Sweeping The Clouds Away

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Jun 262006
 

I took a trip in the Wayback Machine when I watched this clip of Stevie Wonder laying down the funk on Sesame Street with an extended rendition of “Superstition”.  I’m pretty sure I remember seeing this performance when I was a mere tyke.  Actually, I owe Sesame Street a sizable debt for setting me on a road to academic achievement and professional success.  My parents and Sesame Street were probably the two biggest influences on my budding intellect.  Ernie was the character I wanted to hang out with the most, while Cookie Monster struck me as something of a simpleton.  As I got older, I became a devotee of The Electric Company (“Hey, you guyyyys!”) and 3-2-1 Contact, thus ensuring that I would be a lifelong acolyte of the Public Broadcasting Service. 

Grand Opening

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Jun 252006
 

The new Guthrie opens today and I think I’m going to venture over to the open house later.  I’ve heard some mixed reviews of the new theater’s accessibility and I hope to check it out myself.  Downtown Minneapolis is experiencing something of a mini-Renaissance, with the new Guthrie, the new Central Library, and the new addition to the Minneapolis Art Institute.  I was telling someone the other day that when I was a kid, I dreamed of living in a tall building in the downtown of a big city where I could walk to all kinds of fun and interesting things.  Looks like I got my wish. 

Summer Job

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Jun 242006
 

Since May, we’ve had a legal intern at work to help us with some tasks related to the implementation of the Demonstration.  He’s a smart guy and eager to help, but I often have to remind myself to ask for his assistance.  Most state employees don’t have much in the way of administrative support, which means I usually end up doing my own copying and mailing, not to mention my own proofreading and research.  It’s great to have the help, but it requires a slight shift in my work habits. 
 
I’m also reminded that my first legal internship was ten years ago this summer.  I worked at the Minnesota Disability Law Center and I remember being in a constant state of mild unease because I was never completely sure I knew what I was doing.  Most people don’t understand this, but the core law school curriculum doesn’t teach you much about the practical aspects of working in a legal setting.  Law school teaches you to think like an attorney, but you’re on your own when it comes to figuring out how to do day-to-day tasks like writing a letter to a client or drafting a policy white paper. 

Positive Attributes

 Uncategorized  1 Response »
Jun 232006
 

It’s Friday.  I’m lazy.  Accordingly, I turn to the unambitious blogger’s favorite crutch, the list:
 
Five Things I Find Appealing in Members of the Opposite Sex
 
  1. Assertiveness–I’m a big fan of women who are confident and unequivocal in both thought and action.  That’s probably why I’m a sucker for pop culture content that features strong female characters. 
  2. Intellect–No big surprise for those of you who know me.  Smart, bright women get me all hot and bothered. 
  3. Wit–Preferably the dry, obscure kind
  4. Butt–No, I’m not trying to be crude.  However, when you go through the world in a sitting position, certain things are always at eye level and you develop affinities.  
  5. Style–This isn’t about clothes.  It’s about having a certain grace and presence that I have difficulty articulating, but I know it when I see it.

Educational Viewing

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Jun 222006
 

This Royksopp music video makes beguiling use of infographics–the kind you might see in a high school textbook.  It manages to be both artistic and geeky at the same time.  Thanks to Kottke for the tip.
 
I’m wondering what kind of atmosphere to expect at tonight’s charity screening of Serenity.  I’m betting that most in attendance have already seen the film.  I don’t think the film has been around long enough to achieve true cult status, so I’m not anticipating that we’ll be expected to recite lines a la Rocky Horror.  I did finally watch the last episode from the Firefly DVD set.  The last episode was brilliant and left me metaphorically shaking my fist at the failure of Fox executives to recognize quality writing.  And who knew that the guy who used to play an attorney on Law & Order could play a bounty hunter to such chilling effect?  Then again, I suppose that’s not as much of a stretch as it might first appear.

Ripple Effect

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Jun 212006
 

The massive cuts that Tennessee implemented last year for its TennCare health care program are having detrimental effects on some of the state’s poorest and sickest residents, as illustrated in this NPR profile of one woman who is being forced to choose between medications because TennCare will cover only five prescriptions per month.  Her story is heartrending, all the more so because thousands of other Tennesseeans are probably in similar dire straits.  Governor Bredesen, who led the charge to restructure TennCare, defends his actions by emphasizing that he eventually wants to provide a basic level of health coverage for every uninsured resident before focusing on the needs of high-risk populations.  But while Bredesen’s goal of some sort of universal coverage is admirable, I think he needs to recognize that the people with significant disabilities were not the cause of the budget crisis resulting in the TennCare austerity measures.  TennCare was badly mismanaged for years, but the people forced to reckon with the mistakes of politicians and bureaucrats are those people who can least afford to do so. 

This Island Earth

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Jun 202006
 

Stephen Hawking is warning that it might be time to start thinking about leaving the cradle to ensure the long-term survival of the species.  Of course, neither Hawking nor anyone can predict with any accuracy the number of habitable planets that might be within a reasonable distance of our solar system.  And even if we did identity one or two planetary baskets into which we can place some of humanity’s eggs, we aren’t going to get there anytime soon.  I’m not even sure I’ll even see a mission to Mars in my lifetime.  Hawking’s “Spaceward Ho!” exhortations are well-intentioned, but somewhat lacking in practical suggestions. 
 
But if some variation of Big Bad does slap the human race back into the Stone Age, somebody better remember how to find this global seed bank located near the Arctic.  After all, survivors of the apocalypse are going to need some greens to complement their steady diet of irradiated giant rat.

Cheesecake

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Jun 192006
 

What reason have I given the publishers of Maxim to believe that I might be interested in a trial subscription of their magazine?  What specific demographic data do they possess that indicates I might be interested in articles on the Harley-Davidson Night Rod (am I supposed to snicker at the name?) and robots that will carry my golf clubs on the links?  Don’t get me wrong, the woman on the cover of the issue that appeared today in my mailbox is lovely, but I’m afraid the sight of a partially concealed breast (or a fully unconcealed breast, for that matter) just doesn’t grab my attention like it once did.  Their marketing people only had to look at my other subscription habits (New Yorker, Economist, Entertainment Weekly) to realize I’m a) old, b) boring, and c) a hopeless geek.

Wheels Of Fury

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Jun 182006
 

Sticking with yesterday’s automotive theme, here is the Kenguru. a Hungarian car for wheelchair users .  As the photo below illustrates, the driver enters the car from and apparently locks himself or herself into place and controls the car with a joystick.  It’s a bit too Micro Machine-ish for me.  One fender-bender might be enough to crumple this car like an an empty can of Fanta.  And where the hell does the passenger sit?  On the roof?  
 
Thanks to Cory at Boing Boing for the tip.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Vroom

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Jun 172006
 

I was in the mood for eye candy today, so I caught Cars at the local gigaplex.  Pixar’s latest effort isn’t as nuanced or sophisticated as The Incredibles, but it has some sweet moments and the visuals (especially those of the desert Southwest) are breathtaking in their lyricism.  And the trailer for Pixar’s next film, Ratatouille, looks promising, if only because I’ll be able to point to the various scenes of Paris and whisper “Saw that.  Saw that, too,” to whomever sits through the film with me. 

 Older Entries  Newer Entries