The Manhattan Project

If you missed it in 1986 (I was 8), The Manhattan Project is kind of a cross between “Dr. Strangelove,” and “E.T.” It ends in a sweaty finish that is arguably the best bomb-defusing scene in movie history. The finale is short. It is peppered with pithy jokes, and it features beautiful back-and-forth between John Lithgow, John Mahoney, Richard Jenkins and the teenage star Christopher Collet.

But amid real nuclear catastrophe, Wikileaks cables, and a series of young, Internet-savvy uprisings across the world, The Manhattan Project poses a surprisingly relevant allegory about how governments and people use technology. It’s also a time capsule of not how tech has changed in the last 25 years, but how it’s stayed the same, and how we’re really trying to do the same things we’ve always been trying, only better. Or worse, depending on how you look at it.

Paying For It

 

Within minutes of the email and website announcement of the NYT paywall details, Twitter was all aflutter.

Cory Doctorow made his rote attack against all things not free and open to the public. His basic argument is, this paywall is flawed as a way to keep freeloaders out of their content. It will piss people off, and people will stop linking to the Times because they won’t want to, by extension, piss of their readers.

The other general negative sentiment is that the site will hemorrhage traffic, lose ad revenue, etc. This may all be correct, but I’d wager, and the Times is wagering big time, that none of that matters.

The Future I Wanted

Speaking of Kindles, Warren Ellis and I use the same mobile devices, so that’s pretty cool. This is a fun little rundown of what the tech-obsessed writer and scary uncle of nerds everywhere uses in his daily routine. Of note is this little insight into the beauty of the device.

I have a Kindle 3, the wifi-only version. I am very fond of my Kindle, and here’s one reason why. Reading a Sunday newspaper magazine, discovering a writer I’d never heard of who sounded very interesting, quick scan of the Kindle store on my phone discovers his autobiography, the large free sample downloads in seconds. I’m still at the table reading the magazine and flicking through the sample. I haven’t finished my beer and I’ve bought the book, which is loaded onto the Kindle, which is in the other room waiting for me to come and sit down as soon as I’ve finished my beer at the table. That’s the future I wanted.

Spilled ink over Borders’ bankruptcy

The coincidence is not lost on me that the week I purchased a Kindle is the week Borders Books & Music — the big box version of a bookstore that I grew up on — filed bankruptcy and announced it would be closing 30% of its stores.

Nor do I take it lightly.

Snowy Day in Cheesman Park

Denver’s been colder than I’ve experienced during the past couple of weeks. I think we bottomed out at Feels Like 30 Below, but were below zero and single digits for days in a row. When it gets this cold, the dog won’t walk. She goes out for a minute or two, excited having forgotten how cold it is, then lifts up one or two of her feet and shivers until you pick her up. I started to wonder what happens to small woodland animals when it’s that cold. Do they all hibernate? Do they die?

No, it turns out, they do not die. Nor do they all hibernate. Jamie did some basic research for me, and found that squirrels (or “squee-rells” as her aunt calls them) get fat, hide little stashes of food near their home trees, and just hang out in their nests until it warms up. This little guy was apparently making a trip to the ground to grab some food.

They build pretty good little nests, or dreys, out of whatever kind of leaves and twigs they can find. And then they just hunker down. They’ll stay in bed for days without leaving. But here’s the interesting thing: Squirrels are solitary little animals. They have their own little dreys and food stashes. But, when it gets really cold, that changes temporarily.

The lone squirrel will allow other squirrels to climb into the nest with him. In fact, if it’s cold enough, several squirrels will climb into one nest and huddle up next to each other to share body heat and stay warm. Then it warms up, and they leave. Or as the painfully adorable squirrels.org states, “once the temperature rises, the guests will be on their way.”

Cold has a way of messing with things. We didn’t have cold where I grew up, at least not real cold. Not snow days or frozen pipes. It snowed a few flakes every now and then and we would go outside and stare at it. When I go out and the city is covered in snow, it’s like I live in an entirely different place. Things I walk by every day and ignore suddenly become visible. There’s too much to see most days to get a good look. When you cover most of it with the cold blank of snow, things appear.

Streets lose their lanes and cars disappear. Dogs lose their sense of smell. More pets get lost in the winter than any other time of year because their senses are dulled by the static air. They don’t know where home is if they go too far.

Stay indoors and enjoy Wintry Mix on 8tracks, with songs from Salem, Glasser, Mount Kimbie and more. Invite some strangers into join you on the couch. When it gets warm again, make them leave.

He Would Have Laughed

The final song on Deerhunter’s “Halcyon Digest” is haunting me. The poltergeist arrived almost the exact same way Microcastle’s “Nothing Ever Happened” did about a year ago. That is, like walking down the street one day and suddenly, vividly remembering a dream.

Deerhunter – He Would Have Laughed:

Or to put a literal, less-Pitchfork point to it, it’s listening to music consistently for weeks, then suddenly and unexpectedly realizing that it contains one of the best songs you’ve ever heard. With either song, I distinctly remember hitting a point in the track where I jumped out of my seat to look at the song and then couldn’t stop listening.

Deerhunter – Nothing Ever Happened:

It’s the kind of music that doesn’t put its cards on the table right away. You might find an entirely new song four minutes into a song you’ve heard a hundred times. Which isn’t to say that it’s inaccessible; Microcastle and Halcyon Digest (the two records I’m familiar with) are loaded with hooks. But some of the best moments in Deerhunter songs pop up after morphing from something else. And then you never want the song to stop playing, except for the fact that there might be another astonishing moment in another track you’ve already heard a hundred times.

Helicopter and He Would Have Laughed Live

Proverb #2

Some nights I retire to bed so no further harm may come to me; others, so I may do no more harm to others. I will hope to share my bed with another, in both cases.

Man in a Blizzard

Roger Ebert drew attention to this short film when the photographer emailed it to him right after an afternoon and night of shooting, followed by about a half day of editing. He filmed it during the New York blizzard on Dec. 26. Ebert trumpeted it as Academy Award potential for some fairly academic reasons, not the least of which is the artist’s stunning technical proficiency. What strikes me about it is the distilled storytelling in such a short time. The transformation of a tiresome and treacherous day into a series of fleeting, playful triumphs.

Denver’s packed in with snow and 7 degrees. It’s been a horrible few days. Nice to get under a blanket, curl up with a loved one or maybe a pet, and take in a beautiful storm and a happy ending.

Mr. Chair’s Best Albums of 2010!

I read this post by John Roderick of The Long Winters for Seattle Weekly, and it made me rethink end of year list-making. I highly recommend the read, and he makes some fine points, especially that we don’t experience music in the way list-making would suggest or demand. That said, I think non-list-makers will never truly understand list-makers, and vice versa. We list-makers are well-aware and (usually) in command of what a list is: a framework, a guide, a tool for mapping and exploring. That, and we really have no control over whether we make them or not. So that in mind, here’s my favorite music from 2010.

If I had to project a narrative onto my favorite music this year, it would have to be the album prevailing. There are six or seven on this list that are better as a whole than parts. The other side is that many of my favorite songs aren’t on here because I didn’t like the whole album as much. So, what you will. Anyway, enough jabber. Onto the jabber.

10. Titus Andronicus, The Monitor
Song: A More Perfect Union
Self-indulgent, punk bar band rock epic with 7-14 minute songs, and a loose theme of the Civil War. That’s right, as in The Monitor and The Merrimac. This band far exceeded its last album, with an invigorating set of songs that almost lives up to its aspirations, which alone make for a pretty great release.

9. Morgan Packard, Moment Against Elsewhere
Song: Unveil
There may be better ambient releases from 2010, but this one came at me from nowhere and I think it’s really beautiful on headphones, at work or at home. The minimalist piano reminds me of some Erik Satie or even jazz. Just enough melody to keep it interesting.

8. Robyn, Body Talk
Song: Dancing On My Own
Robyn put out more good dance pop in 2010 than Katy Perry, Kesha, and Christina Aguilera combined. The subject matter isn’t pandering, and the music is complex enough to satisfy rock snobs. And there’s Dancehall Queen.

7. Pantha Du Prince, Black Noise
Song: Satellite Sniper
The number of sounds in this album or on each track would be staggering if they weren’t all so gentle and organic. Wood and metal, clicks and jingles, very pretty. That said, there’s a lot going on and plenty of moody tracks, so it’s no easy listening. A hefty minimal electronic record.

6. Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Song: All of the Lights
There are many superlatives being thrown around about this release, but that song has the best drum beat in the history of hip hop music. It’s not nice music. A lot of these songs make me very uncomfortable, as all good music should.

5. Sharon Van Etten, Epic
Song: Don’t Do It
Sharon Van Etten’s first record was beautiful, and crushingly dark. Epic is no ray of sunshine, but the range of emotions suggests someone who can see at least a bit of light in the distance. Van Etten has soft, gorgeous voice, and her second record has even better songwriting. (It’s the second record we’ve all been hoping would come from Bon Iver.)

4. The National, High Violet
Song: England
This isn’t the breakthrough that Boxer was, but more music like that 2007 tearjerking chamber rock was a pleasure to listen to this year. They continue to be among my favorite bands.

3. Grinderman 2
Song: Heathen Child
The video for Heathen Child is nightmarish, psychedelic, sexy, terrifying and funny. All can be said about Nick Cave’s second Grinderman album. It even has some tender moments, setting it apart from the first. I love everything about it.

2. LCD Soundsystem, This is Happening
Song: Dance Yrself Clean
I, along with many other aging men trying to analyze their lives while remaining somewhat cool, feel a kinship with James Murphy. Of course, none of us are like Murphy, who at 40 is now an official rock star. He remains bold, funny and insightful. And he’s cranking out dance beats that draw those losing their edge and young clubgoers alike. I hope it’s not truly the last LCD record, but if it is, “Home” is a great note to end on.

1. Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
Song: We Used To Wait
“The last defender of the sprawl Said, ‘Where do you kids live?’ Well sir, if you only knew What the answer was worth Been searching every corner Of the earth”

The Suburbs explores the lives of people who don’t recognize their homes and live worlds away from friends. When I watch Arcade Fire perform, they look alien, but I know them. It’s that conflict with origin and change that makes their music so powerful. Such a concept album could have been horribly trite, but each song is sad and triumphant. It’s full of eerie, sincere, celebratory rock anthems. This made the top of my list by leaps and bounds, and Arcade Fire continues to be the most unique, intelligent and emotional band around.

So that’s it. And a bunch more, and a bunch that I’ll remember and regret not including. And several others that I’ll grow to like more and more in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Maybe even some of these I end up disliking down the road. Never know.

But for now, painful sadness at not including The XX, Suckers, Yeasayer, Mount Kimbie, Besnard Lakes, Brian Eno, Daft Punk, DEERHUNTER!, Girl Talk, Gorillaz, High On Fire, The Hold Steady, Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, Neil Young, Red River, Rogue Wave, Rufus Wainright, Shout Out Louds, on and on…curse this list and you Roderick.

Panduh Rules!

I’ve been enjoying to the new LCD Soundsystem record since it’s been streaming on his website (new AP style). Sound of Silver was so good, but I think This Is Happening may actually be better. “Dance Yrself Clean” is as good as any track. As Jason said, it “make me feel like I could rip the sky in half.” And it follows this great new enterprise of, give it away for free and people will buy it. I sure will!

Building my affection is this video for “Drunk Girls,” featuring some kind of Panda…well, just watch it.

This Is Happening