Framing

Where is the best placed to get things framed? I have so many little pictures that I want to hang on my walls.

- Joel

Next on my reading list...

What The Dog Saw

What I received as a Christmas gift, I have finally finished reading. That it took me more than three months to get around to reading Malcolm Gladwell's What The Dog Saw is no indictment on the book's quality; there were other things to read before I could get around to this one. Gladwell is a special author, though he doesn't always write special books. The Tipping Point was an incredible book, but I found Blink to be below average and lacking direction. Outliers was good, full of interesting stories and remarkable facts, but not great. For those unfamiliar with Malcolm Gladwell or who have yet to dive into his writing, What The Dog Saw offers the perfect primer. The book is a collection of the best (or at least the author's favorite) articles he has produced in his years as a staff writer for The New Yorker. I find Gladwell to be significantly more compelling in these articles than in the long-form books he has written. His writing packs a punch from beginning to end. My favorite articles from this collection were these:

• "Open Secrets: Enron, Intelligence, and the Perils of Too Much Information"
• "Million-Dollar Murray: Why Problems like Homelessness May Be Easier To Solve Than to Manage"
• "Blowup: Who Can Be Blamed for a Disaster like the Challenger Explosion? No One, and We'd Better Get Used to It"
• "Late Bloomers: Why Do We Equate Genius with Precocity?"
• "Most Likely to Succeed: How Do We Hire When We Can't Tell Who's Right for the Job?"

Treat this book like a Gladwell buffet: pick and chose what you want; bounce around the book without any guilt for what you are missing. It is all good.

- Joel

Spotlight Video

My brother put this music video on as we were setting up a BluRay player this weekend. It reminded me of what a great video/song this is...even if it first appeared on the Twilight Movie Soundtrack. Gotta love one take videos.

- Joel

Song of the Day

Best Coast sounds to me a lot like driving down the Pacific Coast Highway in the 1960's. This song comes from her not-yet-released debut album, due out later this year.

- Joel

Best Coast - "Our Deal"

Roll Out Cowboy

I met Chris Sand last year at a house party in Marfa, Texas. I must say that of all the rapping cowboys I know, The Sandman is by far my favorite. In all seriousness though, it took only one conversation for me to call him a friend. His itinerant lifestyle takes this truck driver/folk artist/rapper across the country from truck cab, to stage, to living room and back again. And like many who have lived their life on the road, Sand can talk to pretty much anyone about pretty much anything. I can only imagine the sights and sounds and stories that surface in a life on the road - a Jack Kerouac novel in the flesh. Now we can get a glimpse of this one-of-a-kind life on the big screen. Roll Out Cowboy documents Sandman The Rappin' Cowboy as he criss-crosses the country on a 2008 whirlwind tour. Too bad it wasn't a year later, I might have made a cameo appearance in the film!

- Joel

Having A Coke With You

What a gorgeous poem - one of my new favorites (though it is an old poem). "Having a Coke with You" by Frank O'Hara. Click on the image below to enlarge the text.

- Joel

Quote of the Day

Now I am quietly waiting for
the catastrophe of my personality
to seem beautiful again,
and interesting, and modern.

- Frank O'Hara, from the poem "Mayakovsky"

Song of the Day

Bon Iver partnered with Peter Gabriel to co-release a single on Record Day 2010. Both artists contributed a cover of the other. Below is Bon Iver's contribution.

- Joel

Bon Iver - "Come Talk To Me (Peter Gabriel cover)"

NYU's Best Journalism of The Decade

NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute recently released it's list of "Top Ten Works of Journalism of 2000-2009". Subjects covered in these ten works include the 9/11 attacks, America's Wars in Iraq and on Terror, the sub-prime mortgage crisis and resulting recession, Hurricane Katrina, and the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. I found this list to be sobering on two accounts. First, stumbling across this list of reminded me of the immense challenges our country has faced in the past ten years. However, more importantly in my opinion, this list is an unfortunate (and clearly unintentional) indictment on the state of journalism in the 21st Century. In an industry increasingly preoccupied with scandal, controversy, and criticism, I find it disappointing that not one "journalistic highlight" of the past ten years featured something positive.

Read the list on NYU's website here. The list includes links to read/listen to the original content for most of the ten nominees.

- Joel

Song of the Day

Sharon Jones is as soulful as they come these days. Her sound comes straight from 1960's Motown, and she and the Dap-Kings get down on today's song of the day. You can find the song on the band's latest album I Learned The Hard Way

- Joel

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - "Mama Don't Like My Man"

Changes In the Sports World

I've never been a fan of ESPN's The Sports Reporters. The show features pompous, self-absorbed sports reporters that offer little in terms of substance while trying to paint their commentary as socially meaningful. Plus, it's boring. Not surprisingly, the show airs on Sunday morning, when most sports fans are either in church or sleeping off their Saturday evening activities. Howard Bryant is one such reporter featured on this Sunday morning sleeper. However, yesterday I read Bryant's take on Ben Roethlisberger, Tiger Woods, and a sports world slowly awakening from it's misogynistic slumber. Bryant writes, "For the first time, in a meaningful way, the wink-wink, nudge-nudge acceptance of the professional athlete and his murky late-night encounters with women has been replaced by a demand for maturity and accountability." I found his commentary to be insightful and, I hope, foreshadowing of an important change taking place in the world of professional sports. Read the entire article at the link below.

- Joel

Howard Bryant - "Ben Roethlisberger and Societal Change"

Delorean - Subiza

Subiza. This is an album worth checking out. Delorean sounds a lot like Animal Collective with a more melodic, club vibe. A few weeks ago I posted their track "Stay Close". Now it's time that you listened to the entire album, or at least the few tracks posted below.

- Joel

Delorean - "Stay Close" (link removed by request)

Delorean - "Real Love" (link removed by request)

Delorean - "Come Wander" (link removed by request)

Sam Amidon

Sam Amidon, indie-folkster extraordinaire, covers hundred year old Appalachian folk tunes (and one R. Kelly slow jam) in his latest album I See the Sign. I'm digging the low-key, backcountry spiritual vibe of many of these tunes. Listen to one new track and one old one below.

- Joel

Sam Amidon - "Way Go Lily"

Sam Amidon - "Wedding Dress" (from the 2008 album All is Well)

LOST/Photographer of the Day

I don't know who took this photo, but I'm sure you could find some hidden clues about LOST if you studied long enough. Click on the photo to enlarge.

- Joel

Songs of the Day

© Joel Thomason

Two songs of the day that feature hypnotizing female singers.

- Joel

Memoryhouse - "Lately (Troisième)"

jj - "CEO Birthday"

Volcano

There were some incredible photographs taken documenting the volcanic eruption in Iceland. See more here.

- Joel

Addicted to Hipstamatic

© Joel Thomason

If you own an iPhone, you need to purchase the Hipstamatic app. I can't get enough.

- Joel

Mountains

© Joel Thomason

Here are a few more from my time in Rocky Mountain National Park. I'll be heading back to Colorado in both June and July. We are already planning a 3 day, 2 night backpacking trip across the park. I can't wait!

- Joel

© Joel Thomason

© Joel Thomason

Rocky Mountain National Park

© Joel Thomason

I spent the weekend in Colorado with two of my best friends. We spent Saturday hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. It gave me an opportunity to try out the Hipstamatic app for my iPhone. Here are a few pictures from our trip. I'll post more photos in the days to come.

- Joel

© Joel Thomason

© Joel Thomason

Mike Perry

Do It © Mike Perry

I really want to buy these. They are original works of art by Mike Perry and part of his exhibition "Lost In The Discovery Of What Shapes The Mind". They aren't that expensive compared to a lot of art work (Do It, $500; There Is A Secrete Here, $200). My walls are crying out for their companionship....

- Joel

There Is A Secrete Here © Mike Perry

Booker T

Shout out to Booker T. Keeping it trill and rockin the stash since the dawn of time...

- Joel

Birthday Gift

My parents bought me this limited edition, screenprinted poster created by Aesthetic Apparatus for my birthday. As I've said, I'm a big fan of printmaking. I'm also a big fan of Chuck Klosterman. My plan is to get this mounted and framed. Any suggestions for the best way to frame this? I don't want to get a lame poster frame. I'm thinking something more like a floating mount.

- Joel

Song of the Day

The Tallest Man On Earth is really just Kristian Matsson, a Scandinavian singer songwriter. His album The Wild Hunt has been on repeat for me all day. I can't get enough. Plus, that is one of the most beautiful album covers I have seen in awhile.

- Joel

The Tallest Man On Earth - "Love Is All"

Vote For AVS

Champion © Allison V. Smith

The Hipstamatic app transforms your iPhone into a super hip pocket camera. The folks at Hipstamatic also like to hold photo competitions. My good friend Allison Smith currently has a photo in one of their Twitter/Flickr competitions (see the photo above). If you have Twitter, you should vote for her. It's as simple as putting http://hpstm.tc/4n7 and #hipstamatic in one tweet. That's all it takes to vote. Currently she stands at #55. Let's send her to the top.

- Joel

This Is Happening

James Murphy makes the hippest tunes. His latest (and last from what I hear) album as LCD Soundsystem, entitled This Is Happening, drops on May 18. You can hear the entire thing right now on his website. Check it.

- Joel

This American Life

A lot of my friends were listening to This American Life long before I was. They are way cooler than me. It's only been in the last two months that I've become a weekly listener of this NPR gem. I can't say I listen to it live; most often I listen to the podcast on my way to or from work. Still, I find myself recounting TAL's stories over and over. Like the one about the guy who infected himself with African tapeworms to cure his debilitating asthma. Or the one about the hedge fund who made a killing by betting against their own sub-prime mortgage investments. Or the one about priest who became a "fixer" amidst the Catholic church's plague of sexual misconduct. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you should start listening to the show. Take it from me, it's never too late to join the bandwagon. Find the podcasts on iTunes (they're free and there is a new one every week) or listen through the archives on the This American Life website. Every week is an interesting story.

- Joel

Song of the Day

The National release their newest album High Violet on May 10. Check out a track from the album below.

- Joel

The National - "Afraid Of Everyone"

Baked Goods

If you want to purchase premium baked good with a homemade flair, talk to my sister Abby. She's an expert baker and she is in the midst of starting up her own business. Email her at abbyjthomason@gmail.com. Check out her blog for a look at some of her tasty treats. She made a chocolate/peanut butter cheesecake this weekend, which was probably the best cheesecake I've ever eaten...and I'm not exaggerating.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

Katy Wood. Katy is a student at Dallas' Arts Magnet High School. Maybe I'll meet her when I go to the Arts Magnet prom with my friend Cassie in May.

- Joel

Mos Dub

Check out this mixtape - Mos Def and Reggae. It's an excellent combination. Perfect music to jam to with the windows down. Download below.

- Joel

Mos Dub Mixtape

Photographer of the Day

© Sean Stewart

Sean Stewart. Straight out of Brooklyn. I love the photo of the map.

- Joel

© Sean Stewart

© Sean Stewart

Song of the Day

I don't promote intoxication in any form. Today's song of the day pokes fun at the absurdity of drunkenness. Is there anything more ridiculous than watching someone who is drunk try to function?

By the way, LCD Soundsystem - aka James Murphy - releases its third and final album, entitled This Is Happening, on May 18.

- Joel

LCD Soundsystem - "Drunk Girls"

Topeka

Big props to Topeka, Kansas, capital city of my native state. Topeka renamed itself Google, Kansas during the month of March in an attempt to secure Google's new high-speed internet for its citizens. In return, Google renamed itself Topeka for the day. Read more here.

- Joel

Nike Air

No one does advertising like Nike.

- Joel

Quote of the Day

"It is better to go skiing and think of God than to go to church and think of sport."

- Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian zoologist and oceanographer who traversed across Greenland on skis in 1888