Good stuff from Rocketboom today. If you don’t watch the video, at least visit the Doctors Without Borders website. There is no hardship or challenge that I face which can compare to the issues Doctors Without Borders takes to hand.
Category: Publishing
Freeclimbing 3000 feet
I love rock climbing. Gym climbing and real rock are two entirely different experiences. Dan, Jan, and Jill took me under their wings and gave me good lessons. I met Lou Whittaker when he was in his early to mid-seventies and I have an autographed copy of his book
He was more alive than some people will ever be. He died on Mount Rainer and that is how he would have wanted it. (I thought I read that he died on Rainer a couple of years ago but I can find no obituary or any information to substantiate that therefore I am going to assume he is still alive.)
Lou’s philosophy is simple: "When it comes to dying," he says, "I want to know what it is like to have really lived." [Source]
Dean Potter has a video out demonstrating a solo, freeclimb The Nose of El Capitan at 3000 feet. I think Lou Whittaker would disagree with this type of climbing.
"…Remember, there are old climbers and bold climbers, but no old, bold climbers…" [Source]
Dan Osman (seen in the video below) was a speed climber and controlled freefaller who died November 23, 1998 when a last minute change to plans caused undue stress on his rigging which broke and sent him plummetting to the ground below. Read more here.
There is also an 11 minute video tribute to Dan Osman [Update: Video removed due to copyright claim by Eric Perlman Productions. You’d think YouTube or "we don’t understand marketing" productions would at least provide a link to where the video could be viewed or purchased.]. Speed climbing and Parkour share a lot of similarities. I can certainly relate to the thrill!
Today’s Video Pleasure
Nobody’s Watching Diet Coke & Mentos
Olbermann! Olbermann! Have you listened to Olbermann?!
I implore you! Take 10 minutes and 31 seconds of your life and listen to Olbermann(WMV and QT). You might just find yourself breaking out of the trance Bush, Instapundit, The Huffington Post, and main stream media has placed upon you. Wake up and save our nation!
The nation’s freedoms are under assault by an administration whose policies can do us as much damage as Al-Qaeda; the nation’s “marketplace of ideas” is being poisoned, by a propaganda company so blatant that Tokyo Rose would’ve quit.[Source – Crooks and Liars]
Btw, some fact checking on the Clinton interview.
Walken – walkin’
It’s people like Christopher Walken that make me want to quit computers and join Hollywood. Such talent!
Update April 2, 2009: The embed has been pulled but the video still exists on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMZwZiU0kKs. I highly suggest watching it!
Walken helped choreograph this video. Can anyone else catch the film cart in the mirrors? There is something about this video, maybe the suit, that makes me feel like I am watching my grandfather on my mother’s side dance.
Walken initially trained as a dancer in musical theatre before moving on to more serious roles in theatre and then film.
…
Walken was George Lucas’ second choice for Han Solo after Harrison Ford.
[Source]
Here is some details about this video:
Walken had a notable music video performance in 2001 with Fatboy Slim’s Weapon of Choice (lyrics). Directed by Spike Jonze, it won six MTV awards in 2001 and also won best video of all time in April 2002, in a list of the top 100 videos of all time, compiled from a survey of musicians, directors, and music industry figures conducted by a UK music TV channel VH1. In this video, Walken performs a tap dance around the lobby of the Marriott Hotel in Los Angeles. Walken also helped choreograph the dance. [Source]
Remember Walken for President 2008? You know, walken2008.com? Review this post and this one.
Thanks to Newscoma for the link. See also The Work of Director Spike Jonze and the lyrics. There are some tribute videos out there. These guys deserve some credit for their remake!
Update April 2, 2009: A great write-up and review of the Weapons of Choice video can be found here.
YouTube – good amateur film
This reminds me of Sesame Street. I’d forgotten about the clunky toggle switches on the Atari 2600.
Dave Letterman won’t buy a computer
David Letterman talks about computers.
21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic
SEOmoz Blog has a must read article for bloggers interested in traffic. Let me add that traffic is also something that will come with consistency and time. A lack of comments does not indicate a lack of readership. Many "counters" are inaccurate and do not accommodate readership through news readers (RSS, Atom, etc).
It’s Good Pod When The Cat Watches
My next transport – personal helicopter
Oh I want one! It’ll fly 3000 feet! No license required in Japan. Only $30,000 in the US. See the details.
A couple of related links showing the helicopter crash in New York: video and stills.
The Next Thing Everyone Will Link To
Aliens Attack Australia
Bush asks Mom, “How do you know his life would have been good?”
Did Bush really say this?!
Dolores Kesterson’s son died in Iraq. She was granted a private meeting with the President.
Dolores tried to give Bush a sense of what type of person Erik had been. She described her son as a “comedian” whose favorite saying was, “Life is good.” The president replied, “How do you know his life would have been good?” [Source]
He followed up with some enlightenment.
Before he concluded their meeting, Bush proclaimed to Dolores, "We won’t know in our lifetime whether or not Iraq was a success." [Source]
In our lifetime?! I can tell now.
Fly Naked Air
I said the future is in nude airlines!
This video shows we are practically there! (Note: the yahoo interface is obnoxious in that it moves immediately to the next video story. The new airport scanner is the first video). Basically, a machine is almost ready to deloy that will allow airport screens to see you nude and see everything you are packing.
It’s a virtual strip search…so detailed you can see genitalia.
So here is my more friendly skies concept. The airports will have rows of changing rooms like you would see in a dressing room at a clothing store. All passengers go into the changing rooms and strip. There is a container that you put your clothes, carry-on, and everything into. Like the doctor’s office bathroom, there is a pass-through which allows your sealed container to move onto a conveyor belt. You don a hospital robe, leave the changing room, and proceed through the metal detectors.
Taglines for my airline might be "Fly Naked Air" or "The Mile High Club is Open Again" and, my favorite, "Have no fear because you can see what everyone’s packing!" I’m seeking investors!
See the failed endeavor Hooters Air and The Sun News report on its failure. Wait a minute! Naked-Air (NWS) already flys out of Miami! Here’s a worksafe write-up of Naked-Air including this quote:
"After 9/11, I didn’t have any cancellations," [Donna Daniels] said. "Even after war broke out, we didn’t have any cancellations on this trip. People feel safe on a flight like this."
