GETTING FRANTIC
00-4-30

I keep on forgetting to mention how much I like this. No longer.

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In philosophy school, we are taught that when an argument just won't end we are supposed to say: "We appear to be talking past each other." Here is a great example of people talking past each other (and funny, t'boot).

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I'm still hoping to be able to pull everything together tomorrow for the 5k winners' announcement, but it is looking less and less likely. C'mon judges, judge damnit.

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¡TROPICALISMO!
00-4-27

But the most concentrated nucleus, the most potent cultural capsule available to the Northeasterner is rhythm. Our musical rhythms, this dry food, sounds to me like some aspect of the Sacred. In the Northeast, rhythm is God dehydrated.

Tom Zé, 1990

Ever since a friend lent me his "best of" disc (Brazil Classics 4 compiled by David Byrne) about seven years ago, I've been trying to track it down. Luaka Bop, the Bryne-founded label which produced the disc still lists it as "sold out". Typical of the sort of thing you find listening to this music:

It's a cabinet with blenders, vacuum cleaners, floor polishers, and other appliances on each shelf. He "plays" the appliances by pressing buttons on a "keyboard" made out of doorbells which turns the blenders, etc., on and off.

One cold evening this instrument became fuel for a bonfire made by a farmer. Tom Zé claims he can build it again, given the materials, a carpenter and 48 hours.

From the liner notes.

The "best of" disc covers the most interesting of his mid-70s experiments (and is much better than what I've heard of his more recent work). This is the only place I've found to buy the disc. If you buy it, you'll be happy. (!!! Eh? Now CDNOW appears to have it too, and for a dollar cheaper. Must've been reissued, finally.)

Ela arrepiou E pulou e gritou Este teu — hein? — muleque Já me deu — hein? — degosto Odiosso — hein? — com jeito Eu tu pego — Ui! — bem feito Prá rua — Sai! — sujeito Que eu não quero mais te ver

She raised her hackles And jumped out and shouted "This 'huh' of yours, you no good Makes me — huh? — disgusted Hateful — huh? — like that. I'll get you — Hey! — well done On the street — Out! — buddy I don't want to see you again."

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Conference watch 2000: I'm excited about DIS 2000 and irritated with the UPA for moving their conference so it overlaps with DIS. (I guess I'm not going to the UPA conference this year, except for maybe a workshop if there is a good one, since those are on the days before DIS). Further on the horizon, but no less exciting: Doors of Perception 6.

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Canadians: When we get a $5 coin, let's call it a quibly (pronounced: quibb-lee). If enough of us do, then that's what it'd be called, quibly, and wouldn't that be funny? Yes, it would.

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I'M MAKING AN EFFORT
00-4-25

Sunburnt, half-drunk and playing hold 'em until 7:00am. Viva Las Vegas!

I have a lot to say, but I also have "poor time management skills". I am finishing off the 5k as quick as I can now. 52 left. I can't wait.

But I feel obliged to say that I get my hair cut by the World's Toughest Hairdresser (who, as you can see, is also a notable journalist). He comes right to my house to cut my hair. You can't beat that!

The answer to this irritation (scroll down, at the bottom of that day) is simple. Always spell out an address, as so: trash@sylloge.com, when you use a "mailto:" link. I hate waiting for the email client to fire up and then quit. Do this even when you are tempted to use "contact", "feedback", etc. as the link. PLEASE. Sure, I could look down in the status bar, but then there are so many people which ruin one of the most useful UI features on a browser to display what should really go link a TITLE attribute. So, use the address as a link in a mailto, and don't mess with window.status. And don't turn link underlining off. Okay, DO use the address as a link in a mailto, and DON'T mess with window.status and DON'T turn link underlining off. That's it.

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