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You are what you read. And what you see. And what you hear.
I am Heath.
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Email Heath at heath at mediadiet dot net about items of possible impact, interest, and intrigue. Or just to say hey! (Portions of our correspondence might make its way back here. If this makes you feel uncomfortable, be sure to let me know.) Send me links. Use Delicious, and tag them for:h3athrow.
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Friday, June 07, 2002
Nervy, Pervy VI This week I was surprised and delighted by a pretty hefty redesign and improvement of Suicide Girls. Maybe I'm daft, but I had no idea it was coming -- and, frankly, I was so impressed that I'm glad I hadn't been expecting it. Now, I'm not usually the sort of person to geek out to an erotic Web site (and I usually totally ignore people who say things like that), but the online communitarian -- as well as the hungry young man -- in me is all over Suicide Girls. And the recent improvements make me wish that they'd happened before we'd finished the nomination process for the community category of this year's Webby Awards. Maybe next year, if I'm asked back. All of the pop-up advertisements that accompany my attempts to access the original URL's for Howard Rheingold's Electric Minds shed some light on the commercial potential that that project had, but I'm debating whether Suicide Girls hasn't supplanted Minds as the best example of how conversation and content can be connected online. I think it might have. What does Suicide Girls do right? Please realize that I offer all of the above knowing that SG is at its base a porn site, but I think that other online community developers can learn a lot by what Spooky, Missy, and O are working on. Any organization working with creative, interesting, and productive people should pay heed to the model being developed by the folks behind SG. Its primary competitor Supercult, which I've resigned from, should pay attention. The online comics anthology Modern Tales would be well-served to consider SG's elements as it continues to evolve in its new direction. Professional associations should take note. And -- to be toally truthful -- the media-driven online and offline community that I'm helping develop could also learn a lot from Spooky, Missy, and O. SG rocks. Don't feel bad about checking it out. You could learn a lot, regardless of what you do. Quotes of Note Sometimes you overhear things you wish you hadn't. Take the following: "I don't know. It's kind of kinky. I mean, it's so retro it's kind of... future." Clothes Whore III This isn't a shirt a Media Dietician sent me -- although word is a few are coming, so keep your eyes peeled -- but it's been getting comments today at work, so I thought I'd tell a little story. I bought the shirt I'm wearing today -- a brown, long-sleeved UPS staff shirt -- at a used clothing store in South Beach, Miami, a couple of years ago. Shortly after I was in Miami, I was staying at a hotel on the edge of Disneyworld near Orlando. I'd gone for a short walk to grab a bite to eat at a nearby hotel restaurant, and at the end of the meal when my waiter brought the check, he said, "The drinks are on us tonight." 
With great power comes great responsibility. "Is it Happy Hour?" I asked, thinking I'd missed a drink special. "No. But you guys work really hard." Then it hit me. "Oh, I don't work for UPS. I just have the shirt." The waiter was visibly crestfallen. I still didn't have to pay for my drinks. Some people I work with say that I shouldn't have told him. Others ask whether I'll wear UPS shorts to work if they find me a pair. Go figure. The Days of Whiners and Posers II F'k That Job is a brand-new blog designed to feature job listings distributed by companies "who are taking advantage of people who are having a hard time finding work in this economy." Currently, there's only one example listed, but if you'd like to get in on the action, you can submit job openings that you think fall in the "so many skills, so little money" category. Blogging About Blogging XXIV Finally. I've made the small window of time in which Yaccs allows new users to sign up for its comments tool. The code's been added to Media Diet, and this post is basically just a test to take Yaccs for a spin. There's nothing to see here, folks. Please move along. While Yaccs has replaced the direct links from Media Diet to the discussion forum associated with it, that forum is still active. I may reconsider that in the future, but for now, it'll stay open for awhile. North End Moment XIX Walking to Going Bananas to pick up some fruit just now, I was pelted by a Mystery Drip. Because it's raining, I thought it might have just been a rain drop, but when I reached up to wipe it off the top of my head, I discovered that it was a bird dropping. Yuck! Luckily, I had a handkerchief with me. I haven't been dropped on by a bird for a long, long time. I suppose I had it coming. When was the last time a bird dropped on you? Discuss. Ho Ho, It's Mr. Show! II Shortly after reports that the Mr. Show DVD was going to be released in early 2002, the release date was pushed back to June 4. That was seven days ago if you're keeping track. And if you're bad at math. Today is June 7. So the release date was three days ago. Just keeping you on your toes! I just got around to ordering what's mine. This is the best news I've received in quite some time. Bob Odenkirk and David Cross: Brilliant. Among the Literati VI It's been 30 years since Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" was first published. Las Vegas CityLife's Matt O'Brien caught up with Thompson in Woody Creek to find out how the city -- and how Thompson -- has changed. The verdict? Quite a bit, but not much at all. Could we please find another author to overly romanticize? Thanks to Drudge Report. Anchormen, Aweigh! VII Three-fourths of the Anchormen gathered at Scan's apartment in Jamaica Plain last night to continue work on the forthcoming compact disc recording. We've worked out all of the technical difficulties with Scan's home studio, he's already done some punchy and Mike Ness-like guitar overdubs, and the vocal overdubs now have momentum and some accomplishment behind them. We knocked off two songs last night, "Indecision" and "Celebrate Democracy." I'm still surprised how much I hate doing overdubs. I miss having the band around me. I miss all of the visual cues I usually receive when we're playing live -- bandmates jumping around, Jef's drumming, people in the audience reacting to us. And I'm thrown by how unreal listening to the rest of the band in earphones while I'm singing feels. So I wasn't too pleased with how I was doing last night. My voice felt thin. I didn't have my customary growl and intensity. Energy was low given the fact that I hadn't eaten dinner. When we listened to the resulting tracks at the end of the night, though, they were pretty good! I left with a stronger sense of hope and confidence that what we're doing is going to turn out OK. I still need to get over the change of setting -- and my low solo energy -- but this record's going to be pretty darn cool. We resume Sunday. That'll be a fun day. Flogging Bloggers II This entry, I'm using the term "flogging" to mean "publicize aggressively." Just so you don't think I'm dissing Carmen Noble's new blog, Overmatter. I met Carmen several years ago when I was coordinating the old Media Diet mailing list for Boston-area media professionals. We recently met again at a MediaBistro fete. Inspired by Media Diet -- the blog, not the list -- Carmen's rolled her own! Launched a scant four days ago, Overmatter's 11 posts so far represent a melange of content and commentary. She considers whether she'd pose for the photographer Spencer Tunick -- "As much as I love New York, I don't want its streets all over my body. Maybe I'd pose naked in Sheboygan." -- reports on a company meeting in haiku form, provides a salad recipe, and comments on Amish euphemisms for masturbation. What delights me about Overmatter is Carmen's blend of her snarky sense of humor, slice-of-life reporting, and inclusion of experiences from her job as a technology and business reporter. File this under shameless self-promotion, but Boston blogger Isaac Taylor informs me that he is in the running for Funniest Blogger over at Dawn Olsen's Up Yours. More surprising still, fellow Boston blogger Rebecca St. Amand of Sweat Flavored Gummi fame and I are running neck and neck in a crowded field. Can we cut a deal here? My people will support your campaign finance initiative and keep quiet on capital gains if you can rally the troops on Internet humor. My people have called Isaac's people, and you can weigh in on the neck and neck. Check out the poll results to date, and if you'd like to throw in, you can vote at Up Yours. The poll's kinda hard to find. It's on the right-hand side. It's light blue. And it's a bit of a scroll down. No direct poll link, it seems. Design Mission for the Masses Interactive designer Edwin Schlossberg has a vision -- a vision of a world in which public spaces, media, and highly designed products foster shared experiences and "inspire cooperative relationships among strangers." Most recently, his work has centered on corporate environments -- including Reuters' new digs on Times Square -- and museums -- such as the Children's Museum of Los Angeles. Direct quotes such as "The idea that you make an experience that requires a conversation in a public place is training for the fact that culture is collective," surprise and inspire. Thanks to Utne Web Watch. Thursday, June 06, 2002
How I've Been Spending My Time III Oh, that wacky Dan and his developers at Kewlbox! They've released another solid advergame that's just a little addictive. "Frendz are loveable little aliens who enjoy the company of others. In this fun game of strategy, you control the Blue Frendz while the computer controls the Red Frendz. Each team tries to conquer the playing field. Make a good move and your team cheers, make a bad move, and watch your opponent do his own victory dance." It's available for PC's as well as Macs. They're cute little buggers! From the In Box: Up in Smoke I have one question for you: You don't drink, and you don't smoke. What do you do? Perhaps singing Adam Ant will allow you to focus on other things besides nicotine withdrawal. -- Tammy Reasoner Um, thanks. Up in Smoke I've said this before, but I hope I don't have to say it again in the future. While I'm usually not overly compulsive or addictive by nature, the last year hasn't been a year that'll win me any clean-living awards. I've gone back and forth trying to decide between attempting to maintain a certain degree of moderation (I'm always one for the Middle Way) -- or quitting drinking and smoking whole hog -- and recent weeks lead me to think that I should probably cut both out entirely for a spell. As before, I haven't had any accidents, crises, or emergencies in my life that have served as a radical wake-up call, but it's pretty clear these are two habits I could change. For the most part, it's the smoking that bothers me. But I think it goes hand in hand with my social drinking, so I'm going to cut back on that, too. Supposedly this happened Tuesday. Then I bought a pack so I could share cigarettes with a friend at River Gods, a bar. Pretty successful, huh? Sheesh. Today is now my real quit date, and I feel slightly sheepish even writing about this because there's a chance this won't stick this time, either. But it's on my mind, there's no reason to keep living as I have been, and there are enough friends and folks I know who read Media Diet, so I'm going to draw on you as part of my support community. I'll try not to dominate Media Diet with progress reports, but root for me, OK? I quit smoking and drinking today. Wednesday, June 05, 2002
From the In Box: James Kochalka Free-for-All Great news! My diary comic strips are finally available online! Now, every day you can read the latest update in my adventures. Bookmark it, add it to your favorites, memorize the URL, whatever you gotta do. Some say the diary strips are probably my best work, and now finally folks can read them each day as they're created. (There is currently no way to access the archive... you must be content with reading only the most recent daily strip. Consider it a preview... when the site "officially" goes live, I'll let you know.) -- James Kochalka Newsletter of Note The May 2002 edition of Vital Stats: The Number Behind the News just hit my in box. It's the newsletter of the Statistical Assessment Service, a DC-based research nonprofit "devoted to the accurate use of scientific and social research in public policy debate." From the Service Web site: "Stats serves as a resource for journalists by providing timely and well-researched analysis of current statistical and scientific disputes. Since Stats seeks to weed out bad data and research before it enters the media stream, we field queries from journalists on a regular basis." This issue of their newsletter looks at a recent National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism study, a Danish report on the ties between breast feeding and intelligence, a Newsweek cover story on Hepatitis C, and misleading graphs in the Wall Street Journal. I hope I get another issue of this newsletter, which is an odd cross between the Smoking Gun and American Demographics. Rock Shows of Note XXII Met Kurt and Geraldine at River Gods last night to catch up with them -- and to check out the Eavesdrop weekly listening party, which featured Chris Brokaw's new record, "Red Cities." It was more crowded than the last time I went, but I saw some familiar faces, and it's good to know that the series is attracting repeat participants. What wasn't so good was that it seemed like less of a listening party this go. The crowdedness brought an increase in conversational volume that obscured most of the music that was played, but I could still catch snippets of Matt Kadane's (of New Year and Consonant) set, which included an interesting mix of music. And Leslie, Chris' sister and Webmaster, introduced me to him just as a piece from his new Atavistic release was played. Good stuff. After Chris' record was spun, Winston Bramen (also of Consonant, as well as the Count-Me-Outs) took over the turntables, Kurt and Geraldine headed home, and I hung out with Jef, Jen, and Steph in the front corner of the bar. A good way to spend Tuesday nights, and scant steps away from where I live. Thank you, River Gods! Heath Is in the House! Just confirmed with my landlord yesterday that I'm going to renew my lease and live on Magazine Street for another year. As crazy and confusing as the past few weeks have been, it's comforting to at least know where I'll be living come September. Grounds me, it does. Gives me a new lease on life, so to speak. Groan. From the In Box: A Collision of Interesting Women I found this handwritten note in my mailbox at work yesterday: Heath -- Missed you, but maybe next time. I've been sent on a mission of merci from Halley's Comment and Blogsisters to help you with your "girl trouble" per your site. Feel free to call or email for any and all help. -- Halley Suitt This is the first time a Media Dietician has stopped by the office to say hello. Sorry to have missed it! Tuesday, June 04, 2002
Thought for Food II A friend sent me cookies today. They were good. 
Paul conveys: Surprise. 
Edible swag at the 'Rang. 
Stephan gets his nosh on. You could send me cookies, too. My address is to the left. Actually, you probably shouldn't. I only check the P.O. Box weekly. From the In Box: Rock Shows of Note XX I made an MP3 of the first two Operators songs from the Abbey show and put it on the Anchormen's Web site. it came out a bit vocal-heavy -- but is otherwise decent. -- Tom Scanlon Monday, June 03, 2002
From the In Box: The Movie I Watched Last Night XX For more fun try my online-only album or the movie my wife and I star in. -- James Kochalka Unfortunately, the movie link above doesn't work for me. This is why, courtesy of James: That probably means you have a Mac. It's a Windows Media File. You can get Windows Media Player for Mac, but it still doesn't work. That's what I see when I click the movie link, too. However, if you can get on a PC and you have Windows Media Player, you should be able to watch the movie. Thanks, James! From the In Box: Books Worth a Look V Thanks for the review. Glad you found it interesting. I do disagree that it's based on est training, in that est (and the new version, Landmark) contends that you can transcend your beliefs but not permanently eliminate them. The DM processes (which weren't developed until after I wrote Re-create Your Life) completely eliminate long-held beliefs and conditioned feelings in a matter of minutes, which virtually everyone believes is impossible. I just completed a weekend workshop in which I was training people how to use our processes, and three of the participants were psychotherapists. At one point one of them said, "This is magic. I've 'known' for years that what we've been doing here all weekend is impossible. But it's not. This is true 'short-term therapy.'" -- Morty Lefkoe Pieces, Particles IV The following media-related stories recently spotted in print publications -- and now online -- might be worth a look. Heads and decks, only. Heads and decks. Comic-Book Clubs, by Don Allen, Comics & Games Retailer, June 2002 Start your own literary discourse on comics The Girls at the Front, by Evgenia Peretz, Vanity Fair, June 2002 The handful of female war correspondents whose beat is whatever hellhole leads the news -- Christiane Amanpour, Janine di Giovanni, et al. -- are as tough as any of the guys. But there's a difference in how they work, the way they love, and the risks they run Homer's Odyssey, by Casey Seijas and the Wizard staff, Wizard, May 2002 And the rest of the family too, as Wizard gathers the best comics references to appear on "The Simpsons" Old Salts, by John Gould, Maine Boats & Harbors, June/July 2002 There's a lot to be learned on the obit desk of a small-town newspaper. The People's Party, by Chris Wright, Boston Phoenix, May 31, 2002 Once simply a forum for expression, protests are more often becoming the greatest shows on earth Romancing the C.E.O., by Suzanna Andrews, Vanity Fair, June 2002 Talented, seductive, and ambitious, Suzy Wetlaufer took the reins of the venerable Harvard Business Review a year and a half ago, at age 41. Today she's jobless -- and famous for all the wrong reasons. Her liaison with Jack Welch, G.E.'s idolized former C.E.O., is a case study in ethics and the price of passion Six Degrees of Speculation, by Karen Wright, Discover, June 2002 Even in a small world, there's room for disagreement U.S. Confidential, by James Wolcott, Vanity Fair, June 2002 The tabloid age began in the 50s with Generoso Pope's gore-splattered National Enquirer, and his obsession with Jackie O. touched off a celebrity hunt that would culminate in Princess Diana's death. But through mayhem and martyrdom, the scandal sheets have reflected America's gamy id, breaking news from the national gutter Books Worth a Look V These are the books I read in May 2002. Jim Collins tries to read 100 books a year. As of this Media Diet entry, I've read 101 books since Jan. 1. I can stop now. The Anasazi: Why Did They Leave? Where Did They Go? ed. by Jerold Widdison (1991) Prepared after a panel discussion at the Anasazi Heritage Center in Colorado in 1990, this edited transcript offers several perspectives on the history and fate of the Anasazi, the precursors to the Pueblo Indians of the Southwest. Panelists touch on their society; the environmental, technological, and social reasons for their migration; and the similarities between them and their modern-day counterparts, including the Hopi and the Zuni. The at-times contentious discussion also tackles the role of anthropologist and historian. Linda Cordell's contributions are particularly insightful. Days to read: 1. Rating: Good. A Brief History of Taos by Bob Romero and Neil Poese (1992) There are places. And then there are places. Taos belongs to the latter category, a combination of the past and the present, the imagined and the real, the constructed and the actual. This 28-page history -- remember, the title says "brief" -- tackles all of Taos' dichotomies. Romero and Poese take on the city's Hispanic heritage, role as a trade center, Mexican affiliation, and absorption by the United States, featuring several insightful photographs and a wide-ranging look at the many faces of the small city. A good introduction. Days to read: 1. Rating: Fair. Bygone Bar Harbor: A Postcard Tour by Earl Brechlin (2002) This pocket-sized collection of vintage postcards from Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park shares snapshots of a world that was between about 1905 and 1950. Drawing on the archives of the Bar Harbor Historical Society, as well as his personal collection, Brechlin produces an extremely well-produced book -- the color reproduction is wonderful. "Bygone Bar Harbor" includes images of the people, places, and things that made the area a watering hole for the rich and famous during its golden age. Especially telling are the cards portraying the Great Fire of 1947. A stunning visual history. Days to read: 2. Rating: Excellent. El Santuario... a Stop on the "High Road to Taos" by Sons of the Holy Family (1994) Having been raised among the Protestants, I missed out on a religious grounding in the saints and miracles. Plainness abounded. So I'm fascinated by shrines, pilgrimages, and experiences with healing. Located in Chimayo, New Mexico, El Santuario is a place deeply rooted in all three. And this thin booklet does much to detail its miraculous effects, history, and politics. Unfortunately, the pamphlet devotes a full third of its 30-odd pages to descriptions of the elements of its various reredos, or series of sacred paintings. That said, the writers do well to compare the sanctuary to a similar structure in Guatemala, a parallel other historians only graze. Days to read: 1. Rating: Fair. El Santuario de Chimayo by Stephen F. de Borhegyi and E. Boyd (1956) Better than the Sons of the Holy Family pamphlet, this booklet takes a more serious, scholarly look at the sanctuary in Chimayo. De Borhegyi draws stronger parallels to the sanctuary in Esquipulas, Guatemala, outlining the emergenc of the black Christ, the healing power of clay and soil, and how the legend was transported and translated to America. He also details the politics of the local families involved in the construction of the sanctuary -- and how the Santo Nino de Atocha cult developed as a direct competitor. Days to read: 1. Rating: Excellent. It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff (2002) Former Navy Commander Mike Abrashoff offers 11 tactics and strategies he developed while leading the crew of the USS Benfold, an award-winning destroyer. Avoiding the gung-ho militarism that inspires so many leadership and management texts that come out of the armed forces, Mike espouses what he terms grassroots leadershp -- empowering the people you work with so innovation doesn't just trickle down the chain of command. It's a good, personal, and practical book. Days to read: 4. Rating: Good. Loretto and the Miraculous Staircase by Alice Bullock (1978) This slim, 16-page booklet about the wooden circular stairway in Santa Fe, New Mexico's Loretto Chapel is an informal history of the engineering marvel. Perhaps constructed by Saint Joseph himself, the staircase has no central support and initially had no side supports. While there have been less breezy accounts of the "miracle" -- Sister M. Florian and Carl Albach's articles come to mind -- Bullock's pamphlet better fleshes out the reason for the chapel's near-completion (a jealous husband and a murder most foul) even if it doesn't try to out the original builder like some later studies. Days to read: 1. Rating: Fair. Love Is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends by Tim Sanders A surprising thesis to come from Yahoo!'s Chief Solutions Officer, but a message many executives should pay attention to. At one level, Tim contends that -- gasp -- nice guys finish first, but at a deeper level, this book is a strategic networking handbook. Built on a foundation of knowledge, networks, and compassion, the book offers tactics and tools for strategic reading, productive and constructive introductions, and management that nurtures talent. I'm proud to know Tim and am bold enough to consider myself a lovecat. Meow. Days to read: 2. Rating: Good. Next: The Future Just Happened by Michael Lewis (2002) The followup to "The New New Thing," this book takes another step and reveals how the Net economy changed people's lives, the law, familial relationships, the role of experts, fandom, copyright, and the mass media. Lewis does so by setting his sights on some pretty interesting characters -- a teenage day trader, an unschooled legal advisor, the hair metal band Marillion, the TiVo TV recording service, and the Unabomber. His language is lively, and his conclusions -- contextualized by a new afterword in this edition -- the start of a serious look at how much of the Net economy was hype -- and how much was misapplied gospel. Days to read: 1. Rating: Excellent. Old Town Albuquerque by Peter Hertzog (1994) When we were in Albuquerque on the last day of our trip last month, it was extremely windy and the horizon was all but obscured by a sandstorm of sorts. So I'm surprised that Albuquerque has such a long history -- it strikes me as unhospitable, much like Salt Lake City must have seemed to the settling Mormons. While Albuquerque never experienced a great boom, Hertzog describes how the coming of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe shifted the city's center away from Old Town. Perhaps if the landowners hadn't priced their plots so high, Old Town wouldn't be the chintzy tourist trap it is today. Not that much to see -- or read about. Days to read: 1. Rating: Fair. The Passionists of the Southwest or the Holy Brotherhood: A Revelation of the "Penitentes" by Alex Darley (1893) Reprinted by the Rio Grande Press in 1968 as part of their Classic series, Darley's narrative is a biased and exploitative representation of this primitive Catholic brotherhood. The "self-ordained itinerant preacher" aligned with the Presbyterians offers a supposed constitution and by-laws for the religious society, riffing off the near-fictitious literature ascribed to the Knights Templar. In so doing, Darley ties the Penitentes to Saint Francis, establishes the order as a formal Catholic organization, and decries their practices and rituals as primitive and abusive. Publisher Robert McCoy sheds more favorable light on the sect in the transcript of a 1965 talk, but the book -- while well-reasoned -- still reads sensationally and shallowly. Days to read: 2. Rating: Good. The Penitentes of the Southwest by Marta Weigle (1970) As the precursor to a "fully documented book" that was in process several decades ago, Weigle's 16-page pamphlet is the strongest history of this archaic Catholic sect that practiced penance through the act of self-flagellation that I've read. Weigle analyzes the brotherhood's emergence, debts to St. Francis of Assisi, co-optation by the Catholic church, formal organization, and role in New Mexico as a mutual aid society. She also considers previous writing about the Penitentes, paying heed to the historical contexts of the portrayals. Days to read: 1. Rating: Good. The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale (1952) Written in a slightly self-congratulatory tone similar to that of "I'm OK -- You're OK," this classic self-help book was penned by one of the founders of Guideposts magazine. I'm not convinced that personal success can be credited to prayer and faith, much less affirmations, but Peale makes a good case. Of immediate interest and use are Peale's parallels to learned optimism, creative visualization, meditation, and problem solving. There's a lot here, hidden among the daily affirmations and Bible verses Peale thinks readers should memorize. Days to read: 6. Rating: Good. Re-Create Your Life: Transforming Yourself and the World with the Decision Maker Process by Morty Lefkoe (1997) I had dinner with Morty while I was in Sonoma County at the end of last month. His book describes the benefits of and some of the process behind his Decision Maker technology, which is deeply rooted in est training -- and a slight aside to Dianetics. At its base, the DM process is oriented toward helping identify and eliminate beliefs that are holding them back. Morty described the effects of negative self-esteem and beliefs, offers the principles of DM, contends that we create our own egos, and details several case histories -- bulemics, criminals, and AIDS patients who utilized the process. He also outlines applications in parenting, business, and social change. I wish he'd gone into the process a little further, but this is a good introduction to a valuable alternative to psychotherapy. Days to read: 1. Rating: Good. The Sacred World of the Penitentes by Alberto Lopez Pulido (2000) Ostensibly the most-accurate and -balanced volume on the Penitentes given its Smithsonian pedigree, this book is a disappointing analysis. Claiming to be the first book to be built on first-person accounts of Penitente participation, the tome is heavy on establishment and light on actual I-was-there narrative. Nevertheless, Pulido tried. Despite the writer's defense and positioning of "story" as a valuable historical tool, "Sacred World" relies heavily on interviews with a single Penitente leader. While Lupido's analysisof existing literature and suggestion of a third-order theory is appreciated, I expected more from the Smithsonian. Regardless, this look at practical Christianity and popular religious expression shows promise. Days to read: 2. Rating: Fair. Taos Walking Tour: A Self-Guided Tour of the Historic District by Char Boie Graebner (1991) Taos, New Mexico, isn't that large a town, so you can walk most of its area of interest in about as much time as it takes to read this guide published by the Kit Carson Historic Museums. While I found Shirley Thompson's illustrations to be relatively sloppy, I enjoyed the tour guide's insights about the town's oldest wall, the Chinese wall (which dates only to the '80s), the Oakley House's past as a brothel, and the events that transpired at the Governor Bent House. More detail would have been welcome, but the book's breezy style doesn't diminish its usefulness. Get it if you go there. Days to read: 1. Rating: Good. Theocratic Ministry School Guidebook by Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Pennsylvania (1971) This little book is a gem. As the tome used to train Jehovah's Witnesses interested in becoming door-to-door ministers, or "publishers," the slim, dense volume is one of the better public speaking and sales books I've ever read. Parallel to Tim Sanders' "Live Is the Killer App," the authors include a lot of tactics for active reading and strategic use of source material. Sections also touch on active listening, developing better questions and answers, and overcoming skepticism and rejection. Days to read: 4. Rating: Excellent. Unleashing the Ideavirus by Seth Godin (2001) According to the cover lines, Seth's book will help business leaders "stop marketing at people and turn your ideas into epidemics by helping your customers do the marketing for you." Almost a combination of Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point" and Richard Dawkins' writing about memes, this quick read -- written in Seth's characteristically frenetic tone -- outlines how to unleash an ideavirus, as well as a formula that will increase the virility of your ideavirii. The fourth section, "Case Studies and Riffs" is awfully heavy on the riff side. Seth had a lot to say and didn't really know how to stop. Still, a thought-provoking if not totally groundbreaking book. Days to read: 1. Rating: Good. When Los Alamos Was a Ranch School by Fermor S. and Peggy Pond Church (1998) Before Los Alamos, New Mexico, played its role in the development of the United States' nuclear weapons strategy, it was a ranch school devoted to developing young men in a "safe and scientific manner." This reminiscence covers the camp's development, grounding in the Boy Scouts as its primary organizational model, evolution as resources became more or less available, and student body -- which included Gore Vidal. Several of the school's buildings remain today, and it's interesting to see how Los Alamos as a city grew up around this once isolated educational outpost. Days to read: 1. Rating: Good. Work and Community in the West ed. by Edward Shorter (1973) These six essays and excerpts go far to detail the history of work and its effects on people's family and social lives in the West. Given the publication date, it's understandable that Shorter only outlines three phases -- artisanal, industrial, and technological -- but the subsequent selections add valuable pieces to the limited puzzle. Mack Walker paints a productive picture of the role guilds played in early modern Germany. And George Sturt's portrayal of a wheelwright's shop is overly romantic. But Elinor Langer's socialist snapshot of life inside the New York Telephone Co. ably blends strict reportage and class consciousness. This dated collection is good for what it is -- and for the periods it looks at. Days to read: 5. Rating: Good. Why do some books get a link while other books do not? If a publishing company or author sends me review copies for consideration -- and if I review the book in Media Diet -- they get a link as well as a review. I don't review every review copy or galley I receive, and I don't always have time to track down author, publisher, and other book-related links in general. Most of the books I review should be relatively easy to find via the Harvard Book Store and Powell's Books online ordering services. If something's out of print, check the Advanced Book Exchange first. And if you'd like to send me a book to consider for review, Media Diet's address is P.O. Box 390205, Cambridge, MA 02139. Thank you very much. Clothes Whore II I want some new T-shirts. Nifty T-shirts featuring interesting, neat, and obscure designs. If you work for a company, publish a comic or zine, play in a band, run a record label, or produce a Web site -- and you have a related T-shirt -- send one to me care of the mailing address over to the left. I will not just wear your T-shirt, I will take a photograph of myself wearing said shirt and publish it in Media Diet. With a link to your company, band, or site, even. That's why they call me the Clothes Whore. I want to wear your clothes. I wear a Large. Clip-Art Comics IV Dan Weaver's H4x0r Economist clip-art comics juxtapose photographs of Alan Greenspan and other world leaders with largely profane -- and pretty funny -- hacker speak. The best bit might be the Dance Dance World Economic Forum: Free Your Trade collage. Brilliant. Thanks to BoingBoing. North End Moment XVIII I just caught a co-worker restocking the office refrigerator with Heinekens and hard ciders. Me: It's a little early, Bill. Bill: Never too early for me. The Movie I Watched Last Night XX Friday, May 10: Fight Club Just as the Matrix made me want to meditate, learn a martial art, and go jogging, Fight Club is one of those surprisingly empowering and inspiring movies. I've been accused of having a thing for Chuck Palahniuk -- in a review of an Anchormen record, of all places -- but this was my first exposure to any of his work. In addition to the solid story and the impressive performances by Ed Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter (who was also excellent in Novocaine), I was especially pleased by the twists and turns the story took. I was also quite surprised by the movie's revelations, and I'm certainly not going to spoil things for you if you haven't seen this yet by saying anything further here. Let's just say: Shades of Memento. Sunday, May 12: Spider-Man I grew up reading Spiderman, and to this day it remains one of my favorite comic books -- and I'm no longer the panties-and-capes kind of guy that I was when I first started reading comics. The release of Spider-Man bodes well for the future of comic book-inspired movies -- particularly superhero comic book-inspired movies, given that Ghost World and From Hell were so well done. Hollywood has moved beyond the cartoony portrayals we received from DC in the Batman and Superman flicks, and Marvel's licensing folks have done well with this follow-up of sorts to X-Men. The filmmakers don't waltz all over the myth and origin of the character. They don't drastically redo the roles that the important characters in the long-running story have played for the last several decades. And they don't overly romanticize the story. The special effects were a little jarring -- when Spidey's spinning his web around the city, it is extremely clear that it's CGI animation -- but Tobey Maguire makes a convincing Peter Parker and Willem Dafoe is a deliciously evil supervillain. This could have been much, much worse. And it's pretty darn good for what it is. (Watched with my family in Santa Fe, New Mexico.) Sunday, May 19: Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones In stark contrast to Spider-Man, I wasn't really looking forward to seeing the new Star Wars at all. It sort of snuck up on me, given the hype surrounding the previous installation. And having seen it? I'm not sure what the future of George Lucas' franchise will bring. As a fan of the original Star Wars movies, I admit that I have a soft spot for the characters and storyline -- and the new movies do a lot to fill in the back story. But so much of it is expected -- or disappointing. I mean, Hayden Christensen's post-adolescent-yet-surprisingly-whiny Anakin Skywalker evolves into Darth Vader? More like Lord Dark Helmet from Spaceballs. Several of my friends didn't buy Yoda's moment in the spotlight, but I thought it was pretty rad. Just as I enjoyed seeing how Boba Fett became inspired to be a bounty hunter. And Natalie Portman? Meow. One more thing. If you're going to make a movie, please don't make it totally obvious which characters were written in because they'd make cool action figures -- and which scenes were "scripted" because they'd make an exciting sequence in the video game. I expected more out of the Clone Wars, and the next movie might share more of its events and outcomes, but watching this wasn't very satisfying. (Watched with my sister in Taos, New Mexico.) Sunday: East Is East Focusing on a Pakistani who relocates to England and raises a mixed-race family in Manchester in the early '70s, this movie is largely a series of stories about culture clash. The head of the household clashes with his British wife. He clashes with his sons as they in turn refuse the arranged weddings he organizes within the Pakistani expatriot community. The children of the family clash as they grow up in relatively close contact -- often three to a bed. But mostly, East Is East narrates the clash between expectations, dreams, and aspirations. The movie is also about love and respect within and without a family (one son is disowned after he leaves his Pakistani bride to be at the altar). In addition, persistent undercurrents of racism and repatriotization politics run throughout the film, which has several solid comic moments despite its occasionally heady subjects. The ending itself -- quickly following the movie's peak -- is surprisingly funny and might feature the film's best punchline. That adds a nice indication of hope to the reunion of the Pakistani fish-and-chips shopkeeper and his wife -- who begin to rebuild their family's future over half a cup of tea. Sunday: Monkey Vs. Robot: The James Kochalka Story Almost 20 minutes long, this video offers several different videos for the James Kochalka Superstar song "Monkey Vs. Robot." The song is interesting and fun, but it might not have warranted so many different video treatments. I was slightly disappointed in the quality of the animated videos, particularly because none of them incorporated James' artwork, but I quite enjoyed Nate Pommer's Kaiju Big Battel-like costumed staging. The video is worth watching, however, because of the live interview and candid footage punctuating the videos. My favorite parts include the footage taken at the Peking Duck House, where James worked as a waiter for more than six years, and the street scene in which James burst into song amidst a couple of sidewalk cafes. That sequence -- and the pastiche of live footage near the end -- shows James the consummate performer in his natural habitat, no matter how makeshift the stage. The man's a ham, and I'm glad he doesn't taken himself more seriously. Rock Shows of Note XXI I don't think I ever commented on the May 23 Anchormen show with Choo Choo La Rouge and Tony Goddess of Papas Fritas! Before I touch on Saturday night show at the Middle East, let me sneak in some edited notes from my Little Red Notebook: The show went well. Tony Goddess was a little lackluster in this Storytellers-style solo singer-songrwriter setting, but he was extremely nice. I kept hearing Shivika and Keith's voices in (and imprints) on the songs -- especially the older, more popular Papas Fritas numbers. Tony says that the band's basically been broken up since recording the last record. But they are playing two shows this summer, and Tony and Shivika have recorded a couple of songs together that will be released as a Papas Fritas 7-inch. Tony'd like to be in a band again. And he's got practice and studio space in Gloucester, so if you're interested, contact the man. Now that that is out of the way, Saturday night. I wasn't sure I'd make it to the Brett Rosenberg Problem's CD release party at the Middle East Upstairs, given my late night out Friday with Tammy, a friend from high school -- and spending most of Saturday with an ex I haven't really seen or talked to for several months -- but I'm glad that I did. I got there just as the Nines were starting their set, and after a jarring guitar chord that woke up the entire club, the power-pop threesome launched into an infectious set of amazing garage rock. Reminding me of some of the bands affiliated with Get Hip, the Nines also represented elements of sing-along punk rock a la the Riverdales and other Ramones interpreters. I could see this band again, and I'm glad they found a bunch of old singles in their attic recently. By the time Brett Rosenberg and his two friends took the stage, much of the Handstand Command collective and its satellites were there: Jef and Jen, Deb from Hi-Fi, and three-fourths of Spoilsport. (To be fair, Handstand Command could very well be the other folks' satellite; I don't mean to claim them as ours -- or to eclipse their projects.) Brett opened with a slow, sensitive ballad -- a surprising beginning -- and then ran through many of the best songs from his previous CD -- as well as a bunch of new numbers from his brand new disc, which I'll review in Media Diet soon. His influences are clear, but his delivery is so direct and honestly enthusiastic that there's little sense of second-generation aping. As much as I like Brett and his music, I couldn't stick around for the entire show, though. Given the events of the past two days, I was a little tired about midway through Brett's set -- so I headed home, ears ringing and heart singing. North End Moment XVII Walking up the back alley behind the Scotch & Sirloin this morning, I saw the most wonderful reflections off of our building's windows on the old folks' home opposite the chainlink-fenced parking lot. 
Nue + Art = Nature. The relections looked like some kind of urban petroglyphs or fractal graffiti. A couple of window patterns were even pulsing or vibrating as the glass flexed in the morning sun. Not a bad wake-up welcome. |
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