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video tour of the warehouse
this is what my room looks like painted, with floor, loveseat, new bedding, new lights, etc. this is what the rest of the warehouse looks like with the new lights we got at ikea. watch out for the speedboat; it'll sneak up on ya!
w this is what my room looks like painted, with floor, loveseat, new bedding, new lights, etc. this is what the rest of the warehouse lo... more -
2/3 of the floor down, bed back up.
Room starting to shape up. Just need to fill in the low part of the floor with another layer of concrete, lay the rest of the floor, put in and paint a baseboard molding around the room, get some lighting fixtures, move my furniture in, get some plants, unpack all my boxes, etc.
To paraphrase Slick Rick, movin' ain't easy... Room starting to shape up. Just need to fill in the low part of the floor with another layer of concrete, lay the rest of the floor, p... more -
Midway through installation of my new floor.
Salt N Pepa bring the jams to my new flooring solution. One of the puppies left his mark in the concrete (was it Nigel, Rudy, or Biscuit? Forensics is on the case). Roommates are preparing expedition to Dolores Park. Salt N Pepa bring the jams to my new flooring solution. One of the puppies left his mark in the concrete (was it Nigel, Rudy, or Biscu... more
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Tsu Yin Helping to Paint My New Apartment
James River Gray is being applied to my formerly bare walls...
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Painting My New Apartment
Spent much of the weekend sanding, priming, and painting my new room. Here's the end of day 2, with Tsu Yin and Caitlin, awesome painter helpers.
W Spent much of the weekend sanding, priming, and painting my new room. Here's the end of day 2, with Tsu Yin and Caitlin, awesome paint... more -
NYC Calorie Listings Reveal Crazy Facts!
Did you know that TGI Fridays ribs have 1900 calories? Or that a Starbucks green tea drink has 650? Now you do!
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Thieves Stealing Lead from British Church Roofs
This reminds me of a story last year about meth addicts in California's central valley stripping the copper from farm irrigation systems.
When commodity prices rise so high, you get some weird crime, that's for sure..., This reminds me of a story last year about meth addicts in California's central valley stripping the copper from farm irrigation syste... more -
Cairo: A City Where You Can't Hear Yourself Scream
Great article on the incessant noise pollution in Cairo, where the average noise level from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. is 85 decibels, "a bit louder than a freight train only 15 feet away."
As the article points out, this puts a whole new spin on urban dwellers having trouble getting their voices heard. Great article on the incessant noise pollution in Cairo, where the average noise level from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. is 85 decibels, "a bit l... more -
Are food preferences political?
This is a fascinating NYT article about how pollsters from both parties are using consumer preference data, specifically about food and beverage choices, to predict voter behavior, and tailor their messages accordingly.
One good quote:
"For example, Dr Pepper is a Republican soda. Pepsi-Cola and Sprite are Democratic. So are most clear liquors, like gin and vodka, along with white wine and Evian water. Republicans skew toward brown liquors like bourbon or scotch, red wine and Fiji water. When it comes to fried chicken, he said, Democrats prefer Popeyes and Republicans Chick-fil-A."
Let's see... I love bourbon, scotch, and gin, both kinds of wine, think soda and bottled water are both huge wastes (though I do have a soft spot for Gerolsteiner mineral water, from Germany), and sadly have no considered position on fried chicken chains.
How will I vote, pollsters? This is a fascinating NYT article about how pollsters from both parties are using consumer preference data, specifically about food an... more -
Men and Beef in Northern New Jersey
Great article/video in the Times about "beefsteaks," a traditional male bonding feast of endless slices of beef dipped in butter and served on bread, with no utensils, all the beer you can drink, and (usually) no women. What do you think: heaven or hell? Great article/video in the Times about "beefsteaks," a traditional male bonding feast of endless slices of beef dipped in butter and s... more
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Can you handle "extreme beer"?
Of course, as American microbreweries proliferate, they've been less than satisfied simply emulating European beer styles, and have branched out into what many beer drinkers, both fans and foes, call "extreme beer," with more hoppiness, alcohol, flavor, depth, etc. than ever before.
My favorite quote:
"We're the same country that put men on the moon, and we're taking the same approach to beer," said Brendan Moylan, the founder of Moylan Brewing Company in Novato, Calif. "We passed the rest of the world by ages ago, and they're just waking up to it." Of course, as American microbreweries proliferate, they've been less than satisfied simply emulating European beer styles, and have br... more -
The Yiddish Policemen's Union, by Michael Chabon.
Still kicking yourself for never getting through "The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay"? Still wishing that Chabon could combine his brilliantly evocative writing style presented in books like "Wonder Boys" with the genre-bending alternate history elements of "Kavalier & Clay," in under 500 pages? Well, wait no longer! This snappy and literate detective story is equal parts intellectual exercise and visceral thrill. What would have happened if the Jews of the world had been resettled in Alaska instead of the Holy Land? This seems as plausible a story as any, and it makes for a great read. Buy it! Still kicking yourself for never getting through "The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay"? Still wishing that Chabon could combine his ... more
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Make a Pod about Hacking Reality with Urban Exploration!
This is an article I wrote a few years back about the fascinating and growing subculture of "urban exploration," the practice of finding abandoned or inaccessible spaces normally neglected and exploring them. I tried to focus on the theoretical underpinnings of the hobby, especially since there are fairly solid links between the practice and the hacker/nerd ethos. The whole subject is ripe for exploration in a Current pod, even if the legal issues might be a bit tricky (although who needs a location release if the site is abandoned?)... This is an article I wrote a few years back about the fascinating and growing subculture of "urban exploration," the practice of findi... more
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Gawker Takes the Wind out of Berlin's Sails
As much as I love that crazy city on the Spree, there is a very large element of truth in this satirical post. I don't even live there, and I find myself slipping into this sort of rhetoric sometimes. Annoying, but once you've sipped that Kreuzberg Kool-Aid, it is pretty hard to go back... As much as I love that crazy city on the Spree, there is a very large element of truth in this satirical post. I don't even live there... more
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Make a Pod About Buenos Aires Becoming a Gay Hotspot!
Are you a filmmaker in Buenos Aires who wants to get a piece on television with a ready-made topic?
Read this article first, and then take the topic and run with it. Try to get interviews with managers at hotels catering to gay travelers, patrons of those hotels, locals who are gay, crossdressers, etc. If you can find one extremely interesting on-camera subject to follow throughout the piece, maybe the proprietor of a gay bar, or an American gay tourist, you could get some great footage.
Maybe ask people about the intersection of macho "gaucho" culture, with its swordplay, tango, and tradition of winemaking, and homosexual lifestyles? This could be a riot with the right interview subjects (priests, old people, gays themselves... get a few opposing views)
This topic has great potential for television, especially with some solid interviews, exciting b-roll, and a fascinating main character to anchor the whole story. Are you a filmmaker in Buenos Aires who wants to get a piece on television with a ready-made topic? ... more -
Make a Pod About Solo Travel!
So you want to make a great pod about the increasing popularity of solo travel? What a great idea! Let's do it! How do you go about this, you might be asking?
First, read this whole NYT article (nothing wrong with cribbing ideas from the best sources, especially in a different medium...) about the subject. This is a really interesting piece, but if you want to take this to become a compelling television segment, you're going to need more than a topic, you need a STORY.
The best way to make this happen? Find a young person traveling alone who's an interesting character, and willing to be filmed over several days. This, as usual, is the hardest part of telling the story. If you don't know anyone fitting this profile, I suggest checking the hotels mentioned in the article, going to youth hostels in your city, or checking online "Hospitality Club" websites like www.hospitalityclub.org where people post
Talk to them about why they've chosen to travel on their own (prefer it, just got out of a relationship, didn't know anyone who wanted to go where they did, etc.).
Follow them around a city for a day. Ideally you would keep from shaping their itinerary, and let them end up in whatever situations they would normally, without treating you like a de facto travel companion (it shouldn't be about the two of you hanging out). If they start talking to people in their hotel, film it! If they get chatted up in a dive bar, film it! Get releases all around.
Intersperse all this with some informational interviews with people working for the companies mentioned in the Times article ("Why is there so much interest in traveling alone today?" etc., maybe ask some people traveling together how they feel about the idea of traveling solo, etc.).
Edit it together well, throw some music in, and there you go, you have a great pod!
This topic has the potential to be completely Current, all it needs is someone with a camera and the dedication to find the story. So you want to make a great pod about the increasing popularity of solo travel? What a great idea! Let's do it! How do you go about th... more -
Battle of the Band Video Games!
Rock Band is about a bajillion times better. And I don't just say that because I have friends who work there, and because I playtested it this summer. You can't take the Harmonix out of rhythm games and expect it to keep that special something... Rock Band is about a bajillion times better. And I don't just say that because I have friends who work there, and because I playtested... more
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Cask-Conditioned Beer is Back!
It's about time American beer industry is beginning to recover from Prohibition. We used to be the envy of the world, with immigrants from all the best beer-making countries keeping it real. Now we're back on the up and up, Coors Light be damned! It's about time American beer industry is beginning to recover from Prohibition. We used to be the envy of the world, with immigrants ... more
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Those Germans Sure Do Love to Read!
And they are up in arms about contraband coming in "over the border," in this case not drugs or people, but CHEAP BOOKS. Maybe they should lighten up, and realize that their education is free, rent in Berlin is cheap, and so is beer, so cheap books really round out the factors making my lifestyle totally sustainable in their country. And they are up in arms about contraband coming in "over the border," in this case not drugs or people, but CHEAP BOOKS. Maybe they sh... more
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Will Payne
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Will Payne
