Monthly Archives: April 2005
Book Review: The Time Traveler’s Wife
Summary: Recommended, but doesn’t quite live up to the hype. An entertaining page-turner that’s more of a guilty pleasure than great literature.
Spoilers follow.
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger is basically a romance, and follows many romance novel conventions. Think Somewhere in Time with a punk rock soundtrack.
Friday radio.blog update: Robot songs
I don’t know many people who can resist a song about a robot. I made a mix of all robot songs and my kids and husband love it. At my new job, I put it up on the network as a shared playlist via iTunes and the company owner complimented me on it. It’s a big hit. Here’s a sampling.
Geekiness Run Amok
I can’t help it; I am looking forward to Episode III. What is wrong with me?
Well, I’ll tell you — I just read Kevin Smith’s review.
Spoilers ensue.
Heirs of Cervantes
This year is the 400th anniversary of the publication of Cervantes’ Don Quixote. At least it’s the anniversary of Part I (Part II was published ten years later after a fake Quixote sequel had been published in 1614).
The Spanish speaking world is awash in Quixote mania. The Venezuelan government has printed one million copies of the classic for free distribution and President Hugo Chavez has urged his fellow citizens to "feed ourselves once again with that spirit of a fighter who went out to undo injustices and fix the world". (link)
Madrid, among other celebrations, has hosted a 48 hour readathon, including various luminaries doing their part on the radio. (link)
Friday Radio.Blog Update: Trip Hop
…and electronica. I’m not an expert on the genre, but here’s some stuff I like.
Hate The Message, Love The Messenger
Last semester, before the election, a few people in my graduate class
decided to print a political "newspaper" and distribute it among
whomever we wanted.
Developing Taste
When I was young, I would only eat cheeseburgers when dining out; I would never touch broccoli; I hated chocolate milkshakes, opting always for strawberry. I was invariably difficult with my food choices, and my parents wondered if I would ever eat anything besides the stuff I liked.
Part of the reason for my limited taste was fear; I thought that I would get food poisoning from unknown dishes, or that the strange tastes in new foods were somehow indicators of something wrong with them. Spiciness was like bright yellow colors in nature: warnings of poison and danger. As time went on, though, my fear began to subside and I began to try new food. Sometimes I would like the new food, sometimes not; later, foods I initially disliked (Indian) became some of my favorites.
Now, the point of the post: how do you develop taste in the arts?
When less is more. Or not–
I’ve been thinking about a style of music called "lo fi" lately. I really don’t know much about it, other than I like it. It’s basically music that is recorded really simply, sparingly. Like in someone’s basement, on a 4-track.
Things I’m Embarrassed To Have Memorized
The other day I was doing the random thing on my iTunes and one of my wife’s songs (I promise) came on.
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