Monthly Archive for March, 2008
I guess I’ve been making out with too many activists to update this blog. They really do make the worst lovers, but I can’t help myself. They talk the talk and get pretty vocal. Their performance, on the other hand, are lacking and get progressively intolerable. I guess it’s effective in a way. They make me want to pull out.
Anyway, tonight Tuesday March 25, 7 pm at Housing Works Used Bookstore, authors from the 33 1/3 series will be reading their works.
A reading and conversation with 33 1/3 authors Kim Cooper (Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea), Andrew Hultkrans (Love’s Forever Changes)and Amanda Petrusich (Nick Drake’s Pink Moon). Moderated by Keith Bearden. With Q& A & signing.
I was hoping to hear from Kate Schatz (PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me), but it looks like she can’t make the trip. I managed to thumb through her short book during one of those dreadfully ho-humm readings at the Union Square B&N.
It’s hard to explain the series. They’re like glorified pieces of musical analysis (that seriously borders on fanfic) made by rock geeks who also happen to be good writers. Check it out.
Check out this video of Tom Wolfe and Fernando Otero’s event at the Union Square Barnes & Noble. I haven’t actually spotted myself yet, but I know my freshly shorn head bobbed up and down somewhere in the back and to the right.
Around 40 minutes in, Wolfe — in his trademark white suit — does a pretty decent reading of Bonfire of the Vanities, which he claims doesn’t have an outrightly conservative message. Though he doesn’t deny it either.
I loved how there was no question/answer session (no sarcasm here, seriously I hate Q/As), but I enjoyed the event even more when they announced Wolfe wouldn’t be signing any books. It made most of the pricks get up and leave. Jerks like the guy beside me who, in a rush to grab a pre-autographed copy of The Right Stuff, pushed me out of my seat and stepped on my coral pink DS Lite. Joke’s on him, though. He dropped his pricey-looking Barney’s leather driving gloves. Take a guess on who mindlessly slipped them hidden under some bookshelves.
Sex is god’s little joke
- One of Wolfe’s jokes about Spitzer
But to be honest, I was more impressed by Otero’s music, which the event opens and closes with. He’s got one damn fine violinist (Nick Danielson), too. Makes me kind of wish I didn’t get kicked out of my high school string ensemble (second violin chair, woot).
And the beauty of YouTube is you can step back in time and check out Otero showing mad skills from 15 years ago.
I’m a writer, not a techie, so I was very much appreciative of all the technical help during my session. Thanks again for your wonderful support and feedback.
A TXT Writers’ Workshop: Literature in < 140 Characters.
a BarcampNYC3 presentation
Can literature be achieved through the SMS medium?
The #1 selling novel last year in Japan was written entirely on a cell phone (Koizora or Love Sky by Mika). It had 20 million subscribers, and was made entirely out of the short fragments and broken dialogue between the novel’s characters.
Happy pi day!
First there were Lincoln Logs. Then there was Phun, the latest technological recapitulation of the construction toy.
What’s so damn important about playing with pixelated Lego bricks, you ask? Well let’s just say it lets the next generation…
Yesterday I rushed to get to work by 8:55 just to count down the minutes until 9 am, and it was actually well worth it. I managed to get one of the ten elusive tickets for BarcampNYC3. Since it sold out, they’re only releasing 10 tix at a time Monday mornings and the Thursday prior.
BarCampNYC3 is an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos, and interaction from attendees. The event doesn’t cost any money, but there is a price: all attendees must give a demo, a session, or help with one.
Han Yu and Josh Keay were raving on and on about last year’s Barcamp. I’ve never been to one, so I don’t know what to expect. I’m just thankful that NYC Technogeeks tend to be hygenic. Much unlike the gamers in my college.
My planned contribution will be a TXT Writers’ Workshop: Literature in < 140 chars.