Moltz on Macworld: It's Ether

If you don't read Crazy Apple Rumors Site, chances are you don't know John Motlz. A great introduction to his entirely sardonic take on all things Apple (a great laugh no matter which side of the Apple tree you fall from) can be found at Macworld.com, where Moltz gives his take on day one of the Macworld Expo. To wit:

In addition to touching Apple hardware, you can actually touch Apple executives and last year I did just that. I walked up to senior vice president of retail Ron Johnson and touched him on his arm. He was talking to someone else and after touching him I quickly walked away, as I just wanted to touch him, not disturb him. He looked confused but not concerned and I managed to avoid an unfortunate incident with security.

Via Macworld.

Join the Accordion Revolution!

Are you familiar with the Accordion Revolution? Want to be? Your best bet at getting started then would be to check out Daniel Payne's, Learning the Newfoundland Button Accordion | Volume 1: The Basics. From the Facebook Marketplace:

Click for larger view

It's only $35.00 and is very well produced.

Then you can truly wear the t-shirt with pride.


Via Living Planet T-Shirts.

Robot Suit of the Future, Today!

Embrace the sheer ecstasy of uncertainty as the overwhelming burden of the future collides with the unsuspecting present and tremble. Robot suits have arrived.


"Strap-on" takes on a whole new meaning.

Via Engadget.

Final Thoughts on Reading for the Day

This is hilarious.


Courtesy of Daring Fireball.

Bennington Gate

I put in a call to the longstanding, independently owned and operated bookstore Bennington Gate today to see if they had a book I wanted, and when they said they did not I asked how long it would take to order it in.

The answer? We're not taking orders now because we're closing at the end of the month.

I paused on the line.

We all kind of thought this day might come, but no one really wanted to believe it. Chapters came to town, Auntie Crae's and the Liquor Store pulled out of the Square. It was only a matter of time before globalization-sized competition and a lack of foot traffic forced the Gate the to close. Or at least relocate... right?

I asked and was told that they're hoping to relocate but as of now do not have anything lined up. Grim news.

If you're as hopeful as I am that Bennington Gate will reopen in a new location, why not let them know they have your support? 576-6600 is the number to reach them at, or walk on in to the Lower Level of Terrace on the Square and tell them yourself.

Here's hoping.

Is Literacy the Next Obesity Crisis?

As the popular technology blog Engadget pointed out today, it's kind of ironic that you're reading this since, according to Apple Inc.'s CEO, Steve Jobs, no one reads anymore. Jobs to the New York Times on the reading device Kindle: "It doesn't matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don't read anymore. Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year. The whole conception is flawed at the top because people don't read anymore."

Notice he says it twice in case those reading have trouble catching it the first time: people don't read anymore. As much as I'd like to call him to task, listing alternative reading materials like blogs and cereal boxes as proof that book consumption is not the only measure of literacy in a society, the truth is I think he's right. People don't read anymore. Not like they used to. Not like they should.

According to an article published January 1st of this still very new year by Misty Harris of the CanWest News Service, 31 percent of adults in Canada did not read a single book last year. Things get slightly less grim when you look at the portion of the population that did read at least one book. Of that group, the average number of books read was 20.

So is this a crisis? To compare, let's look at something that we've all recently agreed is: obesity. According to statcan.ca, 23 percent of adults in Canada fall into the category of obese. To put that in context, there are more Canadians who didn't read a book last year than there are who qualify as grossly overweight.

Obesity is not just the problem of the individual but also that of their society. Obesity can lead to pour poor health, which can render a person less able to contribute and more dependent on public resources such as health care. Pour Poor literacy can have a similar effect, and while a person's disinterest in books is by no means an indication that they are illiterate, it could be considered an indication of how their literacy is valued.

It's been said that some people suffering from obesity do so because they find healthy foods intimidating. It's not that they are incapable of eating healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, but their lack of experience in preparing them keeps them from ever trying. For those who can read but choose not to, they are likely experiencing a similar kind of intimidation.

This intimidation can lead people to develop a dependence on media other than literature to assimilate and consume information and entertainment. The more they do so, the less capable they become of engaging in literary activities. Literature itself then becomes undervalued, and its place in our society diminished. For information to disseminate honestly, it must disseminate diversely. If literacy is lost, so then is our level of assurance and means of testing that the messages we receive are true. In the face of this uncertainty, engagement is replaced with trust, criticism with acceptance. We no longer understand what is said, we simply believe what we're told.

31 percent of Canadian adults didn't read a book last year. I'd call that a crisis. If you read me.

5 Solid Reasons for deadmau5

You've probably noticed a bit of a BUZZ in the air over the last couple of weeks here in Sin City. New Year's Eve was a wild time for everyone, so normally by now all should be relatively quiet, but there's an undeniable noise that can be heard circulating this place, and it sounds a heck of a lot like party. That's because local DJ/promoter/hero Pat Dunn has been busying himself making the place ready for the arrival of a very special guest, the likes of which this town has never really seen before.

Meet deadmau5 |dead•mouse|. Never heard of him? Then I guess you haven't been listening. Hailing out of Niagara, Ontario, this producer/DJ has turned the heads and opened the ears of the entire electronic music world. Pete Tong, John Acquaviva, Chris Lake, they've all been playing his tracks and screaming his praises. He's topping all the charts and filling all the dance floors, and the next floor on his list is yours.

Thanks to the promotional efforts of Pat Dunn's BUZZ Management, deadmau5 is coming to St. John's this Saturday, January 19th at Liquid Ice. In case I haven't made myself clear: that's fucked.

To make myself even more clear, here are 5 solid reasons why you should go see deadmau5 this Saturday:

1. There are DJ's, and then there are DJ's, and then there are DJ's like deadmau5. If you think you've heard what electronic music has to offer in this town, then you must have traveled into the future, specifically to this coming Saturday, because deadmau5 is going to flip your perceptions on their head.

2. Tickets are just $23 dollars. Travel to London, England. Go to a top West End club. Pay twice that much for a DJ half deadmau5's caliber. Enjoy that.

3. Tickets are selling fast. What's that an indication of? You tell me.

4. Ever heard the term Modern Day Mozart? Pick up a copy of this week's Current and have a read. Then you'll know.

5. Pat Dunn is behind this. Have you met this guy? He is party incarnate. Figure it out.

deadmau5 is playing at Liquid Ice this Saturday, January 19th. Tickets are $23 (and include a free high ball) and can be purchased at Ballistic, Hostyle, and Liquid Ice. You know what to do.