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Bike

I Love My Bike – My Bike Tolerates Me

I’m really good about finding reasons not to ride my bike. Rain, a cold, a thing for work that has to be done by the morning, whatever; if there’s a reason not to ride, I usually take it. And that’s dumb, because I love riding my bike. I love it so much that I set up a special blog just for recording when I ride. Now I’m trying to ride more, and I’m trying to put most of my online self here. So, bike posts get posted here and mixed into everything else. Whee!

Here’s today’s ride: short, hot, and slow. Just like me!

Map of today's bike ride.
18 miles, 13 mph. Like lightning! Like really slow lightning!

Tomorrow, riding gets more difficult. Daylight Saving Time ends, which means sunset shows up around five, and riding in the dark on Los Angeles streets can be spooky. And winter is coming, so cold and rain are on the way.

See? Excuses.

But I do plan to ride more at least until the next Ciclavia. It’s right by my old neighborhood, so I feel obligated to ride it (and ride to it). I hope it doesn’t rain.

Categories
Music

Double Dee & Steinski: The Lessons

The last post about The Hood Internet reminded me of another set of remix/collage records: Double Dee & Steinski’s “The Lessons.” There’s a detailed Wikipedia page about them, but the short version of their bio is that they made “Lesson One” for a Tommy Boy Records contest back in 1983. They won first prize, then recorded a couple more Lessons before moving to other careers. I thought that was it, but today I learned that they released the long-evolving “Lesson 4” last year. The bandcamp link for the EP with the track is below.

They aren’t afraid to use weird samples. “Lesson Three” includes snippets from “Hernando’s Hideaway” and Mars Needs Women. De La Soul must have been at least partially inspired by them.

Lesson 4 EP: https://ddsteinski.bandcamp.com/album/lesson-4-the-beat-ep

Categories
Music

Amazing Nostalgia Mashups by year, 1979-1983

The Hood Internet has created nostalgia mashups of 50 or so songs from each of the years from 1979 to 1983. If you are in your early to mid fifties you will either love the waves of nostalgia as you recognize each of the musical snippets of your youth, or you will hate the crazy pitch shifting that’s required to spot weld all of these songs into a reasonably cohesive song. If you are me, you will feel both of those things.

For me, 1983 resonates the most. Not coincidentally, 1983 was when I started my senior year of high school. Plus, it features a section that mixes The Pointer Sisters and Van Halen songs named “Jump.” That’s a bit of a cheat since Van Halen’s song actually came out in January of 1984, but it works well enough for me to accept the wibbly wobbly timey wimeyness.

Also worth checking out: 40 Years of Hip Hop.

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Today in “Pictures I Felt Obligated to Take Even Though I felt Creepy Taking Them”

DOG_4132
Click the picture to embiggen.

Bonus: The Moment I Felt the Most Like a Jerk

I was at the light when I saw the man sleeping. I found a parking spot, got out my camera, walked to a good vantage point, and… the man sat up. Then I got annoyed. Yes, I got annoyed that a homeless man dared to re-position himself on a crappy, uncomfortable bus bench before I could take a picture of him.

Bonus: The Moment I Felt the Second-Most Like a Jerk

When I took this picture.

Categories
Bike

Bicyclist-Killing Driver Gets 90 Years

Driver who hit, killed bicyclists sentenced to 90 years

While there is some satisfaction in finally seeing a person who killed and injured bicyclists, It’s frustrating that it takes a crime as horrific as killing two people, injuring many more, and then getting caught laughing about the testimony for some form of justice for the riders and their families to be meted out. Far too many of these killings end with an “oh, well.” In this month alone, three people on bikes were killed in a one week period, and I’d bet a nickel that the worst anyone gets is a suspended license. I don’t really think even that weak punishment will happen.

I teach in Burbank. A student at my school was hit while riding her bike. The driver watched while the kid pulled herself and her bike out from under the car. The driver got in her car claiming she was calling the kid’s parent, then drove off. A fellow teacher who is a hardcore rider got knocked down riding his bike in a bike lane on a main street in Burbank. The driver got away with it. That’s two people I know who were ridinging completely legally and nearly got killed in the last six months.

Have you ever seen a ghost bike? They look like this:

Ghost Bike with sign "A Cyclist Was Killed Here"
Image source: https://rvamag.com/news/community/a-ghost-bike-memorials-removal-and-what-it-means-for-the-community.html

I’m pretty careful when I ride, but Los Angeles roads are not built for me. A lot of Los Angeles drivers believe that getting to their destination a few minutes faster is more important than me getting to my destination alive. Watch for ghost bikes. Watch for me so I don’t become a ghost bike.

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Storyboarding

My monkeys make movies. I make my monkeys make storyboards. When they make their first ones, they almost always use stick figures, which makes it really hard to know things like character size, position, and direction. I’ve started pushing them toward variations on Ivan Brunetti’s cartooning, and it’s really helping them be more expressive on the page.

Wisdom Tree Storyboard
Storyboard for The Wisdom Tree
Storyboard for The Wisdom Tree
Storyboard for The Wisdom Tree

It’s kind of surprising how much the simple shapes can express. And the kids are actually trying to match their shots to their storyboards. Neat!

If you want to try some Brunetti for yourself, he’s got a book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300170998/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

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Uncategorized

My Least Favorite Call For Donations

I like Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. I even (briefly and indirectly) worked for them. But I don’t care for this:

Children's Hospital donation request with a nickel
If I had a nickel for every time I got one of these…

I understand that donations matter and that every nickel counts. I understand that sending money, even a nickel, draws attention to the request. And I also understand that a mailer with a nickel costs at least a nickel more than a mailer without one. Don’t send me money when you’re asking me for money. It’s weird.

Again, I have nothing against CHLA. They do good stuff. You should give them money. Go to chla.org/give and throw a few bucks in to help some sick kids. I just did. But tell them Luke doesn’t want their nickels.

…and no fair pointing out that their marketing not only worked on me, but got me to advocate for them as well.

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The Mandalorian

I can’t wait for this to be available somewhere other than Disney+.

Categories
Music Photoshop

The Most Important Records of All Time

These are the greatest albums ever recorded, and this certainly isn’t just a repost of old junk that I’m using to test how things look when posted to Facebook. Take the time to find these at your local record shop. I won’t regret it!

Connie Chung Live
Connie Chung Sings the Music of DEVO – Live!
Haunting and lyrical, Connie spins gold into platinum.
Denzel Washington - Damn Suspicious Clouds
Denzel Washington – Damn Suspicious Clouds
WARNING: If you try to play this and only hear a high-pitched whine, your tracking implant has been activated. Find shelter. It won’t help, but you will feel more comfortable until the reprogramming squad appears.
Tuvan Throat-Singing Politicians Volume 14: 1981-82
Tuvan Throat-Singing Politicians Volume 14: 1981-82
Maggie’s cover of The J. Geil’s Band’s “Love Stinks” finds surprising new layers of remorse and heartache. Hankies required.
Ed Asner (Soundtrack)
Ed Asner (Soundtrack)
Entirely composed from Asner’s grunts and body noises. Most people are more familiar with Giorgio Moroder’s remix of “Midnight After Taco Bell,” but the original is a stark reminder of the raw power of field recordings.
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The Halloween I dream about

There’s a thing in Japan called “Jimi Halloween,” which roughly translates to “Mundane Halloween.” Instead of wearing fancy costumes, people dress up as ordinary events. It is the greatest thing ever. Pictured: Man who got a cart but didn’t get many things.

This year: http://www.spoon-tamago.com/2019/10/27/japan-jimi-mundane-2019/

Last year: http://www.spoon-tamago.com/2018/11/03/japan-jimi-mundane-halloween/