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June 29, 2005

Snake on a Stick

The Staff of Asclepius, through the years [via]: "So what does the staff of Asclepius symbolize? Dr. Blayley speculates the image's origin might arise from the practice of removing subcutaneous parasites. The worms would be pulled from an incision and wound around a stick -- the practice was so common that doctors may have come to advertise their services by depicting this procedure."

Posted by timothompson at 07:47 AM

June 28, 2005

So Now We Know What the A&M Stand For

The fact that our (un)esteemed Texas governor has a potty mouth is old news. I still find this image utterly hilarious.

[Image via PinkDome.com.]

Posted by timothompson at 06:27 PM

June 27, 2005

Where Are They Now?

Remember Flounder from Animal House? After shooting up in weight to 320 lbs., actor/director Stephen Furst now weighs 180 by sticking to a diet dominated by salads.

Posted by timothompson at 12:45 PM

"A Bum In A Google Cap"

In a July 2005 Wired magazine article, Paul Boutin uses that phrase to describe his encounter in San Francisco with Jorn Barger of Robot Wisdom, one of the original weblog pioneers (he came up with the term "weblog" in 1997). Barger's companion Andrew introduces him: "'This is Jorn Barger.''Another homeless blogger,' (Barger) finishes." Later in the article, Boutin talks about Barger losing and recovering his robotwisdom.com domain:

A few weeks later, I find out that Barger has recovered his domain — and Robot Wisdom pops back up online. I hunt him down for a pint at a local pub and he tells me he's moving on, this time to Memphis. He says he avoids the need for a job by living on less than a dollar a day. "I was carrying a cardboard sign when we met that day," he tells me. "I wasn't sure if I should show it to you. I figured if things didn't work out with Andrew I could pick up some change." On his panhandler sign, Barger had written: COINED THE TERM 'WEBLOG,' NEVER MADE A DIME.

Posted by timothompson at 10:44 AM

Jazz Fusion Scientology

Felt Up on Chick Corea: "Jazz fusion Scientology! AAAAAAAAAAAAAH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Posted by timothompson at 10:21 AM

June 26, 2005

Graham Coxon

Guitar Player: Graham Coxon's Studio Secrets: "One of my favorite tricks for adding excitement to a guitar track has nothing to do with guitar—it’s overdubbing maracas. I’m not a huge Stones fan, but when I first heard the maracas come in after the saxophone solo on “Brown Sugar” it gave me goose bumps. There’s something swampy and greasy about maracas. Tambourines sound too happy"

Posted by timothompson at 12:17 PM

June 24, 2005

Drug Companies May Be Causing Autism

Robert Kennedy has written an article in the latest Rolling Stone about the government and drug companies colluding to cover up a possible link between mercury (thimerosal) being used as a preservative in vaccines and autism.

Posted by timothompson at 01:56 PM

June 23, 2005

Austin Craigslist: online lecherous pig seeking hot chick

"I posted the above previously, but forgot to add that my favorite time to get together is usually Sunday afternoon when I can watch car racing and golf on the TV and you will be there to get me cold brewskis (that's the correct word) out of the fridge when I need them, and are eager to warm up the nacho-cheese or to grab a new can of spray cheese out of the cupboard when mine goes cold or runs out." [via] [this is good]

Posted by timothompson at 06:56 PM

June 22, 2005

Zombies Interview

Trevor Anderson of The High Dials interviews Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone of The Zombies: "At some point in the next year or so -- we don’t know when -- we’re thinking that we would like to play Odessey & Oracle in its entirety."

Posted by timothompson at 09:18 PM

Bill Gardner on Trends

I was reading this article on Speak Up about Design Clichés [via] and really liked this comment on it by Bill Gardner of LogoLounge.com on how trends take place:

A music critic was on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross some years ago discussing the British Invasion. The conversation referred to the likes of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Zombies, The Byrds, you get the idea. The interviewer asked the critic to share what some of his favorite songs from the period were. He said his favorite songs were on the B sides of the records and he shared why. I thought his answer was very perceptive.

All of the bands started using the same formula to craft their music and it didn't take long for a particular formula to reach saturation. At this point the groups would start to look for something fresh and new. Imagine all these artists leaving this saturated cluster and projecting out like orbiting satellites looking for the next big thing. Soon, someone would have a hit and all of the other artists would abandon their little satellite and start to cluster around the new successful formula, and this repeated. The records the critic loved were those made by bands that were searching for the next big thing, right before they abandoned a new style to again become a follower.

I love that story because it reminds me that at some point in time, a trend is not yet a trend. But when someone else accidentally hits on the same idea or when someone emulates something that is not a trend, that is the birth of a trend. And for a period of time, those originators of the trend flourish because they know HOW they arrived and not just why they arrived at their solution.

Posted by timothompson at 09:59 AM

June 14, 2005

Quality Diagram

Posted by timothompson at 11:29 PM

June 05, 2005

Governor Goodhair With Ted Nugent

The man on the right is the governor of Texas. No, really. [via]

Posted by timothompson at 10:49 PM