Accept no substitutes

Category: Amusements (Page 7 of 31)

Things that are amusing

Note to Chapel Hill Magazine: It’s Carrboro

Issue Number 1 of Chapel Hill Magazine showed up in the mailbox uninvited but not unappreciated today.

I was immediately confused. The cover is not of Chapel Hill but of Carrboro (“Where it is always 1 degree cooler” says Ron Stutz who is profiled in the magazine). Those who have lived here and those who have only heard “It’s Carrboro” will identify the Weave and the hula hoopers right away.
Flipping to the cover article “15 Ways to Love Your Summer” or “A Summer Place: It’s hot, but it’s cool” — the article is not sure of its own title — the confusion continues. Of the 15 wonders, only 5 and a half are in Chapel Hill. The rest are in Carrboro and in Hillsborough. All of the special days are shared by those two towns — no special summer days are in Chapel Hill it seems.

Note to Chapel Hill Magazine: the Carrboro Poetry Festival has been cancelled this year according to the link you provided and the Festival site.

No wonder people are confused about where they live if even the town magazine isn’t sure what is what. It is possible to have a Chapel Hill mailing address, have kids in Chapel Hill High School, and to live not in Chapel Hill or in Carrboro but in the planning area for Carrboro (meaning you will be annexed by Carrboro one day but for the moment you pay no Chapel Hill or Carrboro taxes).

The Magazine is published in Chapel Hill. Its offices are on Market St in Southern Village where Weaver Street Market, a Carrboro company, has an outpost which we call Market Street Weaver. When Carrboro High opens in 2007, the kids in Southern Village will go there. The Southern Village homeowners are paying Chapel Hill taxes. The tower for WCOM, Carrboro’s community radio station, is there not far from the Magazine’s offices. In fact, you get better reception in Southern Village than in parts of Carrboro. Market Street is just about as close to Carrboro Town Hall (3.4 mi or about 6 mins) as it is to Chapel Hill Town Hall (3.1 mi or about 6 mins) according to Google Maps.

Luckily for the Magazine, confusing Hillsborough is much more difficult.

Chick Lit? The good and the bad and the inappropriately dressed

Bridget Morton writes to the Warren Wilson grads list that she has come to appreciate romance writing, that romance is the largest selling genre, that romance deserves NY Times reviews if ever mystery does, that romance seriously and sometimes humorously challenges the patriarchy, that reading romance makes you thinner, that romance …

Of course I agree. Most people don’t realize this but I was actually a romance cover model and the author of a couple of romance novels (with a friend) under my nom de chest exposure, Fabio.

Facebook to add 1000 corporate networks

According to TechCrunch, Facebook will be available at certain corporations much on the same terms (for users) as it is at universities; that is, users with an email address ending in a certain way can network with others. Say billg@microsoft.com would be in the microsoft.com facebook if such a network were to exist for microsoft.com.

Will Facebook have the same impact in a company as it does at a university?

Warning to Visiting Professors

The only instruction sheet left in my room at the Colegio Mayor Cardenal Cisneros told me about meal times and following that was a warning in four languages (Spanish, English, French and German):

Our visiting professors are kindly requested not to stay in short trousers, swimming trunks or tracksuits in common areas of the Colegio Mayor. We appreciate your collaboration.
Visitors must be received only in the lobby or in the Bar.

Poet’s Revenge

Fredrico Garcia Lorca was fast becoming the best poet and playwright from Granada and from all of Spain when the fortune of Spain took a spin toward right wing revolution and civil war. The local “Black Squad,” Falangists of the worst sort, executed Lorca for being a leftist, a homosexual and a poet in August of 1937.

But time takes it’s turn and after years of no Lorca in Spain but much Lorca elsewhere, Granada has been celebrating Lorca with parks, festivals, play revivals and museums. At the South end of town, there is a lovely city park with a Lorca Museum, but more true to the spirit of Lorca the park has become a new beach. There the young people of Granada bask in the sun in a celebration of youth and of life among the tall trees and flowers.

There were even children’s books about Lorca for sale in the various tourist shops all over Granada and in the airport at Madrid.

No where did I see a monument to the Falange or to Franco. But there is still an active Falangist Party in Granada. For some reason they “black out” the eyes of many of the people on their own website.

In Granada

My trip over was mostly uneventful and mostly on schedule. That’s more that is true for most folks coming here from UNC and for our friend Paula who was on her way to Northern Cyprus. I met Paula in RDU after she had been bumped unwillingly from her connecting flight out. We ended up flying to Gatwick together and had a fine time if a fine time can be defined as passing out on an overnight transAtlantic flight.
In Gatwick, I stopped at the whiskey store looking for Ardbeg 17 year which seems to no longer exist. Ardbeg 10 year is there. I was offered a taste, which by the way amounts to a shot, and it just wasn’t as smooth as the 17. The shopkeeper recommended a Caol Ila 18 year which like Ardbeg is an Islay single malt about as smooth and with the taste of peat and of the sea slightly. Again she offered a taste aka a shot. I was in fine shape for sleep on the Gatwick to Mardid flight!
In Madrid’s lovely very modern airport, I wandered and was lost a little. I needed to find the ticket counter to pick up a boarding pass. eTixed people can’t get international boarding passes off the web and you have to go through customs to get the passes etc. A few things to learn here but all was just fine and I had a lot of time to work them out. A 45 minute delay of my flight helped on that front as well.
Ended up dirty and unshaven in Granada and took the airport bus into the hotel. Taxi = 20 euros; bus = 3 euros. So I got to wander a few blocks with my luggage. But I had my luggage and not everyone else did.
Dinner out late last night on the street whilst the locals filled the cafe to cheer on the local or was it national football squad.
Off to day to wander. Internet connections in the hotel as 15 euro/24 hours slot which is not cheap.
Meetings begin this evening at dinner (well informally then seriously in the morning).

Apple Chill – the love and the hate

We’ll be uptown in front of Aladdin’s Restaurant on Franklin today for the Apple Chill Street Fair. Tucker’s Odyssey of the Mind team will be selling drinks and raffle tickets (You could win an iPod Nano) there to raise funds to help pay for their trip to the Odyssey of the Mind World Competition in Ames Iowa at the end of May.

I’ve always had mixed feelings about Apple Chill. In part because I’m both attracted and repelled by large crowds. And Apple Chill is large — not as large as Halloween, but large. Every year folks who avoid crowds and the Chill tell me how it used to be so much better, but thinking about it myself, I don’t think so. The Chill has certain appeal for people of different ages. The meeting and hanging out factor. The entertaining the kids factor. The excuse to eat bad for you fair food factor. The love and hate of live music factor — I love the energy, but the mix and tuning is never worth a poop especially at the street fair level of presentation. I have all the pottery I need — or do I? Let me just take a look.

The weather is beautiful and we’ll be out there in a few hours.

Library from Jet Parts

If this is to be believed there is a new library proposed for Guadalajara, Mexico to made from used fuselages:

New Jalisco Library, Gudalajara, Mexico (competition)

Over 200 Boeing 727 and 737 fuselages are stacked in a north-south slant in relation to sun exposure for energy efficiency. Two shifts in the direction of the main axis of the fuselages generate two large open spaces within the stack.

The building utilizes the space inside the fuselages to contain and organize functions that require enclosed spaces – such as book collections, meeting rooms and administration offices, – while the 2 large open spaces house a large atrium with all the reading areas on one side and two auditoriums on the other. are stacked in a north-south slant in relation to sun exposure for energy efficiency. Two shifts in the direction of the main axis of the fuselages generate two large open spaces within the stack.

The building utilizes the space inside the fuselages to contain and organize functions that require enclosed spaces – such as book collections, meeting rooms and administration offices, – while the 2 large open spaces house a large atrium with all the reading areas on one side and two auditoriums on the other.

[more with images at the link above]

From Memepunks via BoingBoing

Jones to Granada, Spain

Off to Granada on Monday/Tuesday for the Louis Round Wilson Knowledge Trust meetings. Jonathan Riehl sends these tips (Please add yours to the comments):

–The heart of the city is Plaza Nueva, at the foot of the hill leading up the Alhambra. Be sure to spend some time there at the outdoor cafes. The best place to get some really tasty food is, however, not outdoors. (Stick to beverages on the Plaza itself!) The street immediately *behind* the plaza (behind meaning away from the hill leading up to the Alhambra, which the plaza faces) features several restaurants that have great, cheap food. Look for the place with the huge barrels of sherry behind the bar…their assortments of tapas are hard to beat.

–When you tour the Alhambra, save some time to also walk further up the hill beyond the castle. There is only one road leading up, so you’ll see what I mean. Proceed on this road past the castle entrance and you’ll arrive (after no more than 10 minutes walking, steeply uphill) into an olive grove which abuts a small condo complex and–to your right–a phenomal overlook of the entire city; to your left the Sierra Nevada. There’s never anyone up there–could be trespassing, who knows; I’ve never run in to trouble…there is a very municipal-looking arboretum on the overlook, though come to think of it it’s always deserted…

–I’d advise you don’t bother with any tour groups going up into the Sacramonte, the “gypsy” part of town. Nowadays it’s mostly tourist traps and worse. Authentic flamenco is hard to come by, but one place I’d really recommend is the jazz club “Eshavira,” located just a few blocks from Plaza Nueva. Anyone around there will be able to direct you and it appears in some travel books. Local jazz artists and flamenco performers routinely stop in at all hours (mostly after midnight) — it’s hit or miss, but worth the shot.

–If you’re game for a formal Spanish meal (rabo de toro and such) the best place in town is the Rincon de Espana–also a few blocks from Pl. Nueva, on the street immediately behind the square housing the city municipal offices. Ask for it by name; it’s well known by the locals. No seatings before 9pm!

–There is a wonderful little wine bar also near Pl. Nueva–if you spot the car rental shot on the side of the plaza, the street leading up the hill from there leads to a small plaza where you’ll see a statue of a Moorish explorer. The wine bar is just a tad further up the hill and to the left from there. If you ask for the bar de vino, people will know where you’re headed. They have dozens of Spanish wines by the glass and, of course, tapas.

–If you continue up that street, you’ll eventually reach the Andalusian/Granada ministry of culture building, the ‘Casa de los Tiros’. The first floor of the building is a public (e.g. free) art gallery that features shows by local artists. I’ve seen some amazing exhibits there. Worth a visit.

–On the other side of town from Pl. Nueva and the Alhambra (all of a 20-30 minute walk) is the parque Garcia Lorca, a rather dull park, but Garcia Lorca’s house is worth the trip. Full of interesting relics.

Andy Ihnatko Cameo on NYTimes TV

Andy on NYTimes TV
NYTimes has started a video imbed on their newly redesigned home page. As I was checking out the funky little movie reviews, I also found Tech writer David Pogue’s Town Hall: The OS Wars. In this combo comedy/tech review, Pogue takes on questions about Apple’s Bookcamp. Suddenly there is Andy Ihnatko with a question via webcam. And not a bad question either. “Why will software folks keep on producing software for the Mac if every Mac can now run the Windows version?”
To see Andy and learn the answer visit the NYTimes FeedRoom and select Technology then David Pogue and look for Town Hall: The OS Wars. Sorry that the NYTimes makes it so difficult to get a single feed or to refer to it. Wait! Andy has a way that might get you there.

Two OSes? Why not three? and Why not the best?

ID writes: With Bootcamp, all my dreams have come true; I can run a crappy OS and a great OS on the same computer. But wait, with dual boot Linux/Win setups you could do that for years. And your great OS was even greater — well, it didn’t have the best interface but you really wanted command line anyway didn’t you?
The folks at OnMac.net have a wiki how-to for a Triple Boot via Bootcamp. Yes now you can have a crappy OS, a great OS with a great interface that’s not quite optomized for Intel yet, and the most wonderful OS with an interface that is getting better every day I swear.

Passing on the regional dish of Granada

The week of April 24 – May 1, I’ll be in Granada Spain for the Louis Round Wilson Knowledge Trust meetings. I knew that Andalusia was famous for gazpacho, but I didn’t know of the renowned speciality in Granada, the Sacromonte omelette “a dish that is not recommended for the delicate palate and prepared with bone marrow, brains, calf testicles and egg.”
Yikes! Set me up for a British fry up of Egg, Bacon, Chips and Beans!

Bright to be in Black

Goth is good for you. (Unless you read the BBC version of the New Scientist story). Compare the headlines: NS reads Goth subculture may protect vulnerable children whilst BBC says fearfully Goths ‘more likely to self-harm’. From Boing Boing.
Kristina alerts us to another Goth Success thread based on a German dissertation reported in The Independent as Don’t mock goths: future’s bright for the men and women in black (Note that this is in the Enjoyment Section, but is Marilyn Mason really too mainstream for Goths?) and The Guardian as I have seen the future – and it’s goth (includes the funny 10 telltale signs that your boss is a Goth).

Talking Japanese (Blooker)

J-WAVE Morning Logo
Just off the phone with Jon Kabira of J-WAVE‘s morning show in Tokyo about the Blooker, blogs and publishing. It was more than a bit odd to hear the Japanese translation and recap each time I paused. I should have learned from my experiences giving talks in Siberia and in Taiwan that very short answers with long pauses help the translator, but on the phone without physical cues that’s harder to pull off. I hope the listeners weren’t too distracted on their drives into work by my unusual, for them, accent.
There was a lot of fascination about the newness of the blook and of the Blooker. Listening I could hear how the very words, blook and Blooker, are difficult for non-English speakers even if they are extremely clear talking radio professionals.
There was enthusiasm for Julie and Julia and the story told there beyond the cooking and for the interactive nature of blogs and blooks. As near as I can tell, this part was of great interest.
I wish I could speak/understand Japanese; Jon was one of the better interviewers I’ve worked with (in part because of the good advance work by Kanae Hasegawa).

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