally I'd also say that the Zune HD is clearly aimed at taking down the iPod, but that would mean it has to catch up to it first.

I look forward to playing with one, but for now, I'll rely on reviews to forge my opinion. And there's a bunch of good ones out there:

-Wired Review of Zune HD

-Gizmodo Looks at Zune HD (The full review should be available today)

-Cnet Review of Zune HD

-Zune HD disassembly by AnythingButiPod (with a really great story behind the Zune HD dedication)

From what I've read so far, I still don't see why I'd want to switch to a Zune, which will be a big problem for Microsoft going forward.

Plus, a few of the features highlighted as "new" to the Zune are features that Apple either already has in their iPods, or even worse, invented.

I still feel that there is only one power play move all the companies out there, Microsoft included, can make if they want to make money in the mp3 player game (although even that window may have passed):

Pay Apple to make the App Store multi-platform.

Obviously I say this without knowing if Apple would even sniff something like that--basically outsourcing their marketplace--or have the resources to pull it off, but for now, it seems like the only way to make it back into the mp3 player market.

Besides, you know, developing something--new.

There's just too much ground to make up at this point.

And that's with taking the Zune HD, available today, into account.


More soon,

JS

The greatest. Walk-off celebration. By a team. Ever.

There's been a lot of talk about how this year's Yankees team is more relaxed, having more fun, and has the right mix of personalities to really make a run. Gone are the days dominated by a stiff, corporate attitude that only added to the problem during slumps and losing streaks.

Whether or not that is the case remains to be seen, although the cult of Nick Swisher and the walk-off pie celebrations are certainly evidence in favor of it.

But something happened a couple of days ago.

And it's an occurrence that puts it all in perspective:

The greatest. Walk-off celebration. By a team. Ever.

I'm a fan of athletic celebrations of all types. Spiking a football, fist bumps, fist pumps, end zone antics, throat slashes, screams, moans, and jersey's pulled aside to reveal one's heart. NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB--you name it, I like it. And the more premeditated, the better.

When it's your team celebrating, it only adds to the joy. When it's the other team, it gets you fired up. Breeds anger/hatred and adds to competition and rivalry. That's a good thing. It's missing from sports. It's a win-win, unless you're some stodgy, old crud who pines for the days of under-handed foul shots, pitchers who pitched complete games, and racial segregation.

There will be some people pounding the podium over what you're about to see, but really, who cares? Sports are entertainment, plain and simple.

And it doesn't get much more entertaining than this.

For your viewing pleasure:



Thanks to Kerry for letting me know about this yesterday--I was waiting for some good footage to pop up.


More soon.

JS

The Hummer Of Cellphones

It's Thursday and it's dragging like David Wright's helmet and I've got a few good stories to share.

Know what that sounds like?

Sounds like a mixed bag to me.

--

-First up, I posted yesterday about my prediction for how the Yankees will close out their final 30 games of the season. With a 10-2 win last night, I'm right on track.

LoHud.com put up the pitching match-ups for the upcoming four-game series with Toronto, and I'm feeling pretty confident about a 2/2 split. We should get one win out of Mitre/Gaudin (probably Mitre) and I'll take Pettitte over Brett Cecil while conceding Halladay over Joba.

-Next is an amazing feature from Newsweek. Sergei Mikhailobich Prokudin-Gorskii was named royal photographer by Czar Nicholas II during the beginning of the 20th century. These are some of the pictures he took from 1907-1915.

This guy rode though pre-revolutionary Russia in a dark-room rail car--shooting in color, no less. He basically shot everything three times--with red, green, and blue filters, and then combined them. Pretty amazing stuff.

-I haven't had much to say about the Health Care debate because I'm not really sure which side I'm on. I wind up fighting for it with people who are against it and vice versa. Nicholas Kristof had a great op-ed piece in the Times yesterday that points out how we've got no problems (or very few, at least) with some other major government-run public institutions, and that health care could benefit in just the same way.

-Newsweek posted a excerpt from Judy Shepard's new memoir. From a technician's standpoint, I'm not very fond of the writing, but the subject matter outweighs the performance in this case. Everybody should be knowledgable about this topic.

-So--it's September.

And I have an iPhone, by far the best smartphone available.

And I still can't send MMS.

AT&T and Apple said I'd be able to do by now.

So--what's the deal?

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that, as Jenna Wortham points out:

Slim and sleek as it is, the iPhone is really the Hummer of cellphones.

Yikes. She's right.

-Just saw this now, haven't read it yet though. Bill Simmons? In Las Vegas? With his buddies? How could you not read it?

--

That's all for now, kids.


More soon.

JS