winterSmith

Author Archives: winterSmith

Boaty McBoatface, Footy McFooty Face and Trumpkin: WHY do people keep asking the Internet for help?

Posted on 2017.04.04 by winterSmith One comment

San Diego’s MLS hopefuls and Crayola ought to have learned from history. #NewCrayonColors It started innocently enough in 2012, when the geniuses at Mountain Dew decided to ask the Internet’s help in naming their new “green apple with attitude” flavor. The results included “Hitler Did Nothing Wrong,” “Diabeetus” and “Moist Nugget.” Shortly thereafter the Slovaks staged an Internet campaign to name a

Examining Vanessa Otero’s news source credibility chart

Posted on 2017.04.04 by winterSmith 3 comments

I’ve seen several of these attempts at categorizing sources lately and this, from Vanessa Otero, is probably the best so far. (It’s marginally better than the Reddit guide to fake news, which I discussed a few weeks back.) Still, that the Wall Street Journal is only regarded as skewing a little conservative is a bad joke.

Ghost in the Shell: a 2-minute review

Posted on 2017.04.03 by winterSmith Leave a comment

The 2017 remake of the manga classic is marvelous to behold, but not especially filling emotionally. Went to see Ghost in the Shell the other day. In IMAX. IMAX 3-D, to be precise. Initial impressions: 1) It’s just fucking gorgeous. The designers have studied the classics, from Blade Runner on down, and they create a world that does justice to the

HB2 cost NC a lot more than $3.76B

Posted on 2017.03.28 by winterSmith Leave a comment

The AP says the “bathroom bill” cost North Carolina $3.76 billion. The real damage is likely much, much higher. The AP yesterday released an analysis indicating that reaction to North Carolina’s discriminatory HB2 – the “bathroom bill” – cost the state a staggering $3.76 billion in lost business, projected over 12 years. That’s a remarkable hit to economy, but as I

Elemental water

Posted on 2017.03.26 by winterSmith Leave a comment

My series with marbles, glasswork and water continues. The first shot features a different take on the small glass piece I posted recently.

Saturday Video Roundup – it's the 3rd Millennium Sound

Posted on 2017.03.25 by winterSmith Leave a comment

Friends, Romans, Countrymen – lend the 3rd Millennium Sound your ears. I recently introduced 3rd Millennium Sound (3MS), a Facebook group devoted to sharing and discussing a particular strand of really interesting emerging music styles, including Electro-Pop, Darkwave, Industrial, contemporary Trip-Hop, Shoegaze/Dreampop, maybe a little EDM, perhaps some TrancePop, etc. Group member contributions have been wonderfully illuminating – even I had no

Chuck Berry, RIP

Posted on 2017.03.18 by winterSmith One comment

Sad news on a Saturday evening – the legendary Chuck Berry is gone. There are barely words to articulate Berry’s importance to Rock & Roll. A genius in his own right, his songwriting, his showmanship and his innovation with the electric guitar influenced everyone who followed. In truth, there had never been anything like Berry and there hasn’t been anything

Music/Popular Culture

Legacy

Posted on 2017.03.15 by winterSmith One comment

My girlfriend’s great-great grandparents. Maybe Civil War era, roughly?

La fleur sous verre

Posted on 2017.03.12 by winterSmith 2 comments

Orbit: #ArtSunday

Posted on 2017.03.05 by winterSmith Leave a comment

Dedicated to my girlfriend Julie, who had surgery this week and who loves marbles as much as I do. I’ve been working on a little series. I have always loved glasswork of any sort, and marbles have fascinated me since I was a kid. My macro lens provides me with a chance to explore this interest in new ways. Here are

Uber “Greyball” scandal: it’s time to consider the death penalty for corporations

Posted on 2017.03.04 by winterSmith One comment

Uber says they’ll stop using Greyball. But this is only the latest outrage from America’s most incorrigibly corrupt business. Time to#DeleteUBER. As in, delete the company. Permanently. You may say I’m a dreamer / But I’m not the only one The American corporation exists for one purpose: to “maximize shareholder value.” Thanks to a variety of factors, including a Supreme Court decision that

Michelle hearts Dubya: the well-timed rehabilitation of George Bush

Posted on 2017.03.03 by winterSmith One comment

President Donald is doing a great job of making America miss George W. Bush. And now Michelle Obama and the “liberal” media are chipping in. Barf. First there was the hubbub back during the election that nobody in the Bush family could bring themselves to vote for Donald. Then more recently it was former President George W. standing up to Donald

Everything you need to know about the Sessions controversy in a few short paragraphs

Posted on 2017.03.02 by winterSmith 3 comments

The Attorney General should resign – whether he’s guilty or not. Here’s why. By now you have probably read a good bit about Attorney General Jeff Sessions and whether or not he unlawfully met with the Russian ambassador to discuss the 2016 Presidential election. There is a great deal of lawyering on the horizon, but for the moment here’s what

For your #ArtSunday listening pleasure: the 3rd Millennium Sound

Posted on 2017.02.26 by winterSmith One comment

This week I set up a new Facebook group with Rick Flierl (of Dotsun Moon) to replace one that had sort of taken a left turn on us. The goal: sharing and discussing a particular strand of emerging music styles. 3rd Millennium Sound revolves around specific genres like Electro-Pop, Darkwave, Industrial, contemporary Trip-Hop, Shoegaze/Dreampop, BritPop and more. This description isn’t intended to