Random Recommendation: Adam Carolla's Podcast

The most entertaining thing in the world right now is Adam Carolla's podcast. Until about two weeks ago, I was not at all a fan of Carolla. But after reading a wave of rave reviews and learning that his podcast became the most downloaded in history in about a week, I decided to give it a shot. And it turns out that he's really funny. And that's important because that's the whole show--him, talking to his friends from his living room. There's nothing fancy: the audio quality is awful a bunch of the time, there seems to be no planning at all that goes into each episode, and I've never heard of at least half of the guests. But Carolla is a fantastic interviewer, he's opinionated, and he talks about funny things. The podcast is not censored in any way, which means it might not be for everyone, but it's free, it's daily, and I like listening to it while I work. It's way better than just about anything I've ever heard on the radio. I recommend it, randomly.

Quality Control

Hey, remember when I used to blog somewhat regularly? That was awesome.

I've been thinking about this topic for a few weeks, ever since that day I spent without internet, forced to read different articles I had saved to my hard drive for use during those college classes inconveniently located in regions lacking wi-fi. But Rock Band, the start of baseball season, and some ancient Jewish rituals have distracted me from writing inside this blog.

Oh yes, the topic: how do people recognize quality?

It's not a new question, and even the article which spurred this thinking isn't new; in September of 2007, Gene Weingarten and a phalanx of Washington Post reporters placed Joshua Bell--if not the LeBron James of the violin, then at least the Chris Paul of it, or so the article implies--in a Washington Metro station and told him to play three widely-acknowledged works of violining genius (stuff like, "Chaconne" from Johann Sebastian Bach's Partita No. 2 in D Minor--y'know violining genius). The resulting article garnered a whole bunch of attention, and with good reason: it's an excellent thought experiment, well-executed, and a really fun read. I'll let you read the article to find out if commuters would stop during rush-hour to hear a world-class musical performance for free (short answer: with few exceptions, they did not), but I think this claim of Mark Leithauser, a senior curator at the National Gallery, is worth sharing here:

Let's say I took one of our more abstract masterpieces, say an Ellsworth Kelly, and removed it from its frame, marched it down the 52 steps that people walk up to get to the National Gallery, past the giant columns, and brought it into a restaurant. It's a $5 million painting. And it's one of those restaurants where there are pieces of original art for sale, by some industrious kids from the Corcoran School, and I hang that Kelly on the wall with a price tag of $150. No one is going to notice it. An art curator might look up and say: 'Hey, that looks a little like an Ellsworth Kelly. Please pass the salt.'

So is there any situation in which people can assess art taken out of context?

I'm fairly certain that I would not like certain books or websites (that I do like) if they were written by someone other than a person I already know I like. And I think that makes sense in a way; when I say that I like Don DeLillo I don't mean his personality, his character, or his actions--I like to read the things that he writes. Which is to say, once a piece of writing (or acting, or music, etc.) meets a certain basic level of quality, maybe I just like writers or actors or musicians that I like, and it doesn't really matter that there may be other, better writers out there that I don't like, because I don't know about them. I'm not sure I like the best writer--I like the one that I like.

Because I wonder how these things can even be measured. Even sports--one of the most exhaustively measured pursuits in human history--maybe aren't as clear cut as we may think. Michael Jordan, for example, is completely untouchable. He has all the accolades you could imagine. But wouldn't his reputation be even a little bit diminished if he got called for that offensive foul on Russell in 1998?

Jordan, if this foul was called, goes down in history not as a guy who was invincible, but as someone who lost in his prime, just this once. This completely subjective officiating call makes a huge difference in how Jordan is perceived.

I guess the point is to like what you like. If you like Tom Waits because he sounds like a cross between Harry Chapin and Cookie Monster, he wrote what would become the theme song to The Wire, and because you wonder how he ever worked up the nerve to go into signing with a voice like that, then keep on liking him. Even if your roommates complain that the sound coming out of your iPod isn't technically music and doesn't taste like apples.

Umbrellas are the new ponchos

Because it's a rainy Friday morning; because my roommate recently purchased a new umbrella; I've been thinking about umbrellas. And, more specifically, the umbrella problem. I'll let Susan Orlean explain:

And still umbrellas are seriously flawed. They drip, they flip inside out, they snap in half, they poke bystanders in the eye. Their usable life span is sometimes as short as one big downpour, and then they transmogrify into unwieldy non-recyclable trash. In 2006, the design magazine I.D., the Web site Treehugger, and the Sustainable Style Foundation sponsored a contest to address what they termed “the umbrella problem,” which encompassed both the poor performance of umbrellas and the issue of their afterlife. In announcing the contest, I.D.’s editor-in-chief, Julie Lasky, noted, “Umbrellas suffer from design flaws that often lead to their premature and messy deaths and unwelcome burials in landfills.” The finalists in the better-umbrella category were the Pollinate Umbrella (made of recycled materials and entirely biodegradable); the Penta, which collects rain so that it can be used later to water garden plants; and the Crayella (the eventual winner), which featured easy-to-repair ribs. (According to Crayella’s designers, “Individuals can create micro-businesses that repair Crayellas quickly on the street, like offering a shoe-shine, and collect and repair discarded Crayellas for resale.”) The second category called for “a couture garment constructed from former umbrellas.” The winning entry was an evening gown made of salvaged umbrella canopies, with a fauxcorset made of discarded umbrella ribs, designed by the aptly named Rainer Wolter.

Orlean's article focuses on an inventor named Steve Hollinger who, working on his own sewing machine, created this areodynamic umbrella (to combat Wind, Destroyer of Umbrellas) with extended front- and back-sides so that water doesn't drop on your shoes.

It looks kinda like this SENZ Windproof umbrella from Totes. And it costs only $55. With a lifetime warranty. Seems like a good deal. The future is here.

Of course, if you're the kind of person who is OK fighting with Wind and owns waterproof shoes, you might want to consider this Sprout Umbrella, which has the benefit of kicking ass in the looks and the ass-kicking department.

Elephants Approach

Early word on the street (or, you know, on the internet) is that the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' annual Elephant Walk will take place early Tuesday morning, March 24, though most people would probably prefer to think of it as late Monday night, March 23. I've tried confirming this date, but every mention of Elephant Walk cites the same meetup.com link I've cited above. I'm still waiting for another independent source, even as I pencil this event directly on to my google calender tab. I'll keep you updated on any updates or time/place confirmations as I learn of them.

In the meantime, I recommend to you an excellent piece by Adam Gopnik, in the 22 Sept. 2008 The New Yorker, on the meaning of Babar the Elephant:

Yet those who would burn “Babar” miss the true subject of the books. The de Brunhoffs’ saga is not an unconscious expression of the French colonial imagination; it is a self-conscious comedy about the French colonial imagination and its close relation to the French domestic imagination. The gist of the classic early books of the nineteen-thirties—“The Story of Babar” and “Babar the King,” particularly—is explicit and intelligent: the lure of the city, of civilization, of style and order and bourgeois living is real, for elephants as for humans. The costs of those things are real, too, in the perpetual care, the sobriety of effort, they demand. The happy effect that Babar has on us, and our imaginations, comes from this knowledge—from the child’s strong sense that, while it is a very good thing to be an elephant, still, the life of an elephant is dangerous, wild, and painful. It is therefore a safer thing to be an elephant in a house near a park.

Also worthwhile is the magazine's slideshow of original art by Jean de Brunhoff, author of the first books of the series.

Abandoned Car Watch: Day 9

The car that used to be parked in the crosswalk is no longer there. I do not know what happened to it. It may have been towed. It may have been driven away by its heavily-fined owner. It may have become animate and traveled to Radiator Springs. I have no idea.

Since this has been a boring and uninformed post so far, I'll reward you, dear reader, with another photographic essay of some stuff I saw during a stroll through Fort Tryon Park.

Funny

My rooming mates last night were watching Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. I volunteered this line from March 5th's The New York Times:

NBC picked Mr. Fallon, and he can sometimes seem like an old person’s notion of a hip young comic, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t funny or that he cannot hold his own on “Late Night.”

I think that's a good point: I'm kind of young still, and I don't know anyone who, when someone mentions the word funny, thinks of Jimmy Fallon.

Entertainment Weekly doesn't think of Jimmy Fallon, either. (I don't know how old that publication is.) About one year ago, EW came out with its 2008 list of the 25 funniest people in America and Mr. Fallon isn't on there.

Since EW's desire to maximize page views and the infuriatingly slow page load times combine to make viewing their ranking a way more annoying experience than it has any right to be, I've copied the list here:

1. The Judd Apatow Posse
2. Stephen Colbert and The Colbert Report team
3. Tina Fey
4. Jon Stewart and The Daily Show team
5. Steve Carell
6. Chris Rock
7. Matt Stone and Trey Parker
8. Amy Poehler and Will Arnett
9. Larry David
10. Kristen Wiig
11. Conan O’Brien
12. David Cross
13. Ellen DeGeneres
14. Ricky Gervais
15. Will Ferrell
16. Amy Sedaris and David Sedaris
17. David Letterman
18. Jack Black
19. Craig Ferguson
20. Diablo Cody
21. Demetri Martin
22. Dave Chappelle
23. Sarah Silverman
24. Catherine O’Hara
25. Augusten Burroughs

There are some obviously solid choices on here, but I think they missed out on a few.

In no particular order:

• Drew Magary, if for no other reason than the fake Rick Rielly Twitter.
• Michael Schur, more for Fire Joe Morgan than for The Office or for Poehler's new thing.
• David Foster Wallace, for "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again." [Update: I realize I probably shouldn't count David Foster Wallace, because EW didn't include dead people. But point is, in addition to being smart and awesome, DFW was very funny. And, besides, I needed to hit my weekly quota of DFW references.]
• The xkcd guy.
  

Anyone else I'm missing? Wouldn't you think, though, that there are funny people out there that don't have their own TV shows or movies or books or whatever? Is the person less funny because he is not yet popular?

But yeah, Jimmy Fallon isn't funny.

Abandoned Car Watch: Day 4

As I write these words (1502h on Wednesday, March 12), the Ford Expedition: Eddie Bauer Edition is still blocking the crosswalk. I have braved the elements and have managed to piece together a photographic essay of this bizarre situation. Enjoy.












The Daily Snowman has been covering this story throughout its development. The Daily Snowman: America's Premiere Snowman Monthly