It's me, not the phone

By Mike Orren

About a year ago, Allison V. Smith came by to visit with our staff. While providing some great photographic advice, she shattered my illusion that my less-than-great iPhone snapshots were the fault of the device rather than the operator.

Today, the NY Times Lens Blog picked up on her great iPhone photo work, proving once again that it's more talent than tools.

(Hat tip to Frontburner. Also, you should read my favorite Allison V. Smith story here.)

July 1, 2009

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Local musicians make a song for Neda

By Mike Orren

Got an email from our pal ch0 last night: He and production partner Milad (better known as The Axis) teamed up with local artist Mishan for this nice tribute to Neda, the woman killed in the Iranian election uprising.

Ch0 says:

Milad - "Green Leaves"

written by Mishan

music by The Axis (Cho & Milad)

Concept to completion in 1 day.

This process was cathartic for my Tehran-born production partner, and this song & video are dedicated to Neda Agha-Soltan, the young woman who lost her life in the Iranian Election Protests this week.

The ending contains some brief words from Ghandi, King, Obama, and Mandela.

Feel free to pass it on with our humblest gratitude.

June 26, 2009

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St. Vincent on Letterman

By Mike Orren

St. Vincent on Letterman last night, via Videogum:

June 25, 2009

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Mythbusters: Lock your keys in your car?

By Sarah Blaskovich

I recently participated in a super high-tech Mythbusters simulation –- a heist, almost –- to unravel a legend I recently discovered. Here’s the myth: If someone holds your car’s clicky thing up to their cell phone and presses the trunk button -- and if you put your cell phone up to the trunk while they do that, it will open.

Now, knowing the answer to this myth isn’t nearly as interesting if your keys aren’t actually locked in your trunk. That’s where I come in. Here’s the short version: On Friday at 3:42 p.m., I walk out of the Pegasus News towers to catch a 5 p.m. flight. At about 3:44 p.m., I had already locked my keys in my trunk, along with my boarding pass, ID, luggage, and company-issued laptop. Thank God my cell phone was still attached to my hand. After a series of frantic phone calls, good friends, and high-speed chases, I have raced to my home, met a friend there with a key since mine were … in my trunk … unlocked the vehicle, got the luggage and arrived at Love Field Airport at 4:48 p.m. for a 5 p.m. flight. I flew through security (they didn’t even ask why my 2 oz. contact solution wasn’t in a plastic baggie) and found the man at Gate 5 screaming, “Are you Sarah?” one minute before takeoff. I threw my arms up –- “Yes!” -– like I’d won the Super Bowl, blew him a kiss, and arrived safely and on time in Austin a mere 35 minutes later.

It wasn't until I got to Austin that I meet country boy Daryll. He overheard me tell the exasperating story and pulled me over to share a bit of information: “If ya had a freey-end with your clicky thang, you coulda just held your ce-yll phone up to it and it woulda popped open. Works ever’ time.” WHAT? Says who? (It worked for this lady.)

Now I’ll be honest: I have no idea how the clicky thing works. I would have rather just thought of it as this magical button that does what I tell it to. If it ain’t broke, don’t ask. But in the event that I might find myself with keys locked in an unfortunate place in the near future –- and it's pretty likely -- Daryll’s advice sent me on an obligatory lesson in investigative journalism.

So I tried it with some family members, first with my 2007 Honda Civic sitting in the driveway. Anna stands in the kitchen, holds the clicky thing up to the phone, and I count to three loudly -– holding the phone away from my ear and near the sensor (we think) on my trunk. And … click! Open.

So Mark -- he’s a pretty smart guy –- says maybe we’re too close to Anna and the magical clicker. By this point, I’m ready to call it quits and claim victory. But he’s right. So we drive about a quarter-mile away and try the heist one more time. Actually, about 20 more times. We hold the phone near the trunk, on the trunk, near the engine, near the locks, near the flashy light that says you’re not supposed to steal my car, and all over again. We even traded off phone calls to make sure my 1, 2, 3 counting wasn’t flawed. And … no click.

We sulked back home, realizing we’d busted the myth: I can’t even break into my own car.

If you've tried this myth and it worked, you might have a cooler, newer phone; or, a cooler, newer vehicle – or both. Help!

June 18, 2009

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Followup on digital TV transition

By Mike Orren

We didn't much cover the "digital TV" transition because, well, we figured that most of you digerati probably didn't have any issues there.

That said, I found it interesting how the transition went down for local stations. Regular PegNews reader Kevin Kunreuther sent me this note on Facebook:

"WFAA signed off with a montage of 60's & 70s end of broadcast day clips then *boop* - Channel 52 stayed on way past noon, until 12:14PM - but no signal on digital side! Ch 33 cut out an hour and a half early, Ch 4 & 5 broadcast a public service announcement on setting up DTV for your home. Ch 11 & 21 had problems during switch, 21 was on 11's carrier signal and 11 was nowhere to be found."

Uncle Barky has more on the WFAA montage, as well as the actual video:

Anybody else see anything interesting?

June 15, 2009

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Organic gardening: the stinky, humus-rich underbelly

By John Meyer

Since I was stuck at the house unexpectedly this morning while my auto club's contractor dude dropped by to change a flat (might as well use the service, right? Keeps people employed. It's almost patriotic in a way, he thought, hanging out in the air conditioned house), I started thinking about how best to address the downside of this whole organic gardening thing. Because - let's face it - there is one.

Truth is, it can be a stinky proposition. Particularly if the gardener you're hooked up with has a fondness for cotton burr compost. (BUM! Bum! bummmmm...)

What is it about decomposing cotton burrs that makes them absolutely, positively noxious, you're wondering? I wish I could tell you - but all I know is, they really, truly are.

Anne bought a new Honda Civic about three years ago, and the best money ever spent on an optional accessory went towards the purchase of the rubberized, removable bed liner that form fits into the bottom of the trunk like a sort of oddly-shaped tray. She has filled that trunk up so many times with cotton burr compost (and cedar mulch, and earthworm - ah - "castings") that I've lost track.

(Truth is, I've probably just blocked it, like you would a terrible truck accident or a half-hour spent with an insurance salesman.)

Every time I hear that I'll be unloading a trunk full of cotton burr compost, I prepare by changing into disposable clothing, as there's really no point in trying to unload the compost bags (particularly if wet - AARGH!) and then doing anything else in the pants and shirt you've done the unloading in. Because people will smell you coming and run in the other direction. (And so will your trusted house pets. Even fish.)

If you're going to get involved in the hauling and off-loading of gardening bed prep materials, my best advice is to either make sure you have one of these removable (washable) bed liners, or a second vehicle that's to be used exclusively for compost.

As for the cedar mulch, it is actually pleasant smelling (think cedar chests), though entering into the driver's compartment of a closed vehicle whose back seat is stacked head-high with bags of the stuff can be a nostril-opening, sneeze-inducing experience if one hasn't the time to air the car out. As I didn't recently when I was forced to take Anne's "fully loaded" Honda to an evening film screening at the AMC Northpark.

There was simply not enough time to unload the dozens of industrial-sized bags of aromatic mulch before I had to be at the theater, and my own vehicle was in the shop for repair. So I rolled the windows fully down and cruised on over to the shopping center's covered garage, where I parked and hoofed it into the mall.

It was only upon exiting the theater that it occurred to me how fortunate it was that my wife prefers organic materials to - for instance - ammonium nitrate. A back seat full of that stuff, combined with an overzealous security guard, could have landed me in Guantanamo.

NOTE that Anne is undoubtedly grinding her teeth at this diatribe (I can practically hear her, from half a city away), having already explained to me that not all cotton burr compost is stinky.

Which begs the question: why aren't we buying the un-stinky kind?

HON-ey, you got some 'splaining to do!!!

June 15, 2009

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Best local ad I've seen in ages

By Mike Orren

Posted by NickGibbons in the comments for Ricki Derek's Night-O-Cabaret 10.5 Year Anniversary:

June 15, 2009

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Everyblock comes to your block

By Mike Orren

I've been meaning for a couple days to welcome our friends at Everyblock to town. Everyblock is a Knight Foundation-supported site that delivers a wealth of targeted local data (think crime reports, restaurant health scores, nearby news, home sales, etc.) to the neighborhood level.

The service is led by our pal Adrian Holovaty, the paterfamilias of Django, the programming framework we primarily use; and designed by Wilson Miner, who did our original TexasGigs design (which morphed into the current PegNews design) and held our hands through our early days before we had our own dev team.

To answer the obvious question: No, they're not competitors, except in the sense that all 80 gazillion local info sites out there are in a collaborative, competitive space race to figure out how to deliver the most useful info. Their site isn't delivering original or curated content; isn't as focused on community or events; and for the time being isn't selling local advertising here. They are tackling some hard problems with crime data and restaurant scores that we've poked at -- and we're more likely to seek their help with that down the road than to replicate.

Anyway, we've been rooting for them to come to Dallas ever since they launched. Glad y'all are here.

June 11, 2009

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What's black and white and re(a)d all over?

By Mike Orren

Been a while since I posted a random mediapocalypse video. As expected, The Daily Show nails it:

June 11, 2009

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It's a'stormin' out there

By Sarah Blaskovich

If it was hard for you wake up this morning, you weren't alone. As you ventured out, many stoplights hadn't woken back up from power outages -- and the damage might continue. But the lightning dancing in the sky had that horror-movie effect on us: While we should have taken cover, we flung the doors open and watched, delighted. Did you get any photos of the storm you'd like to share?

June 11, 2009

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