Rich Hincapie responded to today's stage and George's loss in an email to us:

"I'm super disappointed at Today's stage. At the end of the day the world knows what happened no matter what was said. Its sad to see that after all the years people don't give George the respect he deserves. There aren't many people like George in this world and even less athletes with his character. In the days of 'me me me' George is rare. He will come out ahead, maybe not in this tour but ultimately in life."

Rich also spoke to Juliet Macur for a NYT article and wrote about the disappointment on his blog. Earlier today on the Hub, we posted that "Twitter lit up like nothing we've seen before" when George was denied the win. We've also never see so much, "wasn't me" after a race. Everyone is blaming everyone else with Garmin insisting, "We weren't out to ruin anyone else's day in yellow. We came here to win the Tour de France."

The Astana camp also went on the defensive right after the end of the stage, with Lance turning to Twitter to undo the negative press earned when George slammed Astana during the post-ride interview on Versus.

"Sounds like there's quite a bit of confusion over this one... Noone [sic], and I mean noone[sic], wanted George in yellow more than me," Armstrong commented on his feed. "Our team rode a moderate tempo to put him in the jersey by at least 2 mins. Ag2r said they would not defend then they started to ride."

Garmin, Astana, Ag2R..., if it's all seems a bit complicated, there's a good posting at the Village Voice's blogs that covers not only the controversy but also provides a look at the Twitter explosion this has caused.

Photo: Getty Images via Daylife

We'll discuss this more, at length, during the live chat on the Hub tomorrow.

Disclosure: we have a business relationship with Hincapie Sports and sell Hincapie branded goods in our store.

Originally posted by DL Byron from Bike Hugger, on July 18, 2009 4:47 PM

Oh, I take it all back. I am secretly ANDREW KRUCOFF.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Spiersblr, on July 18, 2009 12:48 PM

charitini:

spiers:

Your defensiveness-without-addressing-the-matter is not helping your case, though.  If you actually articulated why the site uses that tone, when you plan to break some actual news, etc., that would be useful and worth responding to. Unless you want me to point out here that I gave you your first job as media reporter, which has no bearing on my criticism of your employer, I’m not sure what the point of your post was.

Elizabeth. Your criticism has been packaged in the whole Young Manhattanite thing, which as you know has been fairly personal and often quite nasty. As I have said repeatedly, in emails to YM people that you’ve been included on, and to other critics - I’m happy to respond on the merits. But, you don’t like the tone? So fine, you don’t like the tone. I’m sure you heard a lot of that back when you were at Gawker, and I’m equally sure you didn’t just drop everything to make sure the complainers were indulged. I listen to critics and then I make a judgment about what action to take. But you’ve given me no reason why I should enter into a dialogue with you. I certainly would have under more collegial circumstances - when have you ever experienced otherwise from me? - but not when it comes on the heels of barbs, jibes and snide remarks. On a site where people post without bylines. I’ll pass, thanks.

You don’t have to like the site or its content. I do and I’m proud of it, and proud of my colleagues. Is it perfect? No. Will it get better? Yup, and it is every day. We’ve been live for 2 weeks - during which you couldn’t count the sniping comments on YM on both hands (and probably feet, too). So - my energy is clearly best focused elsewhere.

As for pointing out that you gave me my first job in media, like I said, the usual disclaimer applies - the usual disclaimer being, you gave my my first job in media. I’ve hardly been stingy with giving you credit for that. (You also taught me about links, so I would have just assumed that you’d notice this one.) And regarding Liebling - 2003 called, it wants its pretentious blogger takedown reference back. (Liebling? Really?) That said, Liebling is certainly someone to emulate. But I think you and I are about equal on reporting from foreign battlegrounds. New York battlegrounds, while delightful, aren’t quite the same.

Uh, Rachel — I don’t write for Young Manhattanite.  If you’re choosing to project your objections with them onto me simply because I date Nic and they CC me on emails occasionally, that’s absurd. If you have problems with them, complain to them. I’m not responsible for their content. And as demonstrated by my original post, I write what I think on my site, under my byline.  My original post didn’t mention you at all, and you choose to respond as if criticism of the site is somehow the same as criticism of you personally.

(And you did the same thing with Jeff Jarvis, even though he directly addressed your boss and not you, insisting that his critiques were somehow offensive to you personally and trotting out your editorial and lawyerly credentials.)

I critiqued the site and the site’s tone. You’re the one who made it about YOU.

And P.S., I was referring to Liebling’s “Wayward Press” column in the New Yorker (which is the standard model for press criticism), not his foreign correspondence.  If you’re going to make a career of media reporting and commentary, you might want to take a look at it.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Spiersblr, on July 18, 2009 11:35 AM

Talks are great. I however very much like discussion and opinion share atmosphere of the Birds of a Feather sessions so we host/co-host number of BOFs at the comming OSCON conference.

Future of MySQL Forks, Branches and Patches I guess is the topic a lot of us are interested in. Monty was going to Show Up and we also should see if we can get someone from Drizzle.

Is Enterprise Flash Ready for Prime Time Flash is cool and hot these days. This is the discussion session and I would really like to hear how well flash works for you whenever you’re using it for storage as a cache or as a part of your hybrid storage hierarchy.

Open Source Data Management Is the BOF about open source tools you’re using to deal with your data – storage, caching analytics. I am especially interested hearing on unorthodox use of the software and successes of new technologies.

I also expect there will be number of other BOFs we’ll attend as the time permits. Monty was going to organize BOF on Open Database Alliance though I have not seen it listed yet.

---

Entry posted by peter | No comment

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Originally posted by peter from MySQL Performance Blog, on July 18, 2009 11:04 AM

Originally posted by (author unknown) from the real janelle, on July 18, 2009 9:35 AM

 

Image Via

via BoingBoing (the best part of this post are the comments, some of which I'm including below):

Amazon zaps purchased copies of Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm from Kindles

Posted by Mark Frauenfelder, July 17, 2009 10:40 AM | permalink

People who bought Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm for their Kindle were surprised to discover that it had disappeared from their devices overnight. It turns out the publisher changed its mind about offering an electronic version, and Amazon caved into their demand to sneak into people's electronic libraries and take back the book at the publisher's request.

From Pogue's Posts:

This is ugly for all kinds of reasons. Amazon says that this sort of thing is “rare,” but that it can happen at all is unsettling; we’ve been taught to believe that e-books are, you know, just like books, only better. Already, we’ve learned that they’re not really like books, in that once we’re finished reading them, we can’t resell or even donate them. But now we learn that all sales may not even be final.

As one of my readers noted, it’s like Barnes & Noble sneaking into our homes in the middle of the night, taking some books that we’ve been reading off our nightstands, and leaving us a check on the coffee table.

This kind of bullshit will encourage readers to visit Web sites in countries where the copyright has expired on Orwell's books so they can get free un-stealable electronic copies.

see: Some E-Books Are More Equal Than Others

Discussion

#1 posted by Anonymous, July 17, 2009 11:13 AM

How...Orwellian.
The irony is obscene.

#2 posted by Anonymous, July 17, 2009 11:16 AM

Come on, 1984? Could they have picked a more ironic title to stuff down the Kindle's memory hole?

#3 posted by cinemajay, July 17, 2009 11:19 AM

So then, will they be sneaking into people's houses at night and also stealing the print copies?

#4 posted by phisrow, July 17, 2009 11:19 AM

Down the memory hole.

Does the publisher have absolutely no sense of irony, or too much of one?

#5 posted by Tdawwg, July 17, 2009 11:20 AM

A new Kindle slogan: "We have always been at war with our customers."

#6 posted by ill lich, July 17, 2009 11:23 AM

All purchases are equal, but some are more equal than others.

#7 posted by Tdawwg, July 17, 2009 11:30 AM

{quote}: Amazon held up the Kindle in its left hand, with the thumb concealed.

'There are five downloaded ebooks there. Do you see five downloaded ebooks?'

'Yes.'

And he did see them, for a fleeting instant, before the scenery of his mind changed. He saw five donwloaded ebooks, and there was no deformity. Then everything was normal again, and the old fear, the hatred, and the bewilderment came crowding back again. But there had been a moment -- he did not know how long, thirty seconds, perhaps -- of luminous certainty, when each new suggestion of Amazon's had filled up a patch of emptiness and become absolute truth, and when two and two could have been three as easily as five, if that were what was needed. It had faded but before Amazon had dropped its hand; but though he could not recapture it, he could remember it, as one remembers a vivid experience at some period of one's life when one was in effect a different person.

#8 posted by bardfinn, July 17, 2009 11:30 AM

Some said it would never happen; I get to go beat them with the "I Told You So" stick.

It's lonely being right all the time.

#9 posted by tomaq, July 17, 2009 11:32 AM

Vapourised.

#10 posted by angusm, July 17, 2009 11:32 AM

"This ebook is not available on the Kindle. This ebook has never been available on the Kindle."

#11 posted by Takuan, July 17, 2009 11:36 AM

OK, that's it. No Kindle.

#12 posted by Anonymous, July 17, 2009 11:36 AM

This is outrageous. I can understand blocking further sales (even if it is a dumb idea) but not taking back what has already been sold.

#13 posted by zuvembi, July 17, 2009 11:38 AM

Wow, I was contemplating buying a kindle, but was hesitating because of it's closed nature. Not any longer though, now it's time to look for something from another manufacturer.

#14 posted by RedShirt77, July 17, 2009 11:48 AM

It's good they don't put "all sales are final" up anywhere.

This is why I still buy CD's and Blue Ray movies. A good lock and a shotgun can keep the corporate goons from repossessing things "just because."

Corporate power is so run amok these days. Rather then taking away their personhood, I fear someday they will replace the personhood of regular people with consumerhood.

#15 posted by Anonymous, July 17, 2009 11:49 AM

Remind me again how this is legal?

#16 posted by Anonymous, July 17, 2009 11:52 AM

As one of my readers noted, it’s like Barnes & Noble sneaking into our homes in the middle of the night, taking some books that we’ve been reading off our nightstands, and leaving us a check on the coffee table.

Actually it's not like this in at least one very important way. There is no physical invasion of privacy, and the intentional creepy/terror factor of that language is unnecessary here.

I don't know if the poster has been one of the voices decrying the music/film industry's witch hunt for "pirates," but I know a lot of the Boing Boing crowd has been, and you can't have it both ways. An electronic copy of something is not the same thing as a physical object, and so amazon's offense here is less heinous than a forced retrieval of a physical object.

It's still a terrible idea from a customer satisfaction perspective, but don't go overboard. Make your protest and move on.

#17 posted by jm, July 17, 2009 11:53 AM

I find it somewhat amusing that 1984 was one of the pre-loaded titles on my Sony Reader.
It also appears to have survived after a quick manual sync (no WhisperNet, yo!) so I guess Sony used a 'legitimate' copy. Good thing too, as a new copy costs about $16 bucks at the Sony Connect Store.

Egregious rent-seeking and overpricing, surely not the best ways to grow the ebook market...

#18 posted by didymos, July 17, 2009 11:56 AM

At least they got their money back.

I don't have a Kindle, but I've bought a few books through the Kindle store so that I could read them on my iPhone, and to be quite honest, that experience has stirred my interest in the Kindle itself.

As long as they're pulling these sorts of shenanigans, though, no Kindle for me.

How does the publisher just "change its mind" about offering the book electronically, anyway? I'd think there would be some sort of legal agreement involved in the process of making that happen in the first place. If Amazon left room in the contract for publishers to just pull out on a whim, well... that was stupid, Amazon.

#19 posted by chris, July 17, 2009 12:00 PM

And yet people still buy the Kindle.

I use a service that allows me to check out a large selection of books and I get to keep them for weeks upon weeks before returning them to a local location. I can checkout as many books as I like with my plan, and I pay a small tax to use this service.

Its called a library, seriously, they are pretty freaking awesome.

[read on...]

Originally posted by joy garnett from NEWSgrist - where spin is art, on July 18, 2009 6:20 AM

As a two-year-old, so the family story goes, I would ask my mother to hang a map on the wall behind me while I shuffled papers in my small hands at a desk, pretending to be Walter Cronkite. Around that same time, maybe a little later, when I was visiting my grandfather's farm implement store in the Bible Belt, one of the mechanics in the shop was left dumbfounded when he asked me what my favorite TV show was, and I said, apparently without hesitation, "Walter Cronkite."

I'll stipulate that those anecdotes, which I have no direct memory of, probably say more about what a hopelessly geeky kid I was than they do about Cronkite or his influence. But it does give you a sense of his place in the American home in the 1970s.

My own memories of Cronkite, who went off the air when I was 11 years old, are tangled up with memories of my dad: the excitement of him coming home from work, the smell of his pipe (Cronkite smoked one, too), sitting with him on the sofa watching the CBS Evening News while mom bustled about in the kitchen. Cronkite was embedded in the routine of the day like the family dinner was. We always ate at 6 p.m., because that's when the news ended.

But what I remember most was watching my dad looking out on the world through the window that Cronkite offered, courteously pulling aside the curtains for us. I was, and remain, enchanted by the notion that there were big things happening out there beyond the horizon, exciting things, important things.

I've always had a love-hate relationship with journalism. Rejecting it, then falling into it by happenstance, then leaving it, then returning to it. It's always seemed like the most natural thing in the world for me to do, but I have never been able to escape the nagging sense that I'm somehow settling, taking the easy route, doing the obvious. I feel a kinship with those who struggle with whether to go into the family business, their resistance to having a destiny that is not their own. But my dad wasn't a journalist. No one in my family was. Except that Uncle Walter.

Originally posted by David Kurtz from Talking Points Memo, on July 18, 2009 5:37 AM

Google's got a not-so-secret weapon in its bid to convert the world to applications such as Gmail, Google Docs, Google Talk, Google Sites and, soon, Google's Chrome operating system: the 17 million college students on more than 4,000 campuses across the country.

For more than two years, Google has approached colleges and universities with a near-unbeatable offer: provide unlimited hosted e-mail and other applications, all branded by the institution and delivered free of charge.

Now those efforts are starting to bear fruit. The search giant is providing those services to 4 million students at colleges and universities and is signing up new campuses at a rate of 70 to 75 a quarter, effectively taking over a huge chunk of their IT costs. The pitch is particularly attractive as universities labor under tougher economic conditions and to accommodate students that increasingly come in expecting access to advanced (and free) communications technologies.

Ad Age Digital

DigitalNext

MediaWork

Read the rest of this story »

Originally posted by Michael Learmonth from Silicon Alley Insider, on July 18, 2009 5:28 AM

by Patrick Appel

Move to DC.

Originally posted by Andrew Sullivan from The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan, on July 18, 2009 4:42 AM

Week one of the Village Fête and all ready the entries are dribbling in.


Pets


From Justme, we have "Lola and Kiki playing Scrabble".

And from Topo Tales "Scapi, disguised as a French bitch, enjoys a drive in the countryside near Colmar".

Vegetable stuff

A strategic choice from Bevchen, echoing last year's "Special" winner, the grape bee with "Aubergine Bee".

Also in exciting vegetable news EDITH ZIMMERMAN has agreed to judge this category! Poor, poor Edith.

Cake


Gina has subcontracted fête entry to her friend Scott's mum, with "Poop cupcake". Gina, come ON. You can do this yourself. Just, you know, pick up a dog, or a few bulldog clips and CREATE. GO GINA.


Administrative shit

Oh! And thank to Sinda we now have a Flickr group for Village Fête photos. It gets stuck in the obscenity filter or something but persist! There is nothing worse than arse biscuits on there. I am a lazy slug so uploading entries is a slow business requiring many breaks for staring into space and small bags of Chocolate Buttons. If you are less of a lazy slug than me, just put your own photos on. Please.

Originally posted by Jaywalker from Belgian Waffle, on July 18, 2009 1:26 AM

WOR (AM) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

WOR began broadcasting on February 22, 1922 using a 500 watt transmitter on 833 kHz from Bamberger’s Department Store in Newark, New Jersey.  WOR radio was started by Bamberger in an effort to sell more radios. The broadcast studio was located on the sixth floor. The radio station was included as part of the sale to R.H. Macy Co. in 1929, and Bamberger Broadcasting Service became a division of the company. WOR-FM began broadcasting in 1948 simulcasting the AM programming. WOR-TV, Channel 9 signed on the air on October 11, 1949. Macy’s/Bamberger’s sold the WOR stations to the General Tire and Rubber Company in 1952.

Interesting.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Final Boss Form, on July 17, 2009 11:37 PM

A lot has been said about the use of social media in this year's Tour de France, but today we really saw it in action. I happened to wake up at about 4:30 a.m., and checked in on my Twitter stream on the iPhone.

I saw several tweets about Levi Leipheimer's wrist fracture, including one about 15 minutes old from Lance Armstrong, with a picture of Leipheimer in his cast.

Then, during the stage today, Leipheimer was actually Twittering from the operating room, including photos of the man himself on the operating room table, of the preparation of his wrist, and of the final X-ray, showing his 22mm titanium screw in place.

Here's a screen shot of the whole exchange.

All of this was straight from the riders involved, and within minutes of it actually happening. It's a brave new world, kids.

Also:

CNET News | Twitter takes the Tour de France on new course

Originally posted by Frank Steele from Tour de France 2009, on July 17, 2009 7:22 PM

Case in point: Walter Cronkite dies, and the top story on mediaite: “Gay penguin may no longer be gay.”  (I refreshed it to be sure I wasn’t seeing a cache, but it’s still there.) Cronkite news? Nowhere. Romenesko has it, the Times has it, mediabistro has it.

Another suggestion that will likely be ignored: Treat media blogging like beat reporting, because essentially, it is.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Spiersblr, on July 17, 2009 4:59 PM

Типографика и национализм. My essay on Typography and Nationalism, first available in English and Italian is now available in Russian.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Social Design Notes, on July 17, 2009 4:44 PM

Shared by Bud
This really shouldn't surprise anyone familiar with the search business.

Ask your friends what business Google is in and the answer you’ll most likely get is “search.” And they would be wrong. Google is, first and foremost, an advertising company. A full 97 percent of its revenue comes from advertising on its various properties, including YouTube, plus partner sites through its AdSense product. Sure, Google has Android and Chrome OS and everything else, but it doesn’t make money from them — they’re just there to get people to watch more ads.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from GigaOM, on July 17, 2009 4:17 PM

Greg took the Three Moon Keyboard Cat one step further. What’s next?  A dancing banana?  Rick Astley singing to the moon?

via photos.gleuch.com

(via elspethjane)

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Final Boss Form, on July 17, 2009 4:12 PM

Eagle has landed.

 ★ 

Originally posted by John Gruber from Daring Fireball, on July 17, 2009 3:44 PM

charitini:

(The usual disclaimer applies)

Look, either you take my point about mediaite needing to be indispensible and the site’s tone being off, or you don’t.

And clearly, you don’t. Which is fine. Everyone’s entitled to think I’m wrong, and a lot of people do.

Your defensiveness-without-addressing-the-matter is not helping your case, though.  If you actually articulated why the site uses that tone, when you plan to break some actual news, etc., that would be useful and worth responding to. Unless you want me to point out here that I gave you your first job as media reporter, which has no bearing on my criticism of your employer, I’m not sure what the point of your post was.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Spiersblr, on July 17, 2009 2:57 PM

There is something pleasantly old fashioned about Guido Castagnoli's photographs of provincial Japan. The image above from his Korea set has the same quality. Find him online on his portfolio site or, better yet, ask to see his work in person at the Sasha Wolf Gallery.

Filed under: photographers
Tags: Italian photography, japan, korea

Sponsor:
TWO BLUE CARS: Your kid's favorite shirt.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Heading East, on July 17, 2009 2:32 PM

(via charitini)

Well, if that’s a response, let me just say I’m not sure this is something you want to embrace.  This should be your model. Not this.

There’s a reason why Liebling was fairly restrained with the exclamation marks and exuberant comments about people’s socks.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Spiersblr, on July 17, 2009 2:09 PM

Below is a scan of the Sportskings Barack Obama ‘The First Pitch’ cut signature. Along with Obama, you have a chance to pull cuts of John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, both George W’s and much more.

Sportskings will be released on July 29th. You can see more images HERE.

Originally posted by Mario A. from Wax Heaven, on July 17, 2009 1:46 PM

EAST VILLAGE— Kate Krader on the PDT beat sends word of a new hot dog: "The El Perro Rodriguez, which is named for Jalinson Rodriguez, chef at the nearby tapas spot Mercat, is a grilled beef dog topped with chorizo. And a fried egg. And aioli." [Mouthing Off]

FLATIRON— Hill Country's pitmaster Pete Daversa is going on national BBQ tour and plans to blog the whole thing. [TFB]

EAST VILLAGE— East Village nightlife newcomer and neighbor to Superdive, Destination, is launching brunch this weekend. They'll be serving 'breakfast sushi,' jalapeno-bacon benedict tacos, bacon-infused sliders, and chocolate chip cookie pancakes from 1-4pm on Sunday. [EaterWire]

Originally posted by Amanda from Eater, on July 17, 2009 1:29 PM

Sweet.

Just last year, New York City signed a $982,269 contract with Swintec for the purchase of thousands of new manual and electric typewriters over the next three years -- some of which retail for as much as $649 apiece. And last month, the city signed a $99,570 deal with Afax Business Machines for the maintenance of its existing typewriters.

The department is working on software to eliminate the old machines, a rep said.

Originally posted by jwz@jwz.org from jwz, on July 17, 2009 1:24 PM

If you're into keeping tabs on irony, check this out. Amazon apparently sent out its robotic droogs last night, deleting copies of the George Orwell novels Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four from Kindles without explanation, then refunding the purchase price. As you can imagine, a lot of people caught in the thick of Winston and Julia's love story aren't very happy -- and rightfully so -- the idea that we "own" the things we buy is pretty fundamental to... ownership. We're not sure exactly what happened, but it seems that the publisher of said novels, MobileReference, has changed its mind about selling content on the Kindle, and poof! Amazon remotely deleted all previously purchased copies. It's all a bit Orwellian, is it not? Good thing we "permanently borrowed" hard copies of both from our middle school library, huh? Let Hate Week commence.

Update: According to commenters on Amazon, this message was sent out from the company's customer service department:

The Kindle edition books Animal Farm by George Orwell. Published by MobileReference (mobi) & Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) by George Orwell. Published by MobileReference (mobi) were removed from the Kindle store and are no longer available for purchase. When this occurred, your purchases were automatically refunded. You can still locate the books in the Kindle store, but each has a status of not yet available. Although a rarity, publishers can decide to pull their content from the Kindle store.

While that publisher's version of the book may have been removed, it appears other versions of the novels are still available.

Update 2: Drew Herdener, Amazon.com's Director of Communications, pinged us directly with the following comment, and now things are starting to make a lot more sense. Seems as if the books were added initially by an outfit that didn't have the rights to the material.

These books were added to our catalog using our self-service platform by a third-party who did not have the rights to the books. When we were notified of this by the rights holder, we removed the illegal copies from our systems and from customers' devices, and refunded customers. We are changing our systems so that in the future we will not remove books from customers' devices in these circumstances.

Still, what's upsetting is the idea that something you've purchased can be quietly taken back by Amazon with no explanation and no advance notice. It's a rotten policy, regardless of the motivations behind this particular move.

Filed under: Handhelds

Amazon remotely deletes Orwell e-books from Kindles, unpersons reportedly unhappy (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Originally posted by Laura June from Engadget, on July 17, 2009 1:20 PM

Oh come on, play nice, kids!:

peterfeld:

I really don’t think “Sponsored Content” is the issue here, whether it’s Mediaite or Gawker. No one is going to mistake sponsored posts on Mediaite for editorial content, and no one is going to think a vampire blog is for real. It’s a proxy issue. The real issue — and I’m agnostic here, or, at least the jury is still out — is whether any concessions (even if subtle or unconscious self-edits) are made to advertisers/clients in the actual editorial content. And I don’t think we should root for our friends’ projects to fail, even if we have some criticisms.

Eh, I think sponsored content is a non-issue for both sites. When Gawker did the Bloodcopy campaign, the editors actively complained about it, which is pretty much the opposite of allowing advertisers to influence editorial. There are media properties that cross those lines (read: EVERY WOMEN’S MAGAZINE IN EXISTENCE) but commercial online properties actually tend to be better about it.

if mediaite has a major problem, it’s that it seems lightweight right now. I haven’t seen anything there that I indispensibly need to know, couldn’t get elsewhere or that was really thought-provoking. If they break some real news, and do some interesting commentary, it wouldn’t be that difficult to make themselves relevant. But that’s not what I’m seeing on the site right now. Which, of course, may be a function of having just launched and not figured it all out yet.

Personally, I find the tone a little irritating. (We’re having so much fun! Even though we’re sending very angry emails to our detractors! But isn’t this media person great? And this one, too! We like his socks!) But some people like content that’s all rainbows and unicorns all the time, so maybe that actually works. I don’t know.

I also wonder if some of the tone is a function of mediaite being unwilling to offend people it likes and goes to parties with, which inadvertently reminded me of something from David Carr’s Nikki Finke piece :

In a place built on appearances, she is never seen at the right premiere, the right lunch spot, the right address. Her presence in Hollywood is spectral — she has a single photo taken in 2006 that runs everywhere.

“I just don’t go out to industry events, in part because it puts my sources in an awkward situation,” she said, adding that “the other thing about going out with these people is that when it comes time to cover something involving them, they say, ‘But, Nikki, we’re friends.’ I don’t want those kind of friends.”

Carr himself seems to have managed the fraternizing-with-people-you-may-have-to-cover issue long term—primarily by being tough and critical when warranted—but I think very few media reporters do.

That said, I don’t know any media reporters who work like Nikke Finke, at total arm’s length. But I’d like to see one.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Spiersblr, on July 17, 2009 12:01 PM

My friendship with Dinged Corners goes back quite a bit. Throughout this time I have had the pleasure of receiving from them fun cards for my son, a wonderful piece of artwork by Lucy, and lots of Andrew Miller cards as well.

This time around they sent me lots of Marlins cards, a brand new Lucy art piece, and this brilliant standard card size “1 of 1″ sketch card of Andrew Miller. As a Miller collector, 2009 has been a terrible year as he’s been featured in just four releases through June. This card is much appreciated!

The card itself looks wonderful and I especially love the detail paid to Andrew’s glove. In case anyone is wondering, the artists’ name is Emma. Thanks very much for this wonderful sketch card which has already found a permanent home in my personal collection.

To check out Dinged Corners, CLICK HERE.

Originally posted by Mario A. from Wax Heaven, on July 17, 2009 11:29 AM

What a lucky Panda.

Contribute: Add an image, link, video or comment »

The Best Links:

1. NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal holds a giant panda on his last day in China

Originally posted by (author unknown) from BuzzFeed - Latest, on July 17, 2009 11:28 AM

Originally posted by Andrea from Andrea Harner, on July 17, 2009 11:25 AM

I can hardly believe this story is true. Apparently people who bought books from a certain author on their Kindle found out today that they no longer have those books on their Kindle. Follow this link to learn more and see who the author was.

Even more Kindle ridiculousness from Kevin Fox.

Originally posted by torrez from Andre's Notes, on July 17, 2009 11:05 AM

Amazing. Here's a shot of Karl Lagerfeld's bodyguard wearing a "Karl Who?" T-shirt. The shirt is designed by Naco Paris and it's available at Colette. We sort of hate this pun/phrase, but the above photo is a pretty good example of something that is "tongue 'n chic." (via Racked.com)

Originally posted by (author unknown) from PAPERMAG: WORD UP!, on July 17, 2009 10:44 AM

Shared by mathowie
It is kind of an obnoxious UI change with little utility. It suddenly turns my quiet solitary Google Reader into another twitter/tumblr game. Ick.

Google Reader is adding some new social features, and one of them is Likes. You can mark that you like a particular post that flows through Google Reader and see other users who have done the same. The Like notification appears in a prominent position directly under the headline:



There's no way to opt out of the feature and I found it distracting. To disable it, I used Stylish for Firefox. I chose "Write new style", then "for www.google.com", and I added the following lines (after some CSS investigation):

.entry-likers-n {display:none;}
.like-inactive {display:none;}

That removes both the Likes count and the button for marking something as liked. It's a lot like the MetaFilter favorites feature but it feels odd because there's little to no community interaction at Google Reader. I guess it might be neat to spot someone you happen to know in a liked-list, but what are the chances? (Showing just my contacts who liked something would be great.) Aggregate data might be fun to see, but I don't need the feature active unless I want to start Liking-posts-up to give them more attention on a list of popular posts somewhere. So until Google Reader liked-lists are more than just a list of random users who liked something, I'm going to mute it.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from onfocus.com, on July 17, 2009 10:23 AM

One of the most basic features a good software application offers is a way for users to get the data they put into the system out. Sounds reasonable, no? But that isn’t the way it works, especially for a a few notable webapps.

For example, Twitter only lets its users retrieve the last 3,200 updates they’ve entered into the system. If you’ve tweeted over 3,200 times? The status updates starting with number 3,201 are simply lost to you. Poof! Gone. You can’t retrieve them using Twitter’s API or search engine. And yeah, I know, Twitter’s supposed to be ephemeral, represent the NOW, be the current “pulse of the planet” or whatever. But for its most loyal users, who log their lives and thoughts and links on Twitter, that update back in early 2007 matters. The cap can feel like someone has burned your diary. Most likely this is a scaling issue, but let’s get serious here: if I’ve been kind enough to enter data into your system over 3,200 times, the least you can do is let me export, backup, page back through all my status updates always.

Flickr does a similar thing with non-Pro accounts: you lose access to sets you’ve created beyond a certain number. At least Flickr gives you the option to upgrade to a Pro account in order to still get them (and I have), but it still wigs me out that I would create something on a system and then get denied access to it without paying. I could see denying me access to other people’s data, but my own? Really?

Most software works pretty simply: you enter data into it, and it outputs something useful. But at the most base level, you should be able to get back out what you’ve put in.

If your Twitter update count is nearing or over 3,200, and you want to save a copy to your computer, this simple (but geeky/XML) method using cURL will work. Photo by mary.w.e.

Originally posted by Gina Trapani from Smarterware, on July 17, 2009 8:43 AM

Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11 and Monday is the same for both the first Moon landing and the first walk on the surface. In this entry, I've collected some of the best resources on the web related to the anniversary...articles, historical documents, audio, video, transcripts, photos, and the like. Enjoy.

We Choose the Moon is tracking the activities of the Apollo 11 mission as it happened 40 years ago. Very nicely done.

Housed on NASA's history site is a ton of resources about the Apollo 11 landing, including an annotated transript of the landing, which makes for really interesting reading. MP3 files are also available as are many, many video clips of the landing at the astronauts' time on the surface. Highlights: this video was shot out of the window of the lunar module from a height of 50,000 feet until one minute after touchdown and I've never seen Armstrong's first step on the Moon from this angle before.

For its July 21, 1969 issue, The NY Times used 96 pt. type to declare that MEN WALK ON MOON.

The landing was made four miles west of the aiming point, but well within the designated area. An apparent error in some data fed into the craft's guidance computer from the earth was said to have accounted for the discrepancy.

Suddenly the astronauts were startled to see that the computer was guiding them toward a possibly disastrous touchdown in a boulder-filled crater about the size of a football field.

Mr. Armstrong grabbed manual control of the vehicle and guided it safely over the crater to a smoother spot, the rocket engine stirring a cloud of moon dust during the final seconds of descent.

The Onion used larger type and took a more unadulterated and profane approach (love the video version).

John Noble Wilford, the Times journalist who wrote the front page story underneath the 96 pt. type -- "the biggest single story of my career" -- recounts his Apollo 11 experience and ponders the Apollo program's legacy in a great piece for the Times.

It then occurs to me that if Columbus and Capt. James Cook were alive, they might be less astonished by two men landing on the Moon than by the millions of people, worldwide, watching every step of the walk as it happens. Exploring is old, but instantaneous telecommunications is new and marvelous.

In just 1.3 seconds, the time it takes for radio waves to travel the 238,000 miles from Moon to Earth, each step by Armstrong and Aldrin is seen, and their voices heard, throughout the world they have for the time being left behind. In contrast to exploration's previous landfalls, the whole world shares in this moment.

The Apollo 11 mission in photographs: NASA Images is the comprehensive source for NASA photos of the Apollo 11 mission; the always excellent Big Picture has photos of the mission from a variety of sources; David Burnett shot photos of people watching the launch; Time looks at Apollo astronauts Now and Then; the NY Times collected photos from readers of their Apollo 11 moments; Life has several photo galleries: Buzz Aldrin Looks Back, Scenes From the Moon, Up Close With Apollo 11 (rare and never-published photos), and The World Watches; and Google's archive of Life magazine's Apollo 11 images.

A map of where Armstrong and Aldrin walked during their 2+ hours on the surface. That same map superimposed on a soccer pitch and on a baseball field. They didn't walk that far at all.

Explore the Apollo 11 landing site on Google Moon.

In piece published on the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch, Buzz Aldrin advocates not a return to the Moon but a mission to Mars with the objective of establishing a colony on the red planet.

Let the lunar surface be the ultimate global commons while we focus on more distant and sustainable goals to revitalize our space program. Our next generation must think boldly in terms of a goal for the space program: Mars for America's future. I am not suggesting a few visits to plant flags and do photo ops but a journey to make the first homestead in space: an American colony on a new world.

Robotic exploration of Mars has yielded tantalizing clues about what was once a water-soaked planet. Deep beneath the soils of Mars may lie trapped frozen water, possibly with traces of still-extant primitive life forms. Climate change on a vast scale has reshaped Mars. With Earth in the throes of its own climate evolution, human outposts on Mars could be a virtual laboratory to study these vast planetary changes. And the best way to study Mars is with the two hands, eyes and ears of a geologist, first at a moon orbiting Mars and then on the Red Planet's surface.

Video of John F. Kennedy's "we choose to go to the Moon" speech given at Rice University on September 12, 1962. Fewer than 7 years later, Apollo 11 achieved the goal that Kennedy laid out in that speech.

In a piece for New Scientist, Linda Geddes writes about possible future lunar parks and how they might be preserved.

Around these [landing sites] are scattered smaller artefacts and personal items, such as Neil Armstrong's boots and portable life-support system, scientific instruments and their power generators -- and, of course, the iconic US flag which remains planted in the moon's surface. Then there are the footprints and rover tread paths. Despite the passing of the years, these remain carved into the dust because the moon has no wind or rain to wash them away.

Anthropologist P. J. Capelotti of Penn State University in Abington has mapped out five "lunar parks". These cover the areas where the majority of the artefacts are concentrated and could be used as a basis for future preservation efforts. "Nobody's saying that the whole moon has to be off limits, but as people are starting to make plans for tourism and mineral extraction, or for putting a base there, they just need to be aware of them and work around them."

Since returning from the Moon, Neil Armstrong has been less and less willing to speak in public about his Apollo 11 experience. For the 40th anniversary, Armstrong will not take part in the NASA event to commemorate the landing. His only appearance related to the anniversary will be a 15-minute lecture at a Smithsonian Institution event on Sunday night. I found this event on the National Air and Space Museum site...maybe that's it? If so, then Armstrong's lecture will be webcast live on the NASA TV site that evening.

Popular Science shares a list of ten things you didn't know about the Apollo 11 Moon landing.

7. When Buzz Aldrin joined Armstrong on the surface, he had to make sure not to lock the Eagle's door because there was no outer handle.

Moonwalk One is a documentary film about Apollo released in 1970 to little fanfare, even though it won an award at the Cannes Film Festival. The film was commissioned by NASA but with so much Apollo activity and information happening in the late 60s and early 70s, no one was interested in distributing or seeing the film and it was soon forgotten. Recently, the only remaining 35mm print of the film was located under the director's desk, restored, and offered for sale on DVD in time for the 40th anniversary.

To get a feel of what it was like in the Soviet Union during the Apollo 11 mission, Scientific American interviewed Sergei Khrushchev, son of former Russian premier Nikita Khrushchev. The reaction was somewhat more subdued than in other parts of the world.

Of course, you cannot have people land on the moon and just say nothing. It was published in all the newspapers. But if you remember [back then] when Americans spoke of the first man in space, they were always talking of "the first American in space" [not Yuri Gagarin]. The same feeling was prevalent in Russia. There were small articles when Apollo 11 was launched. Actually, there was a small article on the first page of Pravda and then three columns on page five. I looked it up again.

Eat Me Daily explores the food consumed on the mission.

The Apollo crew even dined on thermo-stabilized cheddar cheese spread and hot dogs during the moon mission, bringing at least a bit of America in July to the sterile flight craft. And yes, there was bacon - foreshadowing the current bacon craze, the first meal eaten by man on the moon was none other than bacon cubes, coated with gelatin to combat crumbs.

The issue of the New Yorker published just after the Moon landing is worth a look: much of the Talk of the Town section is devoted to the landing and there's also a Letter from the Space Center. (Subscribers only.)

The main NASA site has an interactive feature to explore the landing site and Eagle (Eagle was the name of the lunar module).

Finally, there's still some good stuff to be had on the old telly on Monday. The History Channel has As It Happened: Man on the Moon at 8pm ET:

This special takes viewers back to July 1969 to experience the actual CBS News/Walter Cronkite coverage of man's first lunar landing. Using minimal editing and leaving the original footage untouched viewers will feel as if they are watching the CBS coverage in July of 1969. While today we know the outcome of Apollo 11's mission it was not a given then. This will become evident watching Walter Cronkite and his colleagues as they watch the historic lunar mission unfold before them.

and Moonshot, a two-hour documentary about Apollo 11, at 9pm ET. Turner Classic Movies is airing a bunch of Moon-related movies all day, including A Trip to the Moon (a 12-minute film from 1902) at 8pm ET and the excellent For All Mankind (newly out on Criterion Blu-ray) at 8:15pm ET. The Discovery Channel has When We Left the Earth, a one-hour documentary on the mission, at 10pm ET. If none of that tickles your fancy, try episode 6 of the excellent From the Earth to the Moon (available for the insanely low price of $12 on Amazon) or In the Shadow of the Moon on DVD.

[If you enjoyed this post, you should post it to Twitter.]

Tags: Apollo   Apollo 11   NASA   photography   space   video

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on July 17, 2009 7:18 AM

Heather’s story is not one many Toronto cyclists may be used to hearing.  Although it begins with what is for many an all too common experience - having one’s bike stolen - the tale finishes with a scene that wouldn’t seem out of place in a James Bond film or Tom Clancy novel.  Complete with an improvised set-up at the appropriately named ‘Castle Frank’ subway station, a team of undercover cops, nervous yet supportive friends and a tinted ‘old-school’ SUV, Heather’s story is nothing short of spectacular.

It begins on the Friday night of the long weekend in May, while Heather was having a drink with friends at a bar in Kensington.  “I had a feeling and I don’t normally have that feeling,” recalled Heather, who was anxious over her bike which she had parked outside to a post-and-ring.  “It’s a nice enough bike that I don’t normally take it out at night,” she explains, making it all the worse when, to her shock, she emerged from the bar only to find both her bike and lock nowhere to be found.

Hearing about her loss the following day, a friend jokingly searched Kijiji for a similar bike to Heather’s.  He found one selling for $750 and light-heartedly sent her the link via Facebook.  Remarkably, her friend had actually stumbled upon Heather’s stolen bike, identifiable not only by its make and colour, but by its loosened front brakes mentioned in the description - an adjustment Heather always makes to avoid going head over her heels in case she has to stop suddenly.

In disbelief, she called the number provided and arranged to meet with her potential bike thief for Tuesday.  Following the phone call, she filed a stolen bike report to a cop who, as Heather describes, was completely uninterested in her story and just wanted to take down her info and be done with it.

After giving the cop her purchasing order for the bike, its serial number and description, he referred her to the OPP whose jurisdiction includes online fraud.  The number led to a dead end, however, since not only was the office closed for the long weekend, but the line turned out to be for cases related to child pornography.

Understandably frustrated at the cop’s apparent disinterest, she consulted with some friends and decided to just try confronting the potential thief on Tuesday with an offer of $100 along with several friends and photos to prove that it was indeed her bike.
Tuesday afternoon rolled around and sure enough, she got a call from her bike thief confirming their meeting that evening at six o’clock outside Castle Frank Station.  She quickly texted several friends to meet at Castle Frank and went on Facebook to print off some photos of her riding her bike.

By coincidence, the friend who had originally found the link to her stolen bike happened to be on Facebook chat, so upon seeing Heather online, he asked for an update on her stolen bike search.  Upon hearing that she was “about to go get my bike back gangster style,” her friend freaked, telling her about how there was an active bike mafia in Toronto and that her plan was a terrible idea.

Getting increasingly nervous, Heather decided to try the cops one more time.  It was now almost 5:45 and the clock was ticking.  After giving the police her information and being put on hold twice, she finally met with a voice on the other end of the line: “Heather, is this Heather?  We are going to get this bike back for you, do you trust us?”

She did, and after telling the cop her story he gave her these instructions: “You’re going to take the subway to Castle Frank Station; you’re going to go up the escalators; you’re going to go out the front doors; on your right hand side is Bloor Street; wait there.  Two unidentified police officers are going to approach you.  Do you understand?”

She did, and headed off to Castle Frank to the cheers of her coworkers, all of who were well aware of her coming rendezvous.  Just before Heather entered the subway, she remembered to text her friends - who were all converging on Castle Frank from all over the city - the new plan: “Pretend u don’t know me. Cops involved.”

Heather arrived at Castle Frank, went up the escalator, out the doors and to the right.  Looking around, she noticed a man conspicuously reading a newspaper nearby who turned out to be her boss.  He flashed a quick smile at her before quickly burying himself back in his paper.  On a grassy patch to her left lay a “hippie” - another friend of Heather’s friends, she realized - who acted lost in thought, staring at the leaves hanging overhead.  Continuing to survey the spot, Heather noticed a couple sitting across the street wearing big sunglasses despite it not being a very sunny day. Upon closer inspecting, she saw that they were her friends, pretending to make-out while keeping an eye on her.

Taking in the scene, her phone rang.  “Private number,” the screen read.  Answering it, she heard a deep voice say “Heather, this is District 14.  We’re in a bit of a bind here.  Traffic is really heavy; we’re going to be a little late.  How are you holding up?” Reassuring the cop that she was doing fine, Heather was told to wait and that, whatever she did, don’t contact the bike thief.

All of a sudden, her bike appeared, ridden by a man Heather could only assume was the guy looking to meet her.  “He rides up right next to me,” she recalls, “my bike is within arms length. I could touch it if I wanted to.”  Looking around, the man on her bike waited to see if anyone would respond, knowing a woman of Heather’s age might be watching from nearby.  Heather looked away, giving him no response.  After a minute or two of waiting, the man biked across the street where he circled slowly, watching the street.

Moments later, a hefty and heavily tattooed man wearing a raggedy old outfit approached her: “Hi there Heather, how’re you doing there?” It was a cop, Heather soon found out, and after telling him that her bike was across the street, he told her to wait there and hopped into an old-looking SUV with tinted windows and disappeared across the street.

After several minutes of waiting, her phone rang again.  It was the same cop, this time asking her to cross Bloor and go and sit on the very bench where her sunglasses-wearing friends were pretending to be making out. Sitting down next to them as if they were strangers, the cop then told her to hop into another tinted SUV parked on the street.  The next thing she knew, the SUV took off around the corner, as her friends looked on in shock.

The SUV, it turns out, was full of more undercover cops who told her they were going to park the car and go to meet the bike thief who was already chatting to the first group of cops.  They left Heather in the parked SUV and disappeared around the corner.

A paddy-wagon drove by soon after and the next thing Heather knew, the cops had re-emerged from around the corner and were walking by towards her.  Casually rolling alongside on of them was her bike.  The thief had been arrested, she was told, and that - other than her still missing helmet - her bike was in perfect condition.  As Heather returned to Castle Frank reunited with her lost bike, her friends threw off their acts and came to congratulate her.

Speaking about her experience, Heather remarked afterwards how her attitude towards the police has changed.  “Now every time I bike past a cop car, I say hi to them as my friends because I never thought they were fans of cyclists.”  The cops also told her that they would be continuing to conduct more ‘bike strikes’ in the hopes that such strong responses to bike thefts will discourage larger operations like those of Igor Kenk.

Photo from David Topping

Originally posted by Jake Schabas from Spacing Toronto • understanding the urban landscape, on July 17, 2009 6:51 AM

Filed under WTF? I’m told some photographers are asked to sign this document and some are not. “…I hereby grant, transfer, convey and assign to you all right, title and interest throughout the universe in perpetuity, including, without limitation, the copyright…”

Seriously, you need the copyright!? What’s the point of coming to your stupid effing show and taking your picture then?

Guess times are tough in the music biz.

JA-Photo-Release -

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Buying a new website?
My new company, APhotoFolio.com builds portfolio websites for photographers.
Have a look (here).

Originally posted by A Photo Editor from A Photo Editor, on July 17, 2009 5:54 AM

Overhead is seen as the devil of the not-for-profit world. Here's why that conventional wisdom is wrong.

Every industry has a bogeyman. Farmers fear Mother Nature. Celebrities hate (yet love) the paparazzi. Big pharma worries about hurting babies -- a jury loves nothing more than punitive damages for sick kids. In the not-for-profit world, we worry about babies too, but really, we think about overhead.

The first question many people ask me, truly, is, "How much do you spend on overhead?" That means expenses not directly related to a group's programs, including office rent and the electric bill. Givers want to know that we're not spending much money on this stuff, that most of their donations go to "program-related activity."

The assumption is that when 99% of your expenses go to programs, you are fantastic. Not-for-profits proudly proclaim, "95% of our expenses go to programs fighting poverty!" as if they're a gazillion times more effective than those that spend a pathetic 85%. Web sites that track not-for-profit financials perpetuate the "overhead is evil" myth by lauding groups that curtail it. Perhaps they think overhead is an espresso machine. Or a new jet. Or art on our walls. (Whoops! Then we'd be a bank.)

But low overhead doesn't necessarily mean an organization is awesome at fighting poverty, or that its turnover is low and its people productive. And it certainly doesn't guarantee that the group is spending wisely.

Let's take an example from the for-profit world, which isn't so squeamish about overhead. According to Apple's Q4 2008 report, 78% of its expenses were sales, general, and administrative -- the corporate equivalent of overhead. Seventy-eight percent! Yet nobody flinches. Keep spending, Steve Jobs! Your products rock!

Obviously, not all overhead is good. I know one not-for-profit executive who flies only first class, stays in suites at the W, and has a car service schlep him around New York whenever he's there. This guy has an overhead problem.

Overhead is a beast, a mass of ambiguity and confusion -- like the black-smoke monster on Lost. For instance, is it better to have no staff dedicated to grant writing? Without that person, fund-raising pressure could distract the program people. Worse, we might not land any grants at all.

Here's a case study from my own organization. Last year, we spent nearly $200,000 overhauling our Web site, from the content-management system to the architecture to the design. No one likes such expenses on the books: They smell like overhead. But our site no longer crashes, traffic has doubled, and we even won a Webby Award.

I decided to look at the list of alleged overhead addicts (imagine John Walsh's voice as you read). According to Charity Navigator, five charities that spend the biggest portion of their budgets on admin are:

1. Jobs With Justice, 77.5% 2. Boys Choir of Harlem, 66.3% 3. National Council of Negro Women, 64.0% 4. Fresno Metropolitan Museum, 58.4% 5. Cherokee National Historical Society, 58.2%

No doubt, there's waste on that list. But let's examine No. 4. In 2005, the Fresno museum closed its main facility and launched a three-year, $28 million renovation; it reported on its Web site that, because of the project, "operating expenses ... reflected an increase in administration." Renovations inflate overhead and slash the proportion spent on programs. But they're a legit, even laudable, expense. And the museum continued programming, to a reduced degree, while its building was shuttered.

My point: Stop obsessing about overhead. You can't assess an organization on one statistic. Instead, focus on effectiveness. That's a harder story to tell and a trickier thing to measure. But that effort is what everyone ultimately wants -- a good investment.

Nancy Lublin is CEO of Do Something.

Originally posted by Nancy Lublin from Fast Company, on July 17, 2009 5:00 AM

The OSCON 2009 is taking place next week and we have bunch of talks we’re presenting. I am presenting Full Text Search with Sphinx, MySQL Community Patches and Extensions and Goal Driven Performance Optimization.

Vadim and Ryan have a talk XTraDB OpenSource Storage Engine for MySQL.

This month OSCON is taking place in Silicon Valley which is good for me as I do not have to spend the whole week away from home. Though I would also miss Portland which is Green and beautiful in Summer.

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Originally posted by peter from MySQL Performance Blog, on July 16, 2009 6:57 PM

You remember the C Street Group, the combo Bible fellowship and group home for members of Congress up on Capitol Hill. But it's been occurring to us that the C Street Group, which is an emanation of a shadowy religious outfit called "the Family", might not be a religious fellowship at all so much as a covert 12 Step Group from Republican Hound Dogs, womanizers and sex addicts trying to get clean during their tenure in the hallowed halls of Congress.

Less than a month ago, we had C Streeter John Ensign take a dive. Then just a week or so later it was South Carolina Mark Sanford, himself a C Streeter from his days in Congress. And in his tell-all (but not quite all) press conference just after his return from Argentina he said that he'd been working with the C Street Group to deal with his on-going affair, which I guess didn't help that much.

And today we have news of yet another C Streeter falling off the fidelity wagon.

Now it's the turn of former Rep. Chip Pickering (R) or Mississippi, who appeared to be in line to grab Trent Lott's senate seat and was allegedly offered the gig by Gov. Haley Barbour, but decided instead to leave Congress altogether.

Pickering and his wife divorced soon afterward and now she is suing the novelistically named Elizabeth Creekmore-Byrd for "alienation of affection," i.e., for stealing her husband. What's more, according to legal papers filed by Leisha Pickering, some of the "wrongful conduct" between Pickering and Creekmore-Byrd (I guess that's what they call it down there?) took place at ... you guessed, the C Street group home up on Capitol Hill.

I mean, I don't know about their politics. But these dudes know how to party. I don't see how you get around that.

Originally posted by Josh Marshall from Talking Points Memo, on July 16, 2009 6:39 PM

Hmm, I was just wondering about this the other day: NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is going to take photos of some of the Apollo landing sites, including where Apollo 11 landed.

Lunar archaeologists, interested in making the Apollo 11 site a National Historic Landmark, hope the planned photos will answer some of these longstanding questions: What is the condition of Tranquility Base after 40 years? Was the American flag blown over on the Eagle's ascent and is it now a bleached skeleton? What are the relatively long term effects of the lunar environment on human artifacts?

This should quiet the people who still think it was all a hoax...although NASA could be faking these photos as well.

Tags: Apollo   Apollo 11   Moon   NASA   space

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on July 16, 2009 6:34 PM

The original videos beamed to earth were stored on giant reels of tapes that each contained 15 minutes of video, along with 13 other channels of live data from the moon. In the 1970s and 1980s, NASA had a shortage of the tapes and erased about 200,000 of those tapes and reused them. That's apparently what happened to the famous moon landing footage.

Nafzger praised the restored work for its crispness. The restoration company, Lowry Digital of Burbank, Calif., also refurbished "Star Wars" and James Bond films, along with "Casablanca."

From NASA erased Apollo 11 video to reuse the tape, but Hollywood experts save the day at mercurynews.com

Originally posted by Michael Sippey from sippey.com, on July 16, 2009 4:11 PM

-Photo by Getty Images-
Mazel Tov!

Ivanka Trump, 27, and her beau, New York Observer publisher, Jared Kushner, are tying the knot. 

"I got engaged last night," Ivanka Tweeted on Thursday. "Truly the happiest day of my life!!!"

Donald Trump's daughter has also said that she will be converting to Judaism for her hubby-to-be.

Congrats!

Originally posted by Tracy Pepey from iVillage - Daily Blabber, on July 16, 2009 3:05 PM

From Slice

"Maybe the 500th best pizza in America, but even that's doubtful."

Bob & Timmy's

32 Spruce Street, Providence RI 02903; map); 401-453-2221; bobandtimmys.com
Pizza Style: Grilled
Oven Type: Grill
The Skinny: Ranked as America's fifth best pizza by Alan Richman in GQ, but don't you believe it. This was the first MYOM (Melt Your Own Mozzarella) pizza I've encountered
Price: Margherita, $14; Spinach and Mushroom; $13; Everything Pie, $14

When GQ published Alan Richman's Top 25 Pizzas list, we, like serious pizza lovers everywhere, devoured every last word of it and posted about it. Like everyone else, I had my quarrels with his list, but at the same time I certainly took note of the heretofore unknown and previously unheralded pizzerias that Richman ranked highly. I vowed to try each one of the places I had never been to the first chance I had.

That's how and why I found myself at Bob & Timmy's in Providence, Rhode Island, which was ranked fifth on Richman's list. In his story Richman had used the following descriptors:

Every one (of the pizzas) was expertly prepared....

It seemed about the best flatbread I'd ever eaten....

...vegetable toppings were remarkably fresh....

Sounds seriously delicious, doesn't it?

My wife and I were driving to Woods Hole, Massachusetts, to make a 7:45 p.m. ferry, and I knew we had to pass through Providence, so I made sure to stop off at Bob & Timmy's to pick up a few pies to test the Richman Pizza Meter.

Based on what we tasted, that meter is not functioning all that well, or at the very least it's calibrated very differently than mine.

Click me bigger »

We ordered three pies (above, from left):

• A spinach-and-mushroom that Alan had singled out for his highest praise. It had freshly sauteed mushrooms, spinach, garlic, olive oil with parmesan, romano and feta cheese
• A Margherita pizza, with sliced tomatoes, prosciutto, basil, fresh mozzarella, olive oil, shredded parmesan cheese and sprinkled romano cheese
• An Everything Pie, with sausage, meatball, green peppers, mushrooms, onions and olives with pomodoro sauce

What came out of the kitchen 15 minutes later were definitely grilled, but they were more like flatbreads than pizza.

Why? They were all flat, really flat. The crusts had no lift, no rise on them at all. The thick hunks of mozzarella cheese on the Margherita were unmelted. It was the first MYOM, Melt Your Own Mozzarella, pie I had ever tried.

They were still cold in the middle. These pizzas were perfectly tasty, something you would happily eat at a friend's backyard barbecue, but the fifth best pizza in America? Absolutely not. Maybe the 500th best pizza in America, but even that's doubtful. My guess is it's not even the fifth best pizza in Providence. Al Forno, which Richman ranked 18th, was where grilled pizza was introduced in this country by its owner, George Germon,. It's also in Providence, and its grilled pizza is way, way better than Bob & Timmy's. It's not even a fair or reasonable comparison. Al Forno uses much better ingredients and takes far more care with its pizzas than Bob & Timmy's. It's as simple as that.

This is not a matter of Bob & Timmy's pizza being bad. If I lived in Providence or maybe if I lived in B&T's neighborhood, it would be someplace I would order a pie from for dinner if I was too tired to cook. But is it worth a lengthy or even a brief detour? I don't think so.

As we have previously noted, my friend Alan loves to generate controversy and garner lots of attention with his stories. He's a funny, knowing, and wonderful, wonderful writer, one of the best food writers we have, but based on the pizzas I ate from Bob & Timmy's, it's safe to say that his pizza judgment diverges considerably from mine.

My guess is that deep down Alan knows that Bob & Timmy's is not all that special, though it's hard to look into the soul of another serious pizza lover. Alan loves getting a rise out of the rest of us pizza lovers, and he has succeeded in doing just that. I myself would rather have the rise in the crust at Bob & Timothy's.

But I have taken the bait, Alan. Damn you and your provocative opinions and stories.

Originally posted by Ed Levine from Serious Eats, on July 16, 2009 2:55 PM

Wes Anderson shares his favorite music from his movies.

Tags: movies   music   Wes Anderson

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on July 16, 2009 1:49 PM

Henry Green’s Loving appears to only be in print in the U.S. in a volume containing two of his other novels, Living and Party Going, and since I enjoyed the first novel I decided to try the other two. (Incidentally, these latter two novels don’t appear to be copyrighted in the U.S., at least not according to the cover page that indicates that Loving is copyrighted in this country.)

Living was Green’s first novel, and was the worst of the three in this volume by a fair margin. The story is, as is typical for Green, thin, revolving around workers in a Birmingham foundry that is poorly managed by its declining owner and that faces upheaval when he dies. The prose, however, is excruciating, because Green chose to omit most definite and indefinite articles, so even strong phrasings become painful to read:

Were tins of pineapple in that shop window and she wondered and languor fell on her like in a mist as when the warm air comes down in cold earth; in images she saw in her heart sun countries, sun, and the infinite ease of warmth.

The closest thing to a central storyline is the secret romance between Lily and Bert, a factory worker who sees no future for himself in Birmingham and decides to elope with Lily and move to Canada. The unraveling of that romance is one of the most absurd ends to a plot that I have ever seen, rivaling Tony Last’s fate in A Handful of Dust.

Party Going, on the other hand, is more conventionally written and, while not classically plotted, at least follows a more defined pattern by showing us a specific block of time for a specific set of characters. Those characters, a group of friends plotting a getaway to the south of France, end up stuck in a railway station and then in its associated hotel when the trains are all delayed indefinitely by fog. Their reactions to various inconveniences (mostly minor) and to the sudden, unexplained illness of the aunt of one member of the party make up the bulk of the action of the novel, although there’s a bit more drama when the crazy girlfriend of one of the characters shows up unannounced as if she was supposed to be on the trip all along.

As bad as Green’s prose was in Living from a readability standpoint, the prose in Party Going is the novel’s greatest strength:

Memory is a winding lane and as she went up it, waving them to follow, the first bend in it hid her from them and she was left to pick her flowers alone. Memory is a winding lane with high banks on which flowers grow and here she wandered in a nostalgic summer evening in deep soundlessness.

Even when he lapses into the modernist style of Woolf or James, he can still craft an image compelling enough to pull the reader through the awkward syntax:

Night was coming up and it came out of the sea. Over harbours, up the river, by factories, bringing lights in windows and lamps on the streets until it met this fog where it lay and poured more darkness in.
Fog burdened with night began to roll into this station striking cold through thin leather up into their feet where in thousands they stood and waited. Coils of it reached down like women’s long hair reached down and caught their throats and veiled here and there what they could see, like lovers’ glances.

Party Going also offers more small humor along the lines of Loving, including some witty dialogue between the characters and other lines demonstrating their lack of self-awareness when trying to treat station workers like servants, while Living was nearly devoid of humor save that of the old-guard managers at the foundry who attempt to stymie the young boss trying to coax changes in the plant’s operations. Green also shifts back and forth deftly between the primary focus on the fatuous upper-class twits at the novel’s center and their beleaguered servants who, by the way, have to wait out the fog in the station while their masters relax in comfort in the hotel.

EDIT: Almost forgot - one thing I did wonder about Party Going, which Green wrote in the late 1930s, was whether the fog represented Nazi Germany, creeping up on an England too wrapped up in itself to notice the impending danger. The fog lifts at the novel’s end, which probably disproves the theory, although I could craft an argument that Green was commenting on the English aristocracy’s reliance on luck, fate, God, or simply on other parties to get it out of trouble.

Next up: The Grapes of Wrath. No, I’ve never read it before.

Originally posted by keith from The dish, on July 16, 2009 11:41 AM

[Keith Haring[(http://www.haring.com/) disc wheels, an old-school Art Bike.

Uploaded by ryotaraw | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Originally posted by DL Byron from Bike Hugger, on July 16, 2009 11:06 AM

Apollo 11, Mission Commander Neil Alden Armstrong, Lunar Module Pilot Edwin Eugene ‘Buzz’ Aldrin, Jr., Michael Collins, Command Module Pilot, Jethro Tull, Benefit (album), Beef Posters, Know Your Meme: Vince Shlomi (ShamWow, Slap Chop) (2008), My Sunshine by Nikola Uzunovski, Space Station Is Near Completion, Maybe the End, Save The Space Station dot com

Originally posted by hello@rocketboom.com (Rocketboom) from Rocketboom, on July 16, 2009 10:00 AM

Do you ever find yourself thinking: man, there’s no more good male-female neo-folk-hipster-rock duets anymore! Especially not on late-night television! If so, watch this lovely performance by Wilco and Feist on Letterman this week and realize that you were wrong.

Originally posted by Dave Bry from The Awl, on July 16, 2009 9:50 AM

Pay the HuffPo: A HuffPo blogger proposes how HuffPo bloggers should get paid on HuffPo. Good luck!

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Fimoculous, on July 16, 2009 9:47 AM

Who is your favorite TV character of all time?

Easy.

Originally posted by Chris from Cynical-C Blog, on July 16, 2009 9:39 AM

(photos from the mountains and area surrounding a volcano in Indonesia)

From Jakarta we ride into the mountains to climb a volcano. Not a very relaxing way to start a trip:

- If they don't have exact small change at the quickie mart, they give you a little piece of candy instead.
- New euphemism for a "special friend" = live blanket.
- Seeing traditional muslim head scarves being sold next to t-shirts with Avril Lavigne on them.
- Sitting in an alley eating gado gado from a street vendor while a stray cat takes a shit in a gutter four feet away and stares at me the whole time.
- While climbing the volcano Mount Gede, we see monkeys!
- Sitting in a natural hot spring river under a full moon watching the steam rise in slices of moonlight cutting through the surrounding jungle.
- Our guide Frans doing half the hike up and down Gede in flip flops.
- Crossing over slippery rocks on the edge of a steaming scalding waterfall.
- To climb the volcano takes two days, the night we spend sleeping halfway up is freezing. We all huddle in our tents and try anything we can to keep warm. The ground is really cold and just saps the warmth out of you when you lie on it. I only have a fleece liner for a sleeping bag, I'm wearing my warmest clothes (shorts and a rain jacket), and stick my feet inside my messenger bag. I dream intermittently of people bringing me blankets in between many hours of tossing and turning on the cold hard ground.
- Before going to bed, Greg and Conrad spent most of the night trying to light a fire. None of the wood would burn, even when made into little shavings. Frans interceded and tried the "Indonesian way," which meant burning a bunch of plastic. Even that didn't work.
- Spending half the second day climbing the rest of the way up Gede, to the summit and ridge overlooking the smoking and sulfurous crater. We are well above the clouds, and they surround us like a lumpy white sea.
- On our way down we find even better hot springs.
- Our mountain guide Aba was amazingly cheerful and energetic. He literally ran down most of the mountain on our descent, and at the bottom was doing push-ups while we rested.
- Both guides, Frans and Aba, were smoking a couple packs a day on the way up and down the mountain.
- All of our legs are destroyed after the hike. For literally three days we all grimace any time we have to go up or down steps.
- Conrad gets sick. It takes him a week to shake it, even though his eye is still messed up.
- Chloe serenades us in the morning with her violin.
- Playing dominoes on the top of some weird diving platform as the clouds/fog rolled in.
- Little kids LOVE to have their photo taken when they get to see it on the camera afterward.
- Skeletons of kites caught in trees.
- A little kid who wanted a photo with Ira's "Kill Your Television" tattoo.
- Having a crazy time trying to disassemble our bikes and cram them into the backseat of the bus to get out of the mountains and down to the coast.
- The people of Indonesia have been exceptionally friendly and helpful, more than anywhere else I have traveled.

Learn Indonesian:
"Apakaba" = How are you?
"Mantap" = Perfect.
"Air" = Water.
"Rasanya enak" = Taste's good.
"Tambah" = More.
"Selamat siang" = Good evening.
"Gunung" = Mountain.

A little video of us riding along the north coast of Java, more on that in the next post:

Riding tall bikes along the north coast of Java.

MP3:

• Eddie Ray - You Are Mine

A band's place at last.

Originally posted by sucka pants from SUCKA PANTS, on July 16, 2009 9:10 AM

I’ve been chatting with the folks at Tierra Innovation and WNET.ORG (Channel Thirteen in New York) on their impressive collaboration utilizing WordPress MU as a CMS for WNET.ORG’s network of high-traffic websites:

Using WordPress MU’s built-in features along with custom themes and plugins such as WPDB Profiling, they made it easier and much cheaper for WNET.ORG to roll out multiple sites that provide a great user experience as well as editorial and creative flexibility. Before the new CMS, WNET.ORG could only launch 1-2 sites per month. Now, they have the capability of rolling out 5-10 sites per month for a fraction of the cost.

What’s very cool is that Tierra and WNET put together a white-paper detailing how this project came about and how they ultimately decided on WordPress as the platform of choice. You can read all about it in the white-paper titled: How a Non-Profit Media Company Profits from Building Open Source Online Publishing Platform (PDF) (embedded below using scribd):

View this document on Scribd

[ Visit WNET.ORG & Tierra Innovation ]

Originally posted by Raanan Bar-Cohen from WordPress Publisher Blog, on July 16, 2009 9:01 AM

"Never play Scrabble for money with lexicon-stuffed restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow. That's how he worked his way through college." [Twitter]

Originally posted by Amanda from Eater, on July 16, 2009 8:29 AM

Monday we learned that BusinessWeek, where I've worked for 22 years, is on the block. It may be sold, or stay in McGraw-Hill (where it's been for 80 years). But the business is losing money (I don't know how much). Whoever ends up with it is going to have to figure out quickly how to turn a business news operation built primarily as a weekly magazine into a profitable franchise for the age of near ubiquitous and real-time information.

I was thinking about about this obsessively this week as I closed three magazine stories, two that I wrote and one that I edited. For three days, I was immersed in the what I call "the last 5%." It involves a large team of professionals engaged in tweaking, polishing, compressing and dressing articles--hopefully giving them the gleam, smarts and clarity of a top-rate product.

This last 5% consumes a sizeable effort and expense. The question the next (or current) owner of BusinessWeek is going to have to grapple with is whether such attention to detail is worth it, or, alternatively, whether there's another way to achieve the same goal.

Yesterday afternoon I was sitting with a good friend and editor. We were studying a one-page story I had edited on India, and we were focusing on the wording of one problematic sentence. I told him that this level of detail was driving me crazy. He said he loved it. What's more, he argued that it was precisely this work that gave BusinessWeek its value--that without it we would sink into commodity journalism (and probably disappear).

I should add here that the last 5%, for all my bellyaching, can sometimes transform stories, turning what looks like a marginal piece of news into something smart, clear and insightful. At its best, this process goes far beyond cleaning up copy. It can add intelligence and ideas. And the maddening process of trimming an article to fit to a page or two demands more disciplined thought and writing, which can be a very good thing for readers. (I would argue that the 140-character constraint of Twitter accomplishes the same thing: It compels writers to put more thought into editing.)

But my problem with the 5% process has to do with insularity. Much of the analysis has to do with a team of people in a midtown skyscraper imagining what "the reader" knows and wants to know. With blogs, we now have the tools to ask. But the business model calls for secrecy. So instead of asking, we imagine. Our discussions involve conflicting interpretations of what is going on inside of the reader's head.

That "reader" is more than 900,000 different people who subscribe to or buy the magazine every week, plus the people they share it with. It's also the millions of people who visit the Web site, where all these stories appear (along with other, less polished fare). So when we try to read the mind of the reader, we're playing a numbers game. I might calculate that 45% of the readers will be interested in my slightly geeky paragraph about algorithms, that another 25% won't hold it against us (I should know about this stuff...). Yes, others will no doubt skip over it, discouraged, and turn the page, if they've even gotten that far. But on balance, it's still a valuable paragraph. Another editor might view the readership differently and call for the section to be removed. But some of our most important readers, I might argue, will really care about that information. On and on...

The entire discussion is based on the one-size-fits-all paradigm of the industrial age. It's got (at least) two problems: First, it's expensive. Second, readers are seeing in rest of their lives, from TiVo to their double-shot half-skim half-caf latte, that one size doesn't have to fit all. Even dogs these days are built to order. In this world, many business readers want and expect customization.

The future (or current) owners of BusinessWeek will have to figure out how to cut costs and fit the product to the readers' varied needs. Much of this, of course, will occur online. But here I'm talking about the magazine, which still delivers most of the revenue and will have to sustain, at least for a while, much of the news operation that emerges from the painful process ahead.

I see two possible solutions: communities and algorithms.

First, communities: If we published the stories online earlier, before the last 5%, "the reader" could tell us what he or she wants to know. We wouldn't have to guess quite as much. Perhaps that process could inform what we eventually publish in the magazine.

I'll deal with the algorithms in a later post. It's much more relevant to BusinessWeek.com than to the paper magazine. But suffice to say that plenty of sophisticated information companies are grappling with the idea of customizing news to individual readers.

One last thought: Three years ago, I was talking to Jeff Jarvis, Ross Mayfield and others about the possibility of building a Wiki on the BW site. The idea was that some of the best minds in every field from design to finance would gather there with one mission, to fix General Motors. I was excited about the project, but then got my book deal and moved on to the Numerati. But now I'm thinking we could try the same approach with another mission, to remake BusinessWeek? Thoughts?

crossposted on TheNumerati.net.

Originally posted by Stephen Baker from Blogspotting - Businessweek, on July 16, 2009 7:40 AM

Today is the 40th anniversary of the liftoff of Apollo 11. You can follow along on We Choose the Moon, on Twitter, and with a NASA audio program. (Is there a video launch being broadcast anywhere?)

NASA is also releasing "greatly improved video imagery" of the Apollo 11 moon walks. !!! So look for that later today.

Update: Someone should have synced up this video footage of the launch so that people could watch it in realtime.

Tags: Apollo   Apollo 11   Moon   space

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on July 16, 2009 6:03 AM

"Balenciaga has become my second home," Charlotte Gainsbourg told WWD.

Gainsbourg - actress, French music royalty and (official) face of the brand for the past year - is working on a fragrance with Nicolas Ghesquiere and Coty. Executives were quick to point out that she was chosen based on her almost indivisible ties to the brand and a deep rooted friendship with the designer, not for her continually rising fame.

The pair are in Los Angeles today to shoot the perfume's ad campaign and throw a party in honor of the announcement. No word on the actual scent. We always envisioned the Balenciaga girl to be too cool for perfume, though their investors obviously don't agree. If we had to guess, we'd predict something quite rich and musky, no?

Sponsored Topics: Los Angeles - Coty - Charlotte Gainsbourg - Actor - Perfume

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Fashionista, on July 16, 2009 5:47 AM

Google whah?

That’s new!

[more info]

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Fimoculous, on July 16, 2009 5:18 AM

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch. Above, watch President John F. Kennedy’s speech about the necessity of space exploration, given at Rice University in 1962 (and clocking in at a TED-friendly 18 minutes). He says: “There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation may never come again.”

Inspired? Check out Bill Stone’s TEDTalk, on his ambitious plans to return humankind to the moon. Start at around 10:50 to hear Stone's astonishing vision.

Also worth checking out today (and within the next few minutes especially) is the interactive re-creation of the lunar mission, We Choose the Moon. Commissioned by the JFK Presidential Library and designed and conceived by The Martin Agency with Domani Studios, the site gives visitors minute-by-minute updates of Apollo 11’s lunar mission, with more than 100 hours of archival audio, 44 videos, 400 NASA photographs and “real-time” mission transmissions on the site and via Twitter. The event continues for the next four days. You can follow along starting with the launch at 9:32 AM EDT.

For those of you who can’t wait four days to get to the moon, head on over to Google Moon to see and read about the physical place where each Apollo mission landed.

Enjoy these links on this memorable day.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from TED Blog, on July 16, 2009 5:04 AM

• Jay Walder Says He's Got the Chops to Navigate Albany (NYT)
• London Labor Leader: Walder Will Clash With Unions (News)
  
• Bowing to Pols, State DOT to Widen 1.2 Miles of SI Expressway (SI Advance, MTR)
• State of Subways: 7 Line Rated Tops, C Brings Up the Rear (News, Post, NY1, City Room)
• Bike Advocate Bruce Rosar Struck and Killed By Driver in NC (DC Examiner via Streetsblog.net)
• Officer Struck By Curb-Jumping Car Loses Left Leg Below the Knee (News)
• You Call This Green Building? Setting Aside Parking for Hybrids Counts Toward LEED (Green Inc)
• Check Out Latest Pics of the Subway Station Overhaul at Bleecker St. (Curbed, 2nd Ave Sagas)
• Tesla Motors Now Hawking Electric Cars at Manhattan Showroom (AMNY)
  
• Street Safety Projects in Fort Greene and Williamsburg Moving Forward (Bklyn Paper, Your Nabe)
• Susan Jhun Does It Again: Great Little Piece of Ped-Friendly Journalism From NY1
  

More headlines at Streetsblog Capitol Hill

Originally posted by Ben Fried from Streetsblog New York City, on July 16, 2009 4:57 AM

Two bits of Portal gorgeousness. An unofficial, Unity port of Portal (portalport?!) to the 3G iPhone:

(via)
And, Still Alive, that will-never-die Portal theme tune, played on a bell tower.

Portal 2 please, Valve. C'mon. GlaDOS didn't die! She can return, bigger, badder and .. binaural! Why not!

Originally posted by Alice from Wonderland, on July 16, 2009 4:47 AM

Shared by Eve
DeWitt Clinton was an original SFist (but never posted, I don't think?) and the guy who gave me a gmail invite back when they were scarce as diamonds.

Google Reader, for more than two years, has played a central role both in terms of how I discover information and how I distribute information. It is through Google Reader that I get updated from hundreds of blogs and news sources, and through a shared link blog that I can parse out what I believe to be the best content, sharing it to friends I am connected to on the service, and off to third party social sites including Socialmedian, ReadBurner, FriendFeed and RSSmeme. But so far it's been difficult to find somebody's shares, obscured by a hard-to-figure-out URL. Today, Google Reader has made steps to enable faster discovery of people and topics, all within Reader.

The news, which hit this afternoon, is that you can now search within Google Reader for people who have public shared items and subscribe to their shares with a single click. The new search feature, powered by Google Profiles, lets you browse by name, location or topic.


Searching for the name "Clinton" to find new link blogs
But, if you don't want to have your shared items broadcast to the world at large, you can still keep your shares private, or even share items to a specific group of contacts. These contact groups are the same you manage in your GMail, so changes on either service will be synchronized.


Selectively Share Between Groups
As link blogs have risen in importance, alongside your other social activity, from your blog to microblogging, etc., Google Reader has made it even more simple to highlight your link blog on your Google Profile, with a simple check box. So if you hadn't already added your items to your Profile manually, this will take care of it.


Adding shared items to the Google Profile with a checkbox
Similar to Facebook's recent move with vanity URLs, you can now also have your shared link blog feature your own Google user name, which can be enabled in your profile. So now, instead of a number like "05763917848110205585" which I have always had, mine can just say "louisgray".


You can now "Like" Shared Items In Link Blogs
And don't think Google Reader isn't watching what is happening on other networks. The team has added on to the ability for friends to make comments on your shared items, enabling a "Like" feature, found not just on Facebook, but on FriendFeed and Socialmedian as well. So now, if you see a friend's shared item, and you like it, just click like, or hit the "L" key. So if you're a keyboard maven, you hit J to go forward, K to go back, and L to like. More work for your right ring finger. Interestingly, all "likes" are public, while comments on shared items are still only shared with friends. So if you like something, others reading the shared link blog can find out you are a fan as well.

I have long been a fan of shared link blogs, and have even encouraged companies to get into the act to show they are listening to the news and opinions in the industry. My Google Reader shared link blog is a major reason of why I've never left Google Reader for an alternative, and making the feeds discoverable should be a helpful boost to visibility. You can find my shared link blog here.

More: louisgray.com | RSS | FriendFeed | E-mail | Cell: 408 646.2759

Originally posted by (author unknown) from louisgray.com, on July 16, 2009 4:38 AM

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Wooster Collective, on July 16, 2009 4:25 AM

The Mother House of the Sisters of St. Joseph, which serves as a retirement, assisted living, and nursing home for its elderly and infirm sisters, may be a model for a fruitful old age, and - most importantly - a better way to die. "Through a combination of philosophy and happenstance, 'they have better deaths than any I've ever seen.'" - Dr. Robert C. McCann, a geriatrician at the University of Rochester.

"There is a time to die and a way to do that with reverence," said Sister Mary Lou, 56, a former nurse. "Hospitals should not be meccas for dying. Dying belongs at home, in the community. We built this place with that in mind."

Even absent the religious belief, this seems to me like an ideal way to live out the end of one's life.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Rebecca's Pocket, on July 16, 2009 4:15 AM

Roving Loge 13'er Ross Jones filed this report overnight.

On vacation in Portland and realized that the AAA All Star Game was being played a few minutes from my hotel.

 Nelson Figueroa and future Mets manager, Ken Oberkfell represtented the Bisons.

The backdrop makes me think of Coogan's Bluff and the Polo Grounds.



 San Diego Chicken. His routines are still funny after all these years.

Thanks for the photos, Ross Jones!

Originally posted by Kingman from Loge 13, on July 16, 2009 3:05 AM

Happy July, everyone.

Despite having been in business for two years now, hosting a Web site loaded of marketing jargon was never at the top of our todo list.  We’ve been focusing our time on building tools that promote an artist’s brand, not promoting our own.  But having a Web site that was “just a blog” and hearing at least weekly, “I went to your Web site and I still have no idea what the hell y’all do,” was getting less defensible by the day.  So…

We’re very proud to present to you the brand new Topspin Web site, featuring more detailed explanations about Topspin’s mission, software, and services.  Please take a look around, join the mailing list, sign up for the green room, buy a t-shirt (or 10), and let us know if you find anything amiss.  Thanks to Patrick, Peter, and Gary for their work on this site in their spare time over the past month, and to Jenny for helping out with the WordPress skinnage (the site may not be “just a blog” but it is still 100% WordPress).

I’m also proud to present to you an incredible list of releases from the past month or so.  The list is too long for me to go into detail on every one, and there are certainly more releases I’m forgetting (apologies!), but take a read and a listen to the below. Hopefully you’ll get lost in the music and find a few things that suit your fancy enough to support the artists behind them.

John Forté – StyleFREE the EP
Hip hop fans will remember John Forté as the incredible talent who co-wrote and produced a couple of tracks on Fugees’ The Score and whose career was cut too short by a jail stint.  This year at SXSW John returned, opening for Talib and holding the audience rapt with nothing more than an acoustic guitar.  John has made a truly original record, full of live instruments and heartfelt lyrics delivered with the skills of a true hip hop veteran.  It’s an honor to help John deliver direct to fans his first recordings since his release, the incredible StyleFREE EP.  Please take a listen and spend the $5 on the download.  Very worth it IMHO.

The Dandy Warhols Are Sound
The Dandy Warhols said it best here:

“Long story short, or if you just got to our party, late 2001 and into 2002 we recorded an album’s worth of tracks here in Portland and took those tracks to New York’s Electric Lady Studios to mix with famed mixing engineer Russell Elavedo, and the result of those mixing sessions was The Dandy Warhols Are Sound. We absolutely loved this record. However, Capitol, our label a the time, did not. They opted out of using our preferred mixes and remixed the record on their own to create Welcome To The Monkey House, a great album that we, and most of you, also love…Now finally, after almost seven years, on July 14, 2009 The Dandy Warhols will be proud to present to you The Dandy Warhols Are Sound.”

In many ways this release embodies the trend in how records are made the direct-to-fan channel is making possible.  As I paraphrased Rodney Crowell in a blog post a few months ago: “In the past we made music for radio, in the future we will make music for our fans.”  Anecdotally I feel this happening already (is the new Wilco album — and the awesome cover — the sort of thing their label would have encouraged them to make ten years ago?).  This Dandy Warhols record is a stark example of this trend.

Yim Yames – In Tribute
Speaking of long-lost recordings seeing the light of day, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James has released an EP of George Harrison songs he recorded in 2001 under his solo moniker, Yim Yames.  Again in the artist’s words:

“The following are a selection of George’s songs I recorded back in 2001, a few days after he passed that were moving me so very much at the time… I recorded them live at above the Cadillac in Shelbyville, KY… On my cousin John’s “ol faithful” Fostex 8 track reel2reel, then overdubbed a banjitar or b. vox here or there. I find comfort knowing that all things must pass, but that as all things do pass their spirits are still out there moving us somewhere… doing what they do, just as real as they ever were in this physical world…I hear them singing and I feel them in my blood.”

Proceeds from the album will go to the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary.

West Indian Girl
In still more rarities news, we’re proud to have West Indian Girl’s B-Sides and Rarities record being delivered via Topspin’s platform. Listen and buy it here. Very notably, they’re using the Topspin platform to run a contest to give away VIP tickets to their shows, all you have to do is share their music with a friend. See here for details.

Dave Holland
Anyone who knows me knows I’m a huge jazz fan, so it’s been a bit of a sore spot for me personally Topspin hasn’t yet covered more ground in jazz, a world ripe for direct-to-fan distribution.  It’s been fantastic to start working with Dave and his forward-thinking team, and we’re very excited for what they have planned.  Head on over to Dave’s new site, grab the free MP3s of this incredible sextet, and get ready for what they have coming this fall.

Fanfarlo – Resevoir
Hopefully you’ve heard of Fanfarlo by now, and if you have there’s a good chance the “buy our album for a dollar through July 4th” promotion had something to do with it.  When we first started with Fanfarlo they’d sold just a few hundred albums in the US and when the promotion was done, well, let’s just say it was a lot more than that.   They primed the pump with an incredible offer and because the album is truly fantastic, the kind of album that people send to their friends and say “you have to hear this”, it’s spread like wildfire.  Now they’re selling excellent deluxe editions (I’m told they’re even better than the beautiful handmade ones they were selling at Rough Trade last month) as well as the basics.  Highly recommended.

Beastie Boys – Ill Communication
If you’ve lost touch with the great Ill Communication, now’s a great time to reconnect, with an incredible sounding remaster available immediately in lossless digital audio as well as a limited edition box set and t-shirt.

Last week Trent Reznor tweet’d:

and wrote this blog post regarding his advice for artists.  We immediately dropped to our knees and did the “we’re not worthy” thing, but then got up, dusted off, politely said thank you, and got back to work.  Of course it’s incredibly rewarding to work so hard and get recognition from someone we respect so much.

But really, credit on this Beastie Boys project goes to not only Adam Bates and the great folks helping him in Topspin Artist Services, but to Jon, Greg, and Prod in Boston (who designed the beautiful Ill Communication site), and to the Beastie Boys themselves, who since literally the dawn of the WWW have been not only making great records on the cutting edge.  Not sure if you’ve heard, but with tongues firmly in cheek as per usual they’re claiming their new record will “save the music industry”.  In other words, wait until you see what we have coming your way this fall.  Next up: Hello Nasty, then the brand new record, Hot Sauce Committee.

SPIN Magazine – Purplish Rain
To celebrate 25 years since Prince’s breakthrough classic Purple Rain, SPIN had the likes of Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, Of Montreal, The Twilight Singers, and more cover the classic album.  Available to SPIN readers as a free download here.

Patterson Hood
Patterson Hood from the Drive By Truckers has had a busy year. Not only did the Truckers make a great record with Booker T (!), but Patterson has released his long-awaited second solo record, via Topspin no less! As DBT fans, we are stoked to say the least. Buy it here.

Jonsi and Alex from Sigur Ros – Riceboy Sleeps
Jonsi and Alex from Sigur Ros have a new project called Riceboy Sleeps.  Get a taste from their site, new album coming soon.

Metric – $1 Singles Pack!
Metric are simply one of the best (and at times most controversial) stories in music in 2009.  Without a “label” they’ve had impressive sales, radio play, tv appearances, a sold out tour, and rabid fans proving when your music connects with an audience and moves people anything is possible.  But Metric didn’t come out of nowhere, they’ve been building this base for the past five years; their growth has been natural and organic.

Many new folks are getting introduced to the band through radio and tv at the moment, so they made the smart decision to offer a very low “young persons guide to Metric” package including a few singles and a video for the ultra-low price of $1.  One of the best deals on the Web.  Tell a friend.

Lenny Kravitz – Let Love Rule
I’m sure you’re already familiar with Lenny Kravitz’s classic Let Love Rule, but you may not know he just remastered and reissued it with a very special package available only from his Web site.  Head on over and pick up your lossless audio copy of this classic record now.  It sounds as good or better today as it did then.

But wait!  There’s more!  Be sure to check out new releases from Galaxie 500, All Smiles, and Wonderlick, live shows from Barenaked Ladies, the Topspin-powered stores from our friends at both Latent Records (Cowboy Junkies!) and Latchkey Recordings, and a special Travis Barker Remix of Eminem’s 3AM, only available when you buy an Eminem t-shirt from Eminem.com.

Oh and btw, our engineering team has been busy implementing the most significant improvements to our software in the company’s history, phase one released for our artists to use the first part of August. Will, for one, just gave me a tour of what he’s been doing for the past month tonight and it is NO JOKE.

Hope you’re having a busy and fruitful summer, too, and I hope to see you at New Music Seminar next Tuesday in NYC.

Sincerely,
ian c rogers
Topspin

Originally posted by iancr from Topspin Media, on July 15, 2009 9:19 PM

To be honest, I didn't really want to see 2012, but this remix of the trailer may have changed my mind. While it's far from official, if more directors were so transparent about their films I think people would be less critical. Put your ego aside and admit this is a movie about blowing shit up. Crank: High Voltage did just that and it was fucking awesome.

JUMBO JET SURFING?

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Capn Design, on July 15, 2009 9:12 PM

The only hand I remember getting at the Personal Democracy Forum was when I suggested that government must be granted the license to fail – and we’re the ones the grant it – so it can have the courage to innovate. The culture of government doesn’t allow failure, which means it won’t tolerate risk.

Now see Craig Newmark returning from the UK, seeing a larger culture of failurephobia there and the impact that has on innovation, technology, and business:

I was struck by the repeated comment that failure is stigmatized in UK business culture. In Silicon Valley, failure is just a normal phase of one’s career. You might succeed in your first endeavor, probably not, so you’re ready to persist in subsequent efforts…..

That’s generally true in Silicon Valley, maybe needs to be true in the UK and maybe everywhere else.

I’m thinking a lot about this lately: the need to risk and fail and not hold perfection as the standard of success.

Originally posted by Jeff Jarvis from BuzzMachine, on July 15, 2009 3:40 PM

You know how in the movie The Stepford Wives that woman talks about her oven cleaner and says, "I love it so much if they asked me to do a commercial for it I would do it for free!"? Well that's how MM and the PAPER crew feel about Pret-a-Manger. MM lives for the Spicy Falafel Wrap and the fruit salad/low-fat yogurt parfait. Alexis digs into the Jalapeno Chicken Wrap. Whitney is crazy for the Balsamic Chicken Sandwich. She also enjoys a Slim Beef Sandwich with Cream Cheese. Oh and the popcorn. Hello! Intern Jonah can't get enough sushi. The PAPER crew Prets it up on Park Ave South between 32nd and 33rd, but there's a semi-new Pret at Union Square designed by PAPER favorite Rita Koenig, so we might just have to pop down there for our Pret fix. I swear this is not a paid adverstisement!!!!!

Originally posted by (author unknown) from PAPERMAG: WORD UP!, on July 15, 2009 3:11 PM

Love hush puppies, but hate deep frying at home? Me, too! Healthy and Delicious contributor Kristen Swensson saves the day with her moment of hush puppy serendipity—hush puppy corncakes. Genius!

Originally posted by Alaina Browne from Serious Eats: Posts and Comments by Alaina Browne, on July 15, 2009 2:30 PM

I’ve written some new Nagios checks for MMM (MMM on Google Code … MMM on Launchpad). check_mmm is a part of http://code.google.com/p/check-mysql-all/, and is meant to be called locally on the MMM Monitor server (usually via NRPE). Feedback is welcome, usage is as follows: Usage: check_mmm --cluster C# [...]

Originally posted by rlowe from Pablowe, on July 15, 2009 2:06 PM

Rap pioneer Q-Tip has reportedly decided to ink a tell-all book called Industry Rules which will reflect his rap career including his falling out with A Tribe Called Quest.

[Visit SOHH.com for more information]

Originally posted by (author unknown) from SOHH.com Dailies, on July 15, 2009 2:05 PM

This is one of the most impressive software demo videos I’ve ever seen. It’s like something from Minority Report. This is holy shit! stuff. The developers, Acrossair, already have a similar app available for London; they’re waiting for approval from Apple for this New York one to go live.

 ★ 

Originally posted by John Gruber from Daring Fireball, on July 15, 2009 1:08 PM

Filed under: Odds and ends, iPhone

If you're a car-free urbanite you've probably seen mention of Zipcar, or noticed one of their branded vehicles out and about. The company offers hourly rental automobiles with a rapid-deployment twist: there's no check-in or checkout process beyond reserving the time online and then swiping your membership card to unlock the car. The vehicles even include gas cards so you can fill up for free while you're on the road. Members are mostly enthusiastic about the convenience and ease of the service; soon, of course, there'll be an app for that.

Zipcar's newsletter and website have announced that the company's iPhone app will be coming soon, and the landing page offers an email signup to be notified when it ships. The promised feature set is a bit lean at the moment, but intriguing: find and reserve cars from the phone, plus the ability to unlock or lock the car from the app. Since the current Zipcar membership cards use RFID chips for the lock sensor, it's not quite clear how the app will accomplish the same trick -- GPS geolocation combined with a secure server connection? Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to the car's sensor? Can't wait to find out.

TUAWZipcar announces upcoming iPhone app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Originally posted by Michael Rose from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW), on July 15, 2009 1:00 PM

A few weeks ago, I wrote the foreword for Infinite Summer, a summer-long collective read of Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace's big-ass novel and one of my favorite books. That piece was actually my second draft. My first attempt was a list of advice on reading the novel...the submission of which prompted InfSum's dungeon master, Matthew Baldwin, to write back with a frowny face and a pointer to this piece published -- unbeknownst to me (I have the Time Machine backups to prove it!) -- the day before I submitted my draft.

Anyway, here's that first draft on how to read Infinite Jest:

1. If you haven't already, buy the book, get it from your local library, or download to your Kindle. I got my copy in 2001 at a local San Francisco bookstore; I bought it used along with a used copy of Don DeLillo's Underworld (which I started but never finished). I was upset at something that day and purchased the books as a sort of Fuck You to whatever it was that was pissing me off. "Oh yeah? Well, I'm gonna read both of these huge books. Fuck You!" Best $10.80 I ever spent.

2. Warning! This book contains several footnotes. Hundreds, in fact. They run on, at a very small point size, for almost 100 pages at the conclusion of the main text. One of the footnotes, which contains the complete filmography of a fictional filmmaker, goes for more than 8 pages and itself has 6 footnotes. Every single oh-my-God-this-thing-is-a-doorstop review of IJ since 1996 has trumpeted this fact so you're probably already up to speed re: the footnotes but I didn't want you to be caught unawares or pants down.

3. You're going to want to but don't skip the footnotes. They are important. Yes, even the filmography one.

4. Physically, Infinite Jest is a large book: 2.2 inches thick and, according to Amazon.com, has a shipping weight of 3.2 pounds. Some readers have found it useful to rip the book in half for easier reading on the subway or on the beach. If you do this, you also need to tear the footnotes from the back half and tape them to front half. This technique has the side effect of giving you the appearance of A Very Serious Reader of Infinite Jest, which will either keep onlookers' questions to a minimum or maximum, depending on the onlooker.

5. If you opt not to destroy your copy of IJ, you should use the three bookmark method. One bookmark for where you are in the main text, another for your current footnote location, and a third for page 223, which lists the years covered by the novel in chonological order, from the Year of the Whopper (which corresponds to 2002) to the Year of Glad (2010). To say that IJ skips around quite a bit chronologically is an understatement, so keeping the timeline straight is important.

6. Along with the footnotes, another thing that most reviews mention w/r/t Wallace is his use of words that appear rarely outside of dictionaries. If you get stuck, keep a dictionary handy or consult one of the following online collections: the David Foster Wallace Dictionary, Words I Learned From Reading David Foster Wallace, and the Infinite Jest Vocabulary Glossary.

7. Get a copy of Greg Carlisle's Elegant Complexity, *the* reference book for Infinite Jest. Reading EC's notes for each IJ section after you finish will greatly increase your understanding and enjoyment of the book. Here's an informative review of the guide. As a bonus: "The book is 99% spoiler-free for first-time readers of Infinite Jest."

8. Finally, you may have heard or read that Wallace committed suicide last year. He was 46 and left a wife and dogs and at least one unpublished novel and a vast literary legacy. This will be difficult, but try not to think too much about the suicide and Wallace's life-long struggle with depression while reading Infinite Jest. The book is undoubtably autobiographical in some aspects -- tennis: check; addiction: check; depression: check; grammar: check -- but a strict reading of IJ as a window into Wallace's troubled soul is a disservice to its thematic richness.

The great thing about Infinite Jest is that it begins at the end, so even though you're only a few pages in at this point, you already know how the whole thing is going to end. So get to it, it'll be easier than you think. I wish you way more than luck.

Tags: books   David Foster Wallace   how to   Infinite Jest

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on July 15, 2009 12:49 PM

Your new favorite iPhone app: New York Nearest Subway Augmented Reality App. Watch the video. It looks sorta meh at first, but then it goes crazy awesome augmented about 25 seconds in. It’s not out yet, but here’s more info.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Fimoculous, on July 15, 2009 12:08 PM

From our Brooklyn Bookstore Correspondent Emily Gould comes this photo. It was taken in Word, the lovely independent bookstore in Greenpoint. Go on over, and support your local bookstore! Oh and while you’re there, please steal this hilarious sign. Emily points out: “It’s like if instead of ‘FICTION’ at Barnes and Noble there was a sign that said ‘Twilight and other novels.’”

Originally posted by Choire from The Awl, on July 15, 2009 10:41 AM

Using a link to his Twitter account from his blog, Dustin Curtis tested the effect of language on clickthrough rates.

Making the phrase more direct and personal by adding the words "you should" increased the clickthrough rate by 38% to 10.09%.

Curtis started out with "I'm on twitter" and eventually increased the clickthrough rate by more than double by changing the wording to "You should follow me on Twitter here." (And Jesus, gorgeous site design too.)

Tags: design   Dustin Curtis   language

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on July 15, 2009 10:31 AM

The scene of the June 22 Washington D.C. Metro crash. Photo: AP

The House of Representatives subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia convened yesterday afternoon to hear testimony related to the tragic Washington Metro accident of June 22.

The proceedings got off to an appropriately somber start, as California Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA) used his opening statement to explain that this spring's stimulus package contained billions for a Mag-Lev rail line from Orange County to Las Vegas.

This, of course, is completely false, and the quip was entirely unrelated to the rest of his remarks. I'm sure Issa's constituents will be glad to know that he's taking transportation issues seriously.

Testimony was heard from a number of experts, and from Patrick Tuite, a rider on one of the trains in the collision, who provided a riveting account of the accident. But not much in the way of new information emerged.

The facts of the incident remain as previously understood. A recently replaced portion of track circuitry intended to detect the presence of trains on the tracks and facilitate the automatic train control system malfunctioned intermittently after installation, including around the time of the accident. The operator of the striking train attempted to engage the brakes before impact, but to no avail.

The National Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate the matter and may not have a final report on it for some time. In the meantime, trains on the Metro system continue to operate in manual mode, and on reduced speeds and a single track at the site of the accident (creating major headaches for riders on the system, which is a critical piece of metropolitan infrastructure).

Three broad themes emerged in testimony. The first concerned funding problems, at Metro specifically and for transit generally. Former congressman Tom Davis spoke at length about the funding difficulties at Metro, which have contributed to a $6 billion capital needs shortfall (in his estimation; Metro's John Catoe noted that identified needs run to over $11 billion at this time).

Metro's idiosyncrasies greatly complicate its funding. Unlike any other transit system in the country, there is no dedicated revenue source; all appropriations are ad hoc. This is particularly problematic as the system stretches across two states and the District of Columbia.

To make matters worse, Metro is overseen by the subcommittee on the District of Columbia rather than through the transportation committee. Federal appropriations for the system must travel a different route than money directed toward every other system in the country.

In an effort to overcome some of these difficulties, Congress has passed a law matching $1.5 billion in revenue from newly established local dedicated funding streams, to the tune of $150 million a year for 10 years. That's an improvement, but it obviously only begins to close the system's capital needs gap.

And so other testifying experts, most notably American Public Transportation Association president William Millar, argued forcefully for passage of a new transportation funding act, which would include adequate resources for the nation's transit systems. Unfortunately, Mr Millar may have to wait until 2011.

The second broad theme was the safety record of Metro specifically and transit generally relative to competing modes of transportation. Millar noted that a transit journey is roughly 20 times safer than an equivalent automobile trip.

Passenger fatalities in the June 22 accident were the system's first in over 20 years. Transit accidents make news because they're large and rare, but annual deaths in automobiles are several orders of magnitude higher than in rail systems.

And finally, there was extensive discussion of rail safety procedures generally. Oversight of safety systems was a hot topic, as was replacement of equipment -- particularly relevant in this case given the track failure, but also the age and poor crash performance of the forward car in the striking train.

An interesting note on this score came from Brian Bilbray (R-CA) who argued that the move toward increased automation of train systems might be counterproductive.

In particular, he suggested that using automatic train controls with manual back-up was unhelpful, as operators tend to tune out while trains are in automatic mode. Rather, a system of manual operation with automated back-up might improve safety.

Amusingly, he compared the operating procedures in transit vehicles to those in the B-2 bomber. Of course, if transit systems had the budget per vehicle of the B-2 program, the issue of aging capital equipment might not have arisen in the first place.

In all, it seems the Metro crash will lead to some valuable changes in operating procedures, and it has already resulted in the speedy direction of promised funds to the system. But the accident mainly provides an opportunity to reflect on how safe transit systems actually are, and how the nation's inability to fund those systems adequately -- and build new ones -- is an unfortunate and significant policy failure.

Originally posted by Ryan Avent from Streetsblog New York City, on July 15, 2009 10:03 AM

The latest exhibition at The New York Times art department’s 7th floor gallery space is called Sketchbook Obsessions, and it opens tomorrow evening, Thu 16 Jul, at 7:00p. If you’re in New York and can make it, you’re more than welcome to do so — just send an R.S.V.P. as soon as you can.

This show is all about sketchbooks, and it features a blizzard of pages from the sketchbooks of some of the brightest names in design and illustration. I’ve been watching my colleagues here as they’ve been hanging the show over the past couple of weeks, and it looks great. The wall is literally covered with countless amazing doodles, and it really captures that immediate, raw energy of unconstrained sketching, the instantaneous transmittal of ideas to paper via pencil. It’s going to be a fun show, and best of all it’s free.

Very, Very Sketchy

Just to give you an idea of what’s on display, here’s the full list of everyone whose work is showing:

Peter Arkle, Karen Barbour, George Bates, Nicholas Blechman, Blex Bolex, Loren Capelli, Josh Cochran, Matt Dorfman, Sara Fanelli, Nicholas Gazin, Steven Guarnaccia, Eric Hanson, John Hendrix, Matthew Hollister, Emma Houlston, Erik T. Johnson, Nora Krug, Pascal Lemaitre, Jason Logan, Ted McGrath, Rick Meyerowitz, Chris Silas Neal, Kate O'Connor, Mike Perry, Leif Parsons, Alain Pilon, Jason Polan, Brian Rea, Jonathon Rosen, Leanne Shapton, Seth, Shoboshobo, Rachel Solomon, Tamara Shopsin, Ward Schumaker, Holly Stevenson, Jillian Tamaki, Mark Todd, Aude Van Ryn, Andrea Ventura, Henning Wagenbreth, and Esther Pearl Watson. Whew!

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Subtraction.com, on July 15, 2009 10:00 AM

Matt Haughey reflects on running MetaFilter for ten years. MeFi in the early-to-mid 00s was a cesspool; Matt deserves several gold stars for pushing through, somehow making the site better than it ever was in the early days, and turning the site into a thriving business. Over the years as community fads have changed online, people moved from wanting to build their own Slashdot to Gawker to Digg to Facebook to Twitter, but MeFi as a model of online community deserves more scrutiny...people should be trying to make their own MetaFilters but nobody really does.

Anyway, here's to you and The Blue, Matt. Congrats!

Tags: Matt Haughey   MetaFilter

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on July 15, 2009 9:14 AM

he was expecting 200 people for the rumored appearance, which spread quickly through Twitter  

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Waxy.org Links, on July 15, 2009 7:34 AM

Rocketboom NYC Correspondent Ella Morton talks to World Champion Competitive Eater Tim Janus, a.k.a. “Eater X” of the International Federation of Competitive Eating

Originally posted by hello@rocketboom.com (Rocketboom) from Rocketboom, on July 15, 2009 7:16 AM

Out of boredom I've started a quick twitter avatar contest.

Whoever enters the best twitter avatar created from or inspired by a photo of me (my flickr photos of myself are here) will win a $50 iTunes gift card. If the winner lives in a country where I cannot give you an iTunes gift card, we will work out a suitable prize for the same value.

This contest is just for a nice avatar that does not piss me off when I see it on twitter (my twitter account). It has to have a likeness of myself, and not of any other characters or anything else. Vectors and photos will both be accepted. :)

The contest starts now, and I will allow submissions until Monday to give submitters the weekend, and the winner will be announced shortly after. You can enter as many submissions as you like.

If you feel that none of the photos are suitable, please contact me (I'll send you a zip of crappy photos, but I assure you they're all of my face).

To enter, send all contest entries to: liz[at]latherrinserepeat.org. :D

Originally posted by Liz from Lather Rinse Repeat, on July 15, 2009 6:57 AM

What is the best programming language for web development and why?:

Stack Overflow user sork in response to the linked question (via jonathan-deamer):

Gmail is written in Java.

Wikipedia is written in PHP.

Many parts of google.com are written in Python.

Slashdot is written in Perl.

Twitter is written in Ruby.

Stackoverflow is written in C#.

The list goes on…

As you can see, there is no best language, a language is only what you make of it.

Excellent response. You can tell a lot about a programmer’s wisdom and professional maturity by the way they answer these types of questions — and the more of a non-answer it is (like sork’s), the better.

Nothing is more dull and pointless than programmers arguing about which languages are “better” or berating languages they don’t know for being “bad”. Every language is great in many ways and awful in many others. If you can’t tell me why your favorite language sucks, you don’t know it well enough.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Marco.org, on July 15, 2009 6:35 AM

The Mets announced some mid-season adjustments to Citi Field.

The biggest: they will now show live game action on the big video screens. This is to accommodate all the fans who have obstructed view seats. Apparently there are alot of us.

The funny thing is, even the announcers in the booth have obstructed view seats, as Keith Hernandez has mentioned a few times on-air. Who built this stadium anyway?

Newsday had a good article on the new changes expected for both Yankee Stadium and Citi Field. Here is the relevant Mets part:

Dave Howard, the Mets' executive vice president for business, said Citi Field has been "extremely well received," with people commenting even on their reception in the parking lot.

He did acknowledge early-season criticisms: Some seats have obstructed views and that there is less celebration of Mets history than the Brooklyn Dodgers' legacy. As much as there was a "good riddance" feeling about Shea, there was an uproar Sunday when one of its traditions, the apple, failed to pop out of the centerfield hat for the second of two home runs. "We've heard our fans," he said.

So, he said, the Mets received permission from Major League Baseball to show the live feed on video screens the instant the ball is in play, allowing fans to follow action they might not see live. Also, an additional video board will be installed in the rightfield corner after the All-Star break.

Howard added that more Mets memories will be reflected with displays in the park this summer, and that there are bigger long-term plans to give the place a Mets atmosphere.

Whether they will make it a more hitter-friendly atmosphere by bringing in the fences or lowering the walls is a decision for the offseason. Howard did say that if the Mets are healthy, the park can work to their advantage because of their gap hitters, fly ball-oriented pitchers and mobile centerfielder and rightfielder. Backup centerfielder Angel Pagan said, "I need room to gallop, so this is the right place."

Howard said, "I think it gets in other teams' heads, too."

The question is, does it get in Mets' heads, especially David Wright's? There is some feeling that he and other Mets have taken their Citi Field swings on the road, where they have hit even fewer home runs than they have at home (24 to 28).

"You have to adjust your approach, you have to adjust your philosophy to this ballpark because it's not a launching pad,'' Wright said. "It's not a place where you're going to go out and get a lot of cheap home runs."

Gary Sheffield, who had a fondness for Shea ever since his uncle Dwight Gooden pitched there, said: "I love Citi Field. The atmosphere is electric. It's a challenge, but if you hit the ball square, it goes out."

The half-season has not been a solid hit or a full whiff for either park. But this week will be big in both spots. Yankee Stadium will import memories from next door with Oldtimers Day on Sunday. Citi Field will strike a chord with concerts by Paul McCartney, who played Shea with the Beatles in 1965, and with Billy Joel, who helped close down Shea last year.

Having gotten into heads and under skin, the two rookies, clearly here to stay, are trying to make their way into people's hearts.

Originally posted by Kingman from Loge 13, on July 15, 2009 4:59 AM

cajunboy:

“Did we do GQ story about 15-year-old manipulative cocksucker?”

I’m not sure that’s specific enough.  That could be several GQ stories.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Spiersblr, on July 15, 2009 3:48 AM

When taking a backwards glance at the many pop giants who’ve dominated the music world over the past decade, few register as endlessly fascinating as Miss Shakira.

From one track to the next, she leapfrogs amongst various world-pop musical influences; her voice is a chameleonic wonder, evolving from an imp-ish peep to a froggy growl to a lioness-like bellow, sometimes all within a single verse; her songwriting, whether English or Spanish, bears a clumsy poetic charm; and then there’s her body-ahhh, that body-and the seducing physical contortions that make up her “freestyle choreography”.

With all that said, it’s not all that surprising that Shakira’s new single “She Wolf” would end up being the farthest thing from boring, but we’re also sure no one was expecting what is ultimately delivered either.

It’s zany plot? Triggered by a full moon lighting up the night sky, a bored housewife suddenly transforms into this horny, werewolf-like ho-creature. That outline not interesting enough? How about Shakira’s full commitment to the storyline’s innate campiness with random howling bursts or sex-craving heavy sighs? Or interesting lyrical turns like “Nocturnal creatures are not so prudent/ The moon’s my teacher, and I’m her student” and “To look at the single man I’ve got on me a special radar/ And the fire department’s hotline in case I get in trouble later” (not to mention the use of the term “Lycantrophy”). Or, taking the record to a whole new level of WTF?, the fact that the entire backing track is bathed in a slightly cheap-ish, Studio 54-inspired nightclub groove accented with snippets of disco strings and Chic-y guitar flickers?

Initially, the whole thing doesn’t seem to gel together all that well, with Shakira’s laboured vocal inflections and overly-wordy verses sounding at odds against the dance beat, making one wish that the producers would have went the more easier route and simply saved the track for the next Kylie Minogue album.

But with repeated listens, “She-Wolf”’s contrasting elements and “Thriller”-ish thematic rip-off (disco meets Halloween) eventually form into quite an addictive whole, establishing it as a highly successful game-changing comeback event. All that’s really needed now is an accompanying music video, cause we can’t wait to see how she plans to act out this “transformation” through her always-mouth-watering dancing.

She-Wolf, the album, is slated for an October release.

Originally posted by dajo from mixtape maestro (2.0), on July 15, 2009 12:59 AM

MetaFilter is ten years old today. It feels both like a long time and it went by in a flash, if that's possible. I guess it's safe to say the first five years were an atrocious slog in terms of my life/work balance and how much energy and free time I put into it, while the last five years have gone quickly as I've gotten to work on it full time and have several people helping out.

I remember Chuck Olsen interviewing me for Blogumentary (it's not in the final cut of the movie). It was spring of 2003 and I'm at the lowest of low when we discuss MetaFilter. The site is sucking the life out of me as I'm trying to juggle running MetaFilter on my own along with a full time day job, a marriage, the expense of living in the Bay Area while at the same time trying to save up for a move to Oregon and a house. My world was crumbling as I was doing a mediocre job at everything while still devoting hours everyday trying to keep things civil at MetaFilter. I talked to a couple people that had had some internet success, asking them what they'd do if they were in my shoes, but I didn't get any good answers. Thankfully, I just kept my head down and slogged through a bad year.

Late that year I set up Ask MetaFilter after repeated requests for a Q&A forum. Early on I could tell it was special and could lead to something great. Normally online communities sort of start out, get good, then slide downward into oblivion. Ask MetaFilter renewed my faith in the community I helped build and I felt like it reset whatever downward slide had taken place in the previous year or so.

Today, the site is bustling, doing an insane amount of traffic (mostly due to Ask MeFi). Four other people work on the site along with me. The front page of MetaFilter continues to be a wonderful mish-mash of interesting things on the web and Ask MetaFilter astounds me everyday with the great questions and answers about stuff I've often wondered about. My life is richer for having built it and having ran it and (especially) having read it for all these years.

I noticed a lot of people on twitter are thanking me personally, but I'd rather thank the people that got MetaFilter to where it is today. Every one of the thousands of account holders have contributed things both big and small to the site and its culture and without them the site simply wouldn't exist so I'd like to thank anyone that has ever joined the site, posted a comment, posted a question, attended a meetup, or even simply read the site as an outsider.

The site could not continue without the incredible staff working behind the scenes. Jessamyn became the first employee on the site when I noticed she was doing a better job of explaining the site than I was. I'm thankful for her balanced moderation that helped mold all the sites into wonderful places to hang out. I couldn't keep up with both the endless parade of new feature requests as well as the constant site maintenance and thankfully I soon got a ton of help from Paul. His work is amazing but even more so when you consider the site spits out roughly 18 million pages to 9 million people a month using ColdFusion and just three servers (one web server, one database server, and one just for images and other static files). Paul has re-engineered the entire codebase to the point where I can barely understand what makes some features on the site actually function. Josh became the third employee when he, like Jessamyn, was doing a better job than me explaining things on the site but he was also doing it faster than I ever could. Josh also alleviates the monster workload Jessamyn and I were working under trying to moderate a hundred new threads and a few thousand comments that were added daily. Eventually we realized since we're all in the USA, the time we sleep became a problem and thankfully vacapinta stepped in from Europe to save our butts many, many times at 3am our time.

Many others have helped along the way. My first real web job at UCLA was cool enough that the director let us run hobby sites on our own hardware under our desks. When I left to join Pyra, Ev and Meg let me run the server under my desk there as well. When I left in 2001, Jason Levine stepped in and graciously shared his personal home bandwidth and closet space to house the server at not just one but two apartments on the east coast.

Over the years I've met thousands of MetaFilter members at organized MeFi meetups, at technical conferences, and sometimes just walking down the street. Often I was surprised by this and given my introverted personality, I usually never know what to say to members I meet randomly, but I do want to say from the bottom of my heart I thank you for helping make the site more amazing every day.

This weekend we're celebrating the site's 10th anniversary at one of almost seventy places on Earth's seven continents. There will be thousands of people celebrating and I hope anyone that has ever been a part of the site can join in.

Originally posted by Matt Haughey from A Whole Lotta Nothing, on July 14, 2009 10:16 PM

Prince is moving back to Minneapolis. I guess it's time for me too.

Originally posted by rex@fimoculous.com (Rex Sorgatz) from Fimoculous.com, on July 14, 2009 10:00 PM

I accidentally caught Knocked Up on late-night cable the other night, and all I could think is, could we have possibly guessed which thespians would become increasingly famous over the next two years?

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Fimoculous, on July 14, 2009 8:58 PM

From Serious Eats: New York

"He may call it a gastropub, but what Psilakis has really done is open a kick-ass diner that doesn't serve breakfast."

Photographs by Robyn Lee

Gus and Gabriel Gastropub

222 West 79th Street, New York NY 10023 (b/n Broadway and Amsterdam; map); 212-362-7470
Service: Professional, friendly, and diner-like in the best possible sense
Setting: Subterranean, windowless room in the original Kefi space
Compare It To: Chat 'n' Chew, Empire Diner, and Bubby's
Must-Haves: Beef brisket French dip, buttered sweet corn and jalapeno soup, Mexi mac and cheese, coffee malt, peanut butter banana shake
Cost: $20 to 25 including tax and tip
Grade: B+

Imagine, if you will, your local Greek coffee shop or diner (one that only serves lunch and dinner) being taken over by a hard-working fancypants celebrity chef, who happens to be Greek-American. Sounds promising, doesn't it? Inspired by the pleasure he derived cooking with and for his four year-old son Gabriel and the love he has for his dad Gus, chef Michael Psilakis (of Anthos, Mia Dona, and Kefi) has opened Gus and Gabriel Gastropub. Obsessive, perfectionist mad man that he is, Psilakis had decided that at his Greek coffee shop, everything from the hot dogs to the nachos to the ice cream is going to be made from scratch.

So what could be bad, the serious eaters figured. A talented Greek-American chef ready, willing, and able to take on the challenge of making terrific diner food without feeling the need to reinvent it? Of course, we did worry that Psilakis put "gastropub" in the name, because I, for one, have always associated gastropubs in London with places with greater culinary aspirations than those found at good diners. So we concluded that a lot could go wrong in the execution of this concept, so we descended six strong on Gus and Gabriel one perfect summer-y night to see how Psilakis is faring.

Peanut butter banana shake and Purple Cow.

My dream diner (and I guess Psilakis' too) starts with milkshakes, malts, and floats. Psilakis is making his own ice creams and though they could be a little smoother and creamier, they are all vividly flavored. We had a killer peanut butter banana shake and a seriously delicious coffee malt, and were totally blown away by how intensely flavored they were. I am not a float person, but if you are, you can't go wrong with the Purple Cow made with Virgil's ginger beer, grape juice, and vanilla ice cream.

In true diner-style, portions are for the most part huge at Gus and Gabriel's, and most of the food could not be described as spa food (neither is diner food in general), so resist the impulse to over-order. Nonetheless, it is hard not to order the nachos ($9.95), which will feed four as a starter. Psilakis and his crew take fresh tortillas, cut them, and fry them fresh every day. Add chili, refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa, and you end up with resolutely inauthentic but unmistakeably delicious snack chips. Like just about everything else that we tried on the menu the nachos are well-salted. This is not diner food that suffers from a case of the blahs.

Glazed pork riblets ($7.95) are falling-off-the-bone tender and succulent, but the honey and molasses-laden sauce was a tad too sweet for me.

I have had more watery, floury soup at diners than I care to remember, so it was a thrill to taste the vibrantly seasoned and flavored, sweet, and just hot enough
buttered sweet corn and jalapeno soup ($5.95).

Mexi mac and cheese ($7.50) sounded overwrought (menu description: pork, salsa verde, Monterey Jack and cheddar, jalapeno, sour cream, pico de gallo), but was tangy and, gasp, light.

The bacon and cheddar burger ($12.95) was beefy, juicy, and cooked as ordered medium rare, but the stiff, toasted brioche bun should have been a potato roll. The french fries that came with the burger were properly twice-cooked and crisp, but could have had more tender and creamy insides. Cole slaw was crunchy and blessedly not-too-sweet, thanks to the yogurt Psilakis uses in the dressing.

Hot dogs have been the recent craze for fancypants chefs, even though there are great all-beef natural casing Sabrett hot dogs so readily available. I have to scratch my head and ask, why? Psilakis' hot dogs are actually pretty good, but the big toasted brioche bun overwhelmed the weiner in the chili and cheese hot dog ($12.50 for two).

The single best sandwich I tried was the beef brisket French dip ($11.95). Psilakis brines, rubs, and braises the brisket, so the meat itself is suffused with an almost absurd amount of savory deliciousness even without dipping the sandwich in the ramekin of beef jus. Gruyere and caramelized onions complete the triumvirate of long, deep flavors in this most magnificent sandwich.

The pulled pork Cuban ($12.95) is a mighty tasty pork sandwich that really doesn't have much of the traditional Cuban sandwich flavor profile, thanks to the Monterey jack and the sauerkraut stuffed inside.

"Batter-less" fried chicken ($13.95) is a flawlessly cooked pan-fried half chicken topped with giblet gravy and served with sweet cakey biscuits and mashed potatoes. It is a fine, fine plate of diner food, though it wouldn't make it into my list of top five fried chickens I have eaten.

Desserts are way, way better than the cakes and pies you find rotating in gleaming cases in many Greek coffee shops. The peanut butter and jelly cupcake ($4.95) is not really a cupcake (no paper cup holder here), but who cares when something tastes as good as this. The peanut butter frosting is not too sweet, and the jam-filled mini cake is moist and light.

Just about as good is the ultra-moist, intensely chocolaty iced mint chocolate cake ($5.95) that is accompanied by chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. It's hard to stand out in this berg with a slab of chocolate cake, but this one does.

An oversized ramekin of apple crisp, burnt caramel, and toffee crunch ($6.50) comes with a scoop of maple walnut ice cream.

Psilakis has already much succeeded in bringing a newfound respect to contemporary Greek and Greek-influenced cooking with restaurants like Anthos and Kefi. Now, in a move drenched in inescapable irony, he has done the same for Greek diner food with Gus and Gabriel.

He may call it a gastropub, but what Psilakis has really done is open a kick-ass diner that doesn't serve breakfast. Any serious eater in search of insanely tasty diner classics like French dip sandwiches, french fries, and coffee malts, at mostly diner-like prices, will eat well at Gus and Gabriel Gastropub.

Originally posted by Ed Levine from Serious Eats, on July 14, 2009 7:00 PM

There was small delay in our releases, part of this time we worked on features I mentioned before:
– Moving InnoDB tables between servers
– Improve InnoDB recovery time
and rest time we played with performance trying to align XtraDB performance with MySQL 5.4 ® and also port all performance fixes to 5.0 tree.

So basically we made: new split-buffer-mutex patch, which separate global buffer pool mutex into several small mutexes, and ported some Google IO fixes.
Here are results what we have so far. As usually for benchmarks I used our workhorse Dell PowerEdge R900 with 16 cores and 32GB of RAM and RAID 10 on 8 SAS disks. And again as usually our tpcc-mysql scripts with 100W (about 10GB of data) and 16 connection. For in-memory benchmark I set InnoDB buffer pool to 16GB, and for io-bound benchmarks I made it 3GB.

Raw results and rest of mysql parameters are here
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=tOWmcwiHDD6-zNeXwe2k3Og

And let me post some graphs here.

In-memory benchmark, results during run:

And averaged final result:

As you see XtraDB, 5.0.83-percona and MySQL 5.4 are almost equal, leaving 5.0.83-standard far behind.

If you wonder about dips during run, that’s know problem with checkpoint activity, and we did not used innodb_adaptive_checkpoint in this case for XtarDB / 5.0.83-percona. And, by the way, Yasufumi also made new patch for second implementation of adaptive_checkpoint, and he will write about it eventually. But this is topic for another benchmark.

And now IO-bound results

Again you can see that XtraDB, 5.0.83-percona and 5.4 are almost equal, with difference we have get some extra performance turning InnoDB readahead off.

You may wonder why one now can choose XtraDB if 5.4 has the same performance, let me refresh:

- XtraDB is based on InnoDB plugin 1.0.3, with all its benefits like FAST INDEX CREATION, table compression
- XtraDB will support moving tables between servers
- XtraDB will be released with fast recovery patch
- XtraDB has additional performance fixes i.e. extra UNDO and ROLLBACK segments (full list see here http://www.percona.com/docs/wiki/percona-xtradb:patch:start)

And now 5.0-tree will contain all performance fixes and show the same results as 5.4

Both 5.0.83-percona and XtraDB-rel6 are available in source code yet, but binaries should be ready in one-two weeks timeframe.

---

Entry posted by Vadim | No comment

Add to: | | | |

Originally posted by Vadim from MySQL Performance Blog, on July 14, 2009 6:31 PM

People like to go fast and film themselves doing so. Modern technology offers a variety of ways to both go faster than ever before and record that speed for posterity. But for something to look fast on video, there needs to be a frame of reference for the viewer -- something to hurtle past or whoosh by -- and maybe even a hint of danger. Here are a selection of videos of people doing just that: traveling at high speeds in cars, on train tracks, through the air, and down mountains in close proximity to traffic, large rocks, and thin atmospheres. Most of these videos are filmed from a first-person perspective so that when you watch them, you can imagine that you're the one zooming along.

In 1976, Claude Lelouch mounted a camera on the front of his Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 and drove through the streets of Paris -- running red lights, jumping curbs and possibly reaching speeds upwards of 120 mph -- before reaching his date near the Sacré Coeur. The result is the film C'était un rendez-vous, 8 uncut minutes of insane urban driving.

Base jumpers equipped with wingsuits can glide very fast very close to the ground. Perhaps the most insane videos on the page...they're not doing 1200 mph or anything, but they are awfully close to the ground with few safety options if they slip up.

The lads at Top Gear took the Bugatti Veyron to its top speed of 253 mph on a test track. The test driver seems to have had what I would term a religious experience at the top speed.

Two gents in powder-blue suits speed down a California hill on skateboards. Holy crap!

240 mph on a Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle. Oh, and he does a wheelie from 70 to 140 mph. (Note: Wikipedia says the bike has an "electronically restricted" top speed of 188 mph. Either the owner a) removed the restriction, or b) tweaked the speedometer to display higher than normal speeds.)

In 1960, Joseph Kittinger reached a speed of 714 mph after jumping from a helium balloon at an altitude of 102,800 feet.

A French TGV train reaches a top speed of 357 mph in a 2007 test.

A camera mounted on the external tank records the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis in May 2009. There's not a lot to whoosh past here, but at an eventual 18,000 mph, the pace at which the Shuttle leaves the Earth behind is astounding.

While skydiving, both of Michael Holmes' chutes failed as his helmet camera recorded his crash landing into some thick bushes. (He lived.)

Footage of Alex Roy and David Maher on the road as they sped across the entire United States in just over 32 hours, an unofficial world record. There is a book and a blog of the experience.

Passenger seat and road-side views of a Lamborghini Murcielago doing 219 mph on the 202 freeway in Mesa, Arizona.

Tags: cars   Claude Lelouch   josephkittinger   Space Shuttle   video

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on July 14, 2009 5:23 PM

In case you haven’t heard, Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Tony Romo, split with his longtime girlfriend and former reality TV star, Jessica Simpson. Now while it may be true that Jessica, once on top of the celebrity world, is down and out, she is still one of the most beautiful women on the planet.

Ironically, Romo spent the last weekend of being “locked down” with Upper Deck for their annual Diamond Club Summit. As you can see from these pictures (#3 down), he was clearly writing his phone number to that pretty lady in the flower dress. Well, maybe not but how can you explain that huge smirk on his face?

For further proof, check out picture #11. He is clearly chatting on his cell with his new woman in the flower dress, we’ll call her “Amy”. So there you have it, breaking news from none other than Upper Deck. How does that make you feel, TMZ, Perez Hilton, and Entertainment Tonight?

Originally posted by Mario A. from Wax Heaven, on July 14, 2009 4:51 PM

ANDY HAS DIED OF DYSENTARY GINTERARY


At least he went quickly before I posted the other 14 packs...

268 Andy Pettitte
169 Kazuo Matsui
241 Trevor Cahill RC
228 Will Simpson/Archie Bunker
218 Bobby Parnell RC
272 Brad Nelson RC
LMT1 BIGFOOT
NP48 Jorge Cantu

BIGFOOT SIGHTING!!!!

No matter what else happens with this box, Bigfoot has made it a rousing success. I'm going to collect the magical critters set. I don't know how, but I'm gonna do it. The rest of the pack is pretty meh. Pettitte is nice but three rookies I've never heard of is not. Mexico gets some love in the National Pride set. The Will Simpson card has weirded me since I saw it on the checklist. Archie Bunker is NOT a horse.


He's right ya know...

Originally posted by dayf from Cardboard Junkie, on July 14, 2009 3:40 PM

Happy B-Day Metafilter: Metafilter is 10 years old today.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Fimoculous, on July 14, 2009 2:19 PM

At six, Hannah Clark received a heart transplant...but they kept the second heart in her chest as well. Ten years later, her new heart failed and they were able to remove it because her old heart had mended itself in the meantime.

For the first few months, the new heart did nearly all the work, but this "rest" gave Hannah's own heart a chance to begin recovery. By the time of the second heart was finally removed, Hannah's heart was doing virtually all the work itself.

It's amazing what doctors can entice the human body to do.

Tags: medicine

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on July 14, 2009 2:10 PM

!! Metafilter, one of the best websites on the whole of the Internet, is a shocking ten years old! Parties ensue.

Originally posted by Choire from The Awl, on July 14, 2009 1:51 PM

Examiner column for July 15.

View from Tolkien's (?) rooms at Exeter College

    During the three weeks of the summer school program at Exeter College, Oxford University, George Mason University students are among those enrolled from all over the world. Each student’s day is slightly different, but a shared rhythm emerges by the second week, uniting our students with those from as far away as Australia, China, and Russia.

    Dawn breaks at 5 a.m., and shortly thereafter the crow, who perches daily on the Exeter College chapel, begins to caw in short bursts: 3 caws, 4 caws. At first I thought he was a fire alarm, but when I saw the crow proudly perched atop the roof, I knew he was Exeter’s harbinger of day.

    Breakfast is at 8 a.m. in the Harry-Potter-like dining hall. At 9 a.m. students either go to the daily 1½ hour plenary lecture (English Literature) or to a two-hour seminar (History and Politics). The History plenary lectures are daily at 11:15 a.m. with lunch in the same dining hall between 12:45-2:00 p.m. During the afternoon, most students have a second two-hour seminar.

    The formal dinner occurs nightly at 7 p.m. sharp. The service by young men and women in black and white uniforms contrasts sharply with the informal fast-food habits of many GMU students. After dinner there’s either a second lecture, or meetings of a book group or debate group. Occasionally students are free and can take a walk or visit a local pub. Conversation throughout the day focuses on the readings and lectures, further unifying the students and immersing them in the intellectual life of Oxford.

    It’s light until nearly 10:00 p.m. in this northern latitude, and so bedtime is late, and the wake-up caws come early. Each hour, on the hour, the Exeter clock tolls. Yet during our three-week interval, students and faculty are escorted out of time and into a largely unchanging and unchanged realm. This slice of life is much the same in 2009 as it was in 1909 or 1809. Seminars and lectures occur in rooms within the walls of Exeter, rooms that have changed little over the centuries.

    History is alive here. My husband and I are staying in rooms that may or may not have been occupied by J.R.R. Tolkien his first year at Exeter—the evidence is conflicting. As Oxford’s fourth oldest college, founded in 1314, Exeter has distinguished graduates in all fields over many centuries. The Victorian artist and writer William Morris graduated from Exeter, as did playwright and actor Alan Bennett (who won a Tony Award in 2006 for Best Play “The History Boys”). In 2000, Inspector Morse of the famed BBC series, had his fatal heart attack on the very bench where I write this column. Like time travelers, we all experience the past that anchors the present in this three-week time capsule.

    My husband asked a groundskeeper how he kept the grass so green, and he replied, “You weed and seed every fall, and after 500 years it looks pretty good.” The long history and traditions of Oxford have similar effects on students—nourishing and enlivening their minds and thoughts. Even three weeks is enough time to feel that growth.

Originally posted by Erica Jacobs from TeacherTalk, on July 14, 2009 1:12 PM

Suspended over the freshly landscaped Highline is the latest André Balazs’s impressive landmark. The Standard New York hotel is a gargantuan streamlined post-modern property holding 337 impeccably designed rooms with exquisite city views on the edge of the Meatpacking District. And room rates start at a shocking low $195. Balazs often likens himself to a film producer creating hotels that are cinematographic and usually set the mood and tone for the revelers and guests who come to play. Like a good Hollywood producer, he collaborated with a design team fit for a blockbuster feature including Standard-veteran Shawn Hausman, architect Todd Schliemann of Polshek Partnership and New York based design firm Roman Williams, who all share an appreciation for the beauty of unconventional materials. The concrete and glass exterior hovers over the neighborhood with distinct elegance, reminding me of the beautiful and harshly-modern Niemeyer creations in Brazil’s capital city of Brasilia. The interior on the other hand provides guests with every comfort possible never looing sight of the architectural details of its façade. The rooms come in eight different shapes and sizes but all include awe-inspiring city views that will leave even the most world-weary Manhattanite speechless. No detail was left un-obsessed-over. The Tambour wooden headboards flow above the bed and onto the ceiling and the incredibly stylish desks, chairs and sconces add character to each boudoir. The peek-a-boo showers and enormous bathtubs are the perfect way to seduce a special someone or simply take the edge-off after a long day trotting the streets below. If that wasn’t enough to thrill all of your senses, the ground level holds the Standard Grill, a recently opened restaurant that has already become an obligatory stop for the in-the-knows. The indoor-outdoor living room with its fire pits lure customers for an indulgently lethargic afternoon cocktail. Soon enough, the property will debut its Pool Garden on the 18th floor and rooftop deck. Balazs has done it again, creating a hub that is reasonably priced for the young folks and luxurious enough for our incredibly jaded Manhattan standards. The Standard New York 848 Washington St. (212) 645-4646 www.standardhotels.com

Originally posted by (author unknown) from PAPERMAG: WORD UP!, on July 14, 2009 12:59 PM

President Obama, speaking today:

I love those folks who helped get us in this mess, and suddenly they say, "This is Obama's economy." That's fine. Give it to me.

Originally posted by David Kurtz from Talking Points Memo, on July 14, 2009 12:58 PM

Photographer Paul Graham writes about what's so easy:

It's simply a way of recording what you see -- point the camera at it, and press a button. How hard is that? And what's more, in this digital age, its free -- doesn't even cost you the price of film. It's so simple and basic, it's ridiculous.

and difficult about photography:

It's so difficult because it's everywhere, every place, all the time, even right now. It's the view of this pen in my hand as I write this, it's an image of your hands holding this book, Drift your consciousness up and out of this text and see: it's right there, across the room -- there... and there. Then it's gone. You didn't photograph it, because you didn't think it was worth it. And now it's too late, that moment has evaporated.

Graham also describes photography as "an intuitive expression of liquid intelligence", which seems an apt expression of creativity in general. (via noah kalina)

Tags: Paul Graham (photographer)   photography

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on July 14, 2009 11:23 AM

Even now, nineteen days on, I can remember where I was when I discovered that Michael Jackson had passed away: sitting in front of my laptop reading this very site. It seems like only yesterday that we all switched from not thinking about Michael Jackson unless we heard a song of his in a cab to sharing an endless celebration of his legacy. It seems like only yesterday, but no: It was almost three weeks ago. We live in a completely different world now. Still, while we may have moved on, it’s not a terrible thing to look back every now and again. For instance, I just discovered musician David Byrne’s reminscence of the fallen Pop King. It captures the sorrow, shock, and anger we all felt back in those simpler times.

The shock, to me, was that a young black man who was conquering the world of white pop (and video! He was the ONLY black man on MTV!) was simultaneously ashamed or very mixed up about his blackness. What kind of example does it set for black adolescents watching Michael get whiter and whiter every year? How’s a Brother supposed to get further with this shit going on?

Damn right, Dave. But let it go: The man is at peace now.

Originally posted by Balk from The Awl, on July 14, 2009 9:45 AM

Last time I was at Citi Field, we sat in the Pepsi Porch.

It's not a bad vantage point at all for watching a game. The vibe is even better. It's like your own private deck for the game. What most intrigued me was the grassy knoll beneath the right field scoreboard.
  
Wouldn't this be a great spot for tomato plants? Or maybe they could round up the old stray cats of Shea Stadium and let them roam free here.

Better yet, a MEGA SLIDE AND SLIDE for kids. Between this idea and the Pu-Pu Platter partial ticket plan, I gotta say I'm on a roll.

 

Any other ideas for the Plains of Citi Field? Share them here.

Originally posted by Kingman from Loge 13, on July 14, 2009 8:41 AM

Visa recorded a $23,148,855,308,184,500.00 purchase on Consumerist reader Dale's kid's prepaid Visa Buxx card: "My lectures about financial responsibility appear to have failed: yesterday she charged $23,148,855,308,184,500.00 at the drug store. That's 2,000 times more than the national debt, which is a paltry 11 trillion. The ever-vigilant folks at VISA added a $20 'negative balance fee,' and have suspended the card."

Unruly Teen Charges $23 Quadrillion At Drugstore

Originally posted by Cory Doctorow from Boing Boing, on July 14, 2009 6:53 AM

[Twitpic]

By the looks of the Twitter, there was a fire last night at four month-old Upper West Side spot Comida Mercado Fresco, the restaurant that took over for the short-lived Madeleine Mae on Columbus Ave. It's just the latest in a recent spate of restaurant fires that in just the last four months have claimed as victims Annisa, Teany, Stay, Totonno's, Community Food & Juice, Los Dados, La Bonne Soup, and A.O.C. Here's hoping for a quick recovery and a solid insurance payout.
· @dangellert [Twitter]

Originally posted by Amanda from Eater, on July 14, 2009 6:40 AM

In a report by Mark Hermann from Newsday, there will be some changes made to Citi Field that will be performed during the All-Star Break.

Hermann says that the Mets have received permission from Major League Baseball to show live action on it’s video boards as soon as the ball is put in play.

In addition, there will be a bigger celebration of the team’s history displayed throughout Citi Field but there will be no changes to the field configuration.

…the key for me this season is for the park to have more identity which it appears the team is addressing…whether it had to do with them not having enough time to complete the stadium the way they had planned or it was a miscalculation, I am happy that changes are coming and I am looking forward to what will be done…

…as far as off-season changes are concerned I would like to see the height of the walls lowered in left field and to bring the Mo’ Zone in to eliminate that cavern in right field…keeping it a pitchers park but making it a little easier to get one out…

For more on these changes, check out Hermann’s article in Newsday.

Originally posted by Michael Baron from MetsBlog.com, on July 14, 2009 6:17 AM

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Hoefler & Frere-Jones, on July 14, 2009 6:15 AM

'electronic ruler' by shay shafranek and oded webman

'electronic ruler' is a concept that has been designed by shay shafranek and oded webman
with the support of udk industrial design department, berlin.

so how does it work? by pressing the button the digits illuminate and the ruler is ready
to go. passing a pencil along the edge of the ruler will make the numbers go up or down
according to the length of the line. pressing the button again will reset the value.


'electronic ruler' - line of resistors.
the point touched affects the voltage according to the current resistor

measuring lines and calculating from two points

touching the ruler after resetting defines a new zero point. now touching other points
along the ruler will give the definitive distances to the zero.


creating the prototype


the electronic chip underneath the surface


the conductive sensor in action

via

Originally posted by (author unknown) from Designboom - Weblog, on July 14, 2009 4:30 AM

VendrTV's Daniel Delaney and Facebook's Dave Morin talk to James Freeman, founder of the Bay Area's wildly popular Blue Bottle Coffee Company. [via Bay Area Bites]

Originally posted by Adam Kuban from Serious Eats, on July 14, 2009 2:00 AM

I grew up just outside St. Louis, and even though I haven't been back in years I love what they've done with the Busch Stadium grass for the All Star game.

The combo of Busch Stadium and the Arch reminds me of the great series of photographs that Joel Meyerowitz made of St. Louis. Here's one of them that lived in our house (as a poster reproduction) for years...

Here's Meyerowitz on the Arch...

Every city has a celebrated monument that sets it apart; a tower or cathedral, a square or park. St. Louis has the Arch. I found it deeply moving, profound. There were days when, standing beneath the Arch, I felt I knew the power of the pyramids. It was restorative, contemplative. It was more than a technological marvel or a symbol. It was pure form, the beauty of mathematics, a drawing on the heavens, perfect pitch. It was constant and it was never the same. Light and color made their way over its surface. I have seen the Arch change from a white you could not look at to black in broad daylight. I have seen it disappear, reflect like a mirror, and turn pink, sometimes all in one day. I remember mountains doing that. Standing beside it, one sees human scale diminish as when a figure stands at the ocean's edge. It contains the space that cathedrals aspire to. You feel it most when you submit to it.

And the Arch View Cafeteria? I think it was part of the Title Guaranty building, which was razed in 1983. Here's a streetview of the location today.

Originally posted by Michael Sippey from sippey.com, on July 13, 2009 9:59 PM

I've been told all my recent blogging has been too long and time-consuming to read. Instead, I'll offer some quick links to the archives:

• TL;DR, from 2006.
• toread is tobehuman, from 2007.

Originally posted by Anil from Anil Dash, on July 13, 2009 9:37 PM

Kenyatta Cheese | Next New Networks, July 11

Originally posted by (author unknown) from shey.net, on July 13, 2009 9:05 PM

We Choose the Moon is a site that tracks the activities of the Apollo 11 mission as it happened 40 years ago. Nice work. The transmissions from the spacecraft, CAPCOM, and the lunar lander are cleverly published to and pulled in from Twitter.

With all this 40th anniversary stuff, I'm having trouble getting my mind around that the first Moon landing is as far removed from the present as the low point of The Great Depression was from my birth (i.e. the Moon landing, culturally speaking, is Ollie's Great Depression). See also timeline twins. (via jimray)

Tags: Apollo   Apollo 11   astronomy   Moon   space

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on July 13, 2009 8:32 PM

1. Demarco - Fallen Soldiers (DJ Eleven remix)
2. Techniques - Queen Majesty (DJ Eleven remix)
3. Rae & Ghost - Freek'n U (DJ Eleven remix)
4. Sizzla - For You
5. Chuck Fenda - I Swear
6. Junior Kelly - Love So Nice
7. Kardinal Offishal - Nina
8. Jimmy London - I'm Your Puppet
9. John Holt - For The Love Of You
10. UGK - The Pimp & The Bun
11. ERule - Listen Up
12. Ryan Leslie - Wanna Be Good
13. Outkast - Atliens (Bad Boy mix)
14. Too $hort - Blow The Whistle
15. Mac Dre - Feelin' Myself
16. Jay Rock feat. Lil Wayne - All My Life
17. Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Good Life
18. D'Angelo - Girl You Need A Change of Mind (DJ Eleven re-edit)
19. The Whispers - I Can Make It Better
20. Drop Out Orchestra - Gibbon

Originally posted by (author unknown) from BrooklynRadio.net, on July 13, 2009 8:22 PM

From the LA Times:

Michael Gambon has played Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore for five years but he hasn’t been setting a good example for his students when it comes to finishing their homework: The beloved old wizard hasn’t cracked a single one of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” novels.

The choice not to read Rowling’s book series, he explains, is deliberate and he points out that costars Ralph Fiennes and Alan Rickman haven’t taken up the books either.

“You’d get upset about all the scenes it’s missing from the book, wouldn‘t you?” Gambon said via phone from New York, where he was promoting the opening this Wednesday of the sixth “Potter” film. “No point in reading the books because you’re playing with [screenwriter] Steve Kloves’ words.”

This might explain why his portrayal of Dumbledore has been abysmal. Dumbledore in the books had a quiet air of authority derived from respect of his peers and students. Gambon plays the part like a shrieking speed freak. RIP Richard Harris.

Originally posted by Chris from Cynical-C Blog, on July 13, 2009 7:44 PM

Video that showcases the world's fastest people in several disciplines: clapping, sprinting, undressing, Rubik's Cubing, gun shooting, and stamping.

The stamping champ is kind of incredible and if you haven't seen the cup stacker, check her out and here's one that's even faster. Stacking gear is available if you'd like to join in.

Tags: video

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on July 13, 2009 7:36 PM

On TPM Reader TG's advice, I checked out Sarah Palin's SarahPac, her political action committee.

And it turns out he's right. Palin does seem to have a plan for drawing a giant stencil of the state of Alaska on the mainland United States. Perhaps even removing entirely a series of midwestern and rocky mountain states.

Originally posted by Josh Marshall from Talking Points Memo, on July 13, 2009 7:17 PM

Here are some posters I just sent out to some *PMH believers!

If you haven’t gotten yours yet you should, order a poster or (3) three! 
SRK has his!

Hand silkscreen prints for ONLY !  I only screened a 100 of each.

Here are the details.

Asha    //    Fast Friends    //    Mumbai Smoke

Originally posted by Pardon My Hindi from Turbanhead, on July 13, 2009 7:06 PM

American photographer Thomas Allen constructs witty and clever dioramas using figures cut from the covers of old pulp paperbacks. Using salacious pulp art drawing’s of the ’40s and ’50s that covered books such as ” I Married a Dead Man” and ” Marihuana Girl’, Allen constructs one set of pictures up close while obscuring another, and in the process creates a different context.

Originally posted by Mena from Dollarshort, on July 13, 2009 6:58 PM

Review: A week with the Etymotic hf2, by yours truly, on Boing Boing Gadgets.

Last week I was on line at Duane Reade and watched the man in front of me ask for a pair of headphones. He selected a Maxell model from behind the register; it was $14.99, I think, maybe a bit more. He contemplated them for a moment.

"Those are very good," said the cashier, blithely.

"Okay," said the customer, who paid and walked out.

Suffice to say I am not that guy.

I have always had, and appreciated, top-flight portable audio, from my fancy Sony Walkmans in the 1980s to several pairs of expensive noise-canceling headphones in recent years. And with my tinnitus forcing me to listen to in-ear music at low volumes, having good noise isolation has been a must.

At the tail end of bicycle commuting last summer, I ran over my headphones--my $150, pristine-sounding, noise-isolating, wondrous Shure E3c headphones--with my front tire. Oops. I used them anyway, broken and sad, for several months.

It took me that long to figure out which headphones to buy, and the ones I finally got were good but not great. Useful reviews of noise-canceling and noise-isolating headphones are hard to come by. I don't need wonky audio spectrum surveys, or dissections of the nuances of Django Renhardt's solos: what I need is, do they sound good? and how well do they shut out the outside world?

So I decided to do what any good blogger should: do it myself. I pitched Joel Johnson, formerly of Boing Boing Gadgets, and he gave me the go-ahead. Two months of emails later, I have $2880 worth of headphones in my dining room, a ridiculous categorical spreadsheet, and a fun, interesting commute to work. Goofy expressions like "in hog heaven" come to mind.

The first review went live today, with 10 more to run through the summer. My thanks go out to Joel and to Rob Beschizza, my new editor, who inherited this project and has been most gracious and helpful. Look for more posts on BBG and some additional commentary in this space as the project continues.

Originally posted by David Wertheimer from Ideapad, on July 13, 2009 6:44 PM

Cocoa with Love: “On the iPhone, since there are no APIs for data synchronization or file sharing, embedding an HTTP server is one of the best ways to transfer data from your iPhone application to a computer.”

Originally posted by (author unknown) from ranchero.com, on July 13, 2009 5:54 PM

HTTP is one of the simpler protocols to implement for communication between computers. On the iPhone, since there are no APIs for data synchronization or file sharing, embedding an HTTP server is one of the best ways to transfer data from your iPhone application to a computer. In this post I'll show you how to write your own simple but extensible HTTP server. The server classes will also work on Mac OS X (Cocoa un-Touched).

Introduction

In this post I will present the following sample application:

The application is very simple: you can edit text and save it to a file (it is always saved to the same file).

While the application is running, it also runs an HTTP server on port 8080. If the path "/" is requested, it will return the content of the saved file. All other requests return a 501 error.

To transfer the text file from the iPhone application, just enter the IP address of the phone followed by ":8080" in any web browser.

HTTPServer and HTTPResponseHandler classes

The approach I use for an HTTP server involves two classes: the server (which listens for connections and reads data up to the end of the HTTP header) and the response handler (which sends the response and may choose to read from the connection past the header).

The key design choice for me was simplicity of each new response implementation: the server and response classes are designed so that a new response implementation need only implement two methods:

• canHandleRequest:method:url:headerFields: — to decide if the implementation can handle a specific request
• startResponse — to begin writing (or completely write) the response

It is just a tiny HTTP server but the approach should allow you to quickly integrate HTTP communications into any application.

Opening a socket for listening

Most server communications, HTTP included, begin by creating a socket for listening.

Sockets in Cocoa can be created and configured entirely using the BSD sockets code but it's often marginally easier to use the CoreFoundation CFSocket API where possible. Unfortunately, that only makes it marginally easier — we still have a large block of boilerplate code to throw down just to open a socket.

From the -[HTTPServer start] method:

socket = CFSocketCreate(kCFAllocatorDefault, PF_INET, SOCK_STREAM,
    IPPROTO_TCP, 0, NULL, NULL);
if (!socket)
{
    [self errorWithName:@"Unable to create socket."];
    return;
}

int reuse = true;
int fileDescriptor = CFSocketGetNative(socket);
if (setsockopt(fileDescriptor, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR,
    (void *)&reuse, sizeof(int)) != 0)
{
    [self errorWithName:@"Unable to set socket options."];
    return;
}

struct sockaddr_in address;
memset(&address, 0, sizeof(address));
address.sin_len = sizeof(address);
address.sin_family = AF_INET;
address.sin_addr.s_addr = htonl(INADDR_ANY);
address.sin_port = htons(HTTP_SERVER_PORT);
CFDataRef addressData =
    CFDataCreate(NULL, (const UInt8 *)&address, sizeof(address));
[(id)addressData autorelease];

if (CFSocketSetAddress(socket, addressData) != kCFSocketSuccess)
{
    [self errorWithName:@"Unable to bind socket to address."];
    return;
}

This is a large block of code but it's really only doing one thing: opening a socket to listen for TCP connections on the port specified by HTTP_SERVER_PORT (which is 8080 for this application).

There is some additional work because I like to specify SO_REUSEADDR. This lets us reclaim the port if it is open but idle (a common occurrence if we restart the program immediately after a crash or killing the application).

Receiving incoming connections

After the socket is setup, Cocoa handles a little more of the work so things get easier.

We can receive each incoming connection by constructing an NSFileHandle from the fileDescriptor above and listening for connection notifications

From the -[HTTPServer start:] method (immediately below the previous code):

listeningHandle = [[NSFileHandle alloc]
    initWithFileDescriptor:fileDescriptor
    closeOnDealloc:YES];

[[NSNotificationCenter defaultCenter]
    addObserver:self
    selector:@selector(receiveIncomingConnectionNotification:)
    name:NSFileHandleConnectionAcceptedNotification
    object:nil];
[listeningHandle acceptConnectionInBackgroundAndNotify];

When receiveIncomingConnectionNotification: is invoked, each new incoming connection will get its own NSFileHandle. If you're keeping track, that was:

• 1 file handle (listeningHandle) manually created from the socket fileDesriptor to listen on the socket for new connections.
• 1 file handle automatically created for each new connection received through listeningHandle. We'll continue to listen to these new handles (the keys in the incomingRequests dictionary) to record the data for each connection.

So, now that we've received a new, automatically created file handle, we create a CFHTTPMessageRef (which will store the incoming data) we receive over the file handle. We store these as the objects in incomingRequests dictionary to allow easy access to the CFHTTPMessageRef for each file handle

The CFHTTPMessageRef is both storage and the parser for the incoming data. We can invoke CFHTTPMessageIsHeaderComplete() every time we add data to check when the HTTP headers are complete and we can spawn a response handler.

The response handler is spawned in the -[HTTPServer receiveIncomingDataNotification:] method:

if(CFHTTPMessageIsHeaderComplete(incomingRequest))
{
    HTTPResponseHandler *handler =
        [HTTPResponseHandler
            handlerForRequest:incomingRequest
            fileHandle:incomingFileHandle
            server:self];
    
    [responseHandlers addObject:handler];
    [self stopReceivingForFileHandle:incomingFileHandle close:NO];

    [handler startResponse];
    return;
}

The server stops listening to the file handle for the connection at this point but it doesn't close it, since the file handle is passed to the HTTPResponseHandler so that the HTTP response can be sent back over the same file handle.

Flexible response handling

Exactly which subclass the +[HTTPResponseHandler handlerForRequest:fileHandle:server:] method chooses to return determines the entire content of the response. It does this by iterating over a priority ordered array of the registered handlers and asking each one if it wants to handle the request.

+ (Class)handlerClassForRequest:(CFHTTPMessageRef)aRequest
    method:(NSString *)requestMethod
    url:(NSURL *)requestURL
    headerFields:(NSDictionary *)requestHeaderFields
{
    for (Class handlerClass in registeredHandlers)
    {
        if ([handlerClass canHandleRequest:aRequest
            method:requestMethod
            url:requestURL
            headerFields:requestHeaderFields])
        {
            return handlerClass;
        }
    }
    
    return nil;
}

In the sample application, the only response handler other than the default is the AppTextFileResponse. This class chooses to handle the response when the requestURL is equal to "/".

From the AppTextFileResponse class:

+ (BOOL)canHandleRequest:(CFHTTPMessageRef)aRequest
    method:(NSString *)requestMethod
    url:(NSURL *)requestURL
    headerFields:(NSDictionary *)requestHeaderFields
{
    if ([requestURL.path isEqualToString:@"/"])
    {
        return YES;
    }
    
    return NO;
}

AppTextFileResponse then handles the entire response synchronously (before returning from the startResponse method) by writing the text file saved by the application as the response body.

- (void)startResponse
{
    NSData *fileData =
        [NSData dataWithContentsOfFile:[AppTextFileResponse pathForFile]];

    CFHTTPMessageRef response =
        CFHTTPMessageCreateResponse(
            kCFAllocatorDefault, 200, NULL, kCFHTTPVersion1_1);
    CFHTTPMessageSetHeaderFieldValue(
        response, (CFStringRef)@"Content-Type", (CFStringRef)@"text/plain");
    CFHTTPMessageSetHeaderFieldValue(
        response, (CFStringRef)@"Connection", (CFStringRef)@"close");
    CFHTTPMessageSetHeaderFieldValue(
        response,
        (CFStringRef)@"Content-Length",
        (CFStringRef)[NSString stringWithFormat:@"%ld", [fileData length]]);
    CFDataRef headerData = CFHTTPMessageCopySerializedMessage(response);

    @try
    {
        [fileHandle writeData:(NSData *)headerData];
        [fileHandle writeData:fileData];
    }
    @catch (NSException *exception)
    {
        // Ignore the exception, it normally just means the client
        // closed the connection from the other end.
    }
    @finally
    {
        CFRelease(headerData);
        [server closeHandler:self];
    }
}

The [server closeHandler:self]; invocation tells the server to remove this HTTPResponseHandler from the set of active handlers. The server will invoke endReponse when it removes this handler (which is where we close the connection — since this handler does not support keep-alive).

Work not implemented

The biggest task not handled in this implementation is parsing the HTTP request body.

The reason for this is that a general HTTP body solution is very complicated. The body's size may be specified by the Content-Length header but it need not be — so knowing where the body ends can be difficult. The body may also be encoded in one of about a dozen different Transfer-Encodings, including chunk, quoted-printable, base64, gzip — each of which require different processing.

However, I have never needed to implement a generic solution. It is normally easiest to determine what is needed for your specific needs and handle the HTTP body in accordance with those needs. You can handle the request body by overriding -[HTTPRequestHandler receiveIncomingDataNotification:]. The default implementation ignores all data it receives after the HTTP request headers.

Data handling note: the first time the -[HTTPRequestHandler receiveIncomingDataNotification:] method is called, the initial bytes of the HTTP body will already have been read from the fileHandle and appended to the request instance variable. If you need to read the body, either continue reading into the request object, or remember to include this initial data.

Another task not handled are Keep-Alive connections. These also need to be handled in -[HTTPRequestHandler receiveIncomingDataNotification:] and I've left a big comment on the method about what would be involved. The reality is that it's probably easier to set the Connection header field to close for every response to tell the client that you're not going to handle Keep-Alive (see the startResponse code sample above for an example).

The HTTPReseponseHandler priority does not take the requested Content-Type into account. If this is an important consideration for you, you might want to change how +[HTTPResponseHandler handlerClassForRequest:method:url:headerFields:] selects its handler.

Finally, this server does not handle SSL/TLS. It is intended for local network transfers where the network itself is relatively secure. If you are transferring over the open internet and want a secure connection, there's a lot to change and manage at the socket level. You could try it yourself but if security is really important, you probably shouldn't risk writing your own server — if you can arrange it, use a mature, TLS-enabled HTTP server and only handle the client-side in your application. Client-side security in Cocoa is very easy — it is automatic and transparent in CFReadStream and NSURLConnection.

Conclusion

Download the sample app TextTransfer.zip (45kB) which includes the HTTPServer and HTTPResponseHandler classes.

Just because mainstream HTTP servers are large, complex pieces of software, doesn't mean an HTTP server is necessarily large and complex — the core implementation here is only two classes, yet is flexible and configurable.

Of course, the end result is not intended for use as a complete web server solution, however it should work well as a small communications portal into your custom iPhone or Mac applications.

Originally posted by Matt Gallagher from Cocoa with Love, on July 13, 2009 5:17 PM

The Percona team has kept on expanding. We are very pleased to announce the addition of Morgan Tocker and Matt Yonkovit!

Morgan has been with us for a while. Before joining Percona, Morgan worked as a Technical Instructor for MySQL (and then Sun Microsystems) in Canada where he taught courses on High Availability, Performance Tuning and Database Administration. He has also previously worked in the MySQL Support Team, and provided DRBD support. Morgan will be focusing on Percona’s new training initiative.

Matt, a.k.a. Big DBA Head, has been working with relational databases since the mid 1990’s as a DBA, System Administrator, and all around techie. Before joining Percona, Matt worked at MySQL and Sun Microsystems as a Solution Architect helping to build architectures for Fortune 500 and Top Alexa rated companies. Matt is the co-founder of the Waffle Grid Project and specializes in cluster, high availability, migrations, and benchmarking. He will be a valuable member of both our consulting and development teams.

Morgan and Matt, a big welcome — we are fortunate indeed that you’re working with us. And… go team!

---

Entry posted by Ryan Lowe | No comment

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Originally posted by Ryan Lowe from MySQL Performance Blog, on July 13, 2009 1:31 PM

Keith Haring would have loved Os Gêmeos for sure. Thanks to Jeffrey Deitch, the wonderful Brazilian brother art team (they're twins) also known as Os Gêmeos have painted over the Haring mural at Bowery and Houston Street and its amazing. Such a great summer lift-up for New Yorkers.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from PAPERMAG: WORD UP!, on July 13, 2009 1:29 PM

A very long and rambling ramble that says less than 1/100 of what I wanted to say, and almost certainly doesn't say anything that hasn't been said. Thankfully many wise & loving words have already been written by others about MJ's passing...I'll list a few of the ones that touched me most:

Originally posted by jsmooth@hiphopmusic.com (Jay Smooth) from Ill Doctrine, on July 13, 2009 1:25 PM

There have been a lot of great conversations around and about some of my recent posts; Here are some highlights.

My post about Google's Microsoft Moment seems to have really struck a nerve. First amongst the responses, from my perspective, is prominent Googler Matt Cutts' "Why Googlers should read Anil Dash's post. The open-mindedness and willingness to take constructive criticism that Matt shares with a number of his colleagues at Google (I'd also highlight Karen Wickre, who helps lead Google's efforts in blogging and on Twitter) are going to be the factor that decides whether or not Google falls prey to the dangers outlined in that essay. Matt concludes his comments with a simple, and inspiring exhortation:

Googlers, ask yourself how you can help make another one of those moments where you’re proud to work at Google. I think those moments are a great way to keep from becoming just another large company. And if Googlers are open to posts like Anil Dash’s, the web is tell us tons of things it wants us to do, or how to do them better.

Some other notable conversations around these ideas popped up as well:

• The presciently-named (but independent) Google Operating System blog offers up Google's Changing Corporate Culture.
• Ex-Googler, current FriendFeeder and all-around good guy Kevin Fox takes issue with some of my points in Google's Apple Moment. Kevin raises the point that a lot of Googlers did: It's okay for Google to have two different operating systems because they serve two different markets. I don't disagree — I did ask in my original essay "If the keyboard works with my fingers instead of my thumbs, I should use Chrome OS and not Android?" and folks at Google have already responded to me privately with, in effect, "Actually, that might not be such a bad way to put it..." My point, though, was not that it doesn't make good technical sense to have these systems. Rather, that sort of roadmap complexity makes it hard for casual outside observers to believe that their needs are being put ahead of the company's platform ambitions. I'll chalk up the lack of clarity there to my own poor editing and the fact that John Gruber highlighted that bit on Daring Fireball, which may have put more focus on what was a relatively minor point.
• I loved, and totally agree with, Mini-Microsoft's Microsoft Has Turned The Corner. This makes explicit what was part of the subtext of my essay: Even Microsoft doesn't do this kind of shifty crap anymore, if they can help it. And to their credit, Microsoft since Ray Ozzie's ascension has also seemed to regain their ambition and clarity around creating innovative products. I'm not sure if that's correlation or causation, but it's good to see regardless, and this is a post well worth reading in full.
• One of my favorite bloggers, Mike Masnick of TechDirt, asks Has Google Reached The Perception Tipping Point? The post consists of the single word "Yes." Okay, not really, but it's still thoughtfully argued and especially highlights Google's recent track record in the area of intellectual property and DRM, which is TechDirt's strongest suit.
• Finally, a couple more mentions in bigger media: BusinessWeek's Rob Hof offers up a critical look at Google's strategy, which is a welcome change from most mainstream press that tend to slavishly puff up any pronouncement of this scale that comes out of the tech industry. Similarly, Alex Pham at the LA Times puts the Chrome OS story in the context of Microsoft's Office 2010 announcement today. Matt Asay has an even more skeptical take over at CNET. And finally I thought MG Siegler's brief post about the back-and-forth between me and Matt Cutts offered up a nice perspective on the perils and potential of this inflection point in Google's evolution.

Here's a two-fer: Chris Anderson's CNN Commentary on Google, Microsoft, and Free. Chris ruminates on whether the tech giants' habit of entering new markets with free products funded by the obscene margin they make in their primary lines of business is going to face legal scrutiny in the future. Recommended if you liked either Google's Microsoft Moment or Free Criticism, Science After Data and Airport Books.

Reason mag's Tim Cavanaugh had an amusing riff that referenced that post of mine from the other day: Resolved: The New York Times Should Be Staffed By Volunteers, Like Meals On Wheels. I thought it was a fun read, at least.

And if you're seeking out even more comment on these topics, Silicon Alley Insider has a pretty fun thread in response to my Free Criticism post, along with a slightly more inane one in response to last month's post about The Future of Facebook Usernames.

Finally, some stuff that's actually related to my day job:

• Tony Dearing at AnnArbor.com has a really smart take on a conversation we had about what that site is doing to make a real community-focused local news website. I think the current AnnArbor.com team has the best chance at success of any of the dozens of similar efforts I've seen over the past several years.
• In a similar vein, Ken Edwards has a detailed look at what it's taken to build the new BG Views community at Bowling Green State University. It's always fun to watch a project like that from afar and get to see a new community take off.

Thanks to everyone for great comments on my previous posts, and even more for the inspiring conversations that have happened around these topics. And a specialy thanks to the many of you who've shared links to these pieces on Twitter: @padmasree, @timoreilly were instrumental in kicking off the broader conversation around the recent Google post, and it was really gratifying to see @wilw find a quote in my Free Criticism essay that really seems to have struck a nerve.

Originally posted by Anil from Anil Dash, on July 13, 2009 11:52 AM

In an attempt to answer that question, Elizabeth Kolbert reviews a gaggle of books in this week's New Yorker. (This is only part of the answer.)

According to what's known as the Expensive Tissue Hypothesis, early humans compensated for the energy used in their heads by cutting back on the energy used in their guts; as man's cranium grew, his digestive tract shrank. This forced him to obtain more energy-dense foods than his fellow-primates were subsisting on, which put a premium on adding further brain power. The result of this self-reinforcing process was a strong taste for foods that are high in calories and easy to digest; just as it is natural for gorillas to love leaves, it is natural for people to love funnel cakes.

Kolbert's article is a good overview of the current popular views on obesity. Related: Scientists Discover Gene Responsible For Eating Whole Goddamn Bag Of Chips.

Tags: Elizabeth Kolbert   obesity   USA

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on July 13, 2009 11:28 AM

Now that Manny Acta has been fired by the Nationals, David Lennon, in a post to his blog on Newsday, wonders if he and the Mets will soon reunite.

…I would be all for Acta rejoining the team, even at the Major League Level…the club was very successful with him on the coaching staff and he would be working with the same group of core players if he did return…

Meanwhile, Brian Costa of the Star Ledger has put together a list of noteworthy quotes from Jerry Manuel and various players which “sum up the first half of the season” for the Mets.

Finally, Adam over at Brooklyn Met Fan is hopeful about the Mets chances in the second half after the last two victories.

Originally posted by Michael Baron from MetsBlog.com, on July 13, 2009 11:09 AM

From Serious Eats: New York

Chef Michael White freely admits that you would never find a dish like his fusilli with baby octopus and bone marrow on his Marea menu, in Italy. But since he is cooking in America, he feels justified in creating what he calls an homage to surf and turf, substituting octopus and marrow for the more traditional seafood and steak.

There are other local influences, the sauce base is an ode of sorts to the traditional "Sunday gravy" that simmers away for hours in Italian-American kitchens, but the ingredients themselves and the cooking techniques are mostly gleaned from Italy. The dish is similar to White's fusilli with pork shoulder served at Convivio, one of White's other restaurants, which I recently reviewed and found to be a near perfect synthesis of textures and flavors.

White has struck that elusive balance again with his latest offering. After the jump, see how he does it.

The pasta used for the fusilli is made from Durum wheat. It is a tricky wheat to work with compared to other varieties because it requires hot water (190°F hot) to release the gluten and integrate the wheat and liquid to form a smooth pasta. Once the pasta is formed into sheets and allowed to cool, it's rolled to a thickness of three-eighths-of-an-inch and then cut into thin ribbons.

Fusilli translates to mean "coil" or "spring" in English. When you watch the pasta-forming process, it becomes apparent why. A single strand is held down on the table by the pasta-makers left hand while the right hand rolls the pasta forward, causing it to twist around itself and form the distinctive rope-like shape. Both hands work in unison, moving in opposite directions, to create the perfect spiral.

Once the individual strand is complete, it's affixed to the cutting board. This can only be accomplished on a wood since other surfaces won't allow the pasta to adhere (it will literally recoil). As the strands accumulate, they are also affixed to each other. Once all the strands are completed, they get a quick dusting of flour, before being cut into short pieces. While you might traditionally find longer lengths of fusilli, White decided to keep his short to make them easier to eat. Marea is a fine dining restaurant and no one wants to have to have to wrangle lassos of pasta flinging sauce all over ones pricey threads.

The finished fusilli.

The pasta is apportioned into serving size packages and allowed to chill before service.

The base of the sauce is baby octopus from Spain that is braised for an hour and a half in Sangiovese wine, San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, basil storks and salt and pepper. The concoction then cools completely, which allows the flavors to homogenize and intensify. When an order for fusilli comes into the kitchen, a portion of the sauce is ladled into a pan and brought up to temperature. Moments before adding the marrow, they sprinkle fresh basil into the sauce.

Marrow bones are soaked in a bath of ice water and salt providing a chilly brining of sorts. The pipes are then shucked and the marrow is seasoned with thyme, garlic, salt and pepper, then sautéed for a moment to begin the process of rendering the fat. It is then added to the sauce. If the gelatin from the octopus didn't bind to the liquefied marrow, the marrow would simply float to the top of the sauce. Instead, the two ingredients complement each other on a molecular level, allowing the sauce to be realized.

While the sauce thickens the fusilli are dropped into boiling water. They are cooked for two minutes, then added to the sauce to cook for a further minute bringing them to the perfect doneness and allowing the sauce to coat the pasta,

If necessary, a little extra tomato base is added to achieve the right balance.

The dish is ready moments later—the sauce fully integrated and the pasta perfectly al dente.

The pasta is plated.

A generous portion of "mollica" is sprinkled over the dish to add a textural contrast. Made from the toasted crumbs of the insides of the bread (which is infused with garlic, chilies, parsley, and olive oil) the mollica adds a pleasing crunch to the dish.

The finished dish.

When the fusilli is placed in front of you, lubricated by the marrow, it glistens in Marea's sultry lighting. The sauce, once a vibrant red, has become a much deeper hue, almost like that of a tomato-based stew. The ropes of fusilli coil around themselves, interlaced with the octopus tentacles and dotted with buttery slivers of marrow. Pressing a fork into the knot of pasta, spinning it to scoop up a few tender strands, is an easy affair. The sauce clings to the fusilli and because the pasta is so short, it's easy to lift.

The first bite is unexpectedly complex for such a simple-looking dish. The marrow, completely emulsified in the sauce, adds a velvety smoothness balanced by the sweetness of the octopus and the tartness of the wine and tomatoes, brightened by the fresh basil. The dish is equally compelling from a textural standpoint: the fusilli are tender yet retain some firmness, mirrored by the octopus itself, while the silky marrow is complemented by the crunch from the bread crumbs.

I find the dish just sensational. What's not to love about surf and turf with Sunday gravy?

The fusilli with baby octopus and bone marrow is available at Marea for $27.

Marea

240 Central Park South, New York NY 10019 (b/n Broadway and 7th Avenue; map)
212-582-5100

Previously

The Making of the Momofuku Milk Bar Volcano

Originally posted by Nick Solares from Serious Eats, on July 13, 2009 10:30 AM

I have written about our seats in the Promenade Box area and the problem with the standing room policy at Citi Field. We are in the last row of our section. Basically anyone can stand directly behind us the whole game, just inches from the back of my head, and blabber on about anything besides the game. The situation almost got physical back in May.

This weekend, Ron Hunt's friend Maas the Yankee Fan went West and caught games in Anaheim and AT&T Park. She snapped these photos for us. In the Giants stadium, in the bleachers, there's a railing and line, over a foot away,  where people cannot stand behind your row. Maas said the no standing line is strictly enforced.

Citi Field folks - lets make this happen! Met fans paying good money for tickets get their experience ruined by this flawed standing room policy. Depressed Fan Brian recommended bringing spray paint and stencils to my next game. That's not a bad idea.

Thanks Yankee Maas for flying cross country for this Loge13 research! I'll see if I can expense it from my R&D budget.

Originally posted by Kingman from Loge 13, on July 13, 2009 10:27 AM

-Photo by Getty Images-

Jessica Simpson might just be the unluckiest girl in the world when it comes to love.

Multiple sources are confirming that Jessica and her boyfriend, Tony Romo, have split up after a year-and-a-half together. It is rumored that Tony ended things with the singer on Thursday night -- the day before Jess turned 29.

Talk about bad timing!

Jess had a Barbie and Ken themed party planned, but called off the festivities when she and Tony hit the skids.

"She canceled her party because of this," an insider said. "She's doing OK."

Another source said that Jess and Tony have been in trouble for a while -- but that they could always get back together at some point.

"It's been a long time coming. They go from one fight right into another, without a second break," the source tells Us. "It's always something with Jessica."

Still, Jessica seems to be keeping it together. She Tweeted on Sunday, "Everyone needs to know that hope floats ... grab the strings and pull it back to you." Three hours later, she wrote, "Falling asleep with my mom and the dogs. Please lord give all of my beautiful fans, friends, enemies, and family rest. Bring all of us peace."

Poor Jess. She really is just looking for a happy ending to her story -- but she just keeps getting tackled by the evil writers!

So, tell us, who should Jessica date next?

Originally posted by Tracy Pepey from iVillage - Daily Blabber, on July 13, 2009 10:18 AM

From today’s New Yorker on why “we” are so fat (not you! You look greaaaat), comes word of Goliath Caskets, who make “triple-wide coffins with reinforced hinges that can hold up to eleven hundred pounds.” The New Yorker describes the American passion for extreme (by which I mean, not the normal and perfectly acceptable bulking-up as one ages) weight gain, in a review of the current literature, as mysterious!

But is it really?

Before McDonald’s discovered the power of re-portioning, it offered just a small bag of French fries, which contained two hundred calories. Today, a small order of fries has two hundred and thirty calories, and a large order five hundred. (Add fifteen calories for each package of ketchup.) Similarly, a McDonald’s soda used to be eight ounces. Today, a small soda is sixteen ounces (a hundred and fifty calories), and a large soda is thirty-two ounces (three hundred calories).

As McDonald’s is the number one customer for beef in the United States, and one of the top purchasers of potatoes, and it serves nearly 50 million people every day, I think maybe we could start looking around there?

Oh and also, you know, the constant stuffing of faces with corn syrup, but yeah.

Originally posted by Choire from The Awl, on July 13, 2009 9:40 AM

An interesting new publication: The New York Review of Ideas.

In bad times and in good, New York City is the idea capital of the world. Here is where commerce intersects with what Lionel Trilling described as "the bloody crossroads where literature and politics meet." The New York Review of Ideas will report on that intersection, telling the stories that will shape the future of American culture.

Ooh, and check out that ever-present blue border. (via snarkmarket)

Tags: ideas

Originally posted by jason@kottke.org from kottke.org, on July 13, 2009 9:28 AM

Thrillist is hiring a Communications Coordinator: Good job with a cool, growing company I admire (we have some shared investors and I’m friends with the founders). If you know good people looking for a new opportunity in the PR / communications space, please pass it along.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from shey.net, on July 13, 2009 8:21 AM

It seems so obvious: if you want to develop software that’s useful to people, you’ve got to talk with them. But too many developers take the anti-social approach and consider customer support to be beneath their status…If you really want to write useful software, stop spending all your time keeping up with technology. Don’t worry if your resume isn’t filled with the latest buzzwords. Instead, invest your time in talking with your customers. They don’t care what programming language you use – they only care whether your software meets their needs, and the best way to ensure that is by breaking out of your cone of silence and opening the lines of communication.

—Nick Bradbury: If You Want to Write Useful Software, You Have to Do Tech Support

Originally posted by Matt from Signal vs. Noise, on July 13, 2009 8:16 AM

This question “what problems will I have when migrating to the cloud” gets asked often enough. If by cloud you mean Amazon EC2, then from a technical perspective there isn’t much that changes. The biggest thing that changes is just how you pay your bill.

Having said that, there’s still a few potential gotchas:

1. There are no Virtual IP addresses. Most High Availability tools (like MMM or DRBD+Heartbeat)
   work on the principal of having a floating IP address which is used for the application to connect to the current master. With EC2, you can’t do this.
2. There’s no customization of the memory. The maximum amount of memory you can have is 15GB, so some users will larger working sets may find this a limitation. If you look at the Dell online store, it costs $2094 to upgrade an R900 from 4G memory to 64G (or $4378 to upgrade to 128G) which justifies that some problems are best solved by just throwing memory at them. With EC2, you can’t do this.
3. Even the largest instance types have slow disks. Related to the point above – you can’t change the disks either.  Both software RAID striping the internal disks on an extra large EC2 instance or using striped EBS volumes is still going to be slower than a good RAID 10 controller with a battery backed write cache.

If you can live with these three things, then hopefully your migration should work smoothly.  If you can’t free yourself from these limitations, then perhaps you should either look at a cloud hosting provider that can host non-virtualized servers for you in the same data center, or hold tight for the moment.

---

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Originally posted by morgan from MySQL Performance Blog, on July 13, 2009 7:46 AM

Shared by Bud
Looks worth noting. You're really tracking conversations on the Web these days, not making your site a destination site.

At the recent Real-Time CrunchUp 2009, Khris Loux, CEO of one of the web's largest commenting services, announced the
"death of the comment". This declaration was extremely significant as Loux's JS-Kit is currently installed on over 600,000 sites. He blames the death on social media sites like Twitter and Flickr and the rise of "parallel channels away from [the] product". In essence, dialogue has moved from a singular destination to a series of parallel but separate social networking channels.

Sponsor

Loux took the opportunity to introduce Echo - his new product that allows publishers to embed a simple JavaScript widget and aggregate social media and blog dialogue from across the web. This means that all of the related posts from Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo, Digg, WordPress and Blogger end up below your post for the world to see.

For those who are widely loved, you'll see this as a blessing. For those who are widely loathed, you'll see the full wrath of the internet in colorful cross-platform commentary. Echo further transcends existing commenting systems with the incorporation of HTML, photo and video. This will appears to be a truly amazing tool for mash up contests, political debates and global events.

Said Loux, "When Robert Scoble saw this his response was, 'blogging is back'." Scoble's own Building 43 project aggregates comments into the Community 43 page from various social media sources using hashtags. However, where Scoble's community dialogue gets buried as new media comes in, Echo produces a live feed that stays visible with the source material. Said VP Product Strategy and Community, Chris Saad,"We look for links back to the source page inside tweets/FriendFeed etc and bring in the related conversation - in real time."

This evolving stream of truth (good and bad) is about to stare us in the face every time we visit our pages. It will be interesting to see how this will affect blogging as we know it. Do you think bloggers will elevate their game to gain accolades or simply become gratuitously extreme in order to stir conversation? To reserve an Echo subscription, visit the JS-Kit site.

Discuss

Originally posted by (author unknown) from ReadWriteWeb, on July 13, 2009 7:20 AM

Mini-Microsoft:

Rather than pulling an Apple on us anymore, Google has picked up the nasty habit of pre-announcing technology. Guys, you stole the wrong playbook. And, uh, we don’t want it back.

 ★ 

Originally posted by John Gruber from Daring Fireball, on July 13, 2009 6:58 AM

“I try to do nothing. I don’t know — I’m not trying to reach nirvana or anything, but doing nothing is awesome. I’m trying to do more of nothing. I wish I could say, ‘Hey, I’m reading The Paris Review or crushing The New Yorker.’ But you know what? That’s not happening.”

You may have missed this “Sunday Routine” piece with chef David Chang in this weekend’s Times, but the sweary Momofuku impresario demonstrates once again why he could very easily add cult leader to his resume: I would totally follow this philosophy.

Originally posted by Balk from The Awl, on July 13, 2009 6:51 AM

I'm maniacal over the DVD release of Mad Men (Season Two). This terrific Golden Globe-winning series on AMC about 1960s Madison Avenue ad men just keeps getting better and better. Even the DVD packaging is cool. The first season came in the form of a giant lighter (and considering how much smoking they do on the series it’s not surprising). This one comes like a dress shirt and tie in a sales box. Jon Hamm is brooding and great as Don Draper, creative director for the Sterling Cooper Ad Agency. In this season his marriage to the cool beautiful Betty (January Jones) hits the rocks, thanks to Don’s affair with the wife of an acerbic comic. Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson, the junior copy writer, is still dealing with giving birth to an illegitimate child but also rising the ranks in the firm with her common sense and smarts. Christina Hendricks as the va-va-va-voom office manager Joan is distancing herself from married boss Roger Sterling (the brilliant John Slattery) and is engaged to be married. Weasel Pete Campbell (>Vincent Kartheiser), account executive, is dealing with a nagging wife who wants to get pregnant. And Mark Moses as "Duck" Phillips is struggling as the teetotalling head of accounts. The events of the times bleed into the show -- Jackie Kennedy’s tour of the White House, Marilyn Monroe’s death, and the Bay Of Pigs fiasco. Meanwhile the men is suits drink three martini lunches and smoke and carouse and come up with ideas to sell lipstick and airplanes. It’s a brutally smart, riveting series. Wonderfully acted, expertly written, it’s like a John O’Hara novel coming to life on television. And the final episode is a beaut.

Originally posted by (author unknown) from PAPERMAG: WORD UP!, on July 13, 2009 5:51 AM

Photograph from offthebroiler.wordpress.com

"Very, very old school" American Italian food at Arthur Avenue's Ann & Tony's. [Off the Broiler]

Caracas Arepa's chimichurri sauce = "awesome sauce." [Me So Hungry]

The strip steak is "superb" with a "wonderful crust" at Prime Meats [AlwaysEating]

Momofuku Ssam Bar's BBQ rib sandwich: "Crisp, crusty bread with fluffy crumb packed with a good amount of smoky barbecued beef, layered with a crunchy, onion-y and a tad creamy slaw." [Wandering Eater

Originally posted by Alaina Browne from Serious Eats: Posts and Comments by Alaina Browne, on July 13, 2009 5:00 AM

July 12, 2009 Manhattanhenge, when the sun sets in alignment with the buildings of New York City. Manhattanhenge and the Real-Time Moment, Hayden Planetarium: Manhattanhenge

Originally posted by hello@rocketboom.com (Rocketboom) from Rocketboom, on July 12, 2009 10:25 PM

Nathan has figured out how to "answer" the phone, by putting it up to his ear. He does it with the home phone, with our iPhones ... and, um, with the digital camera.

Which, if you think about it, isn't really far off.

Originally posted by David Wertheimer from Ideapad, on July 12, 2009 5:26 PM

When one comes to understand the logic of the system in which we currently live, the following story may come as no surprise. Nonetheless our understandings don't prevent us from having our hearts broken over and over. So the story I'm referring to goes something like this...some friends and colleagues of mine worked collaboratively on a bunch of projects meant to be critical of corporate and military engineering and helpful to activists. For years they participated in the development of critical cultural projects and then they went somewhat separate ways. Last week one of them shows up on a Nike website celebrating the great event: having sold the project to Nike without having consulted anyone who had worked on the project. Video is here . (Looks like Shepard Fairy is also part of this Nike campaign.) What to do when something like this happens? Accept its inevitability? Try to get in on the deal? Sue them? I'm not sure what the best response is but at least making a public statement which articulates the original values of the project seems like a good idea and that is what the good people at the Institute for Applied Autonomy did. Here is a link to their press release which I am also pasting below. Its strange that Nike and these artists "care" so much about cancer and think Nike offers some kind of contribution to fighting it...as someone who recently donated my bone marrow to a relative with cancer this ad campaign doesn't give me "hope." It feels so cynical. Although I did find a recent article (I did find this 1997 report mentioning the toxins and chemicals that workers are exposed to in sneaker production for Nike), I have a hunch that the workers producing Nike shows

Re-posted from http://www.appliedautonomy.com/index.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7th, 2009

Nike Chalkbot Rips-off Streetwriter

This week Nike unveiled a cool "new" chalk-writing robot used to print messages on the road during the Tour de France bicycle race. The trouble is, the robot isn't so new after all. The Nike Chalkbot is nearly identical to the "Streetwriter" we began developing ten years ago.

Since 1998, the Institute for Applied Autonomy has been inventing and building robots to protest the militarization of robotics research and to reassert the public's ownership of public space. Among the machines we produced were GraffitiWriter, a small remote controlled robot capable of printing high-speed text graffiti on the pavement while driving, StreetWriter, a black cargo van capable of printing large text messages the width of a traffic lane while driving, and SWX a more compact trailer version of the same. Largely without permission, these robots were used to print politically controversial messages in 6 countries and major cities across the US. In 2004 the StreetWriter project was deployed as the SWX in protest against the first DARPA Grand Challenge where its mission was to print Isaac Asimov's First Rule of Robotics (i.e.: "A ROBOT MUST NOT KILL") at the starting line of the military robotics event.

In pointing out that the Nike Chalkbot is a higher-resolution/higher-budget but otherwise obvious descendent of the StreetWriter (SWX), we do not claim any sort of ownership over the project or the idea. We have always been very open about the inner working of our machines, publishing "how-to" plans and helping other artists and activists build similar devices. While we have long expected our anti-corporate project to one day be reappropriated as an advertising scheme, we are surprised that in this case, the culprits are close associates. According to sources close to the project, Chalkbot was built by an early IAA member working under contract for Deeplocal, a startup company founded by a onetime “hacktivist”. Deeplocal in turn is under contract with the Wieden+Kennedy PR agency, which was in turn hired by Nike. The IAA was neither contacted nor consulted on the Chalkbot.

Beyond wanting to reassure our friends that the IAA had nothing to do with the Nike project, we issue this release because we are concerned by the corporate appropriation of ‘outsider’ research projects without acknowledgement of the amateur, collective, hobbyist, and activist communities upon which projects like Chalkbot are built. Young people witnessing the Chalkbot on television need to know this was not handed down from a corporate research lab, but was made on nights and weekends by the hard work of people not unlike themselves.

We certainly understand our friends’ decision to work for Nike -- we all have bills to pay. It is unfortunate that as they enriched themselves, they were unable to also enrich the communities that nurtured their own development. We see this primarily as a failure of imagination, which we understand is a common side effect of working too closely with corporate sponsors. We helpfully suggest the following remedial “karma-cleansing” activities:

1. Publish their plans + code, in keeping with the open nature of the project.
2. Feature a historical accounting of the technical and ideological origins of the robot prominently on their website and related publications.
3. Make the Chalkbot available for use by anti-corporate activists, free of charge.
4. Provide proportional financial support to new projects that share the anti-authoritarian and anti-commercial aims from which this project emerged.

Originally posted by Lil' Dawa from Just Seeds: Blog, on July 12, 2009 5:17 PM

I found this photo -- from a beautiful evening at Crissy Field last spring -- on my phone the other day. Now that we're deep into San Francisco "summer" (read: cold and foggy with a side of wind), it's living on my desktop as a reminder of warmer times.

Originally posted by Sarah Sosiak from [sarah sosiak], on July 12, 2009 5:05 PM

Prince fans have been hearing and speculating about this for years now, and more recently it seemed to be confirmed by Wendy and Lisa in an interview on the fan site Prince.org. Any fan who goes to his concerts has noticed that he moves around much less on stage. But it's stiull not really confirmed, and I still have to hope the story is exaggerated, and he will stay healthy and with us for a long time to come!

Prince: Jehovah's Witness, and Hip Surgery source SINGER Prince has refused to have urgent hip surgery because it interferes with his religion as a Jehovah's witness. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Prince refuses to have the surgery because it interferes with his religion. He became a Jehovah’s Witness in 2001, and the religion bans blood transfusions. A source tells THR, "He's in a lot of pain. He's popping pain killers and hoping it will all go away." A report from prince.org posted in 2005 (source): "According to the news this morning, P is facing major hip surgery, but is reluctant to have it because of his JW status. They're not allowed to have blood transfusions. My wife asked if they could use his blood, which is what most people do, but my guess is that's technically the same thing. My understanding is once the blood leaves the body, it is considered "dead blood" and therefore should not be put back into a live body. As a result, the newscaster stated that he is "on the fence of whether to have the surgery or not." For the time being, he is on pain medication to deal with it. During the news segment, they were showing a clip, i presume from the Musicology show. There was no sound, but P was strutting back and forth across the catwalk portion of the stage, smiling and singing, looking as if he felt just fine bodily. His mannerisms gave no indication of pain. " Prince: Jehovah's Witness, and Hip Surgery

Originally posted by jay smooth from tuberaider video, on July 12, 2009 3:19 PM

We've been pretty busy lately on a number of cool new features (again), and an alpha will take some more time, so I thought it's about time for a sneak peak into 0.9.10, as well as few other things.

The most major change is unarguably string attributes support. Strings are intentionally stored in RAM, for speed. On-disk blobs are considered in the roadmap but not yet planned. Currently strings can only be used for storage, ie. you can fetch them, but not yet sort nor group on them. However both sorting and grouping is perfectly technically possible, and will be implemented at some point (enters SET NAMES).

Second-best one is in my opinion common subtree cache. It lets searchd identify common query subparts and cache them within a query batch. So if you're searching for "john connor rocks" and "john connor sucks" in the same single query batch, searchd will only search for "john connor" once, and reuse the partial result. The feature's currently pre-alpha, but preliminary testing already shows 2x-4x improvement in some production scenarios.

Other forthcoming features include index precaching progress on searchd startup, some work on rankers, query-based snippets generation, new "blended" character class that gets indexed both as a valid character and as a separator (think of & in AT&T); support for hitless indexes, etc. So it's going to be cool new alpha again.

As of 0.9.9 stable branch, a bunch of bugfixes was committed since 0.9.9-rc2 release, currently available via Google Code public SVN mirror. No super-major affect-everyone bugs had been spotted yet, so the plan's to give it another round of fixing in a couple of weeks and then declare it release.

Downloads and Powered page are redesigned now, should be more usable. Everyone who submitted the sites for Powered in the recent months, I'm sorry it's taking so very long to process your submissions, but unfortunately we seem to have way too much stuff on our hands and just not enough hands to handle it all. Your submissions are not lost forever and will be posted.

Last but not least, Sphinx made it into the second and final phase of Sourceforge Awards 2009, in SysAdmins and Enterprise categories. (We almost made it in Developers too.. but with an "almost", alas.) Voting ends by July 20th, so please vote for us, bring all your friends, and spread the link! :-)

Originally posted by shodan from Sphinx search engine news, on July 12, 2009 2:42 PM

I was listening to today's Mets/Reds game while cleaning out the garage. The Mets won 9-7.

The boys also finally broke out of the home run slump. After 82 homer-less innings, Brian Schneider and Tatis hit back-to-back HR's off ex-Met David Weathers.

The crowd went wild, but the Home Run Apple remained still after Fernando's blast. The crowd started chanting "We want Apple" but to no avail. Howie Rose said it was the first time he could ever recall the crowd cheering for the Apple. Finally at the end of the inning, the Apple popped up.

Good fans today.

Originally posted by Kingman from Loge 13, on July 12, 2009 12:42 PM