Monday Morning “Impediment to Productivity” – 20090420

Fender FR50
Fender FR50
Fender FR50

Hi,

What do you mean it’s past Easter, the last time I looked it was Christmas, bugger.

Well after a longer (much much longer) than planned hiatus, Impediments is back. Well back with a quick one at least.

What you thought I’d given up?

Sorry, it’s just the usual life impeding Impediments stuff.

It all started at Christmas when my brother gave me a guitar as my chrissie present. And not just any guitar it was a Fender resonator (you know the ones, they have a whole lot of metal work that looks like a hubcap  where the hole usually is. See here – http://www.fender.com/products//search.php?partno=0955000032 ).  Now as some of you are aware I stopped playing guitar a few years back, but my brother missed the memo (thankfully as it turns out).

This guitar is a hoot, it sounds interesting, it plays well thanks to a trip to Terry Dean Guitars,  who I might add deals well with maniacs like me who have been given new toys for Christmas and want to play with them. I am having just the best time playing guitar again and making all sorts of horrible noises (sorry folks – nothing changed). But it does tend to soak up the “free” time – dare I say it “Impedes Productivity”. Hence the lack of stuff in your inbox for a while.

And a special thanks to all who sent messages inquiring after my well being.

Anyway let’s get started shall we.

Ted Talks –  I have listened to so many of these in the last few months that the best thing to do is pick some at random.  They are all amazing and all thought provoking.

Wired has an article about Jay Walker and “The Library of Human Imagination”. The opening line reads.

Nothing quite prepares you for the culture shock of Jay Walker’s library. You exit the austere parlor of his New England home and pass through a hallway into the bibliographic equivalent of a Disney ride. Stuffed with landmark tomes and eye-grabbing historical objects-on the walls, on tables, standing on the floor-the room occupies about 3,600 square feet on three mazelike levels. Is that a Sputnik? (Yes.) Hey, those books appear to be bound in rubies. (They are.) That edition of Chaucer … is it a Kelmscott? (Natch.) Gee, that chandelier looks like the one in the James Bond flick Die Another Day. (Because it is.) No matter where you turn in this ziggurat, another treasure beckons you-a 1665 Bills of Mortality chronicle of London (you can track plague fatalities by week), the instruction manual for the Saturn V rocket (which launched the Apollo 11 capsule to the moon), a framed napkin from 1943 on which Franklin D. Roosevelt outlined his plan to win World War II. In no time, your mind is stretched like hot taffy.

The room looks like it belongs in “Myst” or more importantly my place.

http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/16-10/ff_walker?currentPage=all

Ted has an all too brief piece with Jay,

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/jay_walker_s_library_of_human_imagination.html

Over the break I managed to catch Stephen Fry and his truly compelling chat with Pamela Connelly on the ABC.  He is someone I just got in the last year. I had him in the “pedantic English don/actor” pigeon hole. Big oops on my part . Stephen Fry is amazing.  How amazing? I hear you ask. Head over to http://fry.positive-dedicated.net/fry-podcast2-episodes-03.mp3 and listen to his recent podgram on Language  (a podcast by any other name still sounds as sweet and the text version is here http://www.stephenfry.com/blog/2008/11/04/don%E2%80%99t-mind-your-language%E2%80%A6/). A more entertaining half hour you will be hard pressed to find.

http://www.stephenfry.com/
The things you do:

Adam Savage from  Mythbusters  raises the bar on obsession. I have been left in the dust ( I wonder if he can play guitar?)

http://www.wired.com/video/foratv/foratv/13312836001/mythbusters-cohost-adam-savage-on-obsession/16494275001

BLAME TIME:

I will work through some of the backlog but this is a gem.

“LOLCATS Yeah!

Love, Jools..

http://www.ruethedayblog.com/2009/01/this-is-so-annoying-yet-entertaining/

Take it up with Jools

Duggup continues to wander through music genres with abandon. Taking a  stroll over to http://duggup.com.au and have a look. My recent faves would be “Kiss The Mistress” and Vetiver. And for totally different reasons.
Flash Game Time:

All relaxed after your break? I am

AARGHH!

Love Jools

http://www.thegamehomepage.com/play/scriball/
Have a good one.
thatch

{Currently listening: Clannad and Keb Mo and Charlie Parr (it actually works)}
{Currently reading: Kim Klein ‘s book on NPO Funding}
{Quick Status Check: Hell, is it really April already? Really? Bugger}
{Crop Circle Status: Move along, still nothing to see here ’til later in the year.}

Published
Categorized as Mondays

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