As I write this at 2:25pm PST, there is a wonky little problem with Twitter, which is affecting blogs that use a Twitter badge (like the Recent Tweets widget on the right).

You may be getting a popup asking for Twitter login credentials. Ignore it. The peeps over at Twitter will be fixing this shortly.

*UPDATE, 5:21pm PST*: Okay, maybe not quite that shortly. Hang in there; if this annoying problem lasts longer than another few hours, I’ll temporarily disable the widget. Meanwhile, if you’re up in SF, drop by the Twitter HQ with a case of cold ones. The engineers could probably use it.

Word Choices

January 8, 2009

in FYI

Which one to use? For review, here’s a good list of some commonly misused words:

nauseated/nauseous. It’s the difference between being sick and sickening. You are made sick (nauseated) by something sickening (nauseous). Never say, “I’m nauseous.” Even if it is true, it’s not something you should admit. “I’m nauseated by that nauseous cigar!” said Ethel.

on to/onto. If you mean on top of or aware of, use onto. (The responsibility shifted onto Milo’s shoulders. I’m really onto your shenanigans,” he said.) Otherwise, use on to: Hang on to your hat. Sometimes it helps to imagine a word like “ahead” or “along” between them. Milo drove on to Chicago. He was moving on to better things.

different from/different than. What’s the difference? The simple answer is that different from is almost always right, and different than is almost always wrong. But… You may use either one just before a clause (a group of words with its own subject and verb). Both of these are accepted: Respectability is different from what it was fifty years ago. Respectability is different than it was fifty years ago.

continually/continuously. Yes, there is a slight difference, although most people (and even many dictionaries) treat them the same. Continually means repeatedly, with breaks in between. Continuously means without interruption, in an unbroken stream. Heidi has to wind the cuckoo clock continually to keep it running continuously. (If it’s important to emphasize the distinction, it’s probably better to use periodically or intermittently instead of continually to describe something that starts and stops.) The same distinction, by the way, applies to continual and continuous, the adjective forms.

farther/further. Use farther when referring to physical distance; use further to refer to abstract ideas or to indicate a greater extent or degree. Lumpy insisted that he could walk no farther, and he refused to discuss it further.

Source: Woe Is I, by Patricia T. O’Conner.

Lowe's commercial

The production company dropped by last night to give me a copy of the schedule. They’ll be shooting the Lowes commercial this Saturday from 7am-7pm. The scene will include a family in the front yard, a few doors down. Without the Big Wheels, I imagine.

Lowe's commercial

Bluebird

January 7, 2009

in Art

Bluebird
by Henry Charles Bukowski (b. 1920; d. 1994)

There’s a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out,
But I’m too tough for him.
I say, “Stay in there. I’m not going to let anybody see you.”

There’s a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out,
But I pour whiskey on him, and inhale cigarette smoke.
And the whores
And the bartenders
And the grocery clerks
Never know that he’s in there.

There’s a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out,
But I’m too tough for him.
I say, “Stay down. Do you want to mess me up?
You want to screw up the works?
You want to blow my book sales in Europe?”

There’s a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out,
But I’m too clever.
I only let him out at night,
Sometimes,
When everybody’s asleep.
I say, “I know that you’re there, so don’t be sad.”

Then I put him back.

But he’s singing a little in there;
I haven’t quite let him die.
And we sleep together like that,
With our secret pact.
And it’s nice.
Enough to make a man weep.
But I don’t weep.
Do you?

Papa Jo Jones

January 7, 2009

in Drums

Papa Jo Jones. One of my favorite drummers to watch, with the best smile to ever sit behind a drum set. All fun. In this solo from 1957, he puts the sticks down and plays with his hands.

Papa Jo played with the best of ‘em: Bille Holiday, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Chuck Berry, Benny Goodman, John Coltrane. The list goes on.

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Brilliance. Via Worth1000, a Photoshop contest inviting entrants to have at it with Matt Damon. Below is my favorite by far.

matt damon comb-over bald 6 degrees photoshop contest

smiley

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A Rick Klu original

January 4, 2009

in Art, Friends

Went to the grand opening of Club Sushi in Hollywood last night and hooked up with artist Rick Klu. Rather than carrying business cards around, he has a cool habit of carrying markers and blank coasters wherever he goes. Here’s an original piece he whipped up for me on the spot, with his contact info on the back.

rick klu

Uh…

January 4, 2009

in LOL

can you read this?

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WTF? For more information: http://underangels.com

The irony of antiplagiarism

January 3, 2009

in Quotes

“To do just the opposite is also a form of imitation.”
–George C. Lichtenberg

not quite what i was planning six-word memoirs by writers famous and obscureNews to me: Our book Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs By Writers Famous and Obscure is now available in a Revised and Expanded Deluxe Edition (Hardcover).

In related news, it’s also available at The Kindle Store for all the green readers out there.

On a tangent, I just discovered the Amazon Online Reader and its big sister, the Search Inside feature. Hey, I know that dude.

And completely on-topic, be sure to go grab the next volume in the Six-Word Memoirs series, to be released next week. It gets into the good, the bad, and the ugly world of Love & Heartbreak. Behold, the trailer: [click to continue…]