Today is the one-year anniversary of Daily Gusto's launch. To commemorate the occasion, we thought we'd highlight some of the stories we ran on the first day, back when we were spending every second of our free time on Gusto and before we devolved into the sometime link-peddlers we are today. Thanks to all past and current contributors for helping us (improbably) hit the year mark! Steve Diehl on the Supreme Court's citing Old Europe as a precedent in Lawrence v. Texas. DeWitt Cheng on the Philip Guston retrospective. Matthew Kantor on a mascot for human rights issues....
This is the fourth installment in the Day Job Interview Series. If you're interested in being interviewed, please email me at teapot [at] dailygusto [dot] com. Karen W., Customer Care Account Executive 1. Where do you work, and what do you do? I work for a jewelry designer, as a Customer Care Account Executive. Customer Care is another fancy name for the Repairs department, so on a day-to-day basis I talk to salespeople who sell our company's jewelry and try to help them expedite their customer's repairs. 2. How long have you worked there? I started there in September as a temp, but have worked as a full-time, salaried employee since November. 3. Does your job require regular hours? If so, what are they? Yes, although they change depending on if we're in season or on summer hours, but for the most part it's from 8:30 or 9 am to about 6:30 or 7 pm. 4. Do you like what you do? Do you respect it? There are certainly aspects of it that I like well enough � I do enjoy customer service generally, trying to be a problem solver and developing relationships with clients. I've found lately that I...
What to Do This Saturday: East River Music Project
A friend forwarded this to us today about the East River Music Project, which is hosting a free show this Saturday, July 24 at the East River Park Amphitheatre. It's a fun place to hear music, and the kids (and by "kids," I mean, "adults") love Ted Leo, so I thought I'd pass it on. Additional info is here. * * * * * * * East River Music Project in cooperation with NYC Parks & Recreation presents: Tigers and Monkeys Sea Ray The Natural History Ted Leo & The Pharmacists Saturday July 24 1:30pm "doors," Show from 2-6 Free admission Unless it's pouring at 12:30, we're on, drizzle or shine. East River Park Amphitheatre NYC Just south of the Williamsburg Bridge on the Manhattan side Subway: F or JMZ to Essex / Delancey...
I'm sure most of us are at least aware of William Shatner's past musical pursuits. Well, he's back with a new album. Follow the link, if you dare, to hear Captain Kirk and Joe Jackson (!) covering Pulp's "Common People." Jarvis says, "Pour me another."...
Yes, I am aware that this is my THIRD Guardian post of the day, but since it's Hemingway's birthday today, I thought I had to post this article about two bars in Miami fighting (and suing!) over which was Hemingway's favorite (from yesterday, and via Bookslut, of course)....
"I've been thinking about this problem for the last 30 years, and I think now I have the answer to it. A black hole only appears to form but later opens up and releases information about what fell inside. So we can be sure of the past and predict the future."...
This is the third installment in the Day Job Interview Series. If you're interested in being interviewed, please email me at teapot [at] dailygusto [dot] com. J. Mattthew Brauer, Web Designer 1. Where do you work, and what do you do? I work for myself out of my own bedroom. I design and build web sites. 2. How long have you worked there? I quit my old job about four months ago. I was at my old job for four years, doing mostly web design. 3. Does your job require regular hours? If so, what are they? Not really. I am officially available to my clients Monday through Friday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. My contracts with clients say that I charge time-and-a-half for any hours outside of that schedule or if I bill any more than six hours per day. But in reality, I work whenever I feel like it. I might not really get started until noon, or I might work as late as 2:00 am, or I might take Friday off and work on Saturday. So I don't bill my clients overtime unless they need me to work on off-hours when I don't want to. 4. Do...
Were Harry actually blogging and not being a slave to the criminal justice system (albeit via cathode and T1), he would undoubtedly link to this story on The Morning News and say something interesting about horse racing. While I've successfully handicapped a race or two myself, I'm hardly an expert, so I'll leave the storytelling (with pretty pictures!) to the boys at TMN. Related: Gusto on The Kentucky Derby and a Mint Julep recipe....
If you've ever wondered what it's like to be a journalist in Baghdad, go no further than Aileen Gallagher's interview with freelancer Charles Crain on The Black Table. [Note: Original paragraph deleted.]...
I love those moments in films that catch the viewer totally off guard. A scene is playing out in normal fashion, but something completely horrible happens and punches you in the gut. One such scene occurs in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Kairo (aka Pulse). The shot in question is pictured here, but I won't give away what happens. There is a special effect of some sort involved, but it is so seamless that I sat there simultaneously shocked and wondering how the shot was pulled off. (Likely something very simple, but simplicity is the key the shot's effectiveness.) It's a moment worthy of the best Val Lewton films of the 1940s. Like several of the Lewton productions, Kairo is on its surface a horror film, but the genre elements are mostly secondary to Kurosawa's main concerns, those being alienation, the modern technology that facilitates it, and our basic need to not be totally alone in the world. It's a great film, one whose power is difficult to appreciate without actually seeing it. A simple description of its plot does little to convey the thick feeling of dread that permeates the movie. Two plot strands are introduced and will eventually intertwine. In...
A while back, H.J. did a little post that mentioned Jesse McCartney, teenage heartthrob. Since then, thanks to our search engine placement, the comments from tweeners have been trickling in, mostly from those who apparently just really want his email address (not because they, you know, love him or anything). Check it out....
Many years ago, a friend (now long lost to the clutches of law school) gave us a now-legendary set of mix tapes culled from his voluminous stacks of vinyl. From Killdozer's cover of Neil Diamond's "I Am, I Said" to the Rolling Stones's "2000 Man," these tapes struck the perfect balance between music that was new to us and stuff we already liked but didn't own. Among the tracks were several songs from the 1993 Voo Doo Doll EP by April March (nee Elinore Blake), whom I'd never heard before. With her adorable voice, a French-pop-inspired sound, and witty lyrics, I fell in love immediately. From "Voo Doo Doll": I keep a Voo Doo Doll To pierce when you're untrue I take a pin and stick it in And I'm amused While fans of French pop will like her other releases, particularly Chick Habit, with its covers of Serge Gainsbourg and Francoise Hardy songs, I still find the songs from Voo Doo Doll to be her quirkiest and best. Unfortunately, since the album is out of print, it fetches a pretty penny when it comes 'round on Half.com. Right-click-Save-Target-As... to get the songs or -- hey, big spender -- buy...
Because of work schedules (barring miracles or errant moments of slackage), posting will most likely be light this week. May we suggest some of the general fabulousness on our blogroll over there?...
This is the second installment in the Day Job Interview Series. If you're interested in being interviewed, please email me at teapot [at] dailygusto [dot] com. Kenny, Sub Shop Employee 1. Where do you work, and what do you do? I work at a toasty sub shop, where I make sandwiches for people. It says “Crew” on my paycheck. 2. How long have you worked there? A long and horrible five weeks. 3. Does your job require regular hours? If so, what are they? Yes. Every other day, 4:00 to 9:30. 4. Do you like what you do? Do you respect it? I like it, but hell no, I don’t respect it. 5. What’s the best part of your job? Between 4 and 6 when the boss isn’t there. Then I joke around with customers and co-workers and don’t work. Me and this Mexican lady who works there were talking about going to get some Tequila during one shift. I would have done it if she was gonna buy. 6. What’s the worst part of your job? Doing unethical things because my boss says so. He makes us give less meat to people with coupons. One time, a black guy...
It's called the, "Is Jennifer a cynical bastard" game. I saw this great cartoon the other day in the New Yorker. The next day, I was reading TMFTML, who referenced the cartoon but interpreted it completely differently than I had. So I'm curious -- how do you interpret this cartoon? Am I just a big cynical-pants? Here is the link to the TMFTML post, but to avoid bias, don't read that or the comments until after you read the cartoon. Go ahead, make me feel like a jerk....
There's a hilarious faux-political website set up to promote the John Sayles film Silver City. Check out Dickie Pilager's views on everything from gay marriage ("Colorado will have no part in the wave of indecency sweeping across this nation like a wave of indecency.") to capital punishment ("I am in favor of the death penalty for those who need it, whether those people like it or not. A couple of seconds in Old Sparky is the kind of permanent rehabilitation Pilager ’04 is all about."). Then be sure to check out Chris Cooper-as-Dickie when Silver City opens this September....
Sigh. July has come to Manhattan and with it, my least favorite thing ever, humidity. When just walking outside makes me feel like a big old head of wilted lettuce, it's time to find some creative solutions. Lush Fresh Handmade Products, the U.K.-based beauty purveyor who uses so many fresh ingredients they put expiration dates and made by stickers on all of their products, recently opened a location in downtown New York on Broadway at 34th Street. I wandered in after a long wait at the DMV upstairs and discovered a brilliant summertime invention on their shelves — freezable bath gel in individual ice cube-sized portions. They took their regular bath gel which comes in a variety of scents and put it inside a plastic sheet portioned into single serving size bubbles. You stick this bad boy in the freezer, then cut of a section or two for the shower, and as it melts enjoy a shot of deliciously cold cleanliness. It's a little S&M, pain equals pleasure kind of experience but is a really a perfect way to end a hot, humid day. There is a caveat — keep the plastic up right or frozen all the time or...
This is the first installment in what will be a regular Day Job Interview Series, with a new interview posted each Monday (from now on). While there are scores of great interviews on blogs, I hadn't read any that focused on what people do to make a living, despite the fact that most people spend more of their waking lives at work than at home. So, I rounded up some people I know to do brief interviews about their jobs. The point is not whether their jobs are particularly glamorous or lucrative, but about the idea of working -- the variety of jobs people (especially young people) have and the ways they make them bearable. If you're interested in being interviewed, please email me at teapot [at] dailygusto [dot] com. Steven C., Associate Creative Director (Advertising) 1. Where do you work, and what do you do? I work for an advertising agency that specializes in interactive marketing for large corporations. I help make websites and ad banners. My title is Associate Creative Director. It’s a solid middle management position. 2. How long have you worked there? It’s only my second job and I’ve been there seven months. I’ve been in...
If Thomas Jefferson had a blog, would the Declaration be as well-written?
It's July 4. Time to eat hot dogs and see fireworks and... what else? Why not re-read the founding document of this country and think about how close we are to the goals enumerated many years ago? The National Archives has a good site about the Declaration of Independence. IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends,...
Because I saw this Guardian review of their show in London (doubt they'll be touring here anytime soon) and now have them on the brain (and in the CD player), I thought I'd post a couple of songs by the fantastic and completely underrated band The Go-Betweens. If there were justice in the music world, these guys would be diving into swimming pools full of money in Brisbane. Right-click-Save-Target-As... to get the songs, and then go buy some already (also, I haven't read this, but it looks interesting -- the 2003 David Nichols book, The Go Betweens). The Go-Betweens - Cattle and Cane, from Before Hollywood. The Go-Betweens - Going Blind, from Friends of Rachel Worth....
