Sunday, May 4, 2008

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Get your feed on for free!

I've enthused in the past about NetNewsWire (NNW), the RSS and Atom newsreader client for Macintosh, and my love has only grown since the release of version 3.0. I've also come to really like and rely on the Newsgator web application and its super-slick iPhone counterpart. NNW syncs automagically with my Newsgator account so, no matter where or how I check my feeds, they're up to date.

So, knowing that the software and service come with my personal stamp of approval, what else can possibly be done to get you to give it a spin? Ah, of course: make it absolutely free to download and use. (Of course, I didn't do that. The good folks at Newsgator did.)

Congrats and thank you to Brent Simmons for the lovely tool—in which I spend increasing portions of my day—and its continued improvement and refinement.

Friday, December 21, 2007

My Favorite Things 2007: On the Web

If it's good enough for Oprah...

While I certainly can't afford to dole out free stuff to my audience, I've been thinking over the past couple of weeks about some of my favorite things (it might be a consequence of having that danged song from The Sound of Music stuck in my head) and I thought I'd share some of them with you. Over the next few days, I'll put up some lists of my favorite media, theatre, websites and other stuff from 2007. Most of it is new or new to me this year, but there are a few perennial preferences stuck in as well. First up: my favorite things on the web.

Comics: The Perry Bible Fellowship sneaks in from my discovery of it last year, but continues to make me chuckle, as does Doug Savage's Savage Chickens and Lulu Eightball. After the Deluge is a fantastic (if a bit slow-paced) telling of the stories of several folks in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Also loving: We the Robots and The Abominable Charles Christopher. Related faves: The surprisingly still-not-cease-and-desist-served The Other Family (for those who miss the deliciously mean-spirited antics of The Dysfunctional Family Circus and a daily read of snark for the funny pages, Josh Fruhlinger's The Comics Curmudgeon.

Covet: I've long enjoyed Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools weblog, a compendium of gadgets, software, books and other items that are...well, just cool and useful. Earlier this year, Kevin began publishing Kevin Kelly's Lifestream, an assembled feed from all of his fascinating weblogs. It's become a favorite read. A recent post: Phone Mining from his Street Use weblog.

Theatre Geeks: And I mean that in the best possible way, natch. I stumbled across Man in Chair one day a few months ago and realized that I knew that man. He's writing fondly about theatre from the cultural capital of America, north central Florida. (I kid, I kid.) With an understandable Broadway bias, but with the attention that must be paid to interested regional work, Eric's site is a breezy, frequent read. (And, Man, if you're reading this, I am aware I owe you my side of the story. Stay tuned.) I am not, for the most part, a podcast or videoblog consumer—I simply haven't the time—but I make an occasional exception for Andrew's Blog, the video diary of actor Andrew Keenan-Bolger, friend of a friend. And speaking of pals, I don't miss an installment of the [title of show] show, put together by Jeff Bowen and my old chum Hunter Bell.

Local Color: For St. Louis architecture, urban planning and redevelopment news and thoughts, I keep an eye on B.E.L.T., Urban Review STL, Pretty War STL, Vanishing STL and Built St. Louis. STL Syndicate aggregates news posts from several great St. Louis weblogs.

Old Favorites: I am particularly grooving these days on Girlhacker's Random Log, which consistently digs up one or two links every day that never fail to interest me. Jaime J. Weinman's Something Old, Nothing New weblog is so tasty, you can almost forget he's Canadian. (I kid, I kid. Ow, quit it!) Certainly his "thoughts on popular culture and unpopular culture" align with mine frequently enough, he could be my long-lost Toronto twin. Latest example: His appreciation of a cabaret song I've long loved and occasionally sung. Next up: Scrubbles, Mr. Hinrichs' always-interesting accumulation of kitsch, camp and other words beginning with hard k sounds. Love it. I am also, if you please, beyond thrilled that Mr. Damp Pants his own self has resumed publishing his An Entirely Other Day.

Transit Geekery: CTA Tattler, alongside the Livejournal L or El community, keep me posted on the Chicago Transit Authority and all of its attendant funding woes, while the Chitransit Flickr pool keeps me knee-deep in rolling stock and station porn from up north. Also on Flickr: London Underground pool and Undergrounds and Subways.

Everything Else: Usually safe (enough) for work is Hunk du Jour, a daily dose of guy candy from Chris. I check on T Critic every day, even though I have quite enough t-shirts. (Yes, I also check on Threadless weekly and get more. It's a delightful sickness.) For good—and unexpected—ideas, I love David's Ironic Sans. Even though I've missed him hanging out with the cabal regularly, I am thrilled by (and envious of) my pal Nick's diary of his world-round wanderings on Woolgatherer. Bill Keaggy's reddykilowatt.org is an attempt to keep track of everyone's favorite old electricity spokescreature and, as a kid who grew up surrounded by REC propaganda, I love it. Speaking of advertising, I am grateful to whomever introduced me to ad goodness, a showcase of the best (and sometimes worst) advertising creative. (Another Toronto guy. What's going on up there?!) If you're in the market for a desktop photo that simply sparkles (er, not literally), I am pleased to commend you to Mandolux. And I love, love, love Serious Eats, the amazing breadth and depth of which I've only begun to explore.

Now then, remember, these are just a few of my favorite things. (Like. That. Damned. Song.) I've got a bookmarks list, a del.icio.us account and a feed reader crammed with stuff I've left out. But if after looking over the above, you have a suggestion of a site you're absolutely sure would be a favorite of mine, let me know in the comments.

Next up: My Favorite Television & Movies 2007.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Must see gallery

This has been on my calendar for months: My pal Bill Keaggy is getting a one-man exhibition at COCA. Junk Science: Found objects, trash photography, strange collections and accidental art opens this Friday and runs through June 11.

You may know Mr. K from such arcane and eclectic collections as grocery lists, arbortecture or sad chairs (my favorite). I know him because he's a weblogger from waaaay back and he had the good fortune (and good sense) to marry another pal o' mine, Diane.

Here's a win-win proposition: See Bill's great stuff at the gallery and see me seeing it at the opening reception, Friday 6–8 pm.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

What an awful adventure…

As one commenter avers, If Bush is so in the dark, why hasn't he been eaten by a Grue?

Friday, June 10, 2005

Yeah, but why only four peanuts in a bag?

I'm a pretty seasoned traveler, so I like to believe/pretend that climbing aboard a plane holds no particular mystery nor fazes me in the least. But the truth is, after all this time, there are some things I don't know or understand.

After reading the archives of the USA Today feature Ask the Captain, however, there are far fewer. It's a great read, and writer (and 777 pilot) Meryl Getline has a real knack for making the magic of jet flight less mysterious.

Friday, May 13, 2005

Yes, I know what this says about me…

How much joy could a piece of machine-molded plastic possibly bring to my life? (Shut up!) Ask anyone in my office how I squealed last week when my Flipfold arrived by parcel post. I was giddily running around demonstrating perfect shirt folds to everyone who couldn't shut their door quickly enough. Seriously, it may be the best $20 I've spent in a long time, judging by the amount of fun it's brought me. Certain of my friends will understand: You need to get one right now!

Last night, after a much-needed laundry binge, I had the best time folding my dozens upon dozens of t-shirts and stacking them neatly according to color and the occasions for which they are suitable.

Yes, I know.

Don't blame me. I learned it by watching him!

Tuesday, April 5, 2005

Feed me…

I dabbled with it in the past, but with the advent of version 2.0 (now in public beta), I'm completely sold on NetNewsWire, a syndication reader that converts RSS and Atom feeds into a gorgeous digest of all the sites I love.

The latest beta build adds the promised synchronization feature—using .Mac or a personal FTP space—that keeps copies of NNW on multiple computers up to date. Since I find web-based applications for feed-reading cumbersome, that feature alone makes my registration fees money well spent.

Combined with the bundled MarsEdit for weblog editing, $39.95 is a cinch bargain for information junkies.

Sunday, February 20, 2005

The future of newspapers

Thomas Vander Wal speaks sense about The Future of Newspapers

Tuesday, January 4, 2005

I am in love with Lulu

Friends recently introduced me to a comic that's become a new favorite. It's Lulu Eightball by illustratrix Emily Flake.



Check it out! It's BradLands approved!

Thursday, November 18, 2004

Everything’s Just Jake

Everything's Just Jake: I've been reading NoFo off and on for quite a while now. It's part of a growing list of "beer 'blogs" I've been keeping, not because it has anything at all to do with barley and/or hops, but because it's written by a smart, funny fella with whom I'm reasonably certain I'd enjoy sharing a beer or six.

That'd be Jake, whose recent successful completion of the Chicago marathon had me cheering from the (St. Louis-based) sidelines and with whom I share the lament of seldom tricking with forging a genuine connection with any of the boys on fare at Sidetrack.

So, let's review: Smart? Check. Funny? Check. Near-encyclopedic knowledge of show tunes? Check and double-check. And then comes this.

Hubba hubba. Next time I visit Chicago, the first three rounds are on me, Jake.

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

Larry Kramer at Cooper Union

Author, playwright and activist Larry Kramer spoke at Cooper Union last Sunday, delivering a very, very worthwhile read thoughtfully transcribed by Andy Towle.

It's titled "The Tragedy of Today's Gays".

I love being gay. I love gay people. I think we’re better than other people. I really do. I think we’re smarter and more talented and more aware and I do, I do, I totally do. And I think we’re more tuned in to what’s happening, tuned into the moment, tuned into our emotions, and other people’s emotions, and we’re better friends. I really do think all these things.

To us it defies rational analysis that this incompetent dishonest man and his party should be re-elected. Or does it?

I hope we all realize that, as of November 2nd, gay rights are officially dead. And that from here on we are going to be led even closer to the guillotine. This past week almost 60 million of our so-called “fellow” Americans voted against us. Indeed 23% of self-identified gay people voted against us, too. That one I can’t figure.

If you read nothing else today, set aside an hour and read this.

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

Angered the poop gods

It's not that I drank a lot last night, although there was a constant supply of shotglasses of something that was awfully tasty and that someone else was buying, so I've a bit of a dull headache today.

I am also suffering from a fair amount of congestion since apparently the Pollen Fairy crept into my room last night and thrashed me with his weed wand as I slept.

Which I didn't do, much. Sleep, that is.

And now, atop everything else ailing me today, I seem to have angered the poop gods.

Worse still, now I can't get that damnable song out of my brain!

Wednesday, September 8, 2004

43 Folders

That's a lot of folders: The best new personal weblog I've seen this week was created by the charming, witty and drop-dead sexy Merlin Mann.

It's called 43 Folders and I think I'm in love with it.

Friday, August 27, 2004

Eh, fuck Gladwell

If you have a few bucks to spare, please consider a donation to the Ozarks Literacy Council, a fine organization (demonstrated by their acumen in placing my friend Mollie on the board) which has suffered a bit of bad luck recently. It seems that uncouth vandals shattered a plate glass window at the OLC's offices and, owing to the whimsy of their insurance carriers and landlord, this vital organization is responsible for the full measure of the repair cost. This is an extremely short fund-raising campaign — they've got to raise all of the scratch by Tuesday, so the emergency effort doesn't get in the way of the annual United Way blackout period.

Please click this link and pitch in whatever you can spare today!

Added incentive: Make a donation of $100 or more and I will personally — at a mutually convenient time and place — put out for you. What are you waiting for? Get clicking.

Tuesday, July 20, 2004

Bawls!

Make your own wisecrack: Anyone who knows me is aware that, when it comes to pick-me-ups, I generally eschew coffee and am, more or less, a devotee of one and only one high-octane beverage.

But now! A taste like cream soda with just a hint of citrus. And all that sweet, sweet caffeine. Well, I might as well face it, I'm addicted to Bawls.

Wednesday, May 26, 2004

Music, music, music

Music, music, music: I've justed learned about the project and I'm already hooked on A Million Love Songs, a free MP3 every day, lovingly uploaded by some of the web's most discerning music afficionados. Get on over there and get you some extra love. [hat tip to Scrubbles, who deserves a whole lot of lovin']

Meanwhile, back in the land of FM and streaming goodness, please to be checking out my new favorite local radio station, Red. It's Sinatralicious.

Wednesday, May 19, 2004

One man’s trash…

Way to raise my...er, spirits: Added to the regular reading list, the collegiate surprisingly-low-twink quotient JUNK Magazine.

Monday, April 19, 2004

Conversation starter

I may throw like a girl but I'm still a damn good pitcher. Here, friends, is a 100 percent unsolicited endorsement of the finest conversation-starting garment currently available in these United States, courtesy of the irrepressible mighty Maggie.

I was pleased to be among the first to own one and I can attest to its attention-grabbing, introduction-earning powers, having modeled it in a variety of homosexual drinking establishments in both St. Louis and Chicago. The boys practically throw their phone numbers at you, kids! Order today!

Friday, April 16, 2004

(Web)log-Rolling

(Web)log-Rolling: It's been a while since I did a Bookmark dump here, and even longer since I pruned and updated my poor, neglected Links directory. As a partial redress, here are a few new, new-to-me or recently rediscovered sites I've been enjoying recently.

• Boi From Troy
  
• Angst-ident Prone
  
• Penmachine
  
• Ray's World
  
• Sissy SpaceChik
  
• Jere-Rigged
  
• Chicago Daybook
  
• Hell in a Handblog
  
• Johnny A Go Go
  
• Mizzou Guy
  
• Boy's Briefs
  
• Balancing Boyfriends
  
• Slumberland

Saturday, April 3, 2004

Eat the oyster, children…

...I'm also in a fun place right now. I'm learning new things and trying new things and trying to be open about ideas and opportunities and... suchlike. I lived a very long time in the land of assumption. I thought I was this other guy, see, and it turns out I wasn't actually him at all. I made him up! Funny, isn't it?

Now, the hard part is that I sort of tattooed him to me rather than just wearing him like a suit. He's very hard to erase...

Some good advice and another in the ever-growing list of reasons I love Lance Arthur.

Monday, February 9, 2004

Gay Boyfriend

Isn't it what we all want? A few people suggested I check out Ryan McFaul's clever video of the Ukes of Hazzard's "Gay Boyfriend" and, especially after watching the "Making of..." documentary that accompanies it, I was really impressed.

This McFaul guy is a real talent and I'm glad to see he's getting some paying gigs too. Check out his work on the commercial for the revivial of Wonderful Town. (I can't wait to see its behind-the-scenes doc.)

Human Clock

Does anybody really know what time it is? Part collaborative art project, part wicked cool use of the web, part timepiece, all Human Clock.

Thursday, January 29, 2004

Sweeney, Sheila on DVD

Sweeney and Sheila on DVD: Oh, this is just the best news so far this year! Two new DVDs will be released on April 20: The 1982 Emmy Award-winning television version of Sweeney Todd, starring Angela Lansbury and George Hearn, and The Last of Sheila, my favorite mystery-thriller film of all time, written by Stephen Sondheim and Tony Perkins and directed by Herbert Ross with a fantastic cast.

Pesky broadcast rights issues had held up the release of the former forever and I carefully protected my precious VHS version, refusing to lend it and only once or twice permitting it to leave my home, always under escort. Good copies are exceedingly rare and often fetch a princely sum on eBay or through trading channels. I'm a bit more generous with my VHS of Sheila, since it is still in print. It'll be grand to have them both on DVD and back in circulation.