December 31, 2006

Goodbye 2006

John Lennon - War is Over!John Lennon - War is Over!, originally uploaded by carafriez

Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

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December 30, 2006

Saddam's Execution Heightens Sectarian Tensions

Saddam Executed, originally uploaded by Sabbaa7i in Dubai

So Saddam is dead. Nice job, since even in death Saddam heightens sectarian violence:

The tribunal...had a unique sense of timing when choosing the day for Saddam's hanging. It was a slap in the face to Sunni Arabs. This weekend marks Eid al-Adha, the Holy Day of Sacrifice, on which Muslims commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son for God. Shiites celebrate it Sunday. Sunnis celebrate it Saturday -- and Iraqi law forbids executing the condemned on a major holiday. Hanging Saddam on Saturday was perceived by Sunni Arabs as the act of a Shiite government that had accepted the Shiite ritual calendar.

The timing also allowed Saddam, in his farewell address to Iraq, to pose as a "sacrifice" for his nation, an explicit reference to Eid al-Adha. The tribunal had given the old secular nationalist the chance to use religious language to play on the sympathies of the whole Iraqi public.

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December 29, 2006

My Year in Music, 2006

Tom, Shawn & Peter (from Norfolk & Western), originally uploaded by plemeljr

Using the charts at Last.fm, here is a list of what it says are my favorite artists of 2006, with total tracks listened to in parenthesis:

  1. Sufjan Stevens (392)
  2. John Lennon (341)
  3. The Arcade Fire (279)
  4. TV on the Radio (209)
  5. Metallica (195)
  6. Red Hot Chili Peppers (165)
  7. The Kleptones (147)
  8. Led Zeppelin (103)
  9. Clint Mansell (84)
  10. Interpol (81)
  11. Franz Ferdinand (80)
  12. The Beatles (73)
  13. The Police (69)
  14. The Who (65)
  15. Neil Young (62)
  16. N.W.A (58)
  17. The Rolling Stones (57)
  18. R.E.M. (53)
  19. Eric Clapton (51)
  20. The Decemberists (50)

In the Top 20 Tracks of 2006, the top 10 were all from the same artist:

So the Top 20 Tracks of 2006 comprised of only five artists. I knew I tended to replay bands I really like, but that is pretty insane.

Although this list is skewed, since for some reason Last.fm doesn't like my home computer's setup when it pings the server. This list does not count DeVotchKa (shown above), Smashing Pumpkins and a total lack of Country music which I feel I listen to more at home.

Please compare the above list to the top ten total artists since I began tracking with Last.fm (then AudioScrobbler) on 10 Feb 2003 (over 45,131 tracks recorded):

  1. Johnny Cash (2,198 - 4.87%)
  2. Dave Matthews Band (2,191 4.85%)
  3. U2 (1,860 - 4.12%)
  4. John Denver (1,607 - 3.56%)
  5. The Kleptones (1,514 - 3.35%)
  6. Modest Mouse (1,151 - 2.55%)
  7. Interpol (1,045 - 2.32%)
  8. Radiohead (1,038 - 2.30%)
  9. The Who (1,017 - 2.25%)
  10. Death Cab for Cutie (918 - 2.03%)

Conclusion: I always joke that my musical tastes suck, and I really can't argue with numbers. What I really need is more breadth of musical acts.

Does anyone have any suggestions about bands I might like?

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A Review of Ice Rinks in NYC

skating, originally uploaded by introspectrum

Today's New York Times has an excellent article featuring reviewing the of Ice Rinks in NYC:

Some of the most arresting and otherworldly photographs of New York are those turn-of-the-century black-and-white pictures of people skating on the lake in Central Park: the women in bustled skirts, the men in bowlers and the lonely outpost of the Dakota in the background. That was back when we had winter. Anyone trying to skate in New York these days, except on artificial ice, would surely drown, and lately it has been so unnaturally warm that unwary, overdressed skaters venturing out onto the city’s several outdoor rinks have even risked heatstroke.

A list of notable ice rinks you should skate in:

My favorite is the Kate Wollman Rink in Prospect Park because of the setting, even though the ice was well-worn; and The Pond at Bryant Park because the setting and price - free!

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December 28, 2006

International Typographic Style 7

International Typographic Style 7, originally uploaded by Alki1

Nice infographic about the UK textile industry illustrating the intake of raw materials to the finished product. Designed by Lock/Petterson Ltd. 1968.

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On Wind Farms and Carbon Trading

Wind Farm, originally uploaded by natmeister

There are two interesting articles in today's New York Times entitled, It's Free, Plentiful and Fickle, which brings a pretty balanced view of wind gathered energy:

Engineers have cut the price of electricity derived from wind by about 80 percent in the last 20 years, setting up this renewable technology for a major share of the electricity market. But for all its promise, wind also generates a big problem: because it is unpredictable and often fails to blow when electricity is most needed, wind is not reliable enough to assure supplies for an electric grid that must be prepared to deliver power to everybody who wants it — even when it is in greatest demand.
...
Without major advances in ways to store large quantities of electricity or big changes in the way regional power grids are organized, wind may run up against its practical limits sooner than expected.

And an article about carbon credits entitled, U.S. Companies Explore Ways to Profit From Trading Credits to Emit Carbon:

While the trading of credits to emit carbon is under way in bits and pieces and California has moved to cap its production of greenhouse gases, no one expects nationally imposed limits to go into effect in the United States soon. Most experts see 2010 as the earliest possible date.
...
For now, trading in the United States is voluntary: 225 companies that have made promises to reduce greenhouse gases by 6 percent by 2010 are trading carbon credits on the Chicago Climate Exchange. Prices for the credits started around 90 cents per ton of carbon when the exchange was established in 2002; they now trade around $4.

Most experts said trading would pick up in California, which has passed greenhouse gas rules (they are being challenged in court), and in the Northeast, where a coalition of states are following California’s lead. But once national rules pass, as many experts predict, the market is expected to explode.

Prediction: carbon trading is going to be huge; especially when the US gets on board. Many corporations are already on the bandwagon, and this is a good thing.

Ekibastuz - Open Pit Coal Mine, originally uploaded by herwigphoto.com

But the most asinine item came from the Wind Farm article; it contained this gem of astute reporting:

Coal being loaded near Fairfield, Tex. Electricity from coal is cheaper than from wind if the environmental and health costs are not factored in.

This is like saying that water contaminated with mercury or lead is drinkable, if the environmental and health costs are not factored in.

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December 27, 2006

Scans of the New York City Transit Authority Graphics Standards Manual from 1970

Routes, originally uploaded by Triborough

Check out this great New York City Transit Authority Graphics Standards Manual, I have one from British Rail, I need to scan.

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December 25, 2006

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

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December 24, 2006

Things I Never Published, 2006

Below the fold, are items I never got around to posting this year. Think of this as a pre-2007 cleaning.

Most items in this list are half-baked, and not fully formed ideas, but I didn't want them just to go away.

Continue reading "Things I Never Published, 2006"

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Run DMC's "Christmas in Hollis"

Take a look at this vintage Run DMC video for "Christmas in Hollis":

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December 23, 2006

Happy Festivus

Happy Festivus
Photo by your pal Matt

Happy Festivus! May your Festivus Pole be unadorned, the Airing of Grievances be plenty, and may your Feats of Strength be strenuous.

Watch the magic of Festivus:

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December 22, 2006

Amazing Revere Suger Factor Photos

Domelights reduxDomelights redux, originally uploaded by mercurialn

Check out these amazing Revere Suger Factor Photos.

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My Year in Cities, 2006

OK, so just like I did last year and via Kottke, here is a list of cities I visited in 2006:

Those cities marked with an * were visited multiple times on non-consecutive days.

So, I traveled more extensively than last year, but mostly for work. This year, hopefully I will travel west of the Mississippi, and over the Pond.

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December 21, 2006

December 20, 2006

December 19, 2006

December 18, 2006

Grubbykid.com Accepts Time's Person of the Year Honors

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Contact Information:
The Grubbykid
ima AT grubbykid DOT com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 18, 2006

Grubbykid.com Accepts Time Magazine's Person of the Year honors

NEW YORK, NY – Grubbykid.com, the New York City-based blog, announced today they are accepting Time Magazine's Person of the Year honors on behalf of the Internets. It is quite an honor to be lauded by the same magazine who selected George W. Bush (twice), Newt Gingrich, Deng Xiaoping, and Hitler as people of the year. I hope we can live up to the high expectations Time has placed at our feet. AOL user Andy Sizemore, had this to say: THANK U V3RY MUCH FROM DA BOTOM OF MAH HEART!1!!!1 OMG I ACAPT THES AWARD WIT MUCH GRATITUDA AND SINCERITY!1!!1 OMG MAY WE WORK 2WARD A NU DAWN OF HUMAN INT3RACTION !!11!1111 LOL!

Time Magazine has chosen a man, woman, or idea (list) that for better or worse, has most influenced events in the preceding year. Though Time's list is not an academic or objective study of the past, the list gives a contemporary viewpoint of what was important during each year. Time Magazine is owned by Time Warner and is published worldwide.

###

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More Detainee Abuse Surfaces in Iraq

U.S. Citizen and Former U.S. Detainee in Iraq Recalls Torment - living for 97 days with constant fluorescent illumination 24/7, temperature at 50F, and guards randomly waking you up a la Stanford Prison Experiment, sure sounds like humane treatment.

A snip:

The two men slept in their 9-by-9-foot cells on concrete slabs, with worn three-inch foam mats. With the fluorescent lights on and the temperature in the 50s, Mr. Vance said, “I paced myself to sleep, walking until I couldn’t anymore. I broke the straps on two pair of flip-flops.”

Asked about the lights, the detainee operations spokeswoman said that the camp’s policy was to turn off cell lights at night “to allow detainees to sleep.”

That las sentence is such a farce, I can't believe it appeared in the article without any response.

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December 17, 2006

December 16, 2006

11 Spring Street

11 Spring Street

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See my other photos from the 11 Spring Street Wooster Collective Streetart Project.

December 15, 2006

December 14, 2006

I'm feeling like an Anti-Dentite

Seinfeld: Anti-Dentite

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Happy Monkey Day

20061214-santamonkey.jpg

Happy Monkey Day!

Why? Why not!

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December 13, 2006

On Transactional Kiosks

20061213-nycta-mvm.jpg

Interface design is not one of my specialties, but because I seem to be interacting with these machines with more frequency, their design and implementation are impacting my life more and more.

Below, I look at different approaches to similar functions.

New York City MetroCard Vending Machines

Designed by Antenna Design for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and installed in all five boroughs, this may be the most used kiosk in the US. The hulking (semi-vandal proof) machines are where you can buy your single-ride, multiple-ride, and unlimited ride MetroCards. They are composed of a touch sreen, card reader, bill & coin receptor and MetroCard dispenser - quite a lot of hardware fit into a fairly small space.

There have been some negative review of the MetroCard Vending Machine (and MeFi reactions) - most notably by Adam Greenfield of V-2.org fame. Most complaints have to do with the multitude of steps needed to simply buy a MetroCard.

Frankly, I think that these machines are the "best of breed" that have surfaced. They are arduous to use, but are magnitudes simpler to use than London's or DC's machines, due to the zone-less subway system. I have found as, an antidote to the 9 or so steps it takes to buy a MetroCard, muscle memory has begun, where I know exactly where to hit which part of the screen when. My MetroCard buying time is down to less than a minute, with swipe.

jetBlue Check-in Kiosk

photo by rnair

I have sung high praise for jetBlue previously, but haven't focused on the Check-in kiosk before. Also designed by Antenna Design, the Self Service Kiosks is the epitome of simple check in. As I am flying more and more, the simple and aesthetically pleasing interface Antenna provided is a welcome respite from other airline's kiosks.

Here are the simple steps to gain a boarding pass:

  1. Dip Credit Card or read barcode
  2. Confirm identity and flight information
  3. Confirm baggage & baggage contents
  4. Review Seat
    1. Keep Seat
    2. Choose new seat
  5. Print Boarding Pass

I can get in and out under 4-5 minutes, and that is with reviewing the seat. What sets jetBlue apart, is that the kiosks do not feel like "bolt-on's" like the other airlines and the kiosks and accompanying graphics reinforce the jetBlue brand, which other airlines kiosks generally do not.

Octopus Card


photo by Rick W

I'm fascinated by the Octopus Cards and would like more information about the interface and graphics (email ima AT grubbykid DOT com). Either way, here is a Single Journey Octopus Card machine analysis and some photos of the Oyster, Octopus & Suica cards.

Conclusion

There really isn't one yet; the "best in breed" - such as jetBlue - entail simple design and a simple "goal path." Where the MTA MVM goes wrong are the multitude of MetroCards available. I think I will want to revisit this in the future, but this is a good start.

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December 12, 2006

Corbusier Would've Gotten Around to this...

20061212-Mid-Century_Dog_Sofa.jpg
Dog Sofa Mid-Century Design

(shamefully ripped off from sweetchuck)

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Frighteningly accurate SimCity version of NYC

20061212-Madsion Square Garden.0.jpg
Madison Square Garden from The New York City Journals

Via Gothamist, comes The New York City Journals, a blog about simulated New York City in Sim City; a frighteningly accurate simulation of NYC three years in the making. The author even simulates what happens in the real world: UES Townhouse Explosion, September 11th, and the Liddle Plane crash in the UES.

20061212-New_York_Neighborhood_Map-1.jpg
SimCity New York by The New York City Journals

Fifty years ago, this guy would be building model railroads in his basement, now he can do it from the comfort of his laptop. I think Baudrillard is spinning in his grave. I never know how to react to these sorts of things: on one hand, I am fascinated by the determination and detail of people's obsessions; on the other hand, what happens when he finishes? What then?

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December 11, 2006

December 10, 2006

December 9, 2006

December 8, 2006

NY Times hearts Boeing

20061208-600_boeing_1.jpg
photo by Meyer Liebowitz/The New York Times

We have daily delivery of the New York Times, which is both a blessing and a curse: reading the daily newspaper (not counting the Daily News or the Post) has afforded me a better holistic understanding of what is happening in the world. While the NYTimes online is useful to read the paper version is far superior, not due to its' tactile nature (it helps), but rather the act of thumbing (folding) through the pages allows for reading of articles I would have skipped over in the online version. For example: how would I have known that Slovenia, my homeland, has quite a Gypsy problem, if I didn't turn to the article In Slovenia, Villagers Block Gypsies' Return to Their Homes? The context and juxtaposition of articles which the Times editors have perfected still create a superior product to the web version.

That being said, it is interesting to see patterns, however apparent, emerge in reporting.

Case in point is the Times recent interest in airplane manufacturer Boeing and the multiple mentions of the European competitor Airbus and their problems with the production of the Airbus A380.

Two frontpage Business Section articles in the last 10 days have featured glowing reviews of Boeing: Boeing Not Afraid to Say 'Sold Out' (28 Nov 2006), highlighting Boeing is sold out of planes due to increased demand, and Boeing: Far From Extinct (07 Dec 2006) which chronicle's the 747-8 Intercontinental. Both were Leslie Wayne who has written extensively about the aviation industry.

My overview of aviation manufacturing and secondary business is limited, so I cannot judge how well Boeing is doing and how big of a deal this is. It feels like a big deal, since Boeing almost went out of business a few years ago. I also don't know if these articles contain a bit of nationalistic rah-rahing of a "local" company battling a foreign competitor. Also, I was trying to find out who owns stock in the The New York Times Company, but I wasn't able to find that information.

My gut feeling tells me that the 07 Dec story was a follow-up to the 28 Nov story, both written by the same journalist. Nothing groundbreaking in my analysis, but being able to read the daily paper version of the Times allowed the connection to be made. The real test for Khoi Vin and the rest of the online editors at the Times is the allow this juxtaposition and ability to draw connections to past articles. How this is done, I am not sure. But restricting past articles in the TimesSelect paywall, is not the way to do this. In fact, this makes the accumulated knowledge and work of the New York Times become shallow in content and disconnected from history.

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December 7, 2006

A Day Which Lives in Infamy

U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, HawaiiU.S.S. Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, originally uploaded by dinab

Today's New York Times has a special Pearl Harbor section, with a special dispatch (from the past) concerning the rebuilding of the entire Pacific Fleet which was censored at the time.

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Covering the Iraq Survey Group

Dear readers, please choose one of the three covers below which adequately covers the Iraq Survey Group's recently released Official Report (pdf) with the proper tone, space and gravitas:

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20061207-NYPost_DailyNews.jpg

If you picked the second one, congratulations: you probably supported the invasion almost four years ago. No matter the fact that exactly zero out of ten members of the Iraq Study Group made the correct decision to oppose the war - all were in support of the war, except perhaps Sandra Day O’Connor was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, which I haven't been able to find quotes either way. The mere fact that, at the very least, 9/10 members were predisposed to committing the nation to war, boggles the mind. The fact that zero members of the group were right about this war is a testament to how shallow the debate about Iraq and the secondary issues such as causes of the war, nation-building, exit plans, and basic goals are allowed to progress in "polite" company which the Gang of 500 allow.

No matter, the New York Post calling them Surrender Monkeys is incredibly stupid and asinine; is the rag really worth the 25 cents cover price?

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December 6, 2006

Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope

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Another storefront shop display - Saks (I think).

December 5, 2006

December 4, 2006

Texture

Texture

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December 3, 2006

Onto Glendale

The 'Shoe

Game On.

Drive, drive on down that field
Men of the Scarlet and Gray
Don't let them through that line
We've got to win this game today

COME ON OHIO!

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December 2, 2006

Piano Insides

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December 1, 2006