Sometimes the headline says it all: “Why did the chicken lose its penis?”
(This is one where you really need to read the comments)
Recurrent Themes
If you’ve been reading my journal for a while, you know there are a number of recurrent themes that catch my interest. Theatre, of course, is just one of them (just booked the rest of June, for example). Words is another. Food. Los Angeles. Politics. … and of course, History. The last one is the unifying theme for this collection of links:
- One World. I posted this on Facebook a few days ago, but it is too good not to share further. If you go far enough back in history, the Earth had a single continent — Pangea. Ever wonder what it would look like with modern political boundaries? Wonder no more.
- One Language. Two posts about language. First, here are 22 maps that show that American’s don’t speak the same language everywhere. I wonder if they did a map of how we refer to our freeways (or is SoCal unique). Second, an article on the history of the “@” sign — and the many things we call it.
- One Bubble Gum. Continuing on the history bent… Bazooka Joe turns 60 this year. You remember Bazooka Joe — he’s the character in the bubble gum you got with your haircuts.
- One Mulholland. There was just a big fire up in Santa Clarita this week. Here’s an interesting article on why it should be called the Mulholland Fire.
Nood Fews: Sim Dum, Meastbrilk Pollilops, Dacon for Bad, and More
Today brings yet another installment of news chum related to food, or should that be chews num felated to rood?
- Dim Sum No More. Today’s LA Times brings really sad news for our dim sum habit: our regular dim sum outing-spot, Empress Pavillion, has closed due to eviction/landlord problems. I started eating dim sum with the UCLA Computer Club (I still remember that club reunion with bao), and we’ve continued to make regular treks downtown. I’m not sure of any dim sum palaces left in Chinatown, although our friend Anthony mentioned Golden Dragon as a possibility. I also have a recollection of NBC Seafood in Monterey Park, and Yelp also recommends some place called Elite. Don’t think there are any comparable places in the valley.
- Get Your Lollys at the Lolly Store. Here’s just the thing for those with an oral fixation. A company called Lollyphile has introduced a breastmilk flavored lollypop. I’m sure question #1 is how did they get the flavor right? The founder of the company tried breast milk from four of his friends who were new mothers. He and his flavor specialists then got to work developing the flavor. Question #2, of course, is how do they turn the breastmilk into a lollypop? The answer is (unlike the breastmilk ice cream) that these lollypops are vegan: sugar, corn syrup, and natural flavors. Order yours today, but keep them out of the hands of children. (I’ll stop there before I make a boob of myself)
- The Big Cheese. My weakness isn’t lollypops (even the ones above)… it is cheese. So naturally I love an infographic from BuzzFeed all about the different types of cheese. I tend to go for the semi-hard non-blue cheese, particularly super sharp cheddar. I guess I’m just a rat.
- Goodies for Dad. Need to get something for dad for Fathers Day. How about Oscar Meyer Bacon Boxes. They are available by mail order. If you’re in a city with a “Counter” burger joint, he can get a free burger at most locations on Dad’s Day if you just say “My dad is a BFD”.
- Origin Stories. Lastly, two origin stories. First, here are 14 dark secrets of how your food is made. After reading these, I’ll never look at hot dogs or shredded cheese the same again. They truly emphasize why it is important to get food with the least processing possible. The second origin story provides information on the surprising origins of 10 of the biggest casual dining restaurants.
Music: Blast: An Explosive Musical Celebration (2000 Original Broadway Cast): “Split Complimentaries”
The Hazards of Fame
Today’s post brings together three articles, all loosely connected regarding the hazards of fame:
- Did You Hear The News About The President? President Obama. Love him or hate him, he’s surely in the news… and has all sorts of stories floating about. My advice? Only argue about the stories that are true. To help you, here’s a handy chart of almost every Obama conspiracy theory.
- He’s The Next Tom Lehrer. There’s one thing our new mayor in Los Angeles is known for… his piano playing and singing (if I had know this, I might have voted for him 🙂 ). Anyway, when he leaves his council office, he’s giving back the city’s piano.
- Let’s Make Reservations. Consider the problems. You’re Alton Brown. You don’t want to cook dinner. How to make dinner reservations without it being obvious….
Music: Welcome to the Club (1989 Original Broadway Cast): “Southern Comfort”
Words Words Words
I’ve loved words ever since I was at UCLA and took Linguistics 10, which looked at the origins of words. So today’s news chum concerns words, in various forms… and shapes…
- Words We Don’t Have… But Need. Here’s a list of 12 brilliant words we don’t have in English… but really should. So while I’m dealing with my kummerspeck (due to the third headache day in a row), I’ll pelinti due to the hot soup I’m eating.
- A Long Word Goes Away. Today also saw the retirement of a word: rindfleischetikettierungsĂĽberwachungsaufgabenĂĽbertragungsgesetz.Want to know what it means? I guess you’ll just have to read this.
- How Do You Spell That? You may have heard that the National Spelling Bee just ended. The winning word? Knaidel. Or is it Knaydel?
- History of a Logo. Two little words: “Star Wars”. Quite a story behind the logo.
Music: Welcome to the Club (1989 Original Broadway Cast): “The Trouble with You”
Entertainment Chum: Grand Park, Dr Demento, Surviving Risk, and Bad Reviews
Today’s news chum brings you three articles all related to media and music, in some form:
- A Grand Park. Last Sunday, we took Metro to the Ahmanson. When we got out downtown, there was this wonderful party going on in the new Grand Park. There were people enjoying themselves to free music, kids rocking out on their dad’s shoulders. There were food trucks and kids playing in fountains. Only later did I find out what it was: Sunday Sessions at Grand Park. I must say that it was delightful, and it was really neat to see my city doing this.
- Dr. Demento. Growing up, I regularly listened to Dr. Demento on KMET (followed by Flo’ and Eddie by the Fireside). The Daily News has a nice article on what the good doctor is doing today. It discusses the death of novelty records, and the ability to do anything “novel” on radio today. The doctor, not surprisingly, has moved to internet broadcasts. He’s using a paid subscription model, and I’m not sure novelty records would be enough to entice me.
- Surviving Games. Here’s an interesting idea: Someone is bringing together reality TV stars from Survivor and Big Brother… to play boardgames. The notion, developed by a former Survivor player turned podcaster, is to take some of the top players and pit them against each other. This could be entertaining…. but the game they have chosen is Risk (bleh). To my eyes, it would be much more interesting to bring these people together and have them play Diplomacy. Watching these players take their skills at strategy and negotiation (as well as alliances) could be quite entertaining. I’ve always viewed Survivor as a real life version of that game. But Risk? That’s just dice rolling.
- Bad Reviews. I’ve written in the past how bad reviews can be entertaining. Given that we have a new M. Night Shyamalan movie, expect to be entertained — not by the movie, but by the reviews. The LA Times says, of “After Earth”: “There is no small irony that this sci-fi action adventure is about surviving a serious crash. The scorched earth left behind by “After Earth” is sure to leave a scar on everyone involved.”. It gets better. How about: “Speaking of overkill, flashbacks, thousands of them, become things to be feared as much as any space alien.” Or perhaps “As Gen. Cypher Raige, Smith has never seemed stiffer, like Patton without the personality. It’s as if his Ranger suit were two sizes too small and he’s trying to just deal with it.” The reviews conclusion? “If you’re still wondering whether “After Earth” is a disaster, the question is not if, but how big?” If you were thinking that’s just one review, here’s what the Atlantic has to say: “So I feel it’s incumbent on me to note that with his latest offering, After Earth,the writer-director seems to have arrested his precipitous decline. This movie is no worse than his last two.”
I’ve Got a Little List: Obsolete Technology, Left-Handed Problems, LA Drivers
The unifying theme for today’s lunchtime news chum is enumeration: these are all lists of things. Further, they are all lists of things with which I have some disagreement:
- 12 Obsolete Technologies Americans Still Use. Andrew Ducker brought this list to my attention. I disagree with many of these items — both with the “obsolete” aspect, and the implication that there is no rationale for their use. For almost all of these, I’ll argue that there are still narrow use cases that justify their use. #2 Pagers, for example, have the advantage of being one-way, which make them ideally suited for environments where one is worried about information exfiltration. #3, Dot Matrix Printers, are needed in cases where multiple copies are required and printing multiple originals is burdensome (or when a real signature is required). #5, Pay Phones, are vital for emergencies and cases where people either cannot use or cannot afford cell service. #7, landline phones, are a vital backup communication medium when the power goes out (they have independent power, whereas VoIP depends on main power), and still have superior sound quality to cell lines. #9, film, has inherent artistic qualities that cannot be duplicated with digital (which is the same argument for #12, vinyl). #11, fax machines, can provide security advantages as it is not stored. Which do I use? #7, #8, #11 (some places still require it), #12.
- 18 Worst Things for Left Handed People. Being left handed, I agree with many items on this list, although some I disagree with. For example, #5 — really now? Pushing the ball? If so, then how can I write with a fountain pen. Similarly, with #6, that’s only a problem if you are using ink that doesn’t dry fast enough. #7 is only a problem if you don’t take care where you sit (it’s now automatic for me to sit in the correct corner), and I’ve never had a problem with #10 or #15. Some of these still annoy me, such as #1, #2, and #12, and my personal pet peeve is #16 — those signature capture machines are never designed for left handers.
- 30 Things Only Drivers in Los Angeles Will Understand. This, perhaps, is the list I have the greatest disagreement with, for much of these are things that native Los Angeles people have no problems with. For example, regarding #1 — I never scream on the freeway — I just turn on a podcast and go with the flow (or get off and get some tea and wait for the mess to subside). As for #4, Sigalert is so yesterday — real people use Quickmap from Caltrans. As for #3 — that sign isn’t even from Los Angeles, although the parking signs can be confusing (which I’ve written about before). As for #11, real Angelenos know to visit the Auto Club for most DMV services. #17 is really only a excuse for those that live in the LA Basin — those in the valley will drive anywhere. However, #13 is most definitely true!
Skeuomorphism. Love It. Hate It.
A big word in design circles these days is Skeuomorphism. Those who design interfaces are gnashing teeth and bemoaning the skeuomorphism in today’s interfaces, and newer interfaces are supposedly going to eschew it entirely. What is skeuomorphism? According to Wikipedia, it is when “a physical ornament or design on an object made to resemble another material or technique.” In other words, it is when an application used to delete files looks like a trashcan, an icon indicating saving files looks like a floppy disk, directories look like folders, email looks like envelopes, and (in general) thinks look like their archaic real world equivalents. Apple is supposedly going to a flat design and dropping skeuomorphic icons in the next version of iOS, and Windows has already started to do it in the flat design of Windows 8.
What got me thinking about skeuomorphism was a segment of this week’s Science Friday that we listened to on the drive home. This segment talked about helping seniors to tackle new technology. It talked about how seniors could be introduced to use the iPad and the iPhone, how to teach them to use computers, how they can be set in their habits… and how one can teach new technology by relating it to older things they know.
Yup. You can put 2 and 2 together as well as I can. The move away from skeuomorphism could be an attempt to get seniors — or at least less adaptable seniors — off the new technology. If you are dealing with a senior who can’t even figure out the power button, delete files, or do any simple tasks… now try imagine explaining it when the icon to do the task is something they don’t recognize.
So what are your thoughts? Is moving away from skeuomorphic design a good idea or a bad idea? What will be its impact on seniors?