July 31, 2004
Another Humorous Link (For Brad)
My 'Favorites' folder on IE is pretty huge. I'd guess somewhere over a 150 links of varying purpose.
Lots of nested folders, lots of nonsense.
I'm going to slowly leak out some of the good things I've found over the (years!) since I've been surfing the electronic wave.
So in that spirit, this one is pretty fun.
If you haven't seen the American Express Seinfeld and Superman mini-movies, then go watch them!
Posted by Nick at 04:02 PM | Comments (0)
The Difficulty
An article in Slate yesterday entitled Top of the Charts, is about a fake record label website. I was unimpressed by the site, but the intro of the article asks "Why hasn't anyone figured out how to use the Web to tell a story?"
Well, this is a ludacris question because people already have.
The article opines that: "Hypertext, with its built-in cross-references and interactivity, was supposed to change how we read and write fiction."
What do they want? Choose your own adventure?
Putting up my own work as shown me how hard it is to make only text particularly appealing to a short-attention-span, graphic-oriented, snippet-indulgent World Wide Web. I mean heck, I'm the same way (part of the clichéd MTV-generation). There's so much out there, it's sometimes hard to invest fifteen minutes in one single thing (especially if it has no eye-candy; letsay The New York Review of Books vs. Fleshbot).
Though I read Slate fairly often. I was steered to this article through this entry on Maud Newton's Blog.
There is plenty of fiction on the internet. But most of the really fun stuff is confessional and autobiographical (like this story about a boy and his tape worm. very funny and gross).
Maybe fiction is really meant to be portable and unlinked. A solitary activity away from the distractions of graphics and intextuality.
And hey, I if I could ge published in The New Yorker, I would.
Posted by Nick at 01:31 PM | Comments (0)
July 30, 2004
Artsy Kinda-Porn
Want a fun site to get you started (figuratively)? Ticklefight.com
This is from my deep resources of good web shit.
Posted by Nick at 12:21 PM | Comments (0)
Two Movies; Opposites
We checked out a few movies from the library this week, two of which were particularly polar. Dancer in the Dark and Atanarjuat The Fast Runner.
I'd seen Dancer already, and of course Bjork's performance is riveting. But it's a very harsh movie to watch. Complete tragedy. No good deed goes unpunished and there seems to be no sense or justice or redemption.
The Fast Runner is quite different. It's more of a Joseph Campbell type myth. Tragedy can be overcome through noble behavior. Much more enjoyable to watch.
But is Dancer more "real" and The Fast Runner more artificial?
Would Lars Von Trier (noted Dogme 95 style director of Dancer) complain that myths are basically fantasy and real life is truly just harsh and brutal?
Probably. But do I really need to see that again? A single movie can easily make me remember how harsh life can be. What do I gain after that? But a movie that can show me a way out? That seems a little more worthy.
Posted by Nick at 10:16 AM | Comments (0)
July 29, 2004
Funniest Personal Blog I've Found
I've perused a few blogs in my day. But this guy is truly inspired. Laugh out loud funny, all the way back (I mean, dig into the archives, it's all good).
It's the simple story of one semi-nerd, semi-hipster, semi-florida-hick's struggle against the tide of a crazy world. (Lots of anecdotes about how to mess up one's body and mind). Great stuff.
It's called Bad News Hughes.
Posted by Nick at 01:33 PM | Comments (0)
July 28, 2004
The Hell (heaven) of Energy Drinks
Ryan has been slowly getting me into these fuckers.
The one at left I just drank before our second surf sesh of the day.
(I did terrible; total wind chop. But still big.)
They're mostly about caffeine, to varying degrees.
But they have a bunch of other random shit, which might or might not cause gallbadder cancer.
They get one pretty giddy.
Especially on an empty stomach.
There is a note on the can saying: Consume responsibly - limit 4 cans per day. Not recommended for children, pregnant women or people sensitive to caffeine.
Nice.
Posted by Nick at 08:46 PM | Comments (0)
Lit Hipsterism
Doesn't this girl look like the Fiona Apple of novelists? This is Gwendoline Riley; hotty. She wrote a supposedly hip book. I read the first page on Amazon. Not bad, pretty good. Possibly indulgent. But who am I to talk?
Anyway, I found out about this UK hipster hotster from this tragically hip article in The Times (Don't we all read the Times?).
Is this a good trend?
Are hipsters cool? (or just fashion-sensitive poseurs?)
This and other questions...
Posted by Nick at 06:38 PM | Comments (0)
Hi-larious "This Land is your Land" Spoof
Great Bush/Kerry/Guthrie parody. (via boingboing)
Posted by Nick at 05:22 PM | Comments (0)
First Post - Big Wednesday Surf
Rained half the night. Woke up to Ryan asking me if I want my green tea hot or cold because, "DUDE, it's head high and glassy!"
Okay so it wasn't glassy, but it was large! Head-high to OVERHEAD waves. Which hasn't happened since I've been here.
First legit overhead day for little ol' Nicky.
Had to paddle way out... out into the lonely, choppy sea, and have these crazy-fucking walled-up faces come at me; bigger than me. No one out when we start and Ry and I get seperated and oh, did I mention a little girl got bit by a shark yesterday on our beach??
So I got a couple good rides, and my first over-head drop (fast and scarier than shit). Lots of nice white-water tumbles and constant sharky-feeling. Pretty good day overall. (Even better for Ryan, who was up all night getting land-barrels).
Posted by Nick at 02:44 PM | Comments (0)