I just need a couple of weeks more

While walking to get something for lunch, I heard something horrible.

Holiday Music.

More specifically...Christmas music.

It was 64 and raining at the time.

Too soon. Too f***ing soon.

The saccharine nature of this holiday sets me on edge and I would prefer that the bulk of us were allowed to get through Thanksgiving (which is a much better holiday) without the minority trying to steal our holiday thunder.

Product Recommendation

I have a lot of gadgets.

All these gadgets use a lot of power.

Unfortunately while I am out an about, I need a way to power my stuff.

I must recommend Scosche's solBat II.

While it will only charge my iPhone to 50%, that is better than nothing, and all my other devices will have a full charge without making a dent in the battery itself. It is a USB device and can charge off a USB port, a USB power adapter, or...the sun. It does take a long time to have the sun charge it, but it does work.

If you have gadgets, and want a cool charger, I strongly suggest it.

Book Recommendations

I am reading Batman and Philosophy: The Dark Knight of the Soul which is part of the Wiley series on philosophy and pop culture.

Now, this is not heavy philosophical lifting. This is for fun. Yes, children, philosophy can be fun and that is the point of this series.

There are other books in the series that I have enjoyed including Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy: Knowledge Here Begins Out There (I also really enjoyed The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh of Homer which is from a different publisher.) embrace common philosophical movements while placing them in the world of our favorite pop culture characters.

So, why is this important?

Well, part of it is that I think that pop culture is important because it is a leveling mechanism. Why is philosophy important? Because. There is more to this, but because works. It just is and those who fail to appreciate that also fail to think about the other things that are important. (And do things like vote for W.) But there are economic reasons for the study of philosophy, as Philosophy majors have increased as well as doing better in the job market.

Why?

Because philosophy allows you to learn how to think well.

And we could all think better.

(If you are looking for a great philosophy primer, I have to suggest Sophie's World. It is an amazing mystery novel about philosophy written from young adults but perfect for everyone who can read and who wants to think.)

Late to the Party

But this was a classic party song for my college years.



RIP Heavy D.

The Podcast List

Recently, HJ77 was interested in what podcasts I listen to and wanted suggestions for ones that she may enjoy. Every so often, I have listed the ones that I consume regularly, and I decided that I would list them again, with links to either the iTunes page or the page for the show.

APM's Dinner Party Download
The show that helps you win the dinner party. Funny (or punny) jokes, interesting interviews and stories (with cocktails) that you wouldn't normally hear.

The Bugle
Audio Newspaper for a Visual World. John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman discuss the world of news, sports, and everything else in a stunningly irreverent way.

Freakonomics Radio
The Hidden Side of Everything. From the economists that brought you Freakonomics and Super Freakonomics, an in-depth look at the numbers and trends that control the world around us.

Girl on Guy
A podcast about stuff guys love, brought to you by the ultimate guy's girl. Everything Aisha Tyler does is brilliant, geeky, sexy and awesome.

The Moth Podcast
True Stories Told Live. Stories, often funny and tragic, from real people (famous and not) about everything one can think of.

The Rachel Maddow Show
Rachel Maddow's MSNBC show. Politics done differently.

The Bowery Boys: New York City History
A secret history of New York City from two natives.

NPR's Fresh Air
From NPR, "Though Fresh Air has been categorized as a "talk show," it hardly fits the mold. Its 1994 Peabody Award citation credits Fresh Air with "probing questions, revelatory interviews and unusual insights.""

NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! is NPR's weekly hour-long quiz program. Each week on the radio you can test your knowledge against some of the best and brightest in the news and entertainment world while figuring out what's real news and what's made up.

Slate:

Culture Gabfest
In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner wrap their brains around...everything pop culture related. Sometimes it is wonderful and sometimes it is infuriating. It is always interesting.

Hang Up and Listen
Slate's sports podcast with two really smart guys (Mike Pesca and Stefan Fatsis) and Josh Levin.

Political Gabfest
The first, and best, of Slate's podcasts. David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the week in politics and the larger place that the events of the week have in context.

BBC Radio 4's Start the Week
Start The Week sets the cultural agenda for the week ahead, with high-profile guests discussing the ideas behind their work in the fields of art, literature, film, science, history, society and politics.

This American Life
Really? You need a description for TAL? It's IRA GLASS.

WTF with Marc Maron
Marc Maron talks about comedy, with comedians, and more often than not, the discussions turn to the things that really matter. He does make people cry.

Slate's New Classics

Slate has a list (compiled by their staff) of the New Classics, or the things from the last ten years (since the year 2000 (done in my best Andy Richter voice)) that will stand the test of time.

The New Classics

Some of them I agree with...some of them I loathe (Uggs, "I've Gotta Feelin'", The Wire)but it got me thinking, along with the three awesome hosts of the Slate Culture Gabfest, about what my choices would be.

In no particular order, here they are:

Film:
Lost in Translation


What can I say about this film that hasn't been said? It is a perfect film for our time, and it is an amazing look at the ennui of a particular type of lifestyle.

Fiction:
Netherland by Joseph O'Neill

We are living in a post-9-11 world and this is the novel for it.

Non-Fiction:
Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq by Thomas Ricks

A well written view of the "boots on the ground" in Iraq and what it means for our Nation as an empire.

Music:
Neon Bible - Arcade Fire



This is an amazing album and I can envision TEA's children listening to this in music appreciation classes.

Television:
Battlestar Galactica



Another classic piece of post-9-11 media. Even with the incomprehensible ending, this series exposed things that we are afraid to talk about or even think about regarding torture, identity, and what it means to be human in the event of a great tragedy.

Technology:
Portable Media

It does not matter what version of a digital media manager is, face it, you would have a much different life without it. Between my Nook and my multiple iPods, I have an amazing amount of media with instant access even more.

So, what did I get wrong? What are your new classics?

Another Chuckle

Dysfunction:



The only consistent feature of all your dysfunctional relationships is you.

I love the Demotivational posters. This one seemed strangely appropriate today (for some odd reason) and it made me chuckle.

What have we learned today?

• Seeing Stephen King and Tom Perrotta talk about books, writing, and fighting shirtless was amazing.



• King is a lot less weird than I expected. Perrotta is a lot more nervous (using the "like...uhm" tic that I suffer from) than I would have gathered from the strong authoritative voice in his writing.



• Is anyone surprised about Herman Cain? I am not saying that he is DSK but he was a banker.

• I had the first not great pulled pork sandwich at a place called Spats Pub in Providence. Is that a mushroom there?



• The South Street Diner is one of my favorite breakfast spots anywhere. I want to go there when it is appropriate to have a beer. They have some good ones on tap.



• Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and coffee is an important part of that. Seven Stars Bakery had a wonderful cup of coffee. The croissant was good (but not great).

This still has me chuckling

Some images are meant to be shared.

It has been around for a couple of weeks and it makes me laugh every time I think about it.