Wed - December 14, 2005
machine
The beloved BMW 528e is dead. Saltwater from the
flooding during Hurricane Wilma sealed its fate. Water was up to the middle of
the steering wheel and that was that. This is the new machine, a 1982 BMW
R100RT. My Christmas present from my wife. A true classic, it was restored by
Canton Cycles in Connecticut. Two cylinder, air-cooled, and 1000cc. I will write
much more about the bike later. Picture taken on the Atlantic Ocean, December
16th, just before
sunset.
Here is the dead car. The water line was just over the bottom of the windows. The grass is coming back after being completely brown from the saltwater.
Here is the dead car. The water line was just over the bottom of the windows. The grass is coming back after being completely brown from the saltwater.
...
Posted at 06:44 AM
Fri - June 10, 2005
MTV Real World Key West
Designkeywest's website got linked this
morning on Reality Blurred, a website that details the ins
and outs of television's popular genre. I passed along information about the
possibility of MTV's Real World filming in Key West. I also sent along the
photo which was published and I was able to cleverly get my car in the
shot.
Update: This morning I received a call from the local Real Estate agent handling the deal, who had received a call from the MTV/Bunim Murray people asking who I was and asking that the news be kept quiet. Apparently the deal is not final and any pre-show publicity not coordinated and approved by MTV is frowned upon. Let's all welcome MTV to the new media age and the era of instant communications, weblogs and email.
The story has also been picked up by the boys at Towelroad, who, not incidentally, are sponsored in part by the Tourism Development Council and Floridakeys.com, owned by Cooke Communications, parent company of the Key West Citizen.
.
Update: This morning I received a call from the local Real Estate agent handling the deal, who had received a call from the MTV/Bunim Murray people asking who I was and asking that the news be kept quiet. Apparently the deal is not final and any pre-show publicity not coordinated and approved by MTV is frowned upon. Let's all welcome MTV to the new media age and the era of instant communications, weblogs and email.
The story has also been picked up by the boys at Towelroad, who, not incidentally, are sponsored in part by the Tourism Development Council and Floridakeys.com, owned by Cooke Communications, parent company of the Key West Citizen.
.
Posted at 10:25 AM
Wed - June 8, 2005
surfboard art
Just hung my birthday present from
world-class surf champion and my brother-in-law, Joe Gillen.
It is a beautiful 9' 6" Ted Kearns-shaped long board, which he rode to First Place in the US Championships in Oceanside, California in 2000. Joe is currently ranked 3rd in the country in the Masters division.
I also wanted to point out the very cool mounting system I picked up at Home Depot. Solid steel rod, grooves milled in for rubber o-rings, all for $4.95 each. Nice clean unit.
It is a beautiful 9' 6" Ted Kearns-shaped long board, which he rode to First Place in the US Championships in Oceanside, California in 2000. Joe is currently ranked 3rd in the country in the Masters division.
I also wanted to point out the very cool mounting system I picked up at Home Depot. Solid steel rod, grooves milled in for rubber o-rings, all for $4.95 each. Nice clean unit.
Posted at 10:48 AM
HOUSE
Here are some additional photos from our
new home. The second photo is the steps going up to the porch at the guest
cottage out back. We just got the modular vintage bamboo couch at an estate
sale. It is from the early 1960s and is originally a very expensive piece. The
base construction is Ash, with canvas webbing under the cushions. Each piece has
wheels and there are three corner chairs, three center sections, one
free-standing and the matching table. The chairs with the glass table are the
renowned Oh chair designed by Karim Rashid and produced by Umbra. They are a
modern classic, featured in several museum's permanent collections, including
the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and a true collectible bargain at
$39!
Posted at 10:28 AM
Sun - June 5, 2005
machine
Time for an entry on my car. A 1985 BMW
528e. Below is a picture taken on along the Atlantic in Key West.
.
The E12, the first 5 series model, was
introduced in 1972, the year of the Olympic games in Munich, as a 4-cylinder
European only model. The first models, the 520 and 520i's, were 4 door
Sedans with carbureted and fuel injected four-cylinder engines. The 525 appeared
in 1973 as the first six-cylinder model, with 145 hp. Its successor, the 528,
had 164 hp.
Introduced in June 1981, the E28 was the
successor to the E12 series. The E28 5 Series was lower than the E12, had
more engine choices, and minor styling updates. The most notable E28 models were
the M5 and the M535i. The US market featured the 2.7 liter "eta" engine, which
was designed to use less fuel, while still offering good
performance.
The E34 appeared much more streamlined than
the older E28, not overly round, with a front grill similar to the great E30
three series. Despite looking larger than the E28, the new E34 was only about 5%
heavier and it had an even stiffer body, improving the car's handling. The E34
was available as a 4-door coupe, a touring, a 4-wheel drive (in some countries)
and the Motorsport division's M5.
Produced from 1997-2003, the E39 5 Series is
one of the most successful and lauded model series in BMW's history. The awards
the E39 has won over its seven-year run include four AutoWeek "America's Best"
awards, seven Edmunds.com "Most Wanted" awards, six Car and Driver 10Best
awards, and a total of twelve Automobile Magazine All-Star awards. In its last
full calendar year of sales, the 5 Series set an all-time sales record of nearly
41,000 units in the U.S.
.
Here is the whole family
.
Posted at 02:33 PM
Sun - July 11, 2004
bike tech
It's time to add an entry on my bike.
Purchased last year, it is a classic 1996 Ciocc EL-OS.
(pronounced choch, rhymes with coach).
Here's some propaganda excerpted from the Ciocc website:
"Ciocc was founded by master frame builder Giovanni Pellizoli. Throughout the years Ciocc has remained true to the craft of the artisan Italian frame builder style, and today Sig. Pellizoli’s apprentices, Stefano and Candido Bonati, continue in grand style. The meticulous lug work that highlighted frames of the 1970's and 80's has given way to precision welding and high tech carbon composite joinery, but the unmistakable attention to detail remains.
Beyond a mere production piece, every Ciocc is created with respect for the traditions of cycling and with a love for the road yet to be experienced."
Now, for more information than you ever wanted
on what makes a great bike.
The interesting thing about this frame is that it was made with the Nivachrome EL-OS oversize tubeset, manufactured by Columbus of Milan, Italy. It was an entirely new alloy – a tool steel utilizing small amounts of Niobium and Vanadium to provide the ductility necessary for drawing, butting and tapering. Due to the additional steps it took to make this tubing, Nivachrome could add $300 - $1000 to the price of a frame. This is an amazing tubing that completely defines the handling and quality of the ride. Newer aluminum and carbon frames offer advantages, but when you are talking about classic steel frames, you can't do better than Nivachrome.
Here is a brief description of the technicalities involved in this amazing tubing:
"It is how and where the steel is put in the tubeset that gives a tubeset its particular feel. By making the tubes oversize or standard, thick-wall or thin; these are what make the difference. Higher tensile strengths give the maker the versatility to put the steel where he wants, in the quantity he wants. An EL-OS tubeset made of Nivachrome is thin, light, and strong. A bike made of it has a superb ride because its excellent specifications allow Columbus the freedom to make tubes that were impossible a few years ago.
In the 1970's and 1980's when Columbus' SL and SLX tubing were the state of the art, the top tube was 25mm in diameter and the downtube was 28mm in diameter. The tubing wall was 0.9mm thick at the ends and drawn down to 0.6mm in the center of the tubes. This is what is meant by "double butted". The internal diameter of the tube varies so that the tube is thicker at the joints, where the stress is greatest.
In the early 1990's, steel tubes underwent a small revolution. The top tube changed from 25mm diameter to 28mm. The down tube went from 28mm to 32mm. This increase in diameter allowed the tubing makers to make the walls thinner and still get a stiffer, lighter frame. An additional bonus was the profound improvement in the feel of the bike. The new bikes became more stable (mostly because of the bigger top tube) and gained a fluid, beautiful feel that is impossible to describe, but wonderful to experience.
With these bigger diameter tubes, the wall thickness at the thinnest part of the tubes went from 0.6mm to 0.5mm and even 0.4mm. Columbus' Brain Oversize (or Brain OS) was 0.8mm at the butt and drawn down to 0.5mm in the center section. People loved the feel of Brain OS bikes, especially since the price was so reasonable.
But...there was something truly special waiting for those that bought bikes made of EL-OS. EL-OS was 0.7mm at the butt and drawn down to 0.4mm in the center section. First of all, there was a reduction in weight, about 1/4 pound. That's always nice. The biggest bonus was in how the bike felt. Anyone who has ridden an EL-OS bike built by a good builder understands what a supple, beautiful, wonderful bike really is.
The problem was that getting a 0.4mm tubeset bike was expensive. Even now, almost a decade later, there are tubing companies that do not even have the technology to draw a 0.4mm tube. Even though Columbus can now draw 0.385 (a reduction of 15 thousandths of a millimeter from 0.4mm), I think we can safely say that 0.4mm is still the state of the art.
(Courtesy of Smartcycles.)
Here's the specs on my bike:
Geometry:
-BB to Centerline of TT: 53.0 cm.
-TT length (cl to cl): 54.0 cm.
-Standover height: 79 cm.
-Wheelbase: 96.5 cm.
The components:
-Frame: 96 Ciocc EL-OS
-Fork: Columbus steel (chrome)
-Cranks: Topline 52/39 170 mm.
-Bottom bracket: Campy Chorus
-Front derailleur: Campy Chorus
-Rear derailleur: Campy Chorus
-Brake levers/shifters: Campy Record 10-speed
-Brakes: Campy Record
-Wheels: Campy Record laced to Mavic Open Pro's w/ red nipples.
-Seatpost: Campy Record
-Saddle: Selle Italia Flite
-Handlebars: TTT Forma
-Tape: Cinelli Cork Gel (black)
-Stem: TTT quill 1" 110 mm.
-Headset: Campy Record
-Tires: Continental GP3000
-Skewers: Salsa (Italian colors)
The interesting thing about this frame is that it was made with the Nivachrome EL-OS oversize tubeset, manufactured by Columbus of Milan, Italy. It was an entirely new alloy – a tool steel utilizing small amounts of Niobium and Vanadium to provide the ductility necessary for drawing, butting and tapering. Due to the additional steps it took to make this tubing, Nivachrome could add $300 - $1000 to the price of a frame. This is an amazing tubing that completely defines the handling and quality of the ride. Newer aluminum and carbon frames offer advantages, but when you are talking about classic steel frames, you can't do better than Nivachrome.
Here is a brief description of the technicalities involved in this amazing tubing:
"It is how and where the steel is put in the tubeset that gives a tubeset its particular feel. By making the tubes oversize or standard, thick-wall or thin; these are what make the difference. Higher tensile strengths give the maker the versatility to put the steel where he wants, in the quantity he wants. An EL-OS tubeset made of Nivachrome is thin, light, and strong. A bike made of it has a superb ride because its excellent specifications allow Columbus the freedom to make tubes that were impossible a few years ago.
In the 1970's and 1980's when Columbus' SL and SLX tubing were the state of the art, the top tube was 25mm in diameter and the downtube was 28mm in diameter. The tubing wall was 0.9mm thick at the ends and drawn down to 0.6mm in the center of the tubes. This is what is meant by "double butted". The internal diameter of the tube varies so that the tube is thicker at the joints, where the stress is greatest.
In the early 1990's, steel tubes underwent a small revolution. The top tube changed from 25mm diameter to 28mm. The down tube went from 28mm to 32mm. This increase in diameter allowed the tubing makers to make the walls thinner and still get a stiffer, lighter frame. An additional bonus was the profound improvement in the feel of the bike. The new bikes became more stable (mostly because of the bigger top tube) and gained a fluid, beautiful feel that is impossible to describe, but wonderful to experience.
With these bigger diameter tubes, the wall thickness at the thinnest part of the tubes went from 0.6mm to 0.5mm and even 0.4mm. Columbus' Brain Oversize (or Brain OS) was 0.8mm at the butt and drawn down to 0.5mm in the center section. People loved the feel of Brain OS bikes, especially since the price was so reasonable.
But...there was something truly special waiting for those that bought bikes made of EL-OS. EL-OS was 0.7mm at the butt and drawn down to 0.4mm in the center section. First of all, there was a reduction in weight, about 1/4 pound. That's always nice. The biggest bonus was in how the bike felt. Anyone who has ridden an EL-OS bike built by a good builder understands what a supple, beautiful, wonderful bike really is.
The problem was that getting a 0.4mm tubeset bike was expensive. Even now, almost a decade later, there are tubing companies that do not even have the technology to draw a 0.4mm tube. Even though Columbus can now draw 0.385 (a reduction of 15 thousandths of a millimeter from 0.4mm), I think we can safely say that 0.4mm is still the state of the art.
(Courtesy of Smartcycles.)
Here's the specs on my bike:
Geometry:
-BB to Centerline of TT: 53.0 cm.
-TT length (cl to cl): 54.0 cm.
-Standover height: 79 cm.
-Wheelbase: 96.5 cm.
The components:
-Frame: 96 Ciocc EL-OS
-Fork: Columbus steel (chrome)
-Cranks: Topline 52/39 170 mm.
-Bottom bracket: Campy Chorus
-Front derailleur: Campy Chorus
-Rear derailleur: Campy Chorus
-Brake levers/shifters: Campy Record 10-speed
-Brakes: Campy Record
-Wheels: Campy Record laced to Mavic Open Pro's w/ red nipples.
-Seatpost: Campy Record
-Saddle: Selle Italia Flite
-Handlebars: TTT Forma
-Tape: Cinelli Cork Gel (black)
-Stem: TTT quill 1" 110 mm.
-Headset: Campy Record
-Tires: Continental GP3000
-Skewers: Salsa (Italian colors)
Posted at 09:54 AM
Fri - July 9, 2004
meerkat products
Merrkat Products has its blog up and
online.
Jason Rowan, talented DJ, writer, filmmaker and
best man at my wedding, has finally gotten his weblog online at meerketproducts.com. Congratulations and am
looking forward to being able to see more of his writing and
photograpny.
Posted at 09:45 AM
Tue - June 8, 2004
How Copyright Law Changed Hip Hop
Stay Free Magazine has published a great interview with Chuck D and Hank Shocklee about
copyright laws, sampling, and the "window of opportunity that existed in the
1980s. I found this courtesy of Creative Commons.
An interview with Public Enemy's Chuck D and
Hank
Shocklee
[ by Kembrew McLeod ]
When Public Enemy released It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, in 1988, it was as if the album had landed from another planet. Nothing sounded like it at the time. It Takes a Nation came frontloaded with sirens, squeals, and squawks that augmented the chaotic, collaged backing tracks over which P.E. frontman Chuck D laid his politically and poetically radical rhymes. He rapped about white supremacy, capitalism, the music industry, black nationalism, and--in the case of "Caught, Can I Get a Witness?"-- digital sampling: "CAUGHT, NOW IN COURT ' CAUSE I STOLE A BEAT / THIS IS A SAMPLING SPORT / MAIL FROM THE COURTS AND JAIL / CLAIMS I STOLE THE BEATS THAT I RAIL ... I FOUND THIS MINERAL THAT I CALL A BEAT / I PAID ZERO."
In the mid- to late 1980s, hip-hop artists had a very small window of opportunity to run wild with the newly emerging sampling technologies before the record labels and lawyers started paying attention. No one took advantage of these technologies more effectively than Public Enemy, who put hundreds of sampled aural fragments into It Takes a Nation and stirred them up to create a new, radical sound that changed the way we hear music. But by 1991, no one paid zero for the records they sampled without getting sued. They had to pay a lot.
Stay Free! talked to the two major architects of P.E.'s sound, Chuck D and Hank Shocklee, about hip-hop, sampling, and how copyright law altered the way P.E. and other hip-hop artists made their music.
Here is the link to the whole interview.
From the Stay Free! website:
Stay Free! is a print magazine focused on issues surrounding commercialism and American culture. It is published about every ten months... some people seem to think that's funny. Whatever
[ by Kembrew McLeod ]
When Public Enemy released It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, in 1988, it was as if the album had landed from another planet. Nothing sounded like it at the time. It Takes a Nation came frontloaded with sirens, squeals, and squawks that augmented the chaotic, collaged backing tracks over which P.E. frontman Chuck D laid his politically and poetically radical rhymes. He rapped about white supremacy, capitalism, the music industry, black nationalism, and--in the case of "Caught, Can I Get a Witness?"-- digital sampling: "CAUGHT, NOW IN COURT ' CAUSE I STOLE A BEAT / THIS IS A SAMPLING SPORT / MAIL FROM THE COURTS AND JAIL / CLAIMS I STOLE THE BEATS THAT I RAIL ... I FOUND THIS MINERAL THAT I CALL A BEAT / I PAID ZERO."
In the mid- to late 1980s, hip-hop artists had a very small window of opportunity to run wild with the newly emerging sampling technologies before the record labels and lawyers started paying attention. No one took advantage of these technologies more effectively than Public Enemy, who put hundreds of sampled aural fragments into It Takes a Nation and stirred them up to create a new, radical sound that changed the way we hear music. But by 1991, no one paid zero for the records they sampled without getting sued. They had to pay a lot.
Stay Free! talked to the two major architects of P.E.'s sound, Chuck D and Hank Shocklee, about hip-hop, sampling, and how copyright law altered the way P.E. and other hip-hop artists made their music.
Here is the link to the whole interview.
From the Stay Free! website:
Stay Free! is a print magazine focused on issues surrounding commercialism and American culture. It is published about every ten months... some people seem to think that's funny. Whatever
Posted at 10:05 AM
Mon - June 7, 2004
Morning view
This is what I look out onto every morning
having coffee and reading the
Times.
Taken 6:45am, June 7, 2004 at the Iguana Cafe, Key West, Florida
Taken 6:45am, June 7, 2004 at the Iguana Cafe, Key West, Florida
Posted at 04:55 PM
Sun - April 25, 2004
Sat - April 10, 2004
Baghdad Still Burning
I check in often with this website for a dose of reality on the war. Ground
level analysis of the destruction being brought to a country on an individual
level. Sobering, sad and frustrating.
April, 9,
2004
"The people in Falloojeh have been trying to get the women and children out of the town for the last 48 hours but all the roads out of the city are closed by the Americans and refugees are being shot at and bombed on a regular basis… we're watching the television and crying. The hospital is overflowing with victims… those who have lost arms and legs… those who have lost loved ones. There isn't enough medicine or bandages… what are the Americans doing?! This is collective punishment … is this the solution to the chaos we're living in? Is this the 'hearts and minds' part of the campaign?"
– from Baghdad Burning
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
"The people in Falloojeh have been trying to get the women and children out of the town for the last 48 hours but all the roads out of the city are closed by the Americans and refugees are being shot at and bombed on a regular basis… we're watching the television and crying. The hospital is overflowing with victims… those who have lost arms and legs… those who have lost loved ones. There isn't enough medicine or bandages… what are the Americans doing?! This is collective punishment … is this the solution to the chaos we're living in? Is this the 'hearts and minds' part of the campaign?"
– from Baghdad Burning
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
Posted at 08:46 AM
Sun - February 1, 2004
Janet, the butterfly effect, revisions, statements and the fcc
In light of more review, additional tapes
of the event, and more statements from the principles, I am revising my original
analysis. I'll be posting this soon.
According to The Advertiser, "Jackson admitted yesterday that she and co-performer
Justin Timberlake decided secretly after final rehearsals to have a "costume
reveal". But a lacy red bra, not her breast, was meant to
appear."
And in other news...(I couldn't make this up if I tried. What a great country.)
U.S. Watchdog Investigates Jackson Breast Incident
Mon February 2, 2004 05:26 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. media watchdog on Monday promised to investigate whether indecency rules were broken during the broadcast of the Super Bowl halftime show when pop diva Janet Jackson's bodice was ripped to expose her right breast.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell promised a "thorough and swift" investigation of the stunt aired during one of the most popular American television broadcasts, which also attracts a major worldwide audience.
"That celebration was tainted by a classless, crass and deplorable stunt," Powell said in a statement that was echoed by others on the panel. "Our nation's children, parents and citizens deserve better."
And in other news...(I couldn't make this up if I tried. What a great country.)
U.S. Watchdog Investigates Jackson Breast Incident
Mon February 2, 2004 05:26 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. media watchdog on Monday promised to investigate whether indecency rules were broken during the broadcast of the Super Bowl halftime show when pop diva Janet Jackson's bodice was ripped to expose her right breast.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell promised a "thorough and swift" investigation of the stunt aired during one of the most popular American television broadcasts, which also attracts a major worldwide audience.
"That celebration was tainted by a classless, crass and deplorable stunt," Powell said in a statement that was echoed by others on the panel. "Our nation's children, parents and citizens deserve better."
Posted at 08:06 AM
janet's breast and the flap of a butterfly wing
Or how MTV Punk'd the Superbowl
Yesterday's MTV-produced Superbowl Halftime show is causing a stir this morning, (Google had 497 news stories referenced as of 9am) due to ex-boy band member and current Michael Jackson impersonator (I mean that in a good way) Justin Timberlake ripping off a piece of Janet's costume at the end of a long and disjointed musical pastiche and exposing Janet's right breast in front of 200 million people. Delight, outrage and shock followed. CBS, MTV, and Timberlake have all apologized.
Here's the breakdown as I see
it.
MTV promoted the halftime show by promising that this would happen. From the MTV website, posted January 28, the headline on the story, picked up around the world, is "Janet Jackson's Super Bowl Show Promises 'Shocking Moments."
Jackson's choreographer, Gil Duldulao repeated the phrase, promising "The dancing is great. She's more stylized, she's more feminine, she's more a woman as she dances this time around. There are some shocking moments in there too."
And entertainment reporter and Sean Connery wanna-be Pat O'Brien, is now saying Timberlake told him he just wanted to give everyone something to talk about.
So, the moment approaches and in perfect sync with the line in the song: "Gonna have you naked by the end of this song" Janet leans into Justin and the "wardrobe malfunction" occurs. Cameras cut away at the site of an exposed breast, the stadium goes instantly dark and if you watch carefully, Janet and Justin stand there, await their cue and then slowly walk back off the stage. The breast in question was wearing either a silver star-shapped nipple cuff or perhaps a piercing, depending on the quality of your TV and what your personal preference in nipple jewelry is. The bodice ripped off with absolute perfection, taking just one cup off in an instant, leaving the rest of the costume undisturbed.
The only disturbing element of the performance was the distance that Ms. Jackson's breast fell when released from the constraints of the brassiere. In the name of research I have Tivo'd this moment as slowly as possible and I estimate the distance at 4 inches, from somewhere just below her chin to an area hovering just above her famous belly button. Given the morning-after outrage this moment has produced, I am reminded of the famous Japanese haiku (and I am paraphrasing here) that one flap of a butterfly's wings can alter a whole weather system. The amount of atmospheric disturbance caused by the plunge of Janet's right mammary has blossomed into a thousand news stories. But I am getting off my main point.
(edit 4:28 pm EST: It has been pointed out to me, and in retrospect I agree, that I am being a bit hard on Ms. Jackson and her breast. She looked lovely, her breast looked lovely, and I included the description of the pronounced movement really just so I could make the connection with the butterfly haiku.)
The Evening Standard out of the UK,
captioned the above photo this way:
IF LOOKS could kill ... it would have been
Justin Timberlake's swansong.
The pop heartthrob had just ripped singer
Janet Jackson's top open, revealing a breast
to millions of TV viewers
CBS releases a statement: "CBS deeply regrets the incident that occurred … we attended all rehearsals throughout the week …. "There was no indication that any such thing would happen. That moment did not conform to CBS broadcast standards, and we would like to apologize to anyone who was offended."
NFL executive vice president Joe Browne issues a statement: "We were extremely disappointed by elements of the MTV-produced Half-time show. They were totally inconsistent with assurances our office was given about the show. It's unlikely that MTV will produce another Super Bowl halftime."
MTV issues a statement: "The tearing of Jackson's costume was unrehearsed, unplanned, completely unintentional."
Justin Timberlake adds his statement: "I'm sorry if anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl. It was not intentional and is regrettable."
However, according to the Australian Herald Sun it was confirmed that CBS had approved the tear-off strip, but were forced to apologize to their audience after a flood of complaints from family viewers about the smutty sing-along.
Anyway, given the MTV headline, the jewelry that Ms. Jackson was wearing, the incredible perfection of the costume release and Timberlake's obvious need to upstage Britney's kiss with Madonna, it seems clear that this was a picture perfect press moment. It went slightly slightly askew, but was as carefully choreographed as the rest of the Super Bowl. And far better than any of the commercials that preceded or followed it.
MTV promoted the halftime show by promising that this would happen. From the MTV website, posted January 28, the headline on the story, picked up around the world, is "Janet Jackson's Super Bowl Show Promises 'Shocking Moments."
Jackson's choreographer, Gil Duldulao repeated the phrase, promising "The dancing is great. She's more stylized, she's more feminine, she's more a woman as she dances this time around. There are some shocking moments in there too."
And entertainment reporter and Sean Connery wanna-be Pat O'Brien, is now saying Timberlake told him he just wanted to give everyone something to talk about.
So, the moment approaches and in perfect sync with the line in the song: "Gonna have you naked by the end of this song" Janet leans into Justin and the "wardrobe malfunction" occurs. Cameras cut away at the site of an exposed breast, the stadium goes instantly dark and if you watch carefully, Janet and Justin stand there, await their cue and then slowly walk back off the stage. The breast in question was wearing either a silver star-shapped nipple cuff or perhaps a piercing, depending on the quality of your TV and what your personal preference in nipple jewelry is. The bodice ripped off with absolute perfection, taking just one cup off in an instant, leaving the rest of the costume undisturbed.
The only disturbing element of the performance was the distance that Ms. Jackson's breast fell when released from the constraints of the brassiere. In the name of research I have Tivo'd this moment as slowly as possible and I estimate the distance at 4 inches, from somewhere just below her chin to an area hovering just above her famous belly button. Given the morning-after outrage this moment has produced, I am reminded of the famous Japanese haiku (and I am paraphrasing here) that one flap of a butterfly's wings can alter a whole weather system. The amount of atmospheric disturbance caused by the plunge of Janet's right mammary has blossomed into a thousand news stories. But I am getting off my main point.
(edit 4:28 pm EST: It has been pointed out to me, and in retrospect I agree, that I am being a bit hard on Ms. Jackson and her breast. She looked lovely, her breast looked lovely, and I included the description of the pronounced movement really just so I could make the connection with the butterfly haiku.)
The Evening Standard out of the UK,
captioned the above photo this way:
IF LOOKS could kill ... it would have been
Justin Timberlake's swansong.
The pop heartthrob had just ripped singer
Janet Jackson's top open, revealing a breast
to millions of TV viewers
CBS releases a statement: "CBS deeply regrets the incident that occurred … we attended all rehearsals throughout the week …. "There was no indication that any such thing would happen. That moment did not conform to CBS broadcast standards, and we would like to apologize to anyone who was offended."
NFL executive vice president Joe Browne issues a statement: "We were extremely disappointed by elements of the MTV-produced Half-time show. They were totally inconsistent with assurances our office was given about the show. It's unlikely that MTV will produce another Super Bowl halftime."
MTV issues a statement: "The tearing of Jackson's costume was unrehearsed, unplanned, completely unintentional."
Justin Timberlake adds his statement: "I'm sorry if anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl. It was not intentional and is regrettable."
However, according to the Australian Herald Sun it was confirmed that CBS had approved the tear-off strip, but were forced to apologize to their audience after a flood of complaints from family viewers about the smutty sing-along.
Anyway, given the MTV headline, the jewelry that Ms. Jackson was wearing, the incredible perfection of the costume release and Timberlake's obvious need to upstage Britney's kiss with Madonna, it seems clear that this was a picture perfect press moment. It went slightly slightly askew, but was as carefully choreographed as the rest of the Super Bowl. And far better than any of the commercials that preceded or followed it.
Posted at 08:06 AM
Fri - January 23, 2004
friday: by the numbers
Courtesy of the Independent, published in the U.K.
George Bush has presided over a vast catalog of failure
and
division
232: Number of American combat deaths in Iraq between May 2003 and January 2004
501: Number of American servicemen to die in Iraq from the beginning of the war - so far
0: Number of American combat deaths in Germany after the Nazi surrender to the Allies in May 1945
0: Number of coffins of dead soldiers returning home from Iraq that the Bush administration has allowed to be photographed
0: Number of funerals or memorials that President Bush has attended for soldiers killed in Iraq
100: Number of fund-raisers attended by Bush or Vice-President Dick Cheney in 2003
13: Number of meetings between Bush and Tony Blair since he became President
10 million: Estimated number of people worldwide who took to the streets in opposition to the invasion of Iraq, setting an all-time record for simultaneous protest
2: Number of nations that Bush has attacked and taken over since coming into the White House
9.2: Average number of American soldiers wounded in Iraq each day since the invasion in March last year
1.6: Average number of American soldiers killed in Iraq per day since hostilities began
16,000: Approximate number of Iraqis killed since the start of war
10,000: Approximate number of Iraqi civilians killed since the beginning of the conflict
$100 billion: Estimated cost of the war in Iraq to American citizens by the end of 2003
$13 billion: Amount other countries have committed towards rebuilding Iraq (much of it in loans) as of 24 October
36%: Increase in the number of desertions from the US army since 1999
92%: Percentage of Iraq's urban areas that had access to drinkable water a year ago
60%: Percentage of Iraq's urban areas that have access to drinkable water today
32%: Percentage of the bombs dropped on Iraq this year that were not precision-guided
1983: The year in which Donald Rumsfeld gave Saddam Hussein a pair of golden spurs
45%: Percentage of Americans who believed in early March 2003 that Saddam Hussein was involved in the 11 September attacks on the US
$127 billion: Amount of US budget surplus in the year that Bush became President in 2001
$374 billion: Amount of US budget deficit in the fiscal year for 2003
1st: This year's deficit is on course to be the biggest in United States history
$1.58 billion: Average amount by which the US national debt increases each day
$23,920: Amount of each US citizen's share of the national debt as of 19 January 2004
1st: The record for the most bankruptcies filed in a single year (1.57 million) was set in 2002
10: Number of solo press conferences that Bush has held since beginning his term. His father had managed 61 at this point in his administration, and Bill Clinton 33
1st: Rank of the US worldwide in terms of greenhouse gas emissions per capita
$113 million: Total sum raised by the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign, setting a record in American electoral history
$130 million: Amount raised for Bush's re-election campaign so far
$200m: Amount that the Bush-Cheney campaign is expected to raise in 2004
$40m: Amount that Howard Dean, the top fund-raiser among the nine Democratic presidential hopefuls, amassed in 2003
28: Number of days holiday that Bush took last August, the second longest holiday of any president in US history (Recordholder: Richard Nixon)
13: Number of vacation days the average American worker receives each year
3: Number of children convicted of capital offences executed in the US in 2002. America is only country openly to acknowledge executing children
1st: As Governor of Texas, George Bush executed more prisoners (152) than any governor in modern US history
2.4 million: Number of Americans who have lost their jobs during the three years of the Bush administration
221,000: Number of jobs per month created since Bush's tax cuts took effect. He promised the measure would add 306,000
1,000: Number of new jobs created in the entire country in December. Analysts had expected a gain of 130,000
1st: This administration is on its way to becoming the first since 1929 (Herbert Hoover) to preside over an overall loss of jobs during its complete term in office
9 million: Number of US workers unemployed in September 2003
80%: Percentage of the Iraqi workforce now unemployed
55%: Percentage of the Iraqi workforce unemployed before the war
43.6 million: Number of Americans without health insurance in 2002
130: Number of countries (out of total of 191 recognised by the United Nations) with an American military presence
40%: Percentage of the world's military spending for which the US is responsible
$10.9 million: Average wealth of the members of Bush's original 16-person cabinet
88%: Percentage of American citizens who will save less than $100 on their 2006 federal taxes as a result of 2003 cut in capital gains and dividends taxes
$42,000: Average savings members of Bush's cabinet are expected to enjoy this year as a result in the cuts in capital gains and dividends taxes
$42,228: Median household income in the US in 2001
$116,000: Amount Vice-President Cheney is expected to save each year in taxes
44%: Percentage of Americans who believe the President's economic growth plan will mostly benefit the wealthy
700: Number of people from around the world the US has incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
1st: George W Bush became the first American president to ignore the Geneva Conventions by refusing to allow inspectors access to US-held prisoners of war
+6%: Percentage change since 2001 in the number of US families in poverty
1951: Last year in which a quarterly rise in US military spending was greater than the one the previous spring
54%: Percentage of US citizens who believe Bush was legitimately elected to his post
1st: First president to execute a federal prisoner in the past 40 years. Executions are typically ordered by separate states and not at federal level
9: Number of members of Bush's defence policy board who also sit on the corporate board of, or advise, at least one defence contractor
35: Number of countries to which US has suspended military assistance after they failed to sign agreements giving Americans immunity from prosecution before the International Criminal Court
$300 million: Amount cut from the federal programme that provides subsidies to poor families so they can heat their homes
$1 billion: Amount of new US military aid promised Israel in April 2003 to offset the "burdens" of the US war on Iraq
58 million: Number of acres of public lands Bush has opened to road building, logging and drilling
200: Number of public-health and environmental laws Bush has attempted to downgrade or weaken
29,000: Number of American troops - which is close to the total of a whole army division - to have either been killed, wounded, injured or become so ill as to require evacuation from Iraq, according to the Pentagon
90%: Percentage of American citizens who said they approved of the way George Bush was handling his job as president when asked on 26 September, 2001
53%: Percentage of American citizens who approved of the way Bush was handling his job as president when asked on 16 January, 2004
Sources: Vanity Fair magazine, Harper's Index, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, US Army (Washington), US Department of Defence, Iraqbodycount.net, Citizens for Tax Justice, Bureau of Economic Analysis (Washington), New York Times/CBS News Poll (NYC), US Department of Commerce, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young (NYC), Coalition Provisional Authority (Baghdad), World Health Organisation (Geneva), Office of Management and Budget (Washington), Centre for Responsive Politics (Washington), Bush-Cheney '04, Inc (Arlington, Va), Election Systems & Software (Omaha), United States Central Command (Tampa)
232: Number of American combat deaths in Iraq between May 2003 and January 2004
501: Number of American servicemen to die in Iraq from the beginning of the war - so far
0: Number of American combat deaths in Germany after the Nazi surrender to the Allies in May 1945
0: Number of coffins of dead soldiers returning home from Iraq that the Bush administration has allowed to be photographed
0: Number of funerals or memorials that President Bush has attended for soldiers killed in Iraq
100: Number of fund-raisers attended by Bush or Vice-President Dick Cheney in 2003
13: Number of meetings between Bush and Tony Blair since he became President
10 million: Estimated number of people worldwide who took to the streets in opposition to the invasion of Iraq, setting an all-time record for simultaneous protest
2: Number of nations that Bush has attacked and taken over since coming into the White House
9.2: Average number of American soldiers wounded in Iraq each day since the invasion in March last year
1.6: Average number of American soldiers killed in Iraq per day since hostilities began
16,000: Approximate number of Iraqis killed since the start of war
10,000: Approximate number of Iraqi civilians killed since the beginning of the conflict
$100 billion: Estimated cost of the war in Iraq to American citizens by the end of 2003
$13 billion: Amount other countries have committed towards rebuilding Iraq (much of it in loans) as of 24 October
36%: Increase in the number of desertions from the US army since 1999
92%: Percentage of Iraq's urban areas that had access to drinkable water a year ago
60%: Percentage of Iraq's urban areas that have access to drinkable water today
32%: Percentage of the bombs dropped on Iraq this year that were not precision-guided
1983: The year in which Donald Rumsfeld gave Saddam Hussein a pair of golden spurs
45%: Percentage of Americans who believed in early March 2003 that Saddam Hussein was involved in the 11 September attacks on the US
$127 billion: Amount of US budget surplus in the year that Bush became President in 2001
$374 billion: Amount of US budget deficit in the fiscal year for 2003
1st: This year's deficit is on course to be the biggest in United States history
$1.58 billion: Average amount by which the US national debt increases each day
$23,920: Amount of each US citizen's share of the national debt as of 19 January 2004
1st: The record for the most bankruptcies filed in a single year (1.57 million) was set in 2002
10: Number of solo press conferences that Bush has held since beginning his term. His father had managed 61 at this point in his administration, and Bill Clinton 33
1st: Rank of the US worldwide in terms of greenhouse gas emissions per capita
$113 million: Total sum raised by the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign, setting a record in American electoral history
$130 million: Amount raised for Bush's re-election campaign so far
$200m: Amount that the Bush-Cheney campaign is expected to raise in 2004
$40m: Amount that Howard Dean, the top fund-raiser among the nine Democratic presidential hopefuls, amassed in 2003
28: Number of days holiday that Bush took last August, the second longest holiday of any president in US history (Recordholder: Richard Nixon)
13: Number of vacation days the average American worker receives each year
3: Number of children convicted of capital offences executed in the US in 2002. America is only country openly to acknowledge executing children
1st: As Governor of Texas, George Bush executed more prisoners (152) than any governor in modern US history
2.4 million: Number of Americans who have lost their jobs during the three years of the Bush administration
221,000: Number of jobs per month created since Bush's tax cuts took effect. He promised the measure would add 306,000
1,000: Number of new jobs created in the entire country in December. Analysts had expected a gain of 130,000
1st: This administration is on its way to becoming the first since 1929 (Herbert Hoover) to preside over an overall loss of jobs during its complete term in office
9 million: Number of US workers unemployed in September 2003
80%: Percentage of the Iraqi workforce now unemployed
55%: Percentage of the Iraqi workforce unemployed before the war
43.6 million: Number of Americans without health insurance in 2002
130: Number of countries (out of total of 191 recognised by the United Nations) with an American military presence
40%: Percentage of the world's military spending for which the US is responsible
$10.9 million: Average wealth of the members of Bush's original 16-person cabinet
88%: Percentage of American citizens who will save less than $100 on their 2006 federal taxes as a result of 2003 cut in capital gains and dividends taxes
$42,000: Average savings members of Bush's cabinet are expected to enjoy this year as a result in the cuts in capital gains and dividends taxes
$42,228: Median household income in the US in 2001
$116,000: Amount Vice-President Cheney is expected to save each year in taxes
44%: Percentage of Americans who believe the President's economic growth plan will mostly benefit the wealthy
700: Number of people from around the world the US has incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
1st: George W Bush became the first American president to ignore the Geneva Conventions by refusing to allow inspectors access to US-held prisoners of war
+6%: Percentage change since 2001 in the number of US families in poverty
1951: Last year in which a quarterly rise in US military spending was greater than the one the previous spring
54%: Percentage of US citizens who believe Bush was legitimately elected to his post
1st: First president to execute a federal prisoner in the past 40 years. Executions are typically ordered by separate states and not at federal level
9: Number of members of Bush's defence policy board who also sit on the corporate board of, or advise, at least one defence contractor
35: Number of countries to which US has suspended military assistance after they failed to sign agreements giving Americans immunity from prosecution before the International Criminal Court
$300 million: Amount cut from the federal programme that provides subsidies to poor families so they can heat their homes
$1 billion: Amount of new US military aid promised Israel in April 2003 to offset the "burdens" of the US war on Iraq
58 million: Number of acres of public lands Bush has opened to road building, logging and drilling
200: Number of public-health and environmental laws Bush has attempted to downgrade or weaken
29,000: Number of American troops - which is close to the total of a whole army division - to have either been killed, wounded, injured or become so ill as to require evacuation from Iraq, according to the Pentagon
90%: Percentage of American citizens who said they approved of the way George Bush was handling his job as president when asked on 26 September, 2001
53%: Percentage of American citizens who approved of the way Bush was handling his job as president when asked on 16 January, 2004
Sources: Vanity Fair magazine, Harper's Index, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, US Army (Washington), US Department of Defence, Iraqbodycount.net, Citizens for Tax Justice, Bureau of Economic Analysis (Washington), New York Times/CBS News Poll (NYC), US Department of Commerce, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young (NYC), Coalition Provisional Authority (Baghdad), World Health Organisation (Geneva), Office of Management and Budget (Washington), Centre for Responsive Politics (Washington), Bush-Cheney '04, Inc (Arlington, Va), Election Systems & Software (Omaha), United States Central Command (Tampa)
Posted at 08:53 AM
What to read this weekend
Let's do this quickly. Here is what I'm
reading.
Baghdad Is Burning. Interested in what's it like
to be on the ground in Iraq, especially if you are a woman? This site avoids the
breathless (or brainless) war coverage, and instead focuses on the more human
experience of reshaping and rebuilding what your world used to be. It is the
most humanizing experience of the war in Iraq I have had. This site is
self-described as a "Girl Blog from Iraq...
let's talk war, politics and
occupation."
"The last few days we've sort of been on an electricity schedule- for every four hours of no electricity, we get two hours of electricity. It's not much, but it's an improvement on one or two hours for every fourteen of darkness.
The last few minutes of electricity, we run around the house switching off lights, and appliances so that nothing is ruined. Sometimes the electricity doesn't go out immediately- it sort of dims, flashes back on and then stutters to a close. We're getting less generator time because there's still a gasoline problem and everyone is being really careful about the type of fuel they're using because the gas being sold on black market is sometimes mixed with kerosene.
A couple of days ago there was a lot of dust. Iraq is famous for its dust storms. Within a matter of hours, the horizon turns orange and everything looks slightly faded. The stucco houses take on a pale, peach hue and even the people look a little bit dull. It becomes difficult to breathe and it's almost catastrophic for people with allergies."
Today's Front Pages. 264 front pages from 34 countries presented alphabetically, updated daily. What more do you need? Each thumbnail enlarges when you mouse over it, or you can click on it and get a full size PDF version, which you can then print out and read. An amazing resource.
Gizmodo. "Gizmodo is an online review dedicated to gadgets, gizmos, and cutting-edge consumer electronics."
I know. Geek tech. Boring, no soul, but short-term satisfaction rank v. high.
"The last few days we've sort of been on an electricity schedule- for every four hours of no electricity, we get two hours of electricity. It's not much, but it's an improvement on one or two hours for every fourteen of darkness.
The last few minutes of electricity, we run around the house switching off lights, and appliances so that nothing is ruined. Sometimes the electricity doesn't go out immediately- it sort of dims, flashes back on and then stutters to a close. We're getting less generator time because there's still a gasoline problem and everyone is being really careful about the type of fuel they're using because the gas being sold on black market is sometimes mixed with kerosene.
A couple of days ago there was a lot of dust. Iraq is famous for its dust storms. Within a matter of hours, the horizon turns orange and everything looks slightly faded. The stucco houses take on a pale, peach hue and even the people look a little bit dull. It becomes difficult to breathe and it's almost catastrophic for people with allergies."
Today's Front Pages. 264 front pages from 34 countries presented alphabetically, updated daily. What more do you need? Each thumbnail enlarges when you mouse over it, or you can click on it and get a full size PDF version, which you can then print out and read. An amazing resource.
Gizmodo. "Gizmodo is an online review dedicated to gadgets, gizmos, and cutting-edge consumer electronics."
I know. Geek tech. Boring, no soul, but short-term satisfaction rank v. high.
Posted at 08:21 AM
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Published On: Dec 17, 2005 08:40 AM
Published On: Dec 17, 2005 08:40 AM