I have often heard the expression, the lion’s share, but I didn’t know that it is part of Aesop’s Fables.  Nor did I know what Aesop meant by it. I thought it just meant: the biggest part of what is being shared. But if you read this, The Lion’s Share. Aesop. 1909-14. Fables. The Harvard Classics, you will see there is a bit more to the fable.

Once you check that out, poke around and you can find more of Aesop’s Fables.

Image of Aesop from wikipedia, where you can find out more about him.

If you want to check out a wide range of styles, prices, makers, colours…you name it, then check out the  Shop-A-Matic part of New York Magazine.

It has a ton of great coats and jackets, from as low as $29 to over a $1000. Surely even someone as smart and particular as yourself could find something to love here.

You may have seen this already. And no wonder! It’s funny and smart. See:

YouTube – A Day at the Office

I am a big fan of Philippe Starck’s design, be it an entire hotel, a cafe, a watch, or even a fly swatter! He is innovative and stylish. At least I thought he was until I saw these. Apparently he designed these gnome thingies!

There is really no excuse for that.

Found via the mogg blogg

Karen Ryan takes second hand plates and removes the ordinary patterns to make extraordinary works of art.  Plates like this

Lest you think it is just technique, look again at what has been removed and what remains.

And as Richard Lacayo in Time points out, things are not looking good. At least, so far.

Lacayo notes examples of how critics are lambasting Hirst for his new works, dismissing them as derivative, to say the least. Given that Francis Bacon is one of his inspirations, the “derivative” comment is right on the money. What remains to be seen is whether or not Hirst has the ability to grow any further. If so, these recent works may just be a weigh station on the road to newer and better work. If not, then he is done and he will be remembered as much if not more for his ability to rake in the dough than for his ability to produce inspiring and influencial works of art.

For more on this, see: Damien Hirst: Dead on Arrival – Looking Around – TIME.com

Soon Au Revoir Simone will be bigger and they will have fancy official videos on YouTube. In the meantime, there is this lovely fan video:

Which gives you a nice way for you to get to know Au Revoir Simone and “Through the Backyards”

What is Letters of Note? Simply

… an attempt to gather and sort fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos.

And fascinating they are! The blog nicely gives the context, reproduces the correspondence, and then transcribes it. That’s all good. However, it is the selection of correspondence that makes it great. If you have any time at all, go see it. It’s noteworthy indeed.

(thanks to kottke.org for this)

This is going out the Goldman Sachs and their mind bogglingly stupid bonuses, who no doubt feel they work hard for the money! 😉
(Goldman Sachs can give out huge bonuses because of people who do work hard for the little money they do get. )

But enough about greedy bankers.

I always felt Donna Summer never got enough credit for her talent. She had great range, both vocally and in what she sang about.  True, she did Love to Love You Baby, but you miss out on alot of good music if you only focus on that.

I also know that some people think: 80s music/video…lame! Yet lots of people give credit to the look and music of the 70s, and having lived through both the 70s and the 80s, I’d take the 80s any day. And mark my words: big hair and big shoulderpads WILL come back soon. 🙂

Enough soap box rantings from me. Here’s the very good, very 80s, Donna Summer:

YouTube – Donna Summer – She Works Hard For The Money

P.S. Ok, just to drive home my point, here is You to Love You Baby from the 70s. (The other video is ’83). Not only is this NSFW, it is Not Suitable Anywhere! I cannot watch the “interpretive dance dude” without bursting out laughing. Not to pick on him in particular: there was ALOT of this going on in the 70s. He just manages to capture it so well, combining the best of Snoopy and Christopher Guest.

Just try watching it with a straight face.

80s 1, 70s 0.

Unlike B of A, Goldman Sachs appears to never have been in serious trouble as a result of the financial meltdown. If anything, they took a bit of a hit and roared back bigger and stronger. But as this  NYTimes.com article illustrates, they are at risk of being the poster child of tone deaf / stupid American corporations. How so?

“Goldman Sachs is on pace to pay annual bonuses that will rival the record payouts that it made in 2007, at the height of the bubble. In the last nine months, the bank set aside about $16.7 billion for compensation — on track to pay each of its 31,700 employees close to $700,000 this year. Top producers are expecting multimillion-dollar paydays.”

How big is that? Apparently

“Goldman set aside nearly half of its revenue to reward its employees, a common practice on Wall Street, even in this post-bailout era.”

And I love this comment:

“Goldman executives know they have a public opinion problem, and they are trying to figure out what to do about it — as long as it does not involve actually cutting pay.

Lloyd C. Blankfein, Goldman’s chairman and chief executive, finds himself in the unusual position of defending a successful company in a nation that normally celebrates success.”

Of course, they would not be celebrating their success if the taxpayers of the United States had coughed up significant money to prevent Goldman and their counterparts from going under (even though some of them still have in the form of mergers and acquisitions).

So what is Goldman Sachs proposing? Well,

“”Goldman said Thursday that it would donate $200 million to its charitable foundation (that figure represents 6 percent of its third-quarter profit, or about six days of earnings).”

Now they are putting almost 50% of their annual revenue aside for bonuses, and 1.5% of their profit for charity. See something wrong here?

Then again, this canard comes up:

“But he said Goldman had a duty to its employees and to retain staff. By paying big bonuses, he said, the bank was trying to make a difficult trade-off between “being fair to our people who have done a remarkable job” and “what’s going on in the world.”

As always, my question is: where are the staff going to go? No where, that’s where. There is no where to go.

And then I love this:

“Goldman, Mr. Viniar said, was being unfairly singled out over its bonus culture. “Yes, I think that is too big a focus,” he said. “I would prefer people to be focused on the success of our business, how well we’re doing, and how well our people are performing.”

People! We should be happy for Goldman! Geez. Seriously, is this the best they can do? I thought the folks from Goldman were smart.

So, here’s what I think. Other banks, like Morgan Stanley are going to execute on reform, like “introducing three-year clawback provisions”. Whether this is still good is a question, but it is better than Goldman. To make a level playing field — corporations love level playing fields! — Goldman should be legislated to execute on the same reform that Morgan Stanley and others do. Smarter people than me can likely come up with all kinds of ways to rein in Goldman. But they need to be reined in and made an example of.

Otherwise, the next big crisis to occur, the tail (Goldman Sachs) is going to be wagging the dog (the people of the U.S.A.). (Although some would argue that they did that this time. And if they get away with this, I will believe them.)

From what I can see, there has not been enough new governance or accountability following the bank meltdown that precipitated the Great Recession. However, there have been some significant activity here and there, including this from the NYTimes.com:

Bank of America’s embattled chief executive, Kenneth D. Lewis, agreed Thursday not to take a salary or bonus for 2009, as new information emerged about legal advice the firm received on its ill-fated merger with Merrill Lynch.

Mr. Lewis also agreed to reimburse the bank for paychecks he has received since January, after Kenneth R. Feinberg, the government’s overseer of executive compensation, urged Mr. Lewis to take no compensation this year.

Sadly, I think this is only occurring due to serious legal steps being taken by New York’s Attorney General. Not alot if anything seems to be coming from Washington. While I am faintly hopeful that after the Health Care legislation is finished, this is taken up, I cynically think it is going to require a new short sharp shock before anything of note happens.

It’s great to have friends in useful occupations, be they doctors, lawyers, plumbers, or cooks.  In my case, I have some smart friends who are physicists. Which is great when I read an article like this on Slashdot about how a group of scientists have created a black hole for light, because I can ask them: should I be concerned? And they can reply:

…it’s an analog of a gravitational black hole rather than the real thing.

If it were a gravitational black hole, my answer to you would be: Yes, Worry! That’s because all matter responds to the gravitational field. In this case, the hole would start absorbing everything that came within its radius, and that radius would expand as a hole grew. The radius could in principle and rapidly grow large enough to absorb the entire earth!

But happily this particular analog affects only light, so all other kinds of matter are unaffected — including the device that is creating the effect.

Moreover, the actual analog “black hole” has a relatively small radius, so the only light it affects will be light that finds itself within the device.

All in all, it’s safe enough then…

…and that’s a great thing! Whoever came up with this ad campaign for Intel has produced a winner. I think they are all very funny (but that could be because I am like the good folks from Intel).

Here’s one of the spots:

If you like that, then go to YouTube and check out the other ads. They’re all good.

…can be found listed at my brother Eddie’s blog, PANG.  If you go to Halifax and you love coffee or coffee shops generally, make sure you take this list of the Top Five Coffee Haunts in Halifax. I’ve been to the Smiling Goat and the coffee is superb. Really, really good.

The next time I am in Halifax, I am going to try and visit the rest. In the meantime, check out PANG.

Moby nicely freshens up this classic from OMD

YouTube – O M D ::: Souvenir (Moby Remix)

As James Fallows shows, The Washington Post in its lead editorial promoted the idea of a posthumous Nobel Prize award ito Neda of Iran nstead of it having it go to Obama. The problem is, there are no posthumous nominations for a Nobel Prize, and it says so in the FAQ on their web site.

I mean, how hard is that to fact check? It’s in the Frequently Asked Questions page of their web site! So either the writer of the editorial was too lazy to check this out or too indifferent to care one way or another.

Sad.

If you have a blog, you should consider Chris Brogan’s How to Blog Almost Every Day. Even if you never want to blog that much, the recommendations that Chris provides are useful to anyone starting or maintaining a blog.

As for me, I follow ideas 1, 2, 3, 4, 9 and 10. Number 9 is particularly good; the URL you want is this http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/by-2.0/.

If you do want to blog everyday and if you blog on wordpress.com like I do, one of the widgets you might want to add is the calendar widget.  For example, looking at my blog for September 2009, I see I blogged most days with the exception of a few.

Good luck! Let me know how your blogging is going.

No doubt with the Great Recession, travel has not been a priority with most people. But if you can afford to travel, now is still a good time. Even if you are concerned about the cost of things. For the NYtimes.com has a great rundown of 100 European hotels under $150/night in this article here: 100 Hotels Under $150 – NYTimes.com

You might object, “that’s not so cheap”, and yes, you can likely find cheaper hotels. But why stay in a dump when for a bit more you can stay in some really great hotels and still not spend a ton of money. Hey, smart people like you deserve to live well and not go broke in the process. You now can have the chic without the cher.

See you there!

(Great photo of the Matisse B&B in Rome by Chris Warde-Jones for The New York Times. Doesn’t it make you want to go?)

Yup. The folks at Star Wars: Uncut have come up with a crazy idea. Let me let them explain:

Hello! You and 472 other people have the chance to recreate Star Wars: A New Hope. Below is the entire movie split up into 15 second clips. Click on one of the scenes to claim it, film it, and upload it. You can have up to three scenes! When we’re all done, we’ll stitch it all together and watch the magic happen.

Is it going to be as good as the original? Not even remotely close. Is it going to be interesting? Very! Go look at some of the claimed scenes so far, like this one:

Ok, it might be a bit of a nerd fest. (A bit, Bernie?) Seriously, it’s alot of fun, and I like how Star Wars inspires people to think about film and create, regardless of their skill. This is a great example of that. May the crowdsource be with you!

Let’s say you want to eat at a fancy steak place, like Maloney & Porcelli in NYC, but you can’t expense that steak at your work. No problem! Their Expense Report Generator will generate a PDF file of smaller expenses you CAN submit. And it works well. Type in an amount, and it will generate numerous expenses that add up to that amount.

Now obviously I am not condoning you do this. Obviously. Right. 🙂

Seriously, I think this is funny and a great way to get some buzz around their restaurant. Check out their app. Better yet, go buy yourself a nice steak dinner from Maloney & Porcelli. How you expense it…well, I don’t want to know. 🙂

(Found via the always interesting blog, Cup of Jo).

…Herta Müller, a German writer who was born and lived in Romania before moving to Germany. Sadly,
the press release and other details on the Nobel Prize site are vary scant. You will want to go elsewhere for the details, like the NYtimes.com. (Though I recommend you avoid the commentary: it is the usual carping along the lines of “who is she?”, “why hasn’t DeLillo/Vonnegut/Pynchon/etc. won?”)

No doubt we will hear more about her and see more of her books at the bigger book sellers in near future.

While etsy.com has many wonderful creations on it available for purchase, not everything is all that desirable. (Exhibit A: fish in a squirrel suit…I mean, really, who thinks this is good?) Along comes Regretsy. Regretsy picks out the best of the worst for your viewing pleasure. I like how they titled their blog: Regretsy – Handmade? It looks like you made it with your feet.

Go see. And if you do purchase something they mock…well, I don’t want to know. 🙂

Thanks to giselaj for this

If you liked Nuit Blanche (or you are interested in modern art generally), you should note that the short list for the Turner Prize 2009 has been announced. The Guardian has a great rundown of the artists on the short list, as well as the Prize in general. The Turner Prize is always interesting and often controversial. Visit the site and wade into the discussion.

(Thanks to Lucia Orth for the pointer!)

The great Toronto blog, Torontoist, has a excellent run down of the Nuit Blanche festival that occurred yesterday, including lots of  photos of the event.

One photo that really struck me was this one.

I believe it’s by Jeff Koons. It’s appropriate to see him in the Eaton Center. The Center has a famous installation of these beloved geese

And Koons work echoes this to some degree, though the differences (in the material and the object itself) is what makes Koons…well, Koons. What I think both work share, besides size, animal association, and suspension, is that they are both appealing to audiences. Koons may be a major figure in the modern art world, but different than artists like Serra or Hirst in that his recent work is appealing to a wide audience. Which makes it great for Nuit Blanche, and perfect for the Eaton Center. Whoever chose to put it there is very smart indeed.

If you are interested in Koons and other things going on in the world of sculpture, check out this.

(Geese photo from Diego_3336’s photostream. Bunny photo from the Torontoist).

Great ad (not surprisingly) from Nike

Nice that it was shot in Toronto, too! 🙂

This is fascinating: the NYTimes.com has a great animated timeline showing the meltdown of the U.S. Financial institutions between end of 2007 until now. Watching the banks shrink (and in some cases, disappear) like this gives you a sense of just how dramatic the decline was. The banks went from a capitalization of $1.54 trillion ($1540 billion) all the way down to $290 billion in March of 2009, essentially losing 80% of their capital. Anyone who thinks the intervention of the governments didn’t matter is dreaming in technicolour.

Now their capitalization is growing back up to a trillion again. Check this out to see who disappeared and who dominates now: How the Giants of Finance Shrank, Then Grew, Under the Financial Crisis – Interactive – NYTimes.com

(Thanks to the Contrarian blog for this tip, too).

After all, they know windmills. Contrary to what I see in North America, the Dutch appear to wisely put them in places that already have alot of noise and aren’t necessarily attractive. This is smarter than putting them in some rural places where the noise bothers people, or in some picturesque place where the view bothers people. If anything, seeing a windmill here:

…would be a welcome sight.

Thanks to the Contrarian blog for this.

Is something to see. 400 km wide and 2000 km long, near Sydney. Sounds big, yes? Take a look:

From the blog, Molt:n Core. (Note: may be mildly NSFW if you have the sound on).

…can be seen in this video here:

Lots of fascinating statistics, linked with a theme, presented well. One of the reasons for the powerful changes that digital technology is bringing on like the juggernaut that it is.

Thanks to thetrendwatch.com for this.

Now that the weather is getting cooler and then colder, we’ll all be spending more time indoors. If you look around and think a) I need to freshen up my place b) I am strapped for funds to do that, then check out this article from Style At Home: 15 best budget buys.

Even with very limited funds, you will get some good ideas to make your indoors seem fresh.

Tomorrow is my 26th anniversary with IBM. When I first joined IBM, they gave me one of these:

…have I seen all of the best Zombie movies? Maybe I missed 1 or 2? Well, if you have been wondering that, EW’s got your back. See the comprehensive rundown (pun intended) of the 25 Best Zombie Movies of All Time.

I found this remarkable video of Anne Frank via The Globe and Mail. (You can see her leaning out of a window).

According to The Globe,

‘The Anne Frank House museum in Amsterdam has begun airing the only known video of the teenage diarist on a channel dedicated to her on YouTube.

The channel also features clips of others, including her late father Otto and Nelson Mandela, talking about Anne, museum spokeswoman Annemarie Bekker said Friday. “It is really a great platform to show all the different kinds of films and documentaries about Anne Frank.” ‘

For more, click on the link to the Globe, the video itself, or you can go to The Anne Frank House web site.

Just when I think I can’t be surprised by what I come across on the Internet, I come across something that surprises me.