spucko

Just read the announcement that Kay Ryan has been appointed the new poet laureate of the United States. Whoo-hoo!

Ryan is described in the the article as an outsider, but I don't think it really gets at what an outsider she has been until recently within the poetry world. Charles Simic, the most recent laureate, has been a grand old man of American letters for many decades; Ryan, on the other hand, has quietly gone her own way, largely ignoring and being ignored by the passing fads and enthusiasms of contemporary poetry, but gaining a lot of respect from her peers along the way.

Part of this may have to do with her work life: according to the NY Times, "She has taught the same remedial English course at the College of Marin in Kentfield, Calif., for more than 30 years." (I think she should receive some sort of award for that as well.)

In her honor, I have gotten funky with Photoshop...it's a dubious honor, I know...

Kay Ryan, U.S. Poet Laureate

I've had a series of Very Busy Days at work - despite having last Friday off. I'm talking ten-hour days combined with mind-crushingly boring multi-hour meetings, many deadlines, and the soft rabbitty nibbles of a thousand small projects (none of which would take more than an hour or two, but taken together are a bit overwhelming).

Maybe it's just because I'm wearing a black concert t-shirt, but as I looked in the restroom mirror a moment ago, I thought, "It would be a great day to quit my job and become a roadie."

Of course, the bands I like best are unlikely to ever make enough money to be able to hire a roadie (and those that have made that much money are often acoustic solo and duo performers who wouldn't need a roadie, anyway). But still. I could lift and carry heavy things. I could say "Check" into a microphone. I could shovel a drunk/stoned/spaced-out lead singer into the back of a car and get them to the show on time. I can even tune and restring guitars.

Maybe I'll take a sabbatical and look for a temporary roadie gig...or maybe I'll just cart my own damn guitar to the acoustic jam and/or the open mic night right here in town.

There's even a guidebook...at least I can read about being a roadie.

Update: Sigh.

Tim Ferriss, normally about as apolitical blogger as they come, posts a compelling interview with Daniel Ellsberg,  the guy who brought us the Pentagon Papers about how the proposed FISA Amendments will strip U.S. citizens of basic rights against unreasonable search and seizure that (so far) are guaranteed by the fourth amendment of the Constitution of the United States.

Ellsberg compares the broad powers given by this proposed amendment to those used and abused by the old East German Stasi (the secret police) - and recommends watching "The Lives of Others" for insight into what was life was like for normal, law-abiding citizens under that regime.

Ferriss recommends these actions, which are quick easy -- and I hope will be effective:

How I ask you to spend 60 seconds

Daniel explains below several important reasons to act in the next few hours (much more in the video), but for those who are prepared to spend 60 seconds to help protect their liberties and prevent warrantless wiretapping from becoming a new standard in the US, here are two options:

1. ALL AMERICANS: Go to the EFF website here and put in your zipcode to find your Senator’s phone number. Call them and read the short script on the same page. If no answer, click the link at the bottom of the page to e-mail them.
(Tell others verbally to go to “www.eff.org” and click “take action”)

2. OBAMA SUPPORTERS: Go to My.BarackObama.com here and join the group requesting he oppose (as he did earlier) the amendment. This takes about 30 seconds. I suggest changing “ListServ” in the bottom right to “Do not receive e-mails.”
(Tell others verbally to search “obama please vote no” on Google and My.BarackObama.com will be in the top 3 results, currently #1)

For those who like fiction, especially speculative fiction, and who don't have a lot of leisure time: the Daily Cabal: a new story daily, all less than 400 words. I thought Highway 0 by Edd Vick, published on Friday, was pretty fun.

Also, today is Marc Chagall's birthday, so I'm posting my favorite of his paintings, I and the Village:

I and the Village

Which small businesses are hurt most by rising gas prices? What can they do to save money?
Sponsored by HP.

I would say cab companies (which are small in this part of the world), and I would recommend them re-imagining their business model and going the pedicab route.

As a bonus, they'll get to eat enormous quantities of food and develop very shapely calves, especially if they operate their business here in Lawrence, where there are plenty of hills.

I also vote for electric scooters for pizza delivery drivers.

Pedicab Rickshaw

I work at a university, so I often see fliers posted for experimenters seeking subjects. Most of the time, they are looking for people under 30 (because that's who they figure they can get on a college campus), but the hearing lab posted one for a study that just needs people over 18 with normal hearing, whom they will pay $12 an hour cash (for three four-hour sessions) to sit in a recliner and read, watch movies, or listen to music while also listening to sounds from an earphone.

I sent 'em an email, and just got a reply that I'm in the study -- whoo-whoo!

Now I'm just wondering what the catch is. Are the sounds really annoying? Will they be taping electrodes to my head? We shall see...watch for an update after July 22nd, which is my first scheduled session.

When I was in Portland (which has better public transportation than you), I saw cars with little green stickers around town, parked at specially designated spots, which are part of their car-sharing program.

Zipcar

Details vary depending on location, but there are several cities and towns in which this service is available. Basically, you pay a monthly or annual membership fee, then pay an hourly charge when you are actually using a car. It allows those folks who can be car-free most of the time to have access to a car the few time a week or month that they need it (bit trips to the grocery store, taking Grandma to her doctor's appointment, etc., etc.), without paying exorbitant car rental feels, and without having a car sitting around unused most of the time (which they still get to insure and buy tags for).

Most of these services have an online reservation system, so you can be sure to get a car when you need one.

Anyway, there's a blog about it (of course there is) by Dave Brook, who just announced that Ithaca has launched its car-sharing program (you can visit Ithaca's site to see the details of their plan). That's good news to me, because Ithaca is a smallish city with a large university, kinda-sorta similar to my town, and if they can make it work there, p'raps they can make it work here -- and I can get rid of my car altogether.

Sounds like the big hurdles have to do with insurance (naturally) and taxes (some cities and states want to charge rental car taxes to these programs, which of course makes them less affordable).

Not nearly as much fun as a Cthulu coloring book would be, but hey, it's pretty good for a Dover Thrift Edition.

War of the Worlds