The Magnetic Fields' New Album Delivers

One of the things I especially enjoy about my travels to the Pacific Northwest is the opportunity to check out the music scene when my commitments are completed.
This time around, after following Carrie's recommendation over at NPR's Monitor Mix to check out the music of Ladyhawke, I did a 'close listening' of The Magnetic Fields new album Distortion.
While they are not from the Pacific Northwest, their music somehow makes good sense in that setting.
I find that those who like one project by The Magnetic Fields tend to like all of their work. And Distortion has all the elements of a solid new project. The sound is innovative, the literary references are informed, and the presentation is nigh flawless. All in all, an almost pitch-perfect effort.
So, if one enjoys identifying literary, philosophical, and pop culture references in music, catchy yet ironic chorus twists, and wise story conclusions, then Distortion will prove to be a good addition to the music library.
This 2008 release might just turn out to be one of the best albums of the year. It's substantial, literary, informed, melancholy, celebratory, and form-conscious. In sum, a well-balanced album. Whether it's a track like The Nun's Litany or Please Stop Dancing, this album will keep one wanting to play it over and over again.
Thoroughly enjoy and fully recommend.

Bill Gates for Creative Capitalism?

The Wall Street Journal features an article today on Bill Gates' call for gentler capitalism.
Gates points out, "...the idea that you encourage companies to take their innovative thinkers and think about the most needy -- even beyond the market opportunities -- that's something that appropriately ought to be done."
Read more here.

Neo-logism: Google-gänger

One of my favorite contemporary poets, Joanna Straughn over at Zeitgeistboheme, recently made me aware of her coined neo-logism "google-gänger."

Joanna points out: "I'm still trying to promote my coined neo-logism "google-ganger" for those twins that show up when your name is googled. Some people will have oodles others few or none."

I will shortly be reviewing Joanna's brilliant book of poems, Instinct.

What do you all think? Who is your google-gänger?
graph per J. Straughn

The Logic of Life

The Logic of Life by Tim Hartford tackles so-called illogical and irrational quotidian things. The main question he investigates in the book is: just how can one make sense of certain things in life?
Life, Hartford's book says, is not as insanity-filled as it might appear to be.
Life is, actually, quite logical if seen in the right context and with the right measure of lucidity.
Hartford's book is a beautifully presented picture of human life. Instead of numbers, data, and statistics, the verbally inclined economist makes his point by recounting human stories and experiences. For therein lies a fundamental understanding of our seemingly illogical existence.
An excellent read.

Bananas Non Plus?

The following is from Tyler over at marginal revolution.

'You will never, ever find a seed in a supermarket banana. That is because the fruit is grown, basically, by cloning...Every banana we eat is a genetic twin of every other.

It turns out, by the way, that the world's supply of Cavendish bananas -- the ones we eat -- is endangered by disease (more here) and many experts believe the entire strain will vanish. Most other banana strains are much harder to cultivate and transport on a large scale, so enjoy your bananas while you can. The previous and supposedly tastier major strain of banana -- Gros Michel -- is already gone and had disappeared by the 1950s, again due to disease. Today, European opposition to GMO is one factor discouraging progress in developing a substitute and more robust banana crop.'

I know I would miss my daily banana. Breakfast would lose some of its relevance without it.
Dan Koeppel's Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World is a new title that deals with the journey of this now-ubiquitous fruit. The book is not just about the journey and fate of the banana but also a socio-economic picture of modernity. As a review states:

'...but the biggest mystery about the banana today is whether it will survive. A seedless fruit with a unique reproductive system, every banana is a genetic duplicate of the next, and therefore susceptible to the same blights. Today’s yellow banana, the Cavendish, is increasingly threatened by such a blight—and there’s no cure in sight.

Banana combines a pop-science journey around the globe, a fascinating tale of an iconic American business enterprise, and a look into the alternately tragic and hilarious banana subculture (one does exist)—ultimately taking us to the high-tech labs where new bananas are literally being built in test tubes, in a race to save the world’s most beloved fruit.'
Read more of the book review here.
graph per amazon

Micro to Macro: From the Coffeeshop to the Capital

The following by Hayley Richardson over at New American City blog proved to be the best-written paragraph of the day for me.

'We fill up coffeeshops with jagged haircuts and laptops, we keep boutiques in business and performance houses booked solid. We ride bikes, we do art –sort of. But the question asked of me over and over again by New Hampshirites was a fair one; what am I doing in Philadelphia to better my community? An astounding number of quality of life issues are decided at the local level, yet I was forced to admit that I don’t know the names of my neighborhood council members, have never been to a city council meeting. This post isn’t about the political apathy of my generation; that subject has certainly been exhausted. What I’m more concerned with is how to harness the power of the so-called creative class to make a difference that transcends the aesthetic.'

Pointer via creative classroom

Justin Yifu Lin, Appointed New World Bank Chief Economist

I simply had to include this here. It's by Alex Tabarrok of Marginal Revolution.

'Justin Yifu Lin, apparently soon to be named the World Bank's chief economist, has one of the strangest CVs you could imagine. Lin was born in Taiwan but in 1979 while serving in the Taiwanese army he defected to China by swimming from the island of Kinmen in Taiwan to Xiamen in China. Embarrassed by the defection of a rising star, the Taiwanese army listed him as missing. Lin left behind a wife and children who (it seems) didn't know what had happened to him.

Lin rose quickly in China receiving a Master's degree in Marxist political economy from Peking University in 1982 and in 1986 a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago (!). According to the Taipei Times, Lin's wife learned that Lin was alive while he was in the United States and they were reunited in the U.S. where she also earned a graduate degree before both returned to China. Lin has since become a well-published economist.
I see movie.'
I agree with Alex. A movie in the making, indeed.
graph per salzburgseminar.org

Oliver Stone to Do New Bush Film

This is from a few minutes ago as per Reuters. Oliver Stone is shopping around a script to his latest project: a portrait of George W. Bush.
Oliver Stone's latest history-informed film, Alexander, evoked different emotions from international movie-going audiences. It will be interesting to see how the overall text will look.

Here are some snippets from the Reuters piece:

'Stone told Daily Variety that he planned to make "a fair, true portrait" of Bush, focusing on such areas as his relationship with his father, President George H.W. Bush, his wild youth, and his conversion to Christianity.

"It will contain surprises for Bush supporters and his detractors," said Stone.
Read full Reuters article here.

Place Doth Matter... Still, II

The following is from Tim Hartford who authored The Logic of Life which I will be reviewing shortly. Hat tip to Creative Classroom for the pointer.
The premise of his post is that geography does, indeed, matter.
Hartford writes:

'As a columnist (which is fancy for "journalist in jammies"), I ought to personify the conventional wisdom that distance is dead: All I need to get my work done is a place to perch and a Wi-Fi signal. But if that's true, why do I still live in London, the second-most expensive city in the world? If distance really didn't matter, rents in places like London, New York, Bangalore, and Shanghai would be converging with those in Hitchcock County, Nebraska (population 2,926 and falling). ... If geography has died, nobody bothered to tell Hitchcock County ... Technology makes it more fun and more profitable to live and work close to the people who matter most to your life and work ... Paradoxically, your cell phone, email, and Facebook networks are making it more attractive to meet people in the flesh.'

Place Doth Matter..., Still

This is an excellent piece by John Hagel. Since many of the recent discussions and posts have revolved around the notion of space/place, I thought this was apropos. Hagel observes:

'Place still matters in shaping talent development and competition. Place matters because density matters. Density increases opportunities for serendipitous encounters and sustained and rich collaboration. Place not only matters; it is becoming even more important and much more complex.

Depending on whether you zoom in or zoom out, relevant spikes emerge at the neighborhood, metropolitan or global level. In fact, they are fractal, down to the level of corridors and work areas within specific buildings. Some companies have developed explicit location strategies, seeking to locate facilities in key spikes in an effort to attract local talent. Far fewer companies have successfully tackled the challenges of effectively connecting talent across geographic spikes in ways that accelerate learning and talent development. Technology tools can help support these efforts, but the real opportunity is to define new environments that foster productive friction on a global scale. In a flat world, where you stand really does matter.'
Read full piece here.
graph per edgeperspectives