Malcolm Gladwell book signing

I happened to visit Barnes and Nobles, for the purposes of killing some time and I stumbled upon a special book launch and signing event, featuring Malcolm Gladwell. He just released a collection of his essays called What the Dog Saw.

Malcolm Gladwell is one of my favorite writers, stylistically. He picks interesting topics, tries to find unusual perspectives on them, and writes with an engaging, scientific-curious voice. I'm not a huge fan of his full-length books as they seem to cover too broad a scope, seem disjointed, and lack well-written conclusions. However, I enjoy many of his New Yorker essays.

Gladwell decided to entertain the audience with a humorous recollection of Taro the dog. When he was a beginning journalist, he became the New York area correspondent for the Washingtonian. He got the job because he was the only applicant. As time went on, he realized that no one cared about his stories. They were never picked up. Out of frustration, Gladwell decided he would only write stories about Bergen County, New Jersey, which was near Manhattan. For a short period of time, he only read the news coming out of Bergen County and had no idea what was going on in the rest of the world.

Gladwell said that in retrospect, Bergen County was a good choice because it was as if all the crazy people from the Bronx had moved there. The county had a fragmented political system, with many tiny municipal governments. For example, there were many school districts containing only fifty students. Parents would get nervous that one district was better than their own, so they would fake addresses to get their kids into that district. Consequently, the school districts hired detectives who would spy on the routes that the parents drove when they dropped their kids off.

Eventually, Gladwell had his breakout story. Taro was a 110 pound Akita. Her owner's 9 year old granddaughter got up at night to use the bathroom and accidentally tripped over Taro's slumbering mass. Taro reacted by biting her lip. New Jersey has strict laws about dogs and this act of violence landed Taro in "doggy death row." But that wasn't the end of the story. This incident resulted in five lawsuits. Gladwell proceeded to read various funny quotes from people involved in the case. One lawyer claimed that this case was basically one of the most important ones he had undertaken in his career. The owner said that the cut on her granddaughter's lip was not a big deal. Some lipstick would cover it up or plastic surgery could remove it.

During his investigative reporting, Gladwell went to New Jersey's "doggy death row." He was not allowed to see Taro, which shows that doggy death row is even more strict than human death row. He then drove around to the bag of the building. The prison was separated from him by a deep ravine and he could see barbed wire surrounding the kennel. He (or possibly the owner) shouted Taro's nickname "T" and then Taro appeared from a distance and began barking. Since Gladwell was unable to "meet" Taro in person, he decided to "interview" Taro's mother. In the short time that he had, he was unable to determine if Taro's mother was simply neurotic or if the owner had caused her to become this way.

Gladwell's story was picked up by the New York Post, with the title "Death Row Dog." The public outcry over Taro led to her being pardoned by the New Jersey governor.

After the Taro dog story, Gladwell entertained 20 minutes of questions from the audience. One person asked him to describe his thought-process / workflow for writing a story. Gladwell didn't have any specific formula. He said that you should write about a topic that excites/provokes you, in his words, a topic that "puts a bee under you bonnet." He added that most of his stories are quite long (e.g. his New Yorker essays), so he finds it necessary to include a B-plot. Another person asked him who his favorite authors were and how many books he read a month. Gladwell said he admired Michael Lewis, especially his book Blind Side. Gladwell called Blind Side the "perfect" book. He reads parts of 20 books a month which he said is not "very impressive" considering that it's his job. The final question was somewhat provocative. A man asked (paraphrase) "Do you think that given enough time, anyone can find a way to argue any viewpoint?" The author's response was that yes, he looks at ideas on the fringe of conventional wisdom, but his goal is only to engage the audience, not to persuade or force his opinions on people.

The the hour was up and the book signing began. I estimate that 2/3 of the audience (including me) left. I thought about getting a book signed and putting it on Ebay but since so many people left, I thought that the market for a Malcolm Gladwell probably wasn't that large.

Trash the dress

A popular new sub-genre in wedding photography has emerged, called "Trash the Dress". Thanks to Canon rep, Rick Berk, for telling me about it.

Song of the day: "Jump" by Van Halen

Thanks to the TV show Glee for introducing me to another great song. This one is full of fun and energy.

I get up, and nothing gets me down
You got it tough, I've seen the toughest around
And I know, baby just how you feel
You got to roll with the punches and get to what's real

Can't you see me standin' here
I got my back against the record machine
I ain't the worst that you've seen
Can't ya see what I mean?

Might as well jump (jump)
Might as well jump
Go ahead and jump (jump)
Go ahead and jump

Ow-oh! Hey you! Who said that? Baby, how you been?
You say you don't know, you won't know until you begin

So can't you see me standing here
I got my back against the record machine
I ain't the worst that you've seen
Ah, can't ya see what I mean?

Ah, might as well jump (jump)
Go ahead and jump
Might as well jump (jump)
Go ahead and jump
Jump

[instrumental]

Might as well jump (jump)
Go ahead and jump
Get in and jump (jump)
Go ahead and jump
Jump
Jump
Jump
Jump

Song of the day: "The Riddle Song" by Adam Guettel

I love this song. Floyd Collins is a cave explorer who accidentally becomes trapped in a cave (this is a real historical person), and in "The Riddle Song", his brother Homer comes down and tries to cheer him up by telling him riddles. The music beautifully conveys the brothers's joy and love for each other. These lyrics are no substitute for hearing the song in full.

From the musical Floyd Collins

FLOYD
Homer? Homer? Ya thar, buddy?

HOMER
What's made a' stone,
but's soft like a pillow?

FLOYD
That's not what I asked you. What's pink and green an' flies all over?

HOMER
What's made a' stone,
but is soft like a pillow?
Where you kin lay on top
or sink down in it?
Where you kin git underneath,
but it don't crush you.

Come on, think now.
You better think now, Floyd.
Give it some thought, now.
It ain't hard!
You know;
I know you know.
I'm a-harkenin' back to a time ago
when a day wasn't done
if we didn't raise hell,
and the sun put us under a magic spell.

Huh? You're a dumb-ass, you know that? You must be the dumbest-ass...

FLOYD
Shut up! I got it.

HOMER
Wal?

FLOYD
Sand!

HOMER
Sorry.

FLOYD
But it's made a' stone and soft like a feather, you kin lay on top or sink down in it...

HOMER
Yeah, but that ain't this riddle and you ain't got it yet,
so keep thinkin', an use yer brain this time.

What's made a' stone
but's soft like a pillow?

FLOYD
I done' tol' you already, Homer. I said 'sand', like the Great Sand Cave.

HOMER
An' I said, 'Sorry'.

What's made a' stone
but is soft like a pillow?
Where you kin float on top
or dive down in it?
Where you kin sink underneath
but it don't crush you?

Come on, think now.
You better think now, Floyd.
Give it some thought, now.
It' ain't hard!
You know;
I know you know.
I'm a-harkenin' back to a time ago
when you'd say to me,
"Homer, are you ready?
Are you set?"
An' I'd say to you,
"Floyd, are you ready to git wet?"

FLOYD
I know!
What's soft jes' like a pillow,
made a' rock, carved in stone?
The answere to the riddle
surely is the quarry!

BOTH
The quarry!

FLOYD
The sun beatin' down
on our faces all blisterin' hot, Homer.
We'd run off alone
to our own secret spot, Homer.
Under the shade
'side our ol fishin' hole,
we'd each have some worms
an' an ol' fishin' pole.

HOMER
With school far away
like it warn't there at all, Floyd.
We'd hook for a day
and we'd sure as hell have us a ball, Floyd.
Go for a swim
jes' to cool off our hide;
float on top
with the sky open wide.

FLOYD
All right, okay-- I got one fer you.

What's got a trunk an' a tail
an' fifty limbs?

HOMER
Ssh, I'm concentratin' on diggin', Floyd.

FLOYD
You ain't concentratin', you fibber.
You jes' a wee bit slow in the head, jes' like you always was...

a wee bit slow.
What's got a trunk an' a tail
an' fifty limbs?
That you kin ride all day
but you don't go nowhere,
only front to bark, to an' fro?

Come on think now.
You better think now, Homer.
Give it some thought, now.
It ain't hard!
You know;
I know you know.
I'm a-harkenin' back to a time ago
when a day didn't pass
when you couldn't catch us tryin'
to ride it high till it felt like flyin'!

HOMER
I know!
The answer to the riddle--
trunk an' a tail an' fifty limbs!
The answer to the riddle
surely is the swing tree!

BOTH
The swing tree!

HOMER
We'd shimmy on up
like an Indian huntin' a squirrel, Floyd.

FLOYD
Da, da, dacky, dicky, da.
Da, da, dacky, dicky, dicka.

HOMER
Up to the crook
where we could look down on the world, Floyd,

FLOYD
Da, da, dacky, dicky, da.
Da, da, dacky, dicky, dicka.

HOMER
out on a limb
where that ol' rope was hung,
high 'bove the water,
waitin' to be swung.

FLOYD
Da, da dacky, dicky, da.

BOTH
Da, da dacky, dicky, dicka.
Slide down the rope
an' my legs start to pump, Floyd/Homer.

HOMER
Da, da dacky, dicky, da.

FLOYD
Da, da, dacky, dicky dicka

BOTH
My heart starts to pound,
an' my head starts to thump Floyd/Homer.

FLOYD
Da, da, dacky, dicky, da

BOTH
Da, da dacky, dicky, dicka.
Higher an' higher I'm swingin' along.
We'd git to singin'
that ol's swingin' song!
Da, da dacky, dicky, da.
Da, da dacky, dicky, dicka.
Da, da dacky, dicky, da.
Da, da dacky, dicky, dicka.
Da, da dl'dicky, dicky, dicka.
Da, da, dl'dicky, dicky, dicka.
Da, da dl'dicky, dicky, dicka.
Da, da, dl'dicky, dicky, dicka.

FLOYD
An' when I don't weigh nothin'
light as air, I let go.
Spinnin' off an' flippin' over;
All that water far below.
An' I open up for my swan dive,
my spread eagle,
my Jesus-on-the-cross!
For thine is the kingdom
and the power
and the glory...
Forever an' ever...
through the flashing sun...
Ever an' ever...
Over an' over...
fallin' into that black water...
An' that rock,
stickin' up an' comin' at my face!
That cold, black grave...
cold grave...
grave...

HOMER
Floyd? Floyd, come on back now... It's me, buddy, come to yer rescue.
Now you jes' lie there an' rest, 'cause I'm about to git you free.
Now here's the final riddle, Floyd. See if you kin answer me this:

What's strong as a bull
an' smart as a fox?
Quick as a hare
an' stubborn as a mule,
kin make like a snake
through the tiniest hole,
kin get hung up for days
an' turn out fine?

Look-ee here, now.
There ain't no two ways about it.
You don't have to worry at all,
we're almost there.
You know;
I know you know.
I'm a-harkenin' back to a time ago
when a day didn't end
that we didn't help each other,
kinda like a friend an'
kinda like a brother.
An' it don't matter none
if it's me or if it's you;
There ain't no hole
that we can't pull through!

FLOYD
I know!

HOMER
Hot damn!

FLOYD
Yessir!

HOMER
Oo-ee!

FLOYD
It's good to see you Homer!

HOMER
We better clean you up
before they take your picture!

FLOYD
You jes' as ugly as you ever was!
What yook you so damn long?
Takin' too much like you always are.

HOMER
What's black an' fast an' shiny?

FLOYD
Fast enough to make a panther squall?

HOMER
Who's gonna be there in it?

FLOYD
Lookin' fine an' sittin' tall!

HOMER
Straight to Louisville, who will tear?

FLOYD
Far away from the toil an' care...

HOMER
With money to burn,

FLOYD
On a hell of a spree,

HOMER
the devil to pay?

BOTH
It's plain to see;
That's an easy one:
That's us!
That's us!

Link of the day: Can D.I.Y. Supplant the First-Person Shooter?

I've always complained that video games are not very inventive. Most of the blockbusters seem to be strategy, role-playing games, racing games, and shooter games. That's why I can go years without playing games and still feel like I haven't missed anything. I was excited to read this New York Times article about a group of people who are trying to change monolithic quality of gaming.

Fountain pens

As if I needed another hobby. I love writing implements, so I guess it was an inevitability that I would discover fountain pens. Thanks to the awesome online store JetPens, I picked up a few items.

The first pen is the Lamy AL-Star. It's regarded as one of the best "cheap" fountain pens. The body is made out of shiny royal blue aluminum and it has a wonderful ergonomic grip. This pen came with the extra fine nib and I used the included ink cartridge (a pretty standard blue). The point was amazingly fine, but a little scratchy. The Lamy is definitely the classiest looking of the three pens.

Lamy AL-Star writing sample:


Lamy AL-Star closeup:


The second pen is the Platinum Preppy with the 03 fine nib. I used it as an eyedropper pen, so it's technically a fountain pen that has been converted. I got one of the Noodler's Ink kits from JetPens. It includes a bottle of Noodler's Ink (in this case, Polar Blue) and a Platinum Preppy modified to be an eyedropper pen. I really liked the color of the ink. It's blue, but not the typical disposable pen blue ink. Noodler's claims that the ink is waterproof and forge-proof. I loved writing with this pen. So smooth.

Platinum Preppy writing sample:


Platinum Preppy closeup:



The last pen I tried was the Kaweco Sport Classic. It was recommended by as a good fountain pen to convert into a eyedropper by Writer's Bloc. There is no size specification on the nib, but it seems like a medium point. It came with a blue ink cartridge, which I inserted. Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting the ink to start. This pen seems the most "buggy" out of the three. I have to draw a bunch of test strokes before I can get the ink flowing reliably. I'm not sure if the pen is defective or if I have to try some tricks, but I find that I have to press down with the nib. Fountain pens are supposed to flow easily without pressure. The nice feature of the pen is that it's so small. I haven't tried converting it to an eyedropper yet.

Kaweco Sport Classic writing sample:


Kaweco Sport Classic closeup:


Here is a comparison of writing with all three pens.


My favorite pen thus far is the Platinum Preppy. Amazing for a $3 pen!

Link of the day: How to backup Facebook

I tried the ArchiveFB Firefox extension and it seems to work pretty well. Yay, a way to backup Facebook! Just follow this guide.

Song of the day: "Maybe this time" by John Kander and Fred Ebb

I saw Kristin Chenoweth perform this song on an episode of the new TV series Glee. It was originally written for the film version of the musical Cabaret. I suppose Liza Minelli's version didn't leave much of an impression on me. But Kristin's rendition is great!

From Cabaret (film)

Maybe this time, I'll be lucky
Maybe this time, he'll stay
Maybe this time
For the first time
Love won't hurry away

He will hold me fast
I'll be home at last
Not a loser anymore
Like the last time
And the time before

Everybody loves a winner
So nobody loved me;
'Lady Peaceful,' 'Lady Happy,'
That's what I long to be
All the odds are in my favor
Something's bound to begin
It's got to happen, happen sometime
Maybe this time I'll win

Ed Kashi and photojournalism

I went to an amazing talk by Ed Kashi, a well-known American photojournalist. He came to a) promote socialdocumentary.net and b) show some of his latest work.

The website socialdocumentary.net is designed to be a low-cost online exhibition for photography that emphasizes social problems around the global. Anyone can submit their photography. Kashi said that he was honored to have his work appear in prestigious publications like the National Geographic but it wasn't good enough for him. That's why he helped start the website.

Kashi also showed us some of his work. He uses a Canon 5D Mark II, which allows him to also record video. Kashi is well-known for being one of the first photographers to pioneer multi-media photojournalism. The first piece was about oil and poverty in Nigeria. Despite the millions of dollars being made by oil companies in Nigeria, the people there still have no running water or electricity. In the 1990s, Ken Saro-Wiwa led a non-violent protest against oil companies. He was found dead, hung. Now the Nigerians are arming themselves and trying to chase the oil companies away.

Kashi spoke of a terrifying experience when he was captured by the Nigerian military. An unspoken rule of photojournalism is that you don't photograph the Nigerian military. The boat guide Kashi hired lied and told him that the buildings he was photographing were not military. Then the military showed up and hauled him away. Fortunately, he had his cell phone with him, there was reception, and he managed to make one phone call back to the US. Since Americans (journalists, National Geographic, his wife) were aware of his situation, he was released within the week. Of course, he had no idea how long he would be detained. It could have been years. Kashi remarked that at least, in Nigeria, he didn't have to worry about suicide bombers. Nigerians only want your money. They don't trust outsiders, so even if you say that you are a photojournalist, they still want to be paid.

The second project Kashi showed was a piece on rapid modernization of India. The traditional energy sources are not enough to sustain growth in India and China. Yet, they have the right to first world conveniences like cars, refrigerators, air conditioning, etc. Kashi presented a short video clip of the Tata auto company taking over some land in rural India to build a car factory. The villagers claimed that their land was taken from them unfairly.

The third project Kashi showed us was about the dwindling Christian population in the Middle East. Even though most outsiders think that all Middle Easterners are Muslim, there used to be a large Christian population there. In fact, the Christians and Muslims lived in peace for a long time. Kashi told us that everywhere he went, the Christians said the same thing, "Every time you [outsiders] do something stupid like the infidel cartoon, the Muslims take it out on us." Now, most of the Christians are leaving the Middle East, leaving behind a very small, aging group.

I knew that photojournalism can be dangerous, but it was fascinating to hear it first-person. One of Kashi's most memorable photographs is a woman walking through her village, holding a colorful Shell (yes, the oil company!) umbrella. She's stepping over oil pipes that are running through her village. Kashi told us that even though the photograph looked peaceful, there were all sorts of things going on around him. People would yell at him "hey, white man, what are you doing?". After taking that particular photo, some people drove up in a car and told him to get in. Kashi had just been released from detention five days earlier and he went into a frenzy, screaming "No f***ing way!" Not all experiences are so intense. Kashi talked about trying to photograph a Christian family leaving the Middle East. It was a lot of work just to get a family to agree. Then he showed up at the house to find them packing. It was so "visually boring" and he didn't know what to do. Suddenly, one of the children crawled into a suitcase and curled up on the lid. Kashi snapped the photo, relieved. "It was like the photo gods smiled on me."

I was especially struck by one of Kashi's statements (paraphrased from my memory):

I'm so glad I grew up in America. People carry so much baggage. People all over the world are victimized by their history.

Nigerians hate white people for exploiting them for their oil. Koreans hate the Japanese for invading their country and raping their women during World War II. Then there's Palestine and Israel. It goes on and on. As much as we complain about America, there is something to be said for having a place where you can literally throw away your baggage.

Aside from his work, Kashi offered his views on the digital revolution. He said that the availability of information was a wonderful thing, but that compensation was a huge problem. He was having a hard time getting paid for his projects, and even self-financed them sometimes or had his wife to some of the video editing. Kashi said that we still need reporters and photographers to physically go gather information, interview people, or else a fundamental support for democracy will be lost. Something to think about.

Link of the day: The Pomodoro Technique

I can't remember where I found out about this technique (Lifehacker?), but the Pomodoro Technique seems like a very nice time management system. It was invented by Italian Francesco Cirillo, but his book on the system was only translated into English two years ago. From my speed reading of the text, the system has been tested with real subjects and shown to be effective. The main idea is to quantize time into 25-min chunks. During each chunk or "pomodoro", one focuses on a single task. The word pomodoro is Italian for tomato and comes from the fact that the first timer the author used was made to look like a tomato. The goal is to finish a certain number of pomodoros each day, say 8. I haven't tried the system, but the system seems to make time more manageable because you only have to keep track of 8 pomodoros instead of worrying about how much time you spent on each task, or losing sense of time and spending wrong amount time on a task (or worse wasting time on an unplanned activity). Cirillo claims that quantization changes our perception of time (which we normally think of as a continuum) and allows us to relax and focus on our work.