Thinking Chaos, Thinking Fences

30 November 2002

How to Get an Islamic Mortgage I thought this was interesting. Apparently Islam forbids usury. From the BBC article where I read about the whole deal: In the eyes of Islamic scholars, interest is an excess payment from one party to another which is unrelated to the value of the goods traded. So, how does a Muslim get a mortgage in a Juda-Christian financial system? A couple of civically-minded banks came up with the following scheme: Just as with an interest mortgage, the couple move in and begin paying instalments to the lender to slowly buy the home over many years. But the difference is they also pay a rent to the lender who has effectively become their landlord. A couple of my colleagues pointed out that this was a paper-thin distinction, but isn't that what much of organized religion is based on. For example, in Ireland, if you want to end your marriage, you can either get it annulled or get divorced (since 1997! What a progressive country!). The former allows you to marry again in the Catholic Church, as it makes it as if the marriage never happened. Divorce is the usual secular business. A subtle difference to us agnostics, but hugely important to the Church. For another example, the Bible belt in the States seems to ably discern between execution and murder. 10:38:24 AM    comment []

A Site Dedicated to Leia's Metal Bikini It's down at the moment (it was Farked), but when it comes back up, it's worth checking out. This guy's really got a niche, and a fantastic URL: http://www.leiasmetalbikini.com. More conservative employers might deem this unsafe for work. 10:28:54 AM    comment []

Advice for those with Political Aspirations Don't surf for porn during parliamentary debates: Three members of Spain's governing party have been fined after getting caught looking at pornographic pictures during a debate on domestic violence in Madrid's regional parliament. On a related note, Spain's one randy country: Spain has the greatest proportion of visitors to adult sites in Europe, with 40% of home internet users looking at porn, according to a survey of web users carried out last year by internet monitoring company NetValue. 10:24:30 AM    comment []

28 November 2002

Heroes with 1003 Faces Hee, hee. 7:53:05 PM    comment []

The Hip, Conversely, Rocked Last week we saw the Tragically Hip at a 1500 seat venue on the north side. Here are my comments: The Ambassador Theatre is a former cinema. The main floor has two bars, no seating and is gently sloped toward the stage. The balcony, which I couldn't really see very well, was considerably steeper, and started about halfway back from the stage. There seemed to be about 1500 people there, and we figured they were 90% Canadian. We brought a couple of Irish people with us, and they guessed there were few Irish at the gig. Judging by the height of the average audience member and the striking clarity of the air (there were fewer smokers than usual), I'd say this was true. Because of their proximity, the small size and Canadianess of the crowd, Julie commented that "it was like seeing the Hip in your high school gym." That's not a reflection of the theatre's architecture, which was understated and charming. The band seemed in fine form. They offered 5 songs from their new album (including 2 in the encore..."Lake Fever" and one other). The high point for me was a transcendent version of "100th Meridian", with Gordie muttering at length about memory during the bridge. He repeated "life is forgetting" for a while, and then broke into a rapid-fire "Iremembereverything, Iremembereverything, etc" and then flying right into the actual bridge lyrics, double-time. Other high points included "Ahead By a Century", an understated "Grace Too" and a furious "Little Bones". All in all, it was a fantastic show. Seeing them live actually gave me a bit more insight into Gordie's surreal lyrics. 7:50:15 PM    comment []

I Would've Rather Seen Bryan Last night some friends and I saw the up-and-coming singer/songwriter Ryan Adams. I (and several of my friends) am sorry I went. This is what I posted to the Ryan Adams forum about the show: 10 Steps to Rock and Roll Success Enquire, early in the show, when a cellular phone rings in the audience, as to whether you can borrow the phone to call your booking agent to tell them "never to do this to me again". Dismiss the song order as "the most f***ed up set list I've ever written". Employ a mediocre cellist and violinist and a truly amateur guitarist. Use them sparingly and inappropriately. Rework songs so that they're unrecognizable to the casual listener. After all, you're an established superstar with an enormous back catalog of music to draw upon. Be a kind of caricature of a rock star. Complain about the "50 clowns" in your entourage, throw cigarettes and glasses, and touch your hair a lot. Ensure that all your songs are of the same tempo. Be petulant. Petulance always appeals to audiences. Especially Irish ones. For the encore, bring on the opening act and play one of his songs. After all, the audience has probably seen enough of you, even though you haven't played "Come Pick Me Up" or "New York, New York". Apologize for "f***ing sucking tonight" to the crowd on several occasions. The audience loves to hear how they've wasted 40 euros. Recognize that the audience is supremely privileged to see you, instead of the other way around. This was my first Ryan Adams show, and I was ready to like him. His first two albums are quite good, if derivative. Unfortunately, he demonstrated a glaring lack of professionalism and artistry. Bob Dylan used to do that in 1964, but he ain't Bob Dylan, and this ain't 1964. In short, it was quite a dissapointment. Predictably, I raised the ire of the forum, which is something of an Adams' love-in. You can read the gory details here (I'm 'TheFoot'). 7:45:57 PM    comment []

Google Zeitgeist - What Can It Teach Us? 'On a monthly, weekly, and sometimes daily basis, this Google Zeitgeist page will be updated to reflect lists, graphs, and other tidbits of information related to Google user search behavior.' I love pages like this--they're information about information. It really lays bare what the world (or rather, that tiny sub-set of the world with Internet access) is interested in at the moment. What's hot at the moment? I'm afraid there's not much hope for humankind: the bachelor die another day thanksgiving celebrity big brother karla knafel I actually had to look up who the heck Karla Knafel was (and who cares, really?). And what are the people searching for thanksgiving actually looking for? As for just www.google.ca (and what are the artificial factors affecting these results, I wonder...who specifically uses, by default, the Canadian version?): britney spears eminem halloween costumes vin diesel air canada harry potter hockey tunisie foot anime sniper Why are so many Canadians interested in the Tunisian national football (that is, soccer) team? 7:40:04 PM    comment []

Cool, geeky neckties I'm shopping for a suit at the moment (send me tips on suit buying--I can't find any decent resources), and recently read about these cool neckties in the New York Times. I particularly like the 45 Record Adapter and the atoms. 7:33:44 PM    comment []

21 November 2002

Well, I'm off to Melbourne Being a devoted Buffy fan, I was right chuffed to hear that Melbourne University is holding a symposium on all things Buffness. It's truly a pop culture touchstone, and will be remembered, I think, in the same breath as Happy Days and MASH. I eagerly await the seventh season (it starts in January here)--nobody send me plot spoilers, though. On a related note, check out the scholarly Buffy musings at the Online International Journal of Buffy Studies. 10:56:13 PM    comment []

American education system throws up hands in disgust and skulks home A recent National Geographic society survey found that only about one in seven--13%--of Americans between the age of 18 and 24 could find Iraq. That's not so bad, considering only 30% could find New Jersey. 10:50:03 PM    comment []

11 November 2002

Naked International iPods! This guy has assembled more than 500 photos of iPods around the world. See iPods at Notre Dame, Machu Picchu, or the Great Pyramids! As a recent iPod convert, I'm trying to pick the best Dublin spot. Bobbing around in a pint of Guiness, I expect. 10:17:56 PM    comment []

Scrabble-mania! If my company goes under, we can blame my mother. She's discovered online Scrabble, and is currently kicking my ass. However, the net result is that the Scrabble meme has reached Cape Clear, and there are numerous games going on among my colleagues. My greatest triumph? The other day I used up all my letters and got 77 points for ERRANDS. Which, coincidentally, is an anagram for DARREN'S. Thanks Mom. One note if you're going to play a game. This particular online Scrabble game does not validate your words! So, be sure to check them before completing each turn. The designer does point out that this is useful if you want to play in another (Arabic-based) language. 10:14:22 PM    comment []

A Visual Family History What a fantastic idea this is. This family has taken photos of themselves each year since 1976. As children are born, they are added to the list. I guess it could be faked--I've got enough PhotoShop skill to make it happen, but I'd like to believe it's real. 10:06:03 PM    comment []

Outtalk the Telemarketers And I quote...'The direct marketing sector regards the telephone as one of its most successful tools. Consumers experience telemarketing from a completely different point of view: more than 92% perceive commercial telephone calls as a violation of privacy. Telemarketers make use of a telescript - a guideline for a telephone conversation. This script creates an imbalance in the conversation between the marketer and the consumer. It is this imbalance, most of all, that makes telemarketing successful. The EGBG Counterscript attempts to redress that balance.' 9:57:17 PM    comment []

At first I thought this was horribly freakish... But the more I think about it, the more sense it makes, in a new agey way. Life Gem has 'discovered how to capture the carbon [in your body], and until now, lost during cremation. Once captured, this carbon is placed in one of our unique diamond presses replicating the awesome forces of nature – heat and pressure.' Why not? Is it any more weird than burying somebody and visiting their grave periodically? This way you can keep them with you all the time. Of course, being my mother's son, I immediately imagined the worst-case scenario. What if you lost it? Still, an interesting alternative to the cemetary or ashes-on-the-hearth solutions. 9:53:53 PM    comment []

04 November 2002

Decoding REM While looking up an obscure reference (I believe it was 'Gardening at Night'), I discovered this site that provides notes on REM songs. I've also been a fan, so it was interesting to learn things like 'Bergamot-an orange with a pear-shaped fruit whose rind yields an essential oil in perfumery: or any of several mints. Vetiver- khuskhus; also the oil made from the khuskhus root, used in perfumes and soaps.' 10:11:22 PM    comment []

Something Nice for George Jr. Some smart lads thought that America's president might need something to divert his aggressive tendencies from, say, thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians. So, they organized a charitable effort to raise enough money to buy Mr. Bush a PlayStation. The best bit is that they got 'an extra controller for Mr. Cheney's use.' 10:00:35 PM    comment []

29 October 2002

Messy Desk? Send photos of your workspace to this guy. He puts them up on his Web site. It's strangely voyeuristic to see what other peoples' desks look like. 8:53:41 PM    comment []

Great album: For the Stars I saw a documentary a while back about this collaboration between Anne Sofie von Otter and Elvis Costello. I'd heard a few songs, and recently purchased the album. It's the most accomplished, sophisticated pop albums I've heard in years. Von Otter sings and Costello writes and arranges, and the result is brilliant. She's an accomplished opera star, and brings a maturity, technicality and expressiveness to the songs that today's pop-girl-of-the-moment can't approach. The songs are gorgeous (if, at times, a little syrupy, but then that's pop music) and the arrangements are original. Highly recommended. 8:46:44 PM    comment []

Truth is Stranger Than Fiction: Unabomber, the Musical That's right, San Francisco's Magic Theatre has seen fit to premier Kaczynski, 'which mixes fictionalized scenes from Kaczynski's life with absurdist comic elements including--believe it or not--songs.' Surprisingly, this review says that it 'fails to illuminate or entertain.' 8:37:50 PM    comment []

22 October 2002

Henry has Sold Out! My brother's always been a big fan of Henry Rollins. I've always enjoyed his spoken-word work. He's a kind of 'stand-up poet' (thank you, slashdot) and Renaissance man. He's got his own publishing company, he's a musician, he acts, he's made completely of muscle despite being over forty. I saw him do a spoken word show and he talked non-stop for, like, two and a half hours. Suffice to say, he's hardcore. Unfortunately, he's recently agreed to become the host of a show on The Learning Channel called Full Metal Challenge. Sure, it's an expanded version of the seminal British show Scrapheap Challenge, but it's still a television presenter job. Henry, man, what are you doing? 11:24:58 PM    comment []

Powered by Sugar Those pesky scientists, always getting up to something clever. Apparently scientists in the UK are developing a battery that runs on food scraps. They claim to be able to run "a 40-watt bulb for eight hours on about 50 grams of sugar." Save your leftovers, people. When the oil runs out and the anarchy reigns, we'll use them to microwave the giant rats we catch. Just kidding about that last bit. Still, it's a brilliant idea. About the food scraps I mean.  11:20:04 PM    comment []

Reviewed Five Ways: All or Nothing Last weekend I saw Mike Leigh's new film, All or Nothing and that Bond-for-a-Pepsi-Generation stunt-fest XXX. The latter is not worth discussing (with the exception, perhaps, of the hotness that is Asia Argento), but here is the former reviewed five ways: Mike Leigh's films are hard to watch. They're populated by desperate, often unappealing characters stuck in tragically dull lives. When good things happen to them, we are relieved. When bad things happen to them, we are also relieved. 2) Timothy Spall and Mike Leigh go together like Toshiro Mifune and Akira Kurosawa. Spall's preternatural patheticness makes him the perfect fit for the sad, tiny worlds that Leigh constructs. Mike Leigh and his actors spend months shaping characters before he begins filming. So, it's not surprising that his films seem so natural. They're like watching a documentary, but entirely forgetting about the camera. There's a minor lesson for filmmakers in Mike Leigh's All of Nothing. Subplots--don't discard them like yesterday's undies. One of my few complaints about the film is that we become interested in secondary characters just as they are dispensed with. Sure, the main plot needs all the inertia it can get, but spare a little screen time to address (if not wrap up) the secondary plotlines. I remember watching Leigh's Secrets and Lies and just suffering through that lengthy, climactic emotional scene. I remembered that about two-thirds of the way through All or Nothing, and wasn't surprised to be shifting uneasily in my seat when a similar scene occurred. 11:16:39 PM    comment []