July 19, 2008

Casey: Maybe I'll grow up to be a pin-up model?

So, tonight I attended the Baltimore Erotic Arts Festival - which was fantastic. I always love burlesque and there was lots of it. It's always kind of cool to be in such an extremely sex-positive space. Plus I got to gossip with Adele and made a new friend named Courtney.

However, I learned that there's a photographer in Baltimore who has a studio for shooting pin-up model photographs! This pretty much seems like the coolest thing ever and I kind of want to do it. The only part that concerns me is the bit about preparing for your photo-shoot where she specifically expects your legs to be shaved. I don't think I'd want to shave my legs for this. I kind of want to email her about it though - it's probably not a big deal.

I feel like if I was going to do it, I might as well go all out and do the calendar. Maybe I should start saving up! I could schedule something now for Thanksgiving Break.

July 19, 2008 05:10 AM

July 18, 2008

Kevin: SnagFilms

There’s a new site called SnagFilms which is aiming to do for documentaries what Hulu has done for TV and some movies - Free viewing with some minor ads to pay the bills. The great thing about this site is the filmmakers split the ad revenue with the company 50-50.

Check it out at SnagFilms.com

For your viewing convenience, I’ve snagged Super Size Me from the site. Watch it right now for free!




July 18, 2008 05:16 AM

July 17, 2008

Gui: PSA: Fish feeding

If you feel the urge to feed the fishes of the Charles, Jenn and I recommend visiting the dock along the Boston side of the esplanade, just north of the Massachusetts Ave bridge. Twilight is the best feeding time, when they all come out to eat the insects resting on the surface of the water.

However...

If you want to feed the fishes (ground up pretzels work great, by the way), resist the urge to dangle your feet in the water simultaneously. Pinky toes look a lot like big pretzels, apparently.

July 17, 2008 04:31 PM

DJ: *drools*

http://www.hothardware.com/News/Toshiba_Launches_First_Cell_CPUbased_Laptop/

Hot dang.

July 17, 2008 02:02 AM

July 15, 2008

Skuld2006's Xanga: Domestic and crunchy?

Life is so nuts.  I think I have everything I could possibly want, except for time.  My farm share veggies (locally grown and organic) are fun and uh, educational.  I'm working on the deliciousness, but I'm optimistic about it.  I'm learning so much about veggies!  This blog was actually inspired by this article on storing ginger.  I enjoyed it so much that I had to share it. 

As of tonight, I have a worm bin for all of those turnip peelings and  lettuce parts. It's scary and fun and exciting.  Also, I'm reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, feeling very sympathetic for those cows, and trying to learn how to cook Indian food.  Christie was trying to convince me that if she's too busy to cook her share of the veggies, I would be okay because I have DJ.  Ha!  I told her I'd have to disguise them as rice or as Indian food.  Last night I scrubbed my kitchen floor with a water-vinegar solution, recommended in my green housekeeping book.  Not sure how much I like that yet.  And I bought basil that I'm really afraid will die on me. 

All this green stuff . . . good thing I work for a defense contractor.  Work is so intense.  I swear, pretty soon I will need to set alarms to remind me to drink water, use the bathroom, and not be late for my train.  I haven't missed it in a while, but I've definitely had to run on more than one occasion. 

I need to chill out.  And exercise.  I think I should play Wii Fitness tomorrow.  Or maybe Thursday.

July 15, 2008 10:30 PM

July 14, 2008

Casey: Rose-Colored Summer

This is the best summer ever. I love being in Baltimore.

I think I did something on Monday night but now I can't remember what it was.
Tuesday was Gay Jeopardy at the PFLAG meeting. Too many of the question were pop culture from the 50s if you ask me.
Wednesday was my mystery date with the girl from okcupid which went fabulously. Plus there was a fire drill that day so my coworkers and I went to a bar to get a drink instead of assembling in the park.
Thursday was the AVAM movie (Close Encounters of a Third Kind) with Mia/Abby/Chuck. It was such nice weather - and the movie was so good.
Friday was the aquarium with RYA. I was pretty exhausted by this point so I went to bed at 10:30pm.

Then on Saturday, I went on a 12 mile bike ride with my mom and mailed my 1930s package.
Today I went ice skating with Mia/Abby/Chuck/Jennie and bought a fabulous new 1940s swimsuit.

Woo-hoo.

July 14, 2008 03:10 AM

July 10, 2008

DJ: Trivialities

To whomever made WeCanBelieveIn:

I <3 you, but your PHP-fu is lacking.

July 10, 2008 08:23 PM

DJ: Immunity Watch 2

I meant to post a more complete update after learning the outcome of the vote, but I realized my previous exposition sucked and it was probably best to start over. My apologies for the retread. Here is an improved explanation of what has happened:

California U.S. District Court Justice Vaughn Walker, presiding over most (all?) of the high-profile telecom lawsuits in conjunction with Bush’s warrentless wiretapping program, recently handed down the latest in a series of rulings that flatly contradict Bush’s defense of the program. The administration has repeatedly attempted to both block evidence using the state secrets privilege, and get suits dropped using specious claims about Bush’s wartime powers. Most recently Walker asserted that he will consider these cases–that non-classified evidence can be used to gain standing for classified evidence, and more importantly that Bush at no time had the right to circumvent FISA.

It needs to be understood that Walker is not liberal, much less liberal-activist. He is a Bush appointee. In his ruling, Walker admitted that he had established very stringent rules of evidence, leaving the the Al-Haramain and EFF attourneys with a tough fight ahead. Nonetheless, the decision gave Al-Haramain at least a potential route forward in its suit. This caused blood to drain from the collective pudgy face of congress. It gave credence to the DoJ’s argument that imminent legal actions might punish the “patriotic” actions of the telecoms in helping Bush’s spooks. It is a fear that’s helped shape the ungodly piece of legislation you’ve all been hearing about today.

Billed as a “reform” and “safeguard” legislation, I gather the bill basically reasserts FISA as the proper channel for covert taps, with some small changes to the rules to improve oversight and ensure the spies can get what they need through proper channels. In this regard, it is perhaps an improvement over the current perceived vagueries–I haven’t studied it closely enough to judge whether it makes the FISA court itself more or less broken, and I’m skeptical about Bush suddenly heeding FISA when he didn’t before.

What’s exceptional about the FISA reform bill, however, is the well-publicized amnesty rider it carried. Now that the bill has passed, with this provision in tact, Vaughn Walker’s race against irrelevance is essentially lost. AT&T and other telecoms have been granted a clean slate. The lawsuits against them can now be quashed with a single notice from the justice department, which is sure to be forthcoming.

I was excited by the prospect of a way out, but the numbers show there was little support for the Dodd and Bingaman amendments seeking to strike retroactive amnesty from the bill. The unmodified bill then passed with room to spare. Yes, congress can now be briefed by the Inspectors General, but the chance at real accountability has been removed. Whatever my feelings about the sincerity of Washington’s intent to report honestly on activities that might scandalize it, it’s now clear that there will be no justice unless congress completely reverses itself in 2009.

And while I’m not taking back my support of Obama, I have to point out that Hillary got this one right, while Barack got it wrong. Politically right perhaps, but ethically wrong.

Um, so. Yeah.

Vaughn Walker / Wesley Clark ‘08!

No?

Shucks.

July 10, 2008 04:43 AM

July 09, 2008

DJ: Call and Answer

Quite a while back, I wrote about an interesting ESR essay, written in summer 2006, explaining that 2008 is a deadline for paradigm shifts in the operating system market. Fast forward to the present, where ZDNET claims Linux is in fact supplanting Windows in sections of the lightweight notebook market. Specifically, in Taiwan the Asus EEE PC is selling a lot of units to mainstream shoppers who aren’t willing to fork over the extra $60 for Windows pre-installed, and are opting for Ubuntu instead.

The opening that enabled this to happen is arguably not part of Eric’s paradigm shift, but I think he would call it timely. If 2008 is really a critical year, then Microsoft picked a lovely time to jump the shark with Vista. They delivered another product that costs too much money and CPU/GPU to deliver cruft people don’t need. This hurts the worst in emerging hybrid markets. Storage Bits says, “Looks like the netbook is this decade’s new form: a minimalist computer for Internet, email, chatting, video and light application use… Housewives don’t need Office and Exchange.”

Note that this has no direct impact on the US market, where mindshare and monopolistic practices tend to make buyers of new computers feel they have no alternative to Vista (except in some cases XP). But if housewives are seriously considering Linux, that’s a hopeful sign at least, not to mention a potential opportunity to address the system’s chronic lack of usability focus.

July 09, 2008 08:34 PM

DJ: Immunity Watch

UPDATE: I am very disappointed in you, Senators.

Got my Slashdot politics fix, woohoo. Latest dirt in Spygate:

In a further case of the “Vaughn Walker is a badass” phenomenon, the California district judge presiding in warrantless wiretapping cases flatly contradicts Bush’s defense of the warentless tap program and provides means for at least one lawsuit to proceed. Stuff ensues, although and suddenly it’s most likely a race against irrelevance anyway. The unamended FISA bill would kill those cases. There is still a way out, although I’m not clear on what kind of support it has.

The idea behind Bingaman’s amendment, as I understand it, is that congress can’t grant amnesty for what it doesn’t know about, and would suspend judgment until after the delivery of the inspector general’s report mandated in the bill. Thereby letting senators pat themselves on the back for passing something this election cycle, which is apparently really important to them. Who knew?

In terms of the candidates and their stances, McCain’s right out, as he’s pretty much said he’d spy illegally too if he had the chance; Obama has made it clear that he wants the amendments, but is basically willing to pass a flawed reform bill. Color me nonplussed.

As for me, I’m contemplating a “Free Vaughn Walker” shirt. Well, I was when I read the title of the Wired article, and thought they were trying to debar the dude or something. Only later did I realize they were referring to the amnesty provision.

(Side note: I’d got it in my head somewhere that Justice Walker was connected to Katzmiller v. Dover School District, in which the presiding judge basically stomped on Intelligent Design as a public school science topic. Not so. At any rate, both justices are Republicans, which is kind of heartening to know.)

(Side note 2: Oh God my head hurts. Oh God Oh God Oh God. People watch this stuff?)

July 09, 2008 03:09 AM

July 08, 2008

DJ: Happy.

Not only is our ‘net back on; for the first time in a long time my laptop is happy:

July 08, 2008 10:21 PM

Laura: Rapture

July 08, 2008 03:15 PM

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July 08, 2008 11:11 AM

July 07, 2008

Tim: Weekend of Action! (tm)

It has been a Long Weekend of Action! (tm).

Friday, 7/4: Project Best Idea Ever 4.0.
This is maybe the most awesome thing I've done in Boston yet. Man Hall alumni, ring-led by Anthony Roldan and Andrew Coats, organized a flotilla of more than 20 inflatable rafts on the less toxic than previously! Charles River for the fireworks (which, for the uninitiated, are launched from a barge on the river between the Harvard/Mass Ave and Longfellow bridges, thus making the river itself an excellent viewing point). We assembled at Beef & Beer house in Somerville to receive our life vests and flags, MBTA'd it to the BU Bridge to pick up our rafts and head down to the BU boathouse (perhaps illegally crossing Storrow Drive in the process -- shh), where we inflated our watercraft, entered the river, and headed east. We paused at the Mass Ave bridge to wait for the stragglers to catch up and enjoy hot dogs, grilled on the water by Anthony and Coats with camping stoves jury-rigged to a canoe (!), before continuing to our anchor point at the edge of the restricted zone.

It was a beautiful evening on the water. Experiencing a sunset on the Charles is [HIGHLY RECOMMENDED] -- it set up this awesome orange glow on the water and over the MIT dome. The goings-on were sufficiently amplified that we could clearly hear the Boston Pops and the utterly inane radio announcers (who we mocked without pity). On the other hand, we could also hear Rascal Flats, so I guess it was sort of a mixed bag. The fireworks themselves were almost overwhelming in their sheer volume, both audibly and visibly. 22,000 pounds of explosives (per the Globe) puts on a hell of a show. I think the jellyfish/Pac-Man ghosts were my favorite, though the upside-down smiley faces were pretty awesome.

Afterwards, our exit was facilitated by a convenient dinghy dock at the Esplanade, where we deflated our rafts and dripped our way back to the Red Line. Somewhere on Beacon Street, a woman in the mold of a Boston Brahmin, observing our life jackets and oars and our direction of travel (away from the water), jovially asked us where the boat was -- I pointed to the folded raft my boat buddy Alorah was carrying and said "right here!" She laughed bemusedly. I grinned.

All in all, a brilliant success. I've never been prouder of our national pyromania. Beef and Beer folks deserve "mad props" for flawless execution.

Saturday was a bit less eventful, in that I woke up at 11, sat in my room all day, and posted journal articles to my tumblelog (kumokasumi_tmbl). Oops. George S. dragged me out of my apartment for dinner at Nine Tastes in Harvard Square, which was tasty.

Sunday, I headed up to Diesel in Somerville to check it out and chat with Chris Morse before he leaves town for a puzzle conference. It's probably my favorite coffeehouse yet -- large and well-lit, with ample seating (apparently it wasn't very crowded this morning) and well-executed decor. And good coffee! -- they serve Intelligentsia. How can you lose? Then I met up with spiraloflife, who also had a quiet Saturday and was in the mood for Action. We went to an Indian restaurant in JP for the lunch buffet and then hit up the Museum of Fine Arts (for free!) for the afternoon. (Colonial portraiture is kind of boring. American impressionists are more fun. Japanese art is pretty. The end!) Then, I came home, scribbled down some notes about CORe, and biked over to Harvard Square to meet up with cat_bird and her beau Simon for a showing of "Blade Runner: Final Cut" at the Brattle (awesome) followed by ice cream at Herrell's (not bad either).

Anyway, it's past my bedtime. Supposed to be warm this week -- ew. Tomorrow I get to sit at a microscope for most of the day, which at least means I can commune with my Zune without appearing antisocial. Hurrah!

July 07, 2008 04:38 AM

Casey: Philly Folk Fest

I'm officially on the Central Control Committee! Wooo! I get to do fun backstage things 8 hours a day at fest!

Clearly this is just another reason you should come to the Philly Folk Fest. I will have a strategically-placed tent you can crash in. It only costs like $45 bucks for the three-day festival if you volunteer + you can camp for free and are provided two meals per day. Come August 15-17th for a good time.

Also, did I mention that Kimya Dawson and Great Big Sea are performing?

July 07, 2008 12:57 AM

July 05, 2008

Gui: Oh man

The best view of the Boston Pops fireworks is from a kayak as close to barge as lawfully possible (nothing like being pulled by the po to ruin your fourth). We were so close, it felt like the kayaks were slowly being pushed back by the shock waves. 

Project Best Idea Ever (http://www.projectbestideaever.com/) was also fantastic. Anthony and Coats rigged a rowboat with a couple of gas grills and brought along 15 pounds of hot dogs and some beer, and a giant mass of Olin folk in small rafts conglomerated around them on the west side of the barge. Jenn and I towed a couple of people who didn't quite get the whole paddling thing (Jeff and Matt, for instance, decided to each sit in one roundish raft with one paddle, and promptly began spinning in circles on the water), and everyone generally had a good time.

July 05, 2008 05:20 AM

July 04, 2008

Casey: Celery Soda

This would be sooooo goooood with gin in it:

2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons freshly ground celery seed
Soda water

Place the sugar and the water into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to combine. Continue to stir frequently until all of the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the celery seed, cover and allow to steep for 1 hour. Strain though a fine mesh strainer into a heat-proof container and place in the refrigerator, uncovered until completely cool. Place in an airtight container and store for up to 6 months.

To use, add 2 tablespoons of syrup to 1 cup soda water and stir to combine.

I just made some and its excellent. But I don't have any gin :(

July 04, 2008 10:31 PM

Gui: Today

Rain, rain, go away,
Fireworks come out and play. 

July 04, 2008 09:22 AM

July 03, 2008

Casey: Observations

Now that I've been working at Constellation for a little over a month, I feel pretty comfortable there. I generally like the people I'm working with - even if they do talk about sports too much. The work I'm doing is vaguely interesting - I don't think I'll regret having spent the summer here.

However, I have noticed a couple of odd things:

1. People eat a lot of candy at Constellation Energy. There is candy at every reception desk and people have huge tubs of candy at their desks. I don't understand it. They aren't even fat! Where does all this candy go?

2. Everyone uses toilet seat covers. I don't understand why - the toilets are totally spotless. Yet everyone walks into the bathroom and grabs a little paper cover. I wonder if they think I'm weird for not using one. It kind of creeps me out.

So, I'm not really sure what that means.

Also, the season finale of Tila Tequila was ridiculous. I still stand by the opinion that it is not possible for her to be attracted to women and not choose Dani. She always chooses the wimpy one. She will never find love at this rate.

Edit: So I think it would kind of be cool to get a tattoo, but I don't want to get something lame. Then an epiphany occurred to me! A monkey's fist! I can't decide how I feel about the symbolism though. Anyway, I doubt I'll get a tattoo before I graduate.

"In the American hobo world there exists another fascinating relationship with Buddhist Asian life: it is as simple as a knot. The Monkey's Fist Knot, used by sailors since when, is a sort of Gordian Knot that is secure and won't let go. It is also known as the "Lifeline". Hobos in America have adopted the Monkey's Fist Knot as their personal symbol of the hobo friendship bond. Among the martial arts monks of my order, the Monkey Fist Style is a fighting style based precisely upon this knot. It is a Chinese knot, and is used in every knot the Chinese tie- thus it is commonly called the 'Chinese knot'. There are martial arts "Monkey Fist families", who form the knot symbolically with their fists to identify themselves. It is this knot-fist that is used to disable an attacker as well as to greet a brother. A true lifeline, a symbol of such deep meaning that coincidentally spans the world and is brought together by the hobos of the world." http://www.hackwriters.com/hobos.htm

" There are two primary symbols the Palmer Drug Abuse Program (PDAP) uses to acknowledge sobriety and family involvement. Teenagers and adults involved in the PDAP recovery groups receive a "Monkey Fist" for 30 days of continuous sobriety. Parents receive the "Parents Heart" for participation in PDAP family group for 30 days.

The "Monkey Fist" is a mariner's knot used by ships to help them dock. A baseball sized knot with lines attached is thrown from the ship to the dock-the first contact the ship has with land. The crew on shore catches the knot, secures the line to the dock and pulls the ship to shore. At PDAP we have adopted this as a symbol representing our sobriety as we are being pulled in from the sea of drugs and alcohol. The fist symbolizes first contact to solid ground, with the group symbolizing the crew that pulls the newcomer safely to shore. Traditionally, the small leather monkey fist is suspended on a leather thong around the PDAPer's neck. This symbol also serves as the PDAP logo."

July 03, 2008 12:28 AM

July 02, 2008

Laura: Sunny Days

There's a man in my life. Tall...dark...handsome...47...married...with kids...and did I mention he lives in the Republic of Guinea? I've never met him face to face, but I can spot his voice in a heartbeat because we yell at each other on the phone every day.

Cellphone rings at 6 am, there's a long string of numbers on the display
[groggy, wiping sleep from eyes]
"Hello?"
{crackle crackle hiss crackle}
"Hallo, Miss Lo-rah?"
{crackle}
"HI LAMINE. CAN YOU HEAR ME?"
"MISS LO-RAH? I NEED {crackle FIZZ FIZZcrackle crackle} EMBASSY {crackle} PAS{hiss} PLEASE, MISS LO-RAH."
"PLEASE. SAY. AGAIN. LINE. IS. BAD."
"IT IS VERY BAD HERE. I AM SUFFERING. THE EMBASSY {fizzyhisshiss} VISA WON'T{cracklefizz}...."
"THE LINE. IS. BAD. PLEASE. SEND. EMAIL."
"THERE IS NO ELECTRICITY, MISS LO-RAH...PLEASE {cracklepop} CALL EMBASSY".
"I. CAN'T. REACH. EMBASSY. MY CALLS. DO NOT. GO. THROUGH."
"PLEASE, MS. LO-RAH, {hissycracklefizz}..." and so forth.

Craziness. Pure madness.

I tried to mail him some important papers from MIT for his visa application through DHL. Then the troops in Guinea decided to riot because they weren't being paid, and DHL stopped delivering to Guinea. Lamine had to travel 800 km from his home to Conakry where violence was the worst, and he was stuck there in limbo, waiting for my stupid papers that DHL was holding.

Man, I nearly went to bits. I couldn't talk to him on the phone. I couldn't tell if he was reading my emails with all the power outages. None of my text messages were reaching him, although his flowed in every day--"ms laura the solders catch the son of the president", "laura i wait for you .lamine diakite".

And you know what? After 3 months of shuddering with frustration and guilt at the sound of my phone, LAMINE GOT HIS VISA!!!!!! The guy is clearly brilliant. I knew before that he speaks 22 languages, but anyone who can navigate the bureaucracy at an American Embassy and wrestle out a US visa in those conditions is a bloody magician.

It's true, I can finally say he's coming to IDDS now, I booked his ticket. I feel very strangely entangled for a person I've never met. It seems like I've thought about him constantly for weeks on end, even in my dreams I can't escape him. So I figure we're either going to be best friends or worst enemies. I can't help wondering if he's a complete charlatan who conned his way into a free ticket to the US.

Meanwhile, the first of the international organizers have arrived and IDDS kicks off full blast ummm...1.5 weeks from now!!!

***
And finally, a few more lingering thoughts on consumption. An MIT class calculated that even homeless people in US have carbon footprints that are twice the global average. (They divided the footprint of the infrastructure in the US --roads, schools, military, libraries--equally among everyone.) So, hey, even if you make no money and spend no money, you're still wrecking the environment.

Woon showed me the Happy Planet Index, which calculates the countries that have the happiest people with the lowest footprints. Apparently, island nations win this game, with Vanuatu at the top of the pile (7.4 happiness rating, 68.6 years life expectancy, and if everyone lived by their standards, we would need 1.1 Earths worth of resources. In comparison, the US and Germany have similar ratings but the US needs 9.5 friggin planets, while Germany needs 4.8 planets--half of the US impact.)

So maybe all the eco-puritans should flee to Vanuatu?

In the mean time, I still cling to my belief that individuals make a difference, whether it's through choosing to live lightly on no funds, fund your favorite world-changing charities, create/run your favorite world-changing business, or enjoy your own life heartily.

July 02, 2008 05:53 PM

My picture from the previous post made Photo of the Day at DCist!

July 02, 2008 12:40 PM

Sarah: Snack time for grownups

At the Safeway where I usually shop.

July 02, 2008 07:46 AM

June 30, 2008

Matt: One Year

So it’s crazy to think that it’s been a year since I moved to San Francisco, it really doesn’t seem to be that long ago. I guess now I am approaching the point that I feel like I know where everything is.

Since coming here some things have definitely changed. When I first got my bike it was a trial to get to work but now I feel quite at home riding through downtown traffic. When I first started cooking I spent alot of time trying different things, now I try to cook as quickly as possible. On the other hand some parts of my life are very routine: doing laundry, going to the grocery store and my morning routine.

However I think I have found a good balance of mixing the new with the old and am generally happy. I guess my one complaint about San Francisco is that I wish it was warmer in the summer. Other than that its been a really good year. Hopefully the next will be even better.

June 30, 2008 05:55 AM

June 29, 2008

Tim: I can never drink Starbucks milk again ;_;

1. Heyyy Boston! Beaching / Harbor-Islanding should happen. The only real question is: when? Vote here for days where you're down for a day trip to either the Harbor Islands (some of which have beaches!) or a more traditional beach somewhere along the coast. I've selfishly removed the two weeks in mid-July that don't work well for me -- <3.

2. So I went to Simon's Coffee Shop this morning and Simon made me a cappuccino. So that's what that's supposed to taste like.

Amazing would begin to describe it. I've never had perfectly textured milk before.

The tomato and mozzarella sandwich wasn't bad either! And all at perfectly reasonable coffeehouse prices!

Someone needs to convince them to move to nicer digs though... as it is, the storefront is slightly awkward geographically in that it is halfway between Porter and Harvard (and a 10-minute walk from either), there's not a lot of seating, and the seating that they have is sort of awkward thanks to the super-narrow layout of the store. Wireless is pay-to-play, too -- $5/hour or $8/day. But the espresso is HIGHLY RECCD. If you haven't been you don't even have a concept of what you're missing.

June 29, 2008 09:00 PM

Tim: operation: culture

here is an incomplete yet overambitious list of things i am going to do and places i am going to visit in the greater boston area this summer. if you would like to accompany me to some or potentially even all of them, i would welcome you! if you have suggested additions to my list or if there are places you would like to take me, i would welcome that as well. let us begin!

rock shows and movies, some of which are imminent:
- 6/30, paradise rock club: datarock and ladytron. hm! a little steep at $25 door price though. sold out anyway.
- this week at the kendall square cinema: "auf der anderen seite / the edge of heaven." featured review in the phoenix this week; sounds like fun.
- 7/1: oxford collapse at tt the bear's; $10, 8:30 doors. you know them for "please visit your national parks" -- nothing you haven't heard before, but competent alt rock and probably kind of fun to the secret fratboy corner of your brain.
- 7/4-7/8 daily, brattle theater, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30, 10:00: blade runner: final cut ("to this day, one of the most influential science-fiction films of all time, blending film-noir and high-tech in a prototype for ‘cyberpunk,’ and one of the most authentic seeming visions of the future in all of film.")
- 7/14: fleet foxes and no age are playing separate stages at the mideast! which show do i attend!
- 8/2: wolf parade at the paradise rock club
- 8/12: thao with the get down stay down at tt the bear's; wilco at tanglewood. think i'm gonna go for wilco on this one.

activities without specific dates:
- go boating on the charles (pbie might suffice for this) done! would do again.
- the institute of contemporary art visited; would return. target free thursdays!
- spend lazy weekend mornings at simon's and diesel (north cambridge and somerville seem to have much more active coffee culture than central square)
- museum of science (open til' 9 on fridays, $17)
- museum of fine art (free wednesdays 4p-9:45p)
- isabel stewart gardner museum (tue-sun 11-5; closed 7/4. $5 w/ id)
- beaches! a proper beach, mind, probably well north of us. or maybe the cape, or p-town. any way you slice it! beaches must be had!
- new england aquarium ($20)
- urban oases: boston harbor islands, Castle Island
- as you like it, free on the boston common: jul 16 thru aug 3.
- walk at least the downtown bits of the freedom trail

during the school year:
- 9/16: dandy warhols and stars together at the wilbur theater -- the same day the new fujiya and miyagi is released. best evening in pop, ever? i am totally clearing my calendar for this one guys.
- 9/22: mogwai and fuck buttons, also together at the wilbur theater. kate m. and i are definitely in for this one.
- 10/4: tegan and sara... at the palladium in worcester :/ we should buy tickets now or they will vanish quickly, or else give up because they're playing worcester of all places
- 10/12: the notwist at the roxy theater
- 10/13: lykke li at the paradise
- 10/30: of montreal at the orpheum (!)
- huntington theatre, 11/7-12/7: stoppard's rock 'n' roll! (i'm glad there's a theatre company in town that likes stoppard as much as i do -- they did "the real thing" in 2006.)
- boston ballet is mandatory. i didn't know i loved ballet until i got to see them perform during UOCD last year. i love ballet. amazing.

June 29, 2008 03:07 AM

June 28, 2008

Adam C.: I think we need a recount.

I was first exposed to Neil deGrasse Tyson a couple of weeks ago via this video on “stupid” design in which he argues that there can’t be a Creator if a Creator existed, it would have “unintelligent” among other attributes (see his comment below), since there’s a load of stuff out there (in the galaxy, on Earth, in our bodies) that will kill us. “This is no garden of Eden,” he states. Since then, I’ve seen his name a couple of times in print, and last week in New York, he hosted the pre-show video at the Hayden Planetarium on Cosmic Collisions. Then I learned that he hosts scienceNOW, a counterpart to the venerable PBS science show, NOVA.

So I finally got around to his Wikipedia page today, and found that in 2000, Tyson was voted the “sexiest Astrophysicist alive” by People Magazine.

‘Nuff friggen said.

As Steve Holt on Arrested Development would say… “STEVE HOLT”!

June 28, 2008 03:06 PM

Sarah: a little book

I made a little book for the girls on the farm. It lacks plot, but I had fun making it anyway. I'm going to try embedding it as a slideshow:

June 28, 2008 09:45 AM

June 27, 2008

Gui: Unfortunate

It turns out that sweet and sour chicken sauce is the same color and viscosity as MIL-H-5606 hydraulic oil.

They certainly taste different.

June 27, 2008 04:44 PM

Casey: Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows

Last weekend was Baltimore Pride. I love Baltimore Pride. I like that it's small. I like running into random people I haven't seen in forever. I was browsing through Curve magazine the other day and they had an article about the best small town prides - both Eugene, OR and Billings, MT were on there. I had the most fun I've had in ages hanging out with Alison and stalking cute girls. At work, this random other intern asked if he had seen me there - apparently it was his first pride (which I assume means he's not gay . . . ?).

After the block party, I went to Federal Hill to chill out in a hookah bar with a bunch of my high school friends. There were bellydancers performing, which I thought was exciting since I just started taking lessons. (Of couse, I've only been to one class so far, but I swear I'm going to go next week.) We got mint/melon which was really good - the mint was key.

I bought a new dress that I'm kind of obsessed with. First off, it's lavender and I frickin' love the color lavender. I'm so glad that I painted my room lavender. It's seriously my favorite color in the entire world - I've decided. Second, it has a giant pocket in the front - it's the perfect dress for apple picking. I can hide so much stuff in this dress. It's awesome.

Last night, I hung out at Chuck's apartment with Abby and Michelle. We went to my favorite old hang-out at Hopkins - which unfortunately was a little disappointing. I remembered it being a lot better. Strange how that happens. Anyway, I learned how to play Bridge! It is an excellent game. We're going to get together and play again on Monday night.

I feel like this summer is going by so quickly, I can't believe it's almost July. Kelly comes home July 3rd though - so I'm excited for that. She's in Morocco now.

My job is going pretty well. I'm working with this other kid on a database for carbon offset project eligibility. I feel kind of ambivalent about working in an office. I don't like sitting all day or being inside all day. But I like all the people I'm working with. I like that it's all open desks, without cubicles. It makes it 10 times easier to amuse myself by eavesdropping on people.

Also, I accidentally started a rumor at Garrison. Oops. How hilarious.

This weekend I'm going to Boston and meeting Roland's boyfriend! I'm so excited.

I still need to figure out what I'm doing for the 4th of July. Originally I was thinking about going up to Boston, but Kelly comes home that weekend. My parents want to sail into the harbor to see the fireworks - but I think Kelly is making alternate plans to hang out with her boyfriend. So . . . I'm not really sure where that leaves me.

Just so I don't forget, random other stuff I need to do:
Finish reading interviews
Work on HPV stuff
Get into the Central Control Committee for the Philly Folk Fest
Email my SIBB
Make elaborate plans

P.S. Get excited for the Baltimore Erotic Arts Festival. Someone must love burlesque as much as I do - I'm planning on going to the Friday night stuff.

June 27, 2008 03:02 AM

June 26, 2008

Tim: Error bars in Office 2007 are worse than broken.

Whose idea was it to ship this crap? Excel is essentially useless for scientific graphing, which is a shame, because PivotCharts are awesome.

June 26, 2008 06:50 PM