Is the End at Hand? June 30, 2008
Posted by Matt in random, science.Tags: Armageddon, black hole, dimensions, end of the world, science
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According to some, it just may be.
Scientists with the European Organization for Nuclear Research have been working for years on a project that will soon be ready for testing. It is a project that could prove to be a huge boon to theoretical physics and string theory, but also carries the side effect that it may possibly cause the end of the world. This project, known as the Large Hadron Collider, is the most powerful atom-smasher ever built. It consists of a ring of supercooled magnets 17 miles in circumference attached to huge barrel-shaped detectors.
Scientists believe this device could be used to prove the existence of the invisible “dark matter” that is theorized to make up more than 96% of the universe. They also hypothesize that they may find evidence of extra dimensions, helping to further bolster superstring theory.
Critics tend to look at the downside of these great possibilities, though, complaining that the collisions caused by the accelerator may possibly create a black hole, which would swallow the entire earth, ultimately destroying life as we know it.
Have a nice day…
A New Kind of Diet – pt.2 June 28, 2008
Posted by Matt in food.Tags: challenge, food stamp
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So, I didn’t do so well on the Food Stamp Challenge. The first few days were a piece of cake, but by this morning (the fifth day) I had run out of milk, so breakfast suddenly became a lot tougher. It was then that I decided to throw in the towel for this go-around, but I will be back again and next time I’ll be visiting the local Aldi.
And, given that we have guests coming over for Sunday lunch, it would have been really hard to feed on leftover beans and rice while they at a virtual feast.
Looking for Wisdom 06/27/08 June 27, 2008
Posted by Matt in Looking for Wisdom.Tags: blog, search
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One of the really cool things about blogging on WordPress is the ability to see the search terms that lead other people to my blog – some of them tend to be rather strange. Here are just a few of them from the last week:
How to cut little girls hair
Folsom daycare blues
jellied moose nose
Memphis hood talk
Why do I suffer so many tragedies?
Kaz the minotaur
Sound of a Generation – pt.1 June 27, 2008
Posted by Matt in Sound of a Generation.Tags: angst, Generation X, music, Nirvana
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There are various descriptors tossed about to describe generational differences – whether they be akin to values or judgments or worldviews or any other number of characteristics that set one group apart from another. There may be no arena in which these differences are more pronounced than in that of the music we listen to.
It is through the arts, and, at least for this entry, music in particular, that this overarching worldview is proclaimed – sometimes in an almost inaudible whisper, sometimes with a tone of reasonableness, and sometimes with a violent, challenging cry to masses for change, a veritable call to arms in the battle for supremacy.
The music of the 1960’s and early 70’s was especially important in this way as it aided the civil rights struggle and strongly fomented the anti-war movement. It was music of hope, and spoke of an unbridled idealism that people could make a difference in the world. Entire movements were formed around the sounds of the time as young people tirelessly worked for change.
But something happened along the way.
By the 1980’s, popular music had moved from being a rallying cry, to something empty and vacuous. Superficiality and rabid materialism infected the masses, suburbs grew, fences went up, and the idealistic dream of the 1960’s died a painful death.
By the turn of decade, the nation was at war, the economy was in recession, the plague of AIDS was spreading and the youth of America were feeling more disaffected than ever. They were angry and disappointed and coming to the realization that our generation, Generation X, would be the first one that was not better off than our parents.
But then, something arose from the fog-shrouded city of Seattle that changed everything and gave us, the disaffected youth of Generation X, a new type of music displaying our angst and anger and rocking the proverbial boat as few had before. It was empowering, revolutionary, and announced our generation, not with a megaphone, but with a ragged, disquieting scream. And, so, to end part one of our series – the song that defined a generation:
Throwback Thursday #3 June 26, 2008
Posted by Matt in Throwback Thursday.Tags: cubicle, poetry, work
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I think we can all agree that recycling is a good thing. With that in mind, many of us make a strong effort to do so with aluminum cans and paper and plastics. What better way is there for this blog to show its support of recycling than by reusing older blog entries from the past 2.5 years that some of you might have missed the first time around? Without further ado, welcome to our semi-regular feature: Throwback Thursday.
Gleaming the Cubicle
Originally Posted 9/12/2006
Your walls remain drab and gray
A dystopian world so barren
Despite the bleakness, when I’m bored
At them, I am a-starin’
Though you are just eight by ten
You contain all that I need
A computer, phone, and some books
When I need help, to read
You have no windows, nor door to close
But I can live with that
Who the heck needs privacy
Or blue skies to look at?
I’ve only been here a few short months
So to others, I’m just a novice
But I can’t help but wonder
When I’ll get a real office!
More Birthday Wishes June 25, 2008
Posted by Matt in family.Tags: birthday, family
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I need to take a moment this morning to wish a happy birthday to my mom! It was on this day that she came into the world in the little delta town of Marvell, AR, and nothing has been the same ever since. She’s a wonderful mother and grandmother and we love her a lot. Have a great day, mom, you deserve it!
Ten for Tuesday: Best of 2008 (so far) June 24, 2008
Posted by Matt in music, top ten.Tags: 2008, Best Of, Coldplay, drive-by truckers, Mountain Goats, Mudcrutch, music, My Morning Jacket, Nine Inch Nails, Portishead, R.E.M., Raconteurs, Thao, Vampire Weekend
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Everyone knows that I’m a huge fan of music, regardless of genres or amount of radio airplay (and sometimes in spite of). I’ve downloaded several albums (mostly from emusic) so far this year and there have been several that really caught my ear – here are just a few of them.
Honorable Mention:
Thao – We Brave Bee Stings and All
I first heard of this group from NPR’s All Songs Considered podcast and quickly became a fan. Thao Nguyen is a hugely talented singer, drawing comparisons with artists the caliber of Cat Power, whose country-tinged latest album is certainly worth listening to.
Download: Bag of Hammers, Swimming Pools
10. Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely
I like Jack White, a lot. His masterful guitar spontaneity with the White Stripes has placed him high in the great rock pantheon. The Raconteurs have moved somewhat away from the Zeppelin-tribute band sound of their first album, which is sometimes a welcome change and makes for a much more diversified group of recordings this time around, but many of these variations hurt the overall cohesiveness of the album. While this album is nowhere near the level of much of the Stripes’ catalog, it is still pretty strong overall and certainly worth checking out.
Download: Salute Your Solution, Carolina Drama
9. Nine Inch Nails – The Slip
Following in the footsteps of Radiohead, Trent Reznor released the latest album of his band (consisting of Reznor and anyone else he can scrape up) through their website for free. I had been a big Nails fan as a teen, but I lost track of them during the empty years following the mid-90’s classic, The Downward Spiral. And here, some 14 years later, their brand of hopeless nihilism has again blown me away.
Download: 1,000,000, Discipline
8. The Mountain Goats – Heretic Pride
John Darnielle is an incredibly clever wordsmith and once again he shows his great gift for metaphor with this work, even though his nasally voice may understandably grate on some people’s ears. For me, though, this is one of the best releases of the year thus far, and I’m looking forward to owning more of this band’s catalog through emusic.
Download: San Bernadino, Autoclave
7. Mudcrutch – Mudcrutch
With bands like Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers achieving massive amounts of fame, the 1970’s was a pinnacle for the country-rock fusion of styles. Amid that, a little band called Mudcrutch was started, but broke up before releasing their debut album, opting instead to take the name Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and move in a slightly different direction. Earlier this year, Petty and his cohorts came together again to record that long-delayed debut and, with a mixture of bluegrass, country, and good old rock, it is a great listen.
Download: Shady Grove, Topanga Cowgirl
6. Portishead – Third
Ten years after their last album, Beth Gibbons and her band Portishead have finally emerged from the shadows, a response to the beckoning of their many fans around the world to deliver yet another great piece of dirge-like trip-hop, the music genre they popularized. While not as stellar as the 1994’s incredible Dummy, this strange mixture of acid-jazz and techno with cabaret-like singing will still send unsettling shivers up your spine.
Download: The Rip, Nylon Smile
5. Coldplay – Viva La Vida
If there is a band that epitomizes the music era of the early 21st century, it is most likely this group of Londoners, led by frontman Chris Martin, and their brand of introspective anthemic rock reminiscent of Radiohead and U2. Their last release, X&Y, was somewhat disappointing when compared to their two previous albums, which by most accounts are modern day classics, but their latest is a great improvement and much more satisfying.
Download: Lost!, Violet Hill
4. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
This debut album of literate pop songs shook the music world over the past year, as the sounds of Vampire Weekend spread across the internet like wildfire, further proving the mettle of this medium in the making of stars. I read a review sometime ago that compared their music to someone trying to turn a Wes Anderson movie into a song…and that’s a good thing.
Download: Mansard Roof, Oxford Comma
3. REM – Accelerate
I had pretty much lost track of Michael Stipe and the boys several years ago as they slid into a state of post-Bill Berry mediocrity, so it was with a bit of apprehension that I picked up their newest album. So, it was a pleasant surprise to find that perhaps this fixture of the late 80’s and 90’s wasn’t finished after all. By reaching back into the past and rediscovering the sound of their earlier recordings, REM came out a bit heavier and louder (a la Monster, only better), and blew away fans with their strongest album since Automatic for the People.
Download: Living Well is the Best Revenge, Supernatural Superserious
2. Drive-By Truckers – Brighter than Creation’s Dark
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of these southern rockers, but even I was a little disappointed by their last effort, A Blessing and a Curse. But, no need to fear, Patterson Hood and the band are back with their strongest effort since the modern classic Decoration Day. The Truckers’ dark tales of death and drugs and loneliness are some of the best tunes being written today.
Download: The Righteous Path, Lisa’s Birthday
1. My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges
There are few albums I anticipated the release of more than Jacket’s latest and, once again, they have definitely not disappointed. The band’s sound has evolved a good bit over the course of their three albums into some strange, psychedelic cloud in which Neil Young and Prince participate in some trippy jam session. Yeah, it’s that good.
Download: Evil Urges, I’m Amazed
A New Kind of Diet June 23, 2008
Posted by Matt in food, poverty.Tags: challenge, food stamp, poor
4 comments
I love food – and all kinds of it – so, for that reason, I’ve never been big on dieting. I can do without Atkins and South Beach and all of those other programs. But, with our community garden project nearing its first harvest and the people around me feeling the pinch due to rising food costs, I decided to try something different, to step into the shoes of one of my fellow human beings and try to get an idea of what their plight consists of.
Starting tomorrow, I’m taking the food stamp challenge.
I first read about this sometime last year in our local free newspaper, The Memphis Flyer, and, though I was intrigued by it then, I did nothing about it. But now I feel it is time to act. I’ve never had to worry about where my next meal was coming from before and, besides some time on WIC when Rachel was a baby, we’ve never needed any type of assistance with feeding our family. I feel a certain affinity toward the needy, but despite that being the case, it is hard for me to understand to condition of poverty. So, for the next week (and, who knows, maybe even longer), I’m going to don the footwear of our city’s poor to gain just a glimpse of some of the difficulties they face.
According to this Memphis Flyer article from May 2007, the average allotment of food stamps for one person (I’m not forcing my pregnant wife or children to do this) in the city is $22.47. My challenge, then, is to buy a week’s worth of groceries for myself, spending around the average amount, and trying to keep it at least relatively healthy. So, this evening I went to our local Schnucks and set out on my quest for greater empathy.
The first thing you notice is just how hard it is to buy fresh fruits and vegetables on so little money. I had to give up my regular lunchtime apples (a bag of five of them would have cost $3.25), but I did hit the jackpot on cabbage (only $0.59/pound!). I picked up enough food to cook three meals, which, with leftovers, should carry me through the next seven days. My meals will look something like this:
Breakfast: Multigrain cereal and milk
Lunch: Tuna sandwiches and yogurt
Dinner:
Beans and Rice / Cabbage
Hamburger Helper with ground turkey / Green beans
Ramen with canned chicken / Mixed vegetables
My total came out to just slightly over the average amount at $24.08, but I thought it was close enough this time around. Maybe next time I’ll try to hit a discount grocery store instead and get more for my money.
So, what do you say? Who’s with me?
Back from the Bay June 23, 2008
Posted by Matt in books, family, friends, vacation.Tags: beach, family, Harper Lee, kids, Mobile, vacation
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Well, we survived our jaunt down south to visit our friends in Mobile, AL, though it sure isn’t easy returning back to the grind after four days off. Besides the five stops we had to make between Southaven and Jackson, and despite the fact that a trip that would normally have a duration of 6-6.5 hours took 9, the drive down was rather uneventful. Those of you with small children will surely agree that day-long drives do not make for pleasant experiences.
Once we arrived in Mobile on Thursday evening we settled in with our friends, Andy and Clara, for dinner and visited for a few hours afterwards. Our initial attempts to place both children in the same bed backfired, so Rachel ended up spending a good bit of the weekend sleeping on the couch.
Andy had to work on Friday, so the rest of us took time to visit the nearby beach on Dauphin island. Though we had Rachel five years ago when we visited some friends of our in Florida, this was the first time she was actually cognizant of everything. The two of them had a blast and probably could have spent all day playing in the water and the sand, collecting sea shells and watching the small fish swim around them.
We had a great meal of local seafood that evening and finished the evening full and happy.
On Saturday, Andy and I made the drive to Monroeville, AL, the home of Harper Lee and sometime childhood home of Truman Capote. The courtroom is set up just as it was in the movie version of To Kill a Mockingbird, as you can see here from the “colored” seats in the balcony.
In addition to this, there were rooms set up with exhibits of both authors. Afterwards we headed to Radley’s Diner for a hearty lunch and made the 80 mile trip back to Mobile. While we were gone, Diana and Clara took the girls to a water park/amusement park in nearby Gulf Shores, where they also had a fine time.
It was a great trip and a real experience for the girls as they were able to see the vastness of the ocean for the first time in their young lives. I was glad to see Andy, a guy who has been one of my best friends for probably 25 years, and they were, in turn, happy to have the rare visit from someone that they knew.
Headin’ South June 19, 2008
Posted by Matt in friends, vacation.Tags: Alabama, beach, Mobile, ocean, vacation
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Having two young children and another on the way tends to limit your vacation options – especially when you consider how expensive it is getting to travel nowadays. That being the case, when searching out a vacation spot for this summer, we mainly looked at locations in which we had family or friends with which we could stay. When our planned trip to southern California fell through some time ago, we reviewed our options and decided on the next best beach choice we had – visiting my good friend Andy in Mobile, Alabama.
While the beaches around Mobile/Gulf Shores may not be quite up to par with those in Huntington Beach, I think it will still be very enjoyable and I’m sure the girls won’t mind since this is there first time (well, Rachel went to a beach when she was 6 months old, but that doesn’t really count) to spend time on a coast. I’m really excited about seeing Andy and his wife Clara, who I only get the chance to hand out with a few times a year now.
So, everybody have a great weekend. I’ll try to check in some over the next few days, but I’m sure you’ll understand if I don’t.
