Friday, May 17, 2013
Bob Dylan's 'Blind Willie McTell': Thirty Years On
In May 1983, Bob Dylan at the piano accompanied by Mark Knopfler on guitar recorded "Blind Willie McTell" during the sessions for the album Infidels. Considering it an unfinished work, Dylan left it off of that album and it did not surface as a recording until a decade later with the official release on the The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991. The melody is loosely based on "St. James Infirmary Blues". For the song, Dylan, seated at the piano and accompanied by Mark Knopfler on the twelve-string acoustic guitar, sings a series of plaintive verses depicting allegorical scenes which reflect on the history of American music and slavery. Each verse ends with the same refrain: "Nobody can sing the blues like Blind Willie McTell".
It is an awesome song, particularly the original bare bones version, haunting, poetic, and passionate. Dylan acknowledged that he began playing it at shows after hearing the Band's performance. The above performance was a more recent, expanded version. While I still prefer the original, stripped down version, it is terrific to hear and see the song performed by its composer, a song that remains enigmatic, perhaps surreal, but that deserves a place among his more remarkable compositions.
More on the song here
Not the original but a more spare, piano based version here
And a 2013 version here from Akron, Ohio here
--Anthony Napoli
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
'Do You Hear Me, Commander Chris?' Space is Definitely The Place
Commander Chris Hadfield, a Canadian astronaut performed this music video of David Bowie's aboard the International Space Station, the first created in outer space.
The lyrics were somewhat altered; most notably the ending was replaced. Hadfield announced the video on his twitter account writing "With deference to the genius of David Bowie, here's Space Oddity, recorded on Station. A last glimpse of the World." David Bowie was also thanked in the ending creditsThe video led Bowie to respond, tweeting back to Hadfield "Hallo Spaceboy".
The original single by David Bowie, 1969
Background on the song here
And Commander Hadfield's return to Earth earlier today here
Cdr. hadfield's performace with Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies and a children's choir here
Friday, May 10, 2013
The Internet and Its Discontents: Jaron Lanier and the iEconomy
Who Owns the Future?
By Jaron Lanier
Simon and Schuster 2013
I can recall reading an article by Jaron Lanier, sometime way, way back, probably in Whole Earth Review or CoEvolution Quarterly or one of those iterations of Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog. In it, Mr. Lanier speculated on the importance and earthshaking consequence that computers and information technology would have in the near future – actually, probably now, in our Present. There was a fascinating, utopian sheen to his brilliant riffing, which, as I remember, suggested that technology would bring forth a new form of labor, in our struggle for our daily bread, that combined work and leisure, or perhaps, as he might phrase it, work and fun.
Somewhere along the way, of course, the forces of technology, computing, and information theory were diverted, for reasons no doubt both innocent and devious, to make large piles of cash for the few, as part of the inexorable march toward advanced capitalism. And with the crash of 2008, and the realization that the financial crisis, coupled with the increase in automation, and the absolute dominance of the ideology of the marketplace, suggested that we were no longer ascending toward utopia, but rather at a tipping point where those who have lots of money are much better positioned than those in society who need to work for a living. And with diminishing employment prospects, resulting from globalization, automation, and the apparent trend, as Mr. Lanier points out in “Who Owns the Future?” where multi-billion dollar corporations arose that could make a lot of money processing and organizing the information that was freely shared by the users of the service, has led to a twisted curve where enormous wealth is enjoyed by a few, but a dismal economic future for the many.
With the enormous growth of the financial services center in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, it seemed clear to this observer that advanced capitalism in the West promised to make it unnecessary for our society to do all of those manual, “dirty” tasks in manufacturing, etc., that we used to do. Those could be exported, and enormous industries would rise up dedicated to “financial engineering” of various sorts. Of course, the promise of an American utopia, uplifted by the invisible hand of the market, proved a fatal flaw.
All of the above goes to say that Mr. Lanier’s extremely timely, thoughtful, and provocative just-published book may also have been called “Who Exploits the Future?” since most of the beneficiaries of this enormous wealth seem to be the technical visionaries, their circle, and their investors, who contributed to the development of the new cyberculture and internet environment. As Mr. Lanier points out, the true currency of the web is its content and information which is provided free by users. However, our information is valuable and the information economy should reward people for either the content the provide or the information that is taken based on their web-presence. Millions of unpaid users – not just the teams of companies like Facebook or Google – are responsible for their value. In avery real way, we are all employed by the applications and social media on the web that we use – it’s just that the vast majority of us are “interns” and the lucky few are paid very well thank you to process the resources taken from our personal data.
Mr. Lanier in the past has railed against “Digital Maoism” in decrying the destruction of civil discourse on the internet resulting from anonymous commenting and posting. He is not a radical in that sense. But his vision is nothing if not ambitious as he challenges the manner in which the internet has evolved – where information is “free” but subject to exploitation by the corporations that funnel and channel it. As Mr. Lanier indicates, “The Google guys would have gotten rich from the search code without having to create the private spying agency.”
His argument, which appears extremely radical given that the toothpaste is out of the tube and the internet as it exists is so ubiquitous, is that ordinary people should earn royalties (perhaps microroyalties) for what they do and share online. This would allow us all to get a stream of income, thereby creating a future in which our participation online generates wealth, rather than simply helping advertisers conduct market research for free.
Like it's predecessor, "You Are Not a Gadget", Mr. Lanier's Who Owns the Future? is a humanist and valiant effort, and a big risk since, given the jaded worldview of advanced capitalism, he clearly is willing to appear naïve to his adversaries (although clearly he is not). Given his role as a computer scientist and an inventor of virtual reality systems and technology, he is clearly part of the same circle of the technological elite. But he sincerely (and open heartedly) assumes the role of renegade, eagerly challenging assumptions and business models as he lifts the covers and acknowledges that the internet is more than just free lunches and jars of M&Ms at IT start ups or Friday afternoon keggers or massages at Google or Facebook for employees. For, where the internet has created staggering and enormous wealth (and well-paid employment) for the few, given its wealth it has an obligation to society as well.
However, as Mr. Lanier’s excellent book suggests, we may well be approaching a precipice. While the stock market continues to climb, the available jobs are not truly increasing at a comparable level. Those who are “peasants” (basically anyone who has to work for a living and does not possess substantial wealth that makes working for subsistence unnecessary) and who finds him or herself without pensions, jobs, healthcare, etc., could conceivably make life very chaotic for the future. This may not be a perfect solution, as Mr. Lanier is first to admit, but he is to be credited for analyzing the economic realities and dislocations to which the internet is contributing. How can something so fascinating and wonderful create such devilishly confounding problems ?
As DITHOB has observed here in early postings – something’s gotta give. Cutting taxes and support systems is not creating jobs. Corporations are not creating enough jobs. People do not have the money to start small businesses and often these alone are not lucrative enough. “Who Owns the Future?” by Jaron Lanier dares to challenge the assumptions arising out of the economics of the internet that are accepted as the way things have to be. Clearly they do not. But this book deserves to be read, both for the potential prescriptions it considers and proposes, but also as a means of stimulating new ideas, new directions, and new possibilities, in a technological society, mired in its own political and existential inertia, that is facing extremely serious problems seemingly without solutions.
--Anthony Napoli, Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn
By Jaron Lanier
Simon and Schuster 2013
I can recall reading an article by Jaron Lanier, sometime way, way back, probably in Whole Earth Review or CoEvolution Quarterly or one of those iterations of Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog. In it, Mr. Lanier speculated on the importance and earthshaking consequence that computers and information technology would have in the near future – actually, probably now, in our Present. There was a fascinating, utopian sheen to his brilliant riffing, which, as I remember, suggested that technology would bring forth a new form of labor, in our struggle for our daily bread, that combined work and leisure, or perhaps, as he might phrase it, work and fun.
Somewhere along the way, of course, the forces of technology, computing, and information theory were diverted, for reasons no doubt both innocent and devious, to make large piles of cash for the few, as part of the inexorable march toward advanced capitalism. And with the crash of 2008, and the realization that the financial crisis, coupled with the increase in automation, and the absolute dominance of the ideology of the marketplace, suggested that we were no longer ascending toward utopia, but rather at a tipping point where those who have lots of money are much better positioned than those in society who need to work for a living. And with diminishing employment prospects, resulting from globalization, automation, and the apparent trend, as Mr. Lanier points out in “Who Owns the Future?” where multi-billion dollar corporations arose that could make a lot of money processing and organizing the information that was freely shared by the users of the service, has led to a twisted curve where enormous wealth is enjoyed by a few, but a dismal economic future for the many.
With the enormous growth of the financial services center in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, it seemed clear to this observer that advanced capitalism in the West promised to make it unnecessary for our society to do all of those manual, “dirty” tasks in manufacturing, etc., that we used to do. Those could be exported, and enormous industries would rise up dedicated to “financial engineering” of various sorts. Of course, the promise of an American utopia, uplifted by the invisible hand of the market, proved a fatal flaw.
All of the above goes to say that Mr. Lanier’s extremely timely, thoughtful, and provocative just-published book may also have been called “Who Exploits the Future?” since most of the beneficiaries of this enormous wealth seem to be the technical visionaries, their circle, and their investors, who contributed to the development of the new cyberculture and internet environment. As Mr. Lanier points out, the true currency of the web is its content and information which is provided free by users. However, our information is valuable and the information economy should reward people for either the content the provide or the information that is taken based on their web-presence. Millions of unpaid users – not just the teams of companies like Facebook or Google – are responsible for their value. In avery real way, we are all employed by the applications and social media on the web that we use – it’s just that the vast majority of us are “interns” and the lucky few are paid very well thank you to process the resources taken from our personal data.
Mr. Lanier in the past has railed against “Digital Maoism” in decrying the destruction of civil discourse on the internet resulting from anonymous commenting and posting. He is not a radical in that sense. But his vision is nothing if not ambitious as he challenges the manner in which the internet has evolved – where information is “free” but subject to exploitation by the corporations that funnel and channel it. As Mr. Lanier indicates, “The Google guys would have gotten rich from the search code without having to create the private spying agency.”
His argument, which appears extremely radical given that the toothpaste is out of the tube and the internet as it exists is so ubiquitous, is that ordinary people should earn royalties (perhaps microroyalties) for what they do and share online. This would allow us all to get a stream of income, thereby creating a future in which our participation online generates wealth, rather than simply helping advertisers conduct market research for free.
Like it's predecessor, "You Are Not a Gadget", Mr. Lanier's Who Owns the Future? is a humanist and valiant effort, and a big risk since, given the jaded worldview of advanced capitalism, he clearly is willing to appear naïve to his adversaries (although clearly he is not). Given his role as a computer scientist and an inventor of virtual reality systems and technology, he is clearly part of the same circle of the technological elite. But he sincerely (and open heartedly) assumes the role of renegade, eagerly challenging assumptions and business models as he lifts the covers and acknowledges that the internet is more than just free lunches and jars of M&Ms at IT start ups or Friday afternoon keggers or massages at Google or Facebook for employees. For, where the internet has created staggering and enormous wealth (and well-paid employment) for the few, given its wealth it has an obligation to society as well.
However, as Mr. Lanier’s excellent book suggests, we may well be approaching a precipice. While the stock market continues to climb, the available jobs are not truly increasing at a comparable level. Those who are “peasants” (basically anyone who has to work for a living and does not possess substantial wealth that makes working for subsistence unnecessary) and who finds him or herself without pensions, jobs, healthcare, etc., could conceivably make life very chaotic for the future. This may not be a perfect solution, as Mr. Lanier is first to admit, but he is to be credited for analyzing the economic realities and dislocations to which the internet is contributing. How can something so fascinating and wonderful create such devilishly confounding problems ?
As DITHOB has observed here in early postings – something’s gotta give. Cutting taxes and support systems is not creating jobs. Corporations are not creating enough jobs. People do not have the money to start small businesses and often these alone are not lucrative enough. “Who Owns the Future?” by Jaron Lanier dares to challenge the assumptions arising out of the economics of the internet that are accepted as the way things have to be. Clearly they do not. But this book deserves to be read, both for the potential prescriptions it considers and proposes, but also as a means of stimulating new ideas, new directions, and new possibilities, in a technological society, mired in its own political and existential inertia, that is facing extremely serious problems seemingly without solutions.
--Anthony Napoli, Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn
Coda: Print Your Own--Handgun? OH YEAH!
Blueprints for 3D-plastic gun downloaded 100,000 times in 2 days before the U.S. State Department ordered the site to take down the weapon designs.
The U.K.'s Daily Mail reports: " Blueprints for the first-ever plastic gun produced on a 3-D printer, that can pass through metal detectors, have been downloaded over 100,000 times since it was posted to the web on Monday.
"Designs for the 'Liberator' pistol were posted online by Defense Distributed but on Thursday the U.S. State Department ordered the website to take down the blueprints, on the basis that the plans could violate export regulations."
"The blueprints, that could be produced on 3-D printers costing as little as $1,000, were seen as a breakthrough because no one has previously designed such a weapon that could withstand the pressure of firing modern ammunition.
"The State Department Office of Defense Trade Controls Compliance ordered Cody Wilson, the 25-year-old founder of the site, to remove the online blueprints for the 3D-printable 'Liberator' handgun, Forbes magazine reported. The State Department office is reviewing whether the files violate export control laws for weapons, known as the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), since the plans were downloaded overseas.
"Wilson, currently a law student at the University of Texas in Austin, says his group will comply with the State Department directive. "
Read more here
Friday, May 3, 2013
Print Your Own --- Handgun?
Andy Greenberg in Forbes reports on an attorney who is a gun-rights advocate who will be releasing plans for the creation of an all-plastic handgun (except for the use of a common nail as a metal firing pin) that can be fabricated using a 3-D printer.
"Technically, Defense Distributed’s gun has one other non-printed component: the group added a six ounce chunk of steel into the body to make it detectable by metal detectors in order to comply with the Undetectable Firearms Act. In March, the group also obtained a federal firearms license, making it a legal gun manufacturer."
In an update, Greenberg notes: "Defense Distributed’s political opponents aren’t waiting around for its printable gun to be finished and uploaded before calling for it to be banned. Congressman Steve Israel issued a press release Friday responding to this story: “Security checkpoints, background checks, and gun regulations will do little good if criminals can print plastic firearms at home and bring those firearms through metal detectors with no one the wiser,” his statement reads. “When I started talking about the issue of plastic firearms months ago, I was told the idea of a plastic gun is science-fiction. Now that this technology is proven, we need to act now to extend the ban [on] plastic firearms.”
Full Forbes article here
While Forbes also reports that Brooklyn-based Makerbot Industries, 3-D printing firm, has cracked down on printable gun designs. As the article notes, "You have the right to bear arms. But you don’t necessarily have the right to upload them." Full Forbes article here
The Liberator: the first all-plastic (except for a nail used as a firing pin) handgun
that can be fabricated on a 3-D printer
"All sixteen pieces of the Liberator prototype were printed in ABS plastic with a Dimension SST printer from 3D printing company Stratasys, with the exception of a single nail that’s used as a firing pin. The gun is designed to fire standard handgun rounds, using interchangeable barrels for different calibers of ammunition.
"Technically, Defense Distributed’s gun has one other non-printed component: the group added a six ounce chunk of steel into the body to make it detectable by metal detectors in order to comply with the Undetectable Firearms Act. In March, the group also obtained a federal firearms license, making it a legal gun manufacturer."
In an update, Greenberg notes: "Defense Distributed’s political opponents aren’t waiting around for its printable gun to be finished and uploaded before calling for it to be banned. Congressman Steve Israel issued a press release Friday responding to this story: “Security checkpoints, background checks, and gun regulations will do little good if criminals can print plastic firearms at home and bring those firearms through metal detectors with no one the wiser,” his statement reads. “When I started talking about the issue of plastic firearms months ago, I was told the idea of a plastic gun is science-fiction. Now that this technology is proven, we need to act now to extend the ban [on] plastic firearms.”
Full Forbes article here
While Forbes also reports that Brooklyn-based Makerbot Industries, 3-D printing firm, has cracked down on printable gun designs. As the article notes, "You have the right to bear arms. But you don’t necessarily have the right to upload them." Full Forbes article here
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
'You Got Me Rockin': Rolling Stones in LA
UK's Uncut reported that the Rolling tones played a 90 minute set at the Echoplex, a small club in LA's Echo Park neighborhood. Lucky fans who scored tickets via lottery joined celebrities to watch the Stones plus surprise performer Mick Taylor (on 'Love In Vain' and "Midnight Rambler').
The band was also backed by Darryl Jones, Chuck Leavell, Bernard Fowler, Lisa Fischer and Bobby Keys for the show. The show was a promo and an intro for the band's summer tour, which starts officially on May 3 at Los Angeles' Staples Center, visiting a number cities in North America before they headline Glastonbury Festival on June 29 and play London on July 6 and 13 Playlist included: 'You Got Me Rocking' 'Respectable' 'She's So Cold' 'Live With Me' 'Street Fighting Man' 'That's How Strong My Love Is' 'Little Queenie' 'Just My Imagination' 'Miss You' 'Love In Vain' 'Midnight Rambler' 'Start Me Up' 'Brown Sugar' 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' Read more from Uncut here
The band was also backed by Darryl Jones, Chuck Leavell, Bernard Fowler, Lisa Fischer and Bobby Keys for the show. The show was a promo and an intro for the band's summer tour, which starts officially on May 3 at Los Angeles' Staples Center, visiting a number cities in North America before they headline Glastonbury Festival on June 29 and play London on July 6 and 13 Playlist included: 'You Got Me Rocking' 'Respectable' 'She's So Cold' 'Live With Me' 'Street Fighting Man' 'That's How Strong My Love Is' 'Little Queenie' 'Just My Imagination' 'Miss You' 'Love In Vain' 'Midnight Rambler' 'Start Me Up' 'Brown Sugar' 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' Read more from Uncut here
Monday, April 29, 2013
Lag B'Omer Parade in "Little Yerushalayim"
Yesterday, Chasidim conducted a fairly ambitious and probably permit-free parade (in traffic) on Avenue J, honoring the Lag B'Omer holiday and welcoming their anticipated, upcoming Messianic era. Even Customers at diFara's Pizza had to put down their overpriced slices to watch.
The parade included young musicians in band uniform, led by a young black hat Chasidic band leader, followed by floats with various Chabad Headquarters celebrated, the counting of the sheaves, etc., and a number of "Mitzvah Tanks".. As my daughter, presently a grad student in Tel Aviv noted "when you live in Brooklyn who needs to see Israel?"
--Anthony Napoli
Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn
(Photo by Anthony Napoli)
The parade included young musicians in band uniform, led by a young black hat Chasidic band leader, followed by floats with various Chabad Headquarters celebrated, the counting of the sheaves, etc., and a number of "Mitzvah Tanks".. As my daughter, presently a grad student in Tel Aviv noted "when you live in Brooklyn who needs to see Israel?"
--Anthony Napoli
Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn
(Photo by Anthony Napoli)
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Freedom: Richard Pierce Havens 1941-2013
Rest in peace Richie Havens 1941-2013 iconic American musician of the 60s counterculture who passed away at his home in New Jersey. DITHOB caught Mr Havens' performance at a wonderful outdoor lunchtime show a few summers ago at Brooklyn's Metrotech. Born in Brooklyn, Mr Havens interspersed his many classic original and cover versions songs with stories of playing stickball on Howard Avenue (met with cheers from the diverse crowd). DITHOB's earlier article reflecting a performance by a great folk artist, communicator, educator, activist and noble human being appears here
Mr. Havens' entry in Wikipedia here
NY Times obituary about Mr. Havens here
Note: This is Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn's 1000th post. May Peace, Prosperity, Creativity, and the spirit of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment flow to every region of the Earth.
Post #1 (June 2007) here_
Mr. Havens' entry in Wikipedia here
NY Times obituary about Mr. Havens here
Note: This is Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn's 1000th post. May Peace, Prosperity, Creativity, and the spirit of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment flow to every region of the Earth.
Post #1 (June 2007) here_
Saturday, April 20, 2013
'Get Lucky' and Dance Away the Summer with the Return of Daft Punk
Daft Punk, uber creative and visually dynamic French pop duo, are back with the first single off of forthcoming "Random Access Memories" featuring Pharrell Williams and the joyful and cool reappearance of Nile Rodgers. This one will be sure to help to dance away the summer. (Thanks again to the impeccable taste of Bob Lefsetz for the heads up.)
Below, the awesome teaser ad featured on Saturday Night Live:
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Coda: Shake It Up: Anthony Weiner, the Upcoming and the Talking Dog
Some frustration and push back zinging through the aether about Anthony J. Weiner's bobbing and weaving in and out of the Mayoral race. I do think it shows that the guy (maybe thanks to the Mrs., or the folks around the Mrs., or the folks around the Mrs. and Bill and Hill, etc.) is capable of providing some new and interesting ideas and possible policy prescriptions…Still, if he doesn’t announce soon, it will be interesting to see where he stands in the polls a week from now.
I can understand the frustration that supporters of other candidates may can have with this, or just, for that matter, voters trying to decide where exactly their interests lie in this crowded election. But, still, I have to give him credit --he’s got the rocks to propose this, and none of the other candidates have enough verve/zing and that je nous sa qua quality that makes a clear far and away front runner anyway.. As pollsters predict, on the Dem side, this is promising to be a mess already, with a possible runoff inevitable following the primary, and, for that matter, none of the other Dems are withdrawing from the race for the good of the party so whats the diff? (It would appear that even Tom Allon on the GOP side decided to make an early and classy exit after seeing the writing on the wall.) But for now, whether Anthony J. Weiner is in or not, this is continuing to promising to be just a pile on…where it stops - -nobody knows.
--Anthony Napoli
Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn
I can understand the frustration that supporters of other candidates may can have with this, or just, for that matter, voters trying to decide where exactly their interests lie in this crowded election. But, still, I have to give him credit --he’s got the rocks to propose this, and none of the other candidates have enough verve/zing and that je nous sa qua quality that makes a clear far and away front runner anyway.. As pollsters predict, on the Dem side, this is promising to be a mess already, with a possible runoff inevitable following the primary, and, for that matter, none of the other Dems are withdrawing from the race for the good of the party so whats the diff? (It would appear that even Tom Allon on the GOP side decided to make an early and classy exit after seeing the writing on the wall.) But for now, whether Anthony J. Weiner is in or not, this is continuing to promising to be just a pile on…where it stops - -nobody knows.
--Anthony Napoli
Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn
Shake It Up: Anthony Weiner, the Upcoming and the Talking Dog
As a follow up to his interview with former US Congressman Anthony Weiner, NY1's political anchor Errol Louis wrote an op-ed in the NY Daily News regarding the once and possible future political candidate's prospects in the upcoming mayoral election.
While the focus remains certainly on Mr. Weiner's "truthiness" (as Stephen Colbert might put it) in light of his fall from the political heavens, and whether he can regain the trust of New Yorkers in general and the NY Media in particular, there is no doubting that, even from the margins, Mr. Weiner would be a formidible candidate. His fiery and intensive debating style,exhibited many times on the floor of the House of Representatives, and even more so, his ability to generate creative and interesting ideas in his policy statement, suggest that even his preliminary appearance on the fringes of the hustings could have the capacity to throw the campaign wide open.
As Mr. Louis, himself one of NYC's most engaging and thoughtful political journalists and analysts, observes in his op-ed:
"Meanwhile, Republicans inclined to gloat about the prospect of Weiner throwing the Democratic primary into
chaos should be careful what they wish for.
"None of them has developed the kind of policy proposals — some quixotic, others intriguing — that Weiner
released in his 64-point “Keys to the City” paper this week.
"Weiner’s call for stepped-up ferry service to Rockaway, Sheepshead Bay, Riverdale and Harlem is an idea that
should have been tried long ago in our city of islands. His call to build new federally subsidized senior
housing on hospital parking lots seems sensible. And his idea of making food stamps carry double the value
when spent on fresh fruits and vegetables takes New York toward better health using an incentive rather than
a punitive tax."
Clearly, what's missing from the current soft serve of Democratic and GOP Mayoral Candidates-in-a-Blender are some New Ideas and policy prescriptions that might just suggest a direction in which the post-Bloomberg NYC might move, rather than just the brewing political street fight, (mindful of the mashup of "Network" and "The Gangs of New York" in Will Ferrell and the battling news presenters in "Anchorman")..
Ironically, while it is no doubt Mr. Weiner's dramatic personal foibles and peccadilloes, compounded by his admittedly disgraceful (if perhaps adolescent) dishonesty after the fact, that would make him the easier target in this race, it could be this NYC-native's sharp intelligence and creative, fresh and interesting ideas that would throw up the mirror to the other candidates own lacks and weaknesses. In the long run, as 538's Nate Silver indicated, 100% name recognition and 15% ballot support "is an ugly poll..not an encouraging one." And, while the NBC/Marist poll gave him comparable numbers to the other candidates, maybe, like the talking dog, it is not how well the dog talks, but that, at this late point, he talks at all, and as well as the other candidates who have unbesmirched records and have been in the race all along.
Read more from Mr. Louis' article here
Mr. Weiner's "64 Keys to the City" here
-Anthony Napoli
Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn
While the focus remains certainly on Mr. Weiner's "truthiness" (as Stephen Colbert might put it) in light of his fall from the political heavens, and whether he can regain the trust of New Yorkers in general and the NY Media in particular, there is no doubting that, even from the margins, Mr. Weiner would be a formidible candidate. His fiery and intensive debating style,exhibited many times on the floor of the House of Representatives, and even more so, his ability to generate creative and interesting ideas in his policy statement, suggest that even his preliminary appearance on the fringes of the hustings could have the capacity to throw the campaign wide open.
As Mr. Louis, himself one of NYC's most engaging and thoughtful political journalists and analysts, observes in his op-ed:
"Meanwhile, Republicans inclined to gloat about the prospect of Weiner throwing the Democratic primary into
chaos should be careful what they wish for.
"None of them has developed the kind of policy proposals — some quixotic, others intriguing — that Weiner
released in his 64-point “Keys to the City” paper this week.
"Weiner’s call for stepped-up ferry service to Rockaway, Sheepshead Bay, Riverdale and Harlem is an idea that
should have been tried long ago in our city of islands. His call to build new federally subsidized senior
housing on hospital parking lots seems sensible. And his idea of making food stamps carry double the value
when spent on fresh fruits and vegetables takes New York toward better health using an incentive rather than
a punitive tax."
Clearly, what's missing from the current soft serve of Democratic and GOP Mayoral Candidates-in-a-Blender are some New Ideas and policy prescriptions that might just suggest a direction in which the post-Bloomberg NYC might move, rather than just the brewing political street fight, (mindful of the mashup of "Network" and "The Gangs of New York" in Will Ferrell and the battling news presenters in "Anchorman")..
Ironically, while it is no doubt Mr. Weiner's dramatic personal foibles and peccadilloes, compounded by his admittedly disgraceful (if perhaps adolescent) dishonesty after the fact, that would make him the easier target in this race, it could be this NYC-native's sharp intelligence and creative, fresh and interesting ideas that would throw up the mirror to the other candidates own lacks and weaknesses. In the long run, as 538's Nate Silver indicated, 100% name recognition and 15% ballot support "is an ugly poll..not an encouraging one." And, while the NBC/Marist poll gave him comparable numbers to the other candidates, maybe, like the talking dog, it is not how well the dog talks, but that, at this late point, he talks at all, and as well as the other candidates who have unbesmirched records and have been in the race all along.
Read more from Mr. Louis' article here
Mr. Weiner's "64 Keys to the City" here
-Anthony Napoli
Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn
Monday, April 15, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Safe as Milk: Iranian Scientist Invents 'Time Machine'
Beyond Iran's forays into nuclear energy (and presumably weaponry), scientists there also appear to be trying to develop new technologies that will perhaps help the nation to recreate lost glories of the past caliphates.
The UK Telegraph reports that Ali Razeghi, a Tehran scientist has registered "The Aryayek Time Traveling Machine" with the state-run Centre for Strategic Inventions.
The device can predict the future in a print out after taking readings from the touch of a user, he told the Fars state newsagency.
Razaeghi, 27, said the device worked by a set of complex algorithims to "predict five to eight years of the future life of any individual, with 98 percent accuracy".
As the managing director of Iran's Centre for Strategic Inventions, Razeghi is a serial inventor with 179 other inventions listed under his own name. "I have been working on this project for the last 10 years," he said.
"My invention easily fits into the size of a personal computer case and can predict details of the next 5-8 years of the life of its users. It will not take you into the future, it will bring the future to you."
And, talking about safe bets, Razaeghi claims "Iran's government can predict the possibility of a military confrontation with a foreign country," or, more prosaicly, "forecast the fluctuation in the value of foreign currencies and oil prices by using his new invention."
More here
The UK Telegraph reports that Ali Razeghi, a Tehran scientist has registered "The Aryayek Time Traveling Machine" with the state-run Centre for Strategic Inventions.
The device can predict the future in a print out after taking readings from the touch of a user, he told the Fars state newsagency.
Razaeghi, 27, said the device worked by a set of complex algorithims to "predict five to eight years of the future life of any individual, with 98 percent accuracy".
As the managing director of Iran's Centre for Strategic Inventions, Razeghi is a serial inventor with 179 other inventions listed under his own name. "I have been working on this project for the last 10 years," he said.
"My invention easily fits into the size of a personal computer case and can predict details of the next 5-8 years of the life of its users. It will not take you into the future, it will bring the future to you."
And, talking about safe bets, Razaeghi claims "Iran's government can predict the possibility of a military confrontation with a foreign country," or, more prosaicly, "forecast the fluctuation in the value of foreign currencies and oil prices by using his new invention."
More here
Monday, April 8, 2013
Signs of Spring: 'The Water Song'
Hot Tuna's The Water Song. Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady, Sammy Piazza. Spiritual. All natural. Uplifting. A classic.
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