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February 28, 2008
That's It, I'm Moving to Sweden.
Let's take a look at the facts.
Sweden is full of atheists.
By many measures it is considered to be one of the top ten "Happiest Countries".
They invented Ikea and Swedish Meatballs.
And the Tempurpedic mattress. Which is the real subject of this entry. Last night was my first night on our new Tempurpedic bed. Aaaahhhh. Considering we've been sleeping on the same busted old Serta from Sam's Club for the last 12+ years, I think bearskins and clean rocks would have been an improvement. I'll have to give it a couple of weeks to see how it truly stacks up, but so far I'm impressed. I actually didn't sleep real well last night, but it wasn't because I was uncomfortable. In fact, being awake a lot made me appreciate how comfortable the thing was all the more. And I definitely noticed a difference in my sinuses in the morning. Suffering from lots of allergies, I generally get really grossed out when I think of the things that were probably living in our mattress. Now, I've heard conflicting reports on whether memory foam is actually better for allergies. I've heard that it's dense enough that it discourages dust mite proliferation, but I've also hear that this is not true, and that they are also suceptible to molds if the humidity is high or if they get wet. So we will probably opt for an allergen cover anyway; I figured in the face of conflicting research it certainly couldn't be any worse than what we were already sleeping on.
Another huge plus is the lack of motion transfer. Considering that I sleep next to one large perpetual motion machine and (although with decreasing frequency) one small being who likes to kick the covers off and stick her ice-cold feet down my pajama pants, this is a huge bonus. Like my own little isolation chamber.
Now if those Scandanavians could just do something about the soul-crushing endless night of winter in the Northern latitudes, I might be tempted to move there. Especially pending election results in November. We shall see.
Posted by mwashburn at 07:51 AM | Comments (1)
February 24, 2008
Still More Polaroids
With the magic of the Polaroid, even a simple bowl of fruit becomes strange.
An eerily empty street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
(more below the fold)
When we moved to Central Illinois, I started seeing more and more abandoned factory buildings. These suburban ruins started to fascinate me, and though I never really got any decent paintings out of them, I still have a small collection of polaroids.
Posted by mwashburn at 06:21 PM | Comments (0)
February 22, 2008
Food! Glorious Food!
Well, I'm particularly obsessed with food today since I had to fast for a blood test, so finding out about www.foodconnect.com is particularly timely.
I particularly do not need more online networking opportunities (finally free of MySpace, but still addicted to Ravelry, among others). But, this just looks so cool and I am always looking for new recipes and ways to use new ingredients. And I think this might be a convenient idea for keeping organized too. I'm always trying to plan ahead, but still manage to really get in a rut with meal planning (well, kids, beans and rice again!), so having shopping lists pre-made is a nice tool. I'm already captivated by the quiche on the home page.
From their press release:
www.foodconnect.com is the ultimate tool for every foodie.
What makes foodconnect.com so great? These and many other features:
- Free nutritional analysis, for all recipes on the site and every recipe you submit.
- Share your recipes with your friends and other foodies.
- Discuss recipe ideas and techniques.
- Plan your meal and easily print off your shopping list.
- Create the perfect dinner party
All of this and much more and best of all its all free. Get to foodconnecct.com to get started today.
I haven't turned up anything on dairy-free recipes, which is what I do use the internets for a lot, recipe-wise. But, if this site is new, presumably more and more recipes will be added as time goes on. The social aspect is what makes foodconnect a little different from sites like allrecipes, etc., and if you can be friends with someone online because they love purple hand-spun wool as much as you, why not porcini mushrooms?
Bon Appetit!
Posted by mwashburn at 09:57 AM | Comments (0)
February 21, 2008
More Polaroids
(more below the fold)
Posted by mwashburn at 07:16 AM | Comments (0)
February 20, 2008
Ummm...
Am I the only one worried about the Navy's plan to shoot down a wayward spy satellite?
No, nothing could possibly go wrong with this plan.
Posted by mwashburn at 11:59 AM | Comments (3)
February 18, 2008
Ode to the Polaroid
I learned on Saturday that Polaroid last week discontinued its instant film. I'm heartbroken. B&H Photo is already out of the type I use in my Polaroid Land camera. I'm not sure if there's any hope that someone else will pick up production. That camera has always been a valuable tool for my painting. The picture quality was always eerie and a bit Edward Hopper-esque. Some of my best paintings used Polaroid photos as source material.
In homage, I'm going to be posting some of my collection of Polaroid photos here this week as I get them scanned. In some cases with the paintings they inspired. Enjoy.
Some of my first, best experiments with the polaroid Land camera:
This one became the basis for a number of successful paintings and etchings that were in my BFA thesis show.
A couple of the first Bloomington photos I took, including the quarry vistas that defined my body of work from about 1997-2000.
And I don't remember where this one came from, but I assume it's from the same era due to the subject matter.
Posted by mwashburn at 06:55 AM | Comments (2)
helvetica
You wouldn't think a documentary about a font could be interesting (well, I would, but that's another story). But you'd be wrong. I have been a font geek ever since taking a typography course in 2005, but even non font-geek Adam really enjoyed Helvetica.
Helvetica, a ubiquitous typeface that turned 50 in 2007, is both celebrated and maligned in this nifty little film. We hear from design heavyweights such as Michael Beirut and Rick Poynor, and learn about the history and proliferation of a font that was considered the pinnacle of Swiss modern design. Even I didn't realize how much a part of the visual landscape Helvetica is. It's an inspiring movie too, full of fantastic contemporary design and really interesting interviews. The soundtrack is great as well.
So even if you don't think type is interesting, this movie might change your mind.
Posted by mwashburn at 06:45 AM | Comments (0)
February 16, 2008
Just, Wow.
I finally finished Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials triology last night (i.e. The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass.) I haven't enjoyed a piece of fiction this much in a really long time. I know the books were immensely popular in Pullman's native UK, but I completely missed their release here. You really have to read all three books in succession; despite the fact that they made it into a movie (which I haven't seen), the end of the first book is really just the beginning of the story. It's just a very emotional, beautifully written fantasy story.
I find the objections to the books due to their "atheism" especially funny now that I've read them. Pullman is an out atheist, and though the villans of the book are the Church authoritarians, the message is so much more beautiful and complex. It deals with individual responsibility, love, the interconnectedness of everything, and God is actually a benevolent (though impotent and deposed) character. The evil in the book is less about religion and more about blind authority and fear of the unknown. It doesn't challenge any specific religious doctrine, so I think much of the outrage over the book is from people who are a) (ignorantly/misguidedly) afraid of atheism in general and b) have not read the books. One aspect I found extremely interesting (and this is probably very threatening to fundamentalist thought) is that there is a shared mythology not only amongst people from different cultures, but also different worlds. The details and interpretations are the different, but the interpretations differ. This sort of ecumenical/universalist outlook is, in my humble opinion, a very healthy thing for kids to grasp.
My favorite character by far was Iorek Byrnsson, the king of the armored polar bears. The book made me cry at least four times, and Adam kept picking on me that I was crying over my drunken polar bear. Wait 'till he reads it...
Posted by mwashburn at 03:56 PM | Comments (1)
February 11, 2008
It's About Time
I've been standing by the sidelines for far too long. It's time to stop being cynical and standing around saying that nobody lines up completely with my political sympathies. No one is going to. No one electable, anyway. So, I've decided it's time to take a stand. I'm officially coming out as an Obama supporter. I think with a President Obama at the helm, at least people stand a chance of having their voices be heard. Let's do it.
Posted by mwashburn at 11:16 AM | Comments (4)
February 08, 2008
Oh, Yeah, That Hallmark Holiday is Coming
I'm really not the most romantic person on the planet, but despite every year protesting that "we don't celebrate Valentine's Day" we usually end up doing something, however small. It's rarely the usual flowers-and-chocolate sort of surprise thing; more often we go out to dinner or do something special together. I think this year, more likely than not, we'll just let it pass by due to being busy with all sorts of other things.
And despite my protestations of not being romantic, there is something nice about getting flowers now and again. One of the coolest arrangements I ever got was a beautiful Oriental-looking vase of orchids for our anniversary. I even blogged about them. (Interesting... that was the anniversary trip where I figured out I was pregnant with the Bug).
What I think is interesting is that this year 1-800-flowers is featuring orchid bouquets in their valentines gifts for him. I think men really vary in their comfort level with receiving flowers, but orchids are certainly among the more manly of flowers. They also have chocolate, green plants, and other goodies if you want to send something to someone of the male persuasion.
On the one hand, it seems a little less personal to order something online for V-day, but on the other hand it's great to have so many ideas in so many price ranges right at your fingertips. I certainly wouldn't argue with chocolate covered strawberries or a surprise flower arrangement. From anyone.
Posted by mwashburn at 12:44 PM | Comments (0)
February 07, 2008
Wish I'd thought of this First
More actual content of my own coming soon. In the meantime I just couldn't resist sharing this.
Dueling Billboards
Add to My Profile | More Videos
Posted by mwashburn at 09:49 AM | Comments (1)
February 04, 2008
Why the Media Ought to Keep their Noses Out of Scientific Journals
Here's a great example of how the media manage to distort and draw misleading conclusions from scientific studies:
Now, I think it is probably reasonable, and certainly won't cause any harm, to NOT use these products on your baby. But that, in my mind, ought to be the main message here. You don't need to scrub and sanitize your baby with the latest from Johnson & Johnson. Kids don't need special hand soap.
Instead, the news piece sets off alarm bells for already terrified parents by jumping to conclusions that are not in the study. I also think it's asinine that someone can't find the time to do some sort of conclusive study somewhere to sort this out, but in the meantime saying "phthalates cause reproductive problems in lab animals" + "we don't know if they do the same in humans" + "we don't know if they are in these baby products or not" + "we don't know if the infants in the study were exposed to phthalates in the products used on them" equals a whole lot of nothing. What are other environmental sources of exposure? And what infant hasn't "recently" been exposed to baby shampoo, lotion, powder, etc.? (well, mine, but we're weirdos).
Unfortunately, here's a case where both science and skepticism fail us. There are numerous compounds (including chocolate, onions, and grape skins) that we know are extremely harmful to certain animals, but are harmless or good for humans in the quantities we normally consume them. So animal studies aren't always a good indicator. On the other hand we have powerful pharmaceutical companies who are heavily financially and politically invested in the status quo, so it's hard to know if consumers are getting accurate information about what's in their cosmetics, let alone any possible harmful effects.
What am I getting at here? I wish the news media wouldn't construct something out of inconclusive preliminary studies, and wouldn't make leading statements that cause people to draw conclusions that aren't there (the phrase "correlation is not causation" seems lost on most people). But I also wish we had some better research going on as to the real effects of some of the chemical soup we live in on a daily basis. And I wish we could start collectively realizing that our obsession with having everything smell like a daisy all the time may very well come with some unpleasant side effects. I just feel frustrated as a consumer, but unwilling as a skeptic to go "bah, nothing wrong here." I'm one to talk, as I can't seem to give up my tinted sunscreen or my black eyeliner, but I also seem to draw some line in my mind as to what risks I'm willing to take for myself vs those I'm willing to inflict on my progeny.
That desert island life is looking better and better all the time. Better start compiling my ipod songlists...
Posted by mwashburn at 12:53 PM | Comments (2)