Brief Notes of San Francisco
ben | 10 December, 2007 18:56
I'm quite amazed at certain things. For example, I recently spent a few days in lovely San Francisco (though lovely is certainly a state of mind - of the three days I was there it rained all day one day, was blazing hot the next, and on the third was foggy and sharply cold). Anyway, I stayed at a cheapish hotel in North Beach called the Saint Paul on the corner of Kearny and Columbus that was comfortable enough, if cramped, and had shared bathroom and shower facilities which were basically two or three single bathroom/showers at the end of the labyrinthine hallways. The bathrooms usually had a slight odor of pot lingering and I caught a glimpse of the room next to mine, which looked like the occupant had moved in for a long, long stay. The Saint Paul was across the street from Cafe Zoetrope, owned by Francis Ford Coppola with writing and production offices in the upstairs floors of the building (and a landmark building in SF).
Cafe Zoetrope
However, all this is beside the point. While doing a bit of tourist walking, I was passed by a group (flock? mob? herd?) of people wearing reflective neon yellow vests - of the type cops wear when directing traffic at night - wearing helmets and riding Segways! I later learned that there is a company that runs Segway tours of San Francisco. It was highly amusing, but I just could not for the life of me see myself strapping on a helmet and reflective vest to putt around one of the coolest cities in the world on a Segway. But maybe that's just me.
Segway tour of San Francisco!
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Pics from the Himalayas
ben | 09 December, 2007 16:13
A good friend of mine has been working and living in a number of places around the world since he graduated from college - Hawaii, Taos, Spain, the Ukraine, Southeast Asia, and a few other places I can't now remember. Currently, he's either in Nepal or India, I believe, and sent out some pictures from a trek he just finished which included a day in which he both climbed and descended 5,000 feet and that reached an elevation of 17,769 feet at the Thorung-la pass. My friend, Taylor, is the guy on the right of the picture below. The other guy is his guide, named Him.
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Review of "American Gangster"
sean | 06 November, 2007 15:10
The Age of Moral Ambiguity
Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Ridley Scott's "American Gangster", an action-packed crime drama. (Caution, spoilers ahead)
The action was well-paced and exciting, but I left the theater with a distinct sense of unease. The story starts out describing the situatuions of a low-level gangster and a "narcotics division" police officer; well-acted by Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe respectively.
By mid-film, Denzel's character Frank Lucas is one of the top heroin importing crime lords in the country, and Russell's honest cop is heading a then newly-formed and federally-funded narcotics enforcement squad. Throughout the film, Denzel's Lucas peddles heroin on an industrial scale, murders rivals, and enforces obedience with an iron fist. True, once he's achieved a level of financial success he brings his family to New York from North Carolina and employs his many brothers as lieutenants, even putting his poor aged mother up in a palatial estate. Ok, a thug with family values, we get it. But does this really redeem him socially?
The inevitable climax ensues when American forces pull out
of Vietnam in the mid 1970s, and Lucas' Indochinese Import/Export
business is threatened. Crowe doggedly pursues the crafty smuggler and eventually gets the collar. The real twist for me however is at the end.
Lucas plea bargains for a lighter sentence in exchange for
turning in as many corrupt cops as he can finger. According to the film, which is "based on actual events" a full 2/3rds of New York's Drug Enforcement Police forces are brought up on charges. My point of confusion/contention is this:what is the moral of story? Is this movie seeking to make some point, or is it pure entertainment? Am I supposed to sympathize with Lucas' character? In a lovely montage towards the end, after Lucas has opted to plea bargain, he is shown in grandfatherly reading glasses, wearing a sweater and laughing congenially with Crowe's character as they plot the downfall of so many crooked cops. (huh?) In a text-based epilogue, the movie states Crowe's character later quits law enforcement to become a criminal defense lawyer, and that his first client is Frank Lucas. Wait, now it's a buddy film? Lucas was originally sentenced to 70 years in prison. Due to his cooperation he served only 15 years, and was released in 1991. So this murderous wholesale heroin importer is back on the streets? Am I supposed to feel good that he turned in all the dirty cops? Am I supposed to believe he's some victim of circumstances and deep down just a really a nice guy with a strong (albeit misdirected) entrepreneurial drive? Sure this historic episode (depending on the veracity of the script) probably cleaned up the act of drug enforcement agencies nationwide, but what is the state of affairs today? It seems to me the drug war is still an endless cycle of corruption, cynicism and shattered innocence.
This movie left me deeply confused. I suppose it is an interesting story, but what on earth possessed a director the caliber of Ridley Scott to make this film I may never know. Most of the time with crime dramas I feel like the moral of the story is pretty straightforward, for instance like in the recent Martin Scorcese film "The Departed". Here is an honest to goodness tragedy. Pretty much everyone dies, and the point of it seems to say, live by the sword, die by the sword, and children beware, because in fact, a life of crime is really not glamorous. Maybe this was a movie about redemption, but again, I just can't tell.
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Dress Like We Say or Go To Jail!
ben | 17 September, 2007 12:52
And we seem to march towards a quasi-fascist state by leaps and bounds. It seems that fashion - always a popular whipping boy of those wishing to quash expression of any kind - is under the gun again. Baggy pants are now in the crosshairs, though I should quantify the statement with the disclaimer that most current or proposed laws restricting the wearing of 'baggy pants' focus on pants worn in a way that shows boxers or bare butt. From CNN.com:
Proposals to ban saggy pants are starting to ride up in several places. At the extreme end, wearing pants low enough to show boxers or bare buttocks in one small Louisiana town means six months in jail and a $500 fine.
A crackdown also is being pushed in Atlanta, Georgia. And in Trenton, New Jersey, getting caught with your pants down may soon result in not only a fine, but a city worker assessing where your life is headed.
The real issue, which isn't touched upon in the CNN article, is that such laws would once again put the judgment of who's wearing pants that are 'too baggy' in the hands of the police or general public. Oh yeah, and in America why is the government controlling what clothes I wear???
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Some Good Duke Ellington Quotes
cn | 16 August, 2007 16:00
Hey hey, here are a few good quotes from Duke Ellington:
“I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.” - (thanks to Meg for pointing this one out ot me.)“A problem is a chance for you to do your best.”
“There are two kinds of worries -- those you can do something about and those you can't. Don't spend any time on the latter.”
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Road Trip to North Conway, NH
cn | 13 August, 2007 09:47
So North Conway, NH is a pretty hefty drive from where I live in NY state. I'd never been and my dad's family was having a reunion there so I hit the road last Friday and headed out to North Conway.
North Conway, it turns out, is a great location if you're into anything outdoors. We all stayed at a big alpine-style house. It was a bit run down and the beds were hard, but the location was great and there were 12 bedrooms or so.
North Conway is pretty much surrounded by White Mountain National Forest and the Saco River runs through town. As a result of this a town of outfitters, gear rental places, coffee shops, pubs, and numerous other shops that you'd associate with a ski village has developed where in winter there are all types of snow sports and in the summertime there's kayakers, canoers, road bikers, mountain bikers, hikers, drivers, campers, photographers, climbers, rafters, etc., etc., etc...
Oh, and there are outlets. No sales tax in NH and throngs of tourists and travelers seeking the great outdoor experience means only one thing! Brand name outlet stores! Some of the stores I wandered into weren't necessarily ones you'd find in every outlet strip mall. I browsed a Pearl Izumi factory store and a couple mountain gear outlets. Not to mention the ski shops! All that and no Starbucks....hmmm...I guess there MUST have been a Starbucks somewhere, but they keep it off the main area at least...
Of course, the real draw of the area is the wilderness, and it is spectacular. If you don't hike, don't bike, don't ski, and don't like getting out on the river, you must at least go for the drive. Coming from the west, you zigzag through the mountains on state roads and a couple of interstates and the views are spectacular. No matter which direction you approach from, you'll pass through at least a dozen New England villages, seemingly all built around modest, stately churches with tall, white steeples.
North Conway may be pretty far from everywhere but Concord, NH, but it's worth the trip. Unless, that is, you're agoraphobic (fear of open spaces)...but even then the mountains might be enough too keep your fears at bay and if not, North Conway itself will be just built up and bustling enough for comfort.
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Underhill House
ben | 28 June, 2007 21:51
Check out this cool house! The owners built it themselves and have a how-to site that shows you how to do it yourself, complete with pictures, costs, and plans!
Check out the site here.
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The Ultimate Geek Travel Itinerary
ben | 23 June, 2007 12:02
So this has nothing to do with technology or gadgetry, but most definitely qualifies as geek travel. Some people follow Phish around for the summer, I have a friend who spent a couple of months following Widespread Panic. Others go on road trips, and some people will do every marathon, 5k, or triathlon within hundreds of miles of their homes. So why not tour around the country to hit every Star Trek-esque convention in the country?
There's a list of upcoming conventions (not all of them Star Trek specific) at startrek.com. So grab your Klingon phrasebook, pack your bags, and jump in your alternative-fueled shuttle-craft to hist the conferences this summer. Here's a sampling of events:
Columbus Sci-Fi Expo
July 13-15, 2007
Columbus, OHThe Official Star Trek Convention
August 9-12, 2007
Las Vegas, NVTrekTrak
August 31 - September 3, 2007
Atlanta, GA
There are events listed through the year and into 2008!
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Outside Mag - 5 Great Roadtrips
ben | 22 June, 2007 11:53
As you may know, I'm a big proponent of road trips, and this month Outside Online has a good list of 5 great summer road trips - one for each region of the country. From the article:
The only problem is that the online version doesn't have maps of the routes. I haven't seen the paper version, so I'll have to check that out, but nonetheless, the trips look good and the online version lists stuff to do all along the way.At some point after puberty and before mortgage payments, that summer ritual our parents used to make us do became something we couldn't do without. And the rules have changed. Cars are faster, highways are better, and there's cool stuff—really cool stuff that doesn't involve buffets or Dollywood—just about everywhere. Stop sitting on those vacation days and get out there. Our five two-week loops will get you rolling.
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Short List of Fun Travel Blogs/Sites
ben | 21 June, 2007 11:33
BudgetTravelOnline.com has a list of fun travel sites here about food, gear & gadgets, hotels, and maps. Listed sites include:
Slice, sliceny.com; News, reviews, and musings on pizza, including where to find the best pieces of pie in the Big Apple.
TravelGearBlog, travelgearblog.com; Reviews of clothes, equipment, backpacks, gadgets related to hiking, camping, and other travel activities.
Hotel Chatter, hotelchatter.com; Hotel reviews from all over the world.
If you like pizza and live in or visit NYC, check out that first site! It's constantly updated and is a pizza-lover's best resource...
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Dude! UK's State of Fear
cn | 22 May, 2007 18:26
Okay, so I've been light on the political postings lately, but THIS is scary. If you care at all about government monitoring, Big Brother, 1984, freedom, individuality, personal expression, democracy, etc., etc. From BBC.com:
The UK's first police remote control helicopter has taken off.
Merseyside police are using the "spy drone", fitted with CCTV cameras, mainly for tackling anti-social behaviour and public disorder.
And you've got to visit the link, if only to see the picture of the thing!
BBC story here.
Originally found via boinboing.net.
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10 Best Train Trips in the World
ben | 21 May, 2007 17:45
GORP.com has a great article about the 10 top train trips in the world. The list:
- Canadian Rockies, Canada
- Coast Starlight, U.S.
- Sierra Madre Express, Mexico
- Cuzco to Machu Picchu, Peru
- Arctic Circle, Sweden/Norway
- Glacier Express, Switzerland
- Blue Train, South Africa
- Palace on Wheels, India
- Orient Express, Malaysia
- South Pacific, Australia
The only significant train ride I've been on that I can remember is an overnight from Chang Mai, Thailand to Bangkok. We paid for the budget sleeper accommodation, and budget it was! The blaring florescent lights never went off, it was steamy-hot all night, and the berth wasn't made for a towering Westerner like myself (er...a towering 5'8.5", so that it to say, the bed was quite short). But it was a fun experience, all the sweating aside. One nice third-world quirk: at one point in the night I went into the bathroom. There was a stainless steel toilet, no water. I pissed into the toilet and it looked as if the refuse was sloshing around a bit down in the dark hole, but the room itself smelled fine.
In the morning I went to piss again. Through the hole, in the morning light, I could see the base loose stone and ties of the railroad track. It wasn't the refuse I saw sloshing around in the night, it was the stone whizzing by! And all the shit and piss of the passengers simply dropped down onto the track. Kind of like when a cruise ship is in international waters, except way different!
Anyway, I think I'm due for a good trip soon, and #5 above looks quite appealing!
See the article here.
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June 18th-24th - PorcFest 2007!
cn | 19 May, 2007 11:28
The Free State Project's 2007 Porcupine Freedom Festival is coming up this June 18th to 24th in Gilford, New Hampshire at Gunstock Mountain Resort (near Laconia, north of Concord). From their website:
PorcFest is about bringing together people that are, in any shape or form, connected to the Free State Project. Whether you are simply curious, whether you are a friend of the FSP, whether you are a signer of the Statement of Intent, whether you are originally from New Hampshire, or whether you are have already moved, PorcFest is the place to meet, talk, plan, and enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the Live Free or Die state.
Organized activities will include bus tours, hiking, training, speakers, entertainment, bbqs, and more. It looks like a lot of fun and I love their intent and the process they're using to create political change.
See th Festival homepage here.
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Irony of Technology
cn | 15 May, 2007 10:31
I love the Discovery Channel, especially now that I have the pleasure of watching DiscoveryHD - the high-def version of the channel. It has some programs that are simply amazing.
This morning, for instance, I turned on the TV and tuned to the Discovery Channel to find that Sunrise Earth was just starting. In Sunrise Earth they filmed a location with a number of cameras over a span of perhaps 3 hours from the pre-dawn darkness through full sun-up. There is no narration and there are no commercials. All you get are breathtaking shots of the subject for the day and the natural, accompanying sounds. For instance, today's show was titled 'Yellowstone's Geysers' and throughout the hour the scenes shifted from location to location within the park as the sun rose. It can be a breathtaking experience just to watch it on TV!
And therein lies the irony! I love the outdoors, love nature, am awed by its grandeur. Through the marvels of technology I can sit in my climate-controlled living room behind my computer, sipping my microwave-heated tea, and get a pseudo-experience of watching the sunrise in the vastness of the great outdoors. Yet here I am. In my living room. Experiencing what it's like to watch nature on TV. And to me it seems that I'm somehow missing something. Which is a good thing.
On the one hand, watching a show like this inspires me to get up and get going - get out there and experience it for myself...yet on the other hand, it's like a surrogate experience - now that I have a pseudo-experience of nature, why go out when I have so much work I could or should be doing?
Not to mention the fact that the show is on at 10am, so in a reality-twisting way I'm experiencing sunrise at 10am, and I'm nowhere near the arctic circle...
Regardless, check out the show on DiscoveryHD if you have a chance, if only because there aren't any commercials!
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Free Speech? Not if we don't like what you have to say
cn | 23 April, 2007 15:20
Why is it that so many people believe that a statement they don't like must be silenced rather than listened to and evaluated? It seems a religious group recently interrupted a comedian's show because they didn't like something about what he was saying...so they poured water all over his handwritten notes:
I am performing the show to a packed house, when suddenly the lights start coming up in the house as a flood of people start walking down the aisles -- they looked like a flock of birds who'd been startled, the way they all moved so quickly, and at the same moment... it was shocking, to see them surging down the aisles. The show halted as they fled, and at this moment a member of their group strode up to the table, stood looking down on me and poured water all over the outline, drenching everything in a kind of anti-baptism.
There's a video of the event at the site, here. My guess is that the perpetrators of the act live in great fear of the lord that they claim to be 'benevolent' and thus don't understand why the rest of us (comedian included) don't have such fear, and since we don't, they decide it's their purpose to create the fear themselves. But that's just a guess...
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