Leenkblog

QESTIONS
-can we make the press releases more prominent/link them on this page? Most are very relevant to consumers
-are we keeping the prominence of the search function that currently link to attractions, etc everywhere in existing “What to Do” consumer page?
-I need clarification on the “Points of Interest” section in Consumer>Do. Is this simply a list? It seems to me that we’re already covering much of that content in other sections.
-For Cosumer>About>Getting Around, can we use this page: http://www.experiencela.com/GettingAround/ ?
- Is Cosumer>About>Access a disabled section of the site?
- why aren’t we linking the booking engine for transportation directly from the transportation section?
-is Cosumer>About>Visitor Center the same as the current Contact Us link?
-Will LA INC provide more information about all the special offers (spa, dine, etc)? Right now, there are only a few, not enough to fill the entire subset of webpages.
-Will all new articles filter through the homepage first, then get sorted?

2006-09-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

Instapundit

2006-09-11T08:55:00.000-07:00

http://www.projectcensored.org/

WorldChanging: Another World Is Here: Natalie Jeremijenko: The WorldChanging Interview

2006-06-22T15:33:00.000-07:00

WorldChanging: Another World Is Here: Natalie Jeremijenko: The WorldChanging Interview

Utne.com

2006-06-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

Utne.com

O'Reilly Radar > Entrepreneurial Proverbs

2006-05-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

O'Reilly Radar > Entrepreneurial Proverbs

Visionary art

2006-05-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

Cool.

Where do you want to go? | 43 Places

2006-05-12T14:19:00.000-07:00

Where do you want to go? | 43 Places

Photography Related Links

2006-03-23T08:15:00.000-08:00

Photography Related Links

The Loner's Manifesto

2006-01-09T11:51:00.000-08:00

In support of loners

Richard Cheese

2005-12-22T09:08:00.000-08:00

Mr. Richard "Dick" Cheese: lounge singer extraordinaire

2005-12-05T08:19:00.000-08:00

Federal Meteorological Handbook - available for download

2005-12-01T14:47:00.000-08:00

Volunteer Opps in Africa

Nina Simone

2005-11-22T08:47:00.000-08:00

Latest musical obsession

CouchSurfing - The world is smaller than you think!

2005-09-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

CouchSurfing - The world is smaller than you think!

David Grisman : Dawgnation

2005-09-21T17:54:00.000-07:00

Nice instrumental bluegrass

naija jams

2005-09-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

naija jams | the naija music blog: nigerian music, afrobeat, hip hop, rap, juju, pop, photos, pictures, music, download, trybesmen, ruggedman, eedris, tony tetuila, fela kuti, femi kuti, tony allen, king sunny ade, tony allen, majek fashek, lagos, nigeria.

Fall concerts

2005-09-09T17:33:00.000-07:00

Arturo SandovalAt Yoshi's Oct 25-30

David Grisman at 12 Galaxies 10/14

Aviation Weather Services

2005-09-08T20:35:00.000-07:00

ADDS
AirNav
DUATS

Backpack

2005-09-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

Online lists n' such

Breakup Babe

2005-09-08T20:31:00.000-07:00

Breakup Babe

1929

2005-09-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

Pics of Germany in 1929

Duke

2005-09-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

Gonzo Writer & Art Car "Lord Duke" Rick McKinney

I spent some time talking about the Existence of the Tortured Writer with him at Burning Man. I left the conversation with the following unfinished metaphor floating around in my head:

_________ is like shooting a heat-seeking missile into the Arctic.

You fill in the _________ .

In any case, thanks, Duke.

Les Blank

2005-09-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

We stayed at his son Harrod's camp at Burning Man. Les basically works for Harrod now. Counter to everyone else in Black Rock City, these guys were working their butts off making a documentary about Burning Man that they've been working on for 10 years. I'll never forget the image of Harrod's old art car, packed to the gills with documentarians, leaving to film the aftermath of the Burn at 4 am on Sunday morning. 60-year-old Les, no less, was standing on the side of the car, hanging on as they sped off.

This is so yummy

2005-06-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

Sweet, Spicy, Salty and Savory

Dried organic figs and apricots, Kalamata olives, French feta cheese, capers, mint, orange zest, jalapenos, toasted pistachios and mesclun greens, tossed in a vinaigrette of honey, sherry vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard and lemon juice.

Company developing mobile devices controlled by brainwaves

2005-06-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

TheFeature :: Mind Control Made Simple

allAfrica.com: Home

2005-06-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

allAfrica

2005-05-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

Thoughts on morbidity:

Current fascination with death, body parts due to Western separation and isolation from death. As we move closer to immortality as a society (longer lives, better med care), we become fascinated with that hidden part of ourselves, the ugly, the morbid. In that sense, it could also be a reaction to the sanitization and monotony of modern society, the lack of human interaction, warmth, community. One extreme to another.

Summer Concerts

2005-05-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day Weekend: DJ Dan
June 1/2: Antibalas
June 11: Wilco (DONE! Got tix)
Early Aug: Ozomatli
August 8: BB King
Mid-September: Ani
Late October: Arlo Guthrie

GarageBand

2005-05-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

Cool.

What Scientists Would Teach the World

2005-05-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

spiked-science

Fortean Times

2005-04-22T15:58:00.000-07:00

Fortean Times Breaking News

Area 51

2005-04-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

Area 51

China and Japan are Keeping USD Afloat

2005-04-12T16:43:00.000-07:00

The New Yorker: The Talk of the Town

GoogleMaps is Taking Over the World

2005-04-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

GoogleMaps Satellite View Real-World-Mix

Primer

2005-04-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

Puzzle-like short about time travel

Craziest

2005-04-08T14:11:00.000-07:00

Sweet short depicting dramatized pop-psych devolution using Scrabble as a premise

2005-04-07T17:14:00.000-07:00

Travelers' Tales Moves to Palo Alto - written road blog

Benjamen Walker's Theory Of Everything

2005-04-07T14:44:00.000-07:00

Radio Show

The Annotated New York Times

2005-04-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

Shortened up

PostSecrets

2005-03-30T18:09:00.000-08:00

PostSecret

Guruphiliac

2005-03-18T16:20:00.000-08:00

Gurus suck

NPR : Dining in the Dark

2005-03-10T14:45:00.000-08:00

Must-dine experience in Zurich

Halfbakery.com

2005-03-09T13:55:00.000-08:00

Source for half-baked ideas

2005-03-04T13:24:00.000-08:00

HowTo - Podcasting

2005-03-04T09:18:00.000-08:00

Mind Hacks

2005-03-02T16:54:00.000-08:00

http://www.sneakeasysjoint.com/thecyclingdude/riding_san_diego_county/

2005-02-28T10:21:00.000-08:00

Morbid animals for all your mutilation needs.

From BoingBoing

Free Will Astrology

2005-02-20T18:18:00.000-08:00

The best horoscopes out there

Sketches From the Front: An Artist's Dispatches, Rendered in Ink and Paint

2004-12-13T17:21:00.000-08:00

From NYT

And more...

This is an interesting illustration (pun intended) of how technology can interfere with human communication in sensitive situations. Painter travels with the US army and documents the war using neither cameras nor computers - rather, he just paints. The length of time it takes to make a painting enables him to get a decent amount of exposure to the situation he's documenting (word used loosely). Additionally, as the article says, as he sits and paints, people become curious and approach him. They do not regard him as a threat. He has no camera. His only tools are his hands, his brushes, and his journal.

In other words, the absence of the typical tools of technology allows this artist to get insights into the Iraq situation as few others can. Art is a universal language. Every human is intrinsically drawn to it - it's part of our genetic coding. Art is one of the most primitive and pure forms of communication.

It's quite telling that in an age of rapid-fire technology and lightning communication, this artist can gain rare insights using one of the oldest forms of communication there is. Leads me to think that while we're in an age of incredible technological growth, we might be in a bubble of sorts. We may be over-teching our lives without knowing it, eg. overusing tech so that it begins to harm our health & communication rather than aiding it. Technology and its integration in human communication still, in that sense, have a long way to go.

Kill Bill Soundtracks

2004-12-13T16:19:00.000-08:00

Want em both.

'Alexander Hamilton'

2004-12-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

I'd like to read this when I have more down time

MSNBC - Dude, you can't be serious!

2004-12-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

Dude...

Ozo: Street Signs

2004-12-08T13:23:00.000-08:00

Good shite.

Bruce McCulloch

2004-12-07T10:10:00.000-08:00

Shame-Based Man

From Kids in the Hall. Stalker song especially hilarious.

Women And Girls Key to Stopping Spread of HIV/Aids

2004-12-02T16:34:00.000-08:00

allAfrica.com: PanAfrica

Uhhmm...gentlemen, please forgive me the need to rant, I'd ideally pad quietly into a pink velvet room and put on makeup until I'm in a better mood again. Oh, and I'll happily shoulder the responsibility for stopping AIDS. After all, men can't help the passionate urges they feel in their bellies. Lord knows that when a man needs to take care of his needs, we women should automatically be available for him. And should he want to deny protection, we will accomodate. And should we become pregnant and bear children, it's our responsibility. Lastly, should the man infect us with a fatal disease, that's our responsibility too.

Sheesh.

This is typical of African sexism - overt, condescending, no holds barred. This article illustrates the extent to which women are still considered substandard members of society. They bow their heads down, work hard, and essentially carry the weight of the entire society on their shoulders. Men, on the other hand, roam lazily around town trying to make a buck here and there, pilfering off the womens' labor, and looking for succulent new cuts of steak to dine on in the backs of buildings. Crass, yes. But true.

African women are the glue that hold Africa's toothpick civilizations* together. As a collective, they know this. However, they live under a shroud of punishment, betrayal, and belittlement.
They are responsible for the food, the drink, the sanitation, the children, and the husband. Ostensibly strong, they become diminuitive when faced with male demands. Women who break out of this mold are either overtly punished or outcasted from their communities. African women, many of whom have the strongest spirit on the planet, crumble like salt before the demands of men.

When I read the above article, which proclaims in print that African women should shoulder responsibility for one of the greatest scourges that's hit the continent in modern times, I shuddered. The women are not the ones wasting time, chewing kola nuts, and perusing for sex. They're working themselves to the bone to keep their families alive. Taking responsibility for a blight that's largely out of control precisely because of the behavior of men is preposterous. Here, honey, go have sex. Go spread your disease. It's only my fault, after all. I should have been a better wife and taken better care of you. Right.

The last paragraph of the article says it best:

"Prevention and care programmes need to address inequalities between men and women. That is why, for example, the Commonwealth is actively engaging with men to advocate responsible sexual behaviour including the use of condoms. Even when a woman knows what safe sex is, she is too often forced to risk her life because of male power."

'Even when a woman knows what safe sex is?' I won't even start on that.

*African societies are strong, almost impermeable in some senses. However, when one looks at the dire economic circumstances that plague most communities, the toothpick analogy is valid.

Cognitive dissonance

2004-11-24T14:30:00.000-08:00

More freizeit dabbling in psych.

First paragraph especially interesting. Heavy micro-cultural implications:

In Festinger and Carlsmith's classic 1957 experiment, students were made to perform tedious and meaningless tasks, consisting of turning pegs quarter-turns, then removing them from a board, then putting them back in, and so forth. Subjects rated these tasks very negatively. After a long period of doing this, students were told the experiment was over and they could leave.

However, the experimenter then asked the subject for a small favor. They were told that a needed research assistant was not able to make it to the experiment, and the subject was asked if they could fill in and try to persuade another subject (who was actually a confederate) that the dull, boring tasks they had just completed were actually interesting and engaging. Some subjects were paid $20 for the favor, another group was paid $1 and a control group was not requested of the favor.

When asked to rate the peg-turning tasks, those in the $1 group showed a much greater degree of attitude change in favor of the experiment than those in either of the other two groups. Experimenters theorized that when paid only $1, students were forced to internalize the attitude they were induced to express, because they had no other justification. Those in the $20 condition, it is argued, had an obvious external justification for their behavior -- they did it for the money. But with only $1, subjects faced insufficient justification and therefore "cognitive dissonance" which they sought to relieve by changing their attitude in order to really believe that they found the tasks enjoyable.

Possible implication: when you get a bunch of people into a state of cognitive dissonance as mentioned above, they start forming artificial heirarchies and power structures to maintain a sense of competition, which in turn keeps productivity high. The core issue, however, remains: the entire structure is built on behavior related to cognitive dissonance. The key to keeping a structure like this stable is to a) keep the cognitive dissonance there (in case above, keep pay low), b) create artificial heirarchies to promote competition, and c) appease errant or rebellious notions through favors. These favors are perceived as scarce, eg. you can't get them anywhere else. This promotes loyalty and stickiness. Brilliant.

Intense emotional responses to music

2004-11-24T14:16:00.000-08:00

Hmm.

I've been thinking a bit about the relationship between music and emotions. My question is this: is there a chicken-and-egg tension between how you're feeling and the music you're listening to? For example, do you subconsciously seek out songs that match your mood and allow you to explore it further? Or do you choose songs neutrally, then get into a certain mood while listening to them? I think that the type of music we listen to says a lot about our emotional character and socio-cultural background. Definitely worth exploring further. Sage has interesting articles on the topic.

Then, as the above article mentions, there's also the link between emotions, music, and physiological state. What does that say about highly emotional people who love listening to emotionally charged music? Errmm...

Man crosses Australia - by skateboard

2004-11-22T15:48:00.000-08:00

He's cool.

Many Who Voted for 'Values' Still Like Their Television Sin

2004-11-22T15:05:00.000-08:00

The New York Times > Business > Media & Advertising > Many Who Voted for 'Values' Still Like Their Television Sin

NYT has been running a series of articles on conservative politics vs. liberal culture. I'm not sure why NYT is so surprised by this - isn't it clear that the nation swung right due to fear and safety rather than traditional moral conservatism? As a culture, we're straddling a divide between fear and hedonism. We want to feel protected on the one hand. We recognize that the nation is no longer secure. However, we want to hold onto our uniquely American brand of indulgent entertainment. It seems almost reactionary to me - the more insecure we feel, the more we dive into indulgent, cheap, sexual TV programming. I mean, the drama just keeps increasing, and we are getting more and more absorbed into our cheezy TV shows. The sexual sleaze on TV increases proportionally to the IR hype on the outside. The more we see, the more we want to forget about it. So we flip from Faux News to that Housewives show, from extreme international insecurity to extreme sexual insecurity and lust. Interesting dichotomy. Now that I think about it, there does appear to be a correlation. Maybe these NYT articles are highlighting an important point after all.

Problem is, they're operating off an old paradigm that conservative politics => conservative media. These journalists need to get their skulls out of the 1950's. The world today is more nuanced, more complicated. Links between politics and culture aren't as straightforward as the old theories profess. We're living in a world composed of shades of grey, where national insecurity can actually lead to hypersexuality, where partisan polarity is a media construction rather than a sociocultural truth. Media simplifies. Media writes according to digestible paradigms. Result: a whole bunch of flat and/or irrelevant articles, aka. information noise. This is the problem with mainstream media. These people mean well, but their definition of accuracy is unfortunately somewhat stale.