November 2007 Archives
Who is the shadowiest dj of them all? Why, DJ Shadow of course! Witness the absolute mastery:
So the most recent bouldering trip - the same trip where I picked up my swanky new ride - resulted in some seriously sweet climbing at LRC (Little Rock City), sometimes known as Stone Fort, in Chattanooga. What, you don't believe that we're capable of sweet climbing? Psh. Even Mark got some gangster shots. Check it out in the swanky jose-sierra-dot-com photo album.
Go be jealous. And then we'll see you at the next Triple Crown (yep, at LRC).
Go be jealous. And then we'll see you at the next Triple Crown (yep, at LRC).
Thanksgiving was pretty good... good food, good times with the family, and just a generally good thing. Everyone feels all thankful, gorges on crazy amounts of food, and then sits back and lets the tryptophan do its thing (which, by the way, is another total farce - the amount of tryptophan in turkey is no greater than most other meats. Thanksgiving drowsiness is caused by eating ridiculous amounts of carbs. Don't believe me? Here you go.)
The origin of the "story" of Thanksgiving, which involves pilgrims, Plymouth Rock, Native Americans, and a whole lot of unfortunate turkeys, seems to be (at least mostly) a total crock. The real story of our celebrated national holiday can be found here, and (as seems to be the case for so much of early American history) involves the slaughter of 700 Native Americans. Wow. I guess the early pioneers were thankful that the Indians weren't better armed, huh?
The actual religious significance of this holiday is nil, the historical significance is buried in (and shrouded by) history, and it stands (in my opinion) as a complete non-holiday. Why in the heck does this holiday even exist?
I spoke on the phone briefly with Arroyo tonight, and had a conversation that included a brief version of these thoughts. His response is that on this day he gets an opportunity to thank God that he's alive, and spend time being thankful for all the good things in his life with his family. Fair enough. But shouldn't you be thankful on a daily basis? I'm not sure I agree that appreciation for the fruits of one's labor (excuse me - God's handouts) should be limited to a single day, as declared by our government.
Very antediluvian ideology, I'd say. I think I'm just a little irritated because Starbuck's was closed today, and I'm still trying to figure out why. Hah. Didn't see that coming, didja?
The origin of the "story" of Thanksgiving, which involves pilgrims, Plymouth Rock, Native Americans, and a whole lot of unfortunate turkeys, seems to be (at least mostly) a total crock. The real story of our celebrated national holiday can be found here, and (as seems to be the case for so much of early American history) involves the slaughter of 700 Native Americans. Wow. I guess the early pioneers were thankful that the Indians weren't better armed, huh?
Governor Winthrop of the Massachussetts Bay Colony proclaimed this first official day of Thanksgiving and feasting to celebrate the return of the colony's men who had arrived safely from what is now Mystic, Connecticut. They had gone there to participate in the massacre of over 700 Pequot men, women and children, and Mr. Winthrop decided to dedicate an official day of thanksgiving complete with a feast to 'give thanks' for their great 'victory'Oh yeah, that's good stuff. But there's more. Apparently the actual holiday wasn't even made 'official' until 1941. That's not totally accurate - good ol' George "Scourge of Cherry Trees" Washington called for a day of thanksgiving soon after he was put into office. The next Thanksgiving wasn't celebrated until "Honest" Abe Lincoln, that wild party animal, called for a day of thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November... to celebrate (so to speak - and give thanks for) the Union victory at Gettysburg. It's true. And each president since then called for this day until 1941, when Congress just went ahead and saved American Presidents the hassle and made Thanksgiving an official holiday. Since Lincoln, it became a matter of convention that this national holiday would take place on the fourth Thursday of November.
The actual religious significance of this holiday is nil, the historical significance is buried in (and shrouded by) history, and it stands (in my opinion) as a complete non-holiday. Why in the heck does this holiday even exist?
I spoke on the phone briefly with Arroyo tonight, and had a conversation that included a brief version of these thoughts. His response is that on this day he gets an opportunity to thank God that he's alive, and spend time being thankful for all the good things in his life with his family. Fair enough. But shouldn't you be thankful on a daily basis? I'm not sure I agree that appreciation for the fruits of one's labor (excuse me - God's handouts) should be limited to a single day, as declared by our government.
Very antediluvian ideology, I'd say. I think I'm just a little irritated because Starbuck's was closed today, and I'm still trying to figure out why. Hah. Didn't see that coming, didja?
Apparently the knotheads at the USDA aren't worried about E.coli. In fact, it seems like the USDA is totally okay with a little E.coli in our meat. Amazing? Yes. Unexpected? I suppose not.
The U.S. government is notoriously forgiving when it comes to health concerns, particularly in the face of consumer demand. It really is all about the almighty dollar, and no amount of sick citizens is going to stop them. Now, it's true that the USDA isn't completely ruthless - they are requiring that if meat test positive for E.coli, it should have a sticker that says "Cook only" (or something to that effect.) Now that I'm aware of that, the sticker might as well say "Don't buy me, I'm poison!", because I will never, ever spend a single dollar on any meat that says "Cook only." And neither should you.
The U.S. government is notoriously forgiving when it comes to health concerns, particularly in the face of consumer demand. It really is all about the almighty dollar, and no amount of sick citizens is going to stop them. Now, it's true that the USDA isn't completely ruthless - they are requiring that if meat test positive for E.coli, it should have a sticker that says "Cook only" (or something to that effect.) Now that I'm aware of that, the sticker might as well say "Don't buy me, I'm poison!", because I will never, ever spend a single dollar on any meat that says "Cook only." And neither should you.
Padre Ramon seems to be some crazy Spanish priest guy. Ever wonder what a full-on tongue lashing in Spanish sounds like? Watch that video.
Every once in a while you run into a video that is impressive not in and of itself, but because it just works so well with the music/audio/whatever. In other words, it's a total package thing. This video is awesome for so many reasons, but even the music is fantastic - maybe more so because of how amusing the video is. Watch this:
Every once in a while you run into a video that is impressive not in and of itself, but because it just works so well with the music/audio/whatever. In other words, it's a total package thing. This video is awesome for so many reasons, but even the music is fantastic - maybe more so because of how amusing the video is. Watch this:
Apple Tablet PC's aren't just imaginary vaporware anymore. Apparently ASUS, the company that is contracted to put together the Apple hardware, has leaked out that there are plans (real ones) to put together a gin yoo wine tablet PC for the Apple platform. How cool is that? Very.
Aside from that, everyone should witness this unbelievably euro ad. Witness the hottness. Beware, it's fairly NSFW... but very, very amusing.
Aside from that, everyone should witness this unbelievably euro ad. Witness the hottness. Beware, it's fairly NSFW... but very, very amusing.
Rock climbing is getting more popular. Apparently, so is being a douche. The San Luis Obispo County wrote a pretty good article about how the ecological impact of rock climbing is increasing as more and more people are finding the sport and going outside with little or no training in our much-beloved "Leave No Trace" paradigm.
In fact, the mentality of the people going out there seems to be semi-retarded. Here's a quote from one such noober (one Ha Pham, aged 23) who thought it'd be a great idea to open her mouth:
In a way, it's our own fault. The article is right - we don't educate people enough on Leave No Trace, we don't take these noobs under our wing and show them the ropes. But that's because there's no respect. No respect for the environment, and no respect for other climbers. There's no shortage of theft, vandalism, littering, the whole nine. It's frustrating, because that's the mentality that these gyms are fostering - "climb inside, and for a short temporary thrill go out to the outdoors." The gyms are the temporary places - they'll come and go. Real climbers - the ones that will stick with the sport longer than a few months - know that the gym is where you go when you can't get outside. When it's too cold, or too far, or simply not in the cards. Then you go the gym to train. But going outside... that's The Real Deal, and it should be respected.
I'm ranting and I have a headache from reading such a singularly stupid comment.
In fact, the mentality of the people going out there seems to be semi-retarded. Here's a quote from one such noober (one Ha Pham, aged 23) who thought it'd be a great idea to open her mouth:
Seriously woman. Clean your rocks off for you out there? Let's call the Rock Cleaning Service to go out there and shampoo the slopers so they're extra sticky for you. The outdoors isn't about convenience, it's not about "oh look, there's a conveniently located trash can in the middle of the fucking forest. Going outside is about getting away from civilization and enjoying nature as it is without human intervention. And the gym rats are slowly turning it into Disney World (or they want to, anyway.)"They should have signs and stuff and trash cans outside," said Pham, who climbs regularly in the safety of a San Francisco gym. "I don't think they even clean your rocks off for you out there."
In a way, it's our own fault. The article is right - we don't educate people enough on Leave No Trace, we don't take these noobs under our wing and show them the ropes. But that's because there's no respect. No respect for the environment, and no respect for other climbers. There's no shortage of theft, vandalism, littering, the whole nine. It's frustrating, because that's the mentality that these gyms are fostering - "climb inside, and for a short temporary thrill go out to the outdoors." The gyms are the temporary places - they'll come and go. Real climbers - the ones that will stick with the sport longer than a few months - know that the gym is where you go when you can't get outside. When it's too cold, or too far, or simply not in the cards. Then you go the gym to train. But going outside... that's The Real Deal, and it should be respected.
I'm ranting and I have a headache from reading such a singularly stupid comment.
So I was twiddling on YouTube a bit, checking a few things out, when I ran into several unbelievably cool gems. Do a search for the Bowery Boys, and witness old-school humor.
Will Smith is acting in a new movie to be released in December called "I am legend." This movie is based on a book by Richard Matheson
(also called I Am Legend - click here to check it out on Amazon). I don't want to give anything away, but the premise is pretty interesting, the twist relatively cool, and it's just a well-written piece. Matheson himself states, in an interview, that the book (and the idea) is dated, and that he doesn't understand why Hollywood keeps making movies based on his book (The Last Man On Earth, Omega Man, and now Will Smith's most recent), and what he *really* doesn't get (and I can understand this) is why they never stick to his original story.
Well, maybe the story isn't that great, and needs a little Hollywood? I don't know about that; I really like the story quite a lot, and it's pretty well thought out. The twist is good, and the book really flies by quickly. It was so good, in fact, that it was the inspiration for Romero's Dawn of The Dead. That's pretty good stuff.
So a little research unearths the original movie remake of the book, called "The Last Man On Earth", featuring none other than Vincent Price himself. Apparently this movie exists in the public domain and is freely available to watch.
Oh, but wait! More digging unearthed yet another diamond amongst gemstones. Behold! The original 1932 version of... WHITE ZOMBIE..!!!!
Will Smith is acting in a new movie to be released in December called "I am legend." This movie is based on a book by Richard Matheson
(also called I Am Legend - click here to check it out on Amazon). I don't want to give anything away, but the premise is pretty interesting, the twist relatively cool, and it's just a well-written piece. Matheson himself states, in an interview, that the book (and the idea) is dated, and that he doesn't understand why Hollywood keeps making movies based on his book (The Last Man On Earth, Omega Man, and now Will Smith's most recent), and what he *really* doesn't get (and I can understand this) is why they never stick to his original story. Well, maybe the story isn't that great, and needs a little Hollywood? I don't know about that; I really like the story quite a lot, and it's pretty well thought out. The twist is good, and the book really flies by quickly. It was so good, in fact, that it was the inspiration for Romero's Dawn of The Dead. That's pretty good stuff.
So a little research unearths the original movie remake of the book, called "The Last Man On Earth", featuring none other than Vincent Price himself. Apparently this movie exists in the public domain and is freely available to watch.
Oh, but wait! More digging unearthed yet another diamond amongst gemstones. Behold! The original 1932 version of... WHITE ZOMBIE..!!!!
