Blag

A Very Lucky Day

This is just so damn cool. The first game brings a smile to my face every time.
 

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Show, Don't Tell

This is brilliant.

I ignored the story when it first appeared because I was suffering from political pundit overload but I'm glad I revisited it now that the protagonist Robert Gibbs will be the new White House Press Secretary. MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann deconstruct how to survive and even triumph when attacked by an overbearing FOX News anchor.

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Obamathon

I've been doing a lot of reading about Barack Obama today as I try to appreciate the historical significance of last night's groundbreaking election. These articles have resonated with me:

• Audacity wins - A good summary of the campaign.
• Shift in tone will bring a watershed for nation - Changes occur from the top down and it's no surprise that George W. Bush's arrogant administration resembles his personality. Obama's poise and character may have the opposite effect and in the end prove more groundbreaking than any of his policies.
• Reactions Around the World - The photo of university students celebrating in Sydney really affects me, for some reason.
  
• The next President of the United States - Alan Taylor's collection of large format news photography, impressive as always. I love #27 .
• Hackers and Spending Sprees - Behind-the-scenes revelations from reporters embedded inside both campaigns for over a year. Sarah Palin does not come across well here. (via James on Twitter)

And, because I want to go back and watch these two speeches again, two video links:

• Barack Obama's Speech at the 2004 DNC - A younger and skinnier Obama debuts on the national stage. People are still talking about it.
• Barack Obama's Speech at the 2008 DNC - Nicely annotated by the New York Times.

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Windows 7 UI

The user interface of Microsoft Windows won't be compared favorably to Apple Mac OS X anytime soon but these screenshots from a preview release of Windows 7 are encouraging. They have a long way to go, but after producing an operating system (Vista) that was slower and less elegant than its predecessor (XP) Microsoft may now be moving in the right direction again.

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Drink

Last week I tried a new bar in Boston's Fort Point district called, matter-of-factly, Drink.

It's a fun place to experiment with cocktails but you need to be in a patient mood and willing to use your imagination. For example, there's no drink menu or any comfortably familiar bottles visible behind the bar. You simply tell the friendly bartender a taste or a type of alcohol that you're in the mood for (sweet, citrus, bitter, vodka, gin, etc.) and during the next five minutes he'll create something on the spot using extracts from glass dropper bottles placed nearby or fresh mint from plants growing in the center of the room. Naming your new concoction is the fun part. It's a full service bar so you can also skip the presentation and order something more conventional.

My cocktails cost $10 each, which was expensive but not as outrageous as I was expecting for such a trendy place in the city. The same can be said for their minimal but intriguing appetizer menu. The Chips and Dip platter was much better than I expected (two thumbs way up for that one) and it was a nice compliment to the alcohol and good vibes within. And their Swedish meatballs are cheaper than IKEA.

I'll definitely return, preferably some evening early in the week to avoid the crowds.

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Potluck

• [hoshi saga] - Find the hidden star. Not about the Enterprise's crew member Hoshi Sato, sadly.
• The Beer Mapping Project - Google Maps, beer bars, and brewpubs. Hooray beer!
• Werewolves of Alabama - I've often heard musicians claim that Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" and Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" are the same song. Here's your proof.
• A Photo Tour of the Montague Bookmill - One of my favorite places to spend an afternoon in western Massachusetts.

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Bananas

The new Japanese banana diet is a fad that will disappear in a year or two but the effect is real.

Replacing one 700 calorie meal per day with a 100 calorie piece of fruit did help me lose about a pound per week. Sticking with the diet and not eating more during the other meals in a subconscious attempt to compensate was the difficult part.

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Hamster on a Piano (Eating Popcorn)

A week has passed and I still can't stop humming this song. Help.

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Sarah Vowell at Harvard

Sarah Vowell visited Brookline and Cambridge yesterday to publicize her new book The Wordy Shipmates. She spoke for about an hour at the First Parish Church Meetinghouse near Harvard last night and I thought she was entertaining but a bit lazy. She basically read from two sections of the book without much preamble and then opened the floor to questions. Her adoring audience brought life to the proceedings by asking about subjects like her writing process, the difference between writing for print and radio shows like This American Life, and her opinion of colonial America and the Salem witch trials. The questions also brought out her quirky dry wit, which I imagine was the reason most people attended.

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HHEHHH?!?!

Tell me this doesn't give you the creeps. Pass the Geritol.

(Via bjornkri on Twitter)

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