Bomb Shelters Across the World
http://www.good.is
Brits Put Cold War Bunker on Preservation List
http://www.msnbc.msn.com
The Pulsing Heart of SAC
http://www.gwu.edu
Cold War Relics
http://coldwarrelics.com
Add comment February 4th, 2010
Saturn Moon’s Geysers Get Their Close-up
http://www.msnbc.msn.com
Reactor Drawings Make Nuclear History Beautiful
http://www.wired.com
Russia’s First Stealth Fighter
http://news.yahoo.com
Russia Plans to Save Earth From Rogue Asteroid
http://www.wired.com
Add comment January 29th, 2010
Ikea Camera Dolly
http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com
Four Days in Dubai
http://www.good.is
Ghosts of Shopping Past
http://www.themorningnews.org
The Last Lab
http://www.retrothing.com
Add comment January 16th, 2010
I haven’t gone to many movies this year or listened to much in the way of new music, so I’ve been having trouble coming up with my annual top 10, or even a top 5, list of favorites. Instead, I’ve focused on compiling at top 4 list. There are a lot of movies I have yet to see, like The Hurt Locker or Moon, that may have made my list, but it’s been challenging getting out to see movies this year. And music wise, I haven’t really been listening to much contemporary stuff as of late. I think the last albums I enjoyed to were by Stars of the Lid and Human League. Some of the albums I thought I would like this year, M Ward comes to mind, turned out to be disappointing. I’m even a little lukewarm about putting the Neko Case album in my top 4 since I think it’s one of her weaker efforts. Anyway, here are some lists…
Movies
1. The Informant!
2. Inglourious Basterds
3. Up
4. District 9
Albums
1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
2. Church - Song Force Crystal
3. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
4. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
Some misc. highlights from 2009 have been Mad Men on AMC, Bored to Death on HBO, and the release of Modern Warfare 2 for the Xbox 360. And while I enjoyed watching Avatar in 3D last week, I just can’t bring myself to classify it as a favorite for 2009. I will say it was one of the most interesting visuals of 2009 though. Like Roger Ebert, I’ll give it a special jury prize.
Add comment December 28th, 2009
This SLR was my dad’s and it has served me faithful for about a half dozen years. I think it’s one of the easiest cameras I’ve ever used. It’s also one of the most robust built SLRs I’ve come across. But what about the lens? Minolta use to make great optics in the MD and MC format. I also have an M42 adapter, which lets me use screw mount lens. This opens up a whole range of lens from Japanese Super Takamurs to old East German Zeiss Jenas. I’ve added the Autowinder G motor drive to my X-570, which improves the balance of the camera and makes it operate in a fashion that seems more modern. The X-570 came out in the early ’80s and was a less expensive version of the X-700, but is consider a better camera than its more expensive sibling. I tend to use the X-570 in the all manual mode, so I set the shutter speed and then adjust the aperture while monitoring the exposure LED in the viewfinder. Unfortunately, when I’m using an M42 lens, the view is “stopped down”, meaning a dim image. This isn’t an issue in low light settings, because the lens will generally be open all the way. But when shooting, say, around F16, the viewfinder is very dark. In these cases, I usually compose my shot and then dial the appeture down. Really, it’s not a big deal for me most of the time. Of course when using a Minolta mount lens, this isn’t an issue.
Add comment December 23rd, 2009
Facebook HQ
http://www.dezeen.com
The World’s Ugliest Buildings
http://www.travelandleisure.com
From Metropolis to Blade Runner
http://www.guardian.co.uk
The Wilco Loft
http://loftlifemag.com
Add comment December 11th, 2009
It’s been ages since I’ve had a real Christmas tree in the house. I thought it might be a nice change of pace to embrace the holidays this year, so I went to a neighborhood tree lot with Stacy this last Sunday to pick-out a modest sized noble. Of course it turns out I don’t have any colored Christmas lights back at the house, so this necessitated a couple of fruitless trips to some big box retailers. I don’t know what’s going on this year, but I had a really hard time finding basic mini lights. Guess retailers are playing it safe and keeping inventory low given the bad economy and all.
Once I got the tree up and the lights on, the house was soon overflowing with holiday cheer. Just sitting on the couch and looking the decorated tree makes me feel happy. And the cats are just as jazzed. Clementine enjoys laying under the tree on the soft, snow-like base while sniffing the needles. Cholula is endlessly fascinated by the handful of ornaments on some of the higher branches. Neither has completely destroyed the tree yet, which is kind of surprising, since they can be so destructive with everything else in the house.
Add comment December 8th, 2009
I had an idea about two weekends ago for a great product. It has come to my attention that many Americans rely on “talking” alarm clocks. What seems lacking to me in these clocks are options other than the stock female voice announcing the time. Not being a morning person, I need something a little more strident. That’s why I would like to bring to market the Samuel L. Jackson Talking Alarm Clock (SLJTAC). I envision the SLJTAC having one initial message and three snooze messages triggered at five minute intervals — each one offering a more forceful extortion to get out of bed. I could see the messages starting with something like: “I’m sorry, did I wake you from a peaceful slumber?” Then moving on to something like: “get your honky ass out of bed or I will lay my wrath upon thee!” Really, I would defer to Sam Jackson on the specific message; I think he would know what would be most effective.
This clock would also have the option of importing .wav files for custom announcements. Similar to my PlayStationPortlable, I see the SLJTAC having a USB and MemorySlick ports. Basically, you would hook the SLJTAC to your Mac or PC via USB cable and then move .wav files over. The computer would recognize the SLJTAC and would treat it like a hard drive. There would be a couple sets of folders for user sounds and it would just be a matter of dragging and dropping files. I’m thinking there would also be a SLJTAC website similar to iTunes where users could go and buy new sounds. There could be a whole market of B-list celebrities. How about waking up to Mr. T? Or Chuck Norris? The possibilities are endless really. You could also have announcements in foreign languages as well, opening up a huge domestic and international market as well.
At this point I have a good idea of what the software and hardware would need to do. Now I need capital and some connections for manufacturing. Of course I would have to SLJ onboard, but there would of course be a generous cut for him based on the number of units sold. The great thing about this product is the flexibility. Being able to download sound files sets this talking alarm clock concept apart from all the other current products on the market.
Add comment December 5th, 2009
MonoMachine
http://www.youtube.com
New SEM Synthesizer
http://matrixsynth.blogspot.com
Inside Air’s Studio
http://www.guardian.co.uk
Gary Numan and NIN
http://vimeo.com
Add comment November 24th, 2009
OK, I guess it’s been a couple of years since I’ve hosted one of my “theme” parties, but I’ve finally got myself motivated enough to pick-up the torch again. For the 2010 party, it will be a celebration of late ’70s early ’80s British synthpop. The CD track listing has almost been finalized, the essay is in it’s final draft stage, and I’ve started the process of putting together the artwork for the jewel case. As far as food goes for the party, I’ll be looking into what was popular during the early ’80s. If dressing up is you thing, there will be plenty of options of you. I’ll do a blog post later on with some suggestions illustrated by period photos. But if you’re a guy, think of Depeche Mode circa “Speak and Spell”. If you’re a lady, consider the fashion sense of the female singers from The Human League circa “Dare”. The plan is to have the CD in the mail around March/April with the actual party in June.
Add comment November 14th, 2009