randomwalks/dj

Photograph from East 51st Street by gattogrosso212 at flickr

Image from NY1

A huge crane toppled off of high-rise building under construction around 2:15 p.m. this afternoon and crashed into another skyscraper. According to initial reports, the incident occurred near 2nd Ave. as the crane toppled backwards from 51st St. into another building at 305 East 50th St. in Manhattan. NY1 spoke to residents who could see the incident from their 80th floor apartment on East 48th Street; they said the crane hit at least two building.

Two people are declared dead, with another likely to die. A total of eight civilians have been reported missing in the disaster, which has reached a 4-alarm level.

According to NY1, the crane crushed a building that housed the ironically named FUBAR, which was closed at the time, but other people may have been inside residential units in the building.

One tipster who was dining across the street, left the restaurant when debris fell into the establishment's patio. He said he saw a "huge plume of dust and debris" that blocked visibility in the street.

Part of the crane is said to have leveled a building that housed the bar "Fubar" on its first floor. Luckily, the bar was closed at the time, but the other floors may be inhabited. Reader John sent us the image at right, of East 50th Street. He said one person was inside Fubar. From the images on NY1, it looks like the building was leveled.

Image from WABC 7

It's unclear whether the crane was in use or if it just fell.

Photo by Robert White at WNBC.com

There are reports of gas odor and Con Ed is moving to shut utilities.

UPDATE 4:01 p.m.: We're hearing that a total of four people are dead and two more are likely to die. There are many injuries.

It appears the crane was on the north side of East 51st Street, it fell south, hitting a building on the south side of East 51st and seems to have broken, with another piece falling onto the building on the north side of East 50th.

A devastated-sounding NY1 viewer who lives in the area described the building as falling "like a house of cards."

The address of the construction site where the crane was situated has not been confirmed, but it looks like it's a planned 40+ story building at 303 East 51st Street. While there are no Department of Buildings complaints for 303 East 51st Street or 307 East 51st Street, for 305 East 51st Street, there are many complaints, including this one from January 15, 2008:
"CLR STS SITE UNSAFE CLR STS THAT CRANE SWIGING ABOUT 20 FEET AWAY FROM WINDOW CLR STS THAT CRANE CAN BEEN CLOSE SHE WOULD LIKE INSPECT TO HAVE THEM CLOSE"

Again, the address has not been confirmed - if anyone knows the address, please let us know.

Many people are remarking about how the neighborhood was filled with people celebrating St. Patrick's Day early - and this stretch of 2nd Avenue has many bars.

Image, via Google Maps, of what Fubar and East 50th Street looked like before

UPDATE 4:37 p.m.: Reader John, who is on the scene, tells us, "Apparently they were trying up raise the crane and it fell over. Two of the dead were the operators."

Second Avenue between 49th and 57th Streets is closed. The emergency crews are searching in the rubble for victims.

UPDATE 5:01 p.m.: WCBS 2 described the incident:

The crane split into pieces as it fell. Part of it came to rest against an apartment tower, buckling its facade and smashing it upper floors. That building and others in the area were evacuated. Another piece of the crane hit other buildings on the block, ripping away walls and ceilings and crushing a small building.

The crane was at 303 East 51st Street; it completely destroyed 305 East 50st Street and partially collapsed 301 East 50st Street. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer said, “This is an absolute disgrace. We need better inspection and more resources.”

Fox 5 Metro Traffic reporter Lisa Chase lives in the area and railed against the poor construction at the site. She said orange fencing on the floors wasn't put on, that work had been done Saturdays and at all hours and that the workers were "being worked to death." She added a neighbor told her he didn't even walk in front of the site because it made him nervous.

Mayor Bloomberg is on the scene and is expected to speak, as if Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

UPDATE 5:17 p.m.: Assemblyman Jonathan Bing who represents the area told NY1 that he met with the construction site manager 8 days ago to discuss his community concerns about the building. He said that he had also spoken to the Department of Buildings about the site a few weeks ago and was still waiting from the DOB about plans. Bing says the complaint process at the DOB needs to be examined.

UPDATE 5:42 p.m.: The owner of FuBar, John LaGreco, said he thought one of his employees was in the building at the time, "Our bar is done. The crane crashed the whole building. If I wasn't watching a Yankees game, I would've come to work early and gotten killed."

And the AP spoke to the construction management company's owner, Stephen Kaplan, who said that the crane was being extended today so workers could start on a new floor (19 of 44 stories have been completed) but some steel "fell and sheared off one of the ties holding it to the building." Kaplan said, "It was an absolute freak accident. All the piece of steel had to do was fall slightly left or right, and nothing would have happened." He also said that Reliance had subcontracted the construction to different contractors and that Reliance wasn't in charge of the crane.

The press conference from city officials has not begun yet.

Photograph above of construction workers at 303 East 51st Street standing on a elevator and photograph below of firefighters searching on the rubble at 305 East 50th Street by Jason DeCrow/AP

UPDATE 6:02 p.m.: Mayor Bloomberg, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, Buildings Department Deputy Commissioner Bob LiMandri, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, City Council member Jessica Lappin, and NY State Deputy Secretary for Public Safety Michael Balboni (Bloomberg said he spoke to soon-to-be Governor David Paterson about the incident) are present.

Bloomberg says the crane, which was at 303 East 51st Street destroyed 3 buildings and completely destroyed a 4th building, did break in two pieces - the bottom part falling from the north side of East 51st Street to the south side of the street, hitting 300 East 51st. The top part of the crane broke off and continued to fall, onto the north side of East 50th Street, landing on top of 305 East 50th Street and also hit other buildings on East 50th. The four fatalities are believed to be construction workers. He added that 305 East 50th Street, the townhouse where Fubar was located, was another site of "carnage," but the FDNY got one person out of Fubar alive, unclear if there was a second person. Bloomberg called it "one of the worst construction accidents" in NYC history.

The crane subcontractor did have an appropriate permit to raise the crane (it's called "jumping the crane") to another floor but strangely, the Department of Buildings actually visited the building earlier today to issue a stop work order for something unrelated - strong winds are expected for tomorrow. There were 13 violations at the site, which is considered "normal" for a building of this size.

A number of buildings have been evacuated or partially evacuated, including ones that were damaged by the crane and neighboring ones. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the High School for Art and Design at 228 East 57th Street near 2nd Avenue. And they have a crane read y to remove the crane on top of 305 East 50th Street.

FDNY is the lead agency. Scoppetta said they are conducting a rescue operation. They will use thermal imaging cameras to look for survivors, as well as police dogs and listening devices, but it's a delicate operation because they don't want to cause further collapse. The rescue operation will continue all night for both survivors and fatalities. There are 300 firefighters from 65 units. Kelly says many streets are closed as they conduct the rescue effort.

LiMandri said the owner of the crane is New York crane; the crane was made by FavCo, an Australian company; and the crane was being operated by JCI.

Bloomberg said, "It is a sad day," with the city's hearts going out to the families of the fatalities and prayers for the injured to recover.

And NY1 reports that Lieutenant David Paterson is heading to the scene.

UPDATE 6:49 p.m.: Lieutenant Governor David Paterson said, "This tragic tragic incident occurs here in New York City. And while we never want there to be these types of tragedies in New York City, this is actually the best prepared place for it to happen. Though we lost four lives, there were herculean efforts to save three others...It's a horrible situation, very gory, there's blood in the street, but we are very very lucky to have the brave police and firefighters here, their tremendous...Our hearts go out to the families who will learn they have have lost a family member here today." Paterson said offered the resources of the state, but it seemed like the city had it under control.

He noted that the lower part of the crane is balanced on the building at the south side of East 51st Street and that it will be dangerous to remove it. Paterson also said three victims are in critical condition and searchers are looking for a woman - apparently one of the victims said she was further back into the building.

Originally posted by Jen Chung from Gothamist Weekly Favorites, on March 15, 2008 4:09 PM

The Rossitano Report. “I love 30 Rock. I love Judah Friedlander. I love Frank Rossitano. I love hats. During the writers’ strike I decided to combine all of those loves.”

Originally posted by finn from Modcult, on March 15, 2008 7:09 AM

If you’ve ever spent much time around cyclists, you’ve certainly noticed they love to talk gear and if you’ve ever picked up a bike magazine, you’ve been inundated with ads extolling the virtues of bike performance. It’s nearly impossible to separate the marketing fluff from facts whenever doing research on a new bike purchase, given that most publications (both online and off) publishing reviews also take advertising from the companies behind the products. While researching a possible new high-end road bike purchase (I’m riding a 500 mile, week-long event at the end of the summer and thought shaving 3-4lbs off my bike would be nice), I came across the Competitive Cyclist website and I spotted something novel: they offer pro-level bike rentals/demos shipped directly to you for a week.

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Originally posted by Matt Haughey from A Whole Lotta Nothing, on March 14, 2008 8:26 PM

TPM Reader EM writes ...

I keep hearing people say that Obama's percentage of the white vote is decreasing markedly, including David Brooks on The NewsHour, and Michael Duffy on Washington Week (sorry--old habits). I haven't seen stats on this, but I just did a little non-mathematician math. If, as I've heard reported more than once, 25% of Hillary's MS vote was Limbaugh Republicans, the white vote that would actually support a Democrat looks somewhat different. The total vote was 420,751, and Hillary got 38% or around 160,000 votes. Give her the 10% of the black vote that she won and take away the Limbaugh votes, and that leaves her with around 120,000 white Democratic votes. Give Obama his 25% of the white vote, and that comes to about 65,000 white votes for him. The percentages? about 65% Clinton white, non-Limbaugh votes, 35% Obama white votes. That's not a great number for Obama, but it's considerably better than the one getting play.

Speaking for myself I think this 'Limbaugh Democrat' line is an interpretive rathole which is at best self-serving and mainly a distraction from the reality of all elections which is how many votes each candidate got. But you don't have to get into this Limbaugh stuff to see why this decreasing white vote theory is nonsense. Perhaps there are national polls that show Obama with a decreasing share of the white vote though the aggregate national polls from Gallup and Rasmussen show no sign of it. But to draw this conclusion on the basis of the vote in Mississippi is to show an almost perverse ignorance of the country's history.

Mississippi is arguably the most racially polarized state in the US. Two or three other Deep South states certainly give it a run for its money. But given the state's history and political present it should not surprise anyone that the primary results were as polarized as they were (Whites -- Clinton 70%, Obama 26%; Blacks Clinton 8%, Obama 92%). The difference here isn't one of change over time; it's change over geography. When Hillary and Obama go up against each other in the most racially polarized state in the country, you're going to get a really racially polarized result.

That's not a mystery. It's a statement of the obvious.

It's true that neighboring Alabama is similar to Mississippi in many ways. So how much did things change between Alabama on Super Tuesday and Mississippi this week?

Not a lot. Among white voters, Clinton did even better than she did in Mississippi, beating Obama 72% to 25%. Figuring in the margin of error in the exit polls themselves, those numbers are identical. But if you want to look at the exact numbers, it's actually Clinton whose numbers among white voters ever so slightly diminished.

Maybe the deterioration will start now. Who knows? But based on the information available to date, the theory is nonsense, a product of reporters who don't bother to come up to speed on the politics in the different states in question.

Originally posted by Josh Marshall from Talking Points Memo, on March 14, 2008 8:10 PM

kottke.org, circa late 1999
Originally uploaded by jkottke.

I'd like a "single service site" that just let you log in and pick which kottke.org version was your first or favorite.

Originally posted by David Jacobs from hello, typepad, on March 14, 2008 12:46 PM

While we're not exactly Uncle Sam, SIX APART NEEDS YOU to come train at Camp Trott and join us as we fight for the right to publish blogs and rearrange widgets. And by that, I mean attend our next Movable Type Open Source hackathon and build the kind of cool stuff that made you fall in love with blogging and coding in the first place.

However, first there are some minor tactical details we need to settle on. We are thinking of some time in early April, but before setting the exact date we'd like to know whether a workday or weekend day works better for those of you in the community.

If the hackathon is held during a workday, it would probably begin in late morning, and continue on into the night, so you could show up after you finish your day job, if you choose. A weekend hackathon might take place all day Saturday or Sunday; or even, if there is enough interest, on both days. No matter when it is held, though, rest assured, you will be adequately supplied with everything you need to fight, and fight well (ie, free sodas, coffee, tea, salty snacks, wired and un-wired internet,) Freedom will also be supplied.

So please comment and let us know your thoughts on when you'd like to join the cause.

Originally posted by Chris Ernest Hall from MovableType.org - Home for the MT Community, on March 14, 2008 11:55 AM

Our initial reaction to the news that Gisele "The Legs" Bündchen would share a Vogue cover with NBA powerhouse LeBron James: "Hold up! A black, male, athlete, and a model? Way to go Anna!"

But then we saw the cover, and we're a little miffed.

It shows personality, sure, but the whole "Me, Tarzan. You, Jane," vibe doesn't sit well with the french fries we had for lunch.

We would have loved a tipoff with LeBron vs. Gisele. Or even a statuesque depiction of their exquisite physiques a la The David meets Aphrodite. After all, it is the Shape Issue.

And when you compare it to the stately presentation of George Clooney and Richard Gere on previous covers, well, where's the fashion?

It is semi-refreshing. Or different, at the least.

-- JAZZI McGILBERT

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Fashionista, on March 14, 2008 11:55 AM

Jon Heyman at SI.com reports that Johan Santana was very close to becoming a Texas Ranger before being dealt to the Mets.

Heyman writes:

“Indications are that Texas’ trade discussions with the Twins progressed to the point where there was either agreement or near agreement on the young players going back to Minnesota. At that point, executives involved in the talks believed that the trade was very likely to be consummated if only Santana gave a more enthusiastic response when Twins higher ups quizzed him about whether he’d accept a trade to the Rangers. However, a diplomatic Santana is believed to have told the Twins only that he’d ‘consider’ going to Texas, an answer that was seen as less than enthusiastic.”

…more evidence that santana’s preference to play in the national league and with the mets was a key part in getting the deal done…

…added to by Matthew Cerrone…

…way, way back on December 11 i wrote, “From what I can gather, the Rangers are the third team in this mix, not the Yankees, Mariners or Angels, but I do not believe they have much of a chance to get him anyway.”…

…i am surprised to hear that discussions were further along than i anticipated…goes to show you, never underestimate any team when in the middle of hype and the Hot Stove…

Originally posted by Chris Mazzone from MetsBlog.com, on March 14, 2008 9:50 AM

Perhaps the best photograph taken by anybody, ever. Wouldn't you love to know what was said just 30 seconds before this was snapped? (thanks, mollymagnet!)

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Rebecca's Pocket, on March 14, 2008 8:46 AM

Google Sky is like Google Earth for the, er, sky. The historical constellation drawing overlay is very cool.

P.S. I starting sobbing like a little baby when I saw this.

(link)

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on March 14, 2008 6:22 AM

Good magazine—with the help of a Michigan State University agriculture and resource studies professor—has put together a chart showing which of the major U.S. corporate food processors own or have ties to the organic brands we often see on the shelves. It's a helpful chart, but there's no accompanying article that I could find on the site. So I ask: What's the point? I'd like to read something that informs me as to why I should care about the relationship between these entities. Otherwise, the chart's implication is "association with corporations = bad." Which prompts me to play devil's advocate: Is it a given that simply being a subsidiary of a major corporation paints the organic brand with a less-than-green brush? Do you avoid these brands because of their ties? And if so, the info I'd find even more useful: What noncorporate organic brands do you buy instead?

Related: Be It Ever So Homespun, There’s Nothing Like Spin [New York Times]

Originally posted by Adam Kuban from Serious Eats: Main, on March 14, 2008 5:45 AM

SxSW is over for another year, and I’m still recovering from seemingly having eaten the Cloverfield monster, BBQ’d and served with yellow sauce.

I was down to give one talk about ‘supercolliders’ – people who are maestros of social networks, and tried to keep it from being a Dopplr sales pitch as much as possible, but talked about some of the philosophical underpinnings of why we’d chosen some of the directions we had in the design.

Omar Elsayed picked up on this and summed it up more succinctly than I think I did:

“[maybe we’re talking about] two types of social apps: The first class being services where the distribution of information is informed by pre-defined relationships – you receive photos I uploaded because we had previously declared each other as friends. And the second class of services are ones where the flow of information is what defines relationships – we are friends because we regularly send each other photos we?ve uploaded. The general consensus of the panelists was that the first, more ?traditional?, model is proving increasingly ill-suited to support the activities of these extra-social, collision-prone users.”

I really like his formulation there – and also the background tile of his blog. Go look!

There was also doing of science.

Then I got drafted onto a panel about international cultures of mobile device usage. It was something I had to come at on the hoof, but the conversation flowed pretty freely. However I’m sure that both myself and the audience we wishing I was Jan Chipchase or Younghee...

As per usual I managed to miss nearly everything that people said was interesting, including the Steven Johnson / Henry Jenkins and Jane McGonigal keynotes (although I suspect the latter would have been choir-preachin’) – anyway – Dan Hon has awesome notes of eveything I wanted to see.

But – one thing that I think was an interesting trend were the ‘fringe’ mini-conferences that sprang up.

For instance a semi-private one that saw moo, etsy and threadless getting together to share plans and pain; and another open one put on by getsatisfaction for users of their software. Dopplr is starting to really use getsatisfaction more fully for support and product development so this was extremely useful (and great fun)

Nice to see that when the caravanserai hits town, some people are ready to make great, novel uses of it.

Originally posted by Matt from Blackbeltjones/Work, on March 14, 2008 5:25 AM

Photo via Gobble

· Japonica Celebrates 30 Years [Strongbuzz]
· Interview With Top Chef's Nikki of 24 Prince [Brooklyn Paper]
· The Real Seinfeld Diner is a NY Fixture [Bloomberg]
· Pelaccio Speaks About His Many Projects [Bottomless Dish]
· Rachael Ray's Show Safe After All [NYDN]

Originally posted by Kelly Dobkin from Eater, on March 14, 2008 4:17 AM

<via>

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Wooster Collective, on March 13, 2008 6:15 PM

One of the side effects of the Eliot Spitzer situation is the discussion of prostitution happening in various places online by those with experience in or knowledge of that profession. Here are a few I've run across.

On the Freakonomics blog, an interview with a "high-end call girl" named Allie about the Spitzer affair.

Almost all of my clients are married. I would say easily over 90 percent. I'm not trying to justify this business, but these are men looking for companionship. They are generally not men that couldn't have an affair [if they wanted to], but men who want this tryst with no stings attached. They're men who want to keep their lives at home intact.

Susannah Breslin talks about her twin web projects, Letters from Johns and Letters from Working Girls and what light they could shed on Spitzer's actions.

But one high-end call girl I spoke to about the Spitzer affair said there are lots of reasons a man in such a prominent position might seek high-stakes sex with a prostitute. Why not just have an affair, which probably wouldn't have destroyed his career? She said that Spitzer, if he did use prostitutes, was probably one of those men for whom the payoff was the excitement of doing something really taboo. "What could be more taboo than going to an agency when you're a crusader for all that is moral and good?" she theorized. "It's only natural," this call girl asserted, "that they'd hire a girl to get off." She speculates that there was probably a "midlife crisis element" there too.

Former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss chimes in:

Look, it's going to go on. You're never going to stop prostitution. The way to do it is to regulate it. Clean it up a bit. Make it fair-fair for the girls, fair for the clients. At the end the government gets money out of it.

A Former Sex Worker's Thoughts About Eliot Spitzer.

I'm a former sex worker. I still have many sex worker friends that are dear to me. Ones who both face all the risks of being a sex worker, but also fight for sex worker rights in public. They are at risk from the very policies of men like Spitzer. Eliot could have done something groundbreaking. He could have been a governor that dared to advocate for sex worker human rights. But he didn't. Eliot persecuted sex workers. He made it easier for sex workers to be exploited, to be violated, to be stigmatized, to face discrimination, to face rape, assault and other crimes.

Economist Sudhir Venkatesh has done research on high-end sex workers in NYC and elsewhere. He explains how it works in this Slate article.

What high-end clients pay for may surprise you. For example, according to my ongoing interviews of several hundred sex workers, approximately 40 percent of trades in New York's sex economy fail to include a physical act beyond light petting or kissing. No intercourse, no oral stimulation, etc. That's one helluva conversation. But it's what many clients want. Flush with cash, these elite men routinely turn their prostitute into a second partner or spouse. Over the course of a year, they will sometimes persuade the woman to take on a new identity, replete with a fake name, a fake job, a fake life history, and so on. They may want to have sex or they may simply want to be treated like King for a Day.

If you run across any similar links, send them along.

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on March 13, 2008 3:36 PM

One of the most popular reader bloggers at the new TPMCafe is FlyOnTneWall and he/she has some thoughts on the Wright matter too.

Originally posted by Josh Marshall from Talking Points Memo, on March 13, 2008 3:32 PM

A post by Jonah Lehrer about thinking under pressure links deliberate practice with another of my favorite concepts, relaxed concentration. For novice golfers, thinking more about a putt increases their chances of making it. But for experts, thinking about the mechanics of the putt in the same way makes it less likely that they'll sink it.

Rather than think about the mechanical details of their swing, [expert] golfers should focus on general aspects of their intended movement, or what psychologists call a "holistic cue word". For instance, instead of contemplating things like the precise position of the wrist or elbow, they should focus on descriptive adjectives like "smooth" or "balanced". An experimental trial demonstrated that professional golfers who used these "holistic cues" did far better than golfers who consciously tried to control their stroke.

Related: a reader recommended George Leonard's Mastery as a good read about deliberate practice. (thx, jd)

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Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on March 13, 2008 2:57 PM

TPM Reader MO sees the writing on the wall ...

I have to point this out, Josh. Personal comments about Hillary and notwithstanding the Ferraro/Race flap that has permeated throughout this campaign, this Wright fellow troubles me more than anything. Not only the fact that he is Obama’s mentor and Obama has been going to this church for twenty years, but to make a statement such as “God Damn America” will be a brush fire that will be uncontrollable to contain. The GOP will piece that with Obama’s different take on ways to display patriotism and they will run him into the ground in the GE. Should he distance himself and force Wright (someone that loyal) out, then Obama is ready to be Commander in Chief. If not, he has the same loyalty issues as Hillary has with Mark Penn (in my opinion, her campaign’s greatest flaw).

Originally posted by Josh Marshall from Talking Points Memo, on March 13, 2008 2:38 PM

The studios seem to be playing the cash grab game and it's making me nervous. It wasn't pretty watching the music industry go down the tubes, but I'm not terribly concerned about it. Self-producing and releasing music is relatively cheap these days and, while this may be hard to believe, I won't shed a single tear as the major labels go down with the ship.

The movie industry is another story. No, I don't have a personal attachment to any of the studios, but making movies ain't cheap, so we kinda need them. This is why I'm disappointed to see them shift focus to 3-D films. There are a bunch of 3-D releases on the way (including Toy Story 3) and the studios just announced an offer to convert 10,000 theaters to 3-D, which the exhibitors have yet to accept. I'm definitely in favor of improving the movie-going experience, but do you really think the Hannah Montana movie was a success because of an additional dimension? (Actually, a lot of people say it was just savvy marketing.) I would think there is more money to made pumping movies directly into all those new home theaters, but I guess that's not as flashy.

Compared to IFC's recent deal with Blockbuster, 3-D seems completely innocuous. The deal gives Blockbuster 60 days of exclusive access to rentals and downloads before any retail copies can be sold and three years of rental exclusivity. So if you use Netflix or an independent store, you won't be able to rent any future IFC release until 2011 at the earliest. This has caused problems in the video game world — I wrote about Madden and EA a while ago — and will only confuse and frustrate movie fans. As the Reeler points out, this is not terribly independent of IFC.

My biggest fear is that the movie industry learns nothing from their audio-only brethren and continues to make it difficult for me to spend money. The 3-D issue seems misguided, but I may just be suffering from fuddy-duddy-ness. Signing exclusive deals seems like just another reason for consumers to find the quickest path to a movie without regard to legality.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Capn Design, on March 13, 2008 2:19 PM

Hillary agrees to what would be the 964th debate of the 2008 campaign, in Pennsylvania.

Late Update: It gets worse. Obama has accepted and proposes yet another debate, this one in North Carolina, with Katie Couric moderating.

Eyes. Glazing. Over.

Originally posted by David Kurtz from Talking Points Memo, on March 13, 2008 1:00 PM

From the no-rest-for-the-weary-of-debates department comes this release just out from the Clinton camp...

The Clinton campaign today announced that Hillary has accepted an invitation to participate in a primetime debate hosted by ABC. The debate will be held in Philadelphia, PA in advance of the April 22nd Pennsylvania primary. The debate will be broadcast statewide and nationally.

No word on what the Obama camp will do yet.

Late Update: The Obama campaign accepts the ABC debate and one-ups the Hillary campaign with this release...

Today, Barack Obama accepted invitations to nationally televised debates with Senator Hillary Clinton in Philadelphia on April 16th and in North Carolina on April 19th.

The Pennsylvania debate will be hosted by ABC News and held in the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Wednesday, April 16. The North Carolina debate, hosted by CBS News at a location to be determined, will be hosted by CBS and moderated by Katie Couric and Bob Schieffer.

I'll see your Pennsylvania and raise you a North Carolina.

Okay, so the Philly debate will happen on April 16th. No word on what Camp Hillary will do on North Carolina.

And it looks like Katie Couric may get to moderate her very own debate, after all!

Originally posted by Greg Sargent from TPM Election Central, on March 13, 2008 12:58 PM

In a special for MLB.com, Howard Kussoy writes about the Mets efforts to make Citi Field environmentally friendly.

“The $800 million structure is being built from approximately 95 percent recycled steel to reduce energy consumption and at least 2 million pounds of recycled coal combustion products that will save more than 800 tons of carbon dioxide. The team’s administration building will feature a 15,000-square-foot “green roof,” which will reduce energy needs by retaining cool air in the summer and heat in the winter.”

While we’re on the topic of ballparks, SI.com is conducting a survey to rank all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums, with the results to come out in April.

Originally posted by Chris Mazzone from MetsBlog.com, on March 13, 2008 12:11 PM

From the Associated Press comes this news about a press conference today in Florida where the head of the Florida Dems expressed extreme pessimism about a solution to the revote standoff...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The head of Florida's Democratic Party said Thursday the proposed vote-by-mail presidential primary is unlikely to go forward because of strong opposition and concerns about conducting the vote.

Karen Thurman said she is asking Democratic leaders, the national party and presidential candidates Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton to consider the option as the best way to resolve the delegate dispute. Florida had all 210 of its delegates to the national convention stripped after it violated national party rules by moving up its primary to January.

When asked if the alternative will be implemented, knowing what she knows about potential problems executing the plan and widespread concerns, Thurman said, "I have a feeling that this is probably closer to not, than yes."...

"If this becomes something that we can't do, then we can't do it," Thurman said.

There are multiple problems. First, there are procedural difficulties in getting such a thing implemented. What's more, the Obama camp has concerns about a mail-in scheme, and today on CNN Howard Dean said the DNC wouldn't back any plan that isn't favored by both campaigns: "We’d like to do it in a way that’s fair, that both sides believe is fair. Fair to the voters but also fair to the campaigns."

So what's the upshot? I checked in with DNC spokesperson Stacie Paxton, who said:

There are two options. They can resubmit a plan and run a party process to select delegates or they can appeal to the Convention Credentials Committee which resolves questions about the seating of delegates.

What this fundamentally means is that there's little that the DNC can do to resolve this -- if Florida officials don't agree on a plan, and one that's acceptable to both campaigns, to boot, it's all but certain that there will be no revote at all.

And what happens then? Well, Florida officials can appeal to the DNC's credentials committee, which will consider various plans to get the delegation sat in some form or other. At that point, it's anyone's guess what will happen. In short, mayhem is on the horizon.

Originally posted by Greg Sargent from TPM Election Central, on March 13, 2008 11:50 AM

Like the rest of the food-loving, TV-watching world, we're more than a little obsessed with "Top Chef." And our chat with Chicago's Stephanie Izard marks the first in a series of interviews we'll be doing with some of this season's contestants. Have a question you'd like one of the contestants to be asked? Send it our way.

Stephanie Izard, who emerged victorious in the second challenge on last night's season premiere of "Top Chef," had already wowed Chicago with her inventive takes on seafood. In fact, everyone in the Windy City let out a collective sigh when she suddenly closed her restaurant Scylla--which in addition to being named after a mythical sea monster was arguably one of the hottest tables in town--to travel. What? You broke up with us? Just like that?

But wouldn't you know it, Izard has made a comeback, quietly contending in a stew of egos. Last night's gussied-up version of duck l'orange--a braised duck roll with orange reduction sauce--stunned Rocco, Tom and Padma. Izard spoke with Citysearch Wednesday from Honduras, where she is honing her scuba skills. "Scuba is my second love," she said. Naturally.

What was the audition process like?
"I've been a big fan of the show since the first season. I knew Dale (a runner-up on last season) and he encouraged me to go for it. I figured what the hell. Why not? It was a fun process. We got to meet with the producers. A few of them came into Scylla so I basically just sent them everything on the menu."

How is working in this environment different from your own kitchen?
"Being in a new kitchen is always a challenge. There are 16 of us running around like crazy people. It's a little bit more chaotic than most kitchens."

What other food do you like working with?

"I love working with fruit. I like the salty sweetness of it. I also use a lot of vinegar, which brings a nice acidity to dishes."

You were allowed to bring some of your own ingredients from home to the show. What were your must-haves?
"I went to the Asian markets on Broadway and Argyle and picked up some fish sauce and sambao to kick things up."

Why should you be the Top Chef?
"After owning my own restaurant, I have learned the leadership skills to be the Top Chef. I also think I have a unique style with my cooking."

Valerie Moloney is a guest blogger and Citysearch's city editor for Chicago, the host city for Season 4. She knows a little about cooking--her husband is a chef, aka, Gordon Ramsay Jr.--and isn't all that much into Chicago pizza. Check back for more installments, including a Q&A with Dale Talde, sous chef at Buddakan.

(Photo of Stephanie Izard courtesy of Bravo)

Originally posted by Valerie Moloney from Bottomless Dish, on March 13, 2008 11:43 AM

Good news. Google has finally released an API (?) for Google Book Search:

Web developers can use the Books Viewability API to quickly find out a book's viewability on Google Book Search and, in an automated fashion, embed a link to that book in Google Book Search on their own sites.

As an example of the API in use, check out the Deschutes Public Library in Oregon, which has added a link to "Preview this book at Google" next to the listings in their library catalog. This enables Deschutes readers to preview a book immediately via Google Book Search so that they can then make a better decision about whether they'd like to buy the book, borrow it from a library or whether this book wasn't really the book they were looking for.

Tim Spalding of Library Thing has some initial comments on limitations:

The GBS API is a big step forward, but there are some technical limitations. Google data loads after the rest of the page, and may not be instant. Because the data loads in your web browser, with no data "passing through" LibraryThing servers, we can't sort or search by it, and all-library searching is impossible. You can get something like this if you create a Google Books account, which is, of course, the whole point.

(via Peter Brantley)

Originally posted by ben vershbow from if:book, on March 13, 2008 11:03 AM

| View | Upload your own

Here is the slide show outlining the DOT proposal to open Prince Street to pedestrians on summer Sundays. As we reported yesterday, the plan isn't popular with some SoHo residents, who say it will turn Prince into another Mulberry Street.

But Community Board 2's Ian Dutton, a supporter of the concept, doesn't intend to let that happen.

"I don't want to go in that direction with Prince Street, and that's certainly not the direction the neighborhood wants to go," says Dutton. "Prince Street is already a destination."

Dutton believes the goal of "Open Sundays" should not be to bring more people to the neighborhood, but to alleviate the current public space crunch. To that end, the CB 2 Traffic and Transportation Committee wants to form a group of stakeholders and community board members to look at problems, like sidewalk vending, and figure out how to incorporate pedestrianization as an acceptable remedy. This might include selecting a different street, says Dutton, or adding more streets to the program (which could equal less overall traffic). It might also mean allowing vehicles to pass in certain instances, like to provide elderly or disabled access.

"I really was disappointed that DOT didn't have a more full-bodied approach," Dutton says, but adds: "I think the level of outcry was based on a campaign of misinformation."

Originally posted by Brad Aaron from Streetsblog, on March 13, 2008 9:33 AM

Jason O’Grady asks:

It’s pretty obvious that the iPhone SDK is a really big deal, right? Could Apple have been planning an SDK all along? Or were they coerced into doing it by the crafty cottage industry of jailbreakers that’s grown around iPhone?

The conventional wisdom seems to be that Apple changed its mind in the fall (the SDK was announced in October), but I think it’s pretty clear this was in the cards all along. Simply judging by the quality and scope of the iPhone SDK documentation and tools, it seems like far more than a few months of work.

 ★ 

Originally posted by John Gruber from Daring Fireball, on March 13, 2008 8:53 AM

Radar examines potential Republican VP nominees

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Radar Online Features, on March 13, 2008 8:44 AM

TPMCafe Reader CSCS: NY Gov-in-waiting Paterson is "lucky" he's black and blind.

Originally posted by David Kurtz from Talking Points Memo, on March 13, 2008 7:18 AM

Story links: Battledecks contestants improvise conference presentations from previously unseen powerpoint slides. Jeff Tidwell is the moderator. Judges include Erika Hall and Jonathan Grubb. Contestants include George Kelly, Ted Rheingold, Rob Weichert, Jon Armstrong and Anil Dash.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Rocketboom (QuickTime), on March 13, 2008 7:04 AM

For full story see previous post:
Wafaa Bilal's Thought-Provoking Exhibition Censored @ RPI

3/13/08: Anaba reports :

Wafaa Bilal, re-opened at The Sanctuary for Independent Media, has now ALSO been shut down. This is the place that was going to show the Wafaa Bilal piece after it was canceled by RPI. Wow.
[more...]

see also:
Game Politics 
ArtFagCity
We Make Money Not Art
Artcal Zine

Originally posted by joy garnett from NEWSgrist - where spin is art, on March 13, 2008 5:56 AM

From the TED archives: Speaking at TED2 in 1990, the not-yet-legendary architect Frank Gehry takes a whistlestop tour of his work to date, from his Venice Beach house to the under-construction American Center in Paris. Over the course of this 45-minute slideshow (before TED's 18-minute limit), Gehry explains the site-specific nature of his buildings -- context he felt was lost in the discussions of his then-controversial work. In this candid and funny talk, he exposes his own messy creative process ("I take pieces and bits, and look at it, and struggle with it, and cut it away...") and the way he struggles with problems ("This model on the left is pretty awful. I was ready to commit suicide when this was built ... If any of you have ideas on it, please contact me. I don't know what to do"). (Recorded March 1990 in Monterey, California. Duration: 44:32.)

Watch Frank Gehry's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances, including Gehry's conversation with Richard Saul Wurman from 2002.

Read more about Frank Gehry on TED.com.

Embed this video: Use this code to run the video on your own site:

Originally posted by (author unknown) from TED | TEDBlog, on March 13, 2008 4:53 AM

Continuing our stunningly comprehensive series, we are proud to welcome award-winning hipster-bait Japanese author Haruki Murakami. His novels include Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and Kafka on the Shore; he has also published non-fiction and about one million short stories in The New Yorker. He checks in from the Cubs spring training facility in Mesa, Arizona.

I wake up in the middle of the night. Actually, it is not the middle of the night — it is 3:28 a.m. That’s not really the middle of the night, is it? Somewhat more like three-quarters of the way through the night. I mean, depending on when you get up. Personally, I’m an early riser. Always have been. Why sleep late?

I am in a hotel room in Arizona. I usually live in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but I am here to write about the Chicago Cubs baseball team. This is because a famous Japanese baseball player, Kosuke Fukudome, is now playing for the Cubs. Fukudome was a pretty big deal when he played for the Chunichi Dragons, a real star player. A lot of his Japanese fans were sad when he jumped to the Cubs, but I didn’t care. Why should I? If he wants to go to the U.S. and make millions of dollars, why shouldn’t he?

Because I can’t sleep, I go into the other room and turn on the hotel television. I keep it low so as not to disturb the other guests. I put on ESPN, but I don’t really watch it very carefully. It’s just the same old thing, over and over; this team beat that team, this pundit says this other team should have beaten a fourth team. Someone named Buster has very strong opinions about something or another. I don’t know any of the teams, really, and it seems pretty pointless. In fact, I end up putting the sound on mute and putting on some music. First, some Mozart, but that doesn’t really seem to suit the occasion. Then I play my favorite Beatles album, Rubber Soul. I play “Norwegian Wood” over and over, ten or twelve times. I love that song.

I don’t really know much about the Cubs, or the Dragons either as long as we’re talking about it. In fact, I don’t really understand baseball much. I know the basic rules, of course, and I’ve been to some games. But I just never got into it. But someone’s gotta shovel all that cultural snow, and I was the guy who answered the phone when Ward York called. Everybody knows that when Ward York tells you to do something, you bow quickly and do that thing.

Many people think Fukudome will be the most crucial part of the Cubs roster this year. The team hasn’t really changed at all from last year, when they won the NL Central and then got killed in the playoffs. The only new additions are Fukudome and a young catcher named Geovany Soto. And, since virtually every expert is picking the Cubs to go to the playoffs again, a lot is riding on these two players. Will they do well? Will they disappoint?

I have no idea, and by now it is 4 a.m. and I am hungry. So I decide to make some spaghetti. I like spaghetti; it is an easy meal to fix, and it tastes good. What could be wrong with that? I am just about ready to boil the water and slice the garlic when I realize that I am in a hotel room in Arizona instead of my cozy apartment in Cambridge. No spaghetti for me. I go back to sleep.

When I awake, the sun is blazing into my room. Time to go shovel that snow. I throw on my Levis and a Hawaiian shirt, and take my flat plastic hotel room key with me. On the way to the elevator, I walk past a man wearing a shabby sheep costume. At first, it seems like this guy I knew in Kyoto once upon a time, a guy who wasn’t really alive. Then I realize that this other guy is just an insane Cubs fan wearing a shabby sheep costume. Apparently this happens all the time.

I get to HoHoKam park and show my credentials. I am escorted onto the field by a beautiful young woman who says her name is Arabella. She has the most exquisite ears I have ever seen. I want to talk to her about her ears but instead I start thinking about Lou Piniella. He is the manager of the Cubs. What does a manager do? Tells his players to play well, I imagine, and yells at the umpire when he is convinced there has been a bad call. Other than that, I don’t know. Piniella looks like he’d be really good at yelling at umpires, or his players, or his cat. I bet if his cat peed near the windowseat, for example, Lou would give that cat the most blistering tongue-lashing it had ever received.

When I get done with this reverie, the girl with the perfect ears is gone. I look up and there is Kosuke Fukudome. He is swinging two bats at the same time, a neat trick that he must have learned here in Arizona. I am about to go up and talk with him but suddenly he is up at the plate, now holding only one bat. I blink and rub my eyes and suddenly Fukudome is on second base. Everyone is clapping and laughing except for the pitcher; he throws his hat on the ground and stomps off in a huff. His uniform reads “Lilly.” When I look back at second base, Fukudome isn’t there. Maybe he is just that fast; maybe he is a ghost; maybe he does not really exist. In any case, it is clear I won’t be interviewing him today.

I hear a curious “Woo Woo!” sound behind me and turn to see the Sheep Man again. I ask him what we should be looking for this year from the Cubs, and he replies in a very curious manner.

“Nobodyknowsifthiswholethingisgonnawork. SureRamirezandLeeandSorianoaredangeroushitters. ButTheriotandDeRosaandPiemakeforaprettyweakhittingmiddle. Zambrano’sarmmightfalloffandafterthatit’sasdeadlyassaringasonthesubway. RichHillisjustaguynamedRichHill. Soyeahthereareholesallovertheplace. StillweareintheComedyCentralsothereisalwaysagoodchance. UnlessyouareSt.Louis.”

Just as soon as he hissed these strange words, the Sheep Man was gone. Later, I came to realize that the Sheep Man doesn’t really exist, except on some other plane of reality that only I can access. Yet he lives on, in a way, in the form of all the tourists from Iowa who come to see their beloved Cubbies once or twice a summer, no matter what the team’s record is. With a revenue stream like that, and a guaranteed monster crowd showing up for every home game so they can see Jeremy Piven or Billy Corgan or Chaka Khan singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch, these Sheep Fans are helping ensure that the powers that be will do just fine, even if the Cubs end up in last place every year forever.

Then I polished some animal skulls and met another girl that doesn’t really exist and spent a week in a big hole and heard an old soldier talk about skinning a man to death and heard the story of a wrinkled lady who made out with a teenage girl and then I had sex with the wrinkled lady. Then I lost my cat and girlfriend and looked for them both, met a runaway named Kafka who went back in time to help write the song that he was named for, spurned the love of an alien, held up a fast food place, met some psychic twins, and trafficked in some more Western pop culture references. Cubs will win 84 games and finish in second place.

Originally posted by Spartacus from Yard Work, on March 12, 2008 6:43 PM

According to options found in the SDK simulator, the upcoming iPhone 2.0 firmware will include parental control options for a whole slew of things.

Read More...

Originally posted by justin.berka@gmail.com (Justin Berka) from Infinite Loop, on March 12, 2008 5:05 PM

Ben Smith has followed up on our earlier post about the Michigan situation, and got in touch with Tupac Hunter, the state co-chair for Obama's campaign.

Hunter reiterated his stance that the Obama campaign is opposed to a mail-in vote, and seemed to suggest again that the Obama camp opposes any revote at all — a position that turns out to be in contrast with the Obama campaign's official position that they'll abide by whatever agreement is reached between the DNC and the state party.

Obama spokesperson Bill Burton says that Hunter is not accurately representing the campaign's position: "Anything other than the fact that we think that the DNC and states ought to work this out, but we'll play by the rules, is not an expression of the position of the campaign."

Originally posted by Eric Kleefeld from TPM Election Central, on March 12, 2008 5:03 PM

Gothamist's Spitzerpimp image made it on to page 4 of the New York Post today. That is both awesome and puzzling at the same time. Here's a bit from the article:

At Credit Suisse and Merrill Lynch, which also had been on Spitzer's hit list, doctored pictures of the governor decorated their trading floors.

They showed Spitzer as a rapper with his arm around a sexy, bikini-clad girl.

Bloggers also had a field day.

"The corpse of Eliot Spitzer's political career is pushing up daisies and traders stopped to smell the flowers," said John Carney, editor of the blog Dealbreaker.com.

Sadly, they didn't provide a credit for this masterpiece. To our friends at Post HQ: please correct! As full recompense, we would be willing to accept a framed copy of the article signed by Rupert Murdoch.

Originally posted by Jake Dobkin from Gothamist Weekly Favorites, on March 12, 2008 4:45 PM

Mike Rundle figured out how to get the iPhone SDK working on a PowerPC iBook, even though it officially only works on Intel-based Macs.

 ★ 

Originally posted by John Gruber from Daring Fireball, on March 12, 2008 1:45 PM

Just got back from SXSW where our “panel”, Battledecks, was a huge success. We filled the room and people had a blast. I’ll be posting the decks on slideshare as soon as we have the audio synched. For now, here’s Battledeck winner Anil Dash.

I’ll have a fuller recap of the conference once I’ve caught up on some sleep and played with my son a lot.

Originally posted by Mike Monteiro from Mule Design : Off the Hoof, on March 12, 2008 1:13 PM

When we won Iowa, the Clinton campaign said it’s not the number of states you win, it’s “a contest for delegates.”

When we won a significant lead in delegates, they said it’s really about which states you win.

When we won South Carolina, they discounted the votes of African-Americans.

When we won predominantly white, rural states like Idaho, Utah, and Nebraska, they said those didn’t count because they won’t be competitive in the general election.

When we won in Washington State, Wisconsin, and Missouri — general election battlegrounds where polls show Barack is a stronger candidate against John McCain — the Clinton campaign attacked those voters as “latte-sipping” elitists.

And now that we’ve won more than twice as many states, the Clinton spin is that only certain states really count.

By David Plouffe, Obama campaign manager.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Marco.org Tumblelog, on March 12, 2008 1:12 PM

A scalable, vector-drawn map of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth.

Originally posted by finn from Modcult, on March 12, 2008 1:11 PM

Now that the steamroller is flattened like a pancake, it's time to meet the soon-to-be new boss. Same as the old boss? Certainly not on the surface: Lieutenant Governor David A. Paterson (pictured being sworn in back in 2007) is a 53-year-old African-American who has been legally blind since infancy.

Thanks to Spitzer's total meltdown, Paterson, who has partial vision in just one eye, will be the first African-American governor of New York State, the fourth black governor in American history and the first legally blind governor ever. As stipulated by the New York State constitution, the former Lieutenant Governor is permitted to serve out Spitzer's term, which concludes in 2010. Spitzer's resignation is expected to go into effect on Monday to give Paterson time to coordinate a transitional team.

Until taking office with Spitzer last year, he was a State Senator for the 30th district, which includes Harlem; before that he represented the 29th district from 1986 to 2003. As the first black NYS Senate minority leader, Paterson was an advocate for tougher domestic violence laws, a $1 billion voter-approved stem cell research initiative, and a statewide alternative energy strategy.

Paterson is the son of former New York Secretary of State Basil Paterson, who was the first African-American Deputy Mayor of New York City and the first African-American to run for statewide office in New York; Paterson fils is the state’s first African-American Lieutenant Governor. He graduated from Columbia with a BA in History in 1977, went on to attain a law degree from Hofstra, and before entering politics worked for the Queens District Attorney. He resides in Harlem with his wife and has two children; in 1999 he ran in the New York City Marathon.

Originally posted by John Del Signore from Gothamist Weekly Favorites, on March 12, 2008 12:05 PM

A guy who started working as a game programmer for Atari when he was 21 years old recounts his experiences, notably his work on the Donkey Kong cartridge.

Basically, Atari's marketing folks would negotiate a license to ship GameCorp's "Foobar Blaster" on a cartridge for the Atari Home Computer System. That was it. That was the entirety of the deal. We got ZERO help from the original developers of the games. No listings, no talking to the engineers, no design documents, nothing. In fact, we had to buy our own copy of the arcade machine and simply get good at the game (which was why I was playing it at the hotel - our copy of the game hadn't even been delivered yet).

(via girlhacker)

(link)

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on March 12, 2008 11:50 AM

As noted earlier, WFAN’s Ed Coleman reported on-air that the Mets and Red Sox are discussing a swap of Angel Pagan for Coco Crisp.

…however, i was able to speak with two people connected to the Mets, both of whom dismissed the idea of trading pagan for crisp…

Furthermore, the Boston Globe recently wrote the following to their blog, Extra Bases:

“Ignore that rumor started about Coco Crisp heading to the Mets for Angel Pagan.  Theo Epstein, through media relations director John Blake, said that the Red Sox have not been talking to the Mets.

“That the story was a fabrication.”

Also, at his blog for Newsday, David Lennon relays his talk with a Mets official, who more or less says the same thing.

By the way, Pagan hit a two-run home run today and is now batting .419 this spring with 10 RBI.

Originally posted by Matthew Cerrone from MetsBlog.com, on March 12, 2008 11:34 AM

Yesterday on MetaFilter:  How would Hulk say "Hulk Smash!" in French?

Great question!  Someday I'll use this in a class.  It's an apt example of how a seemingly simple phrase can entangle a translator in complex webs of linguistic and cultural meaning.  Some comments mentioned the little assistance that Babelfish and other on line translation tools provided.  When I tried it out, Babelfish initially recommended "Hulk smash" as a French equivalent.  That's not such a preposterous result.  Several comments supported not translating the phrase at all.  But I figured that Babelfish was just being lazy so I tried again.*  This time I got "fracas de carcasse."  "Carcasse" is how Babelfish translates the name Hulk. The question of whether or not to translate a proper name is very difficult for translators. Arguably, proper names should not be translated and some would go as far as to say that they are untranslatable.  ("My name is my name!")  This doesn't mean that a proper name doesn't have a alternative form in another language but "Juan" is not a translation of "John" (more likely the difference has to do with how pronunciation affects orthography over time).  In comics, however, the names of characters are closely tied to their physical characteristics and/or their particular powers (take Storm or Wolverine as an example).  But even in comics these aren't proper names but rather epithets by which the characters are known when they are in superhero mode.  In such cases, the superhero epithet or nickname is often translated but the real/ordinary name of the character is not (Peter Parker/Spider-Man, for example).  But in French, the name Hulk has remained unchanged, as far as I can tell, though in Spanish he goes by "La Masa" (sometimes) and in Hebrew "Ha-'anak" ("the giant" or "the big one").  It would be interesting for someone better versed in the translation history of comics to track which names get translated/altered and which remain the same.  With regards to the problem of translating "smash" (is it a noun? verb [what kind?]? an onomatopoeia?), one user recommended consulting native speakers.  However, the French speakers involved in the discussion couldn't agree on a translation either.  The verb "smasher" exists in French but in the context of a tennis "smash."  The discussion links to examples of the different ways the phrase has been rendered in French.  Personally, I like the sound of "Hulk casse!"  It's concise, awkward, and sounds harsh to my ear.  (Many thanks to Alaina for letting me know that this discussion was taking place!)

* For the record, I do not endorse the use of Babelfish as a tool for literary translation (or any translation, for that matter).  The work and theory that goes into machine translation is very intriguing and interesting but the actual results are, so far, very unreliable.

Originally posted by Adriana from Stingy Kids, on March 12, 2008 10:51 AM

I wasn't at the keynote at SXSW because I suspected that Zuckerman would not be a very interesting interview. He's well-known placidly toeing the Facebook company line. Apparently, I was wrong -- not about Zuckerman, who certainly didn't disappoint my expectations, but about the combination of Zuckerman and his interviewer Sarah Lacey. Many people who were at the keynote called it a "disaster" and a "train wreck."

Looking at video coverage of it, it doesn't really seem that bad, to me. But my friends say "you had to be there."

Why?

Well, I think this has to do with mob psychology, a phenomenon that tries to explain how mass movements happen, how otherwise reasonable, kind people can whip themselves up into a frenzy of ecstasy or rage.

When I was a history student at UC Berkeley, this phenomenon utterly fascinated me, and I tried to understand, form a historical perspective, how and why it happened, trying to piece together the data that set up situations like this. In both Japan and France (the two areas of enduring interest for me throughout my academic career) there were famous instances of mobs gone insane -- mobs of otherwise ordinary and decent citizens pulling people out of their homes to beat them, cut off their body parts, and parade them around the city. Outsiders (people who watched from their windows, for example) were utterly horrified; but those who participated were swept along by mob logic, if one can call it "logic" at all.

I don't believe that any of us are immune to the pressure of group action. And now I think we see from the Zuckerman keynote that technology creates its own special place where mob psychology can flourish. Those of us who have spent any time on forums already know this to be the case. But applications like Twitter can produce instant results, in real time. From Tim Leberecht's astute commentary on the incident:

Twittering (on Twitter and elsewhere) pushed people to act out; it accelerated interruption. People who did not like the way the interview was going had assurance that the crowd was with them; and it intensified those feelings. In traditional passive audience situations, for every person who acts out, the ratio of those who wanted to but didn't, is probably much higher. Instead, because people knew that not only the people sitting next to them, but also those in all four corners of the room had the same gripes--or pointed out new ones--many people acted out. As Lacy said, what we got was "Digg-style mob-rule." Essentially: Twittering lowers the threshold for lash-out.

Interesting. Tim goes on the suggest that the interview could have been saved if the interviewer had been following what was going on in the room; of course, in the olden days performers had direct feedback form the crowd's energy through other means -- body language, attention paid, in more extreme cases, applause or boos or other vocal signs of approbation/disapproval. I suppose now all those reactions are sublimated and streamed through the ether. One much tap into that to get a sense of where the mob is headed...

Originally posted by jane from game girl advance, on March 12, 2008 10:49 AM

The other night McClatchy broke the news that a huge Pentagon study of Iraqi archives had concluded that there was no Saddam-al Qaeda link. That's been followed by reports in other media on the contours of the report, which was supposed to be released today at a Pentagon press conference.

But not any more.

ABC News reports:

The Bush Administration apparently does not want a U.S. military study that found no direct connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda to get any attention. This morning, the Pentagon cancelled plans to send out a press release announcing the report's release and will no longer make the report available online.

The report was to be posted on the Joint Forces Command website this afternoon, followed by a background briefing with the authors. No more. The report will be made available only to those who ask for it, and it will be sent via U.S. mail from Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia.

It won't be emailed to reporters and it won't be posted online. Read the report's executive summary HERE.

Asked why the report would not be posted online and could not be emailed, the spokesman for Joint Forces Command said: "We're making the report available to anyone who wishes to have it, and we'll send it out via CD in the mail."

Another Pentagon official said initial press reports on the study made it "too politically sensitive."

More soon . . .

Originally posted by David Kurtz from Talking Points Memo, on March 12, 2008 10:38 AM

The Photoshop Disasters blog catalogs missteps in photo retouching and graphic design. The most recent post shows the cover of a Nintendo DS game that has an embarrassingly invisible iStockPhoto watermark on it. The three-handed lady is my favorite.

(link)

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on March 12, 2008 9:10 AM

DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler (in back), Mayor Bloomberg, Boerum Hill Association President Sue Wolfe and Council Member David Yassky.

Thanks to another 11:30am press conference in Midtown, I figured Streetsblog might be the only press to cover Mayor Bloomberg's announcement of a new, citywide residential parking permit program. But, no. There was plenty of other media gathered at the corner of Bond and Bergen Streets in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. Let's see if there's any room in tonight's newscasts and tomorrow's papers for stories about something other than Governor Spitzer.

Stay tuned for details...

Originally posted by Aaron Naparstek from Streetsblog, on March 12, 2008 9:05 AM

Jack, 38, Designer & Victorya, 34, Designer

Got Them: At Bergdorf Goodman for an Italian Textile Exhibit, (more on that later). Chris was there too, but he's a bit camera shy!

Stalked Them: Because every time we see a designer, we want to know if they made their own outfit. And because we had to know what they'd been up to since their dramatic exits from Project Runway.

Shot Them: Because we're having fun racking up Project Runway streetwalkers faster than you can say, "Auf Wiedersehen."

Jack Says: "The shirt's Gucci and the jeans are Levi's - but I made my body. Does that count?"

Victorya says: "My shirt is vintage and my jeans are Earl. My first design job was at Earl and it was actually really fun. I got my boots in Paris and I have no idea who makes them, but I know I love them. And Paris sounds better than a brand anyway!"

We Say: When in doubt, always answer Paris.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Fashionista, on March 12, 2008 9:00 AM

Food critic Alan Richman, blogging for GQ, totally dogs Les Halles, the restaurant many food TV fans know as Anthony Bourdain's joint. (Bourdain consults for Les Halles as "chef-at-large.") Says Richman:

What's more appalling than the food or even the absurd title of Chef-at-Large is that the smirking Bourdain has somehow become the de facto public face of the restaurant industry. It's as if Steven Seagal had been named president of the Screen Actors Guild.

The review is unusually harsh, from seating to dessert, and one can't help but wonder if it's payback for the Golden Clog award that Bourdain and Michael Ruhlman bestowed upon Richman last month. Why Les Halles? Why now?

Originally posted by Adam Kuban from Serious Eats: Main, on March 12, 2008 9:00 AM

iPhone Dev Team has found a way to load custom firmware deep inside the iPhone SDK. Soon you'll be able to pwn your own iPhone and install apps willy nilly, no App Store required.

Read More...

Originally posted by ars@chrisforesman.com (Chris Foresman) from Infinite Loop, on March 12, 2008 8:55 AM

Six-Word Reviews of 763 SXSW Mp3s on The Morning News proves that Paul Ford is an insane, overcommitted, inspired genius.

It is as it says: as many music files as Paul could drum up from this year's South by Southwest festival, reviewed in exactly six words. (The six-word write-up, if you hadn't heard, is a hot trend right now.)

The writeups are the genuis part.
"Rocks like a dad-bought Camaro."
"Soft pink vagina frosted jazz cupcakes."
"The pinnacle of cock-rock horseshit."
"You can love Neko Case too much."

The insane, inspired, and overcommitted part is, well, the rest of it. Every band he could find, alphabetized, chronicled, linked to two places, reviewed and rated on a 5-star scale. Then, because it's Paul, there are the pull-outs: more than a dozen charts, graphs, summaries and observations. Which makes the chart more palatable and, no doubt, kept the research interesting, too.

I have much work ahead of me just digesting the page. Can barely fathom the work--by one man--that went into it. But then this is the same guy who more or less singlehandedly scanned 150 years of Harper's magazine and cleaned up the OCR for a web archive, so I'm not surprised. Just blinking a lot. Great, great stuff.

Originally posted by David Wertheimer from Ideapad, on March 12, 2008 8:43 AM

We told you yesterday that Janet Jackson was fighting a nasty flu and needed to be hospitalized, and now it's being reported that the singer is too sick to perform on this weekend's Saturday Night Live.

In Janet's place, SNL viewers will get to see Mariah Carey perform on the show, for the first time in ten years. M's new album, E=MC², is due out April 15, and she recently released the first single, "Touch My Body," which will, for sure, be her song of choice on Saturday night.

Hosting the show is Superbad’s Jonah Hill.

I haven't watched SNL in ages -- since it stopped being funny -- but maybe I'll give it a go this weekend. That's if I can stay up until 11:30.

Originally posted by Tracy Pepey from iVillage - Daily Blabber, on March 12, 2008 8:41 AM

One thing to keep in mind about the Obama camp's electability arguments is that they're being amplified right now for a reason: It's the argument over who's more electable that could very well play a key role in what the super-delegates do when the voting is all over.

The super-dels are the real target of the Obama camp's pitch -- and Camp Hillary's, too. The Obama camp knows that Hillary advisers are currently, and will continue, to press the case privately to super-delegates that his failure to win key big states should make them nervous about his prospects this fall -- and that this should influence them even if Obama wins the pledged del count.

The Obama camp is now ratcheting up its public and private efforts to neutralize this argument, in hopes of persuading the super-dels to follow the winner of the pledged-del count.

For instance, the Obama campaign has just sent out another memo -- the second of the day! -- elaborating the case for his electability and attempting to debunk Hillary's "big states" spin. This one's signed by pols in non-"key" states Obama has won: Iowa's Chet Culver, Wisconsin's Jim Doyle, Washington's Christine Gregoire, Virginia's Tim Kaine, and Missouri's Claire McCaskill.

Key excerpt:

The Clinton campaign’s argument ignores relevant facts about how significant a role these [smaller] states played in determining the outcome of the presidential race in 2004. In fact, Obama has won 7 of 9 of the biggest states that were close in the 2004 presidential election and have already selected delegates to the 2008 Democratic convention.

More than half of the votes that Senator Clinton has won so far have come from just five states. It’s also worth noting that polls in four of these five states show that Obama would be a stronger general election candidate against McCain than Clinton.

The full memo is here.

Originally posted by Greg Sargent from TPM Election Central, on March 12, 2008 8:39 AM

Having had a longstanding interest in geo-location--and, well, its intersections with blogging and online identity--I'm really excited about Yahoo!'s new Fire Eagle service.

I'm also really excited that we now have Fire Eagle for Movable Type plugin connecting an MT profile to a Fire Eagle account. This makes an MT profile location-aware and, just like Fire Eagle itself, opens the door to tons of other interesting features that the plugin provides: adding a map of your current location to your blog; tracking changes to your location in your Action Stream; &c.

I've written more about Fire Eagle for Movable Type on sixapart.com.

Originally posted by Benjamin Trott from Stupidfool.org, on March 12, 2008 8:38 AM

Quick Post

Paul Ford ranks and reviews every MP3 provided by bands performing at SXSW

http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/reviews/sixword_reviews_of_763_sxsw_mp3s.php

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Capn Design, on March 12, 2008 7:48 AM

The Yes Men respond to BP's email concerning "Use of a website... infringing copyright on the trademarks of BP p.l.c." And publish a web site response here http://www.beyond-petrol.com/

Originally posted by amanda_mc from del.icio.us/tag/eyebeam-reblog, ReBlogged by Amanda McDonald Crowley on Mar 12, 2008 at 10:15 AM

Originally posted by amanda_mc from Eyebeam reBlog, on March 12, 2008 7:15 AM

Please visit the new website of BP, dedicated to explain their green efforts, the millions they invest in researching energy and the billions spend for extract petroleum.

Learn from simple explanations, how your green lifestyle is powered by an energy corporation, committed with make some sustainable profit out of you.

Whether your house is a "green" one or one of the other 99%, BP is there with petroleum products to make your life warmer and simpler.

Some images used by BP to spread the green love:

Originally posted by Jerry Juarez from Eyebeam reBlog, on March 12, 2008 7:07 AM

“I wish they'd thrown off Rami, because he was so mean to Sweet P! But the one I really like is the guy with glasses and the total Misshapes haircut." - Natalie Portman, on Project Runway, in ELLE.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Fashionista, on March 12, 2008 7:03 AM

Among a mostly bullshit press release from Apple this morning about 100,000 copies of the iPhone SDK having made their way to developers' computers, perhaps the most important announcement in mobile gaming since Dope Wars was ported to my old Treo:

"Apple's become an important mobile game platform with the iPhone SDK," said Jason Kapalka, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, PopCap. "The new SDK gives us the tools to innovate and reinvent games like Bejeweled, Zuma and Peggle. With the new App Store we can reach every iPhone and iPod touch user on the planet." [emphasis added]

Okay, maybe the most important mobile gaming announcement to me.

I'm actually curious to see if they change the Peggle playfields to the widescreen format of the iPhone or leave it 4:3 like all the previous versions. That will actually have some gameplay repercussions.

iPhone SDK Downloads Top 100,000 [Apple.com]

Previously • Peggle Comes to iPod; I Come Apart [BBG]
• Is the iPhone the Next Wii? [BBG]

Originally posted by Joel Johnson from Boing Boing Gadgets, on March 12, 2008 7:02 AM

Timeline!

TPMmuckraker puts together the sequence of events in the Spitzer investigation.

Originally posted by David Kurtz from Talking Points Memo, on March 12, 2008 6:13 AM

• Spitzer Likely to Resign Today, Say Aides (NY1, Sun)
• The Political Career of David A. Paterson (NYT)
• Worth an Encore: Transit Riders Support Pricing (News)
• Foe of Car-Free Prince Street Peddles Fear of Mimes to Media (Metro)
  
• MTA Capital Plan Good for Outer Boroughs... (MTR)
• ...Includes $3.7B to Fix Up Brooklyn Subway Stations (News)
• Greyhound and Peter Pan Launch Fung Wah Competitor (AP)
• Warming Could Wreak Havoc on Transportation Infrastructure (AP via Grist)
  
• $4 a Gallon? Try $5 in This California Town (NYT)
  
• Rockland County Orthodox Jewish Community Keeps Wal-Mart at Bay (NYT)
• Beijing Pollution Leads Runner to Opt Out of Marathon (BBC via Car-Free USA)
  

Originally posted by Ben Fried from Streetsblog, on March 12, 2008 5:50 AM

That's a lot of potential iPhone and iPod touch apps out there.

Read More...

Originally posted by dchartier@arstechnica.com (David Chartier) from Infinite Loop, on March 12, 2008 5:26 AM

Kalina, 1/4/07

The Bruni stops in at Bar Boulud this week, slaps down a two spot, and spends most of his word count raving about the charcuterie, swooning over the wine list, and justifying the boring food:

"Bar Boulud is a terrine machine, a pâté-a-palooza, dedicated to the proposition that discerning New Yorkers aren't getting nearly enough concentrated, sculptured, gelatinous animal fat, at least not of a superior caliber...

From all of these you can assemble an oversize snack or undersize meal, to be rounded out with wine from a list that's a knockout in terms of its tight focus, its enterprising selections, its elegant organization and its price range...

...all but one of the entrees on a recent menu were under $30. That’s a clue to the limited ambitions that Mr. Boulud and his executive chef, Damian Sansonetti, have for the dishes beyond the charcuterie, and that’s the context in which their efforts and output should be evaluated. Sure, there's little wow from the kitchen, which turns out treatments of salmon, sea bass and roasted chicken that, while not quite losers, are definitely snoozers." Franktastic doesn't share in the other critics' disappointment—with the price point and the ambiance, this place was never meant to be a temple of haute French cuisine: "Daniel Boulud finding more glory in lunchtime sandwiches than in dinnertime lamb stew? It's a new era, and Bar Boulud belongs to it." [NYT]

Ryan Sutton files a twofer on newcomers Olana and Elettaria this week, and while both have decent food, the settings miss the mark: "Meet Olana...Bar patrons with bottles of cheap beer mingled. Backlit landscape paintings exuded a tacky glare. One gentleman sported a gimme cap, backwards, of course. Soporific elevator music pumped through the sound system. Is this an after-work hangout?...Meet Elettaria. It's in an insufficient West Village space. Picture a trans-Atlantic flight in economy class. Identical discomfort available here...As an aisle seat occupant, I got bumped and shoved. By busboys, waiters and anyone walking to the bathrooms." [Bloomberg]

Randall Lane files on Adour this week and awards a staggering five of six stars to Ducasse's new project: "Here, wine is the muse—Esnault and Ducasse created the menu with Adour’s sommeliers—and the wine program instantly ranks among the city’s top three...Similarly, Esnault’s lighter, more contemporary version of haute French that he brought to the Essex House returns—at roughly half the price...There are just as many head-turners here—if you order right." [TONY]

The Cuozz checks in on Dovetail this week, and he does not see what all the fuss is about. In fact he has a beef with these over zealous critics: "Restaurant critics enamored of their own star-power have showered the joint with twinklers...With the sole exception of Moira Hodgson's 2 1/2-star write-up in the Observer, it was a "me-too" chorus among critics who believe diners still hang on their numerically precise pronouncements. Chef John Fraser is turning out plenty of fine dishes. But many places with food that is just as decent - or better - have received only two stars..." [NYP]

The RG checks in on South Gate, Kerry Heffernan's new high end restaurant in the Essex House and gives it a measly 1.5 stars. Space is impressive, but the food? Not so much: "With its glitzy glass façade overlooking the park, it's a radically hip departure from Ducasse's classically French production...Beyond familiar holdovers from Eleven Madison Park, Heffernan fails to deliver new thrills. Employing a vast hodgepodge of ingredients, his dishes tend to emerge in a blizzard of flavors with little rhyme or reason to their union...The meat entrees were an altogether grim roster of consistently fatty cuts, stripped of critical succulence." [NYDN]

THE ELSEWHERE: Alan Richman slams the Bourdain-less Les Halles, Sietsema heads out to East Williamsburg to try the food at cocktail lounge Huckleberry Bar, Tables for Two is at tiny West Village spot Smith's, and Paul Adam's dines at the "stiff and unwelcoming" Bar Blanc.

THE BLOGS: Strong is at Commerce, NY Journal checks up on South Gate and Greenwich Steak & Burger, Gotham Gal tries impossibly popular LES joint Allen & Delancey, Pink Pig weighs in on UWS phenom Dovetail, Cleaned My Plate at Olana, and Project Me takes a ride to Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

Originally posted by Amanda from Eater, on March 12, 2008 5:02 AM

From a February 2008 interview with Steve Duenes, graphics director for The New York Times:

From: Nicholas Kristof
Subject: the power of art

in september i traveled with bill gates to africa to look at his work fighting aids there. while setting the trip up, it emerged that his initial interest in giving pots of money to fight disease had arisen after he and melinda read a two-part series of articles i did on third world disease in January 1997. until then, their plan had been to give money mainly to get countries wired and full of computers.

bill and melinda recently reread those pieces, and said that it was the second piece in the series, about bad water and diarrhea killing millions of kids a year, that really got them thinking of public health. Great! I was really proud of this impact that my worldwide reporting and 3,500-word article had had. But then bill confessed that actually it wasn't the article itself that had grabbed him so much -- it was the graphic. It was just a two column, inside graphic, very simple, listing third world health problems and how many people they kill. but he remembered it after all those years and said that it was the single thing that got him redirected toward public health.

No graphic in human history has saved so many lives in africa and asia.

A little over the top, but it’s a nice story. Though while Mr. Kristof celebrates, this seems as much an indictment of NY Times coverage of rural poverty. (via)

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Social Design Notes, on March 12, 2008 3:56 AM

Filed under: Odds and ends, Apple, MacBook Air

You may recall that MacBook Air user Michael Nygard was recently screened by the TSA (that's the Transportation Security Administration, to those who aren't in the US.) when he went through security with his MacBook Air. It would seem that the good folks manning the X-ray machine couldn't make heads or tail of what they saw on their screen. When Nygard explained that the MacBook Air was, in fact, a computer (and had that assertion backed up by a younger TSA worker) all was cleared up and he was sent on his merry way (though he did miss his flight).

The TSA is working hard to make sure you don't have to deal with this hassle. On the official TSA blog (yes, the TSA has a blog and it is pretty entertaining) Bob informs us now that he is working with Apple to get his hands on a MacBook Air (hey, Bob, just make sure you don't throw it out) for some testing. He wants to run it through one of their screening machines and see if it looks any different than normal laptops. If it does, in fact, look a little odd the image will be sent to all TSA workers in airports so that future travelers won't be bothered.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Originally posted by Scott McNulty from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW), on March 11, 2008 4:30 PM

The final episode of St. Elsewhere revealed that all of the action of the show took place in the mind of an autistic child. Two detectives from Homicide: Life on the Street investigate a doctor from St. Elsewhere. Thus Homicide is a fiction. And so are 280 other shows that are connected to those two shows through crossovers and references. This page contains a map of all the crossovers, encompassing such disparate shows as Doctor Who, The King of Queens, and Leave It to Beaver. Wonderful.

(link)

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on March 11, 2008 3:17 PM

    I have taught high school seniors for twenty-three years so I know they don't listen once the weather warms up and graduation seems within daydreaming distance.
    This morning was a case in point. We are experiencing an unusually warm March in Washington. Spring fever has hit weeks before it usually does, and the imminence of the cherry blossoms makes all my students think of flowering hopes, flowering dreams, budding love. What they're not thinking about is my class.
    I have tried to outsmart my students by doing love poetry with them during March. John Donne is the most romantic, as well as the most difficult, of all love poets--so I figure if they plug into the love part the difficulty part will be educational despite their lack of interest in all educational subjects.
But this year it's not working.
    Even my leading questions with common sense answers no one could get wrong, are not getting a response. In "Canonization," Donne tells those who disapprove of his love affair to buzz off (in other words.) He asks them when the "Heat which my veins fill" have added "one more to the plaguy bill?" Granted, we may not have a list of plague victims that we post outside our schools or hospitals anymore, but love has not changed, and it still heats up the blood. So why do my students look mystified when I ask them what this means? They have the courtesy to laugh when I tell them, "It means he is hot for his lover, but the fever is not contagious so no one need fear his passion and heat." After their brief chuckle, they go back to looking bored and staring out the window at the warm, mid-day sky.
    I remember feeling this way once, but I think I pretended better than they do: pretended to listen, pretended to like what the class was doing, pretended I liked getting an education. And then, gradually, I really did listen, and liked what we were doing, and got a great education. We all grow up even if we aren't trying to. It just happens.
    So I will trudge on--reading Donne and James Joyce, and hoping a few out there are at least going through the motions so they won't get out of practice. But, I have to admit, I'm waiting for the cherry blossoms to bloom, too.

Originally posted by Erica Jacobs from TeacherTalk, on March 11, 2008 2:58 PM

The Yes Men respond to BP

 bookmark this on del.icio.us - posted by amanda_mc to eyebeam-reblog eyebeam_reblog art activism theyesmen yesmen - more about this bookmark...

Originally posted by amanda_mc from del.icio.us/subscriptions/djacobs, on March 11, 2008 2:44 PM

To celebrate Lindsay Lohan and Jeremy Scott's cover collaboration, PAPER and Diesel threw the actress and designer a luncheon at the Sunset Marquis Hotel & Villas. Watch as PAPER's Kim Hastreiter talks to Lindsay about jackhammers -- among other things!

Originally posted by (author unknown) from PAPERMAG: WORD UP!, on March 11, 2008 2:29 PM

"Various connections were offered and accepted, on Flickr, Last, Dopplr, Twitter; it struck me at the time as being like one of those space station docking sequences in a movie. Hoses extended and were coupled on, and the vapours of ambient intimacy started being pumped; the vapours that convert acquaintances into friends. It's good. I've always liked those docking/undocking sequences."

Originally posted by Michal Migurski from tecznotes links, on March 11, 2008 1:58 PM

Kalina

What a day. Those of you who managed to refresh at the right moment and scored the choice resys, well played. The rest of you, meet us back here tomorrow. Unless that is you were never able to set up an account; we're not sure what the story is there. Seven hours in, there are already resy scalpers in the comments, on Craigslist, and eGullet, and one can witness the entire spectrum of human emotions splayed out in the comments. Anger (at us, at Momofuku, at the scalpers), joy, doubt, self righteousness, and of course, greed. These sum it up:

"Oh wait I get it now. In keeping with the whole concept of the restaurant, they've put the reservation system on a server that only can handle 12 people at a time!"

"I am losing my mind."

"Sweet mother of god got to the time slot screen and it crashed again. dyyyyyyyyyying"

"i got through, but was offered front-row Stones tickets. wtf???"

"Can we all just take a moment and think about what it is we're getting all worked up about here?"

"Ko-BOOM indeed."

And then we have the comment of the day, re one of the resy scalpers: "I hope he gets his balls cut off."
· Ko-BOOM Coda: One Week Fully Booked [~E~]
· Is Someone Attacking the Momo Servers? [~E~}
· Ko-BOOM: Ko Resy Site Live [~E~]

Originally posted by Amanda from Eater, on March 11, 2008 1:15 PM

In a spot called First Person at , Billy Wagner and Aaron Heilman talk about the impact Johan Santana will have on their team’s bullpen.

Wagner, among other comments, says:

“He eats innings, and it allows you to be able to use your bullpen in the right way.  Willie we’ll be able to stack his bullpen on the days Johan pitches because he has a good chance of pitching seven innings, and possibly a complete game, which could lead to your John Maine or Perez not feeling like they have to throw seven or eight innings…Our bullpen will get a rest…So, he’s a huge, huge asset.”

…last season, Willie Randolph received a ton of criticism for how he managed his team’s bullpen, which was fair on some days, and unfair on others considering that his starting rotation did need him no favors…which is exactly what wagner is talking about here…if willie’s bullpen is healthy, rested and pitching well, it will be interesting to see how he does with the staff, because, if i remember correctly, he didn’t get a lot of flack in 2006, when the bullpen was brilliant…

Originally posted by Cerrone from MetsBlog.com, on March 11, 2008 1:10 PM

Rogue Amoeba’s list of bugs they’ve filed with Apple against the iPhone SDK serves as a concise layman’s overview of the restrictions and limitations. The Rogue Amoeba guys are pretty much taking the hard line stance that iPhone development should be as open as Mac development. I don’t agree with that, but it’s useful to have a list like this.

 ★ 

Originally posted by John Gruber from Daring Fireball, on March 11, 2008 1:06 PM

WARNING, **EXTENSIVE SPOILERS** ABOUT SEASONS 1-5. So, The Wire is over. The 60th and final episode of the show aired on Sunday night. I watched it last night and felt very sad afterwards. Sad that it's over and that doing a sixth season could not and would not work. A good chunk of my morning was spent clinging to the show's final moments; I must have read close to 50 or 60 pages of interviews and analysis concerning the end of the show. Here are a few of those articles worth reading:

Heaven and Here is providing their usual excellent coverage of the end of the show.

I don't know if Cheese's speech about the game was one of the more definitive the show's ever put forth, or the ultimate in dime store Wire-isms. I also don't know which way it was supposed to be perceived by the characters. But that it was immediately followed by a murder that contradicted everything it contained -- one that went against a lot of what's been both depressing and demoralizing about the show -- was kind of awesome.

Alan Sepinwall has the definitive end-of-the-show interview with David Simon. It's long but oh so good.

We knew that if we got a long enough run, all three of the chess players would be out of the game, so to speak. Prison or dead. We did not chart all of their fates to a specific outcome, but we knew that the Pit crew would be subject to an exacting attrition.

We knew, for example, that when Carcetti declares that he wants no more stat games in his new administration that the arc would end with his subordinates going into Daniels' office and demanding yet another stat game. Or that McNulty would end up on the pool table felt like Cole, albeit quitting rather than dead. Or that Carver's long arc toward maturity and leadership would begin with him making rank under ugly pretenses and then being lectured by Daniels about what you can and can't live with. (It's at that point that Carver slowly begins to change, not merely when he encounters Colvin's integrity.) We knew that the FBI file that Burrell would not be put into play in season one would eventually be used to deny Daniels the prize.

Sepinwall also wrote an extensive recap of the final episode.

Heather Havrilesky's interview with David Simon on Salon covers some of the same ground as Sepinwall's interview but is still quite fine. Here's David Simon explaining what the whole season five newspaper thread was all about:

[The season] begins with a very good act of adversarial journalism -- they catch a quid pro quo between a drug dealer and a council president -- which actually happened in Baltimore. Not necessarily the council president, but between a drug dealer and the city government. That whole thing with the strip club? That really happened in real life. It was news. The Baltimore Sun did catch that, it was good journalism, so I was honoring good journalism. It ends with an honorable piece of narrative journalism, about Bubbles. And the Baltimore Sun has, on occasion, done very good narrative journalism.

In between those bookends, which I thought were important, because in our minds we weren't writing a piece that was abusive to the Sun or any other newspaper ... the paper misses every story. They miss that the mayor wants to be governor, so ultimately the guy who was the reformer ends up telling people to cook the stats as bad as Royce ever did. Well, in Baltimore that happened. And they missed the fact that the third-grade test scores are cooked to make it look like the schools are improving, when in fact it doesn't extend to the fifth grade, and that No Child Left Behind is an unmitigated disaster. They set out to do a story on the school system, but they abandoned it for homelessness because they're sort of reed thin. Prosecutions collapse because of backroom maneuvering and ambition by various political figures, speaking of Clay Davis ... And when a guy like Prop Joe dies, he's a brief on page B5.

That was the theme, and we were taking long-odd bets that very few journalists would even sense it. That would be the critique of journalism that really mattered to me, because we've shown you the city as it is, and as it is intricately, for four years. It was all rooted in real stuff.

The last of Andrew Johnston's recaps for The House Next Door. He remains skeptical about the newspaper part of season five's main plot:

In my decade-plus as a professional journalist, I've seen a lot of people compromise their principles in order to stay employed, but never have I seen so many people compromise so much. At the risk of seeming terminally naive, I have to ask if things are really that much worse in the newspaper world than they are in the magazine biz (and now that I've raised the question, I'm sure more than one person will provide evidence in the comments below that yes, things are that bad).

Yanksfan vs. Soxfan views The Wire through the lens of Baltimore sports.

From the air, the picture isn't quite so romantic. The satelite image above shows the site that was once home to Memorial Stadium. An entire neighborhood is oriented in a horsehoe around it. But there's practically nothing on the site now. It's a void. The last remnant of Memorial Stadium came down in 2002. That was a concrete wall dedicated to the soldiers who gave their lives in the First and Second World Wars. It read, "Time will not dim the glory of their deeds."

The Orioles moved into Camden Yards in 1994. You'd think that, when the city agreed to build a new home for the team, there would have been a plan for the old site. But that's not how the development game works. A rising tide doesn't necessarily lift all boats. The money was downtown, and that's where it stayed.

Assorted other articles that I'll leave unexcerpted: AV Club interview with Simon, final episode recap from Thoughts on Stuff, and a letter on HBO's site from David Simon to the fans of the show.

And finally, a few other tidbits.

• According to Simon in his interview with Sepinwall, the superhero-like jump taken by Omar in season five from an apartment balcony was based on a real-life experience by the real-life Omar.
• Did you catch Simon's cameo in the newsroom at The Sun? Did Ed Burns have a cameo of his own at McNulty's wake?
• Aside from Ziggy Sobotka, Brother Mouzone, and maybe Horseface, season five featured every surviving main character in the show's five season run. Mr. Prezbo was the last to turn up as the subject of Dukie's transparent short con.
• At the beginning of season four, I wished that season five would be a Godfather II-style prequel showing how the main characters (Avon, Stringer, McNutty, Daniels, Omar, etc.) got to where they did. Turns out that Simon and company had that in mind all along; in seasons four and five, we simultaneously see the beginnings and ends of several characters. Michael and Dukie are explicitly set up as the new Omar and Bubbles, respectively. Carver is the new Daniels. Sydnor is the new McNulty (with some Freamon sprinkled in). I'm also guess that, more or less, Kima is the new Bunk, Kenard is the new Avon/Marlo, and Randy is the new Cheese (Simon has confirmed that Cheese is Randy's dad). Namond is the only season four kid that doesn't really morph into one of the other characters...maybe Bunny.
• Slim Charles shooting Cheese in the head was the most satisfying moment I've ever witnessed on TV.

Now that it's done, I think we're going to cancel HBO and everything but basic cable. I doubt it'll be missed much...aside from sports and movies, The Wire was only thing we watched on TV.

(Comment on this)

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on March 11, 2008 12:55 PM

Anil Dash made a very interesting post noting the pending release of WordPress 2.5 and suggests users consider Movable Type since upgrading means breaking a lot of things. As TechCrunch notes the WordPress crowd (Automattic really) is “pissed” with Matt Mullenweg calling it “desperate and dirty.” This of course is the pot calling the kettle black if it were true, but it’s not. Dash’s arguments are, to my knowledge, factually correct, quite logical and polite. To me it’s just a company being competitive in professional way. It would seem that Automattic is not up to dealing with with that sort of heat yet.

I’m not at all surprised by their reaction though. The WP community lead by the Automattic staff has dished out a lot of crap over the years at Six Apart’s expense without the professionalism that Dash extended them with this one post. I don’t doubt Automattic’s dedication to open source or what they do, but, given past behavior, I’ve always questioned their ability to conduct themselves in a way that professional and enterprise customers demand. This reaction only supports that observation and only makes me rest easier as enterprise consultant specializing in Movable Type systems.

Originally posted by Timothy Appnel from Code / Appnel Solutions, on March 11, 2008 12:14 PM

Baby squirrel lulz. To be honest, I still found MT slow last time I tested it, and I think the lack of one-click installs is really hurting them, and as a livejournaller I’m still sort of bitter about the gulag thing, but I do think Anil’s snark is of a whole different class to Matt’s [...]

Originally posted by that girl again from wordpress™ wank, on March 11, 2008 12:11 PM

…you’re right, David Lennon from Newsday, it’s time i accept Angel Pagan for what he is…he’s earned it, so far…i’m not saying he should be guaranteed an opening day roster spot, just because he is hitting .415 in 13 games this spring, and with three weeks left until the start of the season, but i should at least accept him as the front runner to fill in for Moises Alou…

…plus, let’s not forget, pagan is a former Mets prospect, who is now back in the fold, so we should want him to succeed…

…so, for now, until pagan proves otherwise, i do not want the Mets to trade more young talent, or extra relievers, and over-pay to acquire a guy like Juan Rivera, Randy Winn or Xavier Nady…

Originally posted by Matthew Cerrone from MetsBlog.com, on March 11, 2008 12:01 PM

Charles Kaiser on the media's coverage of Spitzer-gate

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Radar Online Features, on March 11, 2008 11:45 AM

The drama in New York over whether Spitzer is going to resign is getting more curious by the moment: In the latest twist, Spitzer's would-be successor, Lieutenant Governor David Paterson, says he has no idea what Spitzer is going to do....

Mr. Paterson also said he had not heard from the governor on Tuesday.

“The governor called me yesterday, he said he didn’t resign for a number of reasons, and he didn’t go into the reasons, and that’s the last I’ve heard from him,” he said.

Asked whether preparations for a transition were underway, the lieutenant governor said: “No one has talked to me about his resignation and no one has talked to me about a transition.”

The New York political world is in total limbo right now.

Spitzer already is facing the threat of impeachment from a Republican state leader and multiple calls for his resignation from New York papers.There are reports that he's been using this escort service for at least six months.

The chance that he can survive this is remote indeed, obviously. So the talk floating around today that Spitzer is holding out to somehow make his resignation part of a plea deal is the only explanation that makes sense right now.

Originally posted by Greg Sargent from TPM Election Central, on March 11, 2008 11:37 AM

The new SurveyUSA poll of Pennsylvania gives Hillary Clinton a very healthy lead of 55%-36% for the April 22 primary.

From the internals: Hillary leads in practically all demographics and regions, including even the younger voters, with Obama winning only the black vote. In her weakest region, the Southeastern portion of the state that includes Philadelphia and its surrounding suburbs, she's ahead 48%-46%.

Then again, the election is six weeks away, and things will probably get very interesting between now and then. But Barack Obama definitely has a lot of ground to make up if he wants to pull off an upset.

Originally posted by Eric Kleefeld from TPM Election Central, on March 11, 2008 10:55 AM

Since when does "competing" equal "playing dirty"? 

Yesterday we ran a post on movabletype.com that touts the advantages of Movable Type over the soon-to-be-released (any day now) Wordpress 2.5. Was the title of the post ("A Wordpress 2.5 Upgrade Guide") cheeky? Sure. Was the post timed for the release of 2.5? Of course! But was the post an accurate representation of the capabilities of Movable Type? Absolutely.

In response (as I'm sure you've seen by now if you read TechCrunch), Matt Mullenwegg twittered "six apart is getting desperate - and dirty." 

I don't call our post desperate or dirty -- I call it competing.

At Six Apart we've been working extraordinarily hard on MT, and we're proud of the product. Over the past year it's been great to see the platform energized and have loads of bloggers moving to MT -- and in some cases even coming back after leaving us for a while. And as Anil pointed out in the post, we know we're not done -- we have an ambitious development schedule for the MT platform, which has evolved from a professional blogging tool to a powerful social networking platform.

So yes -- we're going to compete. And we're going to name check our competition in blog posts when we feel it's warranted. Matt shouldn't have a problem with that -- after all, he has a long history of name checking Six Apart and our products...including characterizing one of our most prominent TypePad bloggers as a "sharecropper." (I'll leave the value judgment re. that particular choice of words as an exercise for the reader.)

Finally, if you're a dyed-in-the-wool Wordpress fan and we have no chance of ever convincing you to switch to a Six Apart product, that's fine. But you should recognize that having a strong, healthy and evolving set of alternatives to those provided by Automattic is only good for blogging. As Anil said in his post, all of us at Six Apart are here because we take seriously our responsibility to invent the future of blogging. We're doing that with our products, we're proud of the work we're doing, and we're here to compete.

Originally posted by Michael Sippey from this is sippey.typepad.com, on March 11, 2008 10:22 AM

A few days after the Hillary campaign successfully claimed Samantha Power's scalp, the Obama campaign is out to force the Hillary camp to dump one of its own: Geraldine Ferraro.

On a conference call with reporters just now, top Obama adviser David Axelrod called on the Hillary camp to remove Ferraro from her position as major fundraiser for the campaign. Ferraro got in trouble when the news broke yesterday that she had suggested that Obama's race was responsible for his campaign's success...

"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position," she continued. "And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."

Axelrod, on the call, said of Ferraro: "She ought to be removed...there's no other way to send a serious sign that you want to change the tone of the campaign." He added that the remark was part of an "insidious pattern."

It's unclear exactly what Ferraro's role is. She's merely identified on the campaign's Web site as a "Hillraiser," which is to say a major fundraiser with an unofficial role. But she described herself as a member of the campaign's finance committee.

One interesting thing from the call: Obama's female surrogate on the call, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, was generally critical of such negative attacks, saying that "all remarks that diminish Senator Obama’s candidacy because of his race are completely out of line," but she stopped well short of demanding that Ferraro be removed.

We'll bring you the Hillary camp's response as soon as we get it.

Late Update: MSNBC reports that Hillary was asked about Ferraro's comments. "I do not agree with that. It is regrettable that any of our supporters on both sides, because we've both had that experience, say things that kind of veer off into the personal," Hillary said.

"We ought to keep this on the issues. There are differences between us. There are differences between our approaches on health care, on energy, on our experience, on our results that we've produced for people. That's what this campaign should be about."

It's unclear whether she was asked about Axelrod's demand that Ferraro be removed from the campaign.

Originally posted by Greg Sargent from TPM Election Central, on March 11, 2008 9:57 AM

The new revenue model of the music industry seems to be working for the bands if not for the labels. Bands are routinely forgoing getting paid for selling songs or CDs, moving into the profit column instead via the anciliary benefits of living in the time we are. In addition to performing and selling T-shirts and merch to the paying fans, the jackpot these days seems to be making it onto a hit TV commercial. Cansei de Ser Sexy, better known as CSS, is a cool enough band, but what other explanation can there be for their being the number one-all time most viewed Youtube video. Blogger's Blog acknowledges that "They received a fortuitous popularity boost when their 'Music Is My Hot Hot Sex' song (the same song as in the suddenly popular video) was featured in an iPhone commercial." True that, but some bloggers are doubtful. The CSS video is approaching 100 million viewings!

Originally posted by (author unknown) from PAPERMAG: WORD UP!, on March 11, 2008 8:29 AM

At MiLB.com, Jonathan Mayo takes a closer look at the Mets minor-league system, listing 10 prospects to watch in 2008, such as OF Fernando Martinez, of whom he writes:

“Martinez is a natural hitter, the kind of talent the Mets feel comes around once in a generation…He has the ability to hit for average and power and can run…His makeup is off the charts - he’s worked tirelessly at improving his English and is willing to do what it takes to become great…If he stays healthy and produces the way he’s capable, he could see New York before season’s end.”

…i can’t help it, i’m getting very, very excited about this kid…i watched him a lot while i was in Port St. Lucie, and the more and more of these reports i read, the more and more i get giddy…which is never a wise move…but it is what it is…

Mayo also writes about RHP Eddie Kunz, LHP Jon Niese, C Francisco Pena, and 3B Daniel Murphy, among others.

By the way, speaking of Mayo, he recently released the book Facing Clemens, which will give you a sense of what it’s like to stand in the box and face Roger Clemens.

Originally posted by Matthew Cerrone from MetsBlog.com, on March 11, 2008 8:00 AM

Today we're throwing open the door to our back archive, beginning with Nicholas Negroponte's talk from TED 1. Yes, TED 1. 1984.

TED founder Richard Saul Wurman had the foresight to record every conference he held. And I can't tell you what a thrill it was to see the full archive for the first time: Richard had transferred all the original (Beta) tapes to DV; nearly all the talks -- hundreds of them -- were still intact. What a treasure trove!

Some of the footage requires restoration; and of course, the quality on the earliest talks isn't what it is now. Still, what a thrill! To watch Frank Gehry's talk from 1990, before the buildings he's known for had been built ... when he was still defending his work. Or to watch Nicholas Negroponte in 1984, before the MIT Media Lab had a proper home, before anyone was uttering the word "convergence."

Negroponte's talk -- which hasn't been seen for 24 years -- was particularly meaningful for me to watch. Speaking for a full two hours (the famous 18-minute rule didn't evolve till later), he waxed prophetic on our computer-mediated future, strongly foreshadowing CD-ROMs, websites, service kiosks, voice-recognition technology, computer-generated animation, the touchscreen interface of the iPhone, and his own One Laptop per Child project. Though the technologies he referenced are largely defunct (optical discs, etc.), the concepts are shockingly relevant.

The other shock in Negroponte's talk -- for me anyway -- was to realize just how advanced his team's work was at MIT in the '80s, and how unaware we were of it elsewhere. Watching Negroponte's talk put my own career in context: I worked on a few prominent projects in the early '90s (one of the earliest multimedia magazines in '91; HotWired.com in '94), and many of us were shockingly unfamiliar with the early work that had been done at MIT. But then, we had few ways of learning about it. We didn't have the web in the '80s and early '90s; we didn't even have Wired magazine yet. No wonder the world needed TED.

And now, for those of us who didn't get to attend those early, formative years -- and even for those of you who did -- we're bring the TED archives alive. Today, we're releasing Negroponte's first TEDTalk, from 1984 (actually, we're releasing 25 minutes of key excerpts; the full two-hour talk will ultimately be made available for download, but must be restored in places). Later in the week, we'll release Frank Gehry's 1990 talk. And over time, look for more of the legendary talks that made TED what it was -- and is: from Benoit Mandelbrot to Billy Graham, Herbie Hancock to Kai Krause. We hope you're looking forward to it as much as we are!

Originally posted by (author unknown) from TED | TEDBlog, on March 11, 2008 7:45 AM

You ever get the feeling that the Universe is really screwing with you? I'm not talking about anything as serious nor epic as a major test of strength or will. No, it's more like the Universe is just out looking for kicks, and since I'm always good for a few laughs, decides to throw some stuff my way.

As amusing as it must be to watch me scramble to figure out how to uproot the family and move to another state in a very short amount of time (Adam's boss got two weeks notice; I got three), it just isn't funny enough. So, enter, the Chicken Pox.

Yes, apparently, children do still get the chicken pox. Luckily for Luna, it is a mild case. The pediatrician tells me this is "thanks to the vaccine she received." (Yeah, thanks for that.) Then she informs me that we must "stay away from the public" until the blisters have healed. That makes looking for a place to live pretty challenging.

"Funny," says the Universe, "but not ROFLMAO funny. Ooh, Ooh! I know. Let's have the pediatrician assure her that there is no way the son will get it because it's so highly unlikely that kids who get the vaccine end up getting the chicken pox, and then, when no one is looking..."

That's right. Now, Sol has the Pox. And Adam starts his new job—in New York—in two days. And we are no where closer to knowing where we will live. Maybe New Jersey.

Yes, Universe, you are so hilarious.

Originally posted by Lorraine from blueperiod., on March 11, 2008 7:43 AM

Faran, officially the Digital Director of NYLON, is looking for an intern to start right now - and if she likes you, maybe you can stay on for the summer.

Obvious, but we know you'll ask anyway:

Yes, you have to be in or around NYC. Yes, you have to have good writing skills. Yes, you have to be college age (no, 17 doesn't count.)

And it would help if you totally love NYLON, probably if you also love Fashionista, and definitely if you come to the interview bearing gifts of Kits Kats and gum drops.

We also recommend Clueless, online Scrabble, Shakespearean plays and Harry Potter as good conversation starters.

E-mail an Olsen-sized cover letter and resume to Faran directly at Faran@Nylonmag.com.

Good Luck!

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Fashionista, on March 11, 2008 7:40 AM

Typographica's list of their favorite typefaces of 2007. Some great work in that list. I also enjoyed Mark Simonson's explanation of the difference between a font and a typeface:

The physical embodiment of a collection of letters (whether it's a case of metal pieces or a computer file) is a font. When referring to the design of the collection (the way it looks) you call it a typeface.

Oh and also good was that they were thoughtful enough to wait until 2007 was actually over to make their selections.

(link)

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on March 11, 2008 7:32 AM

Speaking at the first TED Conference in 1984, Nicholas Negroponte waxes prophetic on the converging fields of technology, entertainment and design. Years before anyone was using the word "convergence," Negroponte was thinking about TV screens as the "electronic books of the future" and computers as the future of education. In excerpts from his 2-hour talk (this was before TED's 18-minute time limit), he foreshadowed web interfaces, touchscreen kiosks, the multitouch interface of the iPhone, and his own One Laptop per Child project. Oh, and there's also a fascinating project called Lip Service, which ... well, let's just say it's still ahead of us.

Negroponte's full 2-hour talk will be made available for download, but parts of it must be restored.

(Recorded at the first TED conference, February 1984 in Monterey, California. Duration: 25:23.)

Watch Nicholas Negroponte's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.

Read more about Nicholas Negroponte on TED.com.

Embed this video: Use this code to run the video on your own site:

Originally posted by (author unknown) from TED | TEDBlog, on March 11, 2008 7:00 AM

In a post to his blog for ESPN.com, Jayson Stark mentions that the Giants are shopping a variety of players, including 33–year-old OF Randy Winn.

In 155 games for the Giants last season, Winn hit .300 with 57 extra base hits, 15 stolen bases and a .353 OBP.

What’s more, he hit .351 against left-handed pitchers, while playing all three outfield positions and one game at third base.

…he could actually be a perfect, temporary replacement for Moises Alou, should Angel Pagan slump and does not make the opening day roster…winn is healthy, consistent and reliable, which is exact what i would want in alou’s place…plus, if alou comes back healthy, there are always teams interested in a player like winn - and so he could probably get traded again…

Winn will be a free agent after this season, during which he has a partial no-trade clause and can block a deal to 10 specific teams.

According to a previous report from Gotham Baseball Magazine, the Mets had been scouting Winn prior to last year’s trade deadline.

Speaking of rumors, according to Jon Heyman at SI.com, at least one GM believes there is no chance that 1B Mark Teixeira will re-sign with the Braves, instead he’ll be heavily pursued by the Red Sox, Orioles, Yankees, Giants, Mariners, Dodgers and Angels.

Originally posted by Matthew Cerrone from MetsBlog.com, on March 11, 2008 6:17 AM

Despite its status as a tired, dowdy party trick, Fondue remains a seriously delicious way to enjoy cheese. Artisanal Bistro has undoubtedly revived the lost art, offering two regular choices on their menu as well as a fondue of the day, all of which highlight the cheeses themselves in a deeply satisfying way. The classic blend features a mixture of Swiss Alpine cheeses Gruyère, Emmental, and Appenzeller, but this week the Associated Press published a recipe for a low-fat Cheddar and ale fondue that promises to mimic the creamy texture of the real thing using puréed white beans. Curious indeed.

In general I'm very leery of any recipe involving low-fat cheese. I've never tasted a low-fat cheese that left me wanting more. Indeed, it is the fat in cheese that gives it its characteristically smooth texture and full-bodied taste, and without it cheese tends to be rubbery and vapid. I'd much rather eat a smaller quantity of full-fat cheese than an appetite-quenching serving of low-fat cheese. Who's with me?

On the other hand, I recognize that cheese is almost laughably high in fat. A one-ounce serving of Cabot Cheddar, for instance, contains nine grams of fat, six of which are saturated. That's 30% of the recommended daily saturated fat intake. And I don't know about you, but if I'm eating fondue, I'm having a lot more than one ounce of cheese.

So along comes this recipe for low-fat fondue. Puréed white beans (great northern, navy, or cannellini) help make the fondue "extra thick and silky without needing additional cheese...While the beans do add a certain earthiness to the fondue, the sharp cheeses and the assertive taste of the ale provide a flavor backdrop that evens things out. Dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce and a splash of hot sauce also help balance the flavors." Hmmm, how many flavors do we need to add to mask the bean flavor? I'm certainly skeptical, but I haven't tried the recipe (it just hit the wire yesterday) so I can't comment fully.

Anyone out there tried this? Is the texture OK? Something tells me the texture would be a bit too starchy/grainy, but I'm also willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Beans taste good, so I guess it's possible this recipe's author has really stumbled upon something great!

About the author: Jamie Forrest publishes Curdnerds.com from his apartment in Brooklyn, New York, where he lives with his wife, his daughter, and his cheese.

Originally posted by Jamie Forrest from Serious Eats: Main, on March 11, 2008 6:15 AM

In one of the better inside looks at how a kitchen in a real high end restaurant works, aside from Ratatouille, natch, last night's season finale of No Reservations featured Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert working the sauté and grill stations at Le Halles. Not only did it capture the real frenzy of a kitchen, it also showed Ripert and Bourdain doing some actual cooking, a sight not many have seen in recent years. (Ripert is often at Le Berardin, but as the episode points out, he rarely gets down and dirty.) Highlights include Bourdain cracking under the pressure of endless orders and musing on his and Ripert's imminent humiliation: "The desperation point hits at around 8 o'clock. At around 8:30 please god don't let me cry on tv, don't let me sh-t myself or throw up or pass out or fall into the fryolator...I mean how long has it been since Eric cooked a steak, much less hundreds of steaks? Frankly i'm thinking Eric is going down in flames." [Bourdain's Blog; previously]

Originally posted by Amanda from Eater, on March 11, 2008 4:45 AM

I amused myself this weekend by pulling maps from the Online Archive Of California and grinding them up with Python and gdalwarp to make map tiles:

Comments

Originally posted by (author unknown) from tecznotes, on March 10, 2008 9:41 PM

Why would you want to live in Park Slope with children? So ponders David Galbraith, who notes that Brooklyn schools look like prisons.

This is the local elementary school -- which looks like a Northern Irish prison, before the ceasefire, with a sarcastic multi colored sign by Banksy.

(link)

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on March 10, 2008 7:12 PM

Todays pokemon offering is Chikorita, a great starting pokemon from the Johto region. This little weed will eventually evolve into a very formidable "Red Ring of Terror" known as Maganium.

Chikorita/Bayleaf/Maganium have very good defensive stats but only slightly decent attack stats. For this reason, I stuck with producing all with the nature Bold which allows 10% to the Defense stat and reduces the max Attack value by 10%. The below move set is aimed at utilizing the Special Attack so the loss of those extra points will not hinder his effectiveness.

All chikoritas and the subsequent evolutions have the ability Overgrowth. Overgrowth causes a 50% raise in damage caused by Grass moves when the users HP falls to or below 1/3 its max.

Move set

Leech Seed - accuracy 90% 10PP - seeds a fow and then drains 1/16 of their max life every turn.

Protect - accuracy 100% 10PP - Goes first, completely protects from any damage this turn. Accuracy is halved each time this move is used in succession.
Grass Knot - SpA -accuracy 100% 20PP- Hits heavier opponents for more damage, with a max of 120 power.
Ancient Power - SpA - power 60, accuracy 100% 5PP - Rock attack with a 10% chance of raising all stats.

This set will work great as a staller as well as on great big walls. Leech seed the high HP walls and steal 1/16 their life to help revive yourself. Along with leftovers attached which also recovers 1/16, you will be drawing double HP recovery for a total of 1/8+ per turn. Using protect as your second move allows your poke to recover a whopping 1/4+ of its life for free, hopefully replenishing the hit you took to dispense your leech seed.

Once you are set up, the use of Grass Knot will help with the destruction of large walls and help to prevent the switching in of larger pokemon. Grass Knot has a gradient of damage based on the weight of the opponent pokemon, shown below

Below 10 kg: 20 power
10.1 kg - 25 kg: 40 power
25.1 kg - 50 kg: 60 power
50.1 kg - 100 kg: 80 power
100.1 kg - 200 kg: 100 power
200.1 kg and up: 120 power

The final move is to help protect against the weakness of chikorita. The rock move Ancient Power will hit four of its five 2x weakness (Ice, Bug, Flying and Fire) for 2x damage, helping to keep your chikorita/bayleaf/manganium up and running longer.

How to get one:

1. Comment with your Name and Friend Code
2. Get a Pokemon to trade, preferably holding an item. Heartscales and rare candies are much appreciated for future breeding projects.
3. Be in the Wi-Fi zone at 6pm CST (Chicago Time) on March 14th (Friday)
4. Make yourself available to Trade (Invite–>Trade) I will come to you when I’m ready.

My Information

Trainer Name: Narnad

Friend Code: 3823 7154 4296

Excelsior!

Narnad is not only an excellent breeder but also a Gym Leader on the forum. You can challenge Narnad for the Relic Gym Badge as well as visit the Farmer on the Dell forum farm to see more of these amazing Pokemon

Originally posted by HMTKSteve from Poke Farm, on March 10, 2008 6:39 PM

The Believer has a transcript of a conversation between film directors Werner Herzog and Errol Morris.

WH: And you have a great sense for the afterthought. The interview is finished, it's over, and Errol is still sitting and expecting something. Then all of a sudden there comes an afterthought, and that's the best of all.

EM: Yes, often.

WH: Very often, yes. And I have learned that, in a way, from you. Wait for the afterthought. Be patient. Don't say, "Cut." Just let them do it.

I don't get out to the theater much these days, but I'm going to make an exception for Morris' upcoming Standard Operating Procedure.

(link)

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on March 10, 2008 5:59 PM

The celebrated food vendors at Red Hook's ball fields have been awarded a six-year permit to "operate an ethnic and specialty food market in Red Hook Park, Brooklyn". Says NYC food meister Ed Levine of the vendors:

The Red Hook Ballfields, where Latino families put up makeshift restaurants serving real, honest food of their home countries, is one of the last bastions of real food to be found in NYC. If it's replaced by a Starbucks or a series of dirty water dog carts or some generic high bidder, it would be a travesty.

(link)

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on March 10, 2008 4:50 PM

Corn is a key element of the U.S. food supply. It is what dairy cows eat to make milk and hens consume to lay eggs. It fattens cattle, hogs and chickens before slaughter. It makes soda sweet. As the building block of ethanol, it is now also a major component of auto fuel. And that may signal trouble ahead.

Originally from ENN: Top Stories, ReBlogged by Leah Gauthier on Mar 10, 2008 at 06:50 PM

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Eyebeam reBlog, on March 10, 2008 3:50 PM

We've been trying to piece together the answer to that question this afternoon, and ABC News reports an interesting piece of the puzzle:

The federal investigation of a New York prostitution ring was triggered by Gov. Eliot Spitzer's suspicious money transfers, initially leading agents to believe Spitzer was hiding bribes, according to federal officials.

It was only months later that the IRS and the FBI determined that Spitzer wasn't hiding bribes but payments to a company called QAT, what prosecutors say is a prostitution operation operating under the name of the Emperors Club. …

The suspicious financial activity was initially reported by a bank to the IRS which, under direction from the Justice Department, brought in the FBI's Public Corruption Squad.

"We had no interest at all in the prostitution ring until the thing with Spitzer led us to learn about it," said one Justice Department official.

The ABC report goes on to say that Spitzer will be charged with structuring, according to its source.

If I'm remembering my white collar crime law correctly, structuring is basically trying to avoid triggering the federal reporting requirement for any cash transaction that exceeds $10,000. So a series of $9,000 payments to the same person in a short period of time would raise suspicions, for example.

Typically, structuring is a charge prosecutors put together after the fact, by which I mean they reconstruct a financial transaction or series of financial transactions after they have already begun their investigation and are able then to piece together the elements of a structuring charge.

But banks and other financial institutions (including casinos, I believe) also monitor themselves for signs of money-laundering activity. So it's certainly possible that a bank could have tipped off the feds, though my sense is that it takes a pretty clear pattern of conduct involving substantial amounts of money before a bank's compliance staff takes notice. Readers with expertise in the area can correct me if I'm wrong.

Originally posted by David Kurtz from Talking Points Memo, on March 10, 2008 2:58 PM

During a campaign stop in Pennsylvania, Hillary Clinton was asked by reporters for comment on the Eliot Spitzer scandal:

"I obviously am sending my best wishes and thoughts to the governor and to his family," she told reporters after visiting with reporters in a local pizza parlor.

When asked whether Gov. Spitzer could survive politically she said "let's wait and see what comes out of the next few days. Right now I don't have any comment. I think it's appropriate to wish his family well and see how things develop."

Originally posted by Eric Kleefeld from TPM Election Central, on March 10, 2008 2:38 PM

Photograph from Tina Wong on Flickr

If you're not paying attention, you could easily miss the small neon sign tucked away in a corner of the window of New York City's molecular gastronomy–specialized restaurant, WD-50. Don't know what WD-50 is all about? Read Tina's reviews of its dinner and dessert for a virtual taste.

Originally posted by Robyn Lee from Serious Eats: Main, on March 10, 2008 2:30 PM

When I heard that Project Runway boy-wonder Christian Siriano was going to be hosting an art opening for his boyfriend Brad Walsh in Park Slope, and that The Misshapes would be DJing, I, a Park Slope resident, knew that this was maybe the only chance I would ever have to party with a Project Runway winner and The Misshapes in my hood. So my friend and I dragged our North Slope asses all the way to the 20s where we descended several twisty stairs to a small dimly-lit basement apartment, cramped with Walsh's striking nightlife photos, the Misshapes, Bunny (!), Victorya Hong, Melissa from The Real World New Orleans and.... Mr. Siriano, himself! He was a real gent when I introduced myself and seemed a bit weirded out by the fact that all these skinny hipsters were there to catch a glimpse of him! My Siriano evening did not end there, not it did not! Post-party, we headed to another party, and post-that-party, I headed home, where I was met with my DVR-ed Saturday Night Live. I was pleased as punch to see Amy Adams host and Vampire Weekend play, so it was a super-duper-added bonus when Amy Poehler-as-Christian-Siriano appeared on-screen in a Project Runway spoof (watch the clip above)! How dead-on is Amy Poehler as Christian? And Bill Hader as Tim Gunn is pretty great. This is my favorite little bit: Christian: Stephanie, I need to tell you something. You are a tranny who looks like a hot mess… And not in a good way. You’re a ticketty-tack tranny, hot mess, out of control, super-tranny from Transylvania, who is not apologizing for it. Stephanie: Is that good?

Originally posted by (author unknown) from PAPERMAG: WORD UP!, on March 10, 2008 11:33 AM

Photograph courtesy of Peter Cunnigham

Gotham foodies can rest easy. The Parks Department has finally decided the fate of the wildly popular Latin-American food vendors who sell some serious eats to soccer players and fans during the warmer months.

Originally posted by Adam Kuban from Serious Eats: Main, on March 10, 2008 11:30 AM

Ok, I'm back from a week of sickness, grueling travel, little sleep, and nothing done on some kottke.org projects I wanted to tackle. Time off is a bit different with an 8-month-old. But I'd like to thank Deron for holding down the fort while I was gone...I enjoyed his contribution to the site; I hope you did as well. Thanks, Deron.

Regular posting to commence after a short mental nap.

(link)

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on March 10, 2008 11:16 AM

Because everyone likes bacon and there's no reason to restrict its intake to breakfast, ice cream expert David Lebovitz experimented by making candied bacon ice cream. Considering that the resulting smoky/salty/cinnamon-tinged dessert got a thumbs up from his butcher, it seems that his recipe was a success.

Originally posted by Robyn Lee from Serious Eats: Main, on March 10, 2008 11:00 AM

By now you've heard that New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has been fingered for his involvement with a prostitution ring, according to The New York Times.

It's worth pointing out that this will prevent Obama's aggressive speech today pushing back on the Clintons' veep chatter from dominating the news, which it surely would have otherwise.

Both MSNBC and CNN were running big with Obama's speech, but they abruptly cut away to Spitzer, and all the news coverage will be relentlessly focused on him for who knows how long. Indeed, the Spitzer story will temporarily freeze the presidential race.

Spitzer is a high-profile Hillary supporter, and as Senator from his home state, she'll be expected to weigh in on what his fate should be.

Originally posted by Greg Sargent from TPM Election Central, on March 10, 2008 10:40 AM

Sandbox World blogger Tony Medeiros has started a new blog devoted to Montreal graffiti and street art:

With my trusty camera, I will be snapping pictures of amazing murals of graffiti all over Montreal. My daily commute is like going through a museum of street art. I would encourage comments, I plan to publish my whole journey for a year as I comb Montreal for the best painted walls. Unlike other cosmopolitans, Montreal is littered with a motley collection of great art all over. Consider this not a tourist trap blog, but the guts of a vibrant city as the camera does not judge but bring the art to the rest of the world.

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Originally posted by Johnny from Drawn! The Illustration and Cartooning Blog, on March 10, 2008 10:38 AM

As much as the Internet has begun to democratized media and entertainment, it’s still an effort to make a living as an artist. Perhaps it’s even more difficult than ever, since the distribution method is available to everyone, and standing out in a crowd of millions is no easy task.

Kevin Kelly suggests that a solution lies in finding 1000 True Fans:

A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can’t wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans.

(via BoingBoing via Waxy)

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Originally posted by Johnny from Drawn! The Illustration and Cartooning Blog, on March 10, 2008 10:17 AM

Fingers crossed, it’s going to be great.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Elsewhere, on March 10, 2008 9:35 AM

This just came in. It starts with a letter from a lawyer for British Petroleum. This is going to get funny. Stay tuned...

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Use of a website... infringing copyright on the trademarks of BP p.l.c.
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:15:09 -0000
From: White, Robert S C

Dear Sirs,
My name is Robert White and I work in Group Trade Marks - part of the
Legal Department of BP p.l.c.

Our responsibilities extend to protecting the BP brand and trade marks
which includes monitoring the internet for infringements and fraudulent
activities.

read more

Originally posted by w from post.thing.net - A lean, mean, media machine., on March 10, 2008 9:29 AM

A hundred and twenty year old photo of a young Helen Keller has been found.

The photograph, shot in July 1888 in Brewster, shows an 8-year-old Helen sitting outside in a light-colored dress, holding Sullivan's hand and cradling one of her beloved dolls.

(link)

Originally posted by deronbauman@gmail.com from kottke.org, on March 10, 2008 9:21 AM

Posted by Douglas Merrill, VP of Engineering

As many of you know, we spend a lot of time around here thinking about new products to help you run your life more efficiently, whether that’s organizing email in a better way, sharing pictures with friends, or collaborating in real time on documents. What you may not know is that we also spend a lot of time thinking about the security that goes into those products, and more specifically the ways we can protect you and your private information.

While the chances are that you'll never have a security problem, we take security very seriously, and that's why we have some of the best engineers in the world working here to secure information. Much of their work is confidential, but we do want to share some of the ways we're protecting your data. There are a few things you should know about how we handle confidential information:

• Philosophy: First is our philosophy. At Google, security is a continuous process. We don't just "check" a product for security before we launch it -- we are thinking about security before the product is even created, and we are building it in throughout the product's development. Also critical is our belief in layered protection. It's much like securing your house. You put your most private information in a safe. You secure the safe in your house, which is protected with locks and possibly an alarm system. And then you have the neighborhood watch program or the local police monitoring your neighborhood. It's very similar at Google. Our most sensitive information is difficult to find or access (the safe). Our network and facilities (the house) are protected in both high- and low-tech ways: encryption, alarms, and other technology for our systems, and strong physical security at our facilities. And finally, we've learned that when security is done right, it's done best as a community (the neighborhood); we encourage everyone to help us identify potential problems and solutions. Researchers who work at security and technology companies all over the world are constantly looking for security problems on the Internet, and we work closely with that community to find and fix potential problems.

• Technology: These layers of protection are built on the best security technology in the world. While we employ products developed by others in the security community, we build a lot of our security technology ourselves. Some of the most innovative components of our security architecture focus on automation and scale. These are important to us because we're handling searches, emails, and other activities for millions of users every day. To keep our security processes a step ahead, we automate the way we test our software for possible security vulnerabilities and the way we monitor for possible security attacks. We're also constantly seeking more ways to use encryption and other technical measures to protect your data, while still maintaining a great user experience.

• Process: In addition to technology, we have a set of processes that dictate how we secure confidential information at Google and who can access it. We carefully manage access to confidential information of any sort, and very few Googlers have access to what we consider very sensitive data. This is in no small part because there's very little reason for us to provide that access -- most of our processes are automated, and don't require much human intervention. Of course, the limited number of people who are granted access to sensitive data must have special approval. And while we hold ourselves to a very high standard, we also work to ensure that our processes meet (and in many cases exceed) industry standards. These include audits for Sarbanes-Oxley, SAS 70, PCI (payment card industry) compliance, and more. By working with independent auditors, who evaluate compliance with standards that hold hundreds of different companies to very rigorous requirements, we add another layer of checks and balances to our security processes.

• People: The most important part of our approach to security is our people. Google employs some of the best and brightest security engineers in the world. Many of our engineers came from very high-profile security environments, such as banks, credit card companies, and high-volume retail organizations, and a large number of them hold PhDs and patents in security and software engineering. As you can imagine, our engineers are smart and curious and are on the lookout for security anomalies and best practices in the industry. Our engineers have published hundreds of academic papers on technically detailed topics such as drive-by downloads that install malware (PDF file) or hostile virtualized environments. (You can find some of these papers here.) What's more, we cultivate a collaborative approach to security among all of our engineers, requiring everyone to pass a coding style review (which enables us to control the type of code used here and how it's used in order to prevent software problems) and ensuring that all code at Google is reviewed by multiple engineers so that it meets our software and security standards.
  

And throughout the company, we use our own products. That means we protect your information with the same security that we use to protect our own company emails and documents. And while we continue to innovate with our products, we'll also continue to innovate in the world of security. For more on our approach to security, visit our Security and Product Safety page.

Originally posted by Karen from Official Google Blog, on March 10, 2008 8:31 AM

The Mets will face the Red Sox today in Port St. Lucie at 1 pm.

SS Jose Reyes will hit leadoff, followed in order by OF Brady Clark, 3B David Wright, DH Carlos Beltran, 1B Carlos Delgado, OF Ryan Church, 2B Damion Easley, OF Angel Pagan and C Brian Schneider.

Johan Santana will start for the Mets, followed by Nelson Figueroa and Scott Schoeneweis, among others.

The game will air live on .

Originally posted by Matthew Cerrone from MetsBlog.com, on March 10, 2008 8:28 AM

The Haikuvies blog provides summaries of movies in haiku form. From the Princess Bride summary:

Iocane powder
brings end to battle of wits
ha ha ha ha... flop

(link)

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on March 10, 2008 7:33 AM

Mel Williams : With A Little Help From My Friends
taken from the album "Stranger In Paradise" on Wampus (197?)

Eugene Paul : Chain Gang
taken from the 12" on Third World (198?)

I don't know a nickel's worth about either of these artists, so I won't front like I do. But both of them offered me a much appreciated respite in a time of need. I love how Mel has completely changed the tempo and swing of the whole song. Despite the poor recording quality, he really strikes a nerve when (right around 1:35) he lays behind on the beat and then jumps right back on top of it. The Eugene Paul cut, produced by Winston Curtis, has some serious gall to even dare take on a classic of such epic proportions. And while the production quality here might also distract some listeners, by the arrival of the first verse, I was entirely sold. When else has Sam Cooke received the raggae version? I'm running a blank. The 12" also contains a nice rendition of "Wonderful World" and a not so nice B-side called "Rock Me".

Originally posted by Captain Planet from soul sides, on March 10, 2008 7:31 AM

This scene might look like a crowd of people leaving a lacy keynote but it's just the beginning of wonderful things to come from SXSW in Austin, Texas. Such as, I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER. Stay tuned for more than your normal releases this week.

Originally posted by hello@rocketboom.com (Rocketboom) from Rocketboom, yea!, on March 10, 2008 7:00 AM

The Mets recently contacted the Pirates about OF Xavier Nady, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, ‘but there is no indication anything substantive is afoot or even likely.’

According to the report, citing a ‘team source,’ the Pirates would likely seek pitching prospects in any deal for Nady.

…as i have said before, nady would require a pitcher like Phil Humber, who the Mets no longer have…you know, a guy not as far along as Mike Pelfrey, but better than Jon Niese or Eddie Kunz…so, as much as i would love to see nady back on the Mets, i just don’t see how it happens…

…if the Mets are going to make a trade, as noted last week, it’ll likely be towards the end of March, using an extra arm from the bullpen, and for a guy better than Angel Pagan, who is not going to get in the way of Moises Alou…which is why i just feel like pagan may be this team’s opening day left fielder, or Endy Chavez, as we all wait for alou’s return…

In fact, last week in the Daily News, Adam Rubin wrote that the Mets have been shopping Jorge Sosa and Scott Schoeneweis, who will not be happy if he’s traded, according to Jeremy Cothran in the Star-Ledger.

Speaking of Pagan, during yesterday’s game, he ran hard on what should have been a bloop single turning it in to a double.

Randolph, on Pagan, after yesterday’s game…

“That’s why I love this kid.  He hustles.  He plays hard.  He’s one of the better athletes on the team.  We can all learn from that…Hey, that’s how you make the ball club.  Little things like that, I notice, they jump out at me every time…batting average isn’t going to make this team.  It’s those kind of plays that are going to make this club for guys like him.”

For more on Pagan, who has hit .255 in 318 at-bats over the last two years, check out Petter Botte’s report for the Daily News.

Originally posted by Matthew Cerrone from MetsBlog.com, on March 10, 2008 4:25 AM

NOTE: This story contains significant spoilers for last night's series finale of "The Wire." For extensive analysis of the finale, and for a complete transcript of the interview with "Wire" creator David Simon, go to the All TV blog....

Originally posted by Alan Sepinwall from NJ.com: All TV, on March 10, 2008 1:44 AM

A few weeks ago the Clinton campaign shot down a report that they would seek to entice Barack Obama's pledged delegates into flipping over. Now the idea is being floated again — by Hillary herself.

"There are elected delegates, caucus delegates and super-delegates, all for different reasons, and they're all equal in their ability to cast their vote for whomever they choose," Hillary told Newsweek, when asked how she can win the nomination despite the current delegate math.

"Even elected and caucus delegates are not required to stay with whomever they are pledged to. This is a very carefully constructed process that goes back years, and we're going to follow the process."

(Via Mark Halperin)

Originally posted by Eric Kleefeld from TPM Election Central, on March 9, 2008 7:00 PM

I've read a ton about the debate over torture, but in a piece in today's New York Times Week In Review, Scott Shane makes a new and excellent point: The government has spent virtually nothing studying the sciences of influence and persuasion and how they apply to interrogation. Shane points out that well-known fact that the Army Field Manual explicitly advises against torture; it offers instead a set of observations about human motivation that an interrogator can exploit. ("People tend to want to talk when they are under stress and respond to kindness and understanding during trying circumstances," for example.) This is the sort of behavioral psychology we've all learned at the foot of prime-time police procedurals. But, as Shane points out, an understanding of this stuff isn't reflected at the highest levels of government, which is either a symptom -- or a cause -- of the bigger problem, which is that the feds don't avail themselves of the truckloads of research that's been done in recent decades, partly by corporations eager to get people to buy, y'know, $300 prestressed jeans. As Shane writes ... ... the manual's inherited wisdom has not been updated to reflect decades of corporate analysis of how to influence consumers. Behavioral economists have dissected decisionmaking, and academic psychologists have studied political persuasion, but their lessons have not informed the interrogator's art either. Nor has there been a systematic effort to analyze the successes and blunders of the interrogations carried out since the attacks of 2001. Steven M. Kleinman, a colonel in the Air Force reserve and a veteran interrogator in Iraq and elsewhere, says the government spends billions on spy satellites but almost nothing on studying interrogation. This is true, he said, despite a broad consensus that interrogation might be the best source of information on an elusive, low-tech, stateless foe like Al Qaeda. "We need to bring scientific standards for interrogation to the same level of sophistication that we bring to satellite imagery and intercepting communications," said Mr. Kleinman, who has studied the American interrogation programs used for high-level German and Japanese prisoners during World War II, which he judges superior to those developed since 2001. Kleinman suggests "a new intelligence agency or subagency devoted solely to interrogation -- sponsoring research, conducting training and building a team of sophisticated interrogators with linguistic and psychological skills." That sounds like a great idea. When I wrote a story a year ago for the New York Times Magazine about the intelligence agencies -- and the difficulty they're having getting their superlegacied and legally "airgapped" databases to talk to one another -- virtually everyone I talked to agreed that high-tech spying was great, but secondary to good old-fashioned cultivation of sources. If you want to understand the makeup of terrorist threats, you need to just, well, talk to a lot of people, which requires intelligence experts fluent in the languages and psychology -- not the black arts of torture.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from collision detection, on March 9, 2008 12:53 PM

Examiner column for March 10.

    It’s March in Washington, and our cherry blossoms will flower soon. Spring brings renewal in the classroom as well, as seniors look forward to June’s graduation date, and teachers to the long-awaited rest that summer holds.

    I will be leaving the high school classroom either this year or next, hoping to find a different kind of renewal by teaching at George Mason University full-time, or close to full-time. I love my high school classes more than I’ve ever loved my college classes, but driving in the dark to get to school by 7 a.m. each morning and correcting the work of 150 students each night and weekend have combined to wear me out.

    Over the past twenty-three years in Fairfax County, I’ve had many opportunities to watch students and teachers depart, and I am always struck by the ambivalence with which all take their leave. Students are not ambivalent to leave high school work; they have long been ready to put worksheets behind them and to progress to an essay longer than five paragraphs.

    What they hate to leave is their social niche. Everyone knows that high schools have cliques that are hard to penetrate, but they perform a crucial function for the students who inhabit them: they are a home away from home. In their new “homes” next year, where will my seniors find that sense of familiarity, the place where “everybody knows your name”?

    The answer is, naturally, that they will make new friends, and those groups will probably be more inclusive than the groups in high school were. But seniors don’t know that yet. This spring they are feeling pre-separation anxiety, and it’s one of the reasons few have any motivation to excel in school.

    Another way this anxiety surfaces is in romantic break-ups. Relationships that have survived months and even years are now on the rocks, all part of an effort to make separation bearable.

    Their attitude towards school follows the same pattern each spring:  they resent any work teachers give them, and think we have become “harder.”  They can’t wait to exit the school door each day.

    But during the last few weeks, they become nostalgic. They will miss us, they say. The same should be true of teachers as they leave a school. They shouldn’t have a burnt-out “good riddance” attitude. Ironically, some who depart with bitterness return the very next year as substitutes, belying that negative departure and proving their loyalty to the profession.

    It’s normal for teachers to feel ambivalent, just like students.  But we should be mature enough to leave on a “high”—liking our classes and school. This year I’ve had 148 practically perfect students (not a single pill among them), and I’d love that as my last high school memory. I might even forget the many weekends I spent plowing through endless stacks of essays and tests!

    Leaving one place and going to another should be a beautiful renewal, just like seeing the cherry blossoms. It should delight both with its familiarity and newness. That’s what I wish for my students’ transition to college life, and for my own transition as well.

Originally posted by Erica Jacobs from TeacherTalk, on March 9, 2008 7:43 AM