The Early Years (2002-2005)

I wrote that I was looking for a recording of Robert Downey Jr singing “You Don’t Know Me”, and then - thanks to Winamp - I chanced upon this report that he now has a recording contract. Guess even if he “loses focus” you only have to be in the studio for a day, as opposed to the months of committing to filmng.

Wow, this is a weird intersection between science and art: Jacket Grows From Living Tissue. About the two conceptual artists involved: Calling themselves conceptual artists who create working prototypes, they say their aim is to bring to the forefront the philosophical implications of making living organisms tools for our own purposes.

Randomly: one of my favourite titles of a piece of classical music is Erik Satie’s “Préludes flasques; pour un chien (Flabby preludes; for a dog), for piano”.

Here’s a list of things invented by Mormons. The presence of rifle, shotgun, aqueous explosives, and Doom on that list surprised me. The presence of medical technology (hearing aid, heart bypass machine) didn’t.

Saw this ad on ESPN.com. Clearly, USA Today is taking a direct shot at the Gray Lady.

Spotted this on Zappos, the Girlfriend’s new-found online shoe store. Must say, Zappo’s looks nifty - I’m not a shoe person, but they seem to know what people look for. But vegetarian shoes?? I found out what they mean - no leather - but still, I see that and I think “… as opposed to all those carnivorous shoes out there”.

And, finally, away from the heavy stuff. Don’t know why I didn’t mention this when I first read it, but the Olsen twins had slimming mirrors installed (third item in that link) in their new New York apartment. Is this really appropriate behaviour for a pair that’s 50% anorexic? Or perhaps I should refer to them as “half-full”.

Here’s a really interesting piece in the Houston Chronicle by a pro-life professor and a journalist on why abortions in the US rose during the Bush administration. I seem to be on an economics bent today…

Via kottke, who I think of all the so-called “big name” bloggers usually has the most interesting links, I discovered this “PowerPoint to the People” contest. (I hope this isn’t part of a naming trend for Microsoft-themed contests. “Word to the Wise” beckons.) Best part:

Speaking of the Economist, I was well chuffed when I noticed that it used “staunch” for “stanch” in an article on the ongoing NHL (that’s National Hockey League) lockout in the US/Canada:

This week’s Economist has an article (requires subscription to view) on cross-border acquisitions expressing the surprise finding that takeovers by British firms of American firms tend to fail, whereas British takeovers of firms in the EU and other parts of the world tend to succeed:

The New York Times has an interview with Sandra Oh in conjuction with the release of Sideways, wherein I learnt her husband is Alexander Payne, director of Election, thereby raising her cool level even higher. I really liked Oh in Under the Tuscan Sun, and the voice that emerged from the interview solidified that liking. She had some sharp words to say about the lack of Korean support for Margaret Cho:

Over dinner on Friday, I was informed that Baker’s Inn, a Singaporean cafe chain with incredible desserts, has “rebranded” itself into “Bakerzin” (Lord knows why they needed a name change, although the Girlfriend suggests that perhaps their overseas expansion caused some nomenclatural conflict). I really can’t stand it when companies use the “z” as a “cool” way of spelling “s”. It may be okay for teenage text messaging, but it really looks undignified in a corporate setting. It’s the spelling equivalent of a combover: makes you look like you’re an old fart trying to act “with it”. To quote Bakerzin themselves:

David McKie is proud to be pedantic. Edit: changed “defense” to “defence” in the title.

Bus stop shelters in Ukraine.

Whee! A Google search for “world’s cutest dog” brings up Coconut at #3 (your mileage may vary). It also brought up this funny post on dressing up your dog from TheCrookedCervix, a bittersweet blog about a woman undergoing IVF treatments. Sometimes the capacity of people to endure is quite inspiring.

I think it’s really interesting how many politicians in the UK keep their own blogs - fascinating development in contact with constituents. Bloggerheads details the state of play.

The Singaporean English equivalent of the American “artsy-craftsy” is “arty-farty”, which I actually think captures the idea of blowhard pretentiousness better. But I still don’t think the phrase should be applied to decorative toilet seats:

A running theme of this blog is attacking false idealisations. So I like the point made at hiphopmusic.com that you shouldn’t judge hip-hop just by the “social consciousness” of its lyrics. As Jay Smooth points out, hip-hop is about beats and rhymes, and to say its merit derives solely from how socially-conscious its lyrics are is patronising to the entire genre. After all, no one “justifies” rock. There’s Bob Dylan’s social messages and Aerosmith’s paeans to the charms of nubile women, and they both can fit under the category of good rock music. Music can be a vehicle for polemics, but to insist that it is forgets that music has its own inherent qualities. (Incidentally, writing this post made me think of the the virulent response to Dylan going electric.)

Song I’ve been looking for for 7 years: I heard it at Zouk in a Jon Carter set, I think, and it featured a line much like the start of Oasis’s “Wonderwall”, except that it went “today is gonna be the day that I’m gonna go back Jamaica” or something to that effect. Anyone have any ideas?