thisiswhatyoushalldo

No Filter

One of my primary sources of internet posts and regalia, Metafilter has been down for about a week. It sounds brutal if you read the status blog of the meltdown. Cross your internet fingers that we can have this great site back.

Good Music

Stumbling around Google, Blogger and power surfing the net, I stumbled on this entertaining blog that focuses primarily on the music scene (with a mostly south Florida bend, but that’s to be forgiven.) And a few random photos of life on beach tossed in. ( I really need to get my act together and up grade this blog to include a photo or two.) Anyway, I digress. As I cruised the blog I stumbled on this from The Belfast Telgraph (appropriate, I suppose.) The author tries to establish the essential Van Morrison record collection. And he does a great job, I think. Van is second on my list, next to Springsteen, for music I take to space with me. His voice and passion and ability to turn every note into great souful blues is simply astounding.

“Like Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison has a rare ability to be an icon of his genre as well as rising somewhere above it, when he is firing. In R&B or gospel, or defining Celtic music, his talent and prolific recording have produced some incredible highs. Unlike Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison has a rare ability to be an icon of his genre as well as rising somewhere above it, when he is firing. In R&B or gospel, or defining Celtic music, his talent and prolific recording have produced some incredible highs. Unfortunately, his talent battles his reclusive nature and a sometimes iffy quality control. Defining four albums from a career so diverse is almost impossible, but the core, the soul of Van Morrison, was laid on record by 1974.”

Give it up for Van.

Poetry Spam

We have heard of poetry slams, where poems are read allowed in an almost rap temperment and the audience is energized by poetry, beyond the imagination of Jack Kerouc, probably one of the most famous Beat poets who practiced an early version of the slam.
But poetry spam. This takes the cake. A simple, light hearted blog that uses only subject lines in received spam emails to craft poetry. Beauty, eh.

American Patriots,
How can we serve you better?

Win a laptop computer?
Win a trip to Florida?
Win a NEW LEXUS?
We give you more of what you want.

American Patriots,
How can we serve you better?
Want free movies?
Want to date a supermodel?
Want a bigger penis and stronger erections?
You will love it!

American Patriots,
How can we serve you better?
We have decided to increase your credit,
Increase your penis size, now
Give you free money.

Just Vote Bush. Your wife will never know.

Map Stuff

I was helping my sister with her geography homework and stumbled upon some great map stuff. I dig maps. In fact in a few conversations recently, I discovered that everyone loves maps. Here are some links to some great online map resources to while away the time:

The CIA world fact book (yes, that CIA) (a great site and wonderful for answering pesky triva questions)
The Library of Congress Map Collection
A Children’s Atlas collection
From National Geographic
Old Maps on England
Maps based on the US Census
Historical European Maps
Historic European city maps (click on search A-Z for easiest navigation)
History of maps and really deep directory of all sorts of online map images
A US Gov Census map. Mostly data but a cool site
Tiger Map Server (plots lat/longitude or zip code based on 1990 census data, very cool and fun.)

Enough Politics, Let The Games Begin

Here are a few bits of diversions and fancy to entertain for a while:

From the BBC, a search and rescue game: Helicopter Rescue

This one is kind of hard at first, but cool interface: Lost your marbles

And relax and go bird hunting: Not Dick Cheney’s Turkey Shoot

Maddening? Prudent?
Protests Records Sought

The US Justice Department has sent subpeonas to the Drake University to obtain any and all information about the participants, planners and subjects discussed during an an anti war protest at the university. Many details are sketchy, owed to a gag order and the use of a grand jury, whose records are sealed. But apparently, one of the protestors is accused of breaking the law in the non violent protest out side of an Army National Guard base in Iowa. It is a bit eery to think the DOJ has now gone to the trouble of rounding up a list of “usual suspects” in an attempt to find out what anit war protestors are doing. Chilling indeed to think that protesting the war may be considered terrorst activity, that dissent is considered a crime. (This may not be the case, but if the government is pursuing this all in private and under the radar, then I am sure it is canvassing witnesses to an automobile accident.)

via Metafilter.

Molly Ivins, Again

I love this gruff but loveable Texan and her sharp keen wit as it is directed at her political foil, George W. Bush. In this essay from the Progressive, she continues her pursuit.

Traffic Jam

With the winter weather upon us, it is entertaining to postulate the traffic what ifs. This is a fun little web based java applet that lets you create traffic conditions and simulate the impending traffic jam. Keep it running all day and just watch the snarls ensue.