IconMTV, "Maytallica", the rumors of a return to previous metal glory, a new "story" that sounds straight from "Behind the Music", and now Reuters.
Impressive. Most impressive.
May 2003 Archives
Bill Rouse was our champion. More so than anyone else, he could overcome Philadelphia's all-too-frequent lack of self-confidence," said Peter Hearn, former chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association and a former candidate for mayor. "He defied the doubters time after time, and succeeded. The loss of Bill is staggering."Gov. Rendell said yesterday that no other figure in Philadelphia could match Mr. Rouse's civic brawn.
"Do I see anyone on the scene? No, I don't," Rendell said. "But gosh, I've been involved in tons of major cities in my capacity as mayor, and I have never seen any individual have as significant an impact on the direction of a city and region, anywhere in the country."
...Often referred to as "bigger than life," he loved nothing more than to scoff in the face of what others thought impossible. Consider this piece of typical Rouse braggadocio:
"They laughed at us. They said it couldn't be done."
Read the rest by Peter Dobrin in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Prayers and thank you to him and his family.
Moved my blogroll page to Philly Blogs page and reorganzied that page. Having two weblog listings on seperate pages was giving me a headache :) This should help to drive more traffic to the other Philly weblogs too.
Let's see: they work, are not on welfare, and are contributing to the tax coffers...
But they don't vote in the numbers required to make them a threat. They aren't noticed, and are largely forgotten.
So what happens?
David Firestone in the NYTimes: Tax Law Omits Child Credit in Low-Income Brackets: " after studying the bill approved on Friday, liberal and child advocacy groups discovered that a different group of families would also not benefit from the $400 increase ? families who make just above the minimum wage....Because of the formula for calculating the credit, most families with incomes from $10,500 to $26,625 will not benefit. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal group, says those families include 11.9 million children, or one of every six children under 17."
If the Democrats could energize this voting base along with the squeezed middle class... well they just won't will they? via dangerousmeta.
Eric M. Burke at weblogs.oreilly.com: on the art of writing simple, concise code. Need to take up that book suggestion: "The Pragmatic Programmer: from journeyman to master", by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas.
From a fan perspective, of course I'm going to dig Blabbermouth.net. But the web-tech guy in me wants you to take notice - the site gets a topic based weblog right. Straight forward design. Sticks to to subject. Content right were you can see it. Notice how Road Runner records owns the site, but is not responsible for content. And notice how I just gave Road Runner free advertisement. It's great work. Check it out.
I would be amiss if I didn't mention BlogCritics contributor, metal (true metal dude) fan and critic, fellow Philly blogger Chirs Puzak. I wouldn't have known about Blabbermouth if it wasn't for him pointing to it. All this and a fellow "The Prisoner" fan too!
Nicholas Kristoff at the NYTimes: What Did You Do During the African Holocaust?: " In Congo, in which I've had a special interest ever since Tutsi rebels chased me through the jungle there for several days in 1997, 3.3 million people have died because of warfare there in the last five years, according to a study by the International Rescue Committee. That's half a Holocaust in a single country. ...Our children and grandchildren may fairly ask, "So, what did you do during the African holocaust?""
An editorial. Not a news piece. Have you seen this covered on our nightly TV news? Except for a few conscious webloggers (yes I am using that word purposely), no one is paying attention. The mainstream news had a responsibility to pick this up. Then again, how could you expect the press to report on trouble in Africa when it won't expose for the mainstream the state of affairs in Russia? Here goes a prediction for you: Kerry will remind you of Gore soon. Very, very, very soon. Much more sellable to cover his personality then his background and potential policies.
Saddly related: Frank Ahrens at the WashPost: FCC Plan to Alter Media Rules Spurs Growing Debate.
Also saddly related: frontline: Mechants of Cool.
If someone is uninformed - how would they even know what they should have been doing?
This isn't going to hurt your average iTunes user, but on the net - when you lose the geeks - you lose the buzz. Read the rest in this Slashdot thread.
R. W. Apple Jr. in the NYTimes: In Hoagieland, They Accept No Substitutes. The New York Times sampling Hoagies, Cheese Steaks, Scrapple, and Soft Pretzels! A good cheese steak or hoagie is usually just a delivery call away while a soft pretzel from any of the hundreds of street vendors across Center City (what we call downtown) can be bought with a soda. Good scrapple with two scrambled eggs from a diner is a my favorite breakfast. If I ever left Philly - you better believe I'd miss the food.
AlterNet: Neo's the Hero of My Generation: "For many of my peers, it's not cool anymore to listen to Jay-Z, wear Gap clothes, or watch MTV all day. Those things are seen as being a part of our Matrix. My generation uses terms like "keep it real" and "don't front" ? the worst thing you can be is phony. Everyone wants to be original; nobody wants to be a copycat."
A trend that's been building now for a while if you've been paying attention to pop music. Think of Avril Lavigne and notice how Pink has evolved. Note the use of bands on stage in hip-hop these days (thanks to Philadelphia's own The Roots. Hugely influential). They are even declaring....
FoxNews: Metal is back: "So why metal now? Coletti attributed its resurgence, in part, to the current mood of the country. "Look at where the world is. Music is louder and harder in trying times," he said. ...But that doesn't mean that Britney Spears can't stay relevant. "She just needs to learn to play electric guitar," Coletti said."
Time: Goodbye, Soccer Mom. Hello, Security Mom: " "Since 9/11," Creighton says, "all I want in a President is a person who is strong.""
Whiners not wanted.
NYTimes: Trust in the Military Heightens Among Baby Boomers' Children: "The idea of nationality, being a nation, is important to people shaped by 9/11. This is a generation that knows nations really matter. They trust government."
Related to earlier story about Republican dominance in politics: NYTimes: Democrats Seek a Stronger Focus, and Money: "Norman J. Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute says Democrats may have passed a point where "minority status gels and makes it exponentially harder to get back in" because potential candidates and donors see only minority status in their future....Thomas Mann of the Brookings Institution disagrees, seeing parity between the parties as likely for some time. He argues that even the lack of a coherent positive message does not matter too much. "Most decisive elections are a consequence of the public rejecting something," he said. The most effective message, he said, usually is the simple "throw the rascals out."...But Democrats these days lack the killer instinct that it takes to sell blunt, demagogic messages. As Bob Shrum, a prominent consultant for 30 years, said: "It's probably a weakness that we're not real haters. We don't have a sense that it's a holy crusade. We don't have a sense that it's Armageddon.""
Not related but a good read: Time: What Makes You Who You Are: "Only now is it dawning on scientists what a big and general idea it implies: that learning itself consists of nothing more than switching genes on and off. The more we lift the lid on the genome, the more vulnerable to experience genes appear to be. ...This is not some namby-pamby, middle-of-the-road compromise. This is a new understanding of the fundamental building blocks of life based on the discovery that genes are not immutable things handed down from our parents like Moses' stone tablets but are active participants in our lives, designed to take their cues from everything that happens to us from the moment of our conception. "
Give thanks to those who have put their lives on the line for all of us.
I've argued with my aging friends and family that this was the trend. Read the NYTimes story about the Hipublicans. I think they are about 3-5 years late catching on, but better late then never. Key quote comes from a 19-year old: "Conservatives are inclusive in a way that liberals are not.". Amazing how perceptions can change in just a short amount of time.
Speaking of which, it's important to note how dire things were for the Republican party during the 70s and it's efforts first to resurrect itself and now to dominate politics. Lessons to note for the Democratic party in there.
CNet: Sun opens up Java process while it is about to release a new tool that is targeted at Visual Basic developers. Finally. But this maybe too little too late? Hopefully not.
In the meantime checkout what's in store for release 1.5.
The Inquirer writes a great story on the growing scene in Philly.
One of things that bugged me growing up (still does whenever I think about it) is the lack of places to go for music that were under 21.
Well someone made it easy!
1. Download and install this bundled build of GCC/GCJ 3.3 for Windows (MingW) and SWT. Follow the instructions to put into your path it's bin directory.
2. Create your simple HelloWorld app as HelloWorld.java:
class HelloWorld {
public static void main(String args[]) {
System.out.println("Hello World");
return;
}
3. Navigate to that directory from a command prompt and type:
>gcj --main=HelloWorld -o HelloWorld HelloWorld.java
4. Now execute your HelloWorld.exe:
>HelloWorld
It runs! The executable is a little larger then I had hoped (3.5MB), but that beats telling users they need a JVM installed! More about it in this JavaLobby thread. I write many non-GUI utilities and this maybe just the trick for some of them. This originates with the article I linked to earlier at IBMDeveloperWorks, Create native, cross-platform GUI applications, revisited.
There seems to be so much pain in the world to take pause for just one individual, but over the past year, Johnny Cash has had a greater and greater influence on me. His songwriting is powerful, deep, and spirtual in only a way someone seeking redemption can share. I never have seen a video as intimate or direct as the his take on "Hurt". My prayers go out to him and his family.
Tonight's the end. If you haven't watched the series before I suggest not tuning in since its plot line will leave you spinning. Chuck it up to missing a TV show that when it was bad, it was good, and when it was good, it was great. If you were too stuck up to get past the title - your loss bub.
Two keeper sites: The Buffy Dialog Database, and The Buffy Chords Page (tablature!).
The show has reached its end anyway. Kinda like 90210, it had it's best footing before it's characters reached adulthood. In the end I will think of it like I think of the "X-Files", "Star Trek The Next Generation", "The Prisoner", "Doctor Who", or "Star Blazzers". It's just one of those shows ya know? BTW, too many forget that "Xena" came along first. Buffy could only happen after Xena had a strong run for a couple of years. Barrier busters always get forgotten don't they? At least this Washington Post article mentions Xena briefly.
Salon has a good interview with Joss Whedon. It's other Buffy related article isn't worth linking to today. How many times can you read the same things?
Beware clicking any of the links above today if you don't want to read any spoilers. If you are looking for more linkage, check out Whedonesque.
By The Ramones
I used to be on an endless run.
Believe in miracles 'cause I'm one.
I have been blessed with the power to survive.
After all these years I'm still alive.
I'm out here kicking' with the band.
I am no longer a solitary man.
Every day my time runs out.
Lived like a fool, that's what I was about, oh
I believe in miracles.
I believe in a better world for me and you.
Oh, I believe in miracles.
I believe in a better world for me and you.
Tattooed your name on my arm.
I always said my girl's a good luck charm.
If she can find a reason to forgive,
Then I can find a reason to live.
I used to be on an endless run.
Believe in miracles 'cause I'm one.
I have been blessed with the power to survive.
After all these years I'm still alive.
I believe in miracles.
I believe in a better world for me and you.
Oh, I believe in miracles.
I believe in a better world for me and you.
I close my eyes and think how it might be.
The future's here today.
It's not too late.
It's not too late, yeah!
I believe in miracles.
I believe in a better world for me and you.
Oh, I believe in miracles.
I believe in a better world for me and you.
IBMDeveloperWorks: An updated look at GCJ and the SWT, and something I am going to have to try.
During the 1970s and '80s, America's poorest citizens lived ever more isolated lives. They were increasingly shunted into ghettoized neighborhoods where basic necessities, like good grocery stores and decent schools, were further and further out of reach.The 1990s began to change that. The decade-long economic boom - along with welfare reform and other shifts - helped spur some 2.5 million people to leave poor neighborhoods and begin to connect with the economic and social mainstream, a study released Monday finds.
Read the rest in the CSMonitor. But what about the new normal?
Not only are we using metal to break down prisoner resistence, but Metallica and Barney are being used together. That's beautiful.
WashPost: "Now, of course, it's so different". So different someone like JFK is almost unelectable anymore.
That my boss has a weblog? And a ton of other things at his site as well.
Great essay from Paul Graham. The old question... computer programming, is it art or science? Another piece I can point people to who are trying to understand your average computer geek. via rc3.org.
Gary Hart would have helped to make the '04 race interesting. He's out now.
Rafe does an analysis of Colin Powell's speech to the UN and it is an eye opener. via dangerousmeta.
Not since the "Clash of the Titans" tour (early 90s) has there been a lineup I am looking forward to like this.
The National Constitution Center opens in Philadelphia July 4th. It describes itself as "an independent, non-partisan, and non-profit organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of, and appreciation for, the Constitution, its history, and its contemporary relevance, through an interactive, interpretive facility within Independence National Historical Park and a program of national outreach, so that We the People may better secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity."
Not a day too soon. I'm sure it will become an important Philadelphia landmark and destination. The website even shows promise: Tools to register to vote, and educational resources.
No? Didn't think so. If you didn't then ABCNews will let you view it for a monthly fee. Otherwise you may catch it on CSPAN. Here is a related Metafilter thread.
It was educational. While I liked what I heard, I only saw one candidate *look* presidential - and that was Gephardt, who, btw, I don't think stands a chance. Sen. John Edwards is inspiring, his personal story spoke to me, and he had much to say, but I'm not sold yet. The next few months will tell if he acquires the quality that made Gephardt seem presidential - that quiet confidence that controls the camera.
I could talk about the others, who in many ways were very impressive, but I don't think they can beat President Bush. I'm not a political analyst, so it's just my opinion, I maybe wrong. Hopefully I am. The coming months should be interesting.
Ya know... there is a reality show somewhere in here... (no not American Candidate. Something a little more behind the scenes...).
Gen. Wesley Clark and Gary Hart, please throw your hats into the ring and make this a race.
Update: Washington Post analysis: Debate Bares Democrats' Great Divide. They need to get it together. Too much sniping at one another.
Right here in Philly.
Mark has some good ideas that I hope Apple explores.
Many people are panning iTunes, but the more I think about it, the more I find reason to hope that independent artists may have found a very, very powerful distribution method and a way to earn some bucks. Having a song downloaded just a few thousand times could rake in the kind of money to finance writing another song!
Pro Tools is a software program that replaces the old infrastructure of recording - huge analog mixing boards, rolls of two-inch-wide magnetic tape - with a computer. Many musicians now cut tracks straight to a hard drive, which means that lots of expensive tape machines are now collecting dust. "We have analog at our studio in Minneapolis, yet we rarely turn those machines on anymore," says R&B producer Jimmy Jam. Some estimate that four out of five current pop albums employ Pro Tools or one of its competitors. While Digidesign, the maker of Pro Tools, took in $136 million last year, many older studios are feeling the financial pinch. New York's Greene Street Studios, where Public Enemy recorded many classic tracks, shut down in 2001. Other studios are finding that the only way to stay in business is to make sure they have Pro Tools workstations for their clients.Since Pro Tools can run with just a moderately powerful laptop and a few accessories, musicians can get professional sound just about anywhere. "The traditional studio is a windowless place on a back alley somewhere," says Brandon Boyd, lead singer of Incubus. "You can get horrible cabin fever, like being in a dentist's office twelve hours a day." So to make last year's Morning View, Incubus used a Pro Tools setup in the living room of a Malibu house with an ocean view.
For established musicians, escaping the studio means better vibes; for acts that are just beginning, it means they can afford a professional-sounding demo or album without having to sell a kidney. It's already happening: Dirty Vegas' home recording of "Days Go By" became a club hit. The group could experiment with different sounds and vocal filters because the clock wasn't running in a thousand-dollar-a-day studio.
Read the rest at RollingStone.com.
Go and read up over at Shannon Campbell's weblog. Download some mp3s. Give a listen. I tell ya, her stuff is beautiful.
Fact is, her songwriting sounds like what I'd imagine my wife's would be. Shannon's voice is *almost* as good. And that is, by far, the greatest compliment I could ever bestow. I've never heard anyone as close. I need to record Richelle singing a song someday. It would simply knock you dead.
