Futurballa Blog

Photoshop.com Album: Sonoma

2010-03-09T12:49:00.001-08:00

Elvis is in the Winery

2009-08-19T12:23:00.000-07:00

The entire setlist.

Photoshop.com Album

2009-07-16T13:27:00.001-07:00

Bodega Bay & Point Reyes

2009-07-08T07:25:00.001-07:00

Where do I get one?

2009-04-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

The mind boggles at the possibilities.

Under the Covers

2009-03-26T10:25:00.001-07:00

What is the most covered Dylan song ever?

Candidates would certainly include Knockin' on Heavens Door, I Shall be Released and Don't Think Twice it's All Right, but I think a strong contender might actually be one of his newer songs. Make You Feel My Love off of his 1998 album Time Out of Mind.

I have 5 versions myself on my iPod, in no particular order:
Dylan
Bryan Ferry
Trisha Yearwood
Garth Brooks
Adele

And the Wikipedia lists Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Joan Osborne, Luka Bloom, Josh Kelley, Timothy B. Schmit, Kelly Clarkson, Ronan Keating, Mick McAuley and Winifred Horan (from Solas), Emily Loizeau, Bryan Ferry, Mary Black, Jasper Steverlinck, Ruarri Joseph, Phil Keaggy, Taylor Hicks, Adele, and Kris Allen.

And more good Dylan news. His next album ships end of April.

Wild Turkey and Machine Guns

2009-02-20T14:55:00.001-08:00

Hunter S. Thompson visits with Conan.

We miss you Doc!

Ain't that America

2009-01-22T08:10:00.001-08:00

Slate has a very nice article and slideshow on Robert Frank's The Americans.
It is definitely one of the most important works of 20th century photography and it is nice to see it revisited.

Check it out.

Little Hitler

2009-01-14T07:16:00.000-08:00

Nick Lowe was so ahead of his time.

Life imitates art, in a really bad way.

Cthulhu has left the building.

2008-12-11T07:22:00.000-08:00

From the folks who brought you The Carol of the Old Ones (a holiday tradition here at Futurballa blog), here is Blue Solstice.

Blue Solstice

The Carol of the Old Ones

Conspiracy Theory

2008-12-08T07:11:00.000-08:00

Being unable to resist any Illuminati article, I must share Slate's posting on Beethoven's connection to the Bavarian Illuminati.

For those of you who are not familiar with this group, the article provides a nice primer on the subject.

Founded in 1776 by a Bavarian professor named Adam Weishaupt, the Illuminati joined radical politics and Jesuit-style hierarchy to fanatical secrecy. The aims of the order were ambitious, all right: They intended to change the world and had a plan to do it. The means were not to be by violent revolutions. The idea was to form a cadre of enlightened men who would steathlily infiltrate governments everywhere and slowly bring them to a kind of secular-humanist Elysium under the guidance of a secret ruling body. Said Adam Weishaupt: "Princes and nations shall disappear from the face of the earth peacefully, mankind shall become one family, and the world shall become a haven of reasonable people. Morality shall achieve this transformation, alone and imperceptibly."

And if you wish to study further, a simple search on Amazon for "Illuminati" will produce any number of hits, but the most entertaining is Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea's novel The Illuminatus! Trilogy

Pencil Necked Eeks Unite!

2008-11-12T06:35:00.000-08:00

Classy Freddy Blassie. The great Andy Kauffman. And a very young Dave Letterman. I think this was the My Breakfast With Blassie tour.

Yes We Can

2008-11-05T07:17:00.000-08:00

Congratulations President Obama.
Congratulations America.

Election Day

2008-11-04T06:38:00.000-08:00

Get out and Vote!

Mavericky

2008-10-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

This is tons of good fun. It is begin updated every day until the election, so there is always new stuff to find.

Palin as President

Girl's Still Got It

2008-10-07T07:24:00.000-07:00

Via Tony Pierce:

boots of chinese plastic
from Break Up the Concrete

Deconstructing Sarah

2008-10-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

Via Kos diarist, adennak...

And via Slate's Kitty Burns Florey...

Diagramming Sarah's Sentences

Summertime done, come and gone

2008-09-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

Opening animation from The Grateful Dead Movie. Rock on...

Friday Funnys

2008-09-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

Paging Mr. Freud.

When using the Google, be sure to use good search criteria. For example Walter Reed sans Hospital, might equal Walter Reed Middle School.
Mystery explained.

And Google's new web browser, Chrome, has a sense of humor.

(if you can't see it on the picture, this is the result when you enter about:internets as the address.)

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

2008-08-19T12:17:00.001-07:00

Christopher Walken reading Poe's The Raven [MP3]

Via the MP3 archives at aprilwinchell.com.

Check it out, it's full of fun stuff.

Bonus Walken... Scary, scary version of Goodnight Moon from the Simpsons.
Voiced by Jay Mohr.

Giddy Up MX-5

2008-08-15T07:51:00.000-07:00

Bay Area Miata Association's Summer Fling 2008

ﾠ

Twisty roads, 25 Miatas, perfect weather, more fun than humans deserve.

Pictures taken by Nick Jenkins

Whiskey, shaken, not stirred

2008-08-01T07:04:00.000-07:00

Via Terry Teachout, a 1958 interview of Raymond Chandler conducted by Ian Fleming.

Listen to the entire interview here.

Bonus question... who is your favorite movie Marlowe?

While I will always be fond of Bogart, and there have been some interesting takes on the character, such as Robert Montgomery's camera eye view Marlowe in 1947's Lady in the Lake. There have been some odd Marlowe casting, most memorably Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye starring Elliott Gould. There have been faux Marlowes, like Burt Reynolds' Shamus which does not mention Marlowe but is definitely derived from The Big Sleep but in my mind, no one captured the hard-boiled, world weariness of Marlowe better than Robert Mitchum in the 1975 version of Farewell My Lovely

list'ning to the Muzak, thinking 'bout this 'n' that.

2008-07-18T06:58:00.000-07:00

I can't say that I attend a lot of concerts anymore, but when I saw two of the class of '77, probably my most formative of years in terms of musical taste, were going to be performing at Shoreline last Monday evening, I thought, what better way could I spend Bastille day than with Elvis Costello and the Police. The main draw for me was Elvis, former angry young man, now angry middle aged guy, since I had seen him on both of his first US tours in '77 and '78 at Winterland. So I purchased a couple of lawn seats and dragged the wife along.

EC wasn't in his best form, his voice a bit hoarse, but with the exception of American Gangster Time from his new album, Momofuku, it was all classic stuff. He had a bit of fun with Watching the Detectives and Sting joined him on stage for Alison. He ended the too short set with Nick Lowe's (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding, one of my favorites.

I was never a gigantic Police fan. I always enjoyed their first album, but later found the white man's reggae lacking in any soul. When the new wave followed the punk invasion, the Police were a bit too polite for me. However, I have to say, they put on a great show. Sting looked healthy and like he was having the time of his life, Stewart Copeland is a great percussionist and the sound was great, even on the lawn.

Set List:
Elvis Costello
Pump It Up
Mystery Dance
Everyday I Write the Book
American Gangster Time”
Radio Radio
Clubland
Watching the Detectives
Alison (with Sting)
(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding

The Police
Message in a Bottle
Walking on the Moon
Demolition Man
Voices in My Head
When the World Is Running Down
Don’t Stand So Close to Me
Driven to Tears
Hole in My Life
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Wrapped Around Your Finger
De Do Do Do
Invisible Sun
Can’t Stand Losing You
Encores:
Roxanne
King of Pain
So Lonely
Every Breath You Take
Next to You

Billy Fish, do they always use such a big ball?

2008-07-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

ﾠ

My recent trip to India. Delhi, Agra and the Taj Mahal

Humayun's Tomb

2008-06-25T23:12:00.000-07:00

A very interesting site in Delhi.

There's been very little time for site seeing, but Saturday, energy permitting, I expect to travel to Agra to see the aforementioned Taj Mahal.

You watch me walk away... tara

2008-06-19T06:13:00.000-07:00

I'll be in India for the next week on business. Pictures to follow.

I hear it is much more impressive in person.

Canvas or Plastic?

2008-06-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

Team Gonzo recreated, at least in terms of location, the movie Sideways this past weekend. Here are some pix.

Solvang

Solvang again. Lots of windmills

The vineyards at Melville

Team Gonzo

Pea Bags for Sale at Pea Soup Anderson's.

Fess Parker's was everything Miles said it was

Where Miles met Maya

Highliner Pinot Noir and a couple of good steaks (G had the lamb).

Rancho Sisquoc

The Home Grown store in Los Olivas

Tasting at Foxen, where Jack met Stephanie

At the Solvang Motorcycle Museum

The Times They Are a-Change You Can Believe In

2008-06-06T07:02:00.000-07:00

Obama has the all important Dylan endorsement!!!

Another song about change from Bobby Z.

Go do that voodoo that you do so well!

2008-06-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

I've been away for a few days, so am a little late on this posting, but I could not let this news item go by without comment.

Harvey Korman, who passed away recently at the age of 81 was one of the funniest men who ever lived. Korman in probably best remembered for his supporting role on the Carol Burnett show alongside Tim Conway and for his roles in Mel Brooks films. He was one of the funniest men ever.

Here is a clip from Blazing Saddles in his famous role of Hedy Lamarr.

That's Hedley!

MeTube

2008-05-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

Adobe has a new online sharing and editing application. You can sign up at www.photoshop.com/express. One of the new features is the ability to embed a little slideshow player in your blog or website from one of your express albums.

Here's a sample from my Yosemite in Winter workshop last year.

Zombie Bears

2008-05-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

Need I say more?

And they're so darn cute.

On a Lonely Highway

2008-04-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

An excellent deconstruction (if such a term can be used for a film that defies deconstruction) of David Lynch's highly underrated and much maligned Lost Highway over at Slate. The DVD is finally available.

And a bit more of Mr. Lynch. Friend George sent along this delightful little take on iPhones some time ago.

Unplanned Obsolescence

2008-02-28T14:26:00.000-08:00

Via Kos we learn that someone with too much time on their hands has created a Wiki of Obsolete skills.

Along with adjusting rabbit ear antennas, loading 35mm film, peeling back a lid from an sardine can with a key and using a manual choke in cold weather, it seems that common sense and spelling all make the list.

Double Feature (N-100%-SFW)

2008-02-27T06:32:00.000-08:00

I have a love/hate thing with Sarah Silverman. She can be hilarously funny (as she is here) or cringe-worthy beyond all get out. This has gone around the YouTubes for a while now, but seeing as there is now a sequel, I thought it worth posting them together.

Well, whatever your opinion of Ms. Silverman, I hope you enjoy this little music vid from the Jimmy Kimmel Show.

And here is Jimmy's response, with a cast of thousands.

21st Century Bipolar Man

2008-02-01T11:26:00.000-08:00

The onion av club's roundup of pretentious prog-rock album covers. Probably a redundancy or two in there somewhere.

How many of these were in your collection? I admit to a few.

Faced

2008-01-07T10:54:00.000-08:00

A recent company event feature a performance by San Jose's own Smash Mouth. Here are a few pix I took during the concert.

Happy Frickin' Holidays

2007-12-20T07:20:00.000-08:00

You're a mean one Mr. Grinch

Futurballa begins a 2 week vacation on Friday. Enjoy the holidays, however you may celebrate.

Rick

The Spy Who Came in from the Old

2007-12-13T08:01:00.000-08:00

James Wolcott reminds us that the iconic TV shows of our childhood don't often hold up so well when you buy the box set dvd collection. Case in point, The Man From Uncle.

Wolcott compares and contrasts TMFU with the original Mission Impossible series, that while also somewhat low budget and cheesy, and dealing with similar Cold War espionage in similarly exotic locales, never descended into camp. The show of the era that he fails to mention that actually filmed on location, was smart, and rarely camp, was I Spy.

The always hip, Robert Culp as undercover agent / tennis bum Kelly Robinson, and his inter-racial heterosexual life partner Alexander Scott, played with great charm by a young Bill Cosby before he became the paterfamilias of the Huxtable clan and started pimping Jello, jet-setted about the globe chasing woman and foiling foreign agents. Truly one of the best spy genre shows on TV and though I haven't seen it in many years, I doubt that it would come off as dated and cheesy as TMFU.

Chabad Boys

2007-12-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

Getting into the Chanukah spirit, friend George posted a video of Peter Himmelman, Harry Dean Stanton and Bob Dylan on harmonica performing Hava Nagila at the Chabad telethon back in 1989.

Just to join in the spirit, I found a version of the same traditional folksong performed by a Beatles tribute band.

And of course, the all time classic Chanukah song.

Official (Scary) Holiday Season Kick-Off

2007-11-27T12:09:00.000-08:00

Since Thanksgiving has been and gone, it is now acceptable to post our traditional Christmas season posting of the Carol of the Old Ones. The very scary version of the very scary Carol of the Bells.

Cthulhu themed ringtones and MP3s can be found here.

And don't miss the Misadventures of Hello Cthulhu!

Photoshop: Before and After

2007-11-19T08:13:00.000-08:00

Via escapegrace comes this very interesting retrospective on photo doctoring from Lincoln to Today. Photoshop has only made it more accessible, but Stalin new how to do it quite well.

J. Paul Ferlinghetti

2007-10-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

I have returned from my vacation to LA. Weston at the Getty, Dali at LACMA, fine dining in Pasadena and West Hollywood and escaped before the fires got too bad. A great trip had by all.

Here are some images from the J. Paul Getty museum grounds.

Coming into Los Angeles

2007-10-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

The town is like an advertisement for itself; none of its charms are left to the visitor's imagination...
~Christopher Isherwood

Heading south for a Museum weekend. I wonder if I'll run into this guy?

The May Company Department Store - Ansel Adams

HOWL

2007-10-03T06:27:00.000-07:00

" I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by
madness, starving hysterical naked..."

So begins the iconic poem of the Beat Generation, Howl by Allen Ginsberg. Fifty years ago today, a San Francisco Municipal Court judge ruled that Allen Ginsberg's Beat-era poem "Howl" was not obscene. And on that 50 year anniversary, a New York public radio station has buckled to fear of the FCC and decided not to air a reading of Ginsberg's poem. You can read about the whole silly mess here.

In honor of the anniversary, Pacifica.org will post audio of a reading. Or you can read it for yourself here.

It is a sad time when fear of censorship does the censor's job for him.

I speak of the pompatus of love

2007-09-28T06:38:00.000-07:00

What is a pompatus anyways? Well there is a Wikipedia entry to explain.

Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls!

Miatapalooza 2007

2007-09-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

Couple of firsts. I took the "none more black" MX-5 to my first car show this weekend, Miatapalooza at Monster Park in San Francico (formerly Candlestick) and posted my first self made video to YouTube.

Jewish Sports Legends

2007-09-04T06:54:00.000-07:00

Salon has a ranking of the best 18 Jewish baseball players of all time. The top 3 are pretty predictable, but it's a fun read.

And the author also provides a link to one of the funniest moments in baseball commentary ever. Where are you now, Mel Gibson?

There is no joy in Mudville

2007-08-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

DVD Journal is shutting their doors.

This has been the go to site for what's new on the street, upcoming releases and reviews of the latest films on DVD. Sadly the proprietors have decided to cease publication. Hopefully someone else will take up the mantel.

Life Imitates Caddyshack

2007-08-22T09:36:00.000-07:00

Bill Murray stopped in Stockholm, Sweden for driving a golf cart under the influence.

Pancho & Lefty

2007-08-09T14:29:00.000-07:00

The greatest lefty of all time...

Death Knocks

2007-07-31T06:35:00.000-07:00

What a day yesterday, we lost Ingmar Bergman, Tom Snyder and Bill Walsh. I was hoping to find a youtube posting of Dan Akroyd's great Tom Snyder skits, but nothing came up on my search. I did however find this wonderful Bergman parody featuring the film debut of Madeline Kahn. De Duva.

The faux Swedish might be the inspiration for the opening credits of Holy Grail.

Update: I guess it is open season on arthouse directors. I just read that Michelangelo Antonioni passed away as well.

Adventures in Cambria

2007-07-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

Or a rare bit of Welsh Skunk....

This past weekend found team Gonzo meeting in the wilds of Cambria, California. A quaint coastal town in the middle of the state. A bit busy and touristy indeed, as it is just five miles from San Simeon, home of Hearst Castle, and it is a gateway to the Paso Robles wine region, where we tasted some very fine potions indeed.

L'Aventure is producing some amazing blends in the Rhone style. A bottle of their Optimus blend accompanied me home. And Windward is doing some very nice Pinots. Fucking Merlots were not to be found, but some delicious Viogniers and Rousannes were also sampled.

While walking along the bluffs near our hotel after a tasty dinner, we saw something posing on the beach side of the path. At first glance it appeared to be a statue or totem of some kind, but when it moved we realized that it was a skunk with tail in the air. In proper Pythonian fashion, we yelled "run away" and ran in search of the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch (as seen in scene 21).

Sunday found us doing the touristy thing and visiting Hearst Castle. Well worth a visit. A fun tour and some interesting history. The legend has been cleaned up, as the Hearst family still owns the actual house and the State Park system's tour guides seem to leave out some of the darker parts of the Hearst saga.

The drive from San Jose along Highway 1 is one of the most spectacular roads in the world and other than a Winnebago driver that did not understand the concept of turnouts, the none more black MX-5 was a delight to drive along the twisties south of Big Sur.

Big Sur coast line.

Elephant Seals at play?

Along the bluffs near Cambria.

The view back towards the village.

Hearst's pool.

Antiquities.

Hearst's other pool.

Bialy you can be

2007-07-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia's entry on Robert Heinlein is a link to the Google satellite photo of his circular house that he and his wife Ginny built in Bonny Doon, California.

Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is probably the most subversive children's books ever written, being largely about sexual awakening and atheism. Now they are coming to the big screen beginning this winter with The Golden Compass. See the spectacular trailer here.

This has been mentioned by two of my blogroll regulars recently, Escapegrace and Tony Pierce; LAist has begun a series on LA Neighborhoods beginning with Little Armenia. My old neighborhood, which could be termed little Brooklyn, around Fairfax and Beverly used to stretch to at least Pico, but much of the southern portion is now Little Ethiopia. Nice to see a series like this.

In spite of Ms. Stein's famous quote that "there is no there there", there is indeed many theres there, you just need to know where there is.

Fairfax district of Los Angeles aka Kosher Canyon according to Wikipedia, though growing up there, I never heard it called that.

And for more info on thing Jewish in LA, there's the LA Jewish Guide.

Roadtrip this weekend down the coast in the none more black MX-5, hopefully some photos to share next week.

Jesus of Cool

2007-06-28T07:51:00.000-07:00

A short interview with one of the greatest music producers and writers of great pop songs, Nick Lowe, over at the Onion AV Club.

I especially enjoyed his assessment of Punks who pretended to be bad musicians.

Well The Damned were really good, and Elvis was Elvis. Ian Dury and The Blockheads were really, really great. You know, the actual punk music, I didn't care for at all. I thought it was all rubbish, really. It was the attitude, the way that things were being shaken up, that excited me more. I still liked people who were good, you know? Who could actually play. Even though The Damned were a punk group, they played great. As did Elvis, and as did Ian. They were the ones who interested me. Not some of those daft punkers, especially the ones who had people who were actually pretty good musicians sort of pretending to play badly. That was just so stupid, and missed the point completely, I thought. So it was the people who were true to themselves, I think, that were the exciting ones.

Cruel to be kind, indeed.

Ah, synesthesia

2007-06-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco is presenting Brian Eno's 77 Million Paintings. A kaleidoscope like installation of evolutionary art by the ambient one.

Eno says of this show, "They are living an independent life, and they keep doing things that still surprise me. I've watched this program now for thousands of hours, because I have it running in my studio, normally, when I'm working there, and occasionally I'll look up and I'll see something really completely unlike anything I've ever seen before and think, 'Bloody hell!' I know all of the elements in the piece, of course, because I made them all, so you would think that I wouldn't be particularly surprised by any of the combinations of them, but I'm very surprised, actually."

More can be read at SFGate.com.

77 Million Paintings: Flat-screen installation by Brian Eno. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday (Sunday show at 7 p.m. is for members of the Long Now Foundation) at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum, 701 Mission St., San Francisco. Tickets $20-$25. Call (415) 978-2787 or visit www.longnow.org.

Cult of Steve

2007-06-25T07:33:00.001-07:00

They get this just about right.

Smell the Glove

2007-06-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

via Tom Tomorrow, Amex has co-opted Spinal Tap's Gimme Some Money (actually the Thamesmen). It seems that only two responses are in order and both have already been taken; "excuse me while I choke on someone else's vomit", and "have these people no sense of irony?"

And Venus Was Her Name

2007-06-07T06:50:00.000-07:00

Recent Netflix viewing has been quite tasty. The Good Shepherd, De Niro's history of the CIA as seen through the eyes of Matt Damon, though lengthy and a bit dry, held my interest throughout. The Queen, starring Helen Mirren in a stellar performance. Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro's dark fairytale about the Spanish Civil War. These are just a few of the highlights of my recent viewing. All recommended to varying degrees, depending on your tolerance for violence and British royals.

The last DVD I viewed was Peter O'Toole in his Oscar nominated performance as an aging actor who falls in love with a young girl in the film Venus. It is one of those character driven British films that you don't see very often any more. Not much happens and it takes its time in doing it, but it is such a pleasure to watch a great actor like O'Toole, who is still at the top of his game, do that thing that he does best.

The scenes between O'Toole and Vanessa Redgrave as his estranged wife, are worth the price of admission. Lordy, these people can act. And how refreshing it is to see.

What's round on both ends and high in the middle

2007-05-29T07:24:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, the wife and I made a whirlwind trip to visit relatives of hers in Southwestern Ohio. While there we took a couple of drives to see a bit of America that us coastal types don't often see.

In Adam's county along the Kentucky border, there are a number of what they call "quilt barns". Traditional quilt pattern panels have been painted on the front of the building.

Shooting a bit of video out the window of the car (I was not behind the wheel) as we drove along inspired this bit of nostalgia.

Chinese Doughnut?

2007-05-16T06:34:00.000-07:00

Just for kicks I googled my all-time favorite Chinese waiter the other day. I knew that he had been immortalized by Herb Caen in the SF Chronicle, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the internets contain a variety of fond memories of the man that had the title, "the rudest waiter in the world", Edsel Ford Fong.

Edsel waited tables at Sam Wo's in San Francisco's Chinatown. The restaurant was probably ten feet wide at most, you entered through the kitchen and went up the stairs that brought you to several dining floors. If you knew how it worked and wanted to truly get the Sam Wo's experience, you asked for Edsel's floor. As soon as you were seated, the floor show would begin. Edsel would yell at you, insult you, throw his pencil and pad on the table and bully you into writing down your own order. Insulting him in return was expected, even encouraged.

The food was greasy and really nothing special, but Edsel's entertainment value made it an experience you would never forget.

In my little bit of research, I sadly discovered that Edsel has gone to the Chinese restaurant in the sky some years ago. Sam Wo's is still there.

Some interesting essays on Sam Wo's and Edsel.

AT&T park, home of my San Francisco Giants has a restaurant named for Edsel Ford Fong (scroll down to Food and Beverages).

AAA's Via magazine features Sam Wo's in their San Francisco food tour. Strangely enough as a breakfast stop.

Views by the Bay Blog has some pictures accompanying a post on Sam Wo's.

A nice description of what it was like to be served by Edsel can be found at Fudcourt.

Friday Roadster Blogging

2007-05-04T07:03:00.000-07:00

After this I'll shut up about my car, at least for the time being.

I'm almost through Mazda's brief break-in period, and have a trip up the coast to Pescadero under my belt (or hood, as the case may be) for a tasty lunch of Duarte's famous half/half artichoke and green chile soup with their hot and crusty sourdough bread followed by ollieberry pie. Mmmmm, pie. Oh yeah, this was about my car.

A roadtrip is already planned to head south down highway 1 to Cambria for a weekend gathering of fine friends and dining in July.

Here are a couple of pictures that I took last weekend.

Crouching Convertible, Hidden Roof

2007-04-25T08:19:00.000-07:00

A few 12 second videos featuring my new car. I'll post some real photos of it one of these days.

Thought... who wouldn't buy a GPS unit that had William Daniel's voice? "Hello Michael, turn left in 100 yards."

Life's Little Conundrums

2007-04-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

I have actually asked this very question, and the Onion tackles the issue on my behalf.

How does Radio Shack stay in business? I occasionally stop at the one in my neighborhood, mostly because it is close to my house and sometimes you need an extension cord or a coax cable really fast. There is never anyone there. The salespeople manage to either ignore you, be rude to you or are just plain ignorant. And there are never less than two of them, regardless of the fact that there are rarely customers around.

Money laundering? Vanity business? CIA front? Just askin'.

Oxymoron?

2007-04-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

Building on the San Jose State Campus.

Gee, our old LaSalle ran great

2007-04-20T07:12:00.000-07:00

In my household quiz shows were a contact sport with everyone yelling at the screen, especially for Jeopardy, but Password and College Bowl were also favorites. What's my Line and To Tell the Truth and the erszatz quiz show, You Bet Your Life were often on the tube, a 25" RCA in a massive wooden cabinet. Some of these I saw in reruns (like You Bet Your life, which was canceled before my birth) and others I watched in prime time with my parents and sisters. So when I heard that Kitty Carlisle Hart had passed away, it brought back quite a few childhood memories.

I was glad to see I am not alone in remembering those golden days. Terry Teachout eulogizes Kitty Carlisle Hart, the widow of the Moss Hart, she always seemed like a classy lady and part of a bygone era.

I also discovered that Terry and I both played Beverly Carlton in productions of The Man Who Came to Dinner. He in college, me in High School.

God Bless You Mr. Rosewater

2007-04-12T06:16:00.000-07:00

Saddened to read this morning that Kurt Vonnegut has passed away. The world is a poorer place without him.

Poo tee weet.

Update: I logged this early yesterday, upon my first shocked reading of Vonnegut's passing. Since then the blogs have been filled with eulogies far more eloquent than I could muster. Friend George at Fool in the Forest expresses many a shared sentiment.

Julie Andrews!

2007-04-10T06:40:00.000-07:00

Via the permalink free DVD Journal (scroll down to the April 9th disk of the week), is a glowing review of the original version of Bedazzled that has just been released on DVD. Not to be confused with one of the most useless and irrelevant remakes of all time, the 1967 version stars Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in fine form as the Devil and his unwitting Faust, featuring Raquel Welch as what else but, Lust.

As DVD Journal rightly points out, what makes this film so classic is not the extended flights of fancy as Stanley Moon (Moore) attempts to achieve his dream of marital bliss with his love interest Margaret (Eleanor Bron,) only to be repeatedly thwarted by the Devil's trickery, but instead the scenes of dialog between the comedy duo of Cook and Moore. The final scenes of Peter Cook railing against God are hilarious as well.

And by the way, Julie Andrews is the Devil's magic incantation by which he grants Moore his ill fated wishes.

567359

2007-04-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

Drumming in the Rain

2007-04-06T07:57:00.000-07:00

A typical rainy day in Portland.

From a recent excursion.

Guilty Pleasures

2007-04-02T14:28:00.000-07:00

First of all, before I begin my rant, I've got to admit to a couple of things. My wife and I are American Idol viewers. Secondly, as if you did not already know this, I am addicted to political talk tv, Olbermann, Matthews, MTP, etc. etc. Now of late, political talk TV, Joe Scarborough being the worse culprit, has turned into American Idol TV and my guilty pleasures have intersected.

The advent of Sanjaya Malakar, he of the insane hair and less than stellar singing ability, has prompted a virtual nightly segment on a number of these shows in which serious and not so serious people discuss the completely unserious topic of whether Howard Stern and the website Vote for the Worst are "corrupting" the voting process. I wish they spent that much energy on the Florida recount.

To this, I have one thing to say, any process that allows people to vote multiple times, only limited by their obsession and speed dial is already corrupt.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

Oh, Rochester

2007-03-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

I just came across a link to the online collection of the George Eastman House Musuem in Rochester, New York. A varied and eclectic list of photographers, of whom I am only familiar with a handful. Certainly an enjoyable way for any photography lover to idle away a bit of time.

The online collection can be viewed here.

The museum's website is here.

Robert Parke Harrison

Escher is my favorite MC

2007-03-26T07:15:00.000-07:00

The San Jose Museum of Art is currently exhibiting a collection of the work of MC Escher.

It is an interesting exhibit that includes much of his early work, as well as the more familiar pieces that have graced many a dorm room wall over the years.

The official MC Escher site is worth a visit. There is a fairly extensive picture gallery and a download section with a free interactive puzzle.

Movie News

2007-03-20T08:34:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon to a Theater near you

Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodrigues team up again for the double feature Grindhouse. I'm sure this will engender as much debate as Kill Bill.

Coming Soon on DVD
Via DVD Journal

Our friends at The Criterion Collection have announced a two-disc release of Lindsay Anderson's 1968 If… starring Malcolm McDowell as hell-raising schoolboy Mick Travis — expect a new transfer from restored elements; a commentary featuring McDowell and film historian David Robinson.

If... is the predecessor and companion piece to Anderson's 1973 film, O Lucky Man! If... is the better picture, but the Alan Price soundtrack from O Lucky Man! is a classic.

Recent Viewing
The Departed and Hollywoodland are the two most recent DVDs that have found their way into my player.

As a longtime Scorsese fan, I am happy that he finally won the Oscar, and The Departed is definitely worth watching. The dialog, the performances, the story are all engaging and it is one of the fastest 150 minutes I've spent in a while. But it is not the film that Raging Bull or Goodfellas were. It feels a bit like a pity Oscar when you look at it in the context of Scorsese's earlier works, but it is a mile above the Aviator and is still worth watching.

Hollywoodland is the story of the death of George Reeves, TV's Superman in the fifties. Ben Affleck inhabits the vapid personality of Reeves and turns in one of his best performances. The film, unlike the over-the-top Black Dahlia, that came out around the same time last year, does not propose to offer a solution to the mystery of Reeves' death. A bit slow at times, but for lovers of tales of old Hollywood and fans of the old Superman series, well worth your time.

Schmaltz will clog your arteries

2007-03-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

Leaky truck on Louisiana highway leaves trail of chicken fat.

Quick, bring me some chicken livers and a Ritz cracker.

Via SFGate.com read about it here.

The google led me to this site, a list of road songs on the US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration web site.

Good fun.

All things Bob

2007-03-08T06:58:00.000-08:00

Nice to see that, in a qualified sense, the current Pope has acknowledged that Bob Dylan is a prophet.

And here is Weird Al's version of Subterranean Homesick Blues done completely in palindromes.

In the words of friend George, who sent this my way, this is totally inexplicable. Dylan hears a Who!

Baby's got a Major-General

2007-03-06T06:03:00.000-08:00

Gilbert, Sullivan & Sir Mix-a-lot

via Salon.com To irresistable not to share.

...into this

2007-03-02T07:57:00.000-08:00

Charles Bukowski (dinosauria, we)

I was just in that kind of mood. Enjoy.

Conservowiki

2007-02-23T10:33:00.000-08:00

A must read over at Shakespeare's Sister about the conservative answer to Wikipedia, Conservapedia. Started by Phyllis Schaffly's son, it definitely takes the Colbertian view that facts have a liberal bias, so it seeks to avoid them as much as possible.

Here are a few examples from Conservapedia as described by Jon Swift at Shakespeare's Sister

Kangaroo: "Like all modern animals, modern kangaroos originated in the Middle East and are the descendants of the two founding members of the modern kangaroo baramin that were taken aboard Noah's Ark prior to the Great Flood." (I'm sure skippy will be very interested to learn this.)

Theory of Relativity: "Nothing useful has even been built based on the theory of relativity.…'All things are relative' became popular as atheists and others used relativity to attack Christian values. There remains enormous political support for the theory of relativity that has nothing to do with physics, and Congress continues to spend billions of dollars unsuccessfully searching for particles predicted by the theory of relativity."

Gospels: "The greatest writing in the history of the world is the Gospel of John....This single book has done more to shape human thought and behavior than any other work. Our uniquely American First Amendment right of free speech is based on ministers preaching of the 'Word' of God as described in the first few verses of the Gospel of John."

George Washington: "Washington is perhaps the person other than Jesus who declined enormous worldly power, in Washington's case by voluntarily stepping aside as the ruler of a prosperous nation."

Scopes Trial: "Hollywood has little regard for the truth. Its movie version Inherit the Wind changed everyone's name, thereby preventing libel suits, and changed the facts in order to ridicule religious belief. Thanks to Bryan's victory in the Scopes trial, Tennessee voters have been educated without oppressive evolution theory for 75 years. Free from the liberal indoctrination, Tennessee voted against native son Al Gore in the 2000 Presidential election - probably the only time a candidate has lost the Presidency due to losing his home state. If Tennessee had a high level of belief in evolution comparable to that of East Germany, then you can bet Gore would have won his state and the Presidency."

The Da Vinci Code: "Dan Brown is responsible for feeding millions of readers a pack of lies cleverly wrapped up as a historically accurate novel."

Holocaust: "The Holocaust was the massacring of the Jewish race during World War II. The Germans are not to blame for this but the Nazi are. Besides 6 million Jews dying, 3 million Christians were killed also along with many priests and nuns. This is a very touchy subject for the Jews and is not often discussed amongst them."

Communism: "Communists believe that if they share everything, no one will ever have to work."

Most of the articles in Conservapedia are scrupulously sourced. For example, the entry on Isaac Newton -- "Sir Isaac Newton was one of the inventors of calculus and the propsed [sic-whoops!] the theory of gravity (It should be noted that gravity, like evolution, is just a theory and has never been proven to be true). He was a Devout Christian whose discoveries were inspired by God." -- refers you to the Bible Code Digest, which proves that Newton was a devout Christian. Virtually all of the science entries cite books by Dr. Jay L. Wile, the respected author of homeschool textbooks.

And from my geeky standpoint, the site is a mess. The link to create a log on takes you to a login page with no way to register that I can find. The search field has two button, one that says Go, the other says Search. Hmmmm. And the site is painfully slow and times out on a regular basis. All this free publicity is probably more than they can handle.

Now with more marshmallow bits

2007-02-20T12:18:00.000-08:00

Futurballa.com, the futurballa photography website, has been revamped, updated, redesigned and retooled for your pleasure. Come on in and make yourself at home.

A wee bit of free association:

It starts with an interesting review and history of the Brecht, Weill opera, The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny can be found at a fool in the forest.

What follows is what happens when you start free associating on Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill and Miss Lotte Lenya. The last one is a leap of faith, but some of you might get the connection.

The stuff that dreams are made of

2007-02-13T06:38:00.000-08:00

Joel Cairo: You always have a very smooth explanation...

Sam Spade: What do you want me to do, learn to stutter?

John's Grill, the real life haunt of Dashiell Hammett and the fictional haunt of Sam Spade on Ellis in San Francisco has sported a replica of the Maltese Falcon in a cabinet for many years. The owner, unable to attain the lead one that was used in John Huston's classic film, purchased one of the plaster, publicity models from actor Elisha Cook, Jr., who played Wilmer the gunsel.

Well, some weasel has stolen the black bird.

Read the San Francisco Chronicle's report here.

And to separate fact from fiction, take the Hammett tour.

...but you blew my mind

2007-02-09T09:57:00.000-08:00

Best Manzanera solo ever. Ferry looking extra sweaty. Eno in his feather boa days. All that is missing is the Manzanera fly glasses. Takes pretty fly for a white guy to a whole new level.

Two More From God's Country

2007-02-08T07:05:00.000-08:00

Of course whenever you are in God's country, one must pay the God's country tax, whereby the crappiest key chain in the gift shop is $8.95.

Halfdome and Sentinel Peaks

Reflection of El Capitan

On the subject of walking in the footsteps of the great photographers, Slate has yet another slide show on a photographic subject. The topic being, "can photographers be plagiarists". I come down on the side of no. One can do everything in one's power to duplicate another photograph, same equipment, same location, same day of the year, and still have the shot be unique. One can emulate, but not duplicate.

The accompanying text is very thought provoking and well worth your time.

To view the slide show, click here.

The Decisive Moment

2007-02-02T06:37:00.000-08:00

Slate Magazine's Meghan O'Rourke offers up an excellent slideshow with commentary on the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson. Before Robert Frank, Alfred Eisenstaedt and Garry Winogrand, he was the original street photographer. I was interested to read about his background as a game hunter, which probably instilled in him the patience to wait for what was termed "the decisive moment".

I wish I could have witnessed this scene that O'Rourke describes.

Truman Capote, who traveled with him to New Orleans in the 1940s, said that while photographing he resembled an "agitated dragonfly," ducking and bobbing, and Lincoln Kirstein described him, in 1947, "dancing about his subject on tip-toe, like a boxer or a fencer."

Click here to view the slideshow.

Henri Cartier-Bresson, Gare Saint-Lazare, Paris, 1932

"The simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as the precise organization of forms which gives that event its proper expression... . In photography, the smallest thing can be a great subject. The little human detail can become a leitmotif." — Henri Cartier-Bresson

Now, ya carrot-chewin' coyote!! Git a goin'!!

2007-01-31T07:38:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately I did not have a long lens at the moment that I saw what was more likely an actual rodent chewing coyote on a snow covered meadow. The real attraction of this last weekend, which I spent at a photographic field study in Yosemite Valley was the ice formations. Having had a particularly harsh cold snap, followed by warmer days and overnight freezes, the ice in the rives was quite special.

Here are a few images from those rivers and creeks.

Potpourri

2007-01-22T07:37:00.000-08:00

Something that has always bugged me. Why doesn't Alanis Morrisette understand what irony is? Well Collegehumor.com has adapted her song to make it well... IRONIC. [Via: Escapegrace]

High Resolution photos of LA landmarks. Page through for a nice interior shot of the Bradbury, which you may recognize from Bladerunner and an exterior of one of my favorite LA buildings, the Farifax and Wilshire May Co., where my father worked back in the sixties. Great photos, many of them downloadable.

I'll be heading to Yosemite for a photography workshop later this week. So light (if any) posting until then and photo blogging upon my return.

So you want to make a list?

2007-01-17T07:09:00.000-08:00

Terry Teachout posts his list of the 15 best sound films previous to the American new wave of the 1970s. Not being one to be shy with my opinion, I join the fray with a list of my own. Some are duplicated on Terry's, some are not.
In no particular order...

The Maltese Falcon

Citizen Kane

The Searchers

Out of the Past

Singin' in the Rain

Double Indemnity

Vertigo

The Wizard of Oz

The Philadelphia Story

Sullivan's Travels

Duck Soup

Casablanca

The Adventures of Robin Hood

It Happened One Night

Touch of Evil

Perhaps Terry can also give us his best of post-1970.

My top 5 would be

The Godfather

The Godfather part 2

Taxi Driver

Annie Hall

Chinatown

I also think it is interesting that given the criteria Terry defines of pre 70's, he nor I have much to say about the 1960s, in which there were some good movies, but not quite good enough to make my list. And equally, I could have doubled or tripled my list of post-1970 films without ever leaving that decade.

So not to let a good meme go bad, I toss this to pal George. What are your 15 faves befor 1970 and 5 faves after 1970?

mmmm... Brussels Sprouts

2007-01-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

Some odd tidbits about literary giants.

James Joyce wore 5 wristwatches. Baudelaire had a pet bat. Hans Christian Anderson had a fear of being buried alive and my favorite...

Although Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie did not like the taste of brussels sprouts (as would befit a boy who never grew up), he often ordered them at restaurants. Why? "I cannot resist ordering them. The words are so lovely to say."

[Via: Neatorama]

I'm a Lazy B@stard

2007-01-08T06:53:00.000-08:00

Yet another YouTube posting.

It was January 14th, 1978. A rainy night in San Francisco, which later precipitated the hoisting of umbrellas on to the foot of the stage. To wit Johnny Rotten shouted, "more presents". Traveling with compatriots George and Ian across the bay from Berkeley, this became one of the most memorable nights of my life. Nice to see some of it has been immortalized on youtube, as well as some moments in Julien Temple's The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle.

Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?

Belle d'hier

2007-01-03T09:28:00.000-08:00

Germaine Greer has a very interesting piece at the Guardian comparing the Howard Hawksian woman of the 1940's, as personified by Lauren Bacall, with the passive French sex kitten, as seen in the personage of Catherine Deneuve. I'm not sure I see the point of the article. To me it is comparing apples to oranges. A different time, a different continent and very different sensibilities. It is not merely the women who are contrasted here, but the directors and the cultures and eras in which they lived.

But for me the interesting part of the article is the section in which she describes Deneuve's two films with Luis Bunuel, Belle de Jour and Tristana. The point she makes, that Deneuve was a perfect empty vessel for Bunuel's fantasies is accurate and insightful.

Belle de Jour (1967) has a reputation for being one of the sexiest films ever made, simply because Deneuve behaves throughout like a pre-adolescent girl. Through the prism of the 21st century, the film seems oddly contrived; what is now a cliche - the child who, subjected to the sexual advances of an adult, then becomes a frigid woman who is only turned on by squalor - is coyly exploited as a series of fetishistic images that juxtapose her fantasy life with her actual life. As Severine Serizy, Deneuve moves through the imagery of what are meant to be her own fantasies like a sleepwalker. By her own account, director Lous Bunuel could not relate to her at all and never told her what he wanted. Unconsciously, she gave him what he wanted, which was as little as possible. The fantasies were his, after all.

The decision to have her dressed by Yves Saint-Laurent adds a bizarre dimension to the nonexistent plot; we seem to be living within the pages of a glossy magazine, with product placement everywhere. Everywhere Severine goes, she is conspicuous by her catwalk presence, from her shiny patent leather pumps to the helmet that holds in her mane of Barbie-doll hair. The sex scenes in the brothel consist of her stripping to the full armour of suspender-belt, knickers, stockings and padded brassiere, and allowing ugly men to kiss her. In one extraordinarily unsexy sequence, she is required to process through the rooms of a ducal chateau dressed in nothing but a cloak of black georgette and a crown of white roses. She trots ahead of the camera like a lamb to the slaughter. She should have used a body double; it is typical of her passive obedience that she didn't. Lauren Bacall would never have done that for anyone, would never have stripped and had them shoot her bare arse from the back as she trotted through take after take. The Hawksian woman would have decked any man who asked her.

Bunuel used Deneuve again in Tristana (1970), a far better film than Belle de Jour but much less successful. Again, his real subject was not Tristana but himself. What activates the film is Bunuel's deep hostility to the hypocrisy of Spanish provincial society. Deneuve acts as the surrogate for his child self, the innocent orphan who is seduced by her guardian, who tries to express her own sexuality with a younger man who uses her; mutilated and helpless, she is forced to regularise a union with the man who took her virginity. What remains in the memory is not the shocking last scene or Deneuve's performance, but Bunuel's evocation of 1930s Toledo, seen as through the lens of childhood, wonderfully shot by Jose F Aguayo. Again, Deneuve's impassivity is exactly what Bunuel needs. It is the still point in his turning world.

Read the whole thing here.

[Via Altercation]

And then there were three

2007-01-03T06:43:00.000-08:00

A few very funny videos to start the year off right.
Not 100% work friendly.

Spinal Tap - Bitch School

Kodak - Winds of Change
This was an internal Kodak Video. Maybe they do get it.

SNL - Timberlake

And you can even get the T-Shirt.

Christmas Oddity

2006-12-22T06:33:00.000-08:00

One of the strangest moments in TV history.

pa rum pum pum pum

via Crooks and Liars.

Acoustic Shred

2006-12-21T10:34:00.000-08:00

Rodgrigo y Gabriela on Letterman

And if you want to shred it up yourself, try to keep up with Mr. Fastfinger in this fun Flash guitar site.

Futurballa will be home for the holidays, so light or no posting until January 2nd. Wishing you all HAPPY HOLIDAYS (take that, Bill O'Reilly) and best wishes for the New Year.

I'm Gumby, Dammit

2006-12-19T08:06:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, at the comic book store, I came across a new Gumby comic. They were promoting it pretty heavily, offering a free miniature Gumby with purchase of the #1 issue. I don't usually venture over to the kids comics, sticking to adult titles and superhero books, but I thought I'd give it a try. I was glad I did.

Flaming Carrot creator Bob Burden and artist Rick Geary have done a kid's comic with some very trippy art and storylines. Issue 2 is due out next week.

On a side note, I once met Gumby's creator Art Clokey at a party in Hollywood. This is back in the '80s and people of my generation were gathered around him like he was a rock star.

'UTTIN' ON THE 'IIIIITZ

2006-12-13T09:22:00.000-08:00

Sad news. Peter Boyle has died at age 71.

Have yourself a very scary Christmas

2006-12-08T05:59:00.000-08:00

As the holiday season approaches, this old chestnut comes out of the dungeon. It's become a bit of a Futurballa tradition to post this take on the scariest Christmas song ever, and this year via youtube, with visuals.

And here is a whole page of lyrics to Cthullu Carols.

The Fool Sells Out

2006-12-01T07:36:00.000-08:00

Pal George of the Fool in the Forest Blog has expanded into eCommerce by opening an aStore at Amazon.com. His shoppe, These Foolish Things is a small but ecclectic collection of literature and music. Knowing his more middlebrow self, hopefully he will expand into some more popular fair in time.

We're talking Mel Brooks, George!

Check it out for some interesting holiday shopping.

Update: A link to These Foolish Things has been added to the sidebar, so you can do holiday shopping long after the holidays have ended.

How I Did It

2006-11-27T10:07:00.000-08:00

The wife and I watched Young Frankenstein over the holiday weekend. Almost as much a tradition as Alice's Restaurant. I was inspired to toss this together.

Essentials

2006-11-27T06:15:00.000-08:00

This must be the ultimate Christmas gift for the film lover in your life. Cheaper than a post graduate degree in film studies (somewhat).

50 Years, 50 Films

Today in Technology

2006-11-22T09:04:00.000-08:00

Couple of interesting items that I've come across lately.

Epson is coming out with the 3800 Pro printer, which based on the specs, seems to offer the best aspects of their previous models along with some new features. I've been using the 2200 for the last couple of years and have had the opportunity to use the 2400 which offers achromatic black and white printing (by using 3 shades of black, you can create Black and White prints without any color cast). The big downside of both of these printers for me was the need to switch photo black and matte black cartridges depending on the paper type used and the small cartridges it used that required frequent changing. The 3800 offers achromatic printing along with two slots for pure black.

I've just replaced my trusty Canon s400 point and shoot. After lots of research I ended up with a Fuji e900. The perfect point and shoot does not exist, as far as I'm concerned. I want RAW files, high res, low noise, manual controls, well laid out menus and good ergonomics. I have all of these things in my Canon SLRs (20D and 5D), but Canon has actually downgraded some of their more advanced P&S cameras in the last couple of years discontinuing the S70 and removing raw from the upgrade to the G6, the G7. Panasonic is doing some great things in terms of controls, ergonomics, great glass, but the word on the street is that their sensors are particularly noisy.

So in the end I chose for the Fuji. Camera is available for under $300, has raw and a 9 megapixel sensor that gets great reviews. Downsides are; no buffer when shooting raw so write times are slow, raw hidden in a menu, not my favorite menu layout and some unusual control methods for manual modes. However, for the image quality and feature set at this price point, if you are looking for a point and shoot, this one is definitely worth consideration.

After I've had a chance to take some images, I'll report back.

Have a happy Thanksgiving.

I got a fever...

2006-11-17T10:44:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy week, but to end it on a bright note, here is one of my all time favorite SNL sketches from youtube.