When my buddy Ben blogged about how awesome Pandora is, I decided they needed to know about it. They’re sending me some schwag in return! In a week I should have a sweet Pandora T-shirt to show off.
I can’t count how many bands I’ve discovered thanks to Pandora, and many of my friends have, too. That’s a company I don’t mind advertising about!
(And just so you know they’re hooking Ben up, too.)
Raleigh is officially Wide Open now as the city’s festivities have begun. I couldn’t help but notice as Big Mama E and The Cool took the Cherry Bounce stage, 50 yards from my office window. The music is kicking but quite distracting while we’re working to finish up a big project before the weekend starts. Still, its good to see all the people wandering downtown. I think officials made the right call in deciding the show must go on.
Here’s a map of festivities so you can know where to get down with thy bad self.
Here’s a great analysis of Russia’s comeback as a superpower by columnist Michael Ventura. Its also a sobering look at how far America’s influence has fallen.
Russia’s sitting pretty now and they know it. Heck of a job, Bushie!
My friend Chris O’Donnell linked to a wonderful online history of the Atari company, makers of the first wildly-popular home video games. It tells of how Nolan Bushnell, Silicon Valley legend and founder of Atari, sold the company to Warner Communications and then regretted the move when he was forced out. Warner went on to squeeze billions of dollars out of Atari but also squeezed the creativity out of it too, chiefly by not giving game developers a cut of their creations’ huge profits.
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Apropos of nothing, today’s the 12th anniversary of Hurricane Fran raging ashore. Behold my beating a dead horse.
I found this great play-by-play of the storm from a local geek who was on the scene, Jesse Ferrell. Jesse continues to do some great weather blogging, now for Accuweather. Check out his site for great info on current storms.
While I was learning how to stuff video onto our new iPod I practiced with my Raiders Of The Lost Ark DVD. After repeatedly watching the opening sequence, I noticed something I hadn’t appreciated before in the 27 years (!) the film has been out: the lighting is outstanding! In the opening scene, Indiana Jones goes from deep into the jungle and into the dark tomb, then gets chased out by the boulder and races to the river to escape. There are so many scenes here with challenging lighting yet every one is perfect. The lighting practically tells the story itself.
Raiders cinematographer Douglas Slocombe is said to have never used a light meter on the Raiders set. How is it this man never won an Oscar?
This is one of my all-time favorite R.E.M. songs.
Perfect Circle
R.E.M.
(Youtube video)
Put your hair back, we get to leave
Eleven gallows on your sleeve
Shallow figure, winner’s paid
Eleven shadows way out of place
Standing too soon, shoulders high in the room
Standing too soon, shoulders high in the room
Standing too soon, shoulders high in the room
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Awww, yeah.
Last weekend I couldn’t help but notice the Lowe’s sales circular which normally arrives in the Sunday paper came instead by First Class mail. I don’t know if Lowe’s wanted to put it in the hands of its customers earlier to take advantage of the Labor Day weekend or if Lowe’s simply didn’t find the News and Observer up to the task. Either way, that’s revenue the N&O would’ve banked but didn’t.
Decisions like Lowe’s don’t bode well for the N&O, as yesterday the beleaguered paper announced more buyout packages in an effort to reduce staff (I was going to say “headcount,” but they’re people, dammit). I wonder if McClatchy’s 2006 decision to buy Knight Ridder seems so prudent in the face of today’s economy.
Shrinking product or no, I still enjoy my morning paper and I hope things settle down there soon.
I was all into the Independent Weekly’s look at Raleigh when I came to this story by Vernon Coleman, called Seeing the city through a conventioneer’s eyes: Wanderlust in Raleigh. Its the same old tired story of Durhamites looking down their noses at Raleigh. Coleman spends an afternoon wandering around downtown, asks advice from some homeless people, and assumes that since he is totally clueless that there’s nothing going on here. Moron.
Just when I think the Indy is finally on the Raleigh bandwagon they trot out tripe like this. I never thought I’d say I miss the Spectator.
