My Brilliant Mistakes

Something’s got a hold on me, child, and she won’t let go

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:55:27 +0000

Thank you, Etta James, for your talent, style, and brilliance. Related posts: Hold the mayo Related posts:

Hold the mayo

Help stop terrible legislation that would break the Internet

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:08:58 +0000

As I explained over on the Big Big Design site, on Wednesday 1/18/2012 I’ll be protesting the proposed PROTECT_IP act (AKA PIPA or “Protect Intellectual Property Act”) by blacking out my websites.

You can protest too, by running the blackout on your site (there’s a WordPress plugin to make it easy) and by participating in the Facebook protest.

Why all the fuss? This video explains it nicely:

Please join me in letting Congress and the world know that PROTECT_IP is not how we want the Internet to be run.

No related posts.

Inspirations for Raiders of The Lost Ark

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:03:20 +0000

Fantastic, meticulously researched and edited video comparing the opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark to shots from movies released earlier:

(via Everything Is a Remix)

No related posts.

“I hope that in this yearto come, you make mistakes.”

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:17:06 +0000

“I hope that in this yearto come, you make mistakes.” — Neil Gaiman’s New Year wish for 2012

No related posts.

Big Big Design’s Christmas tree

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 16:14:29 +0000

Big Big Design’s Christmas tree, originally uploaded by cynthiacloskey. Related posts: Kooky Christmas #15 (take two): “Christmas Island” by The Dinning Sisters & Bob Atcher Holiday Music Countdown: Number 20, with diamond rings underneath the tree 2008 Holiday Music Countdown: … Continue reading → Related posts:

Aspie Talk: Phobias

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:31:04 +0000

My friend Sue’s son, Adam, has Asperger’s Syndrome, and he’s started a video series on YouTube to share his experiences. It’s brilliant — I love his editing style. Here’s a great example: a video about phobias, particularly his fear of … Continue reading → Related posts:

Louis C.K. explains how humans survived the Ice Age

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 16:59:07 +0000

An outtake from Louis C.K.’s new standup special, Louis C.K. Live at the Beacon Theater:

The special is available exclusively from the Louis CK website for a measly $5. You can stream it from the site, or download the file and burn to DVD to watch as many times as you want. It’s a great deal for a very funny show — from the same tour that I saw in Pittsburgh some months back. Go, buy, and enjoy.

Not my best disguise

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 15:06:09 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6YfohvSmC4 Coming December 16, the new Sherlock Holmes movie. Woo! Related posts: “What is it like in your funny little brains. It must be so boring.” Hell on wheels Related posts:

“Give the people what they want” as a legal strategy

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:14:53 +0000

Journalists in Britain have traditionally justified shady practices by arguing that they are in “the public interest.” Asked by an inquiry lawyer how he would define that, Mr. McMullan said that the public interest is what the public is interested in.

“British Inquiry Is Told Hacking Is Worthy Tool,” New York Times, 30 Nov 2011 (emphasis mine)

A simple and sad reason why women make less money than men

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:48:27 +0000

Often, a woman will enter the salary negotiation phase and I’ll tell them a number will be sent to them in a couple days. Usually we start around $45k for an entry level position. 50% to 60% of the women I interview simply take this offer. It’s insane, I already know I can get authorization for more if you simply refuse. Inversely, almost 90% of the men I interview immediately ask for more upon getting the offer.

The next major mistake happens with how they ask for more. In general, the women I have negotiated with will say 45k is not enough and they need more, but not give a number. I will then usually give a nominal bump to 48k or 50k. Company policy wont let me bump more than 5k over the initial offer unless they specifically request more. On the other hand, men more frequently will come back with a number along the lines of 65k to 75k, and I will be forced to negotiate down from there. After this phase, almost all women will take the offer or move on to somewhere else, not knowing they could have gotten more if they asked.

At the end, most of the women I hire make between 45k and 50k, whereas the men make between 60k and 70k. Even more crazy, they ask for raises far less often, so the disparity only grows.

From “I work for a large multinational tech company, I regularly hire woman for 65% to 75% of what males make. I am sick of it, here is why it happens, and how you can avoid it.” on Reddit

Ringo jumps. (via Unexplained Cinema)

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:28:00 +0000

Ringo jumps. (via Unexplained Cinema)

Samantha Stevens and Endora, from one of my favoritest TV shows...

Tue, 31 May 2011 19:14:08 +0000

Samantha Stevens and Endora, from one of my favoritest TV shows evah. (Via Unexplained Cinema)

Peter Sellers and friend in fashion ad, 1963 (via Unexplained...

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 19:42:29 +0000

Peter Sellers and friend in fashion ad, 1963 (via Unexplained Cinema)

Ocelot kitten OMG cute. (via Woodland Park Zoo Blog)

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:43:29 +0000

Ocelot kitten OMG cute. (via Woodland Park Zoo Blog)

RIP Liz Taylor. (via If Charlie Parker …: Elizabeth...

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 14:24:09 +0000

RIP Liz Taylor. (via If Charlie Parker …: Elizabeth Taylor dies at 79)

The Twelve Terrors of Christmas (via nevver) This makes my...

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 04:05:33 +0000

The Twelve Terrors of Christmas

(via nevver)

This makes my holiday. Also, how have I not seen this before?

Amazing megamix. The year in (mostly American) movies:...

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 01:28:14 +0000

Amazing megamix. The year in (mostly American) movies: Filmography 2010

"And yet it’s mostly wonderful here, Jonathan. The majority, the great majority of people are..."

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 01:54:25 +0000

“And yet it’s mostly wonderful here, Jonathan. The majority, the great majority of people are friendly, forgiving and kind. It is a miracle that so much can be read into little messages of 140 characters that offer no personal clues by way of handwriting, styling or formatting. After a while you will be astonished by how perceptively your moods and meanings are interpreted and with what bewildering accuracy. You will be astonished too by the wit. The speediness, elegance and brilliance of some twitterers regularly takes my breath away.”

- Stephen Fry explains what he likes about Twitter, on the occasion of the arrival of his 2 millionth follower.

Photo

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 04:46:38 +0000

Harry Truman plays piano with Jack Benny. When Legends Gather...

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:28:51 +0000

Harry Truman plays piano with Jack Benny. When Legends Gather #611 (If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger,There’d Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats)

"This ongoing spectacle of the entertainment industry censuring certain artists over their private..."

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 17:54:49 +0000

“This ongoing spectacle of the entertainment industry censuring certain artists over their private misdeeds while ignoring or rehabilitating equally troublesome characters is pathetic. Violence, substance abuse, self-destruction and general prickishness is a blight on humanity, but it’s a blight that should be dealt with by police and judges, not the media or the public. Either the criminal justice system is working properly or it isn’t. And whether it is or isn’t, the offenses or alleged offenses have nothing to do with an artist’s work, or right to work, much less our ability to engage with and appreciate said work.”

- “The Hangover 2’s” Mel Gibson hypocrisy - Film Salon - Salon.com

Saturday Night Live Debuted 35 Years Ago Today via Splitsider

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 00:37:59 +0000

Saturday Night Live Debuted 35 Years Ago Today via Splitsider

"Recent research illustrates how writing by hand engages the brain in learning. During one study at..."

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 10:36:14 +0000

“Recent research illustrates how writing by hand engages the brain in learning. During one study at Indiana University published this year, researchers invited children to man a “spaceship,” actually an MRI machine using a specialized scan called “functional” MRI that spots neural activity in the brain. The kids were shown letters before and after receiving different letter-learning instruction. In children who had practiced printing by hand, the neural activity was far more enhanced and “adult-like” than in those who had simply looked at letters. “It seems there is something really important about manually manipulating and drawing out two-dimensional things we see all the time,” says Karin Harman James, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Indiana University who led the study.”

- How Handwriting Boosts the Brain - WSJ.com

RIP Bernard Schwartz, you handsome devil. Photo via If Charlie...

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 13:48:34 +0000

RIP Bernard Schwartz, you handsome devil. Photo via If Charlie Parker….

"It might be useful to think of yourself as a brand sometimes; but it is crucial, always, to remember..."

Sat, 25 Sep 2010 17:41:23 +0000

“It might be useful to think of yourself as a brand sometimes; but it is crucial, always, to remember that you aren’t.”

- “If You Follow Me, I Will Follow You Back”

"RM: Is there any piece of advice you wish someone had told you before you started writing..."

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 00:57:46 +0000

“

RM: Is there any piece of advice you wish someone had told you before you started writing professionally, or doing comedy professionally?

JM: Simon Rich and I put a goat in a sketch once that had to be moved across the entire floor of Studio 8H in order to get to the third beat of a sketch. And you hear all your life that goats are stubborn, but you think, “Nah, it’s going to be okay.” But then you deal with one and they are. They hold their legs down and won’t be walked. So in this case two stagehands had to pick up the goat and run him across the stage to get him to the other place.

RM: So you wish someone had told you to never put a goat in your sketch?

JM: No, I’m glad we had the goat in the sketch. I wish someone had told me that “Yes, the rules of goats apply to you too. You’re not immune to goat stubbornness.”

”

- The Writer’s Room: A Conversation with SNL Writer John Mulaney | Splitsider

"The way you are now is the way you are loved. Those who love you do not love this other person you..."

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 14:23:57 +0000

“The way you are now is the way you are loved. Those who love you do not love this other person you wish you were. They do not even know who that person is. The way you are now is the way you are loved.”

- Visiting my family gets me down - Since You Asked - Salon.com

"The cost of hidden head trauma among children was driven home on Monday, also in Philadelphia, as a..."

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 19:47:52 +0000

“The cost of hidden head trauma among children was driven home on Monday, also in Philadelphia, as a University of Pennsylvania lineman who hanged himself in April, Owen Thomas, was found to have died with the same progressive brain disease found in more than 20 N.F.L. players. Playing since age 9, Thomas never had a reported concussion; his disease silently developed either through injuries he did not report or by thousands of subconcussive blows that accumulated over time.”

- News Analysis - N.F.L. Concussion Raises Questions at All Levels of Football - NYTimes.com

Your Horse Dropped: Magnetic poetry with cattle marker...

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:12:27 +0000

Your Horse Dropped: Magnetic poetry with cattle marker illustrations PART 7 « Goodwerks Creative

Silly horse shouldn’t have put his piano so close to the edge of the butte.

"Now here you may be thinking, “But wait…on vacation last Summer I had a Mai Tai at..."

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:50:28 +0000

“

Now here you may be thinking, “But wait…on vacation last Summer I had a Mai Tai at ‘Benny’s Beachfront Bazooka Bar’ in Panama City, and it had pineapple juice and orange juice and red stuff and came in a hollowed-out cantaloupe with a live tree frog impaled on a sparkler as a garnish. This recipe leaves a bunch of stuff out!”

The short answer is no, it doesn’t. For the sad tale of how the original Mai Tai was bastardized into oblivion almost from the moment of conception, consult the sources listed above. For now, back to the drink…

”

- Dr. Bamboo: Anatomy of the Drink: Mai Tai

I would enjoy a real Mai Tai so much right now.