Thursday, 27 May 2004

Anarchy the Key to Safe Streets? Worldchanging ally Francis Pisani turned us on to this Salon piece "Why don't we do it in the road?" about the entirely counter-intuitive finding that the best way to manage auto, bike and pedestrian traffic may be to mix them up: rip out the sidewalks, tear up the stopsigns, and let 'em have at -- the so-called "shared spaces" approach. Based on the Dutch "woonerf" street design, it seems to work: [Another World Is Here] I love this part: "Reversing decades of conventional wisdom on traffic engineering, Hamilton-Baillie argues that the key to improving both safety and vehicular capacity is to remove traffic lights and other controls, such as stop signs and the white and yellow lines dividing streets into lanes. Without any clear right-of-way, he says, motorists are forced to slow down to safer speeds, make eye contact with pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers, and decide among themselves when it is safe to proceed.... It just might work...until somebody in an H2 needs to get cigarettes...   10:40:37 PM  comment []   T-shirt #2 The front simply has my name and the back is the "La Semana" cover photo and the year.   10:15:54 PM  comment []   Live CDs Hey, I'm just a stupid guitarist - can somebody explain this to me? Did they really get a patent for recording and burning CDs at a concert, or is special patent-able equipment involved? Next they'll give out patents for breathing on Thursdays with your head turned East?? Thanks for the link, Dave.   3:01:47 PM  comment []   Sound I have a question ... I was listening to track 10 on wide-eyed from opium today and was wondering. The first sound on the track is a ringing sound (used on a lot of your songs) - what instrument are you using ( triangle ? ) and what techniques or equipment do you use to get that sound ( reverb or echo) it is very cool. - James I shall give away a secret...passed down from generation to generation by Tibetan percussionists...It's a bell that gets dipped into a bucket of water after it's struck. Water being thicker than air changes the pitch of the bell - lowers it. And yes, it is a cool sound, which is why we used it a lot. It was used so much that it was banished from "La Semana".... : ) Always entertaining to see the look on a local crew members face when we ask for a bucket of water.....   2:32:41 PM  comment []   Crew T-Shirt This is the simple design for the 2004 Crew T-shirt. The back will say: "www.lunanegra.com". Traditionally crew shirts are worn by our crew and are also handed out to good local crew people we encounter, but a lot of fans have requested them - remember the T-shirt with the foot that had the toe-tag "crew"? - and we will be selling this design as well.   1:47:40 PM  comment []   Shrink-wrapping the Limited Edition I am happy to say that Adelante (more info here and here) will shrink-wrap the Limited Edition after I sign and number each box. Timing might get tight as they need two or three days to wrap all of the boxes. All of the CDs are shipping today and should arrive in Santa Fe by the middle of next week. If we deliver the LE boxes to ABQ on Monday we might have them back on Wednesday and we are leaving on tour on Thursday...Yikes!   1:35:28 PM  comment []   1940s telephone manual "How to Make Friends By Telephone" is a 1940s instructional booklet on using the new telephonic device network. Here's a scanned version -- it's a hoot. [BoingBoing] I like the headline....use a normal tone of voice......   12:24:09 PM  comment []   Cocteau The arpeggio guitar in the background is in 3/4 rhythm - everything else is in 4/4. That gentle tension makes the piece, in my opinion.   12:13:05 PM  comment []   Adagio Music: Karajan - Romantic Adagio Mood: smiling I am listening to the above CD and staring at the clouds outside. The music is at times tooth-achingly sweet. But so is ice-cream and sometimes that is just the ticket. A very romantic collection of classical music.   12:12:07 PM  comment []   New Mexico Insights The following was emailed to me a few days ago. Of course these are dumb stereotypes, of course it is not P.C. - but it is pretty funny, yes? Now I only wish that somebody should respond with a New Mexico Ken Doll collection! Limited Edition Barbie Dolls for the New Mexico Market: Santa Fe has two models: Santa Fe Barbie: This princess Barbie is only sold in Santa Fe. She comes with an assortment of Kate Spade Handbags, a Lexus SUV, a longhaired foreign dog named wolf and an authentic adobe house. Available with or without tummy tuck and face lift. Workaholic Ken sold only in conjunction with "augmented" version. Canyon Road Barbie: This collagen injected, rhinoplastic Barbie wears a leopard print ski outfit and drinks cosmopolitans while entertaining friends on Canyon Road. Percocet prescription available. Albuquerque models: Northeast Heights Barbie: This modern day homemaker Barbie is available with Ford Windstar Minivan and matching gym outfit. She gets lost easily and has no full time occupation. Traffic jamming cell phone sold separately. Sandia Heights Barbie: This yuppie Barbie comes with your choice of BMW convertible or Hummer H2. Included are her own Starbucks cup, credit card and country club membership. Also available for this set are Shallow Ken and Private School Skipper. You won't be able to afford any of them. Northern New Mexico: Espanola Barbie: This recently paroled Barbie comes with a 9mm handgun, a Ray Lewis knife, a Chevy Low Rider with dark tinted windows and a Meth Lab Kit. This model is only available after dark and can only be paid for in cash. Preferably small untraceable bills. Unless you are a cop, then we don't know what you are talking about. Hair spray and fake fingernail kit available. Taos Barbie: This doll is made of actual tofu. She has long straight brown hair, archless feet, hairy armpits, no makeup and Birkenstocks with white socks. She prefers that you call her "Willow". She does not want or need a Ken doll, but you if purchase two Taos Barbies and the optional Subaru wagon, you get a rainbow flag bumper sticker for free.   12:10:58 PM  comment []   Historical origins of obesity Music: Göran Söllscher - Preludes, Songs, Homages Mood: fascinated Long, interesting Harvard Magazine article about the historical shifts in diet and lifestyle that led to America's obesity epidemic. "We are not adapted to handle fast-acting carbohydrates," Ludwig continues. "Glucose is the gold standard of energy metabolism. The brain is exquisitely dependent on having a continuous supply of glucose: too low a glucose level poses an immediate threat to survival. [But] too high a level causes damage to tissues, as with diabetes. The body is designed to keep blood glucose within a tight range, and it does this beautifully, even with extreme nutrient ratios: we can survive indefinitely on a diet of 60 percent carbohydrates and 20 percent fat, or 20 percent carbohydrates and 60 percent fat. But we never [before] had to assimilate a heavy dose of high-glycemic carbohydrates." [BoingBoing] You can find a handy BMI (Body Mass Index) calculator here. Don't fear, the healthy range is quite wide - in my case I could weigh between 137 lbs. and 183 lbs. and would be considered normal....I think I was 175 lbs. once about 25 years ago, and was around 135 lbs. a few years later - during my early Boston years...the advantage was that if I stood sideways you could not see me...now I feel best maintaining between 155 and 160 lbs. PS: the above mentioned CD is brilliant. Wonderful guitar music. Göran Söllscher is a great discovery for me and this is the second CD of his I bought this month.   11:01:35 AM  comment []   The First Poppy   10:23:35 AM  comment []

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