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Wednesday, April 19, 2006 Ye Olde Graphic Designer  Marian Bantjes has a great article over on Speak Up on modern logos as the new heraldry. I think the swoosh definitely qualifies as a "garb". ------------------------------------------------
Sunday, April 16, 2006 The Good Saturday Today was an excellent day. Got a lot of cleaning done, and I got the kids out of the house in the afternoon so Kristin could steam clean. In the evening, we had lamb over at our friends Jane and Allan's house. The children were well behaved despite the late hour and fun was had by all. On the way home, Parker attempted to decimate the asteroids that were fast approaching our minivan. Kira was beginning to fuss. On the radio, Queen began Bohemian Rhapsody. I began to soon, and Kristin quickly cut me off, saying there was quite enough noise in the car. She then immediately proceeded to sing the song herself. No one can deny the voice of Freddie. He commands you to sing. ------------------------------------------------
Know Your Sources Kimberly Williamson-Butler, mayoral hopeful in the upcoming 24-way race for the poisition (!), learns the importance of verifying the source of stock photography. It's the French Quarter, all right, but is it the Big Easy or the Happiest Place on Earth? ------------------------------------------------
Tunstall is a Ton of Fun  I cannot recommend the new K.T. Tunstall cd any higher. She's a great bluesy folk singer, with a polished pop style, kind of like a cross between Tori Amos, Alanis Morrisette, and Josh Stone. I've been looking to download her work from iTunes for quite a while, and found that her cd was available at Wal-Mart for just one dollar more. Go check it out.------------------------------------------------
When Canon Goes Pop  I've been trying to catch up on my Don Quixote quest of cataloging the Star Trek universe as related in the Pocket novels. As Kristin is taking classes on online databases, I am rethinking if this is better to pursue as a set of PDFS or as an accessible database. I think the information will be more accessible in a database style, so I'm leaning that way, once I master enough PHP to make it a reality.What constitutes canon in Trek is a pretty funny. Some material that was once considered canon and used as background for the Motion Picture has been decanonized, as has apparently Star Trek V and the Voyager episode Treshold (understandably). Yet other materials have had facts lifted and canonized, despite the fact that the source itself is not recognized. As a rule, books are not considered canon, save for two exceptions (and that's a right shame, because everyone should appreciate the gems pictured here. It's a right mess. I guess what I'm doing would be considered fan canon, or fanon. I'd say that maybe Paramount should considered a tiered canon system like Lucasfilm has implemented for Star Wars, but it would be awful hard to fit all of the novelizations into five years. Believe me, I have tried. By the way, the worst novel I have ever read is "The Fearful Summons". Although the writer is one of the screenwriters of Undiscovered Country, he obviously has no connection to the characters, how they talk, or how the interrelate with one another. It's onerous to even finish the book. I guess, like Kirk, I...need....my pain. ------------------------------------------------
Snakes on a Plane  I can't help it. I've got Snakes on a Plane fever. I know this film is going to be abslolutely terrible, but it's the most honest "truth in advertising" I've ever seen. Rumor has it That Samuel L. Jackson kept them from changing the working title, and internet hype on the film has led them to actually adding fan-requested scenes and dialogue. A film created by the will of the people - truly a cinematic first. Don't believe it will meet my expectations? Check out the trailer.Not only that, but the name itself has taken on a slang meaning. Snakes On a Plane has replaced *stuff* happens - there are snakes on the plane, what are you gonna do?There's a t-shirt and even a blog of every mention of the film and fan-inspired art that comes down the pike.  ------------------------------------------------
Friday, April 14, 2006 Toys Or Bust  The kids and I went to Toys R Us after the Easter Egg Hunt at Moran Funeral Home (A Newberry tradition to which I have attributed the slogan "Moran Funeral Home: Your Children are Our Future). A few observations:
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Wednesday, April 12, 2006 13 Going on 30 Good Morning America started airing a segment called Thirteen Around the World, where they interview thirteen 13-year-old girls from around the world. What struck me in their initial report was how world-wide pop culture is. Virtually all of the girls listened to Shakira. The Palestinian girl liked to listen to Eminem while cleaning the house. The Iraqi girl and all here friends had Barbie backpacks. All of the girls counted their blue jeans as a prized possession. It is a small world, after all. ------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, April 11, 2006 Nothing Really Matters...Including Tone, Pitch, and Reason  A night with Queen on American Idol began the only way it really could...Bucky singing Fat-Bottomed Girls. And it didn't get better from there. Ace sand the weakest "We Will Rock You" I have ever heard. Simon was a bit harsh with his response - not about Ace's performance, which was spot on, but choosing Andy Kim as the sub-standard Ace was aspiring to. "Rock Me Gently" is an awesome song, Cowell, so shut your mouth.Kellie chose "Bohemian Rhapsody", and made a complete mess of it. Her stylist apparently tried to mirror the look of Queen's floating heads from the video, which came off as a missing outtake from Thriller (could those bags get any bigger), but somehow the judges were distracted enough by her sequined jacket and fall-to-her-knees performance that they said she was good. Unfortunately, the Pickle appears to have mesmerized the rest of America too, as DialIdol predicts a smooth sail-through for her. Chris rocked as usual, choosing "Innuendo", a more recent song that plays to his strengths. Simon called it indulgent, revealing his decision that Chris shall not make the final three. I call it smart, because it keeps him from having to be compared to a Freddy Mercury vocal. It wasn't the most captivating song, but it fit his style, and Queen was impressed. Katharine switched songs at the last moment, and went with "Who Wants to Live Forever", a great love ballad that is totally her style. She's not as good as Freddy (who is?) or Sarah Brightman, but it's okay. The rest of America appears to disagree, as DialIdol predicts her in the bottom three. Kristin has begun a mass dialing to boost her up, with me and her sister as willing proxies. Our instant messaging soon looks like Legolas and Gimli tallying orcs. In any case, Katherine will have a great future as a chanteuse. Like Mother, like daughter. Elliot is just Elliot. It was good, but was is "Somebody to Love" without the big note? Not very exciting. Or memorable. Taylor too switches songs at the last moment, and it's a good thing, because Taylor singing "We Are the Champions" would have been a disaster of Biblical proportions. Instead, he sings "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", which was great. What truly made it the performance of the night, however, was his stage act. Trying to rock it out, Taylor jumps in the air, kicks out to topple the mike stand...and misses. Undaunted, he does it again and sends it clattering. Priceless. Paris rounds out the show, performing "Hero". Paris once again shows her knack for morphing herself to the week, looking like a miniature Mary J. Blige. Which shows she could have a fantastic Broadway career, but proving she might not have the personality to be a pop star in her own right. Simon calls her "weird", just as he calls Taylor's performance "ridiculous", cementing his decision to grant those he does not wish to sign one-word appraisals. All in all, despite some good performances, Queen's name was ultimately tarnished. Glad to see that Prince had enough sense to stay away. Time to change the channel to USA and hear some real singing. ------------------------------------------------
Friday, April 07, 2006 Wascally Wabbits  This week, just in time for Easter, we had some visitors in our back yard - baby bunnies. Kristin noticed them just in time, for the first cat to come across them was Amber (If she were a sword, she'd be named Varmint-Slayer or some such. After seeing Amber nose-to-nose with the rabbit, she ran outside, only to scare another one in the yard to running, which attracted the attention of a wandering Lockheed.Well, the two bunnies preceeded to spend that evening curled up right next to the screen porch, in full sight of three extremely interested cats. The following morning, I placed these two back in their den, a small hole several yards from the house, as well as third bunny who was sitting out next to the hole. They were amazingly docile and were sooo cuddly. Must...resist...urge...to build a hutch. We learned a lot about young bunnies along the way. At their age, the mother lives in a separate den, and only comes by once a day to nurse them. Their den is filled with down from the mother's fur, which explained the large tufts of fur we found around the yard (we figured Lockheed had been getting into tussles). Also, we learned that wild rabbits do not fare well in captivity (dashing my hopes of building a rabbit commune in our back yard. We have not seen them in a day or two, but they are very good at blending in with the underbrush. We're hesitant to do any yard work back there until we're sure they've vamoosed. Hopefully we'll know for sure by next week. ------------------------------------------------
A Pretty Pickle  30 St Mary Axe is one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen. Referred to by most Londoners as the "Gherkin", by the more lascivious "Erotic Gherkin", the building's unique shape and contours allow it to use a fraction of the electricity or air conditioning a similar-sized conventional skyscraper would. Plus, its shape allowed for a large green space and urban plaza to be built around its base, created much needed open space in the Financial District. The entire top is a gigantic arched dome with spectacular views of the heart of the city. Not to mention, its shape makes for an elegant logo. ------------------------------------------------
Thursday, April 06, 2006 The Mouse That Squeaked Looks like the toy industry is predicting box office failure for Disney's new film, The Wild, - not one of them took up the liscensing rights for the film. And here I thought its biggest problem was passing similarities to Madagascar. BTW, you should bookmark Jim Hill's website - his inside knowledge of the Disney studios is fascinating reading. ------------------------------------------------
Creampuff No Longer I have never been able to take CNN anchors seriously. There journalistic style has much more in common with John Tesh than it does with Edward Murrow. I lost all respect for Tony Harris earlier this year when he referred to the Chinese New Year as "The year of the DAAAWWWWGG!". And, although he is a capable reporter, I always chuckle when I see anchor Miles O'Brien, who for years was CNN's NASA and all-things-space correspondent (and who shares the name of a Starfleet engineer who for fourteen years was a staple on Next Generation and DS9. Despite this baggage, Soledad O'Brien really went toe-to-toe with Cynthia McKinney earlier this week. She doggedly pursued her story, and hung on despite numerous attempts from McKinney and her lawyers to change the subject. She showed she can jab and spar with the best of them. Kudos, Soledad. ------------------------------------------------
A Gator Nation? Crikey! Leave it to Steve Irwin to make the best University of Florida commercial ever. ------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, April 05, 2006 Dr. McNinja  Take two different cliches - the mysterious ninja and the doctor drama, mix together, and come up with two cliches that really work with each other. Dr. McNinja, with sword and degree in hand, keeps the world safe from pirates, raptors, and their ilk, not to mention mumps. Or foot diseases. ------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, April 04, 2006 Mmmmm....Donuts  The Gateway Grizzlies have created perhaps the single largest artery blocker ever seen - the Donut Burger. That's right - the meaty, greasy goodness of ground beef combined with the sticky sweetness of the Krispy Kreme doughnut. Such an enormous doughnut will devour us all. Or we must devour it. Either way, we lose.I stand corrected. The donut burger, also known as the Luther Burger (rumored to be named for Luther Vandross), is not the ultimate in the heart-bursting arsenal. That distinction must go to Mulligan's Hamdog: a hot dog wrapped in a burger, deep fried, and smothered in chili, cheese and onions, served on a hoagie and covered with a fried egg and french fries. Instant Arrythmia. ------------------------------------------------
Super Dave Dave Werner is well on his way to becoming a design superstar. I stumbled on his site through Logolounge, which incorrectly reported his school project as being an actual identity standard manual for the tourism board of St. Petersberg. Really, it's that good. But not as good as his rap video. Or his "You Belong at Portfolio Center" song, which is maddeningly still in my head even now. ------------------------------------------------
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Tuesday, April 18, 2006 Property Appraisal versus House Cost How does this WORK?!?!? Jeff and I have noticed that the property value in our town is going up and up and up, and yet the value according to the appraiser's office is much less. Even when we bought our house back in 1999, we paid $15K over the property appraiser's value -- how does that work? What does that porpoerty appraiser's value mean? Anyone know?? ------------------------------------------------
Parker & Kira dancing!! Aren't they a hoot!!! We dance here daily -- but I think the swing-around Parker did here is just the best! ------------------------------------------------
Thursday, April 06, 2006 Owing Taxes AGAIN!!! Very annoying, though not devastating like last year. Still, I really thought we'd get something back. ------------------------------------------------
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