2 pm → The Titan is Blooming Now
Yesterday Gothamist linked to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens page as their Amorphophallus titanum flower is starting to bloom. They have a webcam refreshing every 30 seconds showing the flower and it's blooming right now! This flower is referred to as the "corpse flower" because it is so stinky when it blooms. Too bad the webcam doesn't have smell-o-vision.
Update (6pm): The NY Times just put up an article about the flower. The last time the species bloomed in NYC is in 1939 in the Bronx.
"People will say, 'Do you have a dead animal in here?' " said Patrick J. Cullina, vice president of horticulture and facilities at the botanic garden, who has worked with similar plants of different species. The literature posted beside the harmless-looking plant describes what to expect, the "revolting smell of putrefying meat."
11 pm → Four Four Four Four
Well, I've been tapped on the shoulder by Khoi and now I am obligated by internet law to complete the following meme. It shall be the first I've done in at least a year. Thankfully, it should be pretty painless. Here goes.
Four Jobs I’ve Had
1. Linen delivery for BBJ
2. Service Department Gopher at Jacobs Twin
3. Concert Booking Director at WUD
4. Web Intern at Spin
Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over
1. Delicatessen by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
2. Rushmore by Wes Anderson
3. Waiting for Guffman by Christopher Guest
4. Spaceballs by Mel Brooks
Four Places I’ve Lived
1. Riverwoods, IL
2. Madison, WI
3. London, England
4. Brooklyn, NY
Four TV Shows I Love
1. Ed
2. Home Movies
3. 24
4. Lost
Four Places I’ve Vacationed
1. Maui, Hawaii
2. Rainy Lake in Int'l Falls, MN
3. Cinque Terre, Italy
4. Hong Kong
Four of My Favorite Dishes
1. Mom's Chicken Parmesan
2. Bacon Muenster Burger at Soup Burg
3. Albuquerque Turkey at Monty's Blue Plate Diner
4. Pierogis and cheese blintzes at Veselka
Four(-ish) Sites I Visit Daily
1. Kottke.org
2. JNF.org
3. NYTimes.com
4. Cub Reporter / Windy City Gridiron
Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now
1. Somewhere with a mountain, snow and a pair of skis
2. Somewhere with a beach, sun and a strawberry/banana smoothie
3. Somewhere with a grassy patch, a frisbee and my friends
4. Anywhere with my family
Four Bloggers I’m Tagging
1. Nedward
2. Keith
3. Karen
4. Gothamist's entire staff (you can choose to do it separately or as a group)
6 pm → Some Quick Notes
- The Cubs are winning their home opener 8-2 in the 4th, which is awesome.
- Sin City was disappointing, but beautiful.
- I'm going to Peep and then to see Jump, Little Children. Oddly enough, a kid I went to kindergarden with is opening for them. Good luck Ross.
- I'm getting a new bike for my birthday, which is in 10 days.
8 am → The Sky is Falling!
Serious, it is! Look up!
Oh man, I got you.
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1 pm → I'm Back, and Tidbits
Hi, I'm back. D.C. was great and I took a bunch of photos. Now, here's what I'm thinking about.
- I have just listened to what could be the worst cover of all time. "I Feel Like Making Love" by Kid Rock. It's painful. It makes me want to cry until my tear ducts shrivel up and then I'll just cry blood.
- I finally got my new credit card. I decided to get a mileage card so I can go places for free. I like free.
- Related to that, when the hell is Apple going to release a new version of the PowerMac? I want one already. Come on man.
- I'm planning to take advantage of the Mets' 2-for-1 deal on Wednesday. Anyone want to join in?
12 pm → Things I've Been Thinking
- Snack Packs chocolate pudding and Nilla Wafers may be the best combination of foods, ever.
- I just realized that after one viewing of Average Joe I really want to keep watching to make sure Adam beats out those other losers. I blame Jori and Beth for this desire.
- Although the cold air can be shocking, you really do get used to it after only a couple minutes.
- Going through a box of clementines in 48 hours is completely possible.
- Fortress of Solitude was a little slow-going at first, but now I can't put it down.
- Since Thanksgiving is not at home this year, I'm praying that the food will tasty and delicious this year. As discussed earlier, I love the Thanksgiving meal.
- For some reason I get nervous before general doctor's appointments, but no other doctor-related activity. Odd.
11 am → Interview Game
The Rules
1. leave a comment, saying you want to be interviewed.
2. i will respond; i'll ask you five questions.
3. you'll update your website with my five questions, and your five answers.
4. you'll include this explanation.
5. you'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed.
I have granted an interview with Heather. These are her five questions and my five responses:
1. Where would your rather be, right now?
Right now, I would rather be in Colorado, skiing. Unfortunately this is an impossibily due to a lack of snow. Thankfully this is an interview and I am allowed to live in a world that ignores reality. Next Question.
2. Coffee or tea?
It is a well-publicized fact that caffeine has no effect on me whatsoever. This means I have no obligation to coffee, the more highly caffeinated beverage. That being said, I'm going to go with hot tea and cold coffee. There is nothing like a good hot tea on a cold day to warm you up. Likewise, there is nothing like a Frappuccino on a hot day to cool you down. Both are tasty and practical.
3. If you could change your name, would you? If so, what would you change it to?
No, I wouldn't. I like my name. I would consider changing it when I get married though. Something I find interesting is that if a man and a woman get married then the woman is able to change her name for free. If the man wants to hyphenate his last name or take on his wife-to-be's then he must pay to make that change. It is a minor grievance but indicative of the old world thinking in regards to marriage.
4. What is your favourite movie?
Ooh. There is a "u" in favourite. Does that mean it should be Canadian or British? If that is the case, then I would choose Ginger Snaps, a Canadian horror film that seems to have gotten mediocre reviews from my friends. For me there is a magic surrounding the film as I saw it on the last night of a two month stay in London, by myself. It was a wonderful movie-going experience and helped bring this movie up in my list, but it was wonderful without this. I enjoyed how the characters are outside of the norm for modern horror films. Aside from being female, they deal with issues that seem completely obvious but at the same time incredibly interesting, given their context. So, that is my "favourite" film. My "favorite" film is Rushmore.
5. If you would right one wrong, what would it be?
I think I would have everyone be a little more optomistic and a little more jovial. I don't expect, or want, constant optimism but I think that a little more from everyone would go a long way. People often say that your life is defined by your outlook and I think that is completely accurate. If you are determined to have a good day, worry less and enjoy yourself then you will be a much happier person. That is guaranteed.
Questions for Joseph J Finn:
1. If you were running for governor of California, what would your platform be?
2. While eating Lucky Charms, do you save the marshmallows for the end or try and keep an even ratio of marshmallows and oat shapes in each bite?
3. What are some of your favorite magazines? What draws you to them?
4. When you walk up stairs do you take one or two steps at a time? Is this somehow a metaphor for the way you live?
5. Tell me about your relationship with Chicago. Is it love/hate? love/love? hate/hate?
Questions for Jeremy Brown [Answers]
1. What makes a good vacation? The actual location is irrelevant, I just want to know what you look for in an amazing trip.
2. What household duties do you enjoy?
3. Do you have any hobbies or collections that either your friends don't about or is particularly unusual?
4. If I were to give you $1500, what would you spend it on?
5. During high school, were you easily classifiable (jock, bookworm, outcast, etc.)? Do you think you were mislabeled? If so, how would you have labeled yourself?
Questions for DJ SUbg [Answers]
1. Tell me about a recent aberration in your morning routine. This includes the time from when you first open your eyes to when you begin work.
2. When it comes to bagels, do you prefer the Jew kind (doughy center, crispy outside, traditional flavors, i.e. sesame seed bagel from H&H) or the non-Jew kind (roll-like, crrrrazy flavors, very puffy, i.e cinamon raisin swirl from Einstein's Bros.)?
3. Is there any law you'd like to see eradicated? What about it is egregious?
4. Do you have any albums that you only play at certain times of the day? Week? Month? Holiday?
5. Do you prefer to use cash or plastic?
Questions for Alex [Answers]
1. What makes you tick? I mean, what makes you get up in the morning?
2. In a perfect job interview, what kind of questions would the potential employer ask? Give specific examples or a general attitude of the meeting.
3. When you go shopping, do you mull over your decisions or buy first and think later?
4. What was the first concert you ever attended? What was it an earth-shattering experience?
5. Rate these in order of priority in your daily routine and explain why: sleep, work, friends, eating.
Questions for Lizzie
1. I am going to give you enough money to start your own business (I am fabulously rich, money is no object). The only catch is that it must somehow better society. What would you do?
2. Tell me a book you think everyone should read, a movie that no one should see, and a song that has made you cry.
3. Do you still keep in touch with any of your high school teachers? If so, would you say you're friends? If not, does this upset you?
4. (This is soooo a job interview question, but...) Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Or, if you hate those questions, how far in advance do you usually plan your life? Or both.
5. What goes best with peanut butter? Please, explain why.
3 pm → The Staying Power of Cool
While IMing with a friend I began to wonder the birth of our modern definition of cool. Then, I stumbled upon this explanation at dictionary.com.
The usage of cool as a general positive epithet or interjection has been part and parcel of English slang since World War II, and has even been borrowed into other languages, such as French and German. Originally this sense is a development from a Black English usage meaning “excellent, superlative,” first recorded in written English in the early 1930s. Jazz musicians who used the term are responsible for its popularization during the 1940s. As a slang word expressing generally positive sentiment, it has stayed current (and cool) far longer than most such words. One of the main characteristics of slang is the continual renewal of its vocabulary and storehouse of expressions: in order for slang to stay slangy, it has to have a feeling of novelty. Slang expressions meaning the same thing as cool, like bully, capital, hot, groovy, hep, crazy, nervous, far-out, rad, and tubular have for the most part not had the staying power or continued universal appeal of cool. In general there is no intrinsic reason why one word stays alive and others get consigned to the scrapheap of linguistic history; slang terms are like fashion designs, constantly changing and never “in” for long. The jury is still out on how long newer expressions of approval such as def and phat will survive.
I love language.
Posted in Tidbits | |
12 am → 69#176;
Today I had a 69 with someone. Oh, whoops. I meant to say that it was sixty-nine degrees today. Man, I love it when seasons change.
Posted in Tidbits | |
3 pm → Pi-rish
Everytime I do an Irish accent, it ends up becoming a pirate. "Arr matey, let's go throw some clovers on the blarney stone. Shiver me timbers!"
Yes, I am crazy.
Posted in Tidbits | Comments (1) | |
12 am → Why Are Yawns Contagious?
According to Robert R. Provine, professor of psychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and author of Laughter: A Scientific Investigation...
Virtually any stimulus associated with yawns -- including viewing, reading about, and even thinking about, yawning -- evokes yawns. (Are you yawning yet?) Yawning spreads in a chain reaction through a group, a compelling example of human herd behavior and a reminder that we are not always in conscious control of our actions. The urge to replicate an observed yawn is clearly an automatic response triggered by our brains.
Studies partially explain the reason for yawning. Although we yawn more when sleepy or bored, it is unclear whether yawning increases alertness. And scientific evidence refutes one of the most popular myths of yawning? that it happens in response to low oxygen or high carbon dioxide levels in the blood or brain. Test subjects do not yawn more when breathing air with enhanced levels of carbon dioxide nor do they yawn less when breathing pure oxygen. One fact explains a lot of apparently inconsistent data. People yawn most during behavioral transitions, such as just after waking and shortly before bedtime. Yawning may help facilitate those changes. Contagious yawning may synchronize a group's behavior so that, for instance, a whole family goes to sleep together.
5 pm → Love in NYC
One side of a phone conversation, overheard in Manhattan this morning.
"Alright, Fine. I'll get a computer with you. Let's get a fucking computer."
Sigh. What emotion.
Posted in Tidbits | |
2 am → Rules for Bless You
You must act appropriately to a sneeze. Here are the rules for bless you.
- If the person is sitting next to you, say bless you.
- If the person is two people away, then there are some conditions. If its loud, then say bless you. If it is quiet, use your judgement and whisper.
- If the person is more than two people away, it is out of your jurisdiction.
- If the person is in front of or behind you, see #2.
- If the person is a friend, the jurisdiction extends by two bodies. No exceptions.
- If you are attracted to the person, you must say it.
- If you are in church, then say "God Bless You."
- If you are German or named Uncle Larry, say "Gazoontite."
- If someone sneezes on you, then have no obligations. Do as you please.
- During a multipe sneeze episode, bless once after the first sneeze and once after the last. Blessing each time gets tiring.
That's all I've got for now. Any additions?
Posted in Tidbits | Comments (3) | |
7 pm → Friday Five
1. What is your favorite scary movie? I was completely obsessed with Ginger Snaps for a while, but it seems to have passed. Now I just really like it. I really enjoyed Jeepers Creepers. I think that my favorite, of all time, is probably the first Halloween, for a variety of reasons, which I will explain to you if you'd like.
2. What is your favorite Halloween treat? Tootsie Rolls. I would always cherish my tootsie rolls.
3. Do you dress up for Halloween? If so, describe your best Halloween costume. I do. Best costume ever was Corky St. Clair from Waiting for Guffman, two years ago.
4. Do you enjoy going to haunted houses or other spooky events? Not really. I love going to scary movies with big crowds though. I'm going to see Ring (the basis for "The Ring") this weekend.
5. Will you dress up for Halloween this year? I'm not sure now, because I don't have any parties to go to. In Madison, you dressed up because you couldn't walk five feet without hitting a party. I was going to be Mugatu, but it seemed silly to waste all the effort on no one.
Posted in Tidbits | |
11 am → Something Sad
The second half of John Travolta's career peaked at Look Who's Talking.
Posted in Tidbits | Comments (1) | |
4 pm → Hot Job
Below, is a post on Craigslist for a job that sounds pretty, er, hot.
HOT NEW NYC GOSSIP SITE
Im looking for a web site designer who knows flash. I am a famous photographer of all the famous people... I supply gossip to all the newspapers and tabliods. I am starting a flash site of gossip,interviews,photos..Designer will recieve 15 percent of site for work. The site will have millions of hits in a very short time and will be worth millions. Will add shopping after a few months of running....
Hmm. 15% of the site? Worth millions? Sounds like a great job. I'm in. Seriously though, I wonder what kind of people are going to apply for this job? It sounds like you'd really be getting the short end of the stick, unless of course it ends up being worth millions.
Posted in Tidbits | Comments (1) | |
8 am → Friday Five
1. What is your lineage? Where are your ancestors from? My family is mostly from Russia, but parts are from Eastern Europe, near the border of Poland and Germany.
2. Of those countries, which would you most like to visit? I'd love to visit Russia. I've always loved Russian literature and history and I think that they're attempt to move to capitalism is really interesting. So I'd likely go to Moscow and then a tour of some sort.
3. Which would you least like to visit? Why? Well, I don't have too many options, but I'd say Poland is the least likely. It's just less interesting than the other two options.
4. Do you do anything during the year to celebrate or recognize your heritage? In a grander scheme than where my immediate relatives are from. Being Jewish, a lot of holidays are in celebration of heritage, specifically Rosh Hashanah and Passover. I love being Jewish and a lot of that has to do with the history.
5. Who were the first ancestors to move to your present country (parents, grandparents, etc)? I'm not positive, but I think my great-great grandparents moved here, but I'd have to check on that. I know it's that far back because I have a photo with my great-great grandmother when I was born.
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3 pm → Crafty Spam
This is a spam I received this morning. It is crafty and I like it. My favorite line is bolded. Enjoy.
Subject: This Message Is a Warning. Internet Detective @ Your Fingertips
You can do a little investigating for yourself by getting iDetect 2002. You will also get A list of people who have done Investigations on you and your family.
p.s. I like The Use of Capitalization.
Posted in Tidbits | |
1 pm → Friday Five
1. How long have you had a weblog? Since September '99, but I didn't know I was blogging then. I didn't even know what the word meant. I started using blogger a year later in December of 2000. You can check out all of the early posts here.
2. What was your first post about? It was about a Guster concert. I mean the first one was about creating the webpage, but that shouldn't count.
3. How many changes (name, location, etc.) of your weblog have there been, if more than one? When it all began my website was "Matty's Playland," and then it became "Iodine Nation," and it all ended with the current name. I like this one for now.
4. What CMS (content management system) do you use? Do you like it or do you want to try something else? I am using Movable Type and I love it. I have no desire to switch. For a while I used blogger but I wanted to do more with my website and blogger couldn't do it. Still, blogger is great so use that if you want to do minimal work.
5. Do you read people who have both a journal and a weblog? Or do you prefer to read people who have all of their writing in one central place? Pretty much everyone I read only has a weblog and those who have journals tend to write them like a weblog. So yeah.
2 am → The Best Quiz
Take the
Which
Screen Saver are you? quiz.
7 pm → Free Slurpees!
Today is July 11th (7/11) and there are free slurpees at participating 7-11's. Sadly, there is not one in Madison.
Sorry for the late notice, but get out there and get a free slurpee!
Posted in Tidbits | Comments (1) | |
10 am → Things to do when you're cold
1. Put on pants.
2. Put on a sweatshirt.
3. Stop eating ice cream.
12 pm → Friday Five
1. What's the last vivid dream that you remember having? Oh man, I had one last night but now it's gone. If only I had done this about an hour ago. Anyway, I recently had one involving this really old elevator, the kind with the handle you push left or right to move up or down, and I was riding it to different floors trying to look for something. This leads well into my next answer...
2. Do you have any recurring dreams? Yes, but I haven't had it for a while. There is this futuristic, all-white room with a ton of elevators, but the elevators are all big enough to have about 25 people in them. People are riding them up and down and playing games in them. There is usually some kind of laser-tag event going on. That's all I remember. I wonder why I have this obsession with elevators in dreams. I've looked it up in dream dictionaries, but there are no definitive answers. Any ideas?
3. What's the scariest nightmare you've ever had? I haven't had a nightmare in about 10 years. The last one I can remember was from when I was about 7 and I was in a desolute area with cliffs and plateaus, not unlike something you'd see in a roadrunner cartoon. There were Indians (the Native American kind) chasing me and shooting arrows. Eventually I end up on this edge that keeps getting smaller and smaller until I can't go any further. Then an arrow comes right at me and as its about to hit my chest I wake up. But since this, I haven't really been scared by a dream.
4. Have you ever written your dreams down or considered it? Why or why not? I considered it because I was really into dream interpretation for a while. In the end, I couldn't remember them well enough when I woke up, so I didn't. I often have troubles remembering my dreams. Hmmm.
5. Have you ever had a lucid dream? What did you do in it? Nope, sorry. Sounds like fun though.
Posted in Tidbits | Comments (1) | |
10 am → Friday Five
1. What shampoo do you use? I use Bumble and Bumble Seaweed shampoo. I've always like seaweed ones because they make my hair feel nice.
2. Do you use conditioner? What kind? I used to use another B&B product, but I ran out and never got another one. I should probably get another bottle because my hair could use it.
3. When was the last time you got your hair cut? In March. I've been thinking about letting it grow a bit, but I doubt I will. Usually I go for two months, thinking I'll let it go, then just get it chopped off.
4. What styling products do you use? Very occasionally, I use Control Maniac styling wax. I used it a lot more last summer, when I had more hair. He he.
5. What's your worst hair-related experience? Well, it was a near-worst experience. In 5th grade I was convinced that I should get an M and a J shaved into the back of my head. My mom didn't love the idea, but I went to school the next day and conducted a survey of all my friends, displaying the results to my mother. Thankfully, she is smart and didn't let me do it. Then again, it would be great to have that remnant of early nineties life.
Posted in Tidbits | Comments (3) | |
2 pm → Brilliant.
Big Mouth Billy Bass (the singing fish) is evil and we all know it.
This flash animation makes the truth funny. I laughed a lot.
Posted in Tidbits | |
12 pm → Friday Five.
1. What are your hobbies? Oh man, I have a ton. Recently though it's been playing on this computer -- both surfing and web design. Then photography, tv, movies and that's really it. I've been lazy lately and I hope to change that this summer.
2. Do you collect anything? If so, what? I definitely collect CDs and I'm building my movie collection. I used to collect baseball/basketball cards, golf towels, sporting events tickets, matchbooks. I still kinda collect matchbooks.
3. Is there a hobby you're interested in, but just don't have the time/money to do? I really want to do more rockclimbing and backpacking. Really.
4. Have you ever turned a hobby into a moneymaking opportunity? If you consider webdesign a hobby, then yes.
5. Besides web-related stuff (burbs, rings, etc.), what clubs do you belong to? None really. I was just telling Jena how I want to start a movie club (like a book club. get it?). I also really want to start a club called Wisco Photo Safari. I feel that's self-explanatory.
Posted in Tidbits | |
3 pm → Friday Five.
1. What's your favorite TV show and why? It's a toughy, but I'd have to say Six Feet Under. It's the only show I watch religiously. Law and Order as well as Tech TV in general get honorable mentions.
2. Who is your favorite television star? I don't really have a favorite star. I'm not generally a star-struck kind of guy. But since you asked, I really like the Russian Man on Six Feet Under. "Have some vodka."
3. What was your favorite TV show as a child? Everything. But, I never had cable so everything is less than most people. I really liked Bozo and I watched Transformers and GI Joe a good amount too.
4. What show do you think should have been cancelled by now? Fear Factor and any other "crazy stunt" shows.
5. What new show do you hope escapes the axe this season? I agree with Nelly about Ed, but I think it'll be alright. I hope Greg the Bunny and Andy Richter Controls the Universe make it on. My fingers are crossed.
Posted in Tidbits | |
12 am → Friday Five.
1. What is your favorite restaurant and why? Right now, The Great Dane. They just have the best variety of food and the best atmosphere. Fun fun fun.
2. What fast food restaurant are you partial to?In-n-Out, Checkers, McDonalds, Subway.
3. What are your standards and rules for tipping? I'll tip 20% unless someone clearly does something wrong. By that I mean forgetting a meal, not bringing water ever or just being a shmo.
4. Do you usually order an appetizer and/or dessert? Not usually, but it depends on where I go to eat. If I'm at Monty's and I'm with nelly, then I'll get a big desert. I also like Nachos.
5. What do you usually order to drink at a restaurant? Lately I've just been doing water but if not it's a coke. During the summer, lemonades all around.
Posted in Tidbits | |
9 pm → "Friday" Five.
1. What are the first things that you do in the morning to start your day? I get up (but that doesn't always happen, at least not in the morning), I shower usually, check my email. If I have time, I'll make a bowl of cereal.
2. What are the last things that you do at night before going to bed? Watch tv, brush my teeth, throw clothes in the hamper.
3. What daily routine have you recently added to your day? Well, there is nothing I have really added, but I just bought a new calendar. I got it in Japantown in SF and it was $3. I love the little thiing, even if I haven't had much of a chance to use it.
4. What routine do you wish you could get rid of? Oh man, I am on my computer WAY too much. I have to either cut out computer time or tv time or both. Stat.
5. What's the one thing that makes you feel like something is missing if you don't do it some point within your day? Checking the email and blogs. I just gotta.
1 am → Friday Five.
1. What is your favorite time of year? I really all the seasons. Each serves a purpose. So I think my favorite time is when the seasons change. I love getting in the pool for the first time, the first snowfall or the first fall sweater.
2. What is it about your favorite season that, well, makes it your favorite season? I pretty much answered this one, didn't I. I just really like change, new things.
3. What is your least favorite time of year? Why? I'd say when it is ridiculously hot during the summer. No one likes being sticky (ok, some people like it).
4. Do you do anything to celebrate or recognize the changing of seasons? Nope.
5. What's your favorite thing to do outside? Ski. Without question. When I'm flying down a mountain with the wind in my face, carving turns, it is awesome. It's like boobies, but not really at all.
Posted in Tidbits | |