I just heard that Ellen DeGeneres is the replacement for Paula Abdul on American Idol.
Hi Rick,
We all know travel is supposed to be fun. And I get it, it’s confusing to be dropped into a foreign land, clueless about the local customs, food, attractions, and the like. But please, for the love of God, stop publishing this information.
I really do admire that you’ve done so well for yourself, amassing detailed reviews of expensive restaurants and luxurious hotels. And it’s impressive how thoroughly you’ve researched each of the destinations you write about. But I think it’s time to back off, Rick.
I can’t remember the last family vacation I went on that didn’t revolve around your advice. I’m sure this advice was well-intentioned; you seem like a good guy, after all. But is that quaint Italian eatery three bus stops away really any better than the one downstairs? Is it worth the two-hour pilgrimage to that wonderous waterfall you say we simply must see?
The problem here is that in order to make these books quickly and efficiently consumable, you only touch on a handful of things to do. This is all well and good, but when you’re all big and famous, people tend to take your advice extremely seriously. I know my mother won’t consider eating in a foreign land without your blessing. So cut us a break, Rick.
At least put a little “I haven’t been everywhere” disclaimer at the front of the book. Or better yet, include a “Very Impressive But Free Or Cheap” section in each book. Even my father would buy it and read it then.
I’m really just trying to help you out here, Rick. And I appreciate what you do. But at the end of the day, you’d be better off to realize that there are some real travel nuts out there, whom you’ve accidentally become responsible for.
Best,
John
I just found this video of some really interesting “electronic” music (sorry this has become a video blog lately):
Now, I’m on the fence about this one. This is one sick set of musical instruments, with some really innovative alternatives to sequencing and sampling, and their hearts seem to be in the right place.
My problem, though, is with the creative choices that these people seem to be making in performance. I just don’t like what they’re doing musically. And it’s a crying shame, because the instruments and sounds they’re using all seem like they could add up to something a lot more listenable and interesting. It all just sounds like an elaborate proof-of-concept to me.
The beat structures aren’t particularly stable, the synth chords don’t really go anywhere, and nothing has much shape. I’m not saying that all good music needs these things, but in a situation like this, when the variable and novelty is the sonic pallet itself, I’d much prefer something with traditional structure interpreted through novel sounds. (The one exception in my mind is the marimba chairs at the end, but that’s not even part of their sequencer setup.)
Has anyone heard these guys play anything else? Are there better songs around?
I need to share this here:
Jon Fuller, Jonathan Bannigan and I wrote this for Matthew’s Minstrels for our final concert this past Friday. This is how we spend our time at this institution of higher learning.
Was local news ever good? Because recently it’s gone from bad to downright hilarious. Between ridiculous human interest stories, to complete and utter misinformation, it’s no wonder cable news stations are doing so well right now.
Last week Improv Anywhere set up an awesome April Fools prank in which they randomly “invaded” a funeral. Turns out it was a hoax set up for April Fool’s and no actual funeral was involved. However, some local news station picked it up, and reported it as fact.
Apparently, in order to make it onto the nightly news, a story doesn’t have to go through any fact-checking, or verification at all. Really, all it needs is a YouTube video, and it’s fit for broadcast.
And if I need to watch Al Roker struggling with a newfangled piece of technology one more time, I’m going to throw up. Network news caters to the lowest-common-denominator, and the result is a newsroom staffed with people in that very bracket.
No one has been as much a staple in my network news upbringing than Sue Simmons. This woman must be a complete nutjob off the air, because if you Google her name, you’ll find a few choice YouTube videos. I really can’t say anything about them that the clips themselves don’t say. Click on to watch.
Well, I’m back from vacation. I’ll probably have some anecdotes, pictures, and movies soon, but right now I’m just too tired to face all that.
And of course, a massive, massive thank-you to Brian for his impeccable wit and intelligence while I was gone. He’s inadvertently raised the bar for this site. So, you know, prepare to be disappointed.
I would, however, like to point out an ad that just went by on a site I was browsing:
And then it links to an “experiment” in which they showed 120 people an OS they claimed was the next Windows, but it was really Vista. I imagine the results showed that these people loved the software when they didn’t know it was Vista, but I can’t be sure, since the site won’t even load under Firefox or Safari, and I won’t touch IE with a 10-foot pole.
But that’s not even the point. What’s alarming here is that Microsoft apparently deems Vista’s image enough of a problem and enough of a public laughingstock to all but acknowledge its poor reputation in its own advertising. “If you pretend to know nothing about what the experts claim, you REALLY WILL LIKE IT! We promise!” So slap on a blindfold, and maybe it’s not so bad.
Personally, I think that instead of wasting time on these “experiments” they should just hurry up at that drawing board they’re getting back to. It doesn’t matter to me, though, since it’s too late–they’ve already lost a Windows customer in me.
This article from Slate, about an NYC reality TV school is downright disturbing. The point seems to be that this course will give you a leg-up on being cast in a reality series. Now, I’m not going to dwell on the fact that of course the people who will pay to learn how to depict reality are exactly the ones that belong on these shows. No, instead, I think it’s more important that we step back and look at what this means.
This Robert Galinsky fellow has quite a racket going, and I wonder if he even knows it. See, the whole point of this class seems to be to teach students how to be an amplified and self-assured version of themselves. I guess this is somewhat commendable – after all, being true to oneself does seem important – but Galinsky is making money off it. This wouldn’t be so bad, except that it’s misguided information; he’s telling his students that they need to affect this behavior. It’s a fine line, but kind of an unfair one.
What I think would be really fun is a reality show about this place. Think about it: it’s a treat for everyone there, since they’re trying to be on TV. It’s great for Galinksy because it gives his class more exposure. It’s good for the networks since not only does it promise to be a hit, but it’s extra advertising for reality TV in general. Plus, we all get to watch a bunch of crazies trying to affect their ways to stardom via trashy TV. Who’s with me on this?
I’ve just read about this ridiculous story out of Fairlawn, NJ. Apparently, two ice cream truck drivers were in some kind of turf feud that resulted in one of them framing the other for stabbing him. I’d have a lot to say about this, but I have a feeling nothing would be quite as funny as the story itself.
My real issue here isn’t even the incident. I just hate this article about it. Here are some choice excepts:
“There was definitely no good humor between these two ice cream rivals.”
“[...] but apparently it’s a one-ice cream man street, residents say.”
“So when he saw rival driver Abdulaziz Hammoud while he was delivering his Good Humor treats, he made up the story that he hoped would put his competition on ice.”
“[...] Hammoud swerved his truck in front of Abdallah’s, forcing him to stop cold, police said.”
“Bellair Avenue resident Rina Williams was just returning home from a jog with her dog when she saw the police cars, their lights flashing, sandwiching one of the trucks.”
Now, I realize that when two ice cream men fight to serve children, and one mutilates himself for the sake of the downfall of the other, a lighthearted report is called for. But really? That many ice cream puns? They weren’t even particularly clever. Surely this reporter could have mentioned how the framed ice cream man was left out in the cold, or what his reaction was when the authorities dropped that bomb…pop.
OK, maybe the article is just fine.
