Chapel Perilous

One of the many reasons I haven't been posting much here is there is Good News.
We've found a location to move our modest Sock Empire into. It's several blocks from our house, within walking distance.
We are finally going to have the professional atmosphere we've been needing for some time now, and will get our house back to being just a home.
This is the next essential step in what will be many steps to higher successes.
Will post pix of that soon.
Meanwhile, I hope our dear Chapeler Shelleopard checks in soon from NOLA. We hear she's okay but without power, but need more information.  
posted by Bsti @ 1:36 PM ¶ comments (11)

This "octopus" is one of many Animal Veggies. 
posted by Cait @ 5:29 AM ¶ comments (6)

gorilla vs. bear
Good blog. 
posted by Bsti @ 12:05 AM ¶ comments

CBS - Rock Star
Ty “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
Yeah that should be his mantra.
He's good, if Living Color were to do this same kind of show next year, he'd be a shoo-in. Or Fishbone, but nobody cares about Fishbone any more. But they were an 80's band too.
I predict Ty goes home tonight.

J.D. “Suspicious Minds”
Meh. Even though it seems like he'd be a perfect fit, he's not doing so well against the other talent lately.
And sleeping rather than practicing the new INXS song was a bad move, IMO.
But he won't go home tonight.

Marty “Wish You Were Here.”
Even if he doesn't make it to the end, this guy's perfomances always move me, so I intend to watch his career.
Definitely stays.

Jordis “Imagine”
Goth-American Idol. I like her, but not for the band INXS.

Mig "Live and Let Die"
I like Mig alot, but this was lackluster. More of a safety net than anything else.
Nevertheless he will remain.

Suzie “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Holy Crap, she pulled it off.
I'm actually beginning to think she has a great chance of winning. Strong vocals and easy on the eyes, and I like her personality.
The fact that she nailed the new INXS song in one take is plenty to impress the band INXS.
Most definitely stays, and I now predict she makes it to the top two, with Mig. Because in the end, it seems to me that either of these two would make great frontpersons for the band. JD too much tremelo my friend. Not enough versatility as my new predictions.
And Marty belongs with his own band, even though I wouldn't mind at all if he won.

Update:
JD seemd to struggle through This Time, harshing the chorus by pitch.
Also, is he an asshole or not? Dude, pick a personality.

Ty ruined One Thing by growling and screwing up the chorus lyrics. It came off really, really......Mango from SNL.
And the line at the end about not getting enough votes for his "people"...was he talking about homosexuals or blacks? And either way, who cares? Neither of those things stopped me from appreciating his particular talent.

Jordis....just blah. The band INXS was right for saying the performances were underwhelming.

Meanwhile, Marty gets an encore and performs better than last night, and Suzie gets an encore too and nails it again.

Prediction for next week: Jordis goes home.
Fluid Final Prediction: Suzie. Now that she's been seperated from the mass, she is shining.
I'd be stoked to see her get this gig, actually. 
posted by Bsti @ 8:09 PM ¶ comments (10)

Black people "loot".
White people "find". 
posted by Bsti @ 1:01 PM ¶ comments (7)

51st Annual Design Review - I.D. Magazine

Urban Nomad Shelter
" First off, note that Cameron McNall and Damon Seeley didn't call their submission a homeless shelter. In name and form, the vivid inflatable contradicts a stereotype of cardboard-box vagrancy."

Wisht I'd have had one of these when I was a young adult... 
posted by Bsti @ 12:57 PM ¶ comments (3)

 
posted by Bsti @ 12:13 AM ¶ comments (2)

Suprise!

Scientific Savvy? In U.S., Not Much
"One adult American in five thinks the Sun revolves around the Earth, an idea science had abandoned by the 17th century."

And no, I am not suprised.
I live here, so I know firsthand what dumbshnits most Americans are. 
posted by Bsti @ 9:22 PM ¶ comments (7)

From The Inbox

He had just saved her from a fire in her house, rescuing her by carrying her out of the house into her front yard, while he continued to fight the fire.

She is pregnant.

The firefighter was afraid of her at first, because he had never been around a Doberman before.

When he finally got done putting the fire out, he sat down to catch his breath and rest.

A photographer from the Charlotte, North Carolina newspaper, "The Observer," noticed this red Doberman in the distance looking at the fireman.

He saw her walking straight toward the fireman and wondered what she was going to do.

As he raised his camera, she came up to the tired man who had saved her life and the lives of her babies, and kissed him, just as the photographer snapped this photograph.

 
posted by Bsti @ 2:32 PM ¶ comments (6)

Why don't we call it "one for you, two for me" instead of "Digital Rights Management?"

[Those of you who have minimal interest in technology, consider yourselves warned. And yes, I know. GYOB.]

Tim Bray points to something about the hardware-and-media side of Digital Rights Management, better known as the reason why you can't copy a DVD to VHS (among many annoyances). One of the guys to whom Tim links then begs for a soundbite, and I'm happy to oblige.

It's simple. The entertainment conglomos are charging consumers the same price for less product, treating adults like children, and eviscerating popular culture.

Same Price == Less Product

Used to be, if I had a film, TV show, or LP, then I could transfer it to another medium without difficulty. That's no longer true, yet in most cases (with films being the notable exception) I pay just as much as (if not more than) I'd paid in the past, except that my fair-use rights have been suspended.

Treating Adults Like Children

This misstep is far worse than exchanging less value for the same price. I am not a thief, but the presence of DRM in your product makes clear the assumption that I am. Fuck you, and the horse you rode in on. Since I must be a thief, I will gleefully live up to your expectations when the need or desire presents itself (which is to say, rarely).

Eviscerating Popular Culture

Particularly good creative works get lodged in the culture and the common discourse. Orwell's predictions made in 1984 inform everyone's understanding of State surveillance, Gone With the Wind serves as a common metaphor for both tempestuous relationships and the antebellum South, and the songs of popular hip-hop artists serve as an antidote to the anxiety of those who feel they've been left without real choices... to point out just three examples.

However, since all of those works are (in the United States at least) locked up under a seemingly perpetual copyright, every attempt to leverage their value to the culture of the English-speaking world must be adjudicated with regard to the potential for profit.

...The hell?

Can someone please explain to me what's good about DRM? And please don't try to tell me that it protects the rights of artists as a class - the closer they get to the Long Tail, the more they are already this fucked.

 
posted by ben @ 5:11 PM ¶ comments (1)

impure thoughts, clean body

If I had spare cash I'd spend it on socks first, but hey, these soaps fill a niche market!

Through the above site's link page, I also found Pixelgirl Presents, a web portal with desktop icons, tutorials, wallpapers, and hand-crafted gifts. 
posted by sauceruney @ 2:28 PM ¶ comments (3)

Farmer May Have Caught Legendary 'Chupacabra'

Looks like the same animal that was found some months ago.
 
posted by Bsti @ 7:47 PM ¶ comments (2)