As I have finally settled into and become comfortable again with my revitalized online blogging and researching habits, and, in an effort to provide a bit of context to what would otherwise end-up non-contextualized entries in my Tumblelog, thus further (and only a little falsely) perpetuating my online reputation as an eclectic, sometimes depressed, sometimes manic, emo artfag geek of all trades, I present: The Atherton Bartelby Remainders. Since in general once Friday rolls around I am usually too exhausted by the previous week to blog about anything coherently, I thought I would launch a new regular blog feature and cross my fingers that it does not travel where all of the previous “new blog features” have traveled in this blog, i.e., down the toilet. So this is where I will collect a handful of all of my Internet discoveries throughout each week that I in some way found inspirational, interesting, shocking, entertaining, or humorous, and want to share with others who may find them so, as well, or simply want to keep them hanging around for myself, at the end of a week that just totally tapped me out.
Yes, I totally just pimped my own blog. That is how I roll, people.
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- Speaking of tapping, I may be an extremely liberal-minded, pro-choice, pro-gay marriage (but not for myself, obviously), Democrat Party card-carrying gay man, but even I must admit that I totally have a crush on the 31-year-old John McCain. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I’ve always had a thing for cute guys with prematurely silver hair, but, in the words of another blogger whose piece on the topic I came across yesterday, “I want to tap that so hard you guys.” Check out “I Am Totally Crushin’ On Young McCain” (and please be sure to watch the smokin’ hot video clip, as well!) on 236.com, via Gawker.
- The architecture nerd in me was reawakened like woah throughout the past several weeks, so I was elated to read that 860-880 North Lake Shore Drive, one of my favorite works of architecture in my hometown of Chicago and one of Mies van der Rohe’s first glass-and-steel high-rises, is finally undergoing some direly-needed restoration. An excellent photo essay of the project, with commentary: “Mies’ Lake Shore Drive Apartments Not Looking Good These Days,” on The New Modernist Edward Lifson, via Gaper’s Block.
- “The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button” is a 1922 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, adapted for film by director David Fincher (starring Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt *dies*) and set for a Holiday 2008 release. I have always harbored a, well, curious obsession with this piece (probably yet another subconscious informant of the title of this very blog), and am happy / relieved to find that I am not the only one, as Jason Kottke seems to be compiling an impressive array of “TCCOBB”-related information and links. The Apple trailer for the film is available here, first discovered via Kottke.org.
- Another very recent, very pervasive obsession of mine? Images of and from Mars. I cannot articulate how special, fragile, strong, insignificant, and…fantastic…they make me feel, every time I see them. Once again, Boston.com’s truly astonishingly good “The Big Picture” delivers all shades of nothing but win in this arena, as well, with the most impressive collection of Mars-related imagery I have seen thus far, in “Martian Skies,” collected on Chicagoist.
- Those who are, like me, positively loving the latest version of Mozilla’s Firefox, yet have not, like me, thoroughly enjoyed seeing how the new browser displays images (i.e., rather desaturated), may want to tweak their Firefox settings to turn color profile support “on” in order to see a representation of colors more faithful to those in the original images. First brought to my attention via Joi Ito and Xeni Jardin, there is a great walk-through up now on Lifehacker.com for those interested in the fix.
- Tracks Currently Rocking My Decks (Errr…iTunes) On Repeat: David Vandervelde’s lush, happy, 1970s AM radio-esque “I Will Be Fine”, via Chicagoist; the Violent Femmes’ cover of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” (yes, you read that correctly, and yes, it sounds as freaking amazing as it reads), discovered on MySpace, via Gawker; and that catchy, addictive, oddly nostalgia-inducing “Again And Again” by The Bird And The Bee, which I eventually found on MySpace but originally saw in an equally cool video posted via Plaid’s Brand Flakes For Breakfast.
- Finally, I do not think I even need to comment at length on how shrilly this last item screams “Atherton Bartelby,” nor how perfect and fitting of a birthday gift it would be for me. I present: The Alfred Hitchcock The Birds Barbie Doll, originally via Boing Boing.
Always have a smart skirt suit handy, mind the birds, and have a fabulous weekend!
Filed under: Architecture, Art, Blogging, Books, Film, Media, Music, Photography, Politics, Technology , chicago, humor, linkage, lists, omgwtfbbq, photoblogging, pimpage, remainders, retail therapy, science, urban appreciation, video
I think I started the auto-fun in a similar spirit, and also two side blogs I eventually stopped pretending to be actively updating (more potato products, auto-universe). That’s just to say that this idea you have, and what you want to do — I LOVE it! I think it’ll stick, no segment graveyard. Yay!
Riese: YAY! So happy you like it! I attempted “something” like this, kind of, way back when I first started this blog, but I don’t think it worked because A) I was trying too hard and B) I wasn’t really interacting with what I discovered on the Internet the way I am now.
“Auto-Fun” is actually my inspiration; I’m hoping “Remainders” eventually becomes something people look forward to / find useful, just like I do with “Auto-Fun.”
Hooray for no segment graveyards! :-)
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