Now that he's bested Roger Federer in both the French Open and Wimbledon, Rafa Nadal enters the US Open as the man on top. I'm hoping Federer gets him, though; I've always loved Fed and would like to see him break the grand slams record of 14 held by Pete Sampras.
Roger thinks he can do it! So do I.
'Net radio station Pandora, whose music genome project sought to create the most comprehensive music database of all time, which allows listeners to create customized radio stations by matching up new songs and artists with what the user likes to listen to, may be folding. A Washington Post Article quoting founder Tim Westergren states that the recording industry has doubled the amount of royalties internet radio stations are required to pay to artists and copyright holders, and that that figure now represents about 70% of Pandora's operating revenue, whereas satellite radio pays half that amount and traditional radio pays nothing.
This screams, once again, of old music industry model profiteering tactics being employed to shoot artists, independent labels, and, ultimately, the industry itself in the foot. Doing away with an amazing technologically based site like Pandora that provides invaluable exposure for artists large and small would be a real tragedy, especially as they have been doing the right thing and paying royalties all along. The message then becomes, play by the rules, and we'll just try to squeeze you for every cent we can with no regard for the good your business can do for our clients and our industry. Sad, stupid, and typical.
I heard a radio program the other evening while driving featuring a college professor who'd written a book whose thesis was basically that the internet enhances intellectual laziness. He went on to state that kids these days would have trouble writing long form essays such as law school applications (he didn't mention that having fewer lawyers would be a good thing for the country, but I digress), and that students now are complaining if a teacher assigns a 500 page book, because they are too used to reading short info-snacks online and too used to LOL style shorthand communication.
This filled me with a boiling anger. I bet this gentleman can't really figure out how to use the internet, gets frustrated, and rails against it. It always annoys me when "old model" people sound off like this. Technological innovation has, of course, always changed the world and the way we live, and the internet is the best effort of this yet.
Check out Google CEO ERIC Schmidt on Jim Cramer's "Mad Money" sounding off on this in smarter, more succinct fashion than I can.
EDIT: Apparently this Detroit article was from 2006, so ix-nay on the Kwame Kilpatrick relevance, hahaha!
The Onion's streak of untarnished hilarity continues, uninterrupted from the publication's inception until now - and that is a fluid now - these folks just never miss!
This one held particular resonance as it came just two days before Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was sent to jail. Mr. Mayor has since been released.
All jokes and philandering politicos aside, I went to Detroit once for DEMF, and having become fascinated by the city as the most prominent example of American urban poverty resulting from loss of manufacturing jobs and wondering how, if at all, this played into Detroit birthing techno, I read Dan Sicko's excellent "Techno Rebels" at the suggestion of good buddy and techno-mentor Peter Anthony. Required reading for any fans of the bommpty-boomp; as Peter once put it, "to know the future, one must know the past." I guess that reads oversimply out of context, but it is fun and useful knowledge to learn a bit about how the city shaped the rise of techno.
And now that that little techno tangent has come to a close, back to Detroit as a symbol of urban decay. It was once the 7th city in the US in population, and, as we know, home to the automobile industry, but as cheaper and more reliable Japanese imports cut into the market for cars, the city suffered and ultimately kind of collapsed, culminating with race riots in 1968 which emptied the city of its white residents, who headed for the burbs and didn't come back. Visiting Detroit is indeed a real trip - totally crazy place. There's office furniture there in dilapidated buildings from the 1950s that's simply never been taken away.
Take a little spin through the excellent site The Fabulous Ruins of Detroit for an animated tour.
Testing 1234, Testing
Legendary Russian author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn died last week. . Reading the NY Times article about his life and accomplishments, one cannot help but be filled with a feeling of smallness. He was one of those people that stood up for what he believed in, defying the communists in spite of imprisonment and exile. Apparently, he was strange character, and considered a reactionary by many later in his life, but the weight of his contributions to the literary canon and his defiant acts to the cause of intellectual dissidents in Russia and elsewhere certainly shine more brightly.
I'm embarrassed that I've never read any of his books, and am adding "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" and "The Gulag Archipelago" - his defining depiction of the Soviet Gulag prison camps where he spent 8 years - to my list of items to read.
Whilst doing a little tidy up today, I happened across a truly amazing relic from days long past: a pair of really sweet 80s looking Oakley Frogskins. Sadly, they were not wrapped in a pair of Original Jams, but they are awesome all the same. Just feast your eyes on these bad boys. Nothing says "I'm a Sweeet Dude" like a pair of translucent purple shades that debuted in 1986 and now retail for $110 as part of a collectors edition series. Seeing that did make me briefly think of ebaying these bad dogs, but I tried 'em on and thought, naaaaah, I'm keepin' 'em!
There's a doubly amazing personal twist to this little anecdote: these are the first pair of nice sunglasses I ever bought; I must've spent about $60 on them when I was in 7th grade or so. That these purple glasses, cool only now that retro is back in and something about our constantly plugged and always published crackberry lives makes us yearn for the faux-glam glory of the 80s, were the keystone item of my middle school style is yet another argument never to send a boy to a single sex school during his developmental years. I seriously thought these things were devastatingly fresh lady killers.
Furthermore, I lose sunglasses. All. The. Time. But if I get some cheapees for $5, those things stick to me forever. However, if I buy nice glasses, they are gone. For example, I got a really nice pair of Ray Bans from a former vendor of my FORMER employer for free. Since they were free, I couldn't lose them if I tried. In fact I lost and re-found them on at least 3 occasions (had I paid retial for them they would've been gone after the first time). Then one evening while out of the town, I happened across a fair young lass and deigned to say hello, neglecting to notice the large gentleman on her arm. He promptly plucked my glasses off of my forehead and tossed them into the sea of bodies behind us. Then and only then were those free glasses well & truly gone, through illicit means of a wayward and unfortunately encountered douchebag.
But I feel a karmaic circle completing itself here, as the first expensive sunglasses I ever bought are once again in my possesion, and even looking a whole hell of a lot smoother then they did when I originally acquired them circa 1993. To all the hundreds of dollars of lost nice shades out there that I've left on bar tops or beach towels, let's meet up again soon!
Thanks to Mz. Joolz for this little list, a pretty great hidden nugget of internet awesum on display here from SF craigslist:
Er, note to all women.
10. She’s independent
No one wants a girlfriend they have to baby-sit. Once in a while, like if she’s had a rough day at work, it’s great to be her shoulder to cry on, but if she can’t seem to function without you and is constantly after you, she will eventually make you feel like you’re suffocating, which is a surefire way to get you running out the nearest exit. On the other hand, if she has her very own personality and opinions, can stand on her own two feet, both financially and emotionally, and is able to enjoy time away from you - while still missing you, of course - then she must be a great girlfriend.
9. She’s intelligent
I hate to be the one to tell you this, but the bimbo routine gets real old, real fast. Instead of being the one in total control, you’ll find yourself trying to figure out what she’s really thinking behind those glazed eyes of hers - or if she’s actually thinking at all. An intelligent woman will constantly surprise you and keep you on your toes. She won’t let you get bored of her. Besides, it’s nice to have something to talk about between all that chandelier-hanging sex.
8. She’s sexual
While we’re on the topic, a great girlfriend has to be sexually compatible with you. For instance, if you’re into S&M and she’s more the “fluffy lingerie” type, that’s a problem. The two of you have to be on the same page - or, at least, she has to be willing to wear leather and use a whip from time to time. Of course, this doesn’t imply that she has to know all the right moves straight away; it simply means that you and she have an undeniable attraction toward each other, and are able to communicate your desires verbally (or with physical cues). It is important that you please each other in the bedroom, or on top of the dryer - whatever the case may be.
7. She’s beautiful
I know, this one is kind of obvious, but important nonetheless. A great girlfriend will not only want to look good for you, but also for herself. She should always look her best and be well put together - matching lingerie is a definite plus. You have to be proud to have her on your arm and enjoy the sight of her in any light. And this doesn’t mean that she has to be a Heidi Klum clone. Remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so if you think her full bottom or uncontrollable curls are beautiful, you’re allowed.
6. She respects you
This is a biggie. Your woman must respect you. This means that she listens to you, even if she doesn’t necessarily agree with what you’re saying. And, of course, she never tries to demean or belittle you in any way, shape or form. A great girlfriend won’t ever cause scenes in public or in front of your friends and family, and will always wait to discuss matters with you in private. If she respects you, chances are that she will behave in a tactful and diplomatic manner in most situations, which is definitely a good thing.
5. She lets you be a man
Do not - I repeat - do not get involved with a woman who tries to get you to eat cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast and insists that you give up poker night with the guys. You will end up resenting her more than you can imagine. A good girlfriend lets you be a guy in all your glory, poker night and all. If she’s a great girlfriend, she’ll even bring you and your buddies a couple of beers and make you some of her famous sandwiches. She has to understand that men and women are different and should allow you to be yourself. Just like you wouldn’t deprive her of going shopping with her best girlfriend, she shouldn’t expect you to give up the guys for her.
4. She’s nagless
There is nothing worse than a nag! A great girlfriend knows this and chooses her battles wisely. She knows when to speak up and when to let it slide. You don’t want a girlfriend who will give you hell for leaving a couple of dishes in the sink occasionally. However, if you live together and you stay out all night without calling her, and she lets you have it, then you’re setting yourself up for disaster. This is a situation that nobody would let slide - not even a great girlfriend.
3. She gets along with friends and family
A great girlfriend will not only help your mom in the kitchen, listen to your dad’s stories and hang out with your friends, but she will enjoy it. She’ll make a real effort to get to know and love the most important people in your life. And she won’t try to get you to ditch your best buds. She’ll actually empathize with your brother’s getting dumped and suggest that you guys take him out to cheer him up. Not only that, but your friends won’t roll their eyes and moan when you mention that she’ll be joining you guys when she gets off work (yes, women like this do exist).
2. She loves you
If you have found a woman who loves you for who you really are and not who you pretend or try to be sometimes, you should definitely hang on to her. A woman who doesn’t try to change you is hard to find. Of course, all women have their slightly annoying habits that their mate has to contend with, but if she really loves you, she will be able to cope with these. Another way to know if she really loves you is by observing the way she looks at you and treats you on an everyday basis. If the sight of you doesn’t seem to faze her either way, and she doesn’t really seem to care about what you have to say, she’s either playing very hard to get, or sees you as just some guy. But if a surprise visit or phone call from you makes her light up, there’s no denying that she loves you.
1. She makes you want to be a better man
Stop making that face… any man who has a great girlfriend or wife
will tell you that she makes him want to be a better man. She doesn’t
have to say or do anything; it just is that way. If you suddenly feel
bad about how you treated your sister or find yourself trying to get
your finances in order, you might want to think about your motivation
for doing so. It could be love
Though this is old news at this point, I realized I hadn't yet said anything on last week's deadline trade that sent Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers. Ramirez largely acted like a disgruntled child toward the end of his BoSox tenure, claiming he wanted peace of mind and routinely refusing to play over dubious injuries in spite of his $20 Million salary (that's $86,000 per game for those who haven't crunched the numbers), and the only possible reason one can fathom for why he so desperately wanted to get out of Boston is that he wanted to get onto the free agent market this off season and try to get a 4 year, $100 Million deal that he allegedly told BoSox teammates he would get on the open market. Even Peter Gammons, the ultimate Manny apologist who always contended that his numbers and on field production mattered more than off his off field odd-ballity, conceded that the deal had to be done. Ultimately the Red Sox paid a very high price to get rid of Ramirez, giving up 2 very good prospects and eating $7 Million of his remaining salary for this season. Only in America can you be collecting a paycheck of $20 Million to play a game, whine about your peace of mind, get a new job, and get your former employer to pay you $7 Million to go away. Some severance package!
All of that said, I always loved watching Manny hit over the years. With the exception of Alex Rodriguez, and that is a possible exception, Manny is the best right handed hitter of the modern era, and one of the best right handed hitters of all time. For eight seasons, we watched a certain first ballot hall of famer basically do whatever he wanted at the plate against the game's best pitchers. One moment that will always remain in my mind was in the 2007 playoffs against the Angels, they walked David Ortiz to bring Manny up who promptly smashed a first pitch walk off home run about 500 feet over the Green Monster, immediately dropping his bat and lifting his arms in his trademark celebration that caused so many over the years to call him a showboat or worse. That, of course, gave rise to the famous "you know you're a bad man" interview:
So. thanks Manny for all the amazing moments, the two world championships, and good luck getting your $100 Million this off season. If anyone can do it, Boras can. We'll see what happens there.
