The correlation between familiarity and value

February 20, 2010

John Perry Barlow, discussing the Grateful Dead’s methods of engaging its audience: What people today are beginning to realize is what became obvious to us back then  —  the important correlation is the one between familiarity and value, not scarcity and value. Adam Smith taught that the scarcer you make something, the more valuable it becomes. In [...]

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Actually, *I* am the walrus

February 4, 2010

I’ve love infographics, and I’ve gone on and on about collaboration and the Beatles before, so when I heard that someone had created an infographic displaying the degree to which Beatles collaborated on songs  —  well, “interested” would be hugely understating my emotions at the time. (Thanks, Dan, for the tip). Author: Michael Deal. Full image here. “The [...]

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We come from the land of the ice and snow

February 3, 2010

Curious about what songs I’ve listened to most, I navigated over to my last.fm profile and saw this: Do I love “Immigrant Song?” Yes. Do I imitate its opening vocal, Robert Plant’s reverberating war cry that gets as close to the heart of awesomeness as any lyric in the history of rock? Frequently. But have I [...]

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Let’s put this matter to bed

February 3, 2010

Genius stitching and polaroid by: That Kate.

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Beefsteak!

January 19, 2010

Even though I’m generally a West Coast kind of guy, I devour books about New York  —  its chaotic beginnings as a lawless, crazy quilt of neighborhoods and gangs; its transformation into a massive modern city; the peculiar dynamics of its organic growth. If New York didn’t destroy me everytime I visit, I think I’d probably live there. [...]

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Transbay bird swirl

November 4, 2009

Perched among the tall buildings in downtown San Francisco, my office can feel like a nest in a tall tree. Yesterday evening, the birds that live atop the Transbay terminal swirled up to, and around, the windows of our conference room, and the aerie-like feeling was stronger than ever. One bird even landed, briefly, on [...]

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Mommy, where does Capilene come from?

September 26, 2009

I tend to obsess over outdoors gear. The pinnacle (or nadir, as the case may be) of this obsession was the spring/summer of 2001, when I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. Over four months, I sampled a ton of gear  —  six pairs of shoes, a few different shirts, jackets, socks, shelters, cookware. I had dozens (maybe [...]

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Absolutely undeniable proof that you belong in the Baseball Hall of Fame

August 28, 2009

You autograph photos of yourself using Robin Ventura’s head as a speedbag. And, they sell for $100 each on ebay.

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Morning Harrison

August 27, 2009

Jim James of My Morning Jacket has recorded some pared-down, reverbed-up covers of George Harrison songs under the name Yim Yames. I’ve included one here: “Long, Long, Long” from the White Album, and I appreciate the quiet, deferential treatment that Jim James gives his songs. Good stuff, “Yim.” Here’s a good story in the engineer’s [...]

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Extremely bloody, extremely funny

August 26, 2009

Ever since I heard about Battle Royale, I’ve wanted to see the film ... Quentin Tarantino has called it “the best movie since 1992,” so it’s probably not surprising that it’s both extremely bloody and very darkly funny. The premise: Adults fear the rise of youth, and each year they put the most badly behaved [...]

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