icono-wha?

The Wave

So lately there’s been a lot of hype about Google’s upcoming product, Wave. I won’t deny that the features in the demo seem very productive/handy/slick, but its the name I can’t get over. Surely I can’t be the only person that remembers watching the ’80s movie The Wave. Thinking back, I remember watching it as one of those After School Specials that used to make frequent appearances on TV, with their persistent efforts to instill moral goodness in young kids. After a minimal amount of searching on YouTube I was able to find evidence of it (see below).

What I hadn’t realized was that the story had been loosely based on the story of an actual high school class during 1967 - first retold in Todd Strasser’s novel The Wave, and then redone as a feature-length film, Die Welle, in 2008. Maybe I just happened to watch this movie at a very impressionable point in my childhood, but each time I hear someone talk about how great Google Wave is going to be I can’t help but think back to this story and roll my eyes. It not that I think that Google has any aspirations for starting a cult (though it is amusing to think about), but the name certainly wouldn’t have made my short list for a new high-profile product, that’s for sure.

For those of you too young to remember this movie parts 1 & 2, and the trailer for the remake are available to view on YouTube. Here’s Part 1 to get you started…

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Process-oriented Coffee

More info here

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Just Say NO to Sissy Workouts

Ok, I know the still above is the classic “zoom in on talent” shot, but I’ve put off mentioning my favorite fitness blog for way too long. Today I got a little chuckle as the author, Zuzana, took a moment to bash no-sweating Jane Fonda wannabe workouts. If you’re not sweating, it’s not a workout. Kudos to her for consistently creating creative workouts, for attention to proper form, and for the commitment it takes to stay in such good shape. I imagine having such an audience keeps you honest, though - and even motivated.

Need a workout?

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Oh So Easy Muffins

This post is in response to my friend Heidi’s Easy muffin post. Her recipe sounded so healthy and good I just had to try it. There were also 4 over-ripe bananas hanging out in my kitchen, so the timing was perfect to makes these.

… Or so I thought. Turns out I didn’t have raisins, wanted to use all 4 of my bananas, and only had a 6-muffin tin to bake in. Time to experiment! Fortunately, this was one of those rare times when one of my kitchen experiments went well so I thought I’d post the changes I made for any other tiny-pan-havers out there.

Oh So Easy Vegan Banana Muffins
Yield 6 large muffins

4 very ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup chopped papaya
2 1/2 cups thick rolled oats
1/2 cup whole raw almonds
1 T cinnamon
1/2 t cardamom
1/4 t nutmeg
1 T baking powder
1/2 cup almond or peanut butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Coarsely chop oats and almonds together in a food processor.
3. Put all ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.
4. Spoon batter into lightly oiled muffin tins. Bake 25 minutes. Cool muffins completely before removing from tins. They will pop right out.

These turned out very yummy and hearty and are more than satisfying for a breakfast on the run. Thanks, Heidi!

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SynthPond

SynthPond is a sort of audio exploration toy app for iPhone by Zach Gage. It really brings to mind a very complex and highly customizable windchime. I’m not quite sure how else to describe it without getting into a more technical explanation, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Even without understanding everything that’s going on, it is still highly entertaining and beautiful to watch.

There’s a very detailed writeup of it on the CreativeApplications blog with additional screenshots, video, and in depth details about what SynthPond can do. While you’re at that site I recommend taking a look around. There’s lots of other great iPhone apps reviewed there and other non-iPhone-related geeky creative coolness.

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Women’s Olympic Volleyball 1964

I’ve been cruising the internet for video of women’s volleyball and came across this wonderful synopsis of the Japan vs. USSR game during the ‘64 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The editing is quite good, and wonderfully conveys the tension of the competition. There are some amazing plays in there, but what amazes me most is how the Japanese are serving. I’ve never seen anything quite like that over the shoulder sideways hit before.

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Siftables

What an amazing mechanism to interact with information. I really like the math, language and storytelling concepts. More on the project on the Siftables web site.

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Sita Sings the Blues

If you haven’t had the pleasure of watching Sita Sings the Blues, then I recommend it highly. It is animated as beautifully as 10,000 lotuses.

More importantly, it is being made available under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license by Nina Paley, who directed, wrote, produced, designed and animated it. She’s even gone into considerable debt to cover the licensing fees so that the movie can be made available, so don’t forget to swing by the film’s Dontate page.

The story itself is a mashup of a modern drama and the Ramayana. Here’s the synopsis:

Sita is a goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband Rama. Nina is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by email. Three hilarious shadow puppets narrate both ancient tragedy and modern comedy in this beautifully animated interpretation of the Indian epic Ramayana. Set to the 1920’s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw, Sita Sings the Blues earns its tagline as “the Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told.”

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What NOT to Eat

Yesterday I started following the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Information Office on Twitter (yes, they are Twittering). It’s a good thing too because there have been an alarming number of foods recalled across the country since yesterday afternoon. I can only imagine what I’ve missed throughout these thirty three years on the planet. Surprisingly, I haven’t died yet. [FSRI main site]

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