Category: Uncategorized

London Transport’s new bicycle safety campaign

I came across this on aurgasm last week, just in time for Easter. There are also metal versions of it and I’m not sure if it’s a music video for the Nathan Larson track or if he just put a score to it. With this music though, it’s hard not to watch and think about love. I wonder also what the objects in the back signify.

Emory has an ongoing exhibition of political cartoons going on around campus that includes visits from some of the artists. Jorge and I were at the library when one such event happened to be taking place. Below are a few of the environmental cartoons. Like The New Yorker I welcome your comments to see who can give these the best titles/captions.



Emory’s Cartooning for Peace series

Thursday nights at 9PM on WABE Atlanta you can hear broadcasts of the New York Philharmonic recent performances. Next week, on the 13th, they will be broadcasting the orchestra’s performance from Pyongyang, North Korea.

When I first heard that the NYPhil would be going to North Korea I didn’t believe or understand it, but I think it is a great cultural exchange even if it is with one of the most tyrannical dictators in the world. The executive director of the orchestra said “This journey is a manifestation of the power of music to unite people.” I’m not sure we’re united but it is a nice gesture in bridging the gap between a country whose affairs we want to have a lot to do with. I was also surprised that the trip got the approval of the US State Department.

Also I found out that this was not the first such attempt to use music to make peace/improve relations. In 1999, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra made a trip to Havana to give the first performance of a US orchestra on the island since the trade embargo began 37 years prior. If anyone can find a version of this or even a bill of what was performed send it along. In the meantime, check out the Pyongyang performance and let’s hope for the best.

Real Audio of performance

Big ups to Lauren on her first victory in the new tennis league. Jorge and I were the only two fans in attendance. Both sets started with Lauren losing the first 3 games in a row. But in both she came back to take the lead and finish off her opponent. Watch her blow an ace by Donna, below. Her second ace in two serves, I might add.

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-4190889562544002943&hl=en

Way to go Lauren!

Not sure why it took me so long to realize this but all the books for Lauren’s book club(s) could be borrowed for free at a library instead of bought at a store.

Yesterday I walked into Emory’s main library and searched for Dave Eggers latest (2006 or 7) in the huge online catalog without much luck. Probably because I was searching for the word ‘what.’ I thought, “Maybe they don’t carry too much new fiction here,” but then tried the reference desk.

The first question out of the guy’s mouth was, “what is the title?”

Without thinking I replied, “What Is the What.”

He looked at me and said, “the title… of the book.”

It took me a second to figure out what had happened but we all got a good laugh out of that.

Came across this yesterday on the sidewalk at Georgia Tech. Wanted to see what you guys thought.

(guest post by Jorge Sefair)
After the Nirvana leader-singer was found dead in April of 1994, many histories appeared around Cobain’s death. Similar to the rock/pop star Elvis Presley and Cobain’s contemporaries, Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (Notorious BIG), loyal fans dispute the mortality of their hero. Today some people assure that they have seen the young singer alive! It is true he lives in each of his songs, but this is more than that. Some sources says that his death was a market strategy to fuel even more sales of the rock band’s recordings. Also, Cobain stated that he was bored of the fancy life and posed people, wanting a quiet and peaceful life. He was seen here in Atlanta, seeding a new hope for the grunge rock movement and making us to think about our real life purposes. Money, fame, maybe not!?! Just roooooooooockkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Mom!

One of things I always remember about this day is that you share your birthday with the late president Reagan. Coincidentally yesterday, in a conversation with a friend about super Tuesday and all the new presidential candidates, I came up with a hypothetical gift for you and for all Americans. And, it’s presidentially themed! It’s a way to select your candidate by integrating them into part of your daily routine: breakfast. Simply put, it’s a toaster, but more than that it’s your personal pundit.

This toaster (tentatively called the Pollster Toaster) will sear the faces of the front running candidates from both parties onto your morning toast and/or bagel. It toasts four slices at a time and provides two candidates from each party (sorry, Huckabee). Now you can choose who to vote for based on your own unique tastes (literally). I recommend using the Pollster Toaster for an extended period of time, forming your ‘informed’ opinions of the candidates over time rather than from a single encounter. Also, enhance your integration into the democratic process by coupling your tasted grain with the traditional toppings from each candidate’s region of the country. Or color code; blueberries for the Dems and something red for the GOP.
Mom, if we begin shipping, you’ll receive your’s for free in 4-6 business days. I hope you enjoy this conceptual gift and have a great birthday. And you too, Ronald Reagan.

I’m sure some we’re calling it the ‘Best Super Bowl Ever’ but the ads from SalesGenie had to be two of the worst ever. The premise of each featured some ailing salespeople looking for ways to boost their performance. Also, each featured very heavy ethnic stereotypes. The first to air featured a South Asian salesman who when yelled at about his low numbers relies to his boss “but, boss, I have 7 kids.” The second was more explicit, featuring a family of panda bears with Asian-American accents. They ran a bamboo furniture store. It seems that a commercial like this takes very little thought but really to create something like this takes a bit of time to come up with. To make so many stereotypes explicit in thirty seconds takes some effort. Below (for the time being) is the ad.

How does this happen? How does something like this, some company like this, get in front of the Super Bowl audience? I think SalesGenie blew their budget on ad time and had nothing left with which to develop a creative, yet sensitive, ad. Also, they opted to go with cartoon format, which I think says they lacked budget for actors, HD filming equipment, script, and maybe even a product to sell. Instead it appears that their peddling our names, addresses, and telephone numbers, perhaps obtained from our grocery store clubs, to marketers. The commercial was unsettling all around, but here I am still talking about it.

Super Bowl Ads
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