I Most Certainly Approve: Chair Tracking

Very interesting experiment. Chairs were placed on the streets of NYC and as people showed interest in the chairs, and inevitably took them, a GPS device was enabled that would track the new location of each chair. A video crew documented the actual act of "theft" and later went to the homes of the pilferers to follow up and interview them.

It's essentially a social experiment in modern-day dumpster diving.

Blu Dot Real Good Experiment from Real Good Chair on Vimeo.

Give Soliders the 'Credits' They Deserve

Great article in the New York Times today about the G.I. Bill. I've run into quite a few people in my liberal lifestyle who seem to disagree with the bill that, since 9/11, states that servicemen and women who have served active duty for more than three years, or have been injured, are entitled to free tuition and housing at any public university in the United States. It's unfair, they say. What makes their accomplishments better than those of other applicants? Why do we owe them something so great for upholding a war we don't believe in?

I don't necessarily think it's about "owing" them anything. That's condescending and implies that the only rationale for sending a solider to college is to compensate for the time they spent serving our country. It's more about how they've earned it. In any situation, a person who has experienced extreme challenges in life is going to have a different perspective on how they approach their education - often a much more mature and disciplined point of view. They have persevered in the face of great adversity. How many of you can say that?

Sending soldiers - men and women who are forced to survive, persevere and think on their feet every waking hour in a war zone - to college for free might be one of America's best ideas. Capitalizing on the skills they've already learned in the field and educating and training them as leaders in various fields will only push our society further in terms of progress. Aside from the notion of "owing" them anything, it's also in the best interest of our country.

Listen, I have pretty strong views when it comes to the wars we're engaged in, but I'm not going to blame our soldiers. There are soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan as we speak who disagree with those wars too, but because they have made a promise to protect our country upon enlisting, they go off to battle anyway and make the best of a bad situation. They actually go to war torn countries and form their opinions about war by living and fighting in them. That gives them a lot more credibility than any politician, news correspondent or everyday person.

I say, give them credit - and I mean that literally. 15 credits a semester should work just fine.

Avahontar?

Best Albums of 2009

Ladies and gentlemen, 2 days overdue, I give you my favorite albums of 2009. And instead of descriptions, I give you my favorite songs from each album. Why describe music with words?

And yes, Lady Gaga made the list.

1. The Antlers, "Hospice"


2. Antony and the Johnsons, "The Crying Light"


3. The Swell Season, "Strict Joy"


4. Animal Collective, "Merriweather Post Pavillion"


5. Passion Pit, "Manners"


6. Miike Snow, "Miike Snow"


7. Lady Gaga, "The Fame Monster"


8. Grizzly Bear, "Veckatimest"


9. Phoenix, "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix"


10. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "It's Blitz!"


Honorable Mention: Lily Allen, "It's Not Me, It's You"

Happy New Year!

Thanks to everyone who has read my blog for the past year. 2009 was certainly a pretty interesting year. I started the year as a Peace Corps volunteer in Moldova, only to find myself burying my father three months later. I moved to Seattle, celebrated in friendships new and old, spent two weeks in Scandinavia and got a pretty cool job. A lot happened in 2009. A lot of emotions, a lot of growth, and - of course - a lot of absurdity.

I hope everyone had a wonderful time ringing in the new year. May 2010 bring you happiness and health - nothing else really matters.

Health Care Passes with a Laugh

The United States Senate passed a historic $871 billion health care reform bill today. A lot of people have problems with the bill. Liberals are saying it's too much of a compromise and doesn't go far enough. Conservatives are saying it's awful because it makes everyone more equal and that will upset the status quo (in so many words). That latter ideology is pretty ironic considering health care reform used to be something Republicans could get behind. Richard Nixon said, "Comprehensive health insurance is an idea whose time has come in America. There has long been a need to assure every American financial access to high quality health care. As medical costs go up, that need grows more pressing." But of course, this was back when Republicans were actual politicians representing the people and not religious circus freaks.

I say it's a good start. It's a step in the right direction. Is it enough? No. Is it the only chance we had to actually make a move on universal health care before next year's elections? Yes. Don't forget, we live in America and Americans are bitter folks who hold massive grudges. Frankly, not much has come out of the Obama administration this year (at least that's the perception) and it's pretty much a guarantee that we as a country will hold that against him the next time we're at the ballot box. Obama's not an idiot - he knows what he's doing. This bill was basically now or never.

Perhaps the funniest (well, probably funny for people 50+ who are into politics) thing to happen out of this whole drama is what happened at today's vote. Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, voted "no" on his own bill! He quickly corrected himself and voted "aye", but not before getting a hearty laugh from the rest of the Senate. It's good to see all those old fogies in good spirits. It just goes to show you, laughter and happiness are two things that can truly cross party lines - two things that actually matter.

The Snowman Suicides

Not one to get wrapped up in the holiday spirit? Are you a certified grinch, a self-professed Scrooge?

Well here's a little something to un-cheer you up.

Over at the Huffington Post, they've collected a series of some pretty morbid snowman scenes.

I've posted my favorites. To check out the rest, go here.

Weekly WTF?: A Holiday Toast

A triple-header Weekly WTF?! Too much good stuff over at BoingBoing to limit myself.

1) A printer that's a toaster!
2) A Christmas tree that's made of Heineken bottles!
3) An irresponsible/clever/cool mother! (You decide)

Class Act: I Go For the Wings

From DetentionSlip.org:

Story: Paradise Valley High School teacher who took students to Hooters in Phoenix is put on leave

The teacher, who oddly enough is a woman, claims that Hooters was the only restaurant in the entire Phoenix area that could accommodate the group for lunch. With a population of almost 2 million people within city limits, you would think they would have at least attracted a McDonalds franchise to open up by now.

Here's the official article. Upon further reading, we find out that this teacher's students played at an event for Obama's inauguration.

Adam for the Day