meeting of the moment

the place is the LV strip on hallowe'en ...
2 drunk waldos (as in "where's?") get approached by a solo drunk waldo.
duo: dude! you look grrrreat! where are you goin'?
solo: i don't know. i'm so fuckin' lost.

sonic has extended "happy hour" by 1. new hours 14:00 - 17:00. this is a great, great day.

trivia of the moment

"three power grids gird the continental US -- one crossing 39 eastern
states, one for 11 western states and one for texas."

-- USA today

{if i was editing that article, i wouldn't allow the grid-gird combo.}

quote of the moment

"our objective is to ... transform the property to cater to the middle,
which is everybody who come to las vegas except for the extremes."

-- alex yemenidjian, tropicana CEO

the birdhead in response to the captcha problem earlier: Maybe if you hit "reload" it'll give you the text of the footnote.

one from the "now what do you do?" department: i just had a captcha with a footnote number tagged on the end.

quote of the moment

{the entirety of this is ripped off from maximum PC and is their ©.
original can be found here:
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/reviews/dyson_air_multiplier_review}

Dyson Air Multiplier Review
How much can Mr. Fancy really do to reinvent the table fan?
Love him or hate him, you probably have a strong opinion of James
Dyson, he of the haughty British accent and high-tech vacuum cleaners.
When Dyson hawks his inventions on TV—explaining what was so hideously
wrong with older technology, and how his gear solves everything, and for
this you dare not look at him directly in the eyes—we sort of want to
yell at him. 'Your pie hole: Shut it! You invented a new type of vacuum
cleaner, dude, not cold fusion!'
But the fact remains that Dyson vacuum cleaners do kick ass, and their
bagless design is an innovation we happily pay for.
So what, then, can we make of the Dyson Air Multiplier, a new type of
air-blowing machine (our grandparents called them 'fans') that features
a bladeless design? We tested the 10-inch tabletop model, and found
it's a pretty good fan with some winning features, but a tough swallow
at $299.99.
If you think this 10-inch baby bear version is costly, consider that
the 40-inch papa bear tower model costs $449.99.
As you'll notice, the Air Multiplier lacks visible blades. That's
because the fan's main air driver, a motor-driven impeller similar to
a car's turbocharger unit, sits hidden in the Air Multiplier's base.
The impeller draws air upward, and over an airfoil intrinsic to the blue
hoop. The hoop not only projects air outward, but also draws air from
behind and around the device, using what Dyson calls inducement and
entrainment. According to Dyson, all this aerodynamicism multiplies the
impeller's original air push by a factor of 15. Even better, says
Dyson, the system provides 'an uninterrupted stream of smooth air' with
no buffeting or chopping, which are the twin indignities you suffer with
a traditional air-blowing device.
Have we spent our entire lifetimes waiting for the day when nasty
chopped air—oh, and all that buffering, that dirty, damned
buffering—would be but a forgotten nightmare? No, we have not. Sure,
the Air Multiplier's airflow is smoother than that of a regular fan,
and that's nice. But what really makes this gadget interesting is the
bladeless design itself. Stick your finger into the hoop, and nothing
happens. Try that with a choppy-chop fan, and the outcome will teach you
the meaning of pain. Likewise, the airfoil hoop is not a threat to pets
with tails. Even better, the hoop is immeasurably easier to clean than
the blade assembly of a traditional fan. You don't have to dust off
wire cages, or remove said cages to clean the blades.
Negatives? We have two, and they're significant. First, the Air
Multiplier is actually quite noisy compared to other fans in our office.
We didn't map decibels to cubic-feet-per-minute of air pushed, but we
definitely noticed the Dyson is louder than other fans. Second, this
sucker is expensive—like three times more expensive than some of the
comparatively sized blade blasters you'll find online. We love the Air
Multiplier's aesthetic, and dig how you can precisely attenuate
impeller power, like turning a dimmer switch. But $299.99? For that
price, we'd expect Dyson to chauffeur our Bentleys."

-- Jon Phillips

quote of the moment

"If the MK II is a time-reading challenge, then the Cosmo is like a
Gordian knot of chronographic indecipherability. In fact, its interface
is so impractical, and so defiant in its flouting of convention, it
makes a full circle back into something you'd actually want on your
wrist. The design may be foppishly flamboyant—ghetto fabulous or even
Bratz dollish—but there's no denying that only a real geek would
ever (or could ever) use the Cosmo to tell time."

-- jon phillips

quote of the moment

"diamonds are whatever"

-- t-shirt; las vegas, NV

quote of the moment

"no money, no talk."

-- older chinese guy in cashier line; las vegas, NV

datum of the moment

the average college senior has US$4K of credit card debt on graduation.

el cortez ...

... the cake.

las vegas, NV

street hustler just tried to sell me his hiphop CD *while stopped at the light in center lane on flamingo* as halo-dressed man spins costume sign. love vegas.

quote of the moment

"JESUS CAN SAVIOR SOUL"

- bumper sticker; las vegas, NV

quote of the moment

"fear the government
that fears your gun"

-- bumper sticker; las vegas, NV

table

boston, MA

(c) pickles

quote of the moment

"where are you going, in those boots you are wearing?"

-- t-shirt seen on the streets of tokyo

quote of the moment

"the first rule of change is controversy."

-- saul alinsky

quote of the moment

"the media has created a soap opera of everything from opinion pieces to
opinion pieces. nothing is factual nor concrete anymore."

-- comment by "louisj" on an msnbc.com article

quote of the moment

"[limewire chief executive george searle] said the injunction only
applied to the company's file-sharing product and said, 'Our company
remains open for business.' However, what it would do was not clear."

-- informationweek, talking about a federal order to shutting down file
sharing service limewire

quote of the moment

ILOST

-- license plate; las vegas, NV

quote of the moment

"EXIT! BUY REAL ESTATE NOW!"

-- sole words on a billboard; victorville, CA

conversation of the moment

the person who shall never be mentioned: "you need to go to your happy
place."

b1-67er: "i wish i had a happy place."

my concert-mate and i agree: tonight's first half was better; last night's back half was better. if *forced* to choose, i'd say last night was better by 0.001%

special K: One of best Bridge closing jams ever.

eddie vedder goes w/ 2 tamborines and the stage is JAMMED due to the talking clock review members during "keep on rocking in the free world."

buffalo springfield plays an identical set to last night but shorter and tighter. they were better tonight, probably because confidence was up.

buffalo springfield plays an identical set to last night but shorter and tighter. they were better tonight, probably because confidence was up.

special K on "mr. soul": Best BS song. b1: i agree, but the trans version is better.

special K on buffalo springfield: Singing is right on. Still and Young are playing slow so Furay can keep up.

b1: what do you think of BS? special K: I love them too much to be sure, but I think they're not great.

the sound levels have been *GREAT* both days ... no ear plugs ... thanks very much, bridge people.

... and the crowd begins fleeing en masse.

pearl jam, once again, turn in the best set of the night ... backed once again by their hugely great, very young, and completely unknown to me, drummer.

special K: Vedder in superb voice tonight. b1: yes. he was actually a touch better last night. the mild cold weather and wet helps him a LOT.

young joins pearl jam for "walk with me." a song so blistering that afterward eddie vedder said, "we should just stop right now ... that was pretty good."

pearl jam are playing "other side" for the first time live.

report from special K at the start of the pearl jam set: Many people leaving.

special K (cheap seats): Drunkest Bridge crowd I've ever seen. b1 (lawns): up here it's all tokers. medical marijuana being passed around.

elton and leon do the longest set so far (and the best song with the rockin', "a dream come true"). BUT no classic elton or leon songs. disappointing.

and yes, some 20-something ironic idiot in the crowd just yelled "free bird" in a slow part of a russell/john duet.

special K: I bet NY appearing on the album was even part of the deal. b1: oh god, i hadn't considered that. you may well be right.

special K: Sucks that Bridge Benefit has turned into a commercial for some crappy duet album. No magic there.

leon russell, as always, is showing low audience affect. he's *really* become a stuck-up fuck in his older age.

all rain has stopped.

neil young joins russell and john to sing "the union," (as on disc) no better than fair ... and probably the only time it will be EVER be sung to an audience.

specialK: I want to hear some goddamn ELTON JOHN songs. b1: and you won't. and THAT is a problem.

sound is better than last night -- although all performers at some point complain of sound or monitor levels ... shoreline lacks terribly in *good* stage techs.

elton john takes the stage and the lawn audience takes to their feet for the 1st time this bridge show.

elvis costello is a lackluster MC for the speaking clock review ... *i* could do much much better.

elvis costello is a lackluster MC for the speaking clock review ... *i* could do much much better.

interest in ralph stanley jumps remarkably by the crowd when he says he's 83. short, somewhat weak, old fashioned hayseed gospel set.

special K: Ralph Stanley looks like the telepathic dudes from the original Star Trek pilot.

special K: Ralph Stanley is a god. But not Yahweh. b1: he sounds like a dying member of the carter family

jeff bridges sounds just like he does in the movies ... complete with fake western accent between his short set of songs ... good ... i'd rather see "the dude."

bare shirt man is now drinking from a flask ... and flexing like hulk hogan.

a 30-something, mildly over-weight, tattooed and slightly jesus looking man is standing near the lawn front. shirt off. hands down the back of his pants.

this from special K about jeff bridges: *** momma K says "It's Kris Kristofferson in a time machine. "

this from special K about jeff bridges: *** momma K says "It's Kris Kristofferson in a time machine. "

neko case plays a very short set ... full brass section behind her and sounds remarkably good. special K accuses her of dying her hair orange.

elvis costello does a short set as part of the "speaking clock review." *much* better than last night (with stronger audience response), but i still hate him.

performers need to realize that *many* bridge audience members see both days ... you need to avoid using the same lame joke-y intro or clever aside.

the crowd is much happier and upbeat today than yesterday ... which is odd because the weather is quite a bit worse (although it *is* slightly warmer).

kris kristofferson isn't as strong today as yesterday ... he was a little better playing uncertain, but the crowd response is *much* stronger.

my concert-mate just called kris kristofferson, "an emo guy with grey hair."

modest mouse ... they too are stronger today ... flannel and suspenders goes better with rain.

grizzly bear: 2 more songs than yesterday ... 1 w/ a bass clarinet that sounds GREAT in light rain. red pants guy is in better voice. better than last night.

this from special K (bringing *immediate* argument from my concert-mate): "They're called Grizzly Bear because Four Emo Guys in Plaid Shirts was taken."

neil does his traditional "sugar mountain" and "comes a time" (w/ the wisdom dancers). as special K noted, "neil's in a good mood."

neil does his traditional "sugar mountain" and "comes a time" (w/ the wisdom dancers). as special K noted, "neil's in a good mood."

ceremonial injun dance opens 2nd day of bridge. "we did not do a rain dance ... that must be another nearby tribe."

buffalo springfield (yesterday)

for the first time in 42 years, some remaining and mostly alive subset
of the buffalo springfield played.

they never bothered to introduce themselves, so i don't know who i'm
talking about here, but the lead singer was clearly enjoying himself --
nervous at first, then surprised that he could actually pull things
off.

the buffalo songs i don't know were the most lacking ... and sounded
sort of the same ... BS songs often remind me of something that, if you
gave them a little more work, they'd actually be good.

the high point was "for what it's worth" (stop children, what's that
sound ...). blues-y and tired. steven stills can still play very
strong and sounds mildly spanish in his style.

the set was just about exactly the right length.

the show ended with everyone who was still left coming out for a finale
of "rockin' in the free world" with eddy vedder and neil trading
vocals. if you exlcude steven stills non-stylistically-fitting solo in
the middle it was a fun (and fairly strong) ending to the day.

i'll be TXTing today's show here.

pearl jam -- yesterday

ran out of juice, so i'm catching up here ...

pearl jam came out and immediately put the crowd on their feet. if
there's any 1 group that gets bridge, it's pearl jam.

the wet and mild cold made vedder's voice perfect. they were fast and
slow. heart-felt and mean.

the best i've ever seen them, and the best performance of any group of
the day.

followed almost immediately by elvis, emmylou and neil young only ... this is the best song of the set.

now it's kris kristofferson, elvis costello, peggy young, lucinda williams and emmylou harris.

the ironic 20-somethings next to me have been yelling "freebird!" between every other song break. now *WHY* is this joke still funny on the 40,000th time?

now emmy lou, elvis costello and kris kristofferson are playing together -- a song co-written by costello and kristofferson

elvis and emmy lou are doing a cover of "love hurts" ... I REALLY LEARNED A LOT, REALLY LEARNED A LOT.

my concert-mate just referred to the elvis/emmy lou song being played as, "the don ho version."

emmy lou harris is back out and playing with elvis costello. the crowd is *completely* unresponsive.

billy idol starts a little cold but heats up ... 2 gen X covers ... steve stevens makes guitar hero seem childishly embarrassing.

billy idol opens with an acoustic cover of gen x's "ready, steady, go!" the first true rocking song of the night, featuring steve stevens's guitar work.

kris kristofferson lays down a raspy set including "me and bobby magee" and "sunday morning coming down." he ends his songs too quick, but he's best so far.

kris kristofferson un-cancels and is playing his set at bridge!

lucinda williams: looks and sounds a bit like she's gained 25 pounds on a heroin binge. it works for her -- good blues-y set.

all of lucinda williams's music blows off her stand during her set!

surprise appearance by emmy lou harris during lucinda williams's set.

david lindley plays a different instrument for every song while jackson browne sings. their best song was the 1st, super-bluesy nail-pounding slide guitar.

modest mouse: sounds the decemberists having a fight with the hurdy gurdy man.

grizzly bear: somewhat uneven set of four songs. strongest when beach boys-like ... weakest when trying to sound like earl (or scruggs).

neil just opened playing "sugar mountain" and "comes a time" w/ injun accompaniment. somewhat mournful and heavy harmonica. very solid start. crowd's lazy.

due to buying and selling tix (all under face value) i'm being paid $39 to see today's and tomorrow's show. i'm holding 2 more that may yet sell.

drizzly. the lawn crowd is mildly drunk. stage blessing now.

saturday bridge line-up ...

... as i currently understand it:

Buffalo Springfield (this will be, quite literally, their first show in 42 years)
Pearl Jam
Elvis Costello (most likely not playing solo on Sunday)
Kris Kristofferson (my understanding is that he has cancelled)
Lucinda Williams (not playing Sunday)
Billy Idol (not playing Sunday)
Jackson Browne and David Lindley (not playing Sunday)
Modest Mouse (I think this will be their first time ever acoustic)
Grizzly Bear

show starts at shoreline amphitheatre at 17:00

bridge concert streaming follows

dear reader,

the bridge concerts are this weekend and i have tickets for both days ... i'm going to be sending updates here via TXT ... they'll be untitled ... if you run across this in the future, you'll want to read 'em backwards.

for what it's worth,
b1

quote of the moment

"buy on the rumor, sell on the news."

-- anonymous stock advice

the cast of "glee" has charted more songs on the billboard hot 100 than the beatles.

quote of the moment

"The 'Culture of Poverty' exists and I see it everyday as an educator in
Detroit. This culture of poverty is not based on race, though in Detroit
the culture is made up of disproportion of black Americans.

In short, the culture of poverty consists of but not limited to the
following:

1. People not taking responsibility for their actions

2. Comfort and preference for living irresponsibly i.e. not working

3. Emphasis and preference for getting high, stealing, uncommitted sex,
and comedy

4. Lifestyle preference for riotous living such as drugs violence, and
fighting

5. Value is placed on eating lots of food, sweets, and excessive cheap
jewelry

6. Low value for education

7. Low trust for the police, schools, hospital and the government

8. No value in being honest

9. High value for getting things illegally, i.e. 'getting the hook
up.'

10. High value and honor for being a crook, such as a drug dealer or
loan shark

11. Belief in guessing on standardize tests as a legitimate tool for
success"

-- "Dayspring," commenting on a NYT article

quote of the moment

"get a car with bad credit."

-- y! line ad

trivium of the moment

1 in 3 caucasians will develop some form of skin cancer in their
lifetime.

Quote of the day from the priest officiating the robot's wife's cousin's wedding: "Jesus was not good at math."

quote of the moment

"marijuana is addictive for about 9% of adults who use it (compared with
about 15% who use alcohol and 15% who use cocaine), according to federal
data."

-- shari roan, LA times

quote of the moment

"pride is a terrible, terrible master."

-- carole carroll

quote of the moment

"we lower others to raise ourselves."

-- pete dominick

quote of the moment

"The fact that one group of cheerleaders would advocate for more
conservative uniforms while others would push to get their smaller
uniforms green lighted speaks to the lack of standards among
cheerleading uniforms."

-- cameron smith