Claude Brodesser-Akner not the host of The Business

Why is Claude Brodesser-Akner no longer the host of KCRW's The Business?  And if he is no longer part of the show why does he still have a host bio at KCRW's web site?  I loved the show with him and hope the new host Kim Masters grows into the host roll.  Right now the show is missing a certain point of view that Claude Brodesser-Akner brought to the table.  It is strange that I can't even find a press release explaining the change.

Manny Ramirez Suspended 50 games by MLB

Manny Ramirez has been suspended 50 games by MLB for failing a drug test, but the drug in question has not been announced. Very curious. Yahoo Sports has a small story and ESPN has a lot more details, so check them out.

The Dodgers have been on a great roll and sometimes losing 1 player in baseball doesn't upset a team playing well. Their lineup won't be as strong batting but will be better in the field. It will be interesting to see how the team handles this on the field.

This or That

Time to play "this or that"

Untouched



Touched up with Nik Software Color Efex Pro Aperture plug-in.


Which do you prefer?

Ripping Yarns

Watching a few episodes of Ripping Yarns tonight. Done in the 1970's mostly by Michael Palin with writing assistance by Terry Jones. Not bad really, but no Python. Hit and miss humor. You can certainly see what they are trying to do each episode, so good try gentlemen. The commentaries by Palin and Jones are worth a rental, only buy it if you are a serious collector.

Agility Pictures

The Canadians are in town (nice people, those Canadians). One of the first things they got to do was run Frank and Louie at agility class. Here are the pictures.

Wall-E Fans Will Love This Andrew Stanton Q&A

If you are a fan of Wall-E you will love this long form audio Q&A with Director and Co-Writer Andrew Stanton. Jeff Goldsmith of Creative Writing Magazine interviewed Mr. Stanton after a screening of the movie sponsored by the magazine. It is a long form interview covering Pixar movies that Stanton has contributed to leading up to Wall-E (Toy Story, Bug's Life, etc.) and the changes involved in the creation of Wall-E. A great listen.

Once you get to this page click on the link that says "Download my podcast here" to open a new window which will play the Q&A or right click on that link and you can download to your computer for later listening at your leisure.

You can find a long list of interviews on this page that Jeff Goldsmith has done with numerous screenwriters.

The Front Page from 48 Newspapers

Guardian.co.uk has collected the front page from 48 newspapers from around the world. My favorite picture is Sasha Obama standing on a painted blue "apple box" during the swearing in ceremony (swearing in ceremony number one).

Why I Hate FOX News

This could get ugly quickly, FOX News is already showing just how much they will fight President Obama's administration. I was flipping channels while the country's top elected leaders were eating lunch and stopped at FOX News because they were replaying the cannons discharging after the oath. And then Chris Wallace alluded to how they had been discussing with Brit Hume how President Obama might not be President because he stumbled on the oath. I can just feel how this will linger in the right wing pundits craw for the entire length of President Obama's administration. We will hear about this again and it worries me knowing how many viewers they have, also knowing that we have to be together because their is a lot of work to be done. FOX and organizations like them (Rush is another) don't want us to be together since that is how they make their money.

The Move To The Whitehouse

On Tuesday the Obamas move into the White House. The White House resident staff has about 6 hours to transition from it being the Bush home to being the Obama home. BBC has a story about how the White House resident staff plans and manages the transition.

Whitehouse.gov did a Q&A with the Whitehouse curator back in September partly focusing on the various pieces of furniture an incoming Presidential family has to choose from when decorating the Whitehouse.

(Edit: The whitehouse.gov link doesn't work anymore. The slate has been wiped clean with the Obama Presidency, apparently starting with http://www.whitehouse.gov)

Back in November Slate did a story on the various things a President can and cannot change in the Whitehouse, looking back at what some previous Presidents have done.

And finally, some humor from Uncyclopedia about possible choices the Obamas might make with various pieces of furniture.

Coolest Apartment Ever

Of course, an architect in Hong Kong (apartment space can cost up to $1300 a square foot there) would design an incredible way to use the small space of an apartment to be many rooms.

Here is the story at the NY Times.
Here are pictures at the NY Times.

John Gruber's blog pointed me to Jason Kottke's blog who has a link to the NY Times story.

Weird Google experience, looking up the cost of a square foot in Hong Kong I used "hong kong price of apartment square foot" and most of the results on the first page of Google are links to stories about this very unique apartment at various web sites.

Video of Flight 1549 Landing in the Hudson with a Zoom In

This video is taken from CNN. After the initial view of the crash landing CNN shows it again and digitally zooms in to the plane as it lands in the water. Leter it shows the plane drifting down the river and the first ferry arriving.

Video of Flight 1549 Landing in the Hudson

Here is a video of Flight 1549 just before landing and landing in the water. This has been edited. After the landing it shows a shot with the plane still in the air, probably just after passing the bridge. It jumps around to more than one camera, sometimes showing the plane and sometimes not.

Coast Guard Footage of Flight 1549 Landing in the Hudson

Go in 2 minutes to see the crash and aftermath. Looking at the video, it appears the plane came to rest at 3:31:10PM and started to drift with the current down river. Just about everyone seems to be out of the plane when the camera panned off at 3:32:45PM to show a ferry on the way. The ferry was at the plane (as the plane drifted towards the ferry) at 3:35:00PM. Another ferry arrived on the opposite side of the plane at 3:37:30PM. A third ferry made it to the plane at 3:38:00PM.

A rescue response at an airport couldn't do much better!

US Air Flight 1549 Video on BBC

BBC has a video on their web site showing US Air 1549 landing in the water. The plane is seen on the far left side of the frame. Then the camera zooms in and shows just how fast the passengers exited the plane followed by the first ferry arriving on the scene. Hard to tell how fast it all happened because the video might be faster than real time.

FYI, BBC are calling it "The moment plane dived into Hudson" in case the URL doesn't work. It maybe Coast Guard video from a facility on the Jersey side of the river.

Edit: The unedited video is on youtube now. A 10 minute clip. The plane crash is at the 2 minute mark.

Dave Barry and the TV Show 24

Dave Barry does a running commentary on the TV show 24. Good stuff even if you don't like the show. Dave Barry could write about running water and it would be humorous.

Top 10 George W. Bush Moments

The Letterman's Show Top Ten George Bush moments. People voted for this man...twice (possibly more in Ohio). Thanks to Daring Fireball for the link. Number 4 and number 2 are my favorite.

The Macalope and Macworld Expo

The Macalope gets his antlers into the mix with a few opinions on Macworld Expo and the haters out there.

The Last Apple Keynote at Macworld is Over

It's over. No dramatic announcements. New versions of iLife and iWork. A new 17" MacbookPro with the rumored non-removable battery. Very interesting. It comes with 4GB of RAM. If you want Apple to upgrade the RAM to 8GB then it will cost an extra $1200!! Ouch! Don't do it! I'm sure macsales.com will have a much better deal. Also announced, music from the iTunes Store will be DRM free and said music can be purchased using an iPhone in 3G mode (previously only available in wi-fi mode).

Not announced... updates to the MacMini, the iMac, and the MacPro. Hopefully those will follow soon.

Macworld Keynote and Expo is Here

Today is Christmas Day for Apple fanboys. Will we get socks or an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!

Dave Barry's Year In Review

In case you missed it, here is Dave Barry's year in review, at the Miami Herald. Humor is always helpful.

Doctors Guess What is Wrong With Steve Jobs

It seems guessing is news now. CNN has an article quoting a few doctors that have never met Steve Jobs just what might be wrong with the Apple CEO.

More Funny By Merlin Mann

Merlin is many things so I won't try to define him here. He can be found at many places, one of them is kungfugrippe. His latest video is at vimeo and is titled Most Days (2009-01-04). He is doing a video everyday this week. Good luck at Macworld.

Very Funny Film "Post" Humor

Hopefully this isn't offensive. I say that because it is fake subtitles over a scene from a German Hitler movie. (I don't know what the German dialogue is saying.) The subtitles put the group in charge of a "Post" company discussing film they have just received to be processed, digitized, etc. The title is either AH Films or is by AH Films, posted at youtube. There are more than one all using the German Hitler/Film business theme. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvZZNwDnJuk

Senator Claiborne Pell RIP

Senator Claiborne Pell (R.I.) passed away New Year's Day. Being from Rhode Island, we were always proud to say he was our Senator. RIP Senator Pell. Thank you for your service.

Comic Book Fonts and Andy Ihnatko

Andy Ihnatko let the world know via his tweets that comicraft is having a big sale today. A one day only sale with every font priced at $20.09. Still a few hours left to get some. These fonts are used professionally and are very good.