randomwalks/dj

Even though I’ve never prepared a square meal, I can’t stop watching shows about food. The irony here cannot be overstated, and saying that I’ve never made a square meal is actually giving me too much credit; if I’m coming clean, the most I’ve ever “made” is grilled chicken on a George Foreman grill. I’m 27 years old!

It’s well known within my circle that I absolutely do not cook, nor do I even stock my kitchen with microvable (or other) food anymore because I eat it all within two days of buying it (which belies my somewhat diminutive size) — it’s cheaper to just eat out (I’ll argue that math all day long).

The point is, I have no idea why I’m so fascinated with food shows, and why, when I plop down in front of the TV, they always seem to take precedence over everything else on my DVR (save maybe, some guilty-pleasure, tasteless “reality TV”).

Some of my favorites:

• Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations (it would be remiss of me to not mention Tony’s excellent book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly)
• Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern (drinking game: have a shot every time he describes food as either “briny” or “gamey”)
• Top Chef
• Hell’s Kitchen
• Unwrapped
• Taste of America

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Justin Blanton, on July 28, 2007 6:16 PM

Last month Reverend Billy was locked up for reciting the First Amendment in Union Square. Tonight he returns with a troupe of others to speak out against the outrageous new law that would limit public photography and filming in New York. Currently there are 2,285,188 photos tagged "New York" on Flickr, and that's just one photo sharing site, imagine if the number stopped there and we lost future images of the city. A new group has sprung up called Picture New York, and they ask you to do just what their name suggests:

"Picture New York WITHOUT pictures of New York. The most photographed city in the world is about to be shut down visually by proposed regulations which would basically make it illegal to film or tape in NYC without a permit and a million dollars of insurance. An overnight, massive grassroots fight against these proposed regulations has sprung up under the name 'Picture New York.' Fighting back with YouTube videos, petitions, handwritten letters, a website, Flickr space and a rally and press conference this Friday in Union Square, this ad-hoc group of working artists, photographers and filmmakers vow to stop the regulations going into effect as scheduled in September from the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre, and Broadcasting (MOFTB). Albert Maysles, Patti Smith, Michael Stipe and Amy Arbus are among the celebrated artists who have already signed on to demand the MOFTB extend the period of public comment, currently ending August 3, and eliminate the proposed regulations: 11 pages of single-spaced rules where none existed before."

Join the good Rev Billy and his Stop Shopping Gospel Choir, the Rude Mechanical Orchestra, Critical Mass bike riders, and the above mentioned Picture New York tonight in Union Square. Fight for your right to Flickr! And no, the rally does not have a permit, so wear your comfy shoes incase you end up in the slammer. Details: Tonight at 6:30pm at the north end of Union Square. Super Deluxe has a pretty funny video of some guys rapping and filming around New York. Watch it here (it comes with helpful suggestions on what to do if the law passes, such as: shoot from Jersey with a zoom lens, dress a tripod up like a dude and much much more). Photo of Reverend Billy in Union Square via Rachael Noel's Flickr.

Originally posted by arts_jen from Gothamist Weekly Favorites, on July 28, 2007 2:32 PM

The new third generation 15″ MacBook Pro, based on Intel’s Santa Rosa chipset, arrived this week and was immediately pressed into service while I was on location shooting the 2007 Open Source Convention. Here are the bits and bobs that I’ve noticed so far:

• It’s quite a bit snappier at many things than my first generation 17″ MacBook Pro. Much snappier than the difference in clock speed between 2.16 and 2.4GHz should give.
• The LED screen is bright bright bright. Bright enough to look really good in places where I couldn’t comfortably use the display before.
• Apple shrunk the 85W power adapter back down to regular power adapter size instead of the wide fatty size that came with my previous MacBook Pros.
• I somewhat miss the extra screen size of the 17″ MacBook Pro. Those extra pixels were nice to have. However, I justified it as I like doing most of my photo editing work on external displays anyway.
• I definitely appreciate carrying around a bit less weight. I notice the weight difference both in picking up the laptop to carry around the house and in my backpack. It’s funny, because I didn’t really notice the weight increase going from the 15″ to the 17″.
• When reading mail and running Safari, the new laptop is running cooler than my previous MacBook Pros. Quite a bit cooler really. But, when the processor is loaded as I work through my photos in Lightroom, it heats right up as you might expect.
• The screen seems to have calibrated nicely. A quick look at the profiles back up Rob Galbraith’s observations.

Bottom line: So far, so good. Best of all, I was able to profile the screen, toss Lightroom on it, and get down to work with a minimum of fuss. I love it when things go smoothly like that.

Originally posted by James Duncan Davidson from James Duncan Davidson, on July 28, 2007 11:56 AM

I want to learn Python. Should I learn Python 2.6 or Python 3.0? (2.x) If you're killing reduce(), why are you keeping map() and filter()? (code readability) Is Python 3.0 going to get rid of the GIL (Global Interpreter Lock) in order to be able to benefit from Multi-core processors? (no) I prefer to use the same source code for 2.x and 3.0; I really don't want to have to use the 2to3 source conversion tool. Why can't you make that work? (intersection is large, suit yourself)

Originally posted by Michal Migurski from tecznotes links, on July 28, 2007 8:24 AM

I LOVE sharks. I could make you sit through the 11 minutes of video of the shark feed and shark swim I was in, but, well, I'll spare you on this occasion. Jaws was my favourite movie of my tween years. Which brings me to area/code's new project (built in nine! weeks!), Sharkrunners.

Sharkrunners, designed for Discovery Channel's 20th Anniversary Shark Week, is a persistent game of oceanic exploration and high stakes shark research. Players take on the role of marine biologists who seek to learn as much as possible about sharks through advanced observation techniques.

In the game, players control their ships, but the sharks are controlled by real-world white sharks with GPS units attached to their fins. Real-world telemetry data provides the position and movement of actual great white sharks in the game, so every shark that players encounter corresponds to a real shark in the real world.

Ships move in real-time, so don't expect any high-speed chases or such; but if you're into shark tracking, or marine biology in general, this is a game for you.

Originally posted by Alice from Wonderland, on July 28, 2007 7:37 AM

Yep, in case you didn't know, BBC now stands for WTF?

"With today's launch of the iPlayer, the BBC Trust has failed in its most basic of duties and handed over to Microsoft sole control of the on-line distribution of BBC programming. From today, you will need to own a Microsoft operating system to view BBC programming on the web. This is akin to saying you must own a Sony TV set to watch BBC TV. And you must accept the Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) that the iPlayer imposes. You simply cannot be allowed to be in control of your computer according to the BBC." - Link (via)

Originally posted by Drew from Dembot, on July 28, 2007 7:15 AM

"It is suspicious to stare at dimes." (link)

Originally posted by (author unknown) from kottke.org, on July 28, 2007 6:33 AM

RENEWING THE ANARCHIST TRADITION A Scholarly Conference November 2-4, 2007 in Montpelier, Vermont The eighth edition of the Renewing the Anarchist Tradition (RAT) conference, sponsored by the Institute for Anarchist Studies, once again aims to provide a participatory and scholarly space in which to reexamine, reinvigorate, and make relevant the social and political tradition of anarchism. Each year, RAT brings together anarchists, anti-authoritarians, and libertarians who want to critically engage both the tradition itself and the world in which we live. Participants and presenters at the conference thereby contribute to developing a more rigorous contemporary theoretical framework for anarchism as well as a stronger basis from which anti-authoritarian movements can organize and resist. In a historical moment characterized overwhelmingly by war, exploitation, forced displacement, dispossession, and environmental devastation, it might seem strange to spend a peaceful fall weekend

Originally posted by stevphen shukaitis from gmane.culture.internet.nettime, on July 28, 2007 12:00 AM

I knew Japan was the birthplace of square watermelons, but the concept of watermelons vaguely shaped like human heads with bulging eyeballs is new to me. PingMag takes us into the world of strangely shaped watermelon breeding, where pyramidal watermelons will set you back $650 and the human head-shaped ones may cost you your soul. The heart-shaped cucumbers are much more accessible at around $2 for one cuke and probably taste more like their normal-shaped counterpart than the molded watermelons.

Originally posted by Robyn Lee from Serious Eats: Main, on July 27, 2007 3:00 PM

Stewart posted a photo:

Originally posted by Stewart from Sylloge, on July 27, 2007 1:11 PM

Hey fam, I thought you should hear it from your boy first.

Three words: Vibe. Juice. Obama.

Monday it'll all make sense...

Originally posted by Zentronix from zentronix: dubwise & hiphopcentric, on July 27, 2007 12:54 PM

The Statesman | Armstrong to cheer on team Saturday

Lance Armstrong will be attending Saturday's individual time trial and Sunday's race into Paris.

Discovery Channel currently has riders in 1st, 3rd, and 8th, and leads the team competition and the white jersey competition.

A dose of publicity from the team's co-owner, the 7-time Tour champion, could also help land a new sponsor. Discovery Channel's sponsorship runs only through the end of the season.

Originally posted by Frank Steele from Tour de France 2007, on July 27, 2007 11:46 AM

Politiken.dk | Ny dopingafsløring af markant rytter på vej

A Danish newspaper is reporting that a jersey holder tested positive after Stage 14, when Contador edged Rasmussen, and that Christian Prudhomme will announce the result in a press conference at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Your jerseys at that point were Rasmussen, Contador (white), Soler (polka-dot), and Boonen (green).

If it turns out to be Rasmussen, we may have more information on why he was withdrawn. If it's one of the others, they should just give it up.

Update: HLN.be reports that Barloworld's Mauricio Soler is the likely rider to be named, and that the team hotel has already been raided by police.

(Via cycling fans anonymous.)

Originally posted by Frank Steele from Tour de France 2007, on July 27, 2007 11:35 AM

If you're in NYC, you should join me, and my friends from Serious Eats, A Hamburger Today, and Gothamist for the Burger Bash at Water Taxi Beach tomorrow. It's going to be a pile of delicious burgers, accompanied by some good beer (first keg is free, courtesy of my employers) and then later on, holy crap, Grandmaster Flash is spinning! What's not to love?

The only tricky part is that you have to buy tickets in advance. Go buy them now, it's only $13.50 and they're even going to have Butter Burgers. Mmm, butter.

Originally posted by Anil from Anil Dash, on July 27, 2007 11:17 AM

The racing continues for Team Bike Hugger at Toona. They’re 8th overall in the Team GC with Julie Beveridge in the top 20 and Nicole Wansgard made an appearance on Cyclingnews with this photo.

Photo credit: Kurt Jambretz/www.actionimages.cc

Originally posted by DL Byron from Bike Hugger, on July 27, 2007 11:03 AM

There's a nice post today over at Baseball Prospectus about Barry Bonds: “Why would a baseball player have needed an undetectable steroid when drug testing wasn’t mandated until 2003?” Conte said. “To suggest that Barry’s 2001 record of 73 home runs was assisted by ‘the clear’ is ridiculous and simply makes no sense.”

Originally posted by David Jacobs from hello, typepad, on July 27, 2007 10:58 AM

There's a nice post today over at Baseball Prospectus about Barry Bonds:

“Why would a baseball player have needed an undetectable steroid when drug testing wasn’t mandated until 2003?” Conte said. “To suggest that Barry’s 2001 record of 73 home runs was assisted by ‘the clear’ is ridiculous and simply makes no sense.”

Originally posted by David Jacobs from hello, typepad, on July 27, 2007 10:58 AM

The images of an aluminum keyboard purporting to be the new iMac keyboard have been subjected to a lot of scrutiny, but they seem to be the real thing. We'll tell you why.

Read More...

Originally posted by justin.berka@gmail.com (Justin Berka) from Infinite Loop, on July 27, 2007 10:13 AM

I live a block away from the delicious intersection of Grom Street and Beard Papa Avenue on the Upper West Side. Ever since Grom opened its doors, dispensing costly but delicious gelati and sorbetti, I have felt sorry for the young Japanese workers at the much emptier Beard Papa. If they weren't so even-tempered and polite, they would be standing outside their storefront yelling, "Why are you waiting on line like sheep at Grom? There's no waiting for our just-as-refreshing mango ice shower, it's much bigger, and it costs a quarter less!"

I was contemplating this state of affairs last weekend as I walked past Grom on my way to the farmers' market on 77th Street and Columbus Avenue. Shockingly, Grom was empty. It was as if Mussolini had parted the Mediterranean. Instead of spending a five-spot on a teeny scoop of pistachio gelato or grapefruit sorbetti, I ordered a Sicilian lemon granita. I watched the counterperson scoop a surprisingly ample portion of shaved ice into an eight-ounce cup. A Grom granita turned out to be a designer version of an old-fashioned Italian ice, only better, thanks to its perfect lemony, sweet-tart flavor balance.

I then went next door to Beard Papa and ordered a mango ice shower. A mango ice shower is made of layers of mango syrup, shaved ice, mango slices, and a shot of condensed milk. It is unbelievably delicious and refreshing, a perfect antidote to a humid New York summer's day. And it's even bigger than a Grom granita and costs $4.50, a quarter less than Grom's granita. For another buck, Beard Papa will throw in a scoop of mango sorbet, but it's unnecessary.

So all things being equal (which they never are, since there is invariably a long line at Grom), which ice do I prefer? They're both great, they're both delicious, and here's the kicker: They both last a really long time. It takes me at least ten minutes to finish either one, whereas I finish a small Grom gelato or a Beard Papa cream puff in seconds. But if I had to choose, I would go with the mango ice shower. It's that good.

So if you find yourself craving a bit of refreshing deliciousness this weekend in New York, head to the corner of 76th and Broadway and buy yourself a cup of long-lasting pleasure.

Originally posted by Ed Levine from Serious Eats: Main, on July 27, 2007 7:30 AM

New York Times: "With the help of simple tools introduced by Internet companies recently, millions of people are trying their hand at cartography, drawing on digital maps and annotating them with text, images, sound and videos."

Originally posted by Michal Migurski from tecznotes links, on July 27, 2007 7:04 AM

Looking for the corn flour based empanada like quesadillas I've enjoyed in Guadalajara. Any tips as to where to go?

Originally posted by Fat and Happy Food Slut from Serious Eats: Main, on July 27, 2007 6:42 AM

The NYT has a great article on the rise of maps made with web tools. A really nice overview with some interesting stats. There is a lot of mapping going on.

• 40,000 maps made on Platial
• 50,000 Google Map mashups
• 1,000,000 MSN Collection maps
• 1,300,000 Garmin maps of hikes, trails, rides
• 4,000,000 Google MyMap maps
• 25,000,000 Flickr Geo-tagged photos

Originally posted by joshua mack from DefinitiveInk, on July 27, 2007 5:49 AM

Quick Post

He's sitting on uranium-rich land, but chooses to preserve his tribe's history. [via ze]

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/07/13/1183833772710.html?page=fullpage

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Capn Design, on July 26, 2007 7:58 PM

JK Rowling gives a bit more closure to all the closure she provided in Potter #7. Lots of spoilers. (link)

Originally posted by (author unknown) from kottke.org, on July 26, 2007 6:44 PM

I seem to remember a time when the Tour was fun. And after the last couple of days, I thought we could all use a little bit of the Tour's lighter, dare I say more whimsical, side.

Snark first: Elden at FatCyclist offers 5 Questions About the Tour de France Thus Far, including: Question 2. How come people keep sending Iban Mayo to the Tour?

The video above (which I saw first at QuickRelease.TV) has French accordion music and a setup worth of Punch & Judy or Itchy and Scratchy. It also reminded me of a site that tracks the Tour's publicity caravan and scale models of the caravan vehicles (and speaking of Itchy and Scratchy, here's the elaborate rolling Les Simpson, Le Film diorama in this year's caravan), mostly in French (also here).

And nobody uses model cyclists and race vehicles better than Anthony Pope, with his Plastic Peloton People, where he's put up a “print-out-and-keep momento” of the London Grand Depart. Here's an interview with Pope in PezCyclingNews in June.

Originally posted by Frank Steele from Tour de France 2007, on July 26, 2007 6:41 PM

I was pleased to be asked to contribute an article to Ambidextrous Magazine (from Stanford’s d.school)  in their upcoming “Food” issue (available soon). What’d I write about? Well, it’s been a number of years since I stopped cooking professionally, but I have been struck by what I think some interaction designers could learn from watching how a restaurant kitchen operates. My original pitch sounded like this:

Chefs organize their cooks and their space with a few key principles in mind: maximizing consistency of product, ensuring creative freedom to experiment, and encouraging effective problem solving under incredibly stressful conditions… For those who manage creative organizations, the professional kitchen can provide inspiration for how to balance these principles effectively.

If you’d like to read the article, it’s available here as a three page PDF. If you take the opportunity to read it, please let me know what you think. Huge thanks to Amanda Willoughby and Evany Thomas for their careful editing work, and to Lora Oehlberg and Mike Pihulic from Ambidextrous for making it a pleasure to contribute to the magazine.

Share This

Originally posted by Ryan Freitas from Adaptive Path, on July 26, 2007 3:11 PM

Behold, the combination of two things many parents highly disapprove of: candy and The Simpsons. Candy Addict lists the Top 10 Simpsons Candy Moments to celebrate the release of the upcoming Simpsons movie. While I can't recall every one of these moments, I agree that nothing can beat Homer's gleeful frolic through the Land of Chocolate:

Originally posted by Robyn Lee from Serious Eats: Main, on July 26, 2007 3:10 PM

"In the game, players control their ships, but the sharks are controlled by real-world white sharks with GPS units attached to their fins. Real-world telemetry data provides the position and movement of actual great white sharks in the game, so every shark that players encounter corresponds to a real shark in the real world."

Originally posted by Michal Migurski from tecznotes links, on July 26, 2007 2:42 PM

During the earnings conference call yesterday, Apple's CFO hinted at an upcoming "product transition," which could point to any number of product updates.

Read More...

Originally posted by justin.berka@gmail.com (Justin Berka) from Infinite Loop, on July 26, 2007 1:55 PM

With 22 million miles logged and a whole lotta iPods, the runners who log their runs on the Nike+ system have crossed a new milestone.

Read More...

Originally posted by jacqui@arstechnica.com (Jacqui Cheng) from Infinite Loop, on July 26, 2007 1:15 PM

Did Angelina Jolie give the OK to this? Page Six reports that Brad Pitt and ex-girlfriend Gwyneth Paltrow are reuniting for a new film called Dirty Tricks, a political drama about the aftermath of the Watergate scandal. Annette Bening, Meryl Streep and Sharon Stone co-star. The film marks the first time the former flames have appeared on screen together in nearly 12 years (they last co-starred in Seven).

We wonder what Jennifer Aniston will make of all this. Hmmm.

Originally posted by sbyrne from Daily Blabber, on July 26, 2007 12:26 PM

While Le Tour continues, in chaos, this photo reminds me of “Le Tour de life,” where we just love bikes, that’s our dope.

Yes, no helmet, but the photo speaks for itself and also what you’re telling us in comments.

Originally posted by DL Byron from Bike Hugger, on July 26, 2007 11:51 AM

Originally posted by weevil@wileywiggins.com (Wiley Wiggins) from News of the dead, on July 26, 2007 11:20 AM

Posted by Matthew Glotzbach, Product Management Director, Google Enterprise

With more than 200 million downloads and counting, Google Earth is known around the world. Less well-known is our Google Earth Enterprise which companies, organizations and government agencies use to view their global data and imagery. Experts and amateurs alike use it for everything from designing new buildings to exploring for energy to responding to emergencies, because Google Earth Enterprise offers access to geospatial info that was once limited to specialty applications.

For instance, check out Dell's implementation showing a geographic view of traffic to Dell.com:



Today, we're releasing the latest version, which makes it easy to publish and view Google Earth datasets in 2D using a browser. By accessing Google Earth Enterprise from a web browser, employees across an organization will benefit from the rich geographic tapestry. There's more detail on the Google Lat/Long blog.

Originally posted by Karen from Official Google Blog, on July 26, 2007 10:13 AM

PORT says that the Portland Art Museum has taken a "more intellectually engaged turn" since director John Buchanan left...

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Modern Art Notes, on July 26, 2007 7:46 AM

A month ago, danah boyd blogged her essay about the social distinctions between MySpace and FaceBook users. Now she writes a follow-up. She attempts to clear up some issues, and also responds to the firestorm of comments, blog posts and media stories her post generated. It's worth a read if you have 10 minutes.

My question is this: In a world where we can publish anything we want and everyone else can respond with all kinds of personal attacks against us, do we have more freedom of expression than we used to? Or do we have less?

Originally posted by stephen_baker from BusinessWeek Online - Blogspotting, on July 26, 2007 7:32 AM

TED Curator Chris Anderson writes: Last night, I attended the New York premiere of The Devil Came on Horseback, a searing documentary about Darfur, told through the eyes of US military observer Brian Steidle, whose photographs of the ongoing genocide there exploded onto the world two years ago. They raised awareness then, and the new film has the potential to do so again. It packs a powerful punch. I came out seething with anger, and I think that was the intent. Manohla Dargis of the New York Times writes: "Brutal, urgent, devastating -- the documentary The Devil Came on Horseback demands to be seen as soon as possible and by as many viewers as possible." See it if you possibly can. If anyone out there thinks they can help boost distribution of the film (similar to how this community helped with An Inconvenient Truth), please let me know and I'll connect you with the filmmakers Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from TED | TEDBlog, on July 26, 2007 6:25 AM

IHT.com | France reels from Tour de France scandals, and newspaper urges calling off race

The Independent | Tour de France: French demand drastic action as outrage turns into disgust

Hugh Schofield, writing in The Independent, provides some reaction from French newspapers: from Aujourd'hui en France: “Cheats, Get Out!” (in French, “Tricheurs dehors!”); in La Nouvelle Republique, “It's the Tour of Shame.”

The Associated Press notes France Soir's front page obituary (at right), which said the Tour died today, “at age 104, after a long illness.” Any names pointedly missing?

Liberation editorialized:

"The Tour must be stopped.”

“This procession of cyclists has been transformed into a caravan of ridicule,” Liberation wrote. “If the organizers really want to save cycling, they should stop the competition and declare a pause of a few years, enough time to treat these athletes-turned-druggies.”

Also:

Liberation.fr | La mort du Tour (in French)

Forbes.com | U.S. Sponsors of Tour de France Hang On

WSJ.com | Tour de France Sponsors May Pull Out

Originally posted by Frank Steele from Tour de France 2007, on July 26, 2007 6:25 AM

When Michael Rasmussen's withdrawal was announced by Rabobank, their press officer said it was because Rasmussen had admitted to director Theo de Rooij that he was in Italy when Davide Cassani claimed to see him on June 13 or 14th:

"When Rasmussen was confronted with this information he confirmed to [team manager] Theo de Rooij he was at that moment in Italy," said Rabobank press officer Jacob Bergsma. "That was the reason De Rooij decided to get him out of the Tour and the team."

Today, Rasmussen denied this to the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad (AD.nl story and video, in Dutch):

“I am shattered. I am on the verge of tears. I was not in Italy. Not at all. That's the story of one man who believes he recognised me. There is no hint of evidence.”

“My career is ruined. I have no idea what I should do or where I will go. This is an enormous blow for me, and also for all the guys from the Rabo team. They're devastated.”

Originally posted by Frank Steele from Tour de France 2007, on July 26, 2007 5:52 AM

I just don't know anyone who has ... the always disputed #1 restaurant in the world.

Originally posted by Kbear919 from Serious Eats: Main, on July 26, 2007 5:32 AM

My early pick for video of the year? Zach Galifianakis' take on Kanye West's "Can't Tell Me Nothing". Absolute genius, and even features a cameo by Bonnie "Prince" Billy

More on the video's origin at The Fader.

Originally posted by Anil from Anil Dash, on July 25, 2007 8:48 PM

The developer who plans to transform Brooklyn waterfront where the Domino Sugar factory stands unveiled the billion-dollar plans yesterday. According to the NY Sun, there will be 2,200 housing units, 120,000 square feet of retail space, and 100,000 square feet of community space. Thirty percent of the housing will be affordable: 530 will be rentals (100 units for families making $21,000; 330 for families making up to $40,000; "100 for seniors who make up to 50% of the median income for the area") while 130 units will be for sale to "families making up to $90,000 annually." Community Preservation Corporation Resources (a pointed company name if there ever was one) president Michael Lappin said this would be "the first time in several generations that this part of the waterfront will be open to the public," what with water taxi access and a 40-foot-wide waterfront esplanade between South Fifth and Grand Ferry Park. The Processing House will remain, but CPC Resources did not mention any other buildings that would be preserved. Efforts are under way to save the Domino Sugar sign, but the sign's building will likely be demolished. Though many groups would like more buildings preserved and more affordable housing, CPC Resources seems to have won over many; the advocacy group El Puente's Luis Acosta told AM New York, "They've really gone to every single community group and sat down. They've been an exception to the rule of developers who take a top-down approach and essentially tell the community what's going to happen after it's been decided." Curbed has photographs from the press conference. Photograph by Pabo76 on Flickr

Originally posted by jen from Gothamist Weekly Favorites, on July 25, 2007 3:48 PM

Hey! Did you know that OK Go has a Flickr feed?

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Rebecca's Pocket, on July 25, 2007 2:10 PM

To celebrate the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Badnewsbear and friends threw a party with what may not be the most intricately made cake but is one of the more unique ones. How often do the worlds of Harry Potter and lolcat speech combine? Not enough, not enough.

Originally posted by Robyn Lee from Serious Eats: Main, on July 25, 2007 1:40 PM

cyclingnews.com | Cycling News Flash for July 26, 2007: Rasmussen pulled out of Tour

CyclingNews reports that Rabobank has withdrawn Michael Rasmussen from the Tour, and that he will not take the start tomorrow.

CyclingNews suggests it could relate to a report by Italian TV commentator Davide Cassani, who claims to have seen Rasmussen training in the Dolomites on June 13th or 14th, while Rasmussen claims he was in Mexico for training.

DeRooy will not withdraw the entire team, but will allow the riders to choose to start the stage tomorrow.

Also:

VeloNews.com | News Flash: Rasmussen pulled out of Tour, fired by Rabobank

Adds that Rasmussen is also fired from the team.

iol Sport | Rasmussen kicked out of Tour de France

However the team has learnt that Rasmussen lied to them over where and what he was up to during the month of June when he was in fact in Italy and not in Mexico as he had told them.

Originally posted by Frank Steele from Tour de France 2007, on July 25, 2007 1:32 PM

There aren’t many times I look back at a two-week period and notice that I hadn’t cooked any read meat. It wasn’t my fault if nearly every recipe that looked good was light, easy, and beef-less. But after noticing came rectifying, and so I was off to procure a nice heavy dinner. Normally, that would mean throwing a steak on the grill. But I had been flipping through one of my favorite cookbooks, Daisy Cooks, and noticed a nice big steak recipe with just enough to keep things interesting.

The only hinge came with the cut. It seemed like a crime to mess with a relatively nice piece like strip steak by dumping it in vinegar. So I swapped cuts, using the little rougher bottom sirloin, which was unbelievably cheap and really took to the method. The rub and vinegar together are definitely strong, and at first I wasn’t all into the change. It tasted extreme and off balance. But then I scooped a bite with some of the crunchy, sweet onions. It was a great balance. Not exactly a major revelation, but a nice reprieve from heavily charcoaled specimens thrown on the grills across the country.

Beef Steak with Onions

Ingredients
1 large sirloin

Adobo seasoning (see note below)

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 large onion

Procedure
1. Pat the steak dry. Rub with the Adobo seasoning. Pour the vinegar into a dish, and put the steak on top. Let sit 15 minutes, flip steak, and let site 15 minutes more. While the steak is hanging out, slice the onion thinly into long strips.

2. When steak is done, remove and set aside. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat, and pour in the oil. When oil starts to shimmer, place steak in pan. I like mine medium-rare, so I cooked it about 4 to 5 minutes per side, but it depends on the thickness of the steak.

3. Remove steak, add a touch more oil, and throw in the onions. Sauté quickly, until they’ve slightly blackened but haven’t lost their crunch.

* If you don’t have adobo seasoning, then mix equal parts onion powder, garlic powder, and groud black pepper, with twice as much salt. Sprinkle a little dried oregano on top and mix together.

Originally posted by Nick Kindelsperger from Serious Eats: Main, on July 25, 2007 12:00 PM

For those in the Portland area, I’ll be giving a training workshop on August 18th. It’s called: Working More Efficiently and Effectively on Your Mac: A Hands-On Training Workshop to Help You Increase Productivity (and Have More Fun!) It will be super useful for: independent professionals non-profit organizations corporate teams freelancers students, and more… See the full description and more details on [...]

Originally posted by elihu from action figures sold separately, on July 25, 2007 11:55 AM

July 21 2007 - The Black Lips perform at the Siren Music Festival at Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY.

This is right after they set off shooting a bunch of pillow feathers from a cannon.

I've uploaded all of my Siren Festival photographs.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from kathryn yu dot com, on July 25, 2007 10:57 AM

Tim Bray: "I personally think the protocol's going to be a big deal; here's why. My track record as a prognosticator is good but not perfect. There's one thing of which I'm confident though: if Atompub takes off, it'll be in at least one area that makes no sense at all to me, seems completely crazy."

Originally posted by Michal Migurski from tecznotes links, on July 25, 2007 10:47 AM

We've made a few changes at Ed Levine Eats as part of the larger Serious Eats redesign. As you see, the look of ELE remains the same, but you'll now need to sign up for a Serious Eats account to comment. The change means your words will appear right away instead of waiting in a queue for approval.

If you've already got a Serious Eats account, it'll work on ELE (and on SE and on Slice and A Hamburger Today). If you don't have one, you can sign up here. Signing up takes only a moment, and, like you, we hate spam, so we won't be selling your info to third parties or using it toward nefarious ends.

Originally posted by Ed Levine from Serious Eats: Main, on July 25, 2007 10:36 AM

In which Slice wades waist-deep into the plaintive muck of Craigslist's Missed Connections in search of pizza-related longing. So come with me, my love, to the swamp of love that spawns this That's Amore. —The Mgmt.

• Hottie eating pizza - m4w: Yes you! Eating pizza in Wagon Wheels saturday afternoon. You stood at the table next to me and yes I was checking you out big time. I wanted to laugh out loud as your boyfriend was using a knife and fork to eat his pizza. You're going to marry this guy? You can do a lot better than that! Get in touch with me because I can't get you out of my head! [I second that. Life's too short to waste with a man who eats pizza with knife and fork! —The Mgmt.]
• Sat. Night 1:00 am Ocean Beach Ferry - m4w - 30: You were a gorgeous blonde with the cutest pout on your face, wearing a white shirt and jeans. You were holding two slices of pizza that you never ate. [And she's still holdin' 'em, buddy, while she peruses Missed Connections for your ad. —The Mgmt.]
• Mike #7bus in morning to NR from Mt Vern. - w4m: Mike, I met you on the bus this morning on your way to work to renovate a pizza place in Larchmont, we talked about our kids, you also said you were not living with your other half currently. If I may ask, what does that mean exactly? I'd be interested in chatting with you more, and getting to know you better if your open to it. I was wearing an old navy blue t-shirt and denim shorts, i wasn't looking all that great but we seemed to have a nice chat. I hope you see this and would be willing to chat. Where did i tell you i was going on the bus,and what stop did i get off at?
• E 23rd St./ Park Ave. South Pizza. - m4w: This is for the young American/Asian woman sitting at Papou’s Pizza on 7/18/07 1:30pm with her? (Mom). You had the most intriguing eyes. We made eye contact several times. I wanted to say something, but I think I maybe almost twice your age. If you just want to talk and hang out that’s fine. Drop me a line and include what you had for lunch so I know it’s you… [Hi, it's me ;) I had pizza for lunch, silly. Hehe. Let's get 2gether! Email me at pizzagirl@tocatchapredator.com —The One with the Most Intriguing Eyes ;) ]
• My CL Dating Summer - w4m: No, I wasn't saying they're all jerks - just the ones who said the would call, asked her for her # and then dropped out of sight. Women can take rejection, but not when men aren't straight-forward.

  As for did I kiss the guy - I wouldn't go out with him after his comment. I have money for a nice meal and wine, and assumed if we went out we would split the check. Instead, it became clear that he thought he could buy some women a nice meal and get over on them. Now, if I like a guy, I can buy him a slice of pizza and still bang him on the first date. He doesn't have to be a laugh riot to get over on me. But he has to be sweet and seem really interested in me.

  I do believe there is someone out there for everyone. But with seven million people in NYC alone, they're probably hiding from the crowds. [Yowza! —The Mgmt.]

Originally posted by Adam Kuban from Serious Eats: Main, on July 25, 2007 10:10 AM

We had a feeling it wouldn't last. Usmagazine.com reports that after two-and-a-half years together, Jessica Alba and Cash Warren have broken up. Sources say the 26-year-old beauty broke up with her 28-year-old producer boyfriend on July 22 over the phone, telling him, "I'm not in love with you anymore." Way harsh!

A few hours later, Jessica Alba sent an assistant to the L.A. home they shared to pack up her ex's stuff and move him out.

A month ago, Spike TV named Cash the "Luckiest Bastard" of 2007 at their first annual Guy's Choice Awards (because of his relationship, of course). He's clearly not feeling so lucky anymore. The breakup "happened...almost out of nowhere," a source says. "[Cash] thinks it's for another guy but doesn't know....he's totally devastated. But it was all her." (Alba's rep declined to comment.)

In a past interview, Cosmopolitan Magazine asked the actress to name her celebrity crushes: Johnny Depp, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Jake Gyllenhaal all made the list. Watch out boys, she's a heartbreaker!

Originally posted by sbyrne from Daily Blabber, on July 25, 2007 9:45 AM

pinball machine hacked into a first-person shooter; try the videos [via] 

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Waxy.org Links, on July 25, 2007 9:37 AM

This quote from Merckx says a lot

“This new scandal has left me K.O.’d. Since the start, they talked only of doping on Belgian television. And now, I learn that Vinokourov has played with his blood and that he’s leaving. It might be a good thing. We know now that it’s difficult to cheat and those who break the rules are caught. But, for me, that’s the end of cycling. And, I hope, the start of other things”

Reactions continue (rider protests and Rasmoo was boo’d) and I spoke to lots of people in the bike industry yesterday and the consensus was, “yes, sad, but our market doesn’t care too mich about le Tour or racing and that’s who we’re focusing on.”

With Interbike coming up, the Fall, and another bike season, I expect many are thinking of “other things” than racing. Like, comfort bikes, SUBs, cargo bikes, and the like.

Do you feel like Merckx after this latest scandal?

Originally posted by DL Byron from Bike Hugger, on July 25, 2007 7:58 AM

In the rain or in the snow, you got the funky flow. (Thanks, Kotaku!)

Parappa the Rapper is a seminal music game, one of the first to cross over into North America with cult success. Parappa is such a charming character, and the engaging, clever, sweet songs were part of what made the game so fun.

A great original soundtrack can really elevate a game to the next level. I feel that way about both Katamari and Loco Roco - Katamari would be good, but not brilliant, without the amazingly far-ranging and creative soundtrack. Loco Roco, a less successful game, is still a minor jewel because of its adorable, completely hummable songs. In the case of Loco Roco, the music goes a long way to imparting personality to those simple little blobs, too.

Originally posted by jane from game girl advance, on July 25, 2007 6:31 AM

There was a fuss - and VitaminWater truck - at the FDNY's Ladder 20 Engine 13 firehouse on Lafayette Street. With good reason: Mets third baseman David Wright was filming a commercial for vitaminwater. Wright, New York's hottie come lately athlete, plays a vitaminwater delivery man - see how his uniform says "David"? Firefighters were taking photographs with their cellphones and Wright seemed to be having a good time. We just hope he's well-rested for tonight's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Red Sox star David Ortiz and Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher appeared as badminton players in a vitaminwater ad (Slate's Seth Stevenson gave the ad a B), while 50 Cent played an orchestra conductor in another. The Queens-born rapper actually owns a stake in vitaminwater's parent company Glaceau (also based in Queens), so when Coca-Cola bought Glaceau, 50 made around $100 million. Wright has a 0.5% stake in Glaceau, which lead the Post to speculate he would make $20 million, though Wright has said it's much less.

Originally posted by jen from Gothamist Weekly Favorites, on July 25, 2007 5:33 AM

Everyone is a little more aware of the city's steam system - and those steam vents on certain streets - after last week's Midtown steam pipe explosion. The NY Times reports that Con Ed "routinely checks manholes for vapor after rainstorms and pumps out water that reaches the height of the pipes." Hmm, maybe that's why the first lawsuit against Con Ed has been filed. The Post reports a 52-year-old Bay Ridge woman, Francine Dorf, says that she thought the explosion was a terrorist attack (her sister was killed on September 11) and said that the event triggered her post-traumatic street disorder: "I can't sleep, I can't eat." Many businesses are still worried about their lost revenues, as Con Ed won't reimburse them for lost business. Mayor Bloomberg noted that the city is offering interest-free loans of up to $10,000 but Senator Schumer said, "Con Ed needs to come through for the businesses that could have their back broken by this explosion." Assemblyman Michael Gianaris is working on legislation to require Con Ed to reimburse business for lost businesses (shades of last year's Queens blackout). The Daily News also had this quote from Mayor Bloomberg: "I don't know how you can have [Con Ed] account for what's under the ground. They're responsible for it. What do you expect them to do? But I'm not here to defend Con Ed." Huh? We think people expect Con Ed to know what's going on! And Lois Baumerich, the woman who died of a heart attack after the blast, was buried in NJ yesterday. She was remembered for her generous spirit. The NY Times on what her aunt Lucy Murray said: "That was a terrible thing that happened to her in the city. ” she told mourners. “I hope Con Ed gets” — here, she paused, as if trying to measure her words — “fixing those pipes.” Photograph of a Midtown steam pipe by dietrich on Flickr

Originally posted by jen from Gothamist Weekly Favorites, on July 25, 2007 5:32 AM

L'EQUIPE.FR Cyclisme - Un nouveau cas positif

We'll have another positive test result announced a little bit later. L'Equipe reports that one of the samples collected after Stage 11 tested positive for high levels of testosterone, and that it has already been run through an IRMS test to check for exogenous testosterone. Reportedly, the IRMS suggests a man-made source.

Two riders who would have automatically been tested after Stage 11 were stage winner Robbie Hunter and yellow jersey Michael Rasmussen, but a number of other riders were randomly selected for testing, as well.

The rider's name is to be announced at 1500 CET, which I make to be 10 a.m. Eastern.

Also:

cyclingnews.com | Cycling News Flash for July 25,2007 | New positive test leaked

Originally posted by Frank Steele from Tour de France 2007, on July 25, 2007 4:49 AM

Kim Severson's piece on the mainstreaming of the animal rights movement and its effect on what we eat is as nuanced, balanced, and thoughtful an article as I have ever read on the subject. The bottom line is this: Consumers who can afford it want the animals their meat and dairy products come from to be raised responsibly with a minimum of suffering by farmers who care about both the animals they are raising and the land they are raising the animals on.

As Chicago-based chef Charlie Trotter said in the story, "Animal welfare has become more important because American gastronomic customers increasingly want to do right by the animals they eat."

That's good business and good eating. To the extent that the animal rights idealogues can and have helped us reach that goal these activists should be applauded. But the gap, the chasm, between animal rights zealots and caring carnivores (and the responsible farmers and ranchers raising our meat) remains very wide, indeed. Animal rights can sometimes be the province of thoughtless extremists; animal welfare is most often good for the soul and the stomach.

Now that I've gotten off my soapbox, read on for some of the story's best lines.

Severson on the beginning of an animal rights activist's career: "Back then, Mr. Baur was living in a school bus near a tofu factory in Pennsylvania and selling vegetarian hot dogs at Grateful Dead concerts to support his animal rescue operation." Was the school bus a hybrid?

Bruce Friedrich, vice president of international grassroots campaigns for PETA: "When Cameron Diaz learns that pigs are smarter than 3-year-olds and she's like, 'Oh my God, I'm eating my niece,' that has an impact." And the pigs don't have the advantage of three days a week at pre-school.

Severson on the uneasy truce between animal rights groups and chefs: "Although animal rights groups might agree that farm animals need to be treated with more care, one side wants to put those animals on the grill and the other wants to simply hang out with them."

Glossy magazine VegNews printed a publisher's note taking the international gastronomic group Slow Food to task for not including more vegetarians. The story carried the headline "The Developmentally Disabled Food Movement" and called the organization's leaders "human-centric food snobs." What exactly is a "human-centric food snob"?

Originally posted by Ed Levine from Serious Eats: Main, on July 25, 2007 4:15 AM

I came home early today so Gaby (nanny on Tuesdays) could leave for an appointment she had. Tesla had been napping for an hour or so. I came in, saw that Tesla wasn't with Gaby making a mess in the living room, so asked, "she napping?" to which Gaby said yes, and explained that Tesla resisted her crib today so Gaby put her in our bed. Some days, when Tesla is needy, she sleeps better in our bed. I smiled.

Just then, we heard a squeal down the hall, and saw little Miss T almost running towards me with her hands waving above her head. She practically fell into my arms. Tesla knows how to get off the bed safely so she must have heard me come home, and quickly got out of bed.

I can't really describe how special it was to see her hurry towards me. Then to hug her in my arms. It's the most, "ahhhhh" feeling I know.

Originally posted by Mie from Kokochi, on July 24, 2007 7:26 PM

Go read Ejovi Nuwere's Lessons in poverty: value action, accept failure, you are different, always ask.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from braintag, on July 24, 2007 3:16 PM

Atom is done. Now the editorial processes grind away and eventually the official specification of the Atom Publishing Protocol will be an RFC substantially identical to draft-ietf-atompub-protocol-17; it’ll join RFC4287 as the official products of the IETF Atompub Working Group.

What’s Next?

Now we’ll find out who’s interested. The Atom feed format is a success; RSS isn’t going away, but a steadily-increasing proportion of the world’s new feeds are Atom 1.0.

I personally think the protocol’s going to be a big deal; here’s why. My track record as a prognosticator is good but not perfect. There’s one thing of which I’m confident though: if Atompub takes off, it’ll be in at least one area that makes no sense at all me, seems completely crazy.

Atom and Me

I started getting interested in in Sam Ruby’s “Pie” project in 2003. The IETF process started in 2004. So that’s four years of my life, more or less.

I don’t regret a moment of it. I got to actually work, not just hang out, with Sam and Joe Gregorio and, well, if I start listing names, this entry will get out of control. Except for Paul Hoffman, who combined IETF process expertise with deft interpersonal skills, exercised not least in putting me on a leash when I wanted to deal with blockages by applying extreme violence. He’s become a friend, and you can’t have enough of those.

I should also say thanks to Sun for paying me while I spent part of my time working on this. Having said that, I think anything that makes the Net bigger and easier and more useful is good for us because after all we sell the iron; so I think it was a decent investment.

Plus, well, I think the Internet and the Web really need the Atom protocol.

I’m kind of hoping, though, that I can take a vacation from standards work for a while.

The IETF? Well, it ain’t perfect, but work gets done. It’s absolutely intolerable, though, that the name of our spec co-editor Bill de hÓra will appear mis-spelled on the RFC because of the IETF’s bone-headed ignorant backward-looking bigoted ASCII-only policy. Speaking personally, it’s a problem I can’t just live with, which means probably not much further work in the IETF. Oh well.

What Do We Call It?

The term “Atom” is hopelessly vague, and most people use it to refer the feed format, which is fine. We could say “Atom Protocol” or “APP” or “Atompub”; let’s see what shakes out.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from ongoing, on July 24, 2007 12:00 PM

Pannenkoekewhat?

The Pannenkoekenboot, or Pancake Boat, is possibly the only boat in the world featuring an all-you-can-eat pancake buffet. For an hour or more while floating by the sights of Rotterdam, Amsterdam, or Nijmegen you can feast on pancakes and...more pancakes Don't tell me you wouldn't go for this:

We serve plain, apple and bacon pancakes and also have a buffet covered with ingredients to garnish your pancake with, such as cheese, ham, fruit, jam and chocolate sprinkles. Of course there is syrup and powdered sugar on every table.

Of course—no pancake buffet is complete without syrup and powdered sugar. €13,50 may sound like a lot for pancakes, but while stuffing yourself with as many pancakes as you dare to ingest remember that you're also being ferried along a picturesque river. You could take a pancake-less journey, but why would you do that when you could ride the Pancake Boat? Methinks the choice is obvious.

Photograph from Benidormone on Flickr

Originally posted by Robyn Lee from Serious Eats: Main, on July 24, 2007 11:45 AM

Who knew that some streets were off-limits to vehicles? The NY Sun takes us on a trip to East 91st Street between Second and Third Avenues, which was "zoned" as a "play" street and has been off-limits to vehicles since 1978. But now there's a fight brewing between residents and the city over the tranquility. The city wants to install a bike path on the street, to further expand biking options for New Yorkers. (The Department of Transportation is currently painting bike paths around the city, to further distinguish them from the vehicular lanes.) However, the street's residents are very protective of their street (NIMS - Not In My Street - anyone?), it's described as a "private promenade for strolling Upper East Side residents" and running groups are even blocked from it. Community Board 8 voted against the proposal and suggested moving the path to 89th Street (poor 89th Street!). But that vote might be for naught. From the Sun:

A spokeswoman for the Department of Transportation, Molly Gordy, said the city has installed bike lanes on the Upper West Side and the Lower East Side despite community opposition to the plans. "We find after installation the projects fit well in these communities," Ms. Gordy said in an email message.

Our question - how do we get our street blocked off from vehicular traffic? Number 9 on the city's PlaNYC plan is "Promote Cycling: Complete the City's 1,800-mile bike master plan and Facilitate cycling." Photograph of Brooklyn Heights' super green bike path by dietrich on Flickr

Originally posted by jen from Gothamist Weekly Favorites, on July 24, 2007 11:05 AM

I finally got my hands on the hard-copy of Mastering Perl , which is on sell at the Powell's table. Get it at OSCON and you don't have to pay sales tax or shipping! I'll be at the Powell's table with other authors at 1:30ish on Wednesday, July 25 if anyone want to stop by for me to sign any of my books. I will probably also be at Powell's Technical Books Wednesday evening for the Beautiful Code discussion, so you can catch up to me there.

Read more of this story at use Perl.

Originally posted by brian_d_foy (posted by brian_d_foy) from use Perl, on July 24, 2007 11:05 AM

NewsGator Daily: “This morning we announced the release of NewsGator Mobile for iPhone, a free newsreader that takes advantage of the unique design and user interface of Apple’s wildly popular new device. The free service, which works with iPhones and other mobile devices is accessible at http://m.newsgator.com.”

Originally posted by Brent Simmons from ranchero.com, on July 24, 2007 10:36 AM

What's Your Food Personality: Picky or Adventurous? is the Food & Wine article I was a part of, that I mentioned a couple weeks ago.

Several folks (thanks folks!) sent along that missing link to the Confit Byaldi recipe that Remy makes for Ego in the climax of Ratatouille.

And for those interested in things of the baby nature, Ollie is three weeks old today. Amazing, I can't believe it. He seems to be a blend of his parents so far, and takes after me in the gesticulation department. He always seems to be kicking his legs and flailing his arms about. He is also a tremendous eater, something I hope continues when we transition to solid food. He is a joy to behold.

Originally posted by meg@megnut.com (Meg Hourihan) from Megnut, on July 24, 2007 10:21 AM

"The million-marker map is an experimental set of Flash and JavaScripts add-ons to the Google Maps API that allows you to display and interact with very large data sets on a regular Google map."

Originally posted by Michael Sippey from (un)filtered, on July 24, 2007 8:54 AM

RTE Sport | Vinokourov fails dope test

Astana leader Alexandre Vinokourov apparently tested positive for homologous blood doping (receiving a transfusion of someone else's blood) after Saturday's time trial victory, and the entire Astana team has withdrawn from the Tour immediately.

David Millar was in the midst of a press conference when the news spread. Asked about the story, he said, “Jesus Christ, I'm speechless. It makes me sad. I have the impression the riders will never understand.”

From an AP story in the International Herald Tribune:

A senior French anti-doping official confirmed to The Associated Press that there was a positive test for a blood transfusion taken from a rider at the Tour on Saturday, but said he didn't know the name of the cyclist involved. He said the test found two different types of blood, one from the rider, one from a donor.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because no official announcement had been made.

The B-sample will be tested, but Astana policy is that riders are suspended immediately on notification of a positive A-sample. Astana management notified Tour officials, who “invited the team to withdraw.”

Vinokourov would be the first rider positive for homologous doping since Tyler Hamilton and Santiago Perez in 2004.

Also:

L'Equipe | Vinokourov positif

Once again, L'Equipe breaks a doping story from Châtenay-Malabry's lab.

cyclingnews.com | Vinokourov positive for transfusion, Astana quits Tour

VeloNews | News Flash: Vinokourov tests positive; Astana withdraws from Tour

spare cycles | Welcome to the post-Astana order

Ken Conley looks at who stands to gain from Vino's ejection and Astana's withdrawal from the Tour. Notably, Cadel Evans would take the stage win from Saturday's ITT, and Kim Kirchen for yesterday. I bet Zubeldia would have sprinted it out if he had known the stage win was up for grabs yesterday. Tour officials haven't yet announced any action resulting from Vinokourov's positive.

cyclingnews.com | Millar speaks out on Vinokourov

Times Online | Change of gear for sport of lost souls (July 8, 2007)

Paul Kimmage reports on his questioning of Vinokourov on his relationship with Michele Ferrari.

Originally posted by Frank Steele from Tour de France 2007, on July 24, 2007 8:19 AM

For all of you that were waiting to find out which burgers would be served at Saturday's Gothamist-Serious Eats/A Hamburger Today QBQ BBQ at Water Taxi Beach, the burger menu has been finalized. The winning burgers, as determined by voters, were: the onion burger, the butter burger, and the pimento cheese burger. Here are the descriptions of the winning burgers again:

The Onion Burger: Popular in El Reno, Oklahoma, the Onion Burger was born of frugality. Throw a half an onion on the griddle, add to that a ball of ground beef, and smash it all together with the back of a spatula. You've essentially extended your meat by mixing in onions. The onions caramelize as they cook embedded in the beef, giving you a sweet, crusty oniony patty. The Pimento Burger: Pimento cheese is big across the South, usually as a spread eaten on celery stalks or as a filling between two pieces of white bread. But in Columbia, South Carolina, they use it as both cheese and condiment on the burgers. Pimento cheese, for all you Yankees here in New York City, is a mixture of grated cheddar, chopped pimento, mayo, hot sauce, and black pepper. (Horseradish, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce are three common options.) The Butter Burger: A regional delight originating in -- where else? -- Wisconsin, the Butter Burger takes a very liberal dosing of butter after coming off the griddle. Those of you who have visited the Midwest recently may have had one at the rapidly expanding Culver's chain, where it's a specialty.

While we recommend that you try each of the burgers (what's life without variety and experimentation), you can certainly double or triple up on one and skip the others. And if you're worried that you can't finish three burgers, you could always share your ticket with a friend. In case the burger menu wasn't tantalizing enough, did we mention that Six Apart will be sponsoring the event with a keg of Orlio Common Ale IPA? Gothamist and Serious Eats/A Hamburger Today will also be supplying an additional keg of beer. So that's two kegs of beer and three burgers for the reasonable price of $13.50! It's such a good deal that you should purchase those tickets now! Doors open for the event at 5 p.m. and we recommend getting there early (we could run out of beer, after all). Check out our first post for all the details about the event (location, directions, etc). Don't forget to bring your government issued ID for admission on Saturday, because you have to be 21+ or with your legal guardian for admission (they're serious about this). And unrelated to the QBQ BBQ, Grandmaster Flash will be spinning at Water Taxi Beach at 8 p.m. following the BBQ. So you can eat, drink, and then catch Grandmaster Flash? Sounds like a perfect Saturday.

Originally posted by tien from Gothamist Weekly Favorites, on July 24, 2007 8:17 AM

I just finished reading Book 7 and am now back online.

apophenia: processing Harry Potter

Originally posted by Adam from randomWalks, on July 24, 2007 8:11 AM

Click here to check out
The Scripting News' Readers Meetup!

The meetup is tomorrow (Wednesday) night at Otto. Please join us!

Originally posted by David Jacobs from hello, typepad, on July 24, 2007 7:47 AM

I know it's kind of fashionable to trash Shake Shack these days, but yesterday I had an incredibly delicious cup of peach frozen custard. I waited less than 30 seconds on the B-Line and took my cup of perfect custard to the southeast corner of Madison Square Park, where British soul singer James Hunter was giving a free concert.

Peach custard, no waiting, free James Hunter concert: Life was good. Peach is the Wednesday flavor of the day at the Shake Shack at least for July, so consider hitting the B-Line next Wednesday. I may hit the Shack this Sunday for the salted caramel frozen custard. Doesn't that sound just perfect?

Of course when I obsess about frozen custard, I start thinking about doing a frozen custard taste test. I'm thinking about ordering some Kopp's online from Milwaukee and then taking it over to Shake Shack for a direct comparison.

What's your favorite frozen custard anywhere? No soft ice creams like Carvel need apply.

Photograph by Robyn Lee

Originally posted by Ed Levine from Serious Eats: Main, on July 24, 2007 6:00 AM

AT&T reported its financial results just a day before Apple is scheduled to do so for the same quarter. The company gives us just a few tastes of what to expect out of Apple tomorrow and from both companies in the future with its numbers.

Read More...

Originally posted by jacqui@arstechnica.com (Jacqui Cheng) from Infinite Loop, on July 24, 2007 5:47 AM

Karen Schneider gives us the facts that have been missing from the media handwringing about the Maricopa County Library District’s switch from Dewey to BISAC. Go read it, understand what they did and the good and bad outcomes from their decision.

dewy, maricopa, techsource

Originally posted by jessamyn from librarian.net, on July 24, 2007 5:37 AM

aP1030237
Originally uploaded by Steve1949.

Shadow's holding down the fort this Summer, I'll see you next Summer.

Originally posted by David Jacobs from hello, typepad, on July 24, 2007 4:46 AM

aP1030237
Originally uploaded by Steve1949.

Shadow's holding down the fort this Summer, I'll see you next Summer.

Originally posted by David Jacobs from hello, typepad, on July 24, 2007 4:46 AM

Stewart posted a photo:

Oops - network died so the upload stopped here. There was more in the series.

Originally posted by Stewart from Sylloge, on July 24, 2007 3:29 AM

Online magazine InCharacter has an article on what autism can tell us about honesty and deception, by autism researcher Prof Simon Baron-Cohen.

People with autism or related conditions are often poor at both deception and recognising deception in others. It's not always the case, but it's quite a common attribute.

Baron-Cohen's article explores what we know about some of the differences in autistic thinking, and what might be so different that an effective understanding of deception becomes almost impossible.

He argues that a key skill is 'meta-representation', the ability to think about other thoughts, imaginary scenarios or abstract principles in yourself or others.

The key is that it's not just thinking or imagining, it's being able to think about thinking or imagining.

When this specifically involves thinking about what other people are thinking, understanding their perspective, it is often called 'theory of mind'.

You can see why this is a key skill in deception. You need to have a theory or understanding of what the other person is thinking or is likely to think, to work out how to hide the real state of the world from them.

As people with autism often perform poorly on tasks that test 'theory of mind' (despite some debate about whether the experiments are suitable) it has been suggested that a poor understanding of deception is a result of this difficulty.

Baron-Cohen's article examines some of the research behind these ideas, but also looks at why the human race might have generally evolved to be good deceivers, with some notable exceptions in people who are nowadays likely to be diagnosed with autism.

In other autism news, Bad Science has been doing a fantastic job of tackling dodgy news stories that regularly hit the press, particularly a recent front-page Observer article that seemed to have little trouble deceiving people about autism research.

Link to InCharacter autism and deception article.
Link to Bad Science on another type of autism and deception story.

Originally posted by vaughan from Mind Hacks, on July 24, 2007 2:00 AM

July 21 2007 -- M.I.A. performs at Siren Music Festival at Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY.

You can see some of my photographs in the Official Pitchfork News story.

Thanks to Siren Music Festival and Pitchfork Music Festival, I've photographed nearly 30 acts in the span of two weeks. The sound of hammers must never stop....

Originally posted by (author unknown) from kathryn yu dot com, on July 23, 2007 9:53 PM

Greg Maletic’s film “Tilt: The Battle to Save Pinball” is, like many of its peers in this recent golden age of documentary films, a temporary detour into what might have otherwise been — and what may yet be again — overlooked subject matter. It’s highly entertaining, completely engrossing and beautifully made, but you’d be forgiven for not expecting much in the way of day-to-day practicality. As it turns out though, it provides a surprising amount of tangible relevance for those of us working in digital design.

With a prefigured sense of melancholy, Maletic uncovers the tale of Williams Electronic Games’ last ditch attempt to reinvigorate a gaming industry suffering through a precipitous decline. That the decline followed so soon after the industry’s peak, and that both happened so recently — the pinball industry hit all-time highs in 1993 and was on its last legs by 1998 — is a turnabout in fortune familiar to anyone who lived through the dot-com wave that boomed in the late 1990s and foundered in the early part of this decade. In a way, the one can be seen as a less-glamorous template for the other, or even a cautionary tale for the present.

Designing Pinball

There’s a certain deliberateness to these unexpected strains of relevance throughout the movie. Though he wrote, produced and directed “Tilt” by himself, Maletic’s resume is less auteur than technologist; he was Product Marketing Manager for Apple Computer’s OpenDoc technology platform, an ambitious but failed attempt at revolutionizing the industry — and user experience — of software. The middle-American domain of Chicago pinball design, where the industry was seated, may seem distant from the cutting edge of Silicon Valley, but as the movie unfolds it reveals how unexpectedly similar software and pinball design are.

The art of pinball construction, with its gaudy light shows and seemingly aimless game play, actually turns out to be a highly sophisticated form of experience design. Not too dissimilarly from design for the Web, the creation of a new pinball machine requires a scientific and artful balance between design, technology and business. WIlliams’s Hail Mary solution for salvaging their flagging business, a highly advanced and masterful combination of traditional pinball, unconventional video graphics, purpose-built software engineering and economically inventive product development called “Pinball 2000,” was both a labor of love and a marvel of cross-disciplinary cooperation and innovation.

There are many interviews and details throughout the whole film worth pausing and re-watching, but Web designers might find one from Williams pinball designer Pat Lawlor most salient of all. The clip appears on the movie’s exhaustive supplement DVD, which contains several hours of extended interviews and documentary content.

“I and every other game designer in the world — no matter whether it’s video or pinball or whatever — have a balancing act they have to create.

“The balancing act is that you have to create a game for a wide spectrum of people and you have to create a game that keeps their interest for as long as possible.

“In the case of pinball, far more people who are not accomplished pinball players play pinball machines than do accomplished people who play pinball machines. We put things in games for the accomplished people who are at the outer reaches of what they are able to accomplish. And it's necessary to put those in the game — but they are not the end-all and be-all of why we design a set of rules in a pinball machine.

“Any pinball machine that is predicated around the six people in the world who are that good at playing pinball is a failure.”

This is an eloquent restatement of a deceptively simple truth: most users are not experts. It’s at the very heart of good experience design, whether one is working online, in video games or in pinball, and it was invigorating to see it uttered so convincingly by a veteran designer from another industry. As it happens, “Tilt” is full of these moments.

Originally posted by Khoi Vinh from Subtraction, on July 23, 2007 6:28 PM

a heatmap overlaying a geographical map to depict the current rental market in San Francisco. CraigStats is based on the San Francisco craigslist rental listings since August of 2006, so the cost of renting on a per neighborhood basis is binned in 1/2 mile intervals & represented as a color.

[link: ucsf.edu|via boingboing.net]

see also trulia.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from information aesthetics, on July 23, 2007 6:16 PM

They really mean SSHD, which is even cooler.

Originally posted by Michal Migurski from tecznotes links, on July 23, 2007 5:34 PM

Worth reading.

Originally posted by Michael Sippey from (un)filtered, on July 23, 2007 4:33 PM

The more that social networks pick up steam, the less influence blogging is receiving. Personal publishing is really exploding right now, indirectly, by people simply revealing their lives as content. Blogging is a much smaller piece of the pie. The web is better able to categorize everyones day-to-day ideas, in all forms of media, and thus these ideas have become more organized and useful for all.

Specifically, the dynamics of this influence coming from Facebook, Flickr and Linked-in-like communities is not very apparent. The overall influence or authority is for the most part, hidden. Maybe that's a good thing for now, while it lasts.

Originally posted by Drew from Dembot, on July 23, 2007 4:19 PM

From Blackbeltjones' Continuous-Partial-Apology:

It turns out that nearly no-one I know is in town or wants coffee. It turns out - as so often through the twelve or so years of having a digitally-mediated social life - the noise is the signal.

In fact, the cross-time-zone river of mundanity is much missed in the new gig, where it feels a little wierd to be surrounded by mainly brits after such a long time in a multinational group of designers.

Originally posted by David Jacobs from hello, typepad, on July 23, 2007 3:42 PM

Continuous-Partial-Apology, originally uploaded by blackbeltjones.

I switched off everyone outside London at the beginning of the month, in what I now know to be the mistaken belief that the value I was deriving from Twitter was geographically-bounded.

I thought what was near me was signal, as often you could act on it. Y’know: “I’m in town and wondering if anyone wants coffee”

It turns out that nearly no-one I know is in town or wants coffee. It turns out - as so often through the twelve or so years of having a digitally-mediated social life - the noise is the signal.

In fact, the cross-time-zone river of mundanity is much missed in the new gig, where it feels a little wierd to be surrounded by mainly brits after such a long time in a multinational group of designers.

As much as I was convinced otherwise - and against previous experience of lists, forums and other digital communities - it’s as much the psychographic as the geographic, for me at least, with Twitter.

I guess the difference of these presence networks is that they can have the geographic so powerfully nestled at their core. It’s both/and not either/or.

So, I will go grovelling back to those I so swiftly removed a month ago and see if they will take me back…

Here begins the continuous partial apology…

Tags: twitter

Originally posted by Matt from Blackbeltjones/Work, on July 23, 2007 2:37 PM

Posted by Aidan Chopra, SketchUp Product Evangelist

It's my great pleasure to announce the launch of the Official Google SketchUp Blog. Fast-breaking news, tips and tricks, user stories and just the right amount of office intrigue await anyone who pays us a visit. Also, sexy mustache contests.

For those of you who have no idea what SketchUp is, I'll start at the beginning: The world is three-dimensional. Designing a house, building a piece of furniture and navigating through a city all involve three-dimensional decisions. SketchUp is 3D modeling software that anyone can use to build models of whatever they like.

Check out the 3D Warehouse to see models from people all over the world, and turn on the 3D Warehouse layer in Google Earth to explore cities with realistic 3D buildings made in SketchUp (Denver is particularly impressive). If you like, you can download the free version and start building models yourself.

Originally posted by Karen from Official Google Blog, on July 23, 2007 2:36 PM

A few minutes ago, New York Times Dining section editor Pete Wells broke the sobering news that 33-year-old Alinea chef-partner Grant Achatz has an advanced form of cancer of the mouth.

Here is Achatz's statement released by his publicist:

I wanted to personally report that I have been very recently diagnosed with an advanced stage of squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth. I have consulted several prominent physicians and will likely begin aggressive treatment within the next few weeks. I remain, and will remain, actively and optimistically engaged in operations at Alinea to the largest extent possible. Alinea will continue to perform at the level people have come to expect from us—I insist on that. I have received amazing support from friends, family, and everyone who has thus far been told of the disease, and I look forward to a full, cancer-free, recovery.

Wells himself wrote one of the earliest and most thoughtful profiles of Achatz a couple of years ago for Food & Wine. Our prayers and thoughts are with Grant, perhaps America's most innovative and influential young chef.

Originally posted by Ed Levine from Serious Eats: Main, on July 23, 2007 2:00 PM

Alice Waters and her Chez Panisse family aren't the only ones ditching fancy bubbly and spring waters to join the pro-faucet movement. As we reported earlier this year, progressive Bay Area restaurants are risking serious cash flow to help cut the overproduction of plastic bottles and the destructive effects it has on municipal garbage operations. Despite many assumptions that tap water is grimy and laced with fatal chemicals, more and more city officials have reported that municipal water supplies are just as good (and safe) as the fancy bottled stuff, if not better. Sorry, Evian.

Yesterday's Chicago Tribune had a great, well-researched report by national correspondent Stevenson Swanson about the issue, highlighting the work of West Coast mayors Gavin Newsom of San Francisco and Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, who have "issued executive orders prohibiting the use of city money to buy bottled water." New York City restaurants like Del Posto (the joint venture between Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich) are following their West Coast lead.

The restaurant is installing about $20,000 in equipment that will turn New York tap water into still and carbonated mineral water. In the process, the restaurant will be sacrificing the hefty profits that come from selling a $2 bottle of water for $6 or $8.

Speaking of money, how much can we, as recovering bottled-water snobs, save? About "$1,400 yearly," according to a New York Times report last week. That's a whole lotta cash. Think of all the juicy burgers we could buy.

Photograph from iStockPhoto.com

Originally posted by Erin Zimmer from Serious Eats: Main, on July 23, 2007 12:25 PM

Following an editorial in the NY Times by Steven Shaw about doctors' food recommendations for pregnant women, my wife Meg wrote a post about how she ate while pregnant. "I found my balance between enjoying food and tolerating risk, and it included the occasional Wellfleet on the half-shell. It's easy to get overwhelmed by all the recommendations, and to live in fear of every bite of food you put into your mouth. But that makes for a very stressful, anxious, long nine (plus) months. And that certainly isn't good for the fetus." (link)

Originally posted by (author unknown) from kottke.org, on July 23, 2007 10:42 AM

Why in the world as a single gal am I living in New York?! Man, this map is a wakeup call. Here I am in LA visiting friends and it is looking really appealing to me, especially after looking at this map. The West Coast in general is the place to be for a single gal. Driving lessons here I come!

(This map was created by National Geographic. I saw it on another blog and I grabbed it off of the Strange Maps site.)

Originally posted by Angela Tucker from tuckergurl, on July 23, 2007 10:29 AM

Rational analysis doesn’t hold sway with the pregnancy police, says Steven Shaw in a great Op-Ed in the New York Times about sushi consumption and pregnancy. His point? The prohibition against raw fish during pregnancy is unnecessary. I ate sushi while I was pregnant, and lots of other things I wasn't supposed to eat, and I'm happy to see someone ask some reasonable questions about what women consume while pregnant since the current thinking seems excessive to me. Shaw writes:

"Why take any risk?" they ask. The medical establishment and the culture at large have twisted logic around to the point where any risk, no matter how infinitesimal, is too much. So powerful is this Puritanical impulse that, once a health objection is raised, however irrational the recommended behavior, it’s considered irresponsible to behave any other way.

And let me tell you, the guilt that seeps in from the "Puritanical impulse" is powerful. Then there's the "It's only nine months" argument, like it's not that long to sacrifice. Actually, it's like nine and a half, (or nearly ten if your baby is late like mine!) and that's a very long time to be in a worked-up state about what you can and cannot ingest. Believe me when I tell you the pressure to ensure everything you eat isn't going to kill or permanently damage your unborn child is intense. I quietly struggled with that as I wrote about things for this site, especially when I wrote about changing recommendations for fish consumption (tuna good, tuna bad, tuna OK) and chemicals in food and salmonella in lettuce and peanut butter.

After a couple months, I came up with an approach that worked really well for me for the duration of my pregnancy. (Usual disclaimer applies: I am not a doctor, and if you're pregnant you should speak with yours before following any of my advice, etc.) First, I did a lot of research about every prohibition. What was the reason for it? And what was the risk and the consequence? I found that you could divvy up the guidelines into two groups: illnesses that crossed the placental barrier and affected the fetus, and those that didn't. To put it another way, would eating something make me any sicker because I was pregnant than if I weren't? Or would the outcome be the same?

Recommendations say to avoid deli meat or raw milk products because they can become contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that causes listeriosis. Listeriosis is serious, though very rare -- 2,500 cases a year in the US, but something like 80% occur in pregnant women. It can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, or premature delivery in pregnant women. So by my reckoning, any food that could cause listeriosis was on my avoidance list because the consequences were severe. So I skipped deli meat and raw cheese and most soft cheese and NYC street hot dogs during the course of my pregnancy.

But sushi and shellfish and many other prohibited items only make you sick the same way they make you sick if you're not pregnant. Yes, you might have a lowered immunity, so you might be more likely to get ill, but the result won't directly impact the fetus. If you get a parasite from sushi, the baby won't get a parasite. And so that was my guiding rule. I ate raw oysters several times (much to many people's horror) and suffered no ill effects. Of course, I ate them in season, from reputable restaurants, and I didn't push my luck by doing it weekly.

I stopped eating soft-boiled eggs every day simply because the odds of getting salmonella increased with every day I had an undercooked egg. But I did occasionally have undercooked eggs. And I ate medium-rare meat. But I ate it, again, at reputable restaurants where I could be confident of its quality, or I prepared it myself. Getting salmonella would suck, but it runs its course in a few days. Worst case, you take antibiotics and you get better.

With all my "reckless" pregnancy eating, I did get sick once. The culprit? Chicken enchiladas from the local Mexican place. That was in my sixth month, and I didn't eat chicken enchiladas again. But I never once heard warnings to keep away from chicken enchiladas. Every pregnant woman needs to find her own balance, and it's not going to be the same for each. For me the anxiety of worrying about what I ate was worse than actually eating it. Early on, I was so worked up I wasn't gaining enough weight. And that's a much worse consequence for a developing fetus.

Why take any risk? Because life is risky. Are you going to stop driving because you're pregnant? Are you going to stop leaving the house? I found my balance between enjoying food and tolerating risk, and it included the occasional Wellfleet on the half-shell. It's easy to get overwhelmed by all the recommendations, and to live in fear of every bite of food you put into your mouth. But that makes for a very stressful, anxious, long nine (plus) months. And that certainly isn't good for the fetus.

comments are open

Originally posted by meg@megnut.com (Meg Hourihan) from Megnut, on July 23, 2007 10:13 AM

Photo by Shawn Brackbill



He's appearing at the East Bay Church of Religious Science in an event sponsored Marcus Books on Tuesday and at Barnes & Noble in El Cerrito on Wednesday. Check here for all the information.

Below is an excerpt from my piece in today's Chronicle. I'd also recommend this great piece from Mark Anthony Neal.

At a recent town-hall discussion sponsored by the television network BET, newly appointed Georgetown University Professor Michael Eric Dyson found himself sitting next to the chart-topping rappers Nelly and T.I.

Squaring off over sexism in rap, Dyson objected to Nelly's explicit, late-night-viewing-only video for his song "Tip Drill." The video features a man swiping a credit card through a girl's behind. Dyson charged that, whether he realized it or not, Nelly had commercialized the trafficking of black women's bodies in a way that had recalled slavery's auction block.

With a cocked eye, T.I. asked Dyson, "Is it really that serious?"

Dyson retorted, "Of course it is."

"Wait a minute," Nelly said. "What was you doing watching my video?"

Dyson, 48, said, "I'm a cultural critic. That's my job!"

That moment of levity illuminated the continuing debate over the role of black public intellectualism. Should scholars engage themselves in the no-holds-barred world of talk shows, shock radio and pop culture? Or are they better off dispensing wisdom within the confines of the ivory tower?

Read the whole thing...

Originally posted by Zentronix from zentronix: dubwise & hiphopcentric, on July 23, 2007 9:03 AM

HP buys OpsWare for $1.6 billion, and I read about it on Marc's TypePad blog.

Originally posted by Michael Sippey from (un)filtered, on July 23, 2007 8:44 AM

* Collins & 7th, South Beach.

Originally posted by Andrea from Andrea Harner, on July 23, 2007 8:39 AM

Binary America: Split in Two by A Digital Divide - washingtonpost.com

Declare the Internet a public good in the same way we think of water, electricity, highways.

Originally posted by Adam from randomWalks, on July 23, 2007 7:58 AM

Nedroid recently got challenged to draw 200 Bad Comics. You can see the results for yourself, and to paraphrase Run-DMC these aren't bad meaning "bad", but bad meaning "good"!

Originally posted by Anil from Anil Dash, on July 23, 2007 7:24 AM

Travel day yesterday, so I'm catching up tonight.

Discovery Channel's Alberto Contador took an aggressive stage win as the Tour moves into the Pyrenees, and elevated himself from 1 of 10 candidates to win this year's Tour to one of the two favorites.

Contador, just 24 and riding in the white jersey of the race's best-placed young rider, waited as teammate Yaroslav Popovych reduced the group riding with race leader Michael Rasmussen, then launched a blistering attack, initially answered by Rasmussen and Evans, that only Rasmussen could ultimately match. By doing so, Rasmussen moved one stage nearer a possible win in Paris, and Contador took his 1st career Tour stage win.

Many of the pre-race favorites lost buckets of time today: Alexandre Vinokourov, who won on Saturday, lost 28:50 to Contador today. Christophe Moreau lost 34:52. Iban Mayo lost 9:31. A few riders managed to limit their losses to Rasmussen and Contador, who dominated the field today: Juan Mauricio Soler, riding in his 1st Tour, lost only 37 seconds; Levi Leipheimer and Carlos Sastre were close behind.

Evans finished with Andreas Klöden at 1:52. Caisse d'Epargne's two leaders, Oscar Pereiro and Alejandro Valverde, finished together at 3:45.

A lot of discussion has resulted from a brief discussion between Contador and Rasmussen in the climb's last kilometers. Rasmussen came up to Contador, and Contador pointed to himself twice. The riders differ on the discussion: Contador said Rasmussen promised the stage win for Contador's cooperation to the finish, while Rasmussen echoed Lance Armstrong: “This is the Tour de France -- you don't give any presents here.”

Possibly the dumbest move of the day came from Saunier Duval, which sent David Millar to set a fast pace few riders could match, only to find team leader Iban Mayo was among the riders who couldn't.

Stage 14 Top 20:
1) Alberto Contador, Discovery Channel, Spain, in 5:25:48
2) Michael Rasmussen, Rabobank, Denmark, same time
3) Mauricio Soler, Barloworld, Colombia, at :37
4) Levi Leipheimer, Discovery Channel, USA, at :40
5) Carlos Sastre, CSC, Spain, at :53
6) Andreas Klöden, Astana, Germany, at 1:52
7) Cadel Evans, Predictor - Lotto, Australia, same time
8) Antonio Colom, Astana, Spain, at 2:23
9) Andrey Kashechkin, Astana, Kazakhstan, same time
10) Yaroslav Popovych, Discovery Channel, Ukraine, at 3:06
11) Michael Boogerd, Rabobank, Netherlands, same time 
12) Mikel Astarloza, Euskaltel - Euskadi, Spain, s.t.
13) Oscar Pereiro, Caisse d'Epargne, Spain, at 3:45
14) Alejandro Valverde, Caisse d'Epargne, Spain, same time
15) Haimar Zubeldia, Euskaltel-Euskadi, Spain, s.t.
16) Bernhard Kohl, Gerolsteiner, Austria, s.t.
17) David Arroyo, Caisse d'Epargne, Spain, at 3:47
18) José Ivan Gutierrez, Caisse d'Epargne, Spain, at 4:04
19) Amets Txurruka, Euskaltel-Euskadi, Spain, same time
20) John Gadret, AG2R, France, at 4:48

Major changes in the GC; Rasmussen gets a cushion on everyone but Contador.

Overall Standings after Stage 14:
1) Michael Rasmussen, Rabobank, Denmark, in 64:12:15
2) Alberto Contador, Discovery Channel, Spain, at 2:23
3) Cadel Evans, Predictor-Lotto, Australia, at 3:04
4) Levi Leipheimer, Discovery Channel, USA, at 4:29
5) Andreas Klöden, Astana, Germany, at 4:38
6) Carlos Sastre, CSC, Spain, at 5:50
7) Andrey Kashechkin, Astana, Kazakhstan, at 6:58
8) Mikel Astarloza, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 8:25
9) Alejandro Valverde, Caisse d'Epargne, at 9:45
10) Yaroslav Popovych, Discovery Channel, Ukraine, at 10:55
11) Oscar Pereiro, Caisse d'Epargne, Spain, at 11:01
12) Mauricio Soler, Barloworld, Colombia, at 11:31
13) Haimar Zubeldia, Euskaltel-Euskadi, Spain, at 12:15
14) Kim Kirchen, T-Mobile, Luxembourg, at 13:16
15) Vladimir Karpets, Caisse d'Epargne, Russia, at 14:58
16) Iban Mayo, Saunier Duval, Spain, at 15:31
17) Chris Horner, Predictor-Lotto, USA, at 17:23
18) Denis Menchov, Rabobank, Russia, at 18:57
19) David Arroyo, Caisse d'Epargne, Spain, at 19:19
20) José Ivan Gutierrez, Caisse d'Epargne, Spain, at 19:33

Originally posted by Frank Steele from Tour de France 2007, on July 22, 2007 6:39 PM

In the New York Times, Jon Pareles gets it exactly right:

Prince's priorities are obvious. The main one is getting his music to an audience, whether it's purchased or not. "Prince's only aim is to get music direct to those that want to hear it," his spokesman said when announcing that The Mail would include the CD. ... Other musicians may think that their best chance at a livelihood is locking away their music -- impossible as that is in the digital era -- and demanding that fans buy everything they want to hear. But Prince is confident that his listeners will support him, if not through CD sales then at shows or through other deals.

Prince's latest album Planet Earth was bundled for free with newspapers in the U.K.; His 2004 album Musicology was given away with all of his concert tickets that year, as he's doing again this year. And in his 1993 track "Pope", Prince said, "Every time u want it, I'll be live -- bring a date, I mean a computer; When it's over, press save." -- I think he meant it. Somehow the record industry thinks that giving music away for free is unsustainable, but I suppose that depends on what you're good at.

The Times story has a bunch of MP3 samples of Prince's biggest hits, too.

Originally posted by Anil from Anil Dash, on July 22, 2007 6:27 PM

The clock is ticking and the new Harry Potter book will be released at 12:01am, less than twelve hours from now! The scene will surely be crazy and something that this city hasn't seen since...well, Wednesday when people lined up for a canvas grocery sack. JK Rowling bids farewell to the boy who made her billions with this final novel, and she's feeling a bit buggered about the reviews that came out before the book hit the shelves. As reported, the NY Times ran a review on Thursday, as did the Baltimore Sun. Both papers said they obtained the book "through legal and ordinary means." No matter, Rowling and her revelers were still, understandably, riled up. The author made a statement saying, "I am staggered that some American newspapers have decided to publish purported spoilers in the form of reviews in complete disregard of the wishes of literally millions of readers, particularly children. I am incredibly grateful to all those newspapers, booksellers and others who have chosen not to attempt to spoil Harry's last adventure for fans." While we agree it was pretty petty of those papers to run the reviews (which they clearly did just to be "first"), is it really that difficult to avert your eyes if you don't want to know what happens? The Times book editor Rick Lyman defends Michiko Kakutani (pictured, as, um, Snape) and her review, saying it didn't give away significant details (however it does reveal plot details). Bloomsbury and Scholastic (the books publishers in the UK and US) spent millions trying to protect the contents of the novel. A spokeswoman from the former said the Times review being run was "very sad" and that the paper could have waited another day. Very true - but then the Bloomsbury spokesperson gets all British and likens the event to the Boston Tea Party!

Originally posted by arts_jen from Gothamist Weekly Favorites, on July 22, 2007 5:15 PM

Now that a political accord has been reached to bring congestion pricing to New York City that makes driving into the city more expensive, the city is turning its attention to mass transit riders, and the MTA is proposing a fare hike for buses, subways, and other area transit railways. The story at CBS 2 News notes the irony that Mayor Bloomberg sold his congestion pricing plan to New Yorkers by heavily emphasizing that revenues extracted from drivers would be used to prevent a fare hike for bus and subway riders, but news of a fare hike came literally within hours of the successful compromise to enact his plan.

"We need the monies to pay the people who work for our mass transit system for the MTA. We want to be able to hold the fares down because you don't want to have disincentives for people to take mass transit," Bloomberg said Sunday.

Mayor Bloomberg was uncharacteristically silent when asked about the MTA's announcement, refusing to even acknowledge a reporter as he conferred with his press secretary, posed for a picture with a fan, then walked briskly to his car. MTA CEO Elliot Sander remarked on a fare hike, "I've always said it was a real possibility." Gov. Spitzer sounded pragmatically positive regarding a price increase for riding the subway and buses, saying, "Everything has to be considered." NY1 reports that the MTA will discuss a fare hike during a meeting to discuss its finances scheduled for next week. The organization is attempting to figure out how to deal with budget deficits, a need for capital improvements to the subway system, and how to finance the construction of the 2nd Ave. subway. Any hike would likely go into effect some time next year and would be the first since 2005. No cuts to service are being discussed. The size of the proposed hike has not been determined. (MetroCard, by Triborough at flickr)

Originally posted by nyc_daveh from Gothamist Weekly Favorites, on July 22, 2007 8:26 AM