Moving On...

You can now find Feigning Interest at our new location: http://blog.donlupo.com

Thanks to That Bald Guy for the Wordpress advice!

Oh, The (Un)Humanity

Enough with the vampires, already. I get it: they drink blood, they go crazy at night and they like to schtupp. Big deal.

Welcome, Robot Overlords.

Ultra High Speed Robot Reflexes - Watch more Funny Videos

Lusting in One's Heart

I haven't even touched one of these, but if it's as good as the bloggers are saying, I might be willing to give it a look. I'm just sayin'.

Back When It Was Cool...

I think I had most of the gear and accessories. I remember the Friendship 7 space capsule. That rocked.

Arugula, Baby

Sunrise on the Redeye

All or Nothing

My argument has always been thus: believe whatever you want to believe, but don't push that belief on other people or deride them for believing differently.

You'd think this would be an easy argument.

There are small-minded people who think that their way is the only way and that they have the right to determine how other people should think. We watch news broadcasts about the Taliban and talk about how evil they are, inflicting their oppressive dogma on the populace in other countries. And yet, the same people who call this "wrong" are often the same who want to make their particular dogma the standard in America.

What's wrong with this picture? Plenty. You can figure it out.

The religious right in this country has taken a Taliban-like approach, albeit it quiet and insidious. They try to make one religion the standard for all people, and -- even worse -- try to instill it into public schools where children have yet to make up their own minds about religion. (I could write pages on how the concept of the separation of church and state is dead. But I will spare you that diatribe.)

My point is this: either teach all religions or teach none. If this is truly a melting pot of cultures and beliefs, and if we honestly want to give children an overview of the world, then provide a course that teaches religions of the world: Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Shintoism, Taoism, Hare Krishna, etc. All are valid in the overall discussion of belief. If you do not want to be exclusionary, then teach all of them or teach none.

What's that? You think yours is "the way" and "the truth"? Get in line. Just don't try selling it in our schools.

Alliance and Empire: The Early Years

From left to right:
Han Solo, Darth Vader, Chewbacca, Leia, Luke Skywalker and R2D2.

Pure Inspiration

If this doesn't inspire you, there's something wrong.

Women at the Forefront

There was a time in the past century when women were appreciated for being women: lovely, curvy, smart, elegant, enthralling, distracting. While their rights were not yet guaranteed by any means, men were men and as such had a proper and healthy dedication to the women in their lives. This was well before the pornification of the country and the heroin-addict chic that led to such visual atrocities (and crimes against their own gender) as Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and their ilk.

In World War II, images of women adorned the fighter planes and bombers piloted by the brave men who defended freedom far away from the women they loved. With a picture of his gal in his pocket (and one of Betty Grable above his bunk), pilots went into battle with images of strong women on the nose of their planes.

Often idealized portrayals, these images showed an appreciation for women that few men have today: strong, sultry, confident women who seemed to come from a Mickey Spillane novel or a Vargas book. But stereotypes aside, they were there to guide and comfort these men, as real women do so well out of their own sense of love and dedication.

There is an elegance and wonderful mystery about women that many men miss, probably because the Age of Real Men is gone. But the allure of an intelligent and strong real woman will always draw a real guy to appreciate her.

via WebUrbanist

Addendum: Virgin America took the classy route to sexy with this advert. Respect and appreciation can go hand in hand, yes? Yes.

Akshully...

via my [confined] space

Food Snob #4: Excess in Lieu of Duress

While affordable luxuries are in high demand during The Suckage, as the economy starts to look up we should focus on something more palatable than frugality: excess. It might not be politically correct to talk about this in a time when people are using terms like “stealth wealth” and “staycation” to hide such indulgence, but let’s face it: more is more, and more tastes damn good.

Which would you rather do: eat Manwich from a can every night or sit down to an occasional lobster dinner? Ordering a dozen Fanny Bay oysters and cocktails is going to do a lot more for your soul than sitting around and talking about how good it used to be to order oysters. Yes, we all have to build our nest eggs, but once in a while it’s nice to have an omelet.

Mouse Elbow

Me: I need a brace for tennis elbow, but it's not from tennis.

Salesguy: Well, golf is the #2 reason.

Me: It's from too much mousing.

Guy: Hmmm. (leaves)

Too Soon? Naaaaaah.

Food Snob #3: Comfort

We food snobs enjoy a mélange of “fancy” food whenever we can. It ranges from varieties of oysters to duck confit or perhaps an amuse bouche of cucumber mousse over an heirloom tomato puree. Rich, fresh and flavorful, dishes such as these awaken the senses and make the palate sing. But after a weekend of dining out and tasting local chefs' culinary whims (or our own), we often go right back to basics with comfort food. Every culture has their favorites, each dish a twist on something basic: corned beef and cabbage, chicken adobo, potato pierogies, fresh rice with Spam and eggs. These dishes are equally important in the quest for that perfect bite. Like the delicate flavors of a finely crafted entrée, dining is all about balance.

Delete, Redux

More words and phrases that need to be struck from use immediately.

1. Where you at?
2. Oh, snap
   
3. Blamestorming
4. Fist bump
5. "these economic times"
6. Ron Paul
7. Tramp stamp
8. Strategize
   
9. Fox News
   
10. Sarah Palin

Food Snob #2: Dinner Decorum

Part of being a healthy food snob is decorum: the white tablecloth, the heavy silverware, the white china plates. Somehow, it makes your meal taste even better. But in “these times of economic hardship” -- or as I like to call it, “The Suckage” – going out for a meal in that kind of proper environment can easily set you back a minimum of $75 for two. And it’s unheard of to make that kind of space for dining when you’re chowing down at work in a cubicle, eating last night’s leftovers. The solution? Head to your local small housewares shop or BB&B and pick up silverware singles for $1.49 to $3 apiece and a nice plate or bowl. You can even find some inexpensive cloth napkins. It will add affordable flavor to your leftover roast and add a taste of civilization to an often uncivilized work day.

Food Snob #1: Food or Fuel

Philosophers have called death the great equalizer. Nope: it’s food. As my grandmother in Jersey used to say, “Ya gotta eat”, and she was right. Americans spend around $2,500 a year on out-of-home food, meaning that we are either a society of culinary adventurers or just plain too lazy to cook. Hopefully, you end up somewhere in the middle. The fact remains that we all face the biological imperative to eat, often relying on our taste buds to guide us to our next main course. But the eternal question remains: Food or Fuel? That question can be broken down even further to a more eloquent and important question: Dining or Eating? Whether you’re cooking a great meal at home or trying that cool new brasserie down the street, always opt for dining: it is the enjoyment of each bite. Eating for fuel is like sitting behind a concrete post in a movie theater: you get the general essence, but you never really enjoy it as much as you could.

The Death of English...er, Italian

Egrets... I've had a few.

Dear France: You've given so much to the world, but man... your sportsmanship sucks. Lance rules. Face it. http://ping.fm/RKyD8

Just A Theory

The Perfect Sunday: filled with naps, books, food, newspapers, naps, food, cats, naps... very grateful.

Amongst the usual work details, my brain brings up the oddest stuff: Cameras. Cookies. Hot dogs. Diana Rigg. Wait...

The Annenberg Space for Photography opens today in Century City, Los Angeles. You need to go: http://ping.fm/p46Ug

This Just In...

Scary times: Science wins in Texas, but just barely... http://ping.fm/c4dbh #evolution

Insomniac

Posting on Facebook at 3 AM is like walking around in a dark room and accidentally putting your hand in a jar of mayonnaise.

The Book

You need to buy one for yourself and one for every friend you have. That way, you both will have your own.

Road Rage

Someone didn't get a Prius.

Modern Red Riding Hood

A modern interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood:


Slagsmålsklubben - Sponsored by destiny from Tomas Nilsson on Vimeo.

Artifacts for Aliens

I'm concerned that in 10,000 years, the only traces of our civilization aliens will find are episodes of America's Funniest Home Videos.

Squid Balls

I wonder if they sing a little higher now.

Catfish

Is that lipstick?

Croc-O-Death

Ding Dong, the Crocs Are Dead! And there was much rejoicing. http://ping.fm/V7ATC #crocs

Hulu Promo

Hulu rocks, again. Giggity Giggity Goo: http://ping.fm/MgKEM #hulu

The Trouble with Twitter

The trouble with Twitter: http://ping.fm/ep8vY

Lemons, You Bastards!

When life hands you lemons, put them in the freezer until they're good and firm, and then throw them back really hard.

We Need This... Society Needs This

I am a cult member: I admit it. But if Microsoft doesn't screw up this new Surface technology too much, it could truly make the world a better place.

Nerdgasm #2: Commence.

A Better Web Site

Did I mention that I updated my web site? It's a lot better now. http://www.donlupo.com

Making Progress

I'm not at Inbox Zero, but I'm finally at Inbox 2, which is better than Inbox 3,748. http://ping.fm/cx19V

Dear Gamestop

Dear Gamestop: I want you to know that I can live without you. I'm going back to Amazon and eBay. You suck cheese. Love, Don

The Problem with St. Patrick's Day

No Whining

This may seem harsh to some, but until the economy improves, deal with it. http://ping.fm/d2icy #job

Real-World Physics with DaVinci

DaVinci is a prototype/experiment that blurs the lines between the physical and virtual world by combining object recognition, real-world physics simulation and gestural interface design on Microsoft Surface.


DaVinci (Microsoft Surface Physics Illustrator) from Razorfish - Emerging Experiences on Vimeo.

Best. Album. Ever.

On Sept. 30 (mark your calendars), Legacy Recordings is releasing a Collector's Edition Box set to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Miles Davis' Kind of Blue.

This was an historic event in music, in jazz, in life. If you don't already have a copy, shame on you. Go get one now. I'll wait here and watch this.

Early Birds

Got up at 6:30 for a walk, and the local kayakers are just coming back in. Yeesh.

Where You AT-AT?

Uh-oh... looks like someone needs walkies. http://ping.fm/vHVkL

Blink This

Dear People of L.A.: Is there a reason why you don't use your signals to change lanes, thereby avoiding an accident? I didn't think so.

Progress

I've been trying to say this all along: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/3/9/

A quiet, gray morning spent reading a book on one of the founders of modern science. Nerd bliss.

P. Diddy uses more exclamation points in his tweets than a 10-year-old girl texting her BFF.

Following a complete hack like P. Diddy on Twitter is like secretly wishing the gym coach would sit with you at the dorks' lunch table.

Automotive Namesake

Ironically, I probably couldn't fit in it: http://ping.fm/UGFMc

I just received an 8-lb. bundle of joy: My XBox is back from repairs!

I am absolutely amazed by this: http://ping.fm/b5aSK

The darker side of Twitter: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101619832

Strange Object

I think past civilizations called it a "pay phone".

The Music Industry Killed Itself

The current trial underway in Sweden is important to all consumers, especially those of us who are of the nerd persuasion. The outcome may decide how media is distributed and how much hold the music industry still has on your entertainment dollar (spoiler: not much).

The music industry, in particular the terrorist organization known as the RIAA, has been whining for years that piracy is stealing precious dollars from their coffers. Even when presented with clear statistics that file sharers purchase more music and media, they turn up their noses and turn the screws.

But as a recent article from Torrent Freak explains very clearly, the music industry killed itself. To quote the simple and elegant logic:

The fact is that the music industry’s revenues have been artificially inflated for decades because of limited consumer options. The last 15 years of innovation have lifted those limitations, effectively leaving the music industry with an obsolete, defective business model of monopolized production technology, forced album bundling, and almost nonexistent competition in the realm of home entertainment. What is happening now - the decline of music profits and the piracy witch hunt by the music industry - is merely the panicked struggle of a dying business model, a complacent industry’s refusal to accept its diminishing role in a digital world. The pirates are not the reason, and the decline is the not the disease. It is the cure.

We have been spending our heard-earned dollars elsewhere: computers, gaming consoles, MP3 downloads. The music industry refused to budge from their business model of CD unit sales, which were astronomically priced for years. Now they are suffering as a result of their stubbornness and trying to find scapegoats in innocent people in desperation.

What can you do? Support efforts to fight DRM, support digital freedom, and be a good guy.

I Told You So

Did I tell you? Yes, I told you.

The Blackberry Storm sucks, despite their best efforts, which also sucked. (You're trying to take on the iPhone? Everyone else failed: why are you different?) Users can't make calls, and they couldn't even figure out to do anything else. Consumers are returning them in droves.

Now, RIM's Blackberry Bold is having problems. The production process was held up by testing errors, and the thing gets hotter than an old laptop battery.

This happens a lot in consumer goods, a la Mercedes and Palm: a product gets popular, models are rushed to market, and quality takes a nose dive.

Please go back to making cheap phones that are best suited as freebies for signing up with providers. The iPhone is the new king; you're just a wannabe serf.

What Not to Sell in a Recession

Ralph's has high hopes, apparently.

The Sound of (Expensive) Silence

This is important, people.

Fantastic and necessary sites such as Pandora, SoMa FM and others are in dire peril of being shut down due to those greedy bastards at the RIAA and other music industry "advocates" (read: thugs). Instead of finding a reasonable way for small internet broadcasters to pay for broadcasting songs, these modern-day protection gangsters are trying to make them pay through the nose.

Bandwidth ain't cheap, and those costs alone can close down some smaller stations. But asking for 0.19 cents per song per listener is piracy on the airwaves. Thousands of listeners can shut it all down; millions will make it go away forever. Why should terrestrial, big-ticket, commercial radio stations be the only ones to play music, and bad music at that? The best music is being made available via small 'net broadcasters who care about their listeners and won't change formats to make a dollar, betraying their audience in the process.

We could get into a discussion on the statute of limitations for copyrights, et al, but I shan't. Read the clear article from The New York Times and see what the fuss is about.

So True

I'll just link to this gem from The Onion, since it's so freakin' funny, but no photo. It creeps me out.

Monkeys in Pants

Today is a perfect time to reflect on the discoveries of Charles Darwin: it's his birthday.

Darwin changed the world by realizing that the gradual slope of natural selection is the process through which all things furry, scaly and otherwise adapt and grow… or whither and die. Magic thinking or “intelligent design” is out of the question: it is not science, and it is not true.

Sadly, as with those who think net neutrality is bad, the idea of some Pink Unicorn Designer is not only still alive, it is spreading. Wired has taken the high road and published two important articles so that this issue does not get swept away or forgotten: The Crusade Against Evolution and On Darwin’s Birthday, Dover Still Isn’t Over.

It is now 2008, and while we would like to believe in a world that is full of smart, open-minded people, it turns out that many of us are still just monkeys in pants. Need more evidence? The Catholic church has brought back indulgences.

Inside, I'm screaming.

Happy Darwin's/Valentine's Day

Welcome to the Middle Ages... Again.

Oh, for the love of... I am absolutely sputtering over this, so just read it. I'll know you've started when I hear your forehead banging on the desk, just like I did.

My Nickname

The sound of rain on the roof is the perfect nap soundtrack.

The Dude

I am so happy to be working with HTML and CSS again. It feels real and solid.

heading home. g'night.

Being a recovering cookie addict is not as easy as it might sound. Want.

Beautiful Day

I forgot what it was like to go outside.

Tranquil

Death of English, Part 2

Death of English, Part 1

Represent

Out Like A Light

Coming Soon

Oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please

Dauphin

At Anisette, Santa Monica. Delish.

25 Years and A Lot of Class

This is pure advertising brilliance, fresh on the heels of retro hits like Mad Men.

Go, Sir Richard, go.

History of the Internet

More interesting than you might think, and important for everyone to know.

Oh: ever heard of the Net Neutrality issue? Read on.


History of the Internet from PICOL on Vimeo.

L.A. Summed Up

L.A. is a city of drivers who see someone walking and say, "I should
exercise more" but don't.

Lust in One's Heart

I only looked. Looked. I did not give in to temptation. There is only one for me.

But I did look. Forgive me.

The Unfinished Swan

The Unfinished Swan is a first-person painting game set in an entirely white world. Players can splatter paint to help them find their way through an unusual garden.
The game is still in development and no release plans have been announced. The developers' goal is to have a vertical slice ready by March of 2009.