The Snoozeletter @ s.9TimeZones.com

Style.

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sat, 01 May 2010 23:00:00 +0000

Associated Press Stylebook 2009, 43rd ed. (website, 44ed=June);

Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. (website, 16ed=September);

Microsoft® Manual of Style for Technical Publications, 3rd ed. (book, website, errata, PDF);

Mayfield Handbook of Technical and Scientific Writing (HTML, TOC, Writing Timeline, Index, Help, Credits).

Historic footage of the Spirit of St. Louis.

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 02:00:00 +0000

The Orteig Prize was a $25,000 reward offered on May 19, 1919 by a New York hotel owner to the first Allied aviator(s) to fly non-stop from New York City to Paris or vice-versa. On May 20-21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh (a 25-year old U.S. Air Mail pilot at the time), earned almost instantaneous world fame by flying from Roosevelt Field on Long Island to Le Bourget Field in Paris in the single-seat monoplane "Spirit of St. Louis."

Win Perkins, a real estate appraiser specializing in airport properties, has created a 4-part video of Lindbergh's preparation and flight. The video also contains footage of the other two aviators who were simultaneously preparing attempts to win the Orteig Prize at the same airport.

Perkins says he assembled footage from the five newsreel cameras that filmed Lindbergh's activities at Roosevelt Field, and mixed it with enhanced audio from the same sources. When you click on the links below, you will see a photo of the cockpit gauges in the Spirit of St. Louis. Then click the triangle icon to play the video and click the square in the lower right corner to enlarge the screen (press your "Esc" key to exit full-screen mode).

Menu; Episodes: 1 (6:53), 2 (7:06), 3 (2:13), 4 (9:31).

What fresh hell is this?

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 13:00:00 +0000

American humorist/writer/critic Dorothy Parker (1893-1967, founding member of the Algonquin Round Table) once exclaimed "What fresh hell is this?" when her train of thought was interrupted by a telephone. She then started using the phrase in place of "hello" when answering the phone or a knock at her door.

"Résumé," by Dorothy Parker:

Razors pain you; Rivers are damp;
Acids stain you; And drugs cause cramp.
Guns aren't lawful; Nooses give;
Gas smells awful; You might as well live.

New Arizona law, making it illegal to be in this country illegally, is probably illegal.

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 23:25:00 +0000

MSNBC: Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law the nation's toughest legislation against illegal immigration Friday, a sweeping measure which President Barack Obama said could violate people's civil rights. [...]

You often think, "Arizona lawmakers are joking, right?" But then you come to the sinking realization that these morons are deadly serious.

Movies by the month.

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 12:20:00 +0000

Draw, pardner.

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 16:30:00 +0000

Arizona to allow concealed weapons without permit (Arizona Republic):

[...] Arizona joins Vermont and Alaska in not requiring such permits. [...] [Former Democratic Governor Janet] Napolitano vetoed at least a dozen weapons bills that crossed her desk during her seven years in office, all of which would have loosened gun restrictions. In 2005, Napolitano rejected a bill that would have allowed patrons to carry loaded guns into bars and restaurants. In 2008, she also vetoed a bill that would have allowed people to have a hidden gun in vehicles without a concealed-carry permit. In January 2009, Napolitano resigned to become U.S. Homeland Security secretary and Republican Secretary of State Brewer became governor. During her first year in office, Brewer signed a bill allowing loaded guns in bars and restaurants, as well as another that prohibits property owners from banning guns from parking areas, so long as the weapons are kept locked in vehicles.

Related: Wyatt? Doc??

Everybody's got something to say about the Census...

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 04:40:00 +0000

including Hungarians, gays, and even SNL (10April2010).

Library of Congress Will Save Tweets.

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 04:25:00 +0000

According to The New York Times, the Library of Congress will archive Twitter postings for posterity.

Two-step, Quickstep and a Bossa Nova.

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 11:25:00 +0000

Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)
Writers: Leo Sayer & David Courtney
Performer: Leo Sayer

Re: Dance Week; full song (after 1st click, it's only a :30 sample); video

I was travellin' down the road feelin' hungry and cold
I saw a sign sayin': "Food and drinks for everyone"
So naturally I thought I would take me a look inside
I saw so much food there was water comin' from my eyes

Yeah, there was ham and there was turkey, there was caviar
And long tall glasses with wine up to he'yare
And then somebody grabbed me, threw me out of my chair
Said: "Before you can eat, you gotta dance like Fred Astaire"

You know I can't dance
You know I can't dance
You know I can't dance
You know I can't dance
I can't dance

I am a man of the road, a hobo by name
I don't seek entertainment, just poultry and game
But if it's all the same to you, then yes, I will try my hand
If you were as hungry as me then I'm sure you will understand

Hm, now wait a minute
Of course I can dance
Of course I can dance
I'm sure I can dance
I'm sure I can dance
I can dance

I can dance
I really hit the floor
Ah, feels good
Look at me dancin'

I did a Two-step, Quickstep and a Bossa Nova
A little Victor Sylvester and a Rudy Valentino
You should have seen me movin' right across the floor
Hand me down my tuxedo, next week I'm comin' back for more

I can dance
Oh yes, I can dance
Look at me dance on the floor, movin'
I feel good
I can dance (repeat)

The Unkindest Cuts.

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 17:15:00 +0000

Shave=daily.
Mustache=semiweekly.
Nostrils=weekly.
Ears=biweekly.
Pubes=fortnightly.
Manicure=triweekly.
Pedicure=semiquarterly.
Eyelashes=periodically.
Eyebrows=bimonthly.
Haircut=bimestrial.
Warts=semiannually.
Moles=biennially.
Foreskin=once.

Today is Census Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0000

During the last census, the mail participation rate was 72%.

For every 1% increase in mail participation, US taxpayers save approximately $85 million.

See the current participation rate for Census 2010.

Today is Document Freedom Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:25:00 +0000

"Open Standards lie at the heart of the Internet and much of what has emerged to function on this global and growing platform. The essence of open standards is interoperability. Adoption of open standards leads to the interworking of competitive products. By any metric, open standards lower barriers to entry into existing markets and increase consumer choice." --Vint Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist, Google

Ref: DocumentFreedom.org, OpenOffice.org

Baseball note.

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 03:05:00 +0000

The Cactus League here in Phoenix is playing the last few games of spring training before their MLB opening day (April 4).

Take me out to the ball game...

"A Wedding Story."

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 03:15:00 +0000

Mad tv - featuring Stephnie Weir & inflatable wind dancer - episode S08E04 - original airdate 2002Nov2. Still sidesplittingly funny, after all these years:

John Barleycorn Must Die.

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

John Barleycorn
Traditional English folksong, arranged by Steve Winwood
Performed by Traffic
Full song (after 1st click, it's only a :30 sample), wiki 1, wiki 2

There were three men came out of the West,
Their fortunes for to try.
And these three men made a solemn vow:
John Barleycorn must die.

They've plowed, they've sown, they've harrowed him in,
Threw clods upon his head.
And these three men made a solemn vow:
John Barleycorn was dead.

They've let him lie for a very long time,
'Til the rains from heav'n did fall.
And little Sir John sprung up his head,
And so amazed them all.

They've let him stand 'til Midsummer's Day,
'Til he looked both pale and wan.
And little Sir John's grown a long, long beard,
And so become a man.

They've hired men with the scythes so sharp,
To cut him off at the knee.
They've rolled him and tied him by the waist,
Serving him most barb'rously.

They've hired men with the sharp pitchforks,
Who pricked him to the heart.
And the Loader, he has served him worse than that,
For he's bound him to the cart.

They've wheeled him around and around the field,
'Til they came unto a barn,
And there they've made a solemn oath
On poor John Barleycorn.

They've hired men with the crabtree sticks
To cut him skin from bone,
And the Miller, he has served him worse than that,
For he's ground him between two stones.

And little Sir John and the nut-brown bowl,
And he's brandy in the glass.
And little Sir John and the nut-brown bowl,
Proved the strongest man at last.

The Huntsman, he can't hunt the fox,
Nor so loudly to blow his horn,
And the Tinker, he can't mend kettle nor pot,
Without a little Barleycorn.

You are the reason I've been waiting all these years.

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:45:00 +0000

Can't Find My Way Home
Written by: Steve Winwood
Performed by: Blind Faith
Full song (after 1st click, it's only a :30 sample), cover controversy

Come down off your throne and leave your body alone
Somebody must change
You are the reason I've been waiting so long
Somebody holds the key

Well, I'm near the end, and just ain't got the time
And I'm wasted and I can't find my way home

Come down on your own and leave your body alone
Somebody must change
You are the reason I've been waiting all these years
Somebody holds the key

The percent that you're paying is too high-priced...

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:10:00 +0000

The low spark of high heeled boys
Written by: Jim Capaldi and Steve Winwood
Performed by: Traffic

Full song (after 1st click, it's only a :30 sample), video 1, video 2, wiki 1, wiki 2

If you see something that looks like a star
And it's shooting up out of the ground
And your head is spinning from a loud guitar
And you just can't escape from the sound
Don't worry too much, it'll happen to you
We were children once, playing with toys
And the thing that you're hearing is only the sound
Of the low spark of high heeled boys

[REFRAIN] The percent that you're paying is too high-priced
While you're living beyond all your means
And the man in the suit has just bought a new car
From the profit he's made on your dreams
But today you just read that the man was shot dead
By a gun that didn't make any noise
But it wasn't the bullet that laid him to rest
'Twas the low spark of high heeled boys

If you had just a minute to breathe
And they granted you one final wish
Would you ask for something like another chance?
Or something similar as this?
Don't worry too much, it'll happen to you
As sure as your sorrows are joys
And the thing that disturbs you is only the sound
Of the low spark of high heeled boys

[REFRAIN]

If I gave you everything that I owned
And asked for nothing in return
Would you do the same for me as I would for you?
Or take me for a ride
And strip me of everything, including my pride?
But spirit is something that no one destroys
And the sound that I'm hearing is only the sound
Of the low spark of high heeled boys

Heel, boys

Boobs.

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:20:00 +0000

Born in Brooklyn NY, Ruth Wallis (January 5, 1920 - December 22, 2007) began her career singing jazz and cabaret standards, but gained fame in the 1940s and 1950s for her risqué, satirical songs, full of double entendre that she wrote herself. For example:

Boobs
Full song (after 1st click, it's only a :30 sample), album, streaming, musical

You've gotta have boobs
If you want to impress tycoons and rubes
You need boobs to fill out a sweater
You need two, but three might be better
(That's one in the back for dancing)
Doot doot doot doot doot doot doot doot doot doot doot doot doo

You've gotta be stacked
Hey, you gotta be grouped
Individually packed
For with boobs, you can start a romance off
Make a man stand right up and take his hat off
(I know it doesn't rhyme, ducky, but it does keep me legitimate)

To make a bull for the earth and mother
Even a cow has to show her udders
You've gotta have boobs
B-O-O-B-S

Some push 'em up
Some stick 'em out
And some keep 'em flappin' in the breeze
Some tie them down because if they don't
They would hang down to their knees
Just you tease

You've gotta have boobies
If you want men to offer diamonds and rubies
Why, even a tennis player would knock his balls out
(Over the net)
For a chick who fills each cup until it falls out

Big, small or medium, or oversized
They've all got that flavor and it's homogenized
You've gotta have boobs
B-O-O-B-S

Now, some have enough
And some have too much
And some, like me, could stand a whole lot more
Some are like watermelons
And some are like grapes
And some are like knobs upon the door
What's your score?

You've gotta be filled
Two fried eggs will never grab him like grapefruits will
(And they're both breakfast foods)
But listen girls, don't try to fool your lover
Remember, he can go to Goodyear if he wants rubber

Some men are leg men and some are behind men
But if he's a boobs man, even a blind man'll find 'em
You've gotta have boobs
B-O-O-B-S

You think it's easy to write songs like this?
Lots of research

Just think if all us girls had boobies with fluoridation
We could take the cavities out of the whole damn nation
A nibble a day keeps the dentist away
Alter Kockers like big knockers
(This goes over great in Israel)

You've gotta have boobs
Oh, be kind to your flat-chested friend
Tomorrow she may be bigger than you are
You start out with A-cup and wind up with E-cup
Silicone's a girl's best friend.

Prelinger Archives...

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

was founded in 1983 by Rick Prelinger in New York City. Over the next twenty years, it grew into a collection of over 60,000 "ephemeral" (advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur) films. In 2002, the film collection was acquired by the Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. Prelinger Archives remains in existence, holding approximately 4,000 titles on videotape and a smaller collection of film materials acquired subsequent to the Library of Congress transaction. Its goal remains to collect, preserve, and facilitate access to films of historic significance that haven't been collected elsewhere.

A Trip Down Market Street Before the Fire (1905). San Francisco's main thoroughfare, as seen from the front window of a moving Market Street cable car, before the downtown area was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire.

Duck and Cover (1951). Famous Civil Defense film for children in which Bert the Turtle shows what to do in case of atomic attack.

Vintage stag films (warning - nudity): Brunette, Blonde, Cherry Knight.

Also (nudity): Janey Reynolds.

Facebook Growth.

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:55:00 +0000

Courtesy of Facebook Timeline and Google Chart Tools:

Double Secret Probation.

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:20:00 +0000

Starting a new job today. Very hush-hush. Working for the government. Our government.

Had to get fingerprinted and pass a background check. Assess my security risk status. See how much I'd blab during the hot-lead enemas.

From highest to lowest, the three normal security clearances are: Top Secret, Secret, and Confidential.

Luckily, us flunkies can get by with an even lower clearance: Bottom Secret.

No hot-lead enemas for this camper.

See? Marijuana DOES lead to harder drugs. ;-)

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 13:50:00 +0000

(Your first click plays the whole song. Each click after that plays a 30-second sample.)

One Toke Over The Line by Brewer & Shipley

Don't Bogart Me (Don't Bogart That Joint) by The Fraternity Of Man

Coming Into Los Angeles by Arlo Guthrie

Cocaine by Eric Clapton

I'm Waiting For My Man by Lou Reed

F*ck Diamond Shamrock.

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:35:00 +0000

Most gas stations set up their pumps in logical order: Regular on the left, Mid-Grade in the middle, and Premium on the right.

Well, Diamond Shamrock (a/k/a Valero) evidently thinks it's a good idea to reverse the normal order.

You can tell where this is going.

Yup, I mistakenly filled up with Premium, rather than Regular.

Three bucks down the drain.

Scumbags.

McCain Terrorism Spot.

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000

I just heard a radio ad by Senator John McCain, in which he advocates denying due process to accused "terrorist" suspects.

I couldn't believe my ears.

So, I hereby accuse John McCain of being a terrorist. Let's see how he likes it.

Aaron Sorkin & The Facebook Movie: group is kaput.

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:55:00 +0000

When Aaron Sorkin was hired to write The Social Network in August 2008, he asked his researcher, Ian Reichbach, to create a Facebook group, so that Aaron could actually use Facebook to interact with Facebookers. Since Aaron is one of my heroes, I took full advantage of this unprecedented access to a talented, Emmy-winning writer.

During the last 18 months, he has told a lot of behind-the-scenes anecdotes about The West Wing, A Few Good Men, Sports Night, etc. In return, I told a few stories that he liked. Wow, I actually made Aaron Sorkin laugh... what a FanBoy I am.

Lately, he's been sending dispatches from The Social Network locations. But the movie is now wrapped, and Aaron recently posted his final message (courtesy of Ian, who was kind enough to email it to me):

Guys,

We wrap photography in a few hours and while it was my intention to keep this page up until the premiere in October, I think the better part of wisdom says I should take it down now. As some of you who have been here from the beginning know, this page gets covered by both the entertainment press and the Silicon Valley press and because of the recent events I'd be exposing the movie, the 200 people who've been working on it and the studio (and Ray Liotta) to an unnecessary hassle.

I've asked Ian to take the page down at 6pm Pacific time to hopefully give people a chance to exchange personal contact information.

With all the words available to me in the dictionary, I still can't find the right ones to express how grateful I am for your support, intelligence, generosity of spirit and good humor. I'll be thinking about you and wishing you the best of luck and good health in all your endeavors. For the writers who've come here, I'll be expecting great things from you.

And speaking of writers I expect great things from, I want to publicly thank Ian--both for setting up this page and for all the great and hard work on The Social Network. It'll be in the can in a few hours, brother. A job incredibly well done.

Thank you all.
Aaron

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