April 20, 2008
11:19 am
Unless they get Dana Carvey back
It occurs to me that if Hillary Clinton should become president, it means that another glass ceiling will be shattered for women: female comedians will finally be in demand in political satire to play the president!
It occurs to me that if Hillary Clinton should become president, it means that another glass ceiling will be shattered for women: female comedians will finally be in demand in political satire to play the president!
April 16, 2008
07:17 pm
Goodbye, Minute Rice
Aside from the Mexican rice my grandmother would make, I’ve only ever had instant rice at home. Eh, what’s the difference? Boil some water, throw some rice in, and voila.
Then I read Dennis’ blog all about a rice cooker; coincidentally a co-worker and I were talking about the health benefits of brown rice versus white. Next thing I know, I’m at the modestly named Cosmos Gift Shop looking at a wall of rice cookers.
This place calls itself “gifts” but it’s really a huge department store, and they literally have an entire wall of rice cookers; my usual haunts like Target and Williams Sonoma had one. The kind Korean lady helped me find the perfect model and educated me on rice.
Last night, with less effort than I used to expend on instant rice, I had wonderful Jasmine rice. It was an epiphany. It was like I’d never actually had rice before.
I can make any kind of rice! Brown, white, whatever! I can have it sticky like a restaurant or hard when I make curry! And best of all, of course, it plays little digital watch tunes when it starts and finishes.
This morning I tossed a cup of rice in the thing with some water, pressed a button, and when I got home there was hot fresh rice waiting for my dinner. And I was home an hour later than I expected, so it kept it perfectly warm and fresh for me while it waited.
Love those Japanese gadgets, man.
Aside from the Mexican rice my grandmother would make, I’ve only ever had instant rice at home. Eh, what’s the difference? Boil some water, throw some rice in, and voila.
Then I read Dennis’ blog all about a rice cooker; coincidentally a co-worker and I were talking about the health benefits of brown rice versus white. Next thing I know, I’m at the modestly named Cosmos Gift Shop looking at a wall of rice cookers.
This place calls itself “gifts” but it’s really a huge department store, and they literally have an entire wall of rice cookers; my usual haunts like Target and Williams Sonoma had one. The kind Korean lady helped me find the perfect model and educated me on rice.
Last night, with less effort than I used to expend on instant rice, I had wonderful Jasmine rice. It was an epiphany. It was like I’d never actually had rice before.
I can make any kind of rice! Brown, white, whatever! I can have it sticky like a restaurant or hard when I make curry! And best of all, of course, it plays little digital watch tunes when it starts and finishes.
This morning I tossed a cup of rice in the thing with some water, pressed a button, and when I got home there was hot fresh rice waiting for my dinner. And I was home an hour later than I expected, so it kept it perfectly warm and fresh for me while it waited.
Love those Japanese gadgets, man.
April 13, 2008
12:06 pm
Clean the bathroom and wash the linens, George
Headline on SF Gate:
Hope he remembers that he has to meet him after he emerges from the secure area. Hope the Pope isn’t flying on American.
Headline on SF Gate:
President Prepares for Pontiff
Bush is pulling out all the stops for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Washington, D.C., including picking him up at the airport.
Hope he remembers that he has to meet him after he emerges from the secure area. Hope the Pope isn’t flying on American.
April 12, 2008
12:48 pm
Pollinate while you can
What with all the worries about the bees disappearing, and the end of the world that will follow shortly thereafter, it’s very comforting to just sit and watch bees visit and pollinate my booming crop of lavender.
(Love the way my iPhone smeared and blurred the picture and it turned out impressionistic.)
What with all the worries about the bees disappearing, and the end of the world that will follow shortly thereafter, it’s very comforting to just sit and watch bees visit and pollinate my booming crop of lavender.
(Love the way my iPhone smeared and blurred the picture and it turned out impressionistic.)
April 10, 2008
01:25 pm
How the mind wanders
I was looking at this tabloidly picture of Doctor Who star Billie Piper shopping for groceries, marveling at her ability to accessorize… then my gaze wandered to the shopping cart. Or, as the Brits call it, trolley.
Do we need any further evidence of the American consumer society? We could fit a couple of those puny trolleys into just ONE of our Safeway carts. To say nothing of a big ol’ Costco vehicle.
I was looking at this tabloidly picture of Doctor Who star Billie Piper shopping for groceries, marveling at her ability to accessorize… then my gaze wandered to the shopping cart. Or, as the Brits call it, trolley.
Do we need any further evidence of the American consumer society? We could fit a couple of those puny trolleys into just ONE of our Safeway carts. To say nothing of a big ol’ Costco vehicle.
April 05, 2008
12:57 pm
This is how spoiled my dog is
March 27, 2008
05:19 pm
They See You (all the way around)
This afternoon I got an up-close look at vehicles equipped for street-level mapping, the sort of thing you see on Google’s Street View. The camera rig above is by far the most impressive, a huge conglomeration of cameras that remind me of Disney Circle-Vision 360°. The second vehicle, below, was more stealthy — a little Volkswagen Beetle with a single camera and a circular mirror.
It was fascinating, but I still don’t know how I feel about the idea of my quiet, private little street one day being intimately photographed and displayed on the web. Of course, you can already see my house on Google Maps and Google Earth; but only from above…
This afternoon I got an up-close look at vehicles equipped for street-level mapping, the sort of thing you see on Google’s Street View. The camera rig above is by far the most impressive, a huge conglomeration of cameras that remind me of Disney Circle-Vision 360°. The second vehicle, below, was more stealthy — a little Volkswagen Beetle with a single camera and a circular mirror.
It was fascinating, but I still don’t know how I feel about the idea of my quiet, private little street one day being intimately photographed and displayed on the web. Of course, you can already see my house on Google Maps and Google Earth; but only from above…
March 23, 2008
11:37 am
Politically Hairy
A little over a year ago I wrote about the then-candidate for San Jose city council from my district, Pierluigi Oliverio. I compared him to the male model style mayor Gavin Newsom, who leapt to fame as America’s Hottest Mayor. Oliverio is certainly San Jose’s hottest councilman (and I have to say, having met him and his staff a few times, he knows how to pick hunky guys and beautiful women as aides).
Of course, I voted for him because I believed that he would do his part to change the status quo and bring a less jaded, professional politician-style outlook, which he has to some extent. But the reality is that he is a good looking guy and this means that his looks become part of the story, thus:
A little over a year ago I wrote about the then-candidate for San Jose city council from my district, Pierluigi Oliverio. I compared him to the male model style mayor Gavin Newsom, who leapt to fame as America’s Hottest Mayor. Oliverio is certainly San Jose’s hottest councilman (and I have to say, having met him and his staff a few times, he knows how to pick hunky guys and beautiful women as aides).
Of course, I voted for him because I believed that he would do his part to change the status quo and bring a less jaded, professional politician-style outlook, which he has to some extent. But the reality is that he is a good looking guy and this means that his looks become part of the story, thus:
Councilman’s look changes with budget pledge to grow beard
By Scott Herhold
Mercury News
Anyone who’s followed the career of San Jose Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio knows he’s not a conventional politician. He roiled labor unions when he suggested that private contractors could clean up the Rose Garden. He’s unafraid to be on the losing end of big votes. And he’s gotten attention for posting his dating profile on the Web (“candlelight, dancing, skinny-dipping, thunderstorms”).
Now he’s embarked on a visible experiment in one of the most public arenas of all: facial hair. And this may be a moment where the rest of us can help the first-term councilman from Willow Glen.
Since Mayor Chuck Reed delivered his State of the City speech in mid-January, Oliverio has let his beard grow, vowing he wasn’t going to shave until the budget was balanced.
If he were a hockey player, he might simply let it go, perhaps trimming it around the edges for comfort. But being Oliverio means having a little bit of fun. And so his look has evolved in the past couple of months - from Don Johnson to Abe Lincoln to what he calls his Cinequest Alternative Look - something that brings to mind an Amish cowboy.
“It’s been fun,” said Oliverio, a youthful multi-tasker who says he plans to take off his goatee this week because the mayor is making good budget decisions. “Certainly it’s a lot easier to get ready for things.”
This is where the rest of us should get involved. So I’m sponsoring this column’s first online contest: If you go to http://www.mercurynews.com/scottherhold, you can vote on the Pierluigi look you think best. After all, this is a guy who would like to find his mate. Maybe we can help him.
Let me explain your choices. First, you’ve got the cleanshaven Oliverio, the guy whose mug hangs on the first floor of City Hall: a semi-angular look that’s not at all bad, showing his Italian origins.
Next up is the Don Johnson: Oliverio’s beard comes in dark, and there’s something dashing about a 3-day-old growth.
After that is the “Serpico” look, which is the full-on beard and mustache. Again, certainly a contender.
The last two, like Oliverio himself, depart from convention. On Presidents’ Day, he switched to the Abe Lincoln look, shaving off his mustache. but leaving a solid fringe of hair around his chin. Then, a couple of weeks ago, he went to the Modified Amish, trimming the fringe into long sideburns but leaving the goatee.
With his current look, Oliverio recently appeared before a group of Del Mar High School students who were complimentary. “I looked pretty hip,” said the councilman, who doesn’t suffer from false modesty.
Oliverio’s aide, Denelle Fedor, a fan of facial hair, has urged him to grow the beard. “It makes people smile,” she said. “With everything going on, it’s sometimes hard to stay in a good mood. It’s fun.”
But I would be less than a conscientious reporter if I didn’t tell you that the Abe Lincoln and the Modified Amish Cowboy have critics.
Kris Cunningham, now an aide to Supervisor Blanca Alvarado but once a candidate for the District 6 council seat, says she was talking with Alvarado recently about the Oliverio look.
“She said, ‘I think Pierluigi’s beard makes him look more handsome,’ ” Cunningham said. “I told her, ‘I think it makes him look like Abe Lincoln, which is good politically, but bad aesthetically.’ “
Here’s your chance to weigh in yourself. I’ll be reporting back on the results. As a dutiful council member, Oliverio will pay attention. Will he adopt the popular choice? Sorry, no guarantees.
March 20, 2008
02:18 pm
Adherents of the Repeated Meme
There’s a fun running joke going on over at the Doctor Who Forum — people are creating their own episode titles for avatars, and every time I come across a new one I snicker. Here’s some of my favorites…
There’s a fun running joke going on over at the Doctor Who Forum — people are creating their own episode titles for avatars, and every time I come across a new one I snicker. Here’s some of my favorites…
01:38 pm
Now you know why I follow her
March 16, 2008
07:22 pm
It’s highly addictive!
My mouth is watering, and I even know where Slurm comes from. Makes no difference. I’ll be standing in line to buy a six-pack.
In a related filing,
On February 25, 2008, Twentieth Century Fox, producer and distributor of the TV show Futurama has filed to protect the trademark Slurm in relation to “carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks; fruit drinks; fruit juices; mineral and aerated water; bottled drinking water; energy drinks; syrups and powders for making soft drinks and other beverages, namely soft drinks, fruit drinks and tea; coffee-flavored soft drinks; Ramune (Japanese soda pops); powders used in the preparation of isotonic sports drinks and sports beverages”. [Trademork]
My mouth is watering, and I even know where Slurm comes from. Makes no difference. I’ll be standing in line to buy a six-pack.
In a related filing,
On November 7, 2007, The Simpsons creator Matt Groening filed to protect the trademark Life In Hell, in relation to his long-running comic featuring Akbar and Jeff and a bunch of anthropomorphic rabbits.
This new filing, however, departs from previous filings and covers “entertainment services, namely, an ongoing television series featuring animated and live-action programs, comedy, drama and music; production of television programs containing animated and live-action programs, comedy, drama and music; production and distribution of feature films containing animated and live-action programs, comedy, drama and music”.
March 11, 2008
04:08 pm
The Red Carpet Calls
…and just my luck, I’m 3,000 miles away.
DC Shorts, the film festival I co-founded, is a finalist for the Washington, DC Mayor’s Arts Awards for Innovation in the Arts. The award is the most prestigious given by the city.
Tony Gittens, Executive Director of the D.C. Commission on the Arts says, “Washington’s artistic talent rivals that of any major world-class city. The Mayor’s Arts Award is our way of acknowledging the amazing contributions made to Washington’s cultural vitality.”
We are so excited — and would love to see you support us at the free ceremony at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Monday, March 17, 2008, at 6:00pm. Yes, it is St. Patrick’s Day — but we promise you will be out by 8:00 — in time for green merriment.
The evening is free and open to the public. No tickets are necessary for the award ceremony, but it is suggested that you RSVP to or 202.724.5613 so the DCCAH can anticipate the audience size.
I wish I could be there myself, but the honor of nomination doesn’t include a plane ticket for me… but you’ll find my pal Jon Gann, the one who roped me into doing a film festival.
…and just my luck, I’m 3,000 miles away.
DC Shorts, the film festival I co-founded, is a finalist for the Washington, DC Mayor’s Arts Awards for Innovation in the Arts. The award is the most prestigious given by the city.
Tony Gittens, Executive Director of the D.C. Commission on the Arts says, “Washington’s artistic talent rivals that of any major world-class city. The Mayor’s Arts Award is our way of acknowledging the amazing contributions made to Washington’s cultural vitality.”
We are so excited — and would love to see you support us at the free ceremony at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Monday, March 17, 2008, at 6:00pm. Yes, it is St. Patrick’s Day — but we promise you will be out by 8:00 — in time for green merriment.
The evening is free and open to the public. No tickets are necessary for the award ceremony, but it is suggested that you RSVP to or 202.724.5613 so the DCCAH can anticipate the audience size.
I wish I could be there myself, but the honor of nomination doesn’t include a plane ticket for me… but you’ll find my pal Jon Gann, the one who roped me into doing a film festival.
08:56 am
Fan Fic
My idea for a “Doctor Who” episode:
The time is spring. People all over America are preparing for night’s sleep by turning their clocks forward by an hour in preparation for Daylight Savings Time.
In the morning when they wake, they are astonished to discover that the collective concentration on the time jump has resulted in a real time jump, and the entire planet is now living one hour in the future, confusing the hell out of everyone as timey-wimey anomalies abound and paradoxes begin to form.
Can the Doctor unravel the mess in time, or will Earth plunge into a time whirlpool?
::grin::
My idea for a “Doctor Who” episode:
The time is spring. People all over America are preparing for night’s sleep by turning their clocks forward by an hour in preparation for Daylight Savings Time.
In the morning when they wake, they are astonished to discover that the collective concentration on the time jump has resulted in a real time jump, and the entire planet is now living one hour in the future, confusing the hell out of everyone as timey-wimey anomalies abound and paradoxes begin to form.
Can the Doctor unravel the mess in time, or will Earth plunge into a time whirlpool?
::grin::
February 27, 2008
06:55 pm
Ah, the ressurection
They’re back!
They’re back!
February 19, 2008
07:37 pm
50 is the new 30
Carrie Fisher is one of those women who was gorgeous when young but reached a phase in her 40s when she wasn’t quite as glamorous. But then after a certain age, she suddenly became beautiful again: take a look at this photo of Fisher from the Chronicle. Now in her 50s, she has entered a new phase of beauty. Gorgeous!
Carrie Fisher is one of those women who was gorgeous when young but reached a phase in her 40s when she wasn’t quite as glamorous. But then after a certain age, she suddenly became beautiful again: take a look at this photo of Fisher from the Chronicle. Now in her 50s, she has entered a new phase of beauty. Gorgeous!
February 04, 2008
04:23 pm
It was a pain to build, but what craftsmanship
I find things like this fascinating:
View Larger Map
See that house there? That’s the Dream House that Mr. Blandings built. Seriously!
When they filmed “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House,” in 1948 they built an actual, practical house on the Fox Ranch (today it is Malibu Creek State Park). The house was built at 7/8 scale in order to make Cary Grant appear taller, and the interior walls are “wild” — moveable — to allow for flexibility in filming.
Before the Fox Ranch was converted to a park, the same house was used for the plantation in “Roots.” Today the house still stands at the entrance to the park, where it is used by the park rangers as an administrative office.
They don’t build film sets like they used to, eh?
I find things like this fascinating:
View Larger Map
See that house there? That’s the Dream House that Mr. Blandings built. Seriously!
When they filmed “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House,” in 1948 they built an actual, practical house on the Fox Ranch (today it is Malibu Creek State Park). The house was built at 7/8 scale in order to make Cary Grant appear taller, and the interior walls are “wild” — moveable — to allow for flexibility in filming.
Before the Fox Ranch was converted to a park, the same house was used for the plantation in “Roots.” Today the house still stands at the entrance to the park, where it is used by the park rangers as an administrative office.
They don’t build film sets like they used to, eh?
January 16, 2008
02:55 pm
Best of San Jose: Get High
Last weekend, I took a drive to Lick Observatory, which is technically in San Jose yet thousands of feet above it. As the crow flies, it’s about 14 miles from downtown, but in actual terms it’s 24 miles… and it takes a bit more than an hour to drive there. That’s because the road to the observatory was built in the 19th century to accommodate the horses used for construction, keeping the grade low. The narrow road winds through the foothills east of the city and up Mount Hamilton, with 365 pretty sharp curves and switchbacks along the way. Despite the reckless behavior of motorcyclists, I found it wise not to exceed 20 miles per hour on the trip.
The drive is tantalizing: round a corner and you suddenly realize how far up you’ve gone because a panorama is unveiled before you, mountains shrouded in clouds — and there is a point when you discover that the clouds are below you. The gradual grade of the road means that you don’t have a sense of going up a mountain so high.
One sees the observatory many times, just beyond trees or behind a ridge, but every curve means that you’re not as close as you think. Finally, upon arrival at the summit 4,200 feet above sea level, one parks at the observatory’s main building and looks across the parking lot to see the entire Bay Area from north of San Francisco to south of San Jose, spread out like a miniature 2D model.
The Lick Observatory itself is one of those old buildings that aren’t built like that anymore. Even the door hinges are beautiful. Inside are displays of astronomical photos taken by the observatory, along with some interesting artifacts such as the only seismographical record of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. (There’s a modern seismograph there as well, with the plot from October 30 last year when we had the 5.6 earthquake; the trace goes wildly off the map for a while and there are seemingly hundreds of aftershocks on the graph.)
The highlight, of course, is the great Lick Refractor, an enormous telescope housed within a beautiful dome with inlaid floors and steampunk architecture. Informal talks are given every half hour in the dome at no charge by knowledgeable University of California docents.
I was most interested in how astronomers manage to reach the telescope. Photos show the eyepiece at, well, eye level; but while I was there the telescope was a good 20 feet above. Does the telescope move up and down? The answer was fascinating. The beautiful inlaid wood floor actually rises and lowers around the central telescope pier through hydraulic power. A water tank on the next, higher peak provided the hydraulic lift in the 1800s when electricity had yet to reach Mt. Hamilton.
One last bit of slightly disturbing trivia: James Lick, the man whose fortune built the observatory, never made it to the top of Mt. Hamilton — until he died. His body is interred at the base of the telecope’s pier, beneath the rising and lowering floor where, hidden from view, a plaque marks his final resting place.
Last weekend, I took a drive to Lick Observatory, which is technically in San Jose yet thousands of feet above it. As the crow flies, it’s about 14 miles from downtown, but in actual terms it’s 24 miles… and it takes a bit more than an hour to drive there. That’s because the road to the observatory was built in the 19th century to accommodate the horses used for construction, keeping the grade low. The narrow road winds through the foothills east of the city and up Mount Hamilton, with 365 pretty sharp curves and switchbacks along the way. Despite the reckless behavior of motorcyclists, I found it wise not to exceed 20 miles per hour on the trip.
The drive is tantalizing: round a corner and you suddenly realize how far up you’ve gone because a panorama is unveiled before you, mountains shrouded in clouds — and there is a point when you discover that the clouds are below you. The gradual grade of the road means that you don’t have a sense of going up a mountain so high.
One sees the observatory many times, just beyond trees or behind a ridge, but every curve means that you’re not as close as you think. Finally, upon arrival at the summit 4,200 feet above sea level, one parks at the observatory’s main building and looks across the parking lot to see the entire Bay Area from north of San Francisco to south of San Jose, spread out like a miniature 2D model.
The Lick Observatory itself is one of those old buildings that aren’t built like that anymore. Even the door hinges are beautiful. Inside are displays of astronomical photos taken by the observatory, along with some interesting artifacts such as the only seismographical record of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. (There’s a modern seismograph there as well, with the plot from October 30 last year when we had the 5.6 earthquake; the trace goes wildly off the map for a while and there are seemingly hundreds of aftershocks on the graph.)
The highlight, of course, is the great Lick Refractor, an enormous telescope housed within a beautiful dome with inlaid floors and steampunk architecture. Informal talks are given every half hour in the dome at no charge by knowledgeable University of California docents.
I was most interested in how astronomers manage to reach the telescope. Photos show the eyepiece at, well, eye level; but while I was there the telescope was a good 20 feet above. Does the telescope move up and down? The answer was fascinating. The beautiful inlaid wood floor actually rises and lowers around the central telescope pier through hydraulic power. A water tank on the next, higher peak provided the hydraulic lift in the 1800s when electricity had yet to reach Mt. Hamilton.
One last bit of slightly disturbing trivia: James Lick, the man whose fortune built the observatory, never made it to the top of Mt. Hamilton — until he died. His body is interred at the base of the telecope’s pier, beneath the rising and lowering floor where, hidden from view, a plaque marks his final resting place.
January 10, 2008
08:07 am
They were too repressed in the 60s
I think that this scene from the “Torchwood” series 2 premiere is an update of an old Star Trek episode — specifically, this is what should have happened when Kirk met Finnegan on the amusement planet. Watch it and you’ll see what I mean.
I think that this scene from the “Torchwood” series 2 premiere is an update of an old Star Trek episode — specifically, this is what should have happened when Kirk met Finnegan on the amusement planet. Watch it and you’ll see what I mean.
December 14, 2007
09:24 am
The Three Year Itch
Something happened a few years ago: everything went on hiatus.
Futurama quietly went away. Dead Like Me went off the air. And I left DC for California.
But it all seemed to be just a temporary thing. First, Futurama returned; next month I’ll be returning; and soon, Dead Like Me will be resurrected:
Something happened a few years ago: everything went on hiatus.
Futurama quietly went away. Dead Like Me went off the air. And I left DC for California.
But it all seemed to be just a temporary thing. First, Futurama returned; next month I’ll be returning; and soon, Dead Like Me will be resurrected:
December 12, 2007
08:31 am
You’ve got to love a tall man
Evidently, he’s not quite as tall as the Washington Post’s photographer.
Evidently, he’s not quite as tall as the Washington Post’s photographer.
