Manick Socar has created this amazing Obama image using seeds!  Visit his website for more details on how he created the image.

Via ObamaArtReport

It's a snowy, snowy day here in Cincinnati.  Snow, sleet, freezing rain, and then snow again with falling temperatures.  It's going to make cracking the magic shell around my car a challenging prospect when I decide to venture out again.

It's not the amount snow that's unusual, but the 8 hours of sleet and freezing rain that fell between snowstorms.

I'm a little worried about the tree that's in the top left hand corner of the picture.  This tree was split in half during the windstorm that we had earlier this year.  The half that's still standing is making some creaking noises as the wind blows it around.  I'm not sure if it's the tree creaking or the ice that's on it.

But the sun has just peeked through the clouds, so hopefully it'll melt a little ice off of the tree.

Do you know how to make your holidays last longer?  Celebrate Chinese New Year!
If you celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, AND Chinese New Year, you get around 6o days to enjoy the holiday spirit!

I've done my part this year to extend the holidays, though it was not something I was planning on doing before the holiday season started.  I bought a live/cut Christmas tree at Findlay Market a week before Thanksgiving.  It's been sort of a new tradition of mine, making a break from the really fake looking artificial Christmas trees that I had grown up with.  Artificial trees are popular with cost conscious Asian families, but are lacking in the overall aesthetic.

I've been meticulously caring for my tree, adding water to its container daily.  So when the non-Chinese New Year rolled around, the tree was still beautifully lush with all its needles intact.  I've been raised not to waste things, so I opted to keep the tree up with all its Christmas lights on.  I'm the last house on the street with decorations still up.  But it's OK, Chinese New Year is here now.  My tree is coming down this week, but it will have been around to help me celebrate the year of the Ox.

May your year be happy and prosperous!

(According to Wikipedia, it's either year 4706, 4707, or 4646.  In any case, we've been around a long time!)

Cross-posted from another blog that I contribute to.

From NYTimes.com: Outlaws at the Art Museum (and Not for a Heist)

Street art hits the museums.  Another Shepard Fairey article.

UPDATED 1/25/09: Added another article about Shepard Fairey
Boston.com: Shepard the Giant

SI.com: Cold Hard Football Facts: Why Warner is better QB than Manning

Strong argument of why Kurt Warner is and has been a better QB than Peyton Manning.

From NYTimes.com: Inaugural Words: 1789 to the Present


Interactive chart of most commonly used words in Inaugural Speeches from George Washington to Barack Obama.

Tomorrow January 24, 2009 is the 25th Anniversary of the introduction of the Apple Macintosh.  Here's a young Steve Jobs doing one of his now famous presentations.



Thanks to Alisa for sending me the link.

From Gizmodo.com: Best Obama Action Figure Ever Battles Darth Vader, Terrorists, Karaoke

I feel safer from Sith Lords now that I know that President Obama is on the job.

Looks like a Japanese company is making this.  No word as to when or if this will be available for purchase.

Thanks to Doug for sending me all of my blog material for today.

Boston.com: The Inauguration of President Barack Obama (pictures)

Wonderful pictures from the Presidential Inauguration.

Thanks to Doug for the link.

HuffingtonPost.com: Obama Retakes Oath Of Office In The White House

After the flub heard around the world, President Barack Obama has taken the oath of office. Again. Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the oath to Obama on Wednesday night at the White House _ a rare do-over.
...
Craig, the White House lawyer, said in a statement Wednesday evening: "We believe the oath of office was administered effectively and that the president was sworn in appropriately yesterday. Yet the oath appears in the Constitution itself. And out of the abundance of caution, because there was one word out of sequence, Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath a second time."

Interesting.

From NYTimes.com: Drug Making's Move Abroad Stirs Concerns

But now experts and lawmakers are growing more and more concerned that the nation is far too reliant on medicine from abroad, and they are calling for a law that would require that certain drugs be made or stockpiled in the United States.

"The lack of regulation around outsourcing is a blind spot that leaves room for supply disruptions, counterfeit medicines, even bioterrorism," said Senator Sherrod Brown, Democrat of Ohio, who has held hearings on the issue.

Decades ago, most pills consumed in the United States were made here. But like other manufacturing operations, drug plants have been moving to Asia because labor, construction, regulatory and environmental costs are lower there.

The critical ingredients for most antibiotics are now made almost exclusively in China and India. The same is true for dozens of other crucial medicines, including the popular allergy medicine prednisone; metformin, for diabetes; and amlodipine, for high blood pressure.
...
Part of the reason these plants went overseas is that the F.D.A. inspects domestic plants far more often than foreign ones, making production more expensive in the United States.

The short term benefits of outsourcing is clear.  Lower labor costs means lower prices and higher profits for companies.  However, the longer term effects are now starting to show.  We now are reliant on foreign countries that have poor track records on product safety to manufacture drugs that we need.  Plus, China is not exactly an ally.  What happens when there's a conflict.  Will our dependence on Chinese made goods force us to accept policies that we normally wouldn't?

I don't think the public is even clear that many of these drugs are no longer made in the United States.  I think it's a matter of time before we hear news of some kind of tainted drug.

Read about the search for the image on Scene on the Road: Found - AGAIN - the Poster Source Photo

Photo is by photographer Mannie Garcia for AP from April of 2006.

VIA ObamaArtReport


Update: Related News From NPR: Spreading The Hope: Street Artist Shepard Fairey
Short article and 20 minute audio interview with Shepard Fairey

I saw this on Failblog.org

I had intended on watching the Presidential Inauguration over a live stream from CNN Live, but that was a pretty miserable failure.  CNN Live was overwhelmed and failed to connect to the stream most of the time and when it did, it was a stuttering mess.  MSNBC was just as bad so I ended up watching the Inauguration the old fashioned way- on my 24 year old 9 inch Color TV.  And on FOX News!  Normally, I'd rather watch a turned off TV set than FOX News, but this was the only station that I could get clear reception over the air.  It wasn't too bad in this situation since the talking heads were quiet during the actual swearing in and inaugural speech.

With the coming digital transition for TV, this will most likely be its last hurrah as it's not worth getting a digital tuner for a 9 inch TV.

 As a size comparision, a 9" tv screen is the same size as the original Macintosh screen. I wonder how many of you have actually seen an original Macintosh screen?

Shepard Fairey is everywhere!  Google's MLK day image was designed by Shepard Fairey.

The Obama Presidential Inaugural collectible you've been waiting for-  The Chia Obama.  Available in two styles, Happy Chia Obama and Determined Chia Obama.

Growing an Afro on President Obama just seems a little undignified.  Amusing, but undignified.

Buy Chia Obama now at Amazon.com

UPDATE 1/20/09: Not due to ship until April 1st!
UPDATE: You know, I think I might actually get one of these.  I've never had a chia pet and this looks like it be fun to photograph and blog about. Sure beats growing hair on Chia Shrek.  At least Obama's supposed to have hair.  So, stay tuned for some fun future Chia action!

From Arrested Motion: Openings: Shepard Fairey's Obama "Hope" @ Smithsonian: National Portrait Gallery

Via OMGPosters.com

Lots of pictures of the opening of Shepard Fairey's Obama "Hope" at the National Portrait Gallery.

Also, a special inauguration sticker by Shepard Fairey is on sale at stickerrobot.com- 10 4"x6" stickers for $10.

From NYTimes.com: Bailout Is a Windfall to Banks, if Not to Borrowers

Most of the banks that received the money are far smaller than behemoths like Citigroup or Bank of America. A review of investor presentations and conference calls by executives of some two dozen banks around the country found that few cited lending as a priority. An overwhelming majority saw the bailout program as a no-strings-attached windfall that could be used to pay down debt, acquire other businesses or invest for the future.

(bold- my emphasis)

There's something seriously wrong with the execution of the bailout if banks are considering it a "no-strings-attached windfall".

The Obama Adminstration needs to look at this bailout very carefully before handing out the second half of the bailout money.  What are we trying to accomplish with this money and will giving out this money actually meet these goals?

This is a lot like the economic stimulus checks that the government sent out.  Who doesn't love a windfall from the government?  But, what did it actually do for the economy?  Very Little.

From LATimes.com: With stimulus, there's more bang in each buck

Analyses of how last year's tax rebate checks were spent have convinced economists that taxpayers and businesses are not in a "stimulative" mood. Joel Prakken, chairman of Macroeconomic Advisers, a St. Louis-based economic forecasting firm, estimates that taxpayers spent only 30% of the rebate checks they received.

That meant $100 billion in tax reductions bought just $30 billion in demand for goods and services.

"What happened was exactly what economic theory says should happen," said Valerie Ramey, an economist at UC San Diego. "People knew the tax rebate was temporary, so it didn't make sense for them to go out and splurge. Rebates are not the best way to stimulate spending."

What we need is a strong effort to invest in the United States.  Build our future by investing in energy, education, and infrastructure. 

SCIFI Wire: Battlestar Stars Remember Their Favorite Moments

The reminiscing of Battlestar Galactica has begun as the show winds down with its final episodes.

One of the more interesting stories to me is from Michael Hogan, Colonel Tigh about Edward James Olmos's spontaneous creation of one of the show's signature moments.

"Adama finishes this speech and then says, 'So say we all,' and I guess we sort of mumbled, 'So say we all.' Eddie [Olmos] kind of looked at all of us and said it again, 'So say we all.' Well, we weren't ready for that, so we said, 'So say we all.' And he looked at us and said, 'SO SAY WE ALL.' And he got us all going, and it was a chilling, chilling time. It was like, 'Whoa,' and by the end of it the whole room, the hundreds of us, are just yelling, "SO SAY WE ALL!" And that wasn't in the script. When that was over you were kind of, 'Whoa boy, we're in for a ride now,' because Eddie just kind of looked at people and said, 'Come on. Let's go. Let's get on board here. ...' Eddie definitely did take a leadership role right from day one and continued all the way through to the end."

The final Battlestar Galactica episodes begin airing tonight (January 16, 2009) at 10PM EST on SCIFI Channel.

Battlestar Galactica has been by far my favorite TV show and as excited as I am to see how it ends, I'm saddened by the realization that this will soon be all over.

As a side note, Battlestar Galactica music composer Bear McCreary announced on his blog that he'll be composing the music for Caprica, the prequel to Battlestar Galactica.

From PETA.org: Save the Sea Kitten

People don't seem to like fish. They're slithery and slimy, and they have eyes on either side of their pointy little heads--which is weird, to say the least. Plus, the small ones nibble at your feet when you're swimming, and the big ones--well, the big ones will bite your face off if Jaws is anything to go by.

Of course, if you look at it another way, what all this really means is that fish need to fire their PR guy--stat. Whoever was in charge of creating a positive image for fish needs to go right back to working on the Britney Spears account and leave our scaly little friends alone. You've done enough damage, buddy. We've got it from here. And we're going to start by retiring the old name for good. When your name can also be used as a verb that means driving a hook through your head, it's time for a serious image makeover. And who could possibly want to put a hook through a sea kitten?

You know, I never thought about it that way.  I like eating fish, especially sushi.  But, if they're calling fish "sea kittens" and fish is tasty and nutritious, maybe I should consider adding "land kittens" to my diet.  I'm sure "land kittens" would probably be pretty tender just like lamb. 

Thanks PETA!

I think this is one of those frivolous campaigns by PETA that robs if of any credibility it might still have.  People aren't giving up eating meat, so if it's less fish sticks, it's more chicken nuggets.  Is that what PETA wants?
With vegetables being cute, kids won't have anything to eat.  Well, maybe except for grains, like wheat and rice.  I don't think they're cute.  Yet.
 

The Battlestar Galactica Props and Costume Auction is taking place this weekend with both in person and internet bidding.  The final Battlestar Galactica episodes begin airing tomorrow night, but the show has been wrapped for a while with all the sets taken down.

There are some pretty amazing and iconic items available for sale, but not as as many as I thought there would be.  Everything has some meaning for Battlestar Galactica fans, but certain items stand out like Six's Red Dress.
Though, it's definitely not the same without Trica Helfer in it.
Come to think of it, I'd rather have Trica Helfer and skip the dress, but she's not up for auction.  It's sad to see the props auctioned off because it really means that the show is over.

View Battlestar Galactica Auction Catalog

From Change.gov: New official portrait released

Today we are releasing the new official portrait for President Barack Obama.
It was taken by Pete Souza, the newly-announced official White House photographer.
It is the first time that an official presidential portrait was taken with a digital camera.

HuffingtonPost.com: What Not To Wear To The Inauguration

Nice, classy, and tasteful. 

If you wanted the Shepard Fairey designed limited edition Official Inauguration Print, but thought it was too expensive, the Inaugural Committee now offers the Official Inauguration Poster.

Make a donation of $20 or more to get your limited edition inauguration poster. Or, make any donation of $35 or more and receive two posters -- one to keep and one for a friend.

This is not a numbered or signed print, but as a poster, it's a lot cheaper.  What's not stated is what type of paper the poster will be printed on.  The Moveon.org Yes We Did Shepard Fairey poster, was printed on very nice but thinner paper, but the Obama campaign Shepard Fairey "Vote" poster was printed on some really thin and flimsy paper.

How many times have you been in the mall trying to impress a girl and find yourself getting nowhere?  Maybe it dawns on you that you need that special something to get her attention. But what could that be?  Maybe, an arm band tattoo! 

Yes, that might do it.  Now where I could I get one of those?

From Bloomberg.com: Cardinals Sell Out NFC Championship Game Tickets in Six Minutes

The Arizona Cardinals sold out tickets to the National Football Conference championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles in six minutes.

When the Cardinals hosted the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the postseason, they needed an extension from the National Football League to sell their remaining tickets at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and ensure the game would be televised locally.

Finally, the Arizona fans have jumped on the bandwagon.  I'm still amazed that after years of futility, the Cardinals had such difficulty selling out the initial round game, which should have been their only playoff game this season.

I received this in the mail from the Presidential Inaugural Committee, an invitation to the Inauguration!

It's really just a commemorative invitation for all the public events, but it was still cool to receive nonetheless.  It's really nice- I may have to stick it into a frame.

UPDATE: 1/12/09

I found this on Galactica Sitrep.  It's only funny if you use Facebook.


Free Legal Forms


Here's a link to the Battlestar Galactica episode 33 in the same Facebook format.

From NYTimes.com: Consumers of the World Unite

Saks Fifth Avenue, which has surely felt the recession's sting, is taking just such a fist-raising stand with its spring marketing. The campaign is inspired by the bold graphic designs and propaganda spirit of Constructivist art -- although it is intended to be tongue-in-cheek.

The store hired Shepard Fairey, the artist who created the stylized Hope poster of Barack Obama that became one of the most highly visible, though unofficial, images of the presidential campaign, to design its catalog covers and shopping bags. They bear a rather unsubtle allusion to advertisements made in the 1920s for state-run department stores in the Soviet Union.

Shepard Fairey is certainly cashing in on his newly found mainstream fame.  There are pictures of the design in the article.

It'll be an interesting balancing act for Shepard Fairey to keep a level of "street credibility" while doing commercial projects.

I saw this while browsing Amazon for a book, a blog entry by creativity author Michael Michalko. 

A Different Perspective on Time
3:38 PM PDT, July 29, 2008

The Bank
 
Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent? Of course!

Each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against  tomorrow.  You must live in the present on today's deposits.

Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success! The clock is running. Make the most of today. To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade. To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby. To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper. To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet. To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train. To realize the value of ONE-SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it's called the "present."

It's an interesting take on the concept of time.  We clearly don't spend time as carefully we could.  That's why a person can become President, have a family, and still workout and stay in shape.

From NYTimes.com: After the Zone Blitz, the Deadpan Defense

In between extremely successful stints as the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator, Dick LeBeau was first defensive coordinator and later head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals.  It was three seasons of total futility, even with the Bengals defenses running the same zone blitz schemes that worked so well for the Steelers.  Probably more an indictment of the Bengals personnel department or lack thereof rather than Dick LeBeau's coaching ability.  Sometimes, though it seems that certain coaches are more suited to being a defensive or offensive coordinator and not a head coach.

From Cincinnati.com: 'Unheard of' alcohol level draws jail time

Sass, 46, of Mount Healthy, went to jail Tuesday for drunken driving after Colerain Township police arrested him Oct. 28 in a Colerain Avenue store parking lot where his blood-alcohol content was .414 percent - more than five times Ohio's legal limit of .08 percent.

"That's the highest I've ever seen," Hamilton County Municipal Judge Bernie Bouchard said Tuesday after sending Sass to jail for 180 days.

"Usually, people are in the hospital with alcohol poisoning at that level. A two-something (blood-alcohol content of .2 percent or higher) is a severe alcoholic. That's unheard of."

I was curious about what is the highest recorded blood-alcohol level.  Nothing definitive, but there is a news story about a man in Rhode Island arrested with a .491.

Drugrecognition.com lists 0.74 BAC as the highest recorded blood alcohol level by a US hospital.

My Mobile Me account was due for renewal at the beginning of 2009.  You can either  renew your account automatically through Apple for $99 or you can buy the Mobile Me Retail pack at Amazon for $69.
 
The Retail Pack contains a link and a code that you can use to create a new Mobile Me account, reactivate an expired account, or renew an account.  As an added bonus, not only do you save money, but you get two shiny white Apple stickers!

NPR.com: Retune the Body with a Partial Fast

Neufeld says most adults need about 2,000 calories a day. Those calories make energy, or glycogen. Neufeld says it doesn't hurt -- it might even help the body -- to fast or stop eating for short periods of time, say 24 hours once a week, as long as you drink water.
...
Partial fasting may even extend lifespan because eating less sends a message to the cells of the body that they should conserve and use energy more efficiently.

I think it's interesting to think about the frequency and timing of when we eat.  Do we really need to eat three times a day or is it something that we've trained our bodies to expect?

I might try fasting a day, but it's one of those things that's hard to get motivated to do.  I like most people enjoy eat food.

Thanks to Susana for sending me this link.

From USAToday: Obama's 'Hope' portrait goes to national gallery

Even before he takes office, President-elect Barack Obama's image will become part of the permanent collection at the U.S. National Portrait Gallery, the museum announced Wednesday.

The gallery acquired the iconic red, white and blue collage by Los Angeles street artist Shepard Fairey, depicting Obama with the word "Hope." The image -- later modified with the messages of "Change" and "Vote" for the Obama campaign -- became one of the most memorable images from the 2008 election. The curators at the Smithsonian Institution museum plan to hang it by Inauguration Day.

Like Shepard Fairey's Obama Hope needs any more validation as one of the more recognizable images in Presidential election history.  This particular version of the image is a stenciled mixed-media collage that stands 5 feet tall. 

There's a new Shepard Fairey official Inauguration print for sale.  I'll probably add this to my collection, but the one I would really want is a print using the image that was used for the Time Person of the Year.

If the prints appear to be sold out, keep trying.  It seems like they're adding prints every so often and this is a pretty large print run.  Still, they should probably sell out within a few days.

From ChicagoTribune.com: Chicago schools' espresso machines a waste of money, inspector reports

One Chicago Public Schools manager must have really been jonesing for a cup of coffee when officials say she spent nearly $70,000 of the district's money to buy 30 cappuccino/espresso machines for a high school program.

But five months after the machines were purchased, 22 remained unopened, one disappeared and three were being used at two schools--though not in the culinary arts program for which they were intended, the district's inspector general said Tuesday.

They teach making espresso in a Chicago Public Schools culinary arts program?  Won't they just teach you that on day one at Starbucks?

I'm a big supporter of education, but every now and then you have to wonder how tax money is being spent.

From CNN.com: Obama names pick for chief performance officer

President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday announced Nancy Killefer as his pick to be chief performance officer, a new position that Obama called "one of the most important" appointments he will make.
...
The CPO will be charged with restoring fiscal order and reforming government.

Killefer is a senior director for McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm. She was an assistant secretary of the treasury in the Clinton administration.

She will help lead the effort to go through the budget line-by-line, eliminate what's not needed and improve the things that work, Obama said.

This is something new and interesting.  We all know that there's a lot of waste in government, but will the CPO and her department be effective in overcoming the politics that created a lot of this waste?  After all, the money that is "wasted" is actually spent with someone who will try to fight to keep it coming.

But, at least it's a start.

This sushi flower was created by the sushi chef at the Benihana in downtown Cincinnati.  We've gotten to know the sushi chef pretty well since we're pretty regular customers there.  Lately, he's been starting us off with a different artistic creation.  This one was particularly nice so I took a picture of it with my iPhone.

From NYTimes.com: Fighting Off Depression

An interesting editorial column from the 2008 Nobel prize winning economist Paul Krugman:

This is a problem with which Keynes was familiar: giving money away, he pointed out, tends to be met with fewer objections than plans for public investment "which, because they are not wholly wasteful, tend to be judged on strict 'business' principles." What gets lost in such discussions is the key argument for economic stimulus -- namely, that under current conditions, a surge in public spending would employ Americans who would otherwise be unemployed and money that would otherwise be sitting idle, and put both to work producing something useful.

Saw this in a Kroger grocery store ad over the weekend.  Start the New Year with Cabbage!  It seems like one of those traditions that you start when you're not fortunate enough to have something better.

But, cabbage is supposed to bring financial prosperity for the year.  And we all could use a little bit of that right now.

I'm surprised that this isn't a Chinese thing.  Liking vegetables and money?  Definitely Chinese.

From NOLA.com: According to one New Year's tradition, cabbage is king of good fortune

From NYTimes.com: The Come-Hither Lobby

ENTER the lobby of the Platinum -- a sparkling glass-and-steel popsicle of a condominium that rises 43 stories above the circus lights of Eighth Avenue -- and you may think you've stumbled into the lair of James Bond's latest big-screen foe.

Twenty-six feet of roaring flames run along one wall, a deconstructed fireplace whose orange embers dance behind a blue-hued sheet of glass. Enormous plasma television screens stare down from stark white walls. Geometric furniture sits surrounded by a bubbling moat that circumnavigates the space.

Not exactly "homey", but super cool.

From NYTimes.com: Arizona Cardinals Finally Sell Out Home Playoff Game

Listen Phoenix and Minneapolis: Your city doesn't deserve an NFL football team if you can't sell out a home playoff game. 

Still, until 4:30 p.m. Friday, many Cardinals fans in the Phoenix area were in danger of missing the moment. Because the Cardinals were having trouble selling out their home field -- University of Phoenix Stadium, with a seating capacity of about 65,000 -- a local blackout loomed.
...
So the N.F.L. extended the deadline by 24 hours. But as that new deadline approached Thursday afternoon, 3,700 tickets remained unsold. The Cardinals, a charter member of the N.F.L., were playing just the eighth playoff game in their history, but that idea just didn't seem to be resonating in the Phoenix area. A team marketing campaign that included an appearance by wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald at a cellphone store wasn't closing the deal, either.

So the league granted the Cardinals another 24 hours. And this time, with the help of a local pool supply company, which bought a chunk of tickets, the game finally sold out.
...

...Meanwhile, the Vikings were still flirting with a potential blackout of their own for their Sunday game against the Eagles. With 3,100 tickets still unsold, the league extended the deadline to Saturday afternoon. Which is when the Cardinals will be taking the field, at home and on local TV.

As a Cincinnati Bengals fan, it's inconceivable to me that a team that hasn't been to the playoffs recently has to struggle to sell out their only home playoff game.  Pitiful.

Yeah, I know it's a little late, but if you haven't seen this motorcycle jump, you've got to check this out. 



YouTube HD Version (click on watch in HD)