Keep your kids safe.

via Kynn.

View on the way into work today. Pretty in a June Gloom way. Onward into the weekend!

Wood Beez is turning into one of those songs that I play over and over and over and over in an effort to, what, understand? Get it? Enjoy? The video is deconstructionist frippery, and ultimately harmless. The black pride salute reference is an interesting choice.

I remember liking Perfect Way and Wood Beez, and taping them off the radio (91X, Rock of the 80s as they were called in the 1980s) onto cassettes, but it never got past that. Turns out Scritti Politti are a rather interesting band, or rather Green Gartside is an interesting engine that powers the band. Here’s the main internet fansite. It’s suitably odd and enjoyable.

In 1985 I was 15 years old and was much more info Talking Heads and New Order and Roxy Music. A lot of other stuff too, but those were the bands I was obsessed over. Scritti Politti was cool but it wasn’t the kind of nonsense that hit me in the gut. Now, when David Byrne screams “You can’t see it, until it’s finished!” on Artists Only, that hit me in the gut.

There are 1980s stations now, but the range of what they play tends to miss songs like Wood Beez or odder fare like Gang of Four or Pere Ubu or Nina Hagen—but these are the oddities that I think of when I think 1980s.

Interesting interface, nice timeline, pretty. I intend to look at the JavaScript under the hood.

Beat that, internet!

Interview with Stew

Hilarious and insightful, as he often is:

Here’s a quote!

What did you know about theater or Broadway before you developed this show?

Very little. I had a lot of respect for people like Bertolt Brecht. I had read Brecht, and he touches a lot of rock performers more than any other theorist or writer in the theater world, I think, because his theories are very rock ‘n’ roll. Like the way he talks about the way an actor plays a role without trying to make anyone think that they are that character, and reminds the audience that they’re watching a play. In high school, when you’re a rock ‘n’ roll stoner, your mortal enemies are the thespians. We thought that musical theater was the dorkiest thing in the world and had nothing to do with the music we listened to. And quite frankly we still feel that way. I mean, uh, we don’t understand why Broadway doesn’t, for the most part, utilize the music of the street, the car, the headphones.

Very enjoyable.

And also: Stew Plays Drunk at the Obies (read the whole thing), it does get a bit too wild for work:

Because of Stew, I am looking forward to the Tony Awards.

I don’t believe it either.

Pay no attention. Thanks. Also, very busy. No blog post today. Glad Leah’s back though.

Back in January I indicated I wanted Obama to be my President. I still do.

Yesterday I saw the new Indiana Jones movie with Jukebox JT and his wife, and the seeing and the talking after was fun, but the movie is not, uh, good. But I don’t want to talk about that. I’ve got a backlog of stuff to mention. Ready? Go!

I used to work with Electromute, I thought of myself as older and wiser—very big-brotherly, then my life imploded and we were just friends. But this post she recently blogged (after not blogging, like, ever) makes me feel proud of her in that familiar big bro way.

Leah is still in Colombia and has no flickr access and spotty internet, but still managed to post some photos and words. Awesome! Miss her a lot but hope she’s having a great time.

Undercover Black Man has blogged a third time about the UK band Black Kids and it’s about time I posted the video: I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend I like from them. I just sent it to my pal Erin with the subject “Like the Cure with a better sense of humor, also cuter”:

I kid. I still like the Cure pretty well.

John Scalzi’s take on the current election cycle is enjoyable.

Oh, and I’m happy that Obama is the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party. VERY happy.

Paul Kedrosky is a financial guy who I enjoy reading—he posted a video of a TV piece that featured talking about the 2-for-1 housing deal.

Nick Mamatas continues to make me laugh—this one Some some some I some I murder some I some I let go—I’ve read it several times, and showed it to Leah. Becuase sometimes, it’s not about the art, it’s about getting paid. Actually, it reminded me of this post: An Amusing Bit of Unnecessary Encouragement from Scalzi.

Speaking of money, it’s been two weeks since I’ve gotten a paycheck. The dayjob is so funny. They seem not to manage transitions very well. They get very predictable in when the checks get cut (I invoice weekly), then they’re simply not. Thank God Leah and I have built up an emergency fund for when they get goofy. I also like that they’ve started to feel guilty when they have these hiccups.

I’ve been reading this blog, from a local SEO company. Mostly it’s overly verbose, but this post has a nice summary of a conference session: Diagnosing Web Site Architecture Issues from the Search Marketing Expo: SMX Advanced 2008held in Seattle this week. Good links to useful tools.

Also, why aren’t you reading Cat and Girl? Still my favorite webcomic.

Another webcomic: Dumm Comics is new, but daily during the week, and funny. It’s an anthology and a clever idea. My favorite is Katie Rice’s Skadi.

I continue to look forward to the Watchmen movie. Evidence: here and here. At the very least it looks excellent.

That’s all the misc I can fit into the past hour, so that’ll have to do it.

What are you reading these days? What’s got you thinking and laughing? Please post it in the comments!