Sunday, September 11, 2005

Trylons, Assemble! II

Not only are the Trylons part of the Chrysler building, it's the name of an endangered movie theater in Queens:

Never Forget Elephants

Event-O-Dex XVIII

Thursday, Sept. 15: New York Geek Dinner at the Grand Central Two Boots

Recipe for Satisfaction

I have two new favorite foods. One is the simple steak sandwich. You cook up a thinly sliced piece of steak and put it on buttered Italian bread. Amazing. The second is the humble crumpet. Better than English muffins -- less doughy -- they're perfect for toasting and marmalade. I've never had a crumpet before today. High time!

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Room for Desertion

With tomorrow being the fourth anniversary of 911, I'm conflicted between remembering how I felt that day -- when I didn't yet live in New York -- and how I feel about the disaster in New Orleans. So tonight I read Slvoj Zizek's essay "Welcome to the Desert of the Real."

In 1993, Zizek was a visiting professor at Tulane University in New Orleans, but I can't find any writings by him about the city. Does anyone know if he's commented on the tragedy -- perhaps drawing parallels to 911?

Monday, September 05, 2005

Curricula and Community

Blogger's randomizer led me to an intriguing blog that's an excellent example of how grassroots Web technologies can be used in education. Bill Clemente is teaching an online course on nonwestern literature at Peru State College. He incorporates online discussion, as well as audio and video via Audioblog. It's equally personal, professorial, and productive. Makes me want to ride along!

Band Name of the Day II

Band name ideas gleaned from W.H.D. Rouse's translation of The Odyssey:

  • The Fuddledom
  • Shilly Shally
  • The Chitterlings
  • The Marry Me Quicks
  • Bibble Babble
  • The Shirk Battles
  • The Nip Screws
  • The Snatcher Birds
  • The Many Troubles
  • Sunday, September 04, 2005

    The Movie I Watched Last Night XCI

    Courtesy of Netflix, my DVD rental history:

    Shipped Returned Title
    08/23/05 09/01/05 Smothered (2002)
    08/23/05 09/01/05 The Ring (2002)
    08/22/05 08/25/05 Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
    08/18/05 08/23/05 Run Ronnie Run (2002)
    08/16/05 08/23/05 Lady in a Cage (1964)
    07/13/05 08/22/05 Buckminster Fuller: The Lost Interviews: Disc 1 (2005)
    07/15/05 08/18/05 Ken Burns' America: Brooklyn Bridge (1981)
    07/25/05 08/16/05 Northfork (2003)
    07/20/05 07/25/05 Sleepy Hollow (1999)
    07/15/05 07/20/05 Bubba Ho-Tep (2003)
    07/12/05 07/15/05 My Best Girl (1927)
    07/11/05 07/14/05 Shaun of the Dead (2004)
    06/27/05 07/13/05 Dogtown and Z-Boys (2002)
    06/28/05 07/12/05 I Heart Huckabees (2004)
    06/17/05 07/11/05 Stage Door (1937)
    06/23/05 06/28/05 The Incredibles (2004)
    05/27/05 06/27/05 The Man Who Came to Dinner (2000)
    06/07/05 06/23/05 June Moon (2002)
    06/07/05 06/16/05 Big Fish (2003)
    05/23/05 06/07/05 Minority Report (2002)
    05/31/05 06/07/05 Hellboy (2004)
    05/23/05 05/31/05 Van Helsing (2004)
    05/23/05 05/27/05 The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
    05/17/05 05/23/05 Gangs of New York: Disc 2 (2002)
    05/17/05 05/23/05 Gangs of New York (2002)
    05/03/05 05/23/05 Modern Times (1936)
    04/26/05 05/23/05 The Great Lover (1949)
    05/03/05 05/16/05 Jack Kerouac: What Happened to Kerouac? (1986)
    04/25/05 05/03/05 American Splendor (2003)
    04/26/05 05/03/05 I, Robot (2004)
    04/20/05 04/26/05 Zorro Rides Again (1937)
    04/22/05 04/26/05 Annie Hall (1977)
    04/20/05 04/25/05 Re-Animator (1985)
    04/08/05 04/22/05 Gil Scott-Heron: Black Wax/Is That Jazz? (1982)
    04/12/05 04/20/05 The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
    04/11/05 04/20/05 William S. Burroughs: Commissioner of Sewers (1986)
    04/08/05 04/12/05 Run Lola Run (1998)
    04/06/05 04/11/05 Secretary (2002)
    04/05/05 04/08/05 Jack Kerouac: King of the Beats (2001)
    04/05/05 04/08/05 Revolution OS (2002)
    03/23/05 04/06/05 Spirited Away (2002)
    03/22/05 04/05/05 Alphaville (1965)
    03/25/05 04/05/05 Donnie Darko (2001)
    03/22/05 03/25/05 Bring It On (2000)
    02/23/05 03/22/05 Lost in America (1985)
    02/17/05 03/22/05 Gilda (1946)
    01/11/05 03/22/05 Catch 22 (1970)
    02/08/05 02/23/05 Newsies (1992)
    02/14/05 02/17/05 Garden State (2004)
    02/08/05 02/14/05 Sheena (1984)
    01/25/05 02/08/05 Sid & Nancy (1986)
    01/11/05 02/08/05 Repo Man (1984)
    11/26/04 01/11/05 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
    12/07/04 01/10/05 Tape (2001)
    11/24/04 01/05/05 Swimming with Sharks (1994)
    11/24/04 12/07/04 Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)
    11/12/04 11/24/04 Head: The Monkees (1968)
    11/08/04 11/24/04 The Delta Force (1986)
    10/19/04 11/24/04 An American Werewolf in London (1981)
    11/08/04 11/12/04 Airplane! (1980)
    10/26/04 11/08/04 The Big Kahuna (2000)
    11/02/04 11/08/04 The Groove Tube (1974)
    10/26/04 11/02/04 Stargate SG-1: Season 1: Vol. 1 (1997)
    08/11/04 10/26/04 Storytelling (2001)
    08/18/04 10/26/04 Wall Street (1987)
    09/08/04 10/19/04 Star Trek: The Original Series: Vol. 1: Episodes 2 & 3: Where No Man Has Gone Before / The Corbomite Maneuver (1966)
    08/09/04 09/08/04 Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999)
    07/09/04 08/18/04 Lost in La Mancha (2002)
    07/13/04 08/11/04 There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)
    07/13/04 08/09/04 Seven Year Itch (1955)
    07/07/04 07/13/04 The Phandom Menace (2003)
    07/08/04 07/13/04 A Galaxy Far Far Away (2001)
    05/25/04 07/09/04 Cinemania (2002)
    01/22/04 07/08/04 Now, Voyager (1942)
    02/25/04 07/07/04 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
    03/30/04 05/25/04 New York: Episode 1: The Country and the City (1999)
    02/06/04 03/30/04 A Place in the Sun (1951)
    01/22/04 02/25/04 Notorious (1946)
    01/21/04 02/06/04 What Lies Beneath (2000)
    12/16/03 01/22/04 Triumph of the Will (1934)
    11/19/03 01/22/04 Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (2000)
    01/05/04 01/21/04 Rock Star (2001)
    12/24/03 01/06/04 Rock Star (2001)
    11/18/03 12/24/03 Chinatown (1974)
    11/26/03 12/16/03 Jesus' Son (2000)
    11/12/03 11/26/03 It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
    10/28/03 11/19/03 American Graffiti: Collector's Edition (1973)
    10/23/03 11/18/03 The Devil Commands (1941)
    10/24/03 11/12/03 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
    10/21/03 10/28/03 The Fall of the House of Usher (1928)
    07/25/03 10/24/03 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
    08/29/03 10/23/03 Cat People (1982)
    09/03/03 10/21/03 How to Make a Monster (2001)
    08/28/03 09/03/03 The Fog (1980)
    08/12/03 08/29/03 Taxi Driver (1976)
    06/24/03 08/28/03 Requiem for a Dream (2000)
    05/29/03 08/12/03 Hair (1979)
    06/24/03 07/25/03 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
    06/18/03 06/24/03 A Night at the Roxbury (1998)
    06/02/03 06/24/03 Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
    05/27/03 06/17/03 Amelie (2001)
    05/13/03 06/02/03 Run Lola Run (1998)
    04/15/03 05/29/03 e-Dreams (2002)
    04/29/03 05/27/03 Super Troopers (2002)
    04/08/03 05/13/03 The Straight Story (1999)
    04/22/03 04/29/03 Where the Buffalo Roam (1980)
    04/17/03 04/22/03 Frogs (1972)
    04/01/03 04/16/03 Startup.com (2001)
    03/18/03 04/15/03 Strange Days (1995)
    02/21/03 04/08/03 MASH (1970)
    01/22/03 04/01/03 Dr. Strangelove (1964)
    01/23/03 03/18/03 Sneakers (1992)
    01/27/03 02/21/03 Masters of the Universe (1987)
    01/27/03 02/20/03 Freejack (1991)
    01/22/03 01/27/03 The Lawnmower Man (1992)
    01/22/03 01/27/03 Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
    01/16/03 01/22/03 The Net (1995)
    01/17/03 01/22/03 Hackers (1995)
    11/26/02 01/22/03 The Insider (1999)
    01/09/03 01/17/03 Existenz (1999)
    01/10/03 01/16/03 Total Recall (1990)
    12/10/02 01/10/03 Shrek (Full-screen) (2001)
    12/04/02 01/09/03 Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)
    12/04/02 12/10/02 Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965)
    11/22/02 12/04/02 The Exorcist: Restored Version (1973)
    11/26/02 12/04/02 Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
    09/20/02 11/26/02 Altered States (1980)
    08/06/02 11/26/02 Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    11/19/02 11/22/02 The Wedding Singer (1998)
    09/20/02 11/19/02 Three Kings (1999)
    09/06/02 09/20/02 The Lord of the Rings (1978)
    09/12/02 09/20/02 Osmosis Jones (2001)
    08/08/02 09/12/02 Snatch (2000)
    08/20/02 09/06/02 Heavy Metal (1981)
    07/16/02 08/20/02 Nine to Five (1980)
    07/17/02 08/08/02 Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985)
    07/03/02 08/06/02 The Avengers '63: Vol. 1 (1963)
    07/03/02 07/17/02 Twin Peaks: Season 1: Disc 3 (1990)
    06/25/02 07/16/02 Twin Peaks: Season 1: Disc 2 (1990)
    06/24/02 07/03/02 Weird Science (1985)
    06/26/02 07/03/02 How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
    06/18/02 06/26/02 The Prisoner: Disc 1 (1967)
    06/05/02 06/25/02 Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
    06/18/02 06/24/02 American Pie (1999)
    06/11/02 06/18/02 Twin Peaks: Season 1: Disc 1 (1990)
    06/05/02 06/18/02 Tootsie (1982)
    05/30/02 06/11/02 Monty Python's Flying Circus: Vol. 2 (1969)
    05/18/02 06/05/02 The Simpsons: Season 1: Disc 3 (1989)
    05/06/02 06/05/02 East Is East (1999)
    04/08/02 05/30/02 Monty Python's Flying Circus: Vol. 1 (1969)
    05/01/02 05/17/02 Fight Club (1999)
    04/04/02 05/06/02 Man on the Moon (2000)
    03/26/02 05/01/02 The Simpsons: Season 1: Disc 2 (1989)
    03/25/02 04/08/02 The Mummy (1932)
    02/21/02 04/04/02 Buena Vista Social Club (1999)
    03/12/02 03/25/02 V: The Original Miniseries (1983)
    03/07/02 03/25/02 American Beauty (1999)
    02/20/02 03/12/02 Slaughterhouse Five (1972)
    02/26/02 03/07/02 The Twilight Zone: Vol. 1 (1962)
    02/07/02 02/26/02 Magnolia (1999)
    02/13/02 02/20/02 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
    02/08/02 02/19/02 The Simpsons: Season 1: Disc 1 (1989)
    01/24/02 02/13/02 Memento (2000)
    01/25/02 02/08/02 Outland (1981)
    01/07/02 02/07/02 The Andromeda Strain (1971)
    01/08/02 01/25/02 Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979)
    01/08/02 01/24/02 Best in Show (2000)

    Auction Hero

    Gosh, I want this. Almost a full run of Spy magazine via Ebay.

    Saturday, September 03, 2005

    Roadrunner, Roadrunner

    Finally, I've caved. This morning I trained into Manhattan to the 23rd Street Time Warner Cable office to get a self-install kit and a cable modem for RoadRunner high-speed Internet access. I was impressed how streamlined the customer service process was: customer number at the door, a way efficient woman, and I soon left with a cable modem and self-install kit.

    The kit consisted of a cable splitter, basically. Had I gotten my own cable modem, could I have just gotten a splitter and gone to town? When I got my laptop several years ago, I also got an Airport, which has been mothballed until this afternoon. It's nice having wireless access at home -- right now I'm at the kitchen counter -- and I hope I'm also helping the neighborhood.

    Random aside: While managing my Netflix queue, I just maxed it out. Seems the maximum number of movies you can queue is 483. "If you wish to add this movie to your Queue, you must first remove some movies," the service said when I tried to add another. Why 483?

    Friday, September 02, 2005

    Music to My Ears LXIX

    Last night, I created a new iMix: New Orleans Is Sinking. Inspired by a discussion on the Well, it's a collection of music about New Orleans, hurricanes, and floods. I know this is of questionable taste, but while Rome burned, and all that...

    Name Game

    Early this morning, I received an email from someone asking if I was in fact Roe Heath, who went to Seaholm High School in Birmingham, Michigan. For the record, I am not. But if any Media Dieticians know this Roe Heath, please email me, and I'll pass it on to the person who's on the hunt.