Adobe Dodo Adobe applications are

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Adobe Dodo


Adobe applications are so unintuitive to me. I can use maybe 10 basic
functions in Photoshop, but the rest is Greek to me. Until they come up
with a more intuitive metaphor for image editing, I think most Adobe
applications will continue to be toys for the serious graphic artist.
Not that that's a bad thing, but there's a lot of money to be made off
the masses (think Microsoft Office) in this space, as we all start
owning digital cameras. Maybe Photoshop LE is that software.

Spoonful of sugar I don't

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Spoonful of sugar


I don't normally watch The West Wing, so I am not familiar with all the
characters. Still, after a long run on Wednesday night, I had to sit down
and ice my weary knees, and nothing else looked appealing in the 9p.m.
time slot. Plus, I'd heard lots about how they delayed the season
premiere one week to air this special episode, pulled together by
Aaron Sorkin and company in the wake of Sept. 11.
My opinion? It was like a well-done liberal after-school special.
I was reminded of the ending of G.I. Joe cartoons
"Now you know, kids."
"And knowing is half the battle!"
Seriously, who were these school kids? They were not normal.
Of course, the Arab they hold for questioning early on was
going to be innocent, despite having protested against the
U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia and acknowledged the Arab oppression
of women. And at the end of the show, he shrugs off his
inquisition and heads back to work, and Leo comes by and
apologizes. The easy way out, intended to make us feel
as if the moral balance has been re-established and it's
safe for Arabs and others to work and play together again.
The real world is not nearly so clean.
Rob Lowe: "Terrorism never succeeds. It only strengthens
that which it attacks." It sounds good, but that's not how
I feel. The world is a scary place. I'm waiting for biological
weapons to fall, the next terrorist attack. I don't want to travel
to the Middle East any more. Sure, the U.S. is not going
away. But I do think I had greater peace of mind before
all this happened, and watching the West Wing did not
change any of that.
I admire the acting on the show, though. The characters
are smooth, glib. The Islamic extremists are to Islam as
KKK are to Christianity bit was clever. The whole episode
struck me as a sugar-coated, pompous weigh-in on the
whole matter. We are the West Wing, and the nation needs
to hear our opinion about Sept. 11, because we are that
culturally important. I say, just post some phone numbers
that people can call to contribute to the relief efforts, and
go on with your show.

The Zone When I was

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The Zone


When I was in Chicago, Mike, Derek, Joannie and I stopped
at the ESPNZone center downtown. It's like Gameworks, but
sports focused. Lots of arcade games, a giant sports bar with
a whole wall of TV screens, scrolling sports tickers, and lots
of TVs broadcasting various ESPN channels. We decided
to play pop-a-shot, and in team competition against the
three of them I scored 124 in pop-a-shot classic. That's by
far my all-time high. I was in a serious zone, everything was
going down. I'm putting that down on my resume.

Random notes Went to the

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Random notes


Went to the Mariners game against the Rangers. The
Rangers pitchers were horrendous. Barely could crack
85 mph on the radar gun, which in itself isn't necessarily
bad, but I've never seen so many breaking balls in the
dirt. By the 5th inning it was 12-1, and one Rangers
pitcher had been hit in the shin by a ball and wheeled
out on a modified wheelchair. A-Rod plays on a bad,
bad team. Bill and I left after the sixth inning, after 2
hours and 45 minutes of mind-numbing boredom.
Cubs need to fire Don Baylor. He has proven to be a lousy
manager, unable to communicate effectively with his players
and coaches, preferring to do his talking and managing through
the press, which is horrible. He should talk to his players
face to face, like men. His players gripe about him to the
press as well. He's not a very smart tactical manager,
either. Can the guy.
Saw the Annie Leibovitz "Women" exhibit with Bean. I
didn't think it was all that. Her subjects are all grim-faced,
solemn. Silent, unhappy, and way too serious. Maybe it's
some commentary on women's treatment by media or
society or something. I'd prefer to see some of them smiling,
or defiant. Something about posed portraiture, too, just
doesn't strike me as natural. Maybe I'm just jealous that
I don't have the equipment and connections to take some
of the shots she gets.
There is actually a photographer named Weegee! I saw
this book at the Seattle Art Museum gift shop.
A quick search at Amazon.com revealed lots of other
books by him as well. Apparently, he was a famous
news photographer. What a strange coincidence. I can
barely remember who started calling me Weegee out
here anyway, though I believe it had to do with a spreadsheet
I developed called Ouija (because it worked like black
magic), and then I think Susannah tacked on the
Sweet.
Bean might join some studio and be able to develop
photos for me. That would be cool. It's all voodoo to me.
Barry Bonds is putting up Nintendo numbers this year. His
on base percentage is .512 right now. That's right, every
other time up to the plate, he gets on base. That's sick.
His slugging percentage is currently the highest of all time,
.848. Higher than Babe Ruth in 1921! His swing is not
fluid, but it's brutally effective. Short, compact, rapid
rotation. I've never seen a hitter in such a zone for such
a long period of time. Unbelievable.
Rickey Henderson set the all-time runs record yesterday
as well. He's somewhat of a pompous ass, but between
him and Bonds, I can say I'm lucky enough to have seen
two of the top 5 leftfielders of all time. And Cal Ripken,
one of the top three shortstops of all time. And Clemens
and Maddux, two of the top 10 pitchers of all time.
And A-Rod, who might someday be the greatest shortstop
of all time. He hit his 52nd home run last night to a
smattering of boos. I wonder if he's happy, playing on that
lousy team. Many fans in Seattle were taunting him or
booing him, but I had to clap. He's just too good, the
best position player of his generation.
Oh yeah, and there's Pedro, the most dominating pitcher
I've ever seen. Of course, he always gets injured. Maybe he's
just too small to be a durable pitcher, but he's great. I loved
his quote about drilling the Bambino in the ass.

Band of Brothers It's hard

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Band of Brothers


It's hard to recognize too many individual characters. But perhaps
that is the story of war, which at times seems larger than any one
man. Spielberg and Hanks, with Saving Private Ryan and now
Band of Brothers, have achieved a new hyper-realistic depiction
of war which will change the way future moviemakers depict war,
the topics they choose to tackle.
I remember watching the miniseries North and South as a kid.
Is there any TV experience more gratifying than the weekly gathering
to catch the next episode of a high quality TV miniseries? Band of
Brothers doesn't quite have that as each episode can stand alone,
but it's better than anything on network TV. When's the last time
a network television channel came out with a good miniseries?

On the homeless bum: Gucci

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On the homeless bum: Gucci top, $1,895


News clip spotted at IMDb:
Pamela Anderson insists she wouldn't have thought
twice about shooting her lesbian stalker in the head
if she had had a gun. The mother of two was terrified
to find the crazed fan hiding in her house, and says
her training in weapons would have come in handy.
Pamela says, "If I had a gun, I would have shot her
in the head. I can shoot too. I've been trained in all
kinds of weaponry. I did a course for Barb Wire. I
can shoot bazookas, grenade launchers... I rock
with my Glock out. What's that line in Mommie
Dearest? 'Don't f*** with me, fellas, this ain't my first
time at the rodeo!'" Pam says she knew her stalker
was getting out of hand when her clothes started to
go missing and then she saw homeless people near
her house wearing her clothes. She says, "I'd see
girls and homeless people on the beach wearing
glittery bikini tops and hotpants and I'm like - that's
my stuff! She was giving my stuff to her friends! I
tell you, the homeless people looked great. Gucci
cut-offs, Louis Vuitton suitcases. They looked
fabulous."

Bad movies Most films receiving

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Bad movies


Most films receiving acclaim these days do so purely because they
differ from the usual junk being put out by Hollywood. But a lot of
these movies aren't really all that enjoyable either. I can't remember
the last time I went to a movie and just had a purely enjoyable time.
I feel robbed most days when I leave the theater, or pop a rental
out of the DVD player. Really, if films like Amores Perros and Sexy
Beast are all that people can recommend, moviegoers everywhere
are best advised to read a good book.

Faces

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Finally, portraits of the airline hijackers from Sept. 11. What do you see when you look at those faces? Suicidal terrorists? I wonder, how can another reasonable human being do such things? If I had lunch with one of these people, would I come away thinking that he could fly a plane into a building?
A very good article by Malcolm Gladwell, who wrote The Tipping Point, a great book. This article discusses airline safety and why increased security will only lead to more severe acts of terrorism. Not the most comforting thought, but he does suggest some sensible measures which the FAA should consider. Read it quickly, while it's still posted for free by The New Yorker. I look forward to Gladwell's articles in the New Yorker. I'm not sure how to describe his work. It's a statistically informed analysis of social phenomena. If you have thoughts on how to make flights safer, and most people seem to, you should really read this article.
The airport was much more empty than usual. No cars out front. Just lots of empty police cars. I didn't find the security measures to be much more stringent than normal. Just slower. I got to the airport 2 hours early, got to the gate with over an hour to spare, and sat around for a long time. It felt more lonely at the airport. Yes you will likely have more room on the flight. Lots of empty seats to be had. Still, you can't help feeling like one of the condemned, or the foolish, sitting alone with your airline meal and your in-flight magazine.
Maybe this will be the impetus for the U.S. to build a light rail system, like the ones in Europe. Why would you even take a flight between cities like Portland and Seattle, or Los Angeles in San Francisco, if you had to get to the airport two hours ahead of your flight? The consequences of hijacking a train, confined as it is to its rails, are much less frightening than those resulting from a hijacked airplane. Airlines could cut down on the short commuter type flights and focus on filling long distance flights, narrowing their business model complexity and perhaps increasing their profits as a results. Flying is just such a hassle now, and it's only getting worse.
I wrote a bit on the flight over to Chicago. It's been a while, but it felt good to feel the words flowing a bit. In uncomfortable times, the ability to create feels like a gesture of hope.

Chi-town

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Last stop on the wedding circuit. Joannie's birthday. A trip backhome to Chicago for the weekend. I haven't been back in ages. Tickets to some Cubs games, but they're pretty much out of it. Is anything in the world more hopeless and ridiculous than being a Cubs fan? The Cubs compete with women as the primary source of heartbreak in my life. Someday I'll have to buy them and turn them into a winner.
Interesting article about power laws and how decentralized, distributed systems will always lead to very uneven distributions. Thus, we will always have some big cities, a few big websites, hit songs, etc. The idea that the Internet would destroy the idea of a bestseller, or that digital distribution will destroy the concept of a blockbuster movie? Just myths.
On a separate note, the weather in Seattle is truly depressing me, and I feel this sudden draw to New York. After all, if it really sucked there, it wouldn't be the most populous city in the world, would it? More people moved there than moved out over the years, so something must be keeping them there. Still, why is everyone there so rude?
Michael Jordan is coming back. A lot of folks have asked me what I think, since I'm from Chicago and I'm a big Jordan fan. I would love to see him succeed. I wouldn't say that of too many sports stars that have left Chicago. We all want heroes to believe in, and for many years he was the closest thing to it. He just never really failed. When he came back the first time and the Bulls lost to Orlando in the playoffs, it felt like that scene in Superman II when Clark Kent confronts a bully in a diner and gets beat up because he has given up his powers to be human (to be with Lois; this brings up an interesting discussion of how movies always portray women as emasculating influences, but it's one for another day). Happily, as in Superman II, Jordan worked out like a fiend and came back to win the next 3 NBA Championships and scoring titles.
I just watched 3 Days of the Condor last night, and there they were, the World Trade Center towers, in a closeup shot. A strange coincidence. Good movie by the way. All this work to go back and edit movies to remove World Trade Center shots strikes me as a bit odd. Supposedly it's to avoid the subject, but is anyone really going to forget? Canceling movies related to terrorism makes more sense to me. I can't imagine many terroristmovies being more unbelievable than what just happened.
In times of crisis, we revert to our laziest judgments. Thus we distrust anyone who looks like an Arab American, or we cry out for greater government surveillance. The sign of a lousy security system is having to watch over everyone in it. Perhaps it will make us all feel better. Sure, we may not see another plane hijacked by box cutters. That's the least of my concern now. Sure, we can plug the holes that have been gushing water. Where's the next hole? The hijackings in the old days were, it is strange to say it, much more palatable than those after we established x-ray machines and their like. It is a sad truth, that over time, as security and countermeasures rise, so does the severity of the violence it counters. War in the old days was men fighting with swords, and today it is nuclear weapons. Terrorism is following the same path. The 21st century may be a dark one. What can we do to head off biological warfare, or something even more horrendous? The world is not as happy a place as it used to be.
Strange how the presence of commercials on TV reassures me that things are okay.
I'm tired. I'm speaking and thinking at a very shallow level right now.

Pace I am the slowest

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Pace


I am the slowest runner I know. I went for a run today, for about 6
miles, keeping with Dave's marathon training calendar. I realized
that what slows me down is the various sharp pains in my knees
and ankles when I run quickly on hard pavement. My lungs are fine,
but my joints and feet fail me. The only way I can cover long
distances is slowly, and even now, the bottoms of my feet ache.
I am no gazelle.
Today I will finally finish The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and
Clay.

Secondhand bliss

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Drunk on the happiness of others. Basking in the glow, they call it. Got back from Todd and Juli's wedding this afternoon. Had a great time. Having been to so many weddings this month, I've realized that when two people get married, they pull this cone of happiness behind them as they burrow into the future with hands clasped. And all of us, family and friends, are sucked into this whirling pool of joy and memory and good wishes. It was the perfect way to pull me out of post Sept 11 depression.
Among other things, the whole weekend allowed me to get to know some folks I'd either met only a few times or not at all. Aaron, Mark, Eric. Jen, Sidney (Sydney--spelling, Juli?), Tina, Denise, the other Mark, Doug and Isil, Joel and Barbara, and lots of others. Good people. I got to know Bellingham, a charming town up north in Washington. We stayed at the Chrysalis Inn, a very plush hotel along the water.
One moment in particular will stay with me. The day of the wedding, in the early afternoon, I found the two of them huddled together in the hallway outside our room, the day of the wedding, making last minute plans. Answering questions like "How should we be introduced?" I realized then, they're probably two of the only folks I know who could pull off a wedding in such a short time and be completely comfortable with all their arrangements. Juli has an impulsive streak, and Todd is a fast mover, especially armed with the Internet. We might bounce around the idea of entering a race, and 5 minutes later Todd will send e-mail saying he has registered. A few hours before we were due at the manor, they were nailing down last minute issues like a team. I thought to myself that this was how the whole event happened, just the two of them talking, figuring it all out, making decisions. I imagine they will work together in the same way as husband and wife.
From time to time, I'd look over at Todd, and I could see that he was ready.
Both brides I've witnessed this month are awesome camera subjects. Very expressive and photogenic. Many people are not physically emotive. Not that you have to be good looking, but at least interesting and physically honest, open. It's one reason celebrities make good subjects for photographers. They're accustomed to being scrutinized by the camera's eye, and they either remain natural in its gaze or play to it. Actually, both Todd and Juli were great camera subjects. I can't wait to get my few rolls of film back. Both are very comfortable with cameras on them. No poses, no cringing. I love people like that. Juli is the type of girl that even other girls describe as "gorgeous," which is like winning an award from your peers as opposed to some third party.
As a groomsmen, I actually didn't have too much to do. Todd was all over the details. I really felt like a bodyguard for Todd and Juli.
Juli, someday many years from now, I imagine I'll be sitting in a cafe (let's say Paris) with you and Todd, having a drink, sharing some laughs, and reminiscing about old times. And I'll tell you the story of the time a long time ago when Todd and I were driving somewhere, and I asked him if he found any girls at work interesting (because it was a long drive, and this is one of those subjects that comes up from time to time in the company of single men) and he said, I met this girl in orientation, and she just has the greatest smile.
Congratulations.