Monthly Archives: March 2009

Desert Island Pen

The Pen Addict gets questions:

I was asked by @dancoopermedia on Twitter the other day for a pen recommendation, specifically, if I could have only one retractable pen, what would it be? I didn't have to think very long before mentioning that I would pick the Pilot G-2 0.38mm and be a happy camper. The pen writes great, is durable, and very affordable. If I need to get something done and need a pen that I know isn't going to give be any trouble, the G-2 0.38mm is the pen I grab.

I've always liked the Pilot Precise V5, though Mrs. Cleek correctly notes that the ink is water-soluble and runs if you get the paper wet. This would be a concern on an island.

Presidential Porn

In Join Or Die, I paint myself having sex with the Presidents of the United States in chronological order. I am interested in humanizing and demythologizing the Presidents by addressing their public legacies and private lives. The presidency itself is a seemingly immortal and impenetrable institution; by inserting myself in its timeline, I attempt to locate something intimate and mortal. I use this intimacy to subvert authority, but it demands that I make myself vulnerable along with the Presidents.

No, really.

YouTube Trick

Speaking of timing...

I just discovered something very handy. You can tell YouTube to start a video at a specific point. For example, here I will tell it to start playing Michael Jackson's "Bad" video at the point where the guy does the moonwalk on rollerskates.

Just add "#t3m56s" to the end of your YouTube URL to skip to 3:56. No more need to tell people to "skip to 3:56 to see what I'm talking about" !

Go right to the action... Boom!

I'm sure everybody already knows this.

Bad Timing

Boston.com:

TOKYO—A 93-year-old Japanese man has become the first person certified as a survivor of both U.S. atomic bombings at the end of World War II, officials said Tuesday.

Tsutomu Yamaguchi had already been a certified "hibakusha," or radiation survivor, of the Aug. 9, 1945, atomic bombing in Nagasaki, but has now been confirmed as surviving the attack on Hiroshima three days earlier as well, city officials said.

Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on a business trip on Aug. 6, 1945, when a U.S. B-29 dropped an atomic bomb on the city. He suffered serious burns to his upper body and spent the night in the city. He then returned to his hometown of Nagasaki just in time for the second attack, city officials said.

Nikon D100, 28-80mm