You have got to see this. The Google blog pointed me to this video of a 100 second seated soccer dribbing exhibition. It’s pretty damned impressive–so impressive, in fact, that I’m surprised it’s not an edited, special-effectsy marketing campaign aimed at selling something. But what would it be selling? Sitting down is free. No Aquafina to be found, either. Anyway, Google Video holds a lot of magical things, like this.
Oct 312005
Although AT&T’s name will live on after its acquisition by SBC, its famous logo is poised for retirement. Designed by Saul Bass, the AT&T logo is one of the most recognizable in the world. It was kind of a big deal. As that article from the Design Observer notes, Bass’s creation deserves to be remembered, even as it is obsoleted.
For a look back at Bell/AT&T’s logo history, check this page. And, seriously, if you are interested in design at all, you should definitely take a gander at that.
[kottke]
Oct 282005
This video, a demonstration of a drawing tool that, well, it’s hard to describe. It uses an integrated camera to digitally paint with images and video from real life. It’s freaking awesome. Watch it now.
Hopefully you don’t get your news from me, but just in case, here’s the news: Harriet Miers has withdrawn. Despite the fact that almost all of the pressure on her to do so was coming from the GOP, I’m pretty happy about it and think it was defiintely the right result. Miers would have been the most incompetent justice on the court by a wide margin (and yes, I’m including Clarence Thomas).
Oct 272005
So that‘s what a 261,354 point font looks like.
Sports:
- Disturbing: Air Force football coach says something stupid and racist.
‘He said Air Force needed to recruit faster players. “We were looking at things, like you don’t see many minority athletes in our program,” DeBerry told The Gazette of Colorado Springs.When questioned about the remarks during his weekly luncheon Tuesday, the coach didn’t hesitate to elaborate.
“It just seems to be that way, that Afro-American kids can run very, very well. That doesn’t mean that Caucasian kids and other descents can’t run, but it’s very obvious to me they run extremely well,” DeBerry said in remarks first broadcast Tuesday night by KWGN-TV in Denver.’
- More promising: Sheryl Swoopes comes out.
I believe Swoopes is the first well-known athlete in a major team sport to announce his or her homosexuality. And yes, “major” is a relative term. At any rate, this is good news, assuming there isn’t a dumbass backlash.
Music:
- I just don’t like the Fiery Furnaces. I never will. Quirky is fine, but listenable is pretty important to me, also.
- Fatboy Slim’s “Right Here, Right Now” is probably the best song he’ll ever make.
- Death Cab’s latest album is growing on me. I mean, really growing on me. Specifically, “I Will Follow You Into the Dark.” I have been listening to it on repeat for the last half hour, and I’m pretty sure this song could even get Ji a girlfriend. It’s that good.
Books:
- I just finished reading Great Expectations for the first time since 1995. I didn’t like it nearly as much–the protagonist is a dumb selfish jerk; the love interest is two-dimensional and unappealing; the convict is maudlin and implausible in motivation. And what exactly was Pip doing with himself in his time in London? Spending himself into debt, I guess, but wasn’t he supposed to be bettering himself? That said, I’m still glad I reread it. A few characters were still interesting this time around: Joe Gargary, Mr. Jaggers, Wemmick; Herbert Pocket. The plot’s twists and turns were truly surprising the first time I read it, and even on the second reading they were pretty entertaining. Dickens’s writing is still biting, hilarious, tender, and powerful. Still and all, I understand why someone coming at this book from a modern and adult perspective might not be too happy with it.
- I am now reading The Meaning of Everything, which is about the founding and creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. Man, was there ever a book more guaranteed to fascinate me? It’s a bit dry in the telling (that British wit is desiccate) but I love the subject matter, and it turns out that the OED has a pretty wild history. Well, wild relative to that of other lexicographic pursuits, at least.
Internet links:
From YTMND.com, a website apparently inspired by one of my favorite websites ever:
You can find lots more by browsing around YTMND.com.
- You’ll need sound for this one, but it is pretty funny.
- The coup de grace. I don’t want to give too much away, but this website’s background music is my favorite song of the last five years. You can directly download it here, and you definitely should.
Only the Good Buy Young
The Washington area’s booming housing market and a strong economy have created a new breed of home buyer.
Ugh.
The article is pretty interesting, though; do you own your home?
Oct 262005
Miers Defended Social Activism
In speeches more than a decade ago, nominee declares “self-determination” should guide decisions about abortion and school prayer.
While judicial activism is derided by many conservatives, Miers said that sometimes “officials would rather abandon to the courts the hard questions so they can respond to constituents: I did not want to do that — the court is making me.”[later in the article]
“This is going to be very disturbing to conservatives because I think it shows that she is a judicial activist,” said Mathew D. Staver, president and general counsel for the Liberty Counsel, which frequently argues constitutional cases from the conservative perspective. “This concept of self-determination could clearly be read in support for things like abortion or same-sex marriage, and it’s a philosophy that cuts a judge loose from the Constitution.”
Well, I think it’s safe to say that Miers is going to be withdrawing sometime soon. If there’s one thing this administration should know, it’s that they can screw around with liberals as much as they want without any likely recriminations, but they better take care of their conservative supporters along the way.
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