J. (via Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile And Stuart Duncan: Tiny...

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 07:46:07 -0600

(via Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile And Stuart Duncan: Tiny Desk Concert : NPR)

The N Michigan Ave Apple Store this morning (Taken with...

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:06:23 -0500

The N Michigan Ave Apple Store this morning (Taken with instagram)

Future Books

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:07:14 -0500

More reasons I want an iPad:

Speakeasy Cocktails: Learn from the Modern Mixologists from Open Air Publishing on Vimeo.

Music: An Appreciation, Brief - Roger Kamien from Inkling on Vimeo.

The product pages - Speakeasy and Music: An Appreciation - have even more goodness.

As a lover of books and technology, I’m fascinated with where this is going. Without an iPad (yet) I can’t check these out myself, but what strikes me about both of these trailers is how good both of them look as books. One of the fundamentals of the new generation of books, for now at least and maybe forever, has to be success as a book first. Then add the new technology, like seasoning. Books are perfect because they are clear, simple, and need no instruction. Electronic books must strive to be the same at their core. Then you can add anything imaginable on top and make them cool as hell. If the above are any indication of what we’ll see in the next few years, it’s going to be fun.

I know well many of the mega-rich and, by and large, they are very decent people. They love America...

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 11:51:36 -0500

I know well many of the mega-rich and, by and large, they are very decent people. They love America and appreciate the opportunity this country has given them. Many have joined the Giving Pledge, promising to give most of their wealth to philanthropy. Most wouldn’t mind being told to pay more in taxes as well, particularly when so many of their fellow citizens are truly suffering.

Stop Coddling the Super-Rich - NYTimes.com

Love this guy.

Do the super rich really need anyone fighting to bolster their bottom line? In a poll of the “top 400” richest that Buffet mentions, I wonder how many would care in the slightest if their tax rate went up. If you’re hard wired to make money like these people, higher taxes will not deter you, if anything I’d think it pushes you to make more.

I’m not an expert (or rich) like Mr. Buffet, but it makes you wonder, if the super rich wouldn’t mind and it makes profound economic sense for them to be taxed at a higher rate, why there is a fight in Congress against raising taxes for this group. Sure, there are a handful of well-to-do Republicans that would be affected, but the Tea Party election of 2010 tells us that there are quite a few common people in that corner as well.

Then there was this in the Economist, about a recent study:

Instead of opposing redistribution because people expect to make it to the top of the economic ladder, the authors of the new paper argue that people don’t like to be at the bottom. One paradoxical consequence of this “last-place aversion” is that some poor people may be vociferously opposed to the kinds of policies that would actually raise their own income a bit but that might also push those who are poorer than them into comparable or higher positions.

So, “last-place aversion”. We’d rather give tax breaks to the rich than see their tax dollars reach the poor folk and give them a boost. The article also states that more diverse nations have a harder time raising taxes: tax payers don’t like thinking their money is going to someone different than themselves. More homogenous countries in Europe have much higher tax rates across the board and a people are fine with it. This potentially explains why the US tax rate has fallen so drastically over the past century, as more diverse groups gained rights in our society.

But I don’t think that’s the whole picture. I’ve lived both in small conservative midwestern towns and a couple of the biggest cities in the country. Our major cities, which are our most diverse areas, generally support liberal policy and higher taxes. On the other hand, the current conservative base of rural, white, lower and middle class people supports tax breaks and votes with the Tea Party. So why, when that group has the most to gain and generally speaking comes from a homogenous population pool, would they oppose higher tax rates? Hint: maybe we should see where they’re getting their information…

One day, when we’re paying subscription fees to Halliburton to drive on highways and swiping credit cards with the fire department before they turn on the water, but not paying any taxes, maybe they’ll ask themselves the same question.

(Taken with instagram)

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 21:15:15 -0600

(Taken with instagram)

Work in progress (Taken with instagram)

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 20:46:03 -0600

Work in progress (Taken with instagram)

She-bangs. (Taken with instagram)

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 19:34:29 -0600

She-bangs. (Taken with instagram)

(Taken with instagram)

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 16:44:56 -0600

(Taken with instagram)

Remember the lobster (Taken with instagram at Edward’s...

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 11:30:58 -0600

Remember the lobster (Taken with instagram at Edward’s House of Peacock)

Remember the lobster (Taken with instagram at Edward’s...

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 11:30:20 -0600

Remember the lobster (Taken with instagram at Edward’s House of Peacock)

Thanks, full pitcher of mimosa (Taken with instagram at...

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 10:26:29 -0600

Thanks, full pitcher of mimosa (Taken with instagram at Edward’s House of Peacock)

Erin conferences with the Batman (Taken with instagram)

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:14:52 -0600

Erin conferences with the Batman (Taken with instagram)

That’s a strong wind… (Taken with instagram)

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 09:44:08 -0500

That’s a strong wind… (Taken with instagram)

Instagram? Playing around from the backseat. (Taken with...

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 23:15:01 -0500

Instagram? Playing around from the backseat. (Taken with instagram)

Nature by Numbers (by Cristóbal Vila)

Mon, 03 May 2010 11:29:31 -0500

Nature by Numbers (by Cristóbal Vila)

"The telephone was an aberration in human development. It was a 70 year or so period where for some..."

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 08:50:43 -0500

“The telephone was an aberration in human development. It was a 70 year or so period where for some reason humans decided it was socially acceptable to ring a loud bell in someone else’s life and they were expected to come running, like dogs. This was the equivalent of thinking it was okay to walk into someone’s living room and start shouting. It was never okay.”

- Rick Webb about this (via marco via toldorknown)

New, short work from Guy Maddin posted by the National Film...

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:14:18 -0500

New, short work from Guy Maddin posted by the National Film Board of Canada in celebration of their seventieth anniversary. Of course, Maddin devises a characteristically surreal and distinctive allegory.

I found it over at the Criterion Collection, but there’s even more good stuff at the Night Mayor site at the NFB.

I get the feeling Jobs is revealing just as much about himself...

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:05:58 -0500

I get the feeling Jobs is revealing just as much about himself as Rand in this fascinating interview.

“I asked him if he would come up with a few options. And he said, ‘No, I will solve your problem for you…if you want options, go talk to other people.’”

1993 interview re: Paul Rand (via youareworthy)

No credit, so I presume this is right off Nick Spark’s...

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 04:26:42 -0500

No credit, so I presume this is right off Nick Spark’s wall. (found at Coudal)

Night Court intro (via spudtv) Yes.

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:10:36 -0500

Night Court intro (via spudtv)

Yes.