A Safe Alternative Energy Source?

A 100-meter tall wind turbine meets a 100-kph breeze.

A Video From The Philippines

I forgot how much I enjoyed the music when I was living in Brazil. It's too bad that the English-speaking world is so hesitant to listen to music in other languages, because there is so much good stuff out there to listen to (especially nowadays). Fortunately, some bands (CSS from Brazil springs immediately to mind) are putting out their music in English and enjoying a lot of success because of it.

I listened to a fair amount of the music in Thailand, and found only a few songs that made it halfway to good... so going overseas for your music doesn't always pay dividends. However, the Philippines has a real treasure trove of good music to listen to, and I'm really looking forward to getting to know more of it when I move there.

Anyway, check out this video by Rivermaya, called "214". It's one of the better songs I've heard in a while (even if it is a bit dated)... and yes, it's in English.

A Video Response To C&L Late Night Music

Crooks & Liars put the Cocteau Twins on their Late Night Music Club tonight, which immediately made me think of another lesser-known but equally interesting band from 4AD Records during the 1980s: Dead Can Dance (introduced to me, if I remember correctly, by a certain J.I.P. reader and very old friend of mine).

Anyway, if mystic/gothic is a flavor that interests you, check out "Rakim" below.

Phonebook Friction

Something you didn't know you wanted to know: If you interlace the pages of two phonebooks they are impossible to pull apart.

Yes We Can

Will.I.Am of The Black Eyed Peas has written a pro-Obama song and made a heck of a video to go with it.



It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation: Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom: Yes we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness: Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land:

Yes we can to justice and equality.
Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.
Yes we can heal this nation.
Yes we can repair this world.
Yes we can.

We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics; they will only grow louder and more dissonant. We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.

Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea:

Yes. We. Can.

Top 100 Stand-Up Comedians Of All Time

Via Crooks and Liars. My favorite comes in at #41: The inimitable Eddie Izzard:

Here are the Crooks and Liars Top Ten Stand Up Commedians from their top-100 list, with links to other videos:
1. Lenny Bruce
2. Richard Pryor
3. Woody Allen
4. Mort Sahl
5. Buddy Hackett
6. George Carlin
7. Eddie Murphy
8. Richard Lewis
9. Robin Williams
10. Rodney Dangerfield

JIP New Old Music

There is hope for music in these days of profit-driven caterwauling "I can screech the high notes" schlock featuring a rap by a shirtless Joe MC with a hip-hop downbeat, although you probably won't see it advertised or played or even acknowledged by those music outlets who get paid to pimp and play and create new hits by their Sony Music overlords.

As evidence to remind you of what has gone before, I give you an old favorite: "Television" (wikipedia entry). Then, I recommend you flip on over to visit my blog entries on "Wolfmother" and "Lacuna Coil" who show us that what is old can be new, and that the spirit of Led Zepplin, Ozzy, and Iron Maiden is alive and well in new music, and can even be improved upon. Go go go, guitar solos.

(p.s. Driftglass at Crooks and Liars, who gets the hat tip on this video is right: Watching the youngin's like this fellow dance is what reminds old retired club kids like me to stay the hell off the dance floor.)

Daily Report: The New Maid

Had a fine morning of work.

For lunch, it was out to Valentino's. American Joe is back and town and joined us along with Stan and his (wink-wink-nudge-nudge) new maid named Lee.

(Well: When your new "maid" is a perky and giggling young sylph who sits coyly at your arm making doe eyes during lunch, then regardless of how much puttering about and tidying up this little lady may do, folks can't help but wonder.)

My afternoon saw more work.

In the evening, Epril and I watched "50 First Dates" on TV, which was an adorable movie.

I found a song for Stan to sing as he watches his new maid cleaning up:

Evel Kneivel Has Died

Congratulations to Evel KneivelAn American motorcycle daredevil, a well-known figure in the United States and elsewhere since the late 1960s, and arguably the most iconic motorbike stuntman of all time.: After defying death more times than any other man in history, and surviving countless life-threatening injuries in his career of motorcycle dare-devilry, the Grim Reaper had to finally give up and take this flying madman by natural causes at the age of 69.

Amazing Video: Base Jumping Glide Suit

I haven't seen something this exciting and compelling in a long time: Jumping off a mountain, and gliding through the air like a flying squirrel with the help of a webbed skydiving suit.

Stan Picks A Video

Stan pointed me towards this brilliant song from the 1950's by one Tom Lehrer: All the periodic table of elements sung to "Modern Major General"...



Of course, there is only one proper response to such a brilliant piece: An equally brilliant, but different song sung to "Modern Major General"...

Friday Afternoon Break From Work

Sunday Video Break

A video of cute Asian girls!

Talent for Talent's Sake

And I thought my talent at playing Minesweeper was spectacular but pointless... this person's latte art is the end-all-be-all of the talent most guaranteed never to make you a millionaire. (But you probably are guaranteed to always be able to find a job in a coffee shop.)

My Most Favorite Music Video Ever

The perfect video for me and the rest of the misfits...

Like the little girl, where did I end up after years of wandering and trying to fit in? In a place where dancing, frolicking, acting childish, and having fun is the only way to be. All those dreary places and drab people scratching their heads are left far behind.



All that I can say is that my life is pretty plain.
You don't like my point of view? You think that I'm insane?

The Best Olbermann Commentary Ever

There is nobody who better verbalizes the country's anger, disillusionment, and discontentment with the war than Keith Olbermann. There is nobody who better explains the perfidy, deceptiveness, and politics that have gone into this war's management than Keith Olbermann.

Keith Olbermann is currently the best anti-war voice that the left has, and he may very well be the best liberal orator of the past 40 years... or if not, at least the best known.

Anyway, I highly recommend watching this video. You may go away upset, but you'll still thank me for having posted it.

Can't Help Myself: More Top Gear Videos

Fastest production car on the planet: Driving the $1.7 million, 1000 horsepower, 250 MPH Bugatti Veryon at it's top speed.

Why The World Loves Top Gear

Very few people in America have heard of the BBC program "Top Gear", which has been test-driving cars and entertaining (mostly male) audiences for a very long time. The amusing running comentary of the hosts, along with their testing methods and testosterone-fueled antics is probably the reason why the show is easily the most popular program about cars on the planet.

So, notwithstanding the comment about American tanks in this video, here we have one of the guys from Top Gear test driving a Range Rover by going over hill and dale to avoid getting blown up by a tank. (There are many more Top Gear videos on YouTube if you are interested... just do a search.)



(You have to love a show where the host has enough presence of mind to talk about the "sports cruise suspension" with a 50-ton killing machine bearing down on him.)

Bonus track: Porsche roadster versus Mercedes roadster — avoiding army snipers.

Meet The God Of Photo Editing

My former career in New York City was as a graphic artist... and my one speciality was photo retouching. I would say that when it comes to photo retouching, I'm better than 99% of the photoshoppers out there.

Meet the other 1 percent:

Just so you don't have to ask: I slowed it down and checked it all out... although I'm not sure on each tool and process and setting, I'm pretty sure that's a real photoshop job, and not video fakery.

And just so you don't have to ask, part 2: Yes... the photos on my blog are often edited, but never to create a new reality or a false truth... only for camera/photographer error/inaccuracy, to remove clutter, or to join contiguous photos together. For example, just yesterday, photo 1 plus photo 2 became photo 3. But that's about as complicated as I can get. So don't even think it: I can't photoshop Pui into the pretty lady I put on my blog... she always looks like that.

Funny 911 Calls

The funny thing is that I'm utterly convinced that not a single one of these calls was made in jest.