Visual Archives
This page is in development — beta mode, if you will. Note that there’s a scrollbar ‘way at the bottom of the page, to see the rest of the months in any year. Also, click any date to see a thumbnail of posts for that day.
2009 | Dec 24 23 20 19 17 16 14 13 07 06 02 | Nov 27 26 23 22 07 03 01 | Oct | Sep | Aug | Jul | Jun 16
New play: Harry's Friendly Service, at the Pittsburgh Public Theater
“There's a new play in Pittsburgh that I want to see, but my schedule is ...”
14 | May | Apr | Mar 20 19 18 17 16
This weekend: Bricolage's "play-in-a-day" event
“From the email inbox, an announcement of a very cool event involving my friend Rick ...”
15 03 | Feb 23 | Jan 29 25 20
You Rock!!
“One of my childish escapes guilty pleasures is playing Guitar Hero on the Wii. I'm ...”
17 16
Encore! More of my conversation with John Adams
“The three remaining segments of my interview with Pulitzer-prize winning composer John Adams are online ...”
12
How technology is changing classical music -- part 3 of my conversation with the composer John Adams
“
The third part of my interview with John Adams, the PSO’s Conductor of the Year, ...”
10
Lamenting the lexicon of musical invective -- part 2 of John Adams interview
“The second part of my interview with John Adams, the PSO's Conductor of the Year, ...”
09 04 03 02
Resolutions, animated
“Through
I Let My Fists Do the Talking
, I found xtranormal, which lets one make animated ...”
01 |
2008 | Dec 24 18
A child's view of Worsley's
“I've been scrambling to wrap up projects for work before the holidays and the end ...”
15 11 08
Kooky Christmas? Caca Christmas
“The Caganer, a Christmas tradition from Catalan -- a tradition I almost cannot believe is ...”
04
Kooky Christmas Music Countdown: #23
“Our next sound in the Kooky Christmas Countdown is a late punk classic.Number 23: "Merry ...”
03
Kooky Christmas Countdown: #25 and #24
“It's past time to start the My Brilliant Mistakes version of an advent calendar, our ...”
02 01 | Nov 30
A tale of two business books
“Two business books I'm reading: Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die ...”
The best blog without an RSS feed that you may not be reading
“I love mimi smartypants.She's on Diaryland, which seems not to have discovered feeds or comments ...”
27
A typical case of American blind justice
“There are many Christmas songs but few Thanksgiving songs. In fact the only one I ...”
26
Love, love is a verb / Love is a doing word
“ Massive Attack - New Music - More Music VideosI enjoy the ...”
25
Whaddaya think?
“I've been planning for some time to revamp the layout of this website.
The BlogHer ...”
23
Fever dreams
“It used to be that, when I had a fever, I would have this dream:
I'm ...”
22 21 20 19 18 16 14
Pittsburgh Symphony Insider with John Adams -- talk to one of America's most admired and respected composers
“Saturday morning, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will host a Talkshoe interview with John Adams, PSO ...”
13 12 11 10 09
It happens every day, no matter what you say
“It's the end of the weekend. The Steelers found a way to lose, and I'm ...”
08 07
Colder than a ticket-taker's smile
“A Plurk conversation today: Stevi Deter on KUOW, they actually said the forecast for today ...”
06 05 04 03
Did you try...? Shouldn't it be a bit more...? Or this. This!
“I have a new post on the Pittsburgh Symphony Blogs: "A night in Vienna."I'm sorry ...”
If you don't wanna be down with me you just don't wanna be down
“ I've been on an Erykah Badu kick lately, triggered by ...”
01 | Oct 31
I asked them to check the medicine cabinet
“ King Missile |MTV MusicAt a party recently, someone made a joke about ...”
28
PghTech Women Network Launch
“I'm bundled up at home, fighting off some kind of illness that makes it hard ...”
26 24
The Strongest Coffee in The World
“ You would think that I'd know how to make coffee. In the ...”
18
A post a day keeps the doctor away
“A few times today, I told people at PCPGH3 to try writing a blog post ...”
15 14 13
Goose-pimply all over
“ There's a new post of mine over at the PSO blogs: ...”
08 03
PSO post: The Signature of a Stradavarius
“ I was deeply impressed by Joshua Bell's performance with the Pittsburgh ...”
| Sep 29
Expectations
“I promise I will write an actual blog post on this site soon. But until ...”
27 26 23
Extreme Education: Police Ride-Along Panel Discussion (special blogger access)
“This site is all about announcements lately, isn't it? Just a few more interesting ones, ...”
22
Turning Technology and Innovation from Words into Jobs (bloggers and podcasters welcome)
“An announcement from Carnegie Mellon Students for Barack Obama:
Turning Technology & Innovation from Words into ...”
Time is of the essence
“A couple of time-critical items for your attention:
Pittsburgh social media phenom ...”
19
Cover a band this weekend in Pittsburgh -- free tix, great music
“
Purpose Was Again
by Bloodsugars
I'm late in posting this cool opportunity, ...”
15
Intro to Social Media Workshop
“An event this next weekend, organized by PodCamp Pittsburgh:
Heard of blogging, but not quite sure ...”
14 11
Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence
“
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is about to begin its 2008-2009 season. I ...”
07 01 | Aug 23
A bountiful crop
“I'm compiling quotations to use on a client's website. Quite a few are perfectly perfect ...”
22 19
Don't forget: BlogFest 15 this Friday
“Pittsburgh BlogFest 15 is marching up to us -- or we're marching up to it, ...”
18 11 10
On Pittsburgh: “We were expecting Detroit, and got Chicago. Which is a good thing.”
“--Danger Mouse of Gnarles Barkley, as quoted on ThatNight.net.”
09
Traffic, continued
“ Whatever your thoughts on merging, surely you'll agree with me that the ...”
08 06 04
A pair of BlogFest sonnets
“In my email today, I received the following verse:
Cyn Closkey with your hair all rosey-red
Please ...”
03
Recovering from a really bad week
“Julie Wainwright, the founder of famous dotcom bust Pets.com, recently blogged about what she views ...”
| Jul 28 24
I answer five questions -- and there are more pictures of hats
“Over at the aptly-named Thoughtful Riot, Will Rutherford has been interviewing local social media creators ...”
23 13
Tweet? Pownce? Plurk? Plurk.
“I've fallen off the Twitter bandwagon. At first I stopped twittering in righteous indignation at ...”
12
Festival seeking multi-media self-portraits
“ This looks interesting: A Transom Special Feature with Art Outlet’s SELF ...”
11 10 09 08
Luckily there's music to get me through
“ I wanted to show you a video ...”
06
Be seeing you
“ I've just learned that AMC is remaking The Prisoner, the rather ...”
"Dare I say, hip"
“The New York Times spends 36 hours in Pittsburgh, and likes what it finds:...old stereotypes ...”
| Jun 29 28
Terms of Use
“You may wet hard copies of these stories and wrap them on your self and ...”
26 22
Thinking Pennsylvanians, unite!
“Regular readers of this site know I hold no love for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control ...”
21
Goddess energy
“My friend Madhu, who has studied, written about, and painted Indian goddesses for many years, ...”
20 18 16 15
There's a pang in it somewhere
“I've been enjoying reading "Is that blogging?" recently. (I found it through Tremble, btw.) I ...”
13
In which I remind you, yet again, that I am ridiculously old
“
Sit back, boys and girls, and I'll tell you about a time when MTV not ...”
10
Cheers!
“On a sweltering hot day, what's better than a cold beverage? Very little.
But as drinking ...”
08 07
Sing that song you always used to sing to me
“
Perfect for a hot summer Saturday night: the inexplicable, unforgettable Billy Nayer Show.Tags: videos, Billy ...”
05 | May 31
Poke!
“nrlSkU0TFLsI'm on Facebook (be my friend!), and I like that it connects me to friends ...”
27 25 22
Master storytelling
“301W4GhCi0QIt's Indy 4 Weekend. Whether or not you're planning to check out the latest installment ...”
21
Tom Waits' True Confessions
“Over at the NPR website, they've got Tom Waits interviewing Tom Waits:I must admit, before ...”
20
There's other ways to get people to know about books
“yxschLOAr-sIt might seem like I'm nagging my writing friends by posting this. Honestly, I think ...”
19 18
Nonrequired reading for your weekend
“A biting and entertaining column this week from Heather Havrilesky: "Hope Takes a Holiday!" in ...”
17 15 14
No, we're not gonna do that
“LFE2CCfAP1oI don't watch Charlie Rose, but I have absorbed my share of Beckett (and a ...”
Defining irony
“From Monday's Post-Gazette:Meanwhile, Sen. Vincent Fumo, D-Philadelphia, said this morning that
there's a "confidential draft" of ...”
13
I gotta fever
“rgpD8CKSmhsI actually do have a fever. Chills through the day that I attributed to not ...”
11 10 09 08
Don't think
“lYmxN8U9sTcIt has been a long day for me. Actually, it has been a long week. ...”
07 05 04 03
Saxy
“YaH44xvC-gI
Butler has a terrific symphony (and I'm not saying that just because I built their ...”
02 | Apr 30 29 28
Arnie Barnett explains how to improve the U.S. electoral process
“One of my favorite professors at MIT was Arnie Barnett. He's the George Eastman Professor ...”
27 26 25 24 22
Not a knee-jerk, just a jerk
“At the end of this Post-Gazette quickie story summing up voting results so far, there's ...”
21 20 19 18 17 15 14 13 12 11
Pittsburgh bloggers wanted
“Lindsay Patross of I Heart Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Metroblogging writes:
I am looking to recruit some ...”
10 09 08
Better blogging tips
“I don't read a lot of the top-shelf bloggers, but today Norm Huelsman highlighted a ...”
07 06
Working on the railroad
“rlI7vaxBm9oToday at my parents' house, all of us watching the TV. A segment came on ...”
05 04 03 02 01 | Mar 31 30 29 28 27
Sazerac FTW!
“Long-time readers of this site know my affection for the Sazerac, that classic cocktail of ...”
“Awakening the Goddesses Within” lecture series
“My friend (and client) Madhu Wangu will be giving a four-part series of lectures entitled ...”
26 25 24
PodCamp Pittsburgh 3 planning meeting
“There will be another PodCamp Pittsburgh 3 planning meeting on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at ...”
Birth of the smart
“Never use the word "cool" to describe an idea, use the word "smart" instead. You'd ...”
23 22 21
True stories, tall tales, and the gray space between
“Slate's Jack Shafer drains all the funny out of a recording by Malcolm Gladwell that ...”
20
Everywhere and nowhere
“So it is entirely conceivable that social networking, like web-mail, will never make oodles of ...”
19
All of this took less time than it took me to explain to a clerk at a PLCB “Premium Spirits” store what Armagnac was.
“Peterb of Tea Leaves finds the mecca of quality liquor. It's in Kansas City.Actually, I'm ...”
Letters, we get letters!
“Two cards arrived in the mail today! Joy!
The handwritten correspondence project is going along nicely. ...”
18
Consolidating
“What's with all these little posts appearing suddenly but dated a few days ago?
As I ...”
Maybe I should start going to church
“What if this is hell?You have to sit in a room and listen to every ...”
17
Making sense of the superdelegates
“"Anti-democratic elements are everywhere in our political system. The presidential veto is undemocratic. The rules ...”
16
The Polaroid is dead. Long live the instant snapshot
“"It’s true that new technologies have marginalized instant photography. But it was consumer-friendly innovation — ...”
Moved to the top of my Netflix queue: "The Cat's Meow."
“I moved it up from #140 when I read the Eddie Izzard interview in today's ...”
Ready-to-wear
““I didn’t jump out of a not-wearing-dress box into a have-to-wear-dress box.”
Eddie Izzard explains to ...”
Trusted sources
“A 2007 study by the "Icon Kids & Youth" project showed that more than half ...”
Fashion
“I estimate that this Loewe silk jumpsuit costs about $500. Five hundred clams to look ...”
15
Sightings
“A few minutes ago I saw Hillary Clinton in the lobby of the Omni William ...”
14
Long John Silvers' fish sandwiches declared the best in show for Fast Food Friday. Get 'em while they're greasy!
“Doug (aka Father Spoon of Should I Drink That) has been reviewing fast food fish ...”
You will love it
“"Here’s why you should vote: you are going to really love it, the whole strange ...”
13
Aww. Also, ooh!
“Check out the Chumby -- a device for watching internet content.
I predict these will be ...”
New, longer, even more tantalizing trailer for WALL-E
“Watch it here.
Link via Coudal Blended Feed.”
Green
“
Is the unfortunate presence of Liv Tyler in this summer's The Incredible Hulk balanced out ...”
12 11 10 09 08
Understanding e-commerce
“K5jKBwkXr44
I fear British television will always be more interesting than American television. Consider, for example, ...”
07 06
Theological musings in film
“cnE2nw2mi7E
I mentioned the movie Time Bandits in a recent blog post. It was one of ...”
05 04 03 02 01 | Feb 29 28 27 26
Invisible Children Benefit
“2zNCJ8txFBY
I posted some time back about the Invisible Children Tour coming to Pittsburgh in March. ...”
25 24 23
The barman sketch
“s_yXtaICt3Y
I've been a longtime fan of Hugh Laurie. He's such a wonderfully charming fool in ...”
22 21 20 19 18 17 16
Humor is painful
“yWuBgWNMUM8
The DVD I currently have from Netflix is that of the BBC television show The ...”
15 14
PodCamp Pittsburgh 3 planning meeting
“There will be another PodCamp Pittsburgh 3 planning meeting on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 at ...”
13 12 11
MxMo: Variations on the Brandy Alexander
“VMGq_6GouyI
This month's Mixology Monday theme is "Variations," hosted by Jimmy at Jimmy's Cocktail Hour.
Sometimes it ...”
09
Why so serious?
“StWZDqqBfJo
The Lego version of the Dark Knight trailer we've been watching.
Apparently, the plan all along ...”
07 06 05 04 03
Best part of the Super Bowl
“UblUO0LjPUg
The best part of the Super Bowl this year was the commercials.
Ah, who'm I kidding? ...”
02 01 | Jan 31 30
UPWords Reading Series: Lori Jakiela and Stacey Waite
“From the mailbag:
Friday February 8th at 7pm is the next UPWords at the Union Project ...”
29 28 27
Push Comes to Shove
“Happy 60th birthday, Mikhail Baryshnikov!
rWcuNakztTw”
26 25 24 23 22
PodCamp Pittsburgh 3 planning meeting
“There will be a PodCamp Pittsburgh 3 planning meeting tomorrow, January 23, 2008 at 6:30 ...”
21 20 19 18
As she deceived me I watched and went out of my mind
“Today I was in the mood for a little Tom Jones: specifically, for his 1968 ...”
17
Invisible Children Rough Cut Screening
“Creative TreeHouse will be showing a screening of the Invisible Children's rough cut documentary this Sunday, ...”
DevHouse Pittsburgh #2
“An upcoming event for Pittsburgh software and web developers, designers, and creative types of all ...”
16 15
Pittsburgh BlogFest 13
“Get ready for the next round of that fine festivity we call the Pittsburgh BlogFest.
BlogFest ...”
14 13 12
Special for those in the Pittsburgh, PA area
“The tortilla soup at Mad Mex is really yummy. Spicy and thick, with chunks of ...”
11
It's a wonderful night
“1IK7dr2nk5o
"Wonderful Night" by Fatboy Slim is my favorite going-out song. The video quality on YouTube ...”
10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03
UPWords Reading Series, plus Gist Street Pod-snack
“If, like me, you're a fan of the Gist Street Reading Series and uncertain how ...”
02
There will be a slight delay
“I'm still in the process of setting up and moving this blog to its new ...”
|
2007 | Dec 31 28
Here comes a big, fun, scary New Year
“As 2007 washes away and 2008 comes rolling toward us, we have the opportunity to ...”
27 25 24
Holiday Music Countdown: Number 2, let your heart be light
“The final few of my favorite holiday songs. Last night we looked at the ...”
The Night Before Christmas, by John Cleese
“John Cleese has updated the classic holiday poem:
For a reading of the original text in ...”
Twelve Days of Christmas
“An alternative interpretation by Straight No Chaser, a men's a capella group from Indiana University.
”
23 21
Holiday Music Countdown tangent: We need a little Christmas, and skating lessons
“Bit of a hard day today, so I will hold my holiday countdown post until ...”
20 19 18
Pittsburgh-area Bloggers invited to "The Vagina Monologues"
“UPDATE (January 2008): The blogger event took place, and boy it was fun! Thanks to ...”
17 16 15 13 12
Holiday Music Countdown: Number 15, a childhood classic
“Continuing my countdown of my twenty-five favorite holiday songs. (Find previous posts here.)
15. Linus and ...”
10 09
Holiday Music Countdown: Number 17, with the Velvet Fog
“Counting down my twenty-five favorite holiday songs. (Find previous posts here.)
17. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts ...”
08 07
The only thing to live for is today
“Happy birthday, Tom Waits.
(Thanks to T&A Anthony for the reminder, and for posting a great ...”
06 05
Holiday Music Countdown: Numbers 22 and 21, with troubadours, the King, Bing, and a thin white duke
“Continuing my highly-subjective countdown of the 25 best holiday songs. (See previous entry here.)
22. Blue ...”
Repeal Day! I'll drink to that
“Today is the 74th anniversary of the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment to the U.S. ...”
04 03 02
All the fun that's fit to print
“To help you plan your week, here are the key events on my schedule. Please ...”
01 | Nov 30 29 28 27 26
Month Impossible: Day Twenty-six, Let's get it on
“
Steelers win. Worst ever Monday Night Football game, and possibly worst ever NFL game. But ...”
25 24
Month Impossible: Day Twenty-four, revving up
“There's less than a week left in this month of challenges. Little time to blog, ...”
23 22 21 20
Month Impossible: Day Twenty
“I had scheduled a meeting with a client tonight. I've always been open to night ...”
Give a toy, get a holiday portrait on December 8
“A great holiday idea from our friends at Creative Treehouse:
Holiday Portraits for Toys
On Saturday, December ...”
They take apart their nightmares and they leave them by the door
“This is for India and her Monday night tangos:
And this is just for you -- ...”
19
It's just a life story, so there's no climax.
“What we're listening to in the Big Big Design offices: Okkervil River's new album, The ...”
18 17 16 15 13 12
Month Impossible: Day Twelve
“I like to joke that "work gets in the way of the rest of my ...”
11 10
Month Impossible: Day Ten
“The weekends are when I catch up. I meet up with friends I haven't seen ...”
09
Month Impossible: Day Eight
“Tonight we held BlogFest 12. I was smart in that I scheduled very little for ...”
07
BlogFest 12: We're only three years old
“In November of 2004, several local bloggers -- who read each others' sites but didn't ...”
06
Month Impossible: Day Six
“A strange kind of irony has taken hold of my life. I've been busy these ...”
05
Month Impossible: Day Five
“I'm on my way to meet friends and then head to Heinz Field, for Monday ...”
04 03
Month Impossible: Day Three
“Third day of the incredible challenges, and progress is scant. I've posted each day of ...”
Month Impossible: Day Two
“Ain't it just like the night, to play tricks when you're trying to be so ...”
01 | Oct | Sep 28
Live blogging the 24 Hour Creative Marathon
“From 8pm tonight to 8pm Saturday is the 24 Hour Creative Marathon 2 at Creative ...”
24 23 17 12
Gwen attempts to help the Butterscotch Stallion
“I've linked to Intoxicated Zodiac a few times in the last month, and I hope ...”
11 09
First and ten
“I'm in two fantasy football leagues this year. After taking last year off from the ...”
06
My brother nearly died choking on his Earl Grey tea when he saw this video
“To help promote the Bob Dylan biopic coming out, there's a website gadget that lets ...”
| Aug 28 23
Are you drinking the correct cocktail for your element?
“The things one can learn on the Internet are amazing.
For example, the delightful and charming ...”
22 17 13 10
It's drafty in here
“Tonight the Pittsburgh Celebrity Fantasy Football League holds its draft, which means I'm heading to ...”
08 | Jul 29 25 24
Critical caffeine update: Peet's on sale at Giant Eagle
“If my recent raptures about Peet's Coffee have tempted you to try the stuff, but ...”
22
Sunday videos -- Fionn Regan
“For unexplained reasons, iTunes will not let me buy anything this morning. Thus, I cannot ...”
Spoiler-free notes on "HP and the Deathly Hallows"
“Not that it was a race, but I finished the Potter book yesterday in about ...”
20
Pimp my daemon
“
According to the people making the film adaptation of Philip Pullman's novel, I am a ...”
16 10
The long goodbye
“Stephen King says goodbye to Harry Potter:
When it comes to Harry, part of me — ...”
| Jun 26
New music Tuesday
“An update on the Beastie Boys' new album, The Mix-Up: so far, so very groovalicious. ...”
My various geeky obsessions will do battle in the coming weeks
“Upcoming dates of importance to me:
June 26 (today!): New Beastie Boys album released. Supposed to ...”
22
McSweeney's update
“Happy news from McSweeney's: Previously I'd noted that they were having a sale of very ...”
17
Prices so low, they're practically giving them away!
“There's a big sale at McSweeney's, including some items I highly recommend:
Baby, Be of Use ...”
16
Xtreme Critique Weekend
“Coming in two weeks, it's Fat Plum's Xtreme Critique Weekend in Greensburg, PA.
It's the perfect ...”
14 12
Use your words
“Here's a time waster that's educational: How many of these 100 Words Every High School ...”
06
Beer me ... just not so much
“Pennsylvania inches its way out of the dark ages. Starting this fall, maybe, we might ...”
| May 30 27
Those who can't do, blog
“Here's a thoughtful essay on criticism and the authority of the critic: "Just Who Is ...”
11 09 04
Off to the races
“The Kentucky Derby is tomorrow, which means it's time to have a mint julep.
I am ...”
02 01 | Apr 27 22 19 12
So it goes.
“Kurt Vonnegut died last night.
It's time I reread Slaughterhouse-Five, I think.”
05
I resemble that remark
“Bill Toland has the enviable job of "spirits writer" for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and in ...”
01
These are the Mikes I know
“Received this missive on the mailing list of Mike Doughty today, announcing what would surely ...”
| Mar 31
Let's put on a play: "Act of Creation/Between the Lines" at City Theatre
“An interesting event on April 1 at City Theatre:
As part of its New American Trio ...”
30 29 25 14
Beware the Ides of March Madness
“Along with a number of other area bloggers, I'm participating in the "First Annual Pittsburgh ...”
| Feb 21
Gin: the original flavored vodka
“I'm not a big gin drinker, but I'm a fan of Bombay Sapphire. Yes, it's ...”
Book centipede
“Saw this at Pinky's Paperhaus -- I still haven't finished logging my library in LibraryThing, ...”
18
Liveblogging the Pittsburgh Symphony
“A quick note from the blogging event at the Symphony: You should be here. I'm ...”
14 06 04 | Jan 26 24 23
1 o'clock coffee
“An update on the previous post: After three cups of coffee and despite having had ...”
11 08 |
2006 | Dec 27 21
What a fool believes
“UPDATED: Just got a call -- it's on!
Tonight I'm scheduled to rendezvous with ...”
20
Gonna make you sweat
“You wouldn't guess it to look at me, but I enjoy exercising. No, honest, it's ...”
18 13 | Nov 27
Meet the new boss
“David Caruso on CSI: Miami: king of the tacky one-liner.
(Thanks to Defamer.)”
23 22 18
Immersed in the environment
“Continuing my Cambridge/Boston nostalgia trip: I ate lunch at Legal Seafoods. When I was an ...”
17
Futures of entertainment
“Today and tomorrow I'm in Boston for the Futures of Entertainment conference at MIT. This ...”
13
City Theatre special event: "Stage Directions"
“Unique discussion TONIGHT (Monday 11/13) at City Theatre: "Stage Directions," a discussion by the Artistic ...”
10
Man Is Man at the Sage Building
“Something to do tonight or tomorrow night (if you need a break from PodCampPittsburgh):
A new ...”
09
BlogFest 8 tonight!
“Tonight tonight tonight!
Will we see you there? Please say yes! Details here.”
Write vs. draw
“Nearly a third of the way through November. How am I doing on the various ...”
07 06
Here come the pod people
“This is a great week for geeks in Pittsburgh.
On Thursday evening we have Pittsburgh ...”
04 03 | Oct 26
Pat Patterson at the Carnegie Museum
“Patricia L. Patterson, Butler artist, was named the Floyd F. Chaney Award designee in the ...”
19
A picture every day
“In lieu of creative content from me, please enjoy this burst of inspired video from ...”
16 15
Another year, another novel
“Today I discovered a recently deceased mole in my dining room.
I don't know which of ...”
11 08
Bonne anniversaire
“As of today, I have been around the sun 40 times.
Certain circuits have been more ...”
06
Whenever you're near me I hear a symphony
“What: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra "Blogfest Bonus" Concert -- Shostakovich's Centennial ("heroic, patriotic and blazing")
Where: Heinz ...”
| Sep 27 22
Hugo Chavez: the new Oprah Winfrey
“From today's Los Angeles Times:
At the start of his talk Wednesday, during which Chavez referred ...”
19
Oh, such grace! Such beauty!
“Sport imitates viral marketing: Olympic-caliber skaters adapt the OK Go "A Million Ways" video.
My favorite ...”
13
Hang in there, little tomato
“My dear, dear blog readers, how I've missed you. I have much to tell you ...”
| Aug 31 29
The greatest rock and roll band in the world
“Today in "I know people who are connected with the movie industry" news, my buddy ...”
23 21
Ain't too proud to beg
“I don't know much about baseball, but even I can tell that 47 - 77 ...”
19 16
BlogFest 7 & BlogDay 2006
“Ending the summer with a bloggy bang, it's...
WHAT: Pittsburgh BlogFest 7
WHEN: Wednesday, August 30th, 2006, ...”
15 11
Going out west where the wind blows tall
“Friends, I'm hitting the road to Detroit, there to see Tom Waits in concert tonight. ...”
04 | Jul 31
Here it goes again
“I have raved in the past about OK Go, and I've linked to their ...”
26 17 04 02
Blogariffic
“Thanks to everyone who came to today's Pittsburgh BlogIN. I had a swell time, and ...”
01
Pittsburgh BlogIN -- tomorrow!
“Pittsburgh area bloggers who are hanging around for the holiday weekend: Remeber, Sunday 7/1 is ...”
| Jun 26
Space is the breath of art
“I set up a profile on MySpace. I don't plan to use it much: I ...”
22
The long-awaited Pittsburgh BlogIN
“Calling all bloggers and wannabe bloggers: As a complement/counterpoint to our much-beloved Pittsburgh BlogFests, we're ...”
14
Miracle at the Hard Rock Cafe
“The most amazing thing happened to me this evening.
I attended a business event in Pittsburgh, ...”
12 06
Great Moments in Journalism
“From "Much ado about pumping," The Economist, June 3rd 2006 (subscription required):
In the film "Zoolander", ...”
| May 31
Send Emily to D.C.
“The folks at Words For Snow are raising money for a worthy cause: sending a ...”
23
The New Yorker thinks I'm bad at math
“(Things are busy here at the offices of My Brilliant Mistakes. As soon as we ...”
16
Friday on my mind
“Hey! You're coming to the BlogFest (#6) on Friday, right? Details below.
Send me an email ...”
09
BlogFest 6
“Tra la, it's May. And we can't wait another minute for the next BlogFest! This ...”
06
Saturday evening on East Brady Street
“My neighbor across the street is mowing his lawn. He's an older man, maybe ...”
03
Pop City!
“Hello, visitors from Pop City Media. Thanks for stopping by. I'm delighted that My Brilliant ...”
| Apr 12
When's the next BlogFest?
“Dear Pittsburgh-area bloggers:
We're trying to schedule the next BlogFest. We thought we'd have everything in ...”
08 05 | Mar 31
Drink of the Week: Chambord Truffle
“Last weekend I succumbed to the wiles of Bath & Body Works. Yes, many of ...”
iPod Ching
“I'm very late to this meme party, but loving All Things iPod as I do, ...”
27 23
Get off of my cloud
“Did you think I'd be able to stick to my "I'll add only 15 books ...”
21 13
Gladwell online
“Recently Pittsblog pointed out that ESPN's Page 2 had published a two-part email interview by ...”
03 02 | Feb 26
Eureka
“If you are a writer of fiction or a watcher of episodic TV, or both, ...”
22 17 12
A bitch of an unsatisfactory situation
“Last night I went to see Brokeback Mountain. I went with my handsome friend John. ...”
06
Going to Disney World!
“Yo, Hines Ward! You and the Pittsburgh Steelers just won the Super Bowl -- what ...”
05
Filling the time until kickoff
“To help you while away the final hours until Super Bowl XL finally gets underway, ...”
Drink of the Day After the Super Bowl: The Eye-Opener
“Regardless of the outcome of tonight's game, it's likely that some of us will be ...”
03
Drink of the Super Bowl: No. 43 Trophy Cup (aka The Polamalu)
“I wanted to create a special drink for the Super Bowl. Here were the criteria ...”
02
Bloggers (Silent) Poetry Reading Item: "Nuclear"
“There are still a few minutes left in February 2, 2006, and so I post ...”
| Jan 26 25
Do you hear what I hear?
“So much hipper than a mix tape: Click to listen to my iTunes signature. (NB: ...”
24 20 18
My blog wants to party all the time
“Tonight is BlogFest 5. (You may call it Blogylon 5, if you prefer.) (At Finnegan's ...”
08
Drink of the week: Cointreau-A-Go-Go
“Yes, the weekend is nearly over, but after the Steelers playoff win I wanted ...”
04
Slap-happy
“I like New Year's resolutions. I like the feeling of resolving to be better in ...”
Pittsburgh BlogFest 5
“It's time again for local bloggers to leave the cozy confines of their offices and ...”
03
I'm gold lamé and diamonds
“When you were little, did your mom listen to Janis Ian? Mine did, as did ...”
|
2005 | Dec 31
Drink of the week: Champagne Celebration
“Champagne is lovely on its own, but sometimes you want a little something extra. This ...”
20
Hey, I know that guy!
“Not a fan of "reality" TV, I missed the fact that I knew someone who ...”
12 07 | Nov 30 29
In the home stretch
“I'm currently at 42,567 NaNoWriMo words, after a 5K word blast yesterday and another 1K ...”
26
Creeping ever closer
“I am now at 34,143 NaNoWriMo words. My narrator is evincing a sassier attitude now. ...”
24
Deathless prose
“I have, to this point, created 30908 words of fiction in the month of November.
And ...”
22
Half way mark
“NaNoWriMo update: I've reached the halfway mark for my word count. I'm going to need ...”
21
No Corners for You
“I assume the music of They Might Be Giants appeals to only a select few. ...”
18
Other Drink of the Week: Seattle Manhattan
“I pulled out the ingredients for my intended drink of the week, among them a ...”
Drink of the Week: Black Magic
“No one seems to have invented a wizard drink yet. Being written for kids, the ...”
16
I am a novel-writing machine
“Tonight I ventured down to populous Cranberry Township to write with fellow NaNoWriMo-ers. The Panera ...”
15
Party on
“When I think "writer," I think "wild party maniac."
OK, not really. Not at all. And ...”
14
Time to Rally
“As of this moment, I have 12,250 words written for the NaNoWriMo 2005 novel. That's ...”
09
How many lives left?
“This cat sounds like the Laura Croft of the feline world.
Several next thoughts:
Now that this ...”
Put one foot in front of the other
“I missed a day of NaNoWriMo writing Monday, falling even further behind. So tonight I ...”
06
NaNoWriMo: Weekend update
“Oy vey, my novel is kicking my butt. I am several thousand words behind, dropped ...”
NaDruWriNi #4: I am old. I am old. I shall wear my trousers rolled.
“OK, made myself food, switched to wine instead of whiskey, and still am feeling beaten ...”
NaDruWriNi #3: You can't be leaving. It's still early.
“Good golly, am I so old? I am thinking of fixing a food-type comestible.
(Also, I'm ...”
05
NaDruWriNi #1: Are we serious?
“Hello again! Oh dear, the party has started without me. This was to be expected, ...”
It's martini time
“I love a martini
but two at the most.
Three I'm under the table,
four I'm under the ...”
04
Happy Birthday to We
“Ohmigosh! I almost forgot: Today is the one year anniversary of Pittsburgh Bloggers.
How best to ...”
03 01
On making a pilgrimage
“I'm still in NYC for one final night. Today's non-celebrity sightings were few:
A junior Joe ...”
| Oct 31
Bite the Big Apple
“Entry two from an NYC Starbucks -- this time from the one on Broadway at ...”
29
An alcoholic is someone you don't like who drinks as much as you do.
“Whether you're participating in NaNoWriMo this year or not, please know that November 4, next ...”
25 24
Love in the Time of Caller-ID: NaNoWriMo 2005
“Are you signed up for NaNoWriMo this year? Of course you are.
NaNoWriMo, or National Novel ...”
21
Not Quite the Drink of the Week: Copper Cocktail
“In my continuing quest to persuade all and sundry of the "beneficial effects" of the ...”
19
All them tremendous brunettes
“My dear Pittsburghers: Do you have plans for tonight? Can you cancel them? 'Cause the ...”
10
He was indeed the glass / Wherein the noble youth did dress themselves
“Did you miss the Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre's production of Henry IV last fall? ...”
Spotting a flood/hurricane damaged vehicle
“A little public service announcement: Before you buy a used vehicle, check it out with ...”
04
Writing getaway
“No, I don't mean getting away from your writing, but rather getting away to it. ...”
03
Tommy, can you hear me?
“Pete Townsend has created a blog to release a novella in serial form. He's named ...”
| Sep 29
Great Moments in Journalism
“From "NellyStyle" by Clare Barker, a profile of hip-hop artist Nelly in Fashion Rocks (a ...”
21
Hello my treacherous friends
“A small assortment of links and notes for your entertainment:
If you're looking for an interesting ...”
07
Collected at random: Back to school edition
“Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (of "The Office") are considering creating a run of online ...”
06
The city that care forgot
“Continuing from my previous post on Letters From New Orleans: Rob Walker was interviewed by ...”
02
Down by the river
“I've never visited New Orleans. I've been afraid to visit during Mardi Gras, not so ...”
| Aug 30
Queen of the Geeks
“I've heard people describe me many ways, but I think this article is the first ...”
29 24 18 15 12
Makeover
“A quick note on the redesign of My Brilliant Mistakes: It's not done.
A longer explanation ...”
Festivus maximus
“Last night's Pittsburgh BlogFest 3 was terrific in many ways. It was packed, it was ...”
10
Last call for BlogFest
“Tomorrow is the third Pittsburgh BlogFest. RSVPs had steadily trickled in when we first announced ...”
| Jul 13
How the West was won (and the East, and the North, and the South)
“The first part of National Geographic's adaptation of Guns, Germs, and Steel was broadcast Monday, ...”
| Jun 29
Garbage in, garbage out
“My brother Anthony was helping me clean out my basement so we could move the ...”
20
You're always killing something just by living on the earth
“The newest soundtrack of my life: the self-titled album by The Ditty Bops. Enjoy all ...”
17
Drink of the Week: My Brilliant Moscow Mule
“I do love me some ginger beer, so when I discovered the Moscow Mule last ...”
12
'Kim Deal, how the hell are you, man? It's been 10, 11 years? Good to see you. Let's rock.'
“Trains pass by the Chevy Amphitheatre near Station Square in Pittsburgh every half hour or ...”
08
Feline trouble
“I try not to write much about my cats, because I fear seeming like the ...”
| May 24
Great things seen elsewhere
“Yes, I'm still here.
Thanks, I'm fine. Just very busy. With work and stuff, you know? ...”
09
Cats are keen / Cats are great / Cats are clean / They lick your plate
“www.clean-your-screen-for-free-now.com
”
| Apr 18
The powder sugar on this donut puts a semi-protective barrier between your fingerprint and your nutrition
“Hearing rumors that a certain ad campaign is being retired, Jonah Bloom of AdAge bids ...”
14
He's a swell guy
“There's a video flying around the interwideweb you might enjoy. It's of a University of ...”
09
Sincerity is not enough
“I had an interesting discussion about religion last night over cocktails, and I was troubled ...”
06
Brad Bird on NPR
“Terry Gross of Fresh Air talks to my hero Brad Bird of Iron Giant and ...”
04
A harbinger of Spring
“This evening I enacted a yearly ritual: the Impulse Purchasing of Seeds to Rot in ...”
01
The most famous fictional ballplayer since Mighty Casey
“The New York Times recalls "The Curious Case of Sidd Finch":
Sidd Finch was an aspiring ...”
| Mar 30 22
A mutual sight for sore eyes
“The only way this song could be any more perfect in my view would be ...”
05
I do not have time for this
“It's a Saturday night, and I am home specifically to work, very hard, on client-oriented ...”
02
Everybody knows about those cheese balls
“I'm going to be in a play, and you should come see it.
The Butler Little ...”
| Feb 20
A savage journey to the heart of the American dream
“I don't know which fact is more shocking to me: that Hunter S. Thompson, my ...”
Surfacing
“Yes, I am still here. I apologize for the complete lack of content in days, ...”
17
Now I know what I'll be doing on April 29
“The trailer for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has leaked to the internet.
”
13
An interesting metaphor
“In the grand tradition of preprinted greeting cards, I wish you a Happy Valentine's Day ...”
09
Additive
“"We are attending some function. Something sharp-dressed and dark and held in a crowded hall ...”
07
Product message (optional)
“I like football, but I watch the Super Bowl primarily for the commercials (free registration ...”
| Jan 24
Time for a House Party
“Melanie Miller, founder and choreographer of Pittsburgh's Junction Dance Theatre, is looking for stories set ...”
Steeler fans not the only ones depressed today
“There's mathematical evidence that today is indeed a no good, very bad day:
If you stumbled ...”
16
"It means 'respond so very promptly'"
“Three days until the second Pittsburgh BlogFest. Will it be fun? Yes, certainly. Will you ...”
"We tried everything to give that game away, but they darn well wouldn't take it"
“Things I lost at the Steelers game against the Jets last night:
1. My Terrible Towel
2. ...”
13
America's sweethearts
“I'm guessing that every web user has seen it by now, but on the off-chance ...”
09
One lump or two? Or three?
“Friday was a three-coffeeshop day.
I started at Cummings Candy and Coffee, not working but ...”
05
The line between nifty and nasty is not as fine as one might think
“I used to think my old 50s bathroom was an interior design horror. Now I ...”
02
We don't make movies for kids
“From janitor to animator: a career at Pixar.
The local cineplex is littered with movies made ...”
01
Well-begun is half-done
“I'm quite superstitious for a modern gal, and so I'm both pleased and dismayed to ...”
Things you learn in school can be useful after all
“A piece of good news from the tsunami coverage: British 'angel' saved hundreds from tsunami ...”
Clean slate
“I have for some months been trying to bully my life into shape. It used ...”
|
2004 | Dec 27
Drink of the day: Black Orchid
“I have already had more than enough alcohol for 2004, but if you haven't you ...”
All work and all play
“After two weeks of self-indulgent holiday excess, I am pooped. Having few original thoughts to ...”
16
As close as this site comes to knitting news
“Unlike many others, I'm not skilled at creating things with yarn. But if you are, ...”
Wishing you a swinging holiday
“On my mini-iPod right now, I have 344 holiday songs. Some are duplicates -- every ...”
14
Think globally, rock locally
“As mentioned previously in these pages, local rockers The Faders ("original, intelligent alternative-pop in the ...”
12
More articulate than you might expect
“Welcome, readers of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Sorry the place is a little messy -- been ...”
10
Chewing gum is really gross
“I case you have not yet seen it: the first trailer for Tim Burton's "Willy ...”
09
Coffee, tea, or me?
“I have a new gig. (Fear not, web clients, literature lovers, and theatre denizens: I ...”
01
Health begins with 'H' and so does Ham
“A blast from my San Francisco past: The amazing and incomprehensible Billy Nayer Show will ...”
| Nov 29
I have heard from Laura
“The prodigal sister is back. My little sister Laura (the one that travels, not the ...”
28
I like cold beverage, yeah
“My Brilliant Mistakes is currently mired in a home office cleanup project, which prevents our ...”
22
There are only small actors
“A public service message for people who audition for community theater productions: If you should ...”
16
Life gets in the way
“I have so many things to tell you about, but I've been too busy doing ...”
10
The Faders -- and you! -- on the BBC
“Want to be on British television? You can be -- we got the hookup for ...”
A bowl of barnuts, a pint of ale, and thou
“I will start Sunday sitting on a panel, speaking as knowledgeably and entertainingly as possible. ...”
09
Our top story
“The folks at the Guardian Unlimited are experimenting with a new use of blogs:
From today, ...”
Winning's a habit, not only a dream
“Recently, Dan Marino interviewed Ben Roethlisberger and gave the rookie a hard time for not ...”
08
Drink of the week: Caipiroska
“Early this week, for no particular reason:
Caipiroska
Ingredients: 3.0 slices Lime
3.0 tsp Sugar
2.0 oz. Vodka
Directions: Crush ...”
What am I bid?
“The Paris Review Foundation is holding an auction to raise money for itself. The auction ...”
06
Not-so-lost weekend
“Hang on a minute: It's National Drunken Writing Night (NaDruWriNi) tonight and no-one told me. ...”
Incredible
“The Incredibles has been in national release for two days now. Have you seen it ...”
05
Working for the weekend
“I overslept this morning. That's never good on a workday, and it's particularly problematic on ...”
04
Hold the mayo
“If the searches in our referrers log are any indication, people have taken a sudden ...”
Does this superhero suit make me look fat?
“Here's just the thing to soothe my ills: The Incredibles, Pixar's latest animated feature, opens ...”
02
From the outside, looking in
“From the Guardian Unlimited (yes, I'm referencing British people again), a succinct guide to interpreting ...”
01
Strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles
“It shouldn't be a surprise that most of the publications I read have come out ...”
| Oct 31
It's as hard as managing them in real life
“A hypnotizing diversion: The Enchanted Maze Garden, which asks you to "elp Business, Design, and ...”
29
And yet I can't remember how "schadenfreude" came into the conversation
“Did we have a swell time at yesterday's Pittsburgh BlogFest? Indeed we did!
The MeetUp.com phenomenon ...”
I'm your other mother
“Three Italian film students have, as a class project, created a "trailer" for Neil Gaiman's ...”
28
Sk
“Students: Do you believe in working hard but also playing hard? Norway is your kind ...”
Reverse the curse
“Are we done with baseball finally? It seems to stick around longer with each passing ...”
26
You like long walks on the beach too?
“Another one of my entrepreneurial ideas has been taken: PersonalsTrainer offers to fix your personal ...”
25
This post removed
“I've had to remove this entry. Sorry.
”
24
Gripping stories that happen to be true
“An event you won't want to miss: 412: The Pittsburgh Creative Nonfiction Literary Festival.
I'll be ...”
Wheels within wheels
“If for some reason you choose not to attend the Pittsburgh BlogFest, you can instead ...”
21
Let's get small
“Of the Google searches by which people find this site, the one that pleases me ...”
Drinks of the week: Blue Denim and Dimond Fizz
“Tomorrow is Denim and Diamonds, a fund-raising event held yearly at the Butler Country Club. ...”
18
Big Ben's blog
“Ooh! ooh! More Steelers goodness! Ben Roethlisberger has a blog:
I never wanted to play at ...”
14
Drink of the week: Vampire
“Tonight I'll attend the Butler Little Theatre's production of Dracula, and afterwards I'll bring friends ...”
13
Pittsburgh bloggers, unite! In person!
“If you are within 60 or so miles of the junction of the Monongahela and ...”
12
If you torture the data long enough, Nature will confess
“I promise the political content of this site will soon return to its usual, low ...”
Running in the cold? So much of the suck.
“NIKE dips a toe into viral marketing: please enjoy these odd little Flash cartoons promoting ...”
Also, his wife is hot hot hot
“Forget the soccer moms and NASCAR dads: Who is winning the novelists' votes?
Lorrie Moore
Are there ...”
Three hours with Baby Mamet
“Good reading elsewhere: Skot at Izzle pfaff! shares memories of role-playing for cash in college, ...”
09 08 07
The secret is the bun
“Having been born in Philadelphia, I know the folks there are particularly about their cheesesteaks. ...”
04
"Not voting is like always letting a man pick your drink...."
“Getting single gals out of the bars and spas and into voting booths: Carrie the ...”
01
Make it rain
“For other Tom Waits fans without TVs and/or cable: his performance of "Make It Rain" ...”
| Sep 29
Wrap it up, I'll take it
“Today's lesson, regarding The History of Paper and Papermaking:
Corrugated Paper Products
In 1856, Englishmen, Healey and ...”
27
Gist Street Reading, October 1
“The skinny on this month's reading, from Gist Street's Sherrie:
Toi "Guggenheim" Derricotte and Cathy "Coming ...”
23
And the horse you rode in on
“More legal fun, thanks to on-the-ball defense attorneys: Pa. drunk driving law doesn't apply to ...”
22
Defending democracy
“According to Reuters, "he United States has begun flying up to 1,000 troops from the ...”
21
These boots are made for staggering
“There's at least one lawyer in North Carolina who's thinking outside the box:
Thomas contended it ...”
Number one reason I hate lists
“The Wall Street Journal and Harris Interactive have conducted a survey of corporate recruiters, asking ...”
20 17
I found some of your life
“If you found the memory card from a digital camera and didn't know who it ...”
13
Ready for my closeup, part 2
“Tomorrow, at the bright and chipper hour of 9am, I'm going to be in a ...”
12
Girly bloggers
“Friday I had the distinct pleasure of meeting and lunching with a few of my ...”
11
Nuclear
“I've a print of this poem, signed by the poet. It was first published on ...”
09
Ready for my closeup
“Today I was talent. Specifically, the local cable company was filming a commercial at my ...”
02
A perfect short story
“On Pindeldyboz, "Their Country House" by Dennis De Claudio:
The force of her wings, as she ...”
01
Drink of the week: The Buck
“From the Bombay Sapphire website, a refreshing long drink that I suggest as a novel ...”
| Aug 31
Hecklers needed
“As I mentioned over at Sticky Notes, I'll be venturing out into public this week. ...”
Good words elsewhere: "Synchronized Diving"
“Olympic-themed writing on the indescribable (parenthetical note): "Synchronized Diving" by Karen Ashburner:
There are books around ...”
24
Economics explained in human terms
“OK, a bit of the dismal science here, but it's something that highlights an important ...”
Moshe The Explainer
“Should I say again how terrific the interviews at the Onion A.V. Club are, or ...”
Finding love online
“I fall in love over the Internet regularly, maybe every week. Usually it's a crush ...”
20
We ain't learned our lesson yet
“It's Donnie Iris Day in Pittsburgh, celebrating the local rock hero whose hits include "Ah ...”
12
Old reliable
“Others are discussing their favorite re-reads, and I'd like to chime in. I used to ...”
10
The dark side of home improvement
“It all starts with buying one very funky thing. Once it's in your house, everything ...”
09
Trouble Is My Business
“Continuing to be occupied with other projects -- generating income or immediately and vexingly spending ...”
05
Explaining my links: Girls Are Pretty
“In "Explaining My Links," I briefly note the charms that draw me to sites that ...”
02
I've always liked marzipan
“Blogging remains curtailed until I catch up on client work and overdue Inkburns items. Whilst ...”
| Jul 28
The modern alternative to the midlife crisis: Long Live Rock! concert
“Fun event announcement from my friend Julie Long:
Some men buy themselves a sports car when ...”
26
Time to bring back the two Martini lunch
“I've never liked vermouth. When I ask for a Martini I always say, "Skip the ...”
21
Harder than naming children
“All the good ones -- and many, many bad ones -- are taken: Car companies ...”
Explaining my links: S/FJ
“I understand about 3% of what Sasha Frere-Jones posts (in text and pix) in his ...”
20
I'm a fabulous falling-off-a-horse-man
“This week's Onion A.V. Club has a tremendous interview with John Landis, director of many, ...”
16
Fore!
“Stuck inside the office on a sunny summer Saturday when you'd rather be out on ...”
15 13
Gist Street Cookout!
“The annual, not-to-be-missed Gist Street Cookout is approaching:
It's summer! The corn is over knee-high, ...”
08
How to sell expensive water
“Nice little case study on "anti-marketing marketing": the brilliance of Darius Bikoff and Glaceau Smartwater.
Despite ...”
Got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues
“Another event we missed while sequested deep in our home-renovation efforts: Ringo Starr has turned ...”
I'll take "Quiz Show Phenoms" for $1000, Alex
“Not being a dinner-hour TV viewer I've missed the controversy surrounding Ken Jennings, the current ...”
02
Drink of the week: Raspberry Spider
“RASPBERRY SPIDER
Ingredients:
Rocks
Amaretto
Chambord
Frangelico
Coffee cream to fill
Preparation:
Put ice in a lowball glass. Pour all liquor or cordials, ...”
But how to phrase it in one's job description?
“Even Businessweek says it's a good thing: Blogging With The Boss's Blessing.
Increasingly, execs see employee ...”
01
Bite me
“Over on McSweeney's, a timely and Pittsburgh-originated open letter to an entity that is unlikely ...”
| Jun 29
Pennies from heaven
“Jim Munroe of No Media Kings makes a case for arts grants: Don't think of ...”
Smart marketing
“Some excellent material on the marketing & advertising blogs recently:
Adrants argues for a new marketing ...”
But what does it have to do with the album?
“The Wrapped Up in Books gameis surprisingly diverting, given its low-tech style.
I like the idea ...”
Let the golden age begin
“Have you been reading the missives at The Morning News from Gary Benchley, Rock Star, ...”
24
Year of Glad
“Let this be a warning to marketing reserach groups that run focus groups, and to ...”
23
A gleaming little gem of a museum
“The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette today offers a nice overview of the new museum in town, Butler's ...”
22
I tried to say
“Expert parodist The Minor Fall, The Major Lift sees similarities between the writings of William ...”
Learn to handle chaw and spit through your teeth
“Robert Coover, distinguished author and Brown University professor, is is interviewed in McSweeney's Internet Tendency:
reative-writing ...”
18
Drink of the week: Tachyon
“I have recently discoverd the "In My Bar" feature of Webtender.com, which lists all the ...”
17
Hello, I must be going
“I apologize for posting so little this week. Workload and other life demands have occupied ...”
14
Annals of Dating: "Dodged a bullet" edition
“I've had many a bad date, but this tops any story I have: A Manhattan ...”
11
We are on the track of something absolutely mediocre.
“And you thought your household budget was a challenge to manage: the Guardian presents a ...”
Yer Blues
“Serendipity: My iPod starts into playing the album Band on the Run just as I ...”
09
We're number one!
“A new study says Pennsylvania is first in deaths from air pollution, and Pittsburgh is ...”
Prepare to jump
“An unintended piece of conceptual art.
(Link courtesy of Ze Frank.)
”
Where are your papers?
“I commented over at Sticky Notes about the controversy surrounding The Paris Review and its ...”
08
The best music video imaginable
“William Shatner's rendition of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (video/quicktime Object)
(Link via The Morning ...”
...and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes.
“How to celebrate Bloomsday (June 16) in Pittsburgh:
The James Joyce Society of Pittsburgh is presenting ...”
07
Sour grapes
“David Sedaris's reading last night at the Benedum Theater was as entertaining as one could ...”
04
Drink of the week: Magic Bus
“In honor of the opening of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (and its ...”
Who's hungry?
“Last year I created and managed the props for the Butler Little Theatre's production of ...”
01
Things to do in Pittsburgh when you're dead
“I'm not actually dead, nor even resting, unfortunately. But I may be dead by the ...”
| May 31
That passed the time
“A call for photographs of toddlers in action (or in inaction) for Stephany Aulenback's ...”
We only have so much wax
“Jon Stewart's commencement address to the College of William & Mary:
I am honored to be ...”
28
What's in a name
“From brandchannel.com, a nice overview of issues in naming and branding, especially managing corporate brands ...”
Mama, liquor, trains and death
“Another potential birthday gift: a new Tom Waits album is scheduled to be released this ...”
News flash: People would watch your TV spot if it were interesting
“Recent surveys indicate that, despite advertisers fears of having their TV spots skipped over, users ...”
27
And now a word from our sponsor
“As you will have noticed, I have added advertisements to My Brilliant Mistakes. It's an ...”
26
Available just in time for my birthday
“Smaller is better, or at least it will be when it's available this fall: the ...”
25
McSweeney's Twenty-Minute Stories Grand-Prize Winner
“The winning story has been published online: "Untitled," by David Kennerly. It is so short ...”
24
Too pretty to touch
“My copy of McSweeney's Issue 13 arrived while I was out of town, and this ...”
It's so crowded that no one goes there any more
“In this week's NYT Magazine, Rob Walker notes the inherent contradiction between the public's professed ...”
23
Beyond the quick brown fox and the lazy dog
“P22 type foundry is holding a pangram contest:
A pangram is a sentence that makes use ...”
21
Beware the snake hips
“Although still on vacation, I cheated a bit and hopped online just long enough to ...”
20
Turn of the screw(top)
“Sorry posting has been light this week. I'm trying to enjoy a long-needed vacation. It ...”
14
Not as easy as it looks on television
“Think it's easy to get fired from a low-paying job? Think again:
My goal was to ...”
13
Is it time for lunch yet?
“Not as dramatic as ninth grade biology class, but also not as smelly: Froguts! Virtual ...”
You have less than two months to come up with something amazing
“Aspiring advertisers and those with creativity to burn, take note: Maisonneuve Magazine has announced the ...”
12
I bought a fur sink. And an electric dog-polisher, that was good.
“I have just recently filled up my mini-iPod. I'm figuring out an elegant system -- ...”
11
They still remind me of little clown cars
“Have you seen the booklets that pretend to be reports about a British engineer who ...”
07
"Written from 12:26 to 12:47 (I got a phone call for one minute) in my awesome windowless office."
“The third-place winner in McSweeney's Twenty-Minute Stories Contest has been published: Goodbye Ernie Flynn by ...”
06
Would make a memorable wedding gift
“Appalling Flatware For Sale
Will anyone purchase my recently acquired 75-piece gold-plated Versace flatware set?
This flatware ...”
Who is Number One?
“For The Prisoner fans who have grown tired of watching the series on DVD and ...”
Perhaps it's genetic
“I may have discovered why my romantic life continues merely to limp along: I'm in ...”
05
This Saturday: The Songwriters Project
“The Songwriters Project
will perform from on Saturday, May 8, 7 to 9 PM at The ...”
This Friday: Black Fish
“Also from the mailbag, for those about to rock:
This FRI 07 MAY - Black Fish ...”
This Friday: Gist Street Reading Series
“From the mailbag: announcing this month's Gist Street Reading Series
Hello Gist Street! Spring is ...”
When context clues aren't enough
“We haven't yet seen one of these in person, but we're eager to: the Franklin ...”
Wasting away again
“It's Cinco de Mayo, one of my preferred holidays because it can arrive on any ...”
04
Trademarking for the other four senses
“brandchannel.com looks at the history of trademarks and highlights the difficulties of "Trademarking Sounds, Sights, ...”
Learning from the big boys: Sun's business blogging policy
“If you're thinking of using weblogs to generate activity on your business website -- through ...”
| Apr 30
Selling more than chicken
“In on-going Subservient Chicken coverage, here's a concise and well-explained analysis by Joseph Jaffe on ...”
29
Drink of the week: Dirty Shirley
“From the short story "Too Smart" by Emily Chenoweth, published in Tin House issue 19 ...”
Art you can drink
“I thought this guy's designs on lattes and cappucinos were pretty cool.
Then I saw what ...”
Aussi, nous sommes d
“Oh, how I wish I'd thought of this inside joke/buzz marketing stroke of genius:
Labels on ...”
27
The quiet man sings
“Karl Mullen -- Irish-born singer/songwriter/artist/man-about-Pittsburgh -- is having a busy week:
April 28 (Wednesday)
Irishtown: the debut ...”
26
Sir Mix-alot
“How to create support among your existing fans for your new work, exhibit A: David ...”
A change in service
“Over at Fat Plum, my colleagues and I have been running a new blog, Sticky ...”
And now, a word from our sponsor
“Some articles related to changes in consumers' acceptance or rejection of marketing and advertising:
MediaDailyNews reports ...”
23
How to make your brand laughable in one easy step
“This website seems to be intended to help franchisees create McDonald's promotional materials.
But it's quite ...”
22
Special delivery
“This afternoon, UPS delivered a package to me. (Two posters from the Bonny Doon Vineyard, ...”
Old Vic follows the lead of Butler Little Theatre
“Kevin Spacey, new Artistic Director of the Old Vic Theater Company in London, announced that ...”
21
Blogging for dollars
“Good ideas, ripe for the picking: Building a Blog Marketing and Media Company, a blog-focused ...”
Twenty-Minute Stories
“The third place winner of McSweeney's Twenty-Minute Stories Contest has been published: "Untitled" by Mickey ...”
20
Goldman Sachs has a no good, very bad day
“Public relations teams at Goldman Sachs offices worldwide will be working late tonight on spin ...”
Art All Night
“Insomniac artists and art aficionados in Pittsburgh: this weekend is for you. Art All Night, ...”
19
Creating my perfect beverage
“Starbucks and Jim Beam Brands Co. are joining forces to take control of my liquor ...”
Road rage
“Whoever made the schedule cares not a whit for rush hour commuters nor their cars' ...”
Mm-mmm good!
“Life imitates art imitating life: Campbell's is releasing limited edition cans of soup that mimic ...”
17
The sad state of chick lit
“Choire Sicha tears apart Plum Sykes's 'Bergdorf Blondes.'
In all seriousness: we must build a ...”
15
Will Al Gore claim a share?
“The scientist credited with inventing the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, has been awarded the ...”
More Subservient Chicken
“The Wall Street Journal today has an article discussing the Subservient Chicken website created by ...”
We all need goals
“Anyone whose credits include this kind of accolade is worth looking out for:
Morris's last ...”
14
Make a good first impression
“Five openings I adore, chosen randomly:
"They put the behemoths in the hold along with the ...”
13
"It's not going to work"
“Ad Age reports that "a growing number of marketers want to persuade the nation's print ...”
12
Its version of the Chicken Dance is nothing like I expected
“New ideas in viral marketing: Burger King presents Subservient Chicken. Easily the weirdest thing I've ...”
08
Skin trade
“Adrants highlights past and present uses of forehead advertising. It sounds like something from a ...”
07 06
Blogging is the new black
“Rick E. Bruner reviews the latest research on bloggers and blog readers and wonders why ...”
How branding works
“I meant to post this some time back: Scientists have new theories about how branding ...”
05
Palm-igami
“For Catholics and lapsed Catholics in the audience: a Budding Young Theologian, a new featured ...”
04
The only writer constantly discouraged from writing novels
“Nathalie Chicha shares notes from Lorrie Moore's Q&A with her writing workshop:
-She almost always has ...”
02
Your fiction and poetry dose for April
“I almost forgot to mention: It's the first Friday of the month, which means tonight ...”
Whispering in the back of the room
“Techie types have taken to messaging and blogging during presentations. Some presenters object to the ...”
Creativity matters
“Danny Gregory recommends a book that helped him allow more creativity into his life:
One of ...”
She's back...
“Stephany Aulenback is linking up a storm at Maud Newton's blog today, and it's all ...”
01
Drink of the week: Death in the Afternoon
“Absinthe may become available again. But not for a while.
In the meantime, we must console ...”
Interesting furnishings
“Artist Jacob Cress's "Oops!"
”
| Mar 31
The soothing chirp of a room full of pagers
“Tomorrow night will not be a good night to have a computer or network problem ...”
Eight is my favorite number
“Please go enjoy Crazy Arms That Long to Strangle by Rennie Sparks:
The octopus may also ...”
30
You must read at a tenth grade level or higher to enjoy this page
“Nifty and useful: A readability checker for Word documents and web pages.
(Lia via Cup of ...”
29 26
Now I'm wishing I was sitting at a cafe on the Rive Gauche
“I missed this pointless Hemingway diversion yesterday.
I travelled to Europe with my sister Laura a ...”
How the other half lives
“I've mentioned before that I could well have been the bride of a software mogul. ...”
Print on demand versus self-publishing
“Continuing the topic of the previous post: Stephany Aulenback received an email from a bookseller ...”
Friday morning mini-rant: the state of publishing
“Stephany Aulenback wonders when electronic books and print-on-demand will come into their own.
I think e-books ...”
25
Swank Swink
“The first issue of Swink arrived in my mailbox today, apparently ahead of the issue's ...”
Drinks of the week: Gimlet and Algebra
“Two drinks for this week, one for each of my sisters....
For Laura, whose birthday is ...”
Dancing as fast as I can
“To any would-be Inkburns contributors, Inkburns writers waiting for contracts, neglected clients, and abandoned friends ...”
I could tell you a story that could make you cry
“I'm pretty sure every fan in the world knows more about the Pixies reunion tour ...”
24
And you thought you were unhappy before...
“The anonymous midlist author who shared her story on Salon this week gets not a ...”
In a New York state of mind
“Tremble has been on a roll lately.
Of course, last night he did a reading at ...”
23
Everyone's a wallflower sometime
“Pittsburgh has a bustling literary scene. This is unexpected, I realize, but true. Even the ...”
What Bobbie DeNiro and I have in common
“We're both fans of Queen. (For you young-uns, Queen was a glam/hard/progressive rock band in ...”
22
Misery of the midlist author
“Many literary blogs are linking to the Salon article, "The confessions of a semi-successful author," ...”
21
We're number one!
“Exciting in a self-absorbed way: The Closkey.com site currently comes up first when one searches ...”
19
And for those who prefer a more organized approach...
“NewPages.com also has a lovely guide to online literary magazines. This too looks thorough. NewPages ...”
A hidden order amid the chaos
“Laura Hird has perhaps the largest collection of links to known and obscure literary magazines ...”
R.I.P.: J.J. Jackson, original MTV VJ
“I'm sorry to hear that J.J. Jackson, one of the original MTV VJs, died Wesdnesday ...”
It could break your heart if you really thought about it, so you should never think about it
“The story "You Are a 14-Year-Old Arab Chick Who Just Moved to Texas" by Randa ...”
18
Butler, Pennsylvania: Cultural mecca
“A couple of weekend events for those in western PA:
The Butler Little Theatre opens its ...”
Zeliepalooza
“As part of the "Save the Strand" project -- an effort to renovate the old ...”
Audio books for your iPod
“The Guardian Unlimited offers an overview of digital audio book sources.
You've loaded your CDs in ...”
Don't make a fedral case of it
“yourDictionary.com offers 100 Most Often Mispronounced Words.
I'm sorry to discover a few mispronunciations that ...”
16
Frozen River
“From Parenthetical Note:
Frozen River
I've been thinking about how many times I've ridden the ferry since ...”
15
Tupac caput!
“From Yankee Pot Roast, Celebrity palindromes. A sampling:
"Oprah deified Harpo."
”
How to film a zeppelin docking at the Empire State Building
“John Hodgman reveals to us Kerry Conran and the technological blockbuster movie he started in ...”
Jesus Christ: Flavor of the month
“From the Detroit News: What a trend we have in Jesus.
Even before "The Passion" hit ...”
14
Saints in everyday life
“Saints in everyday life.
”
Pittsburgh-area bloggers, unite!
“The Post-Gazette has a nice feature today on blogging in Pittsburgh. They explain blogging pretty ...”
Love is like a rock
“Esquire magazine will publish a list of "cities that rock," and they've ranked Pittsburgh number ...”
12
And while we're looking at the neat and the new...
“Better Non Sequitur looks pretty cool. Here's how they describe themselves:
We are a small, independent ...”
Also: Lying, cheating, stealing
“More on Swink (see below): Until March 15 they are accepting entries on the theme ...”
Swink
“Everyone over at Maud Newton and elsewhere is abuzz about Swink magazine, which is neat ...”
Nielsen whistling past the graveyard
“Jim Meskauskas in MediaPost comments on Nielsen's plans to report on personal video recorder (PVR) ...”
Hidden assets
“Yesterday I wore a skirt I bought from a travel clothing catalog. I have to ...”
10
Drink of the week: Bourbon Sidecar
“Today I found an interesting recipe in the Drink Recipes section of Happy Hours:
BOURBON SIDECAR
Creator: ...”
How to, and why
“I'd been thinking of creating a section for Closkey.com about how and why to create ...”
08
I'll drive that tanker
“Advertising Age looks at actor/director/marketing-wiz Mel Gibson.
To create this boffo box office, superstar director Mel ...”
It's for you
“How to make friends by Telephone:
Visualize the person you call
Speak to the person at the ...”
04
Drink of the Week
“In honor of Girl Scout Cookie week:
DIRTY GIRL SCOUT
Creator: N/A
Ingredients:
1 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream”
Making fiends
“So cool: Making Fiends, excellent animations.
(Link via The Morning News.)
”
| Feb 27
The iPod Paradox
“Izzy Grinspan in The Village Voice reflects on why a device that is most often ...”
25
Gonna make you sweat
“I attended an all girls' boarding school -- Villa Maria High School, unfortunately now closed ...”
24
Impressive
“In the current issue, the Economist considers several reasons why Matteo Arpe, the 38-year old ...”
My mental state, depicted graphically
“Gapingvoid has tapped into my brainwaves somehow. How else to explain this poignant image? It's ...”
23
Think big
“Following up on my previous posts on cultural standards in the U.S. and the U.K. ...”
Ridiculous Drink of the Week: Surfer on Acid
“From Happy Hours: Drink Recipes:
SURFER ON ACID
Creator: N/A
Ingredients:
1 oz. J”
All the world's a stage
“Terry Teachout, theater critic for the Wall Street Journal among other roles/publications, discusses the enjoyment ...”
Expense report issues
“From a series of emails debating the reimbursability of certain Christmas Day working meals at ...”
Agent provocateur
“From Teresa Nielsen Hayden, regarding the need for and quality of literary agents: "A bad ...”
Summarizing in three to five pages
“Maud Newton continues the discussion of the problems with synopsis-based publishing. Her starting point is ...”
20
The beverage with a thousand faces
“The Toronto Star says we are living in the Age of Vodka:
"The entrenchment of vodka ...”
The Thing in My Pants
“A short bit of nonfiction by Maud Newton.
Also see the Gothamist Interview with Maud. Funny ...”
Uglydolls
“Talk about an emergent strategy: The creators of Uglydolls didn't start with a plan in ...”
19
Unexpected bonuses
“I bought my house from a woman who was moving into a nursing home. I ...”
I have no willpower
“Updating my earlier post: I couldn't wait. I started looking through the user manual, and ...”
Who says all the good men are taken?
“"I am wearing my blazer and a light cologne, with my hair parted at the ...”
Actually, I like crap
“Terrific t-shirts and more from buyolympia.com. Make sure to look for "Reading is sexy" (boy ...”
The morning routine
“Confessions of a New Coffee Drinker:
"I'm thinking about getting addicted to cigarettes! I'm going to ...”
Stranger than fiction
“Larry Ellison has married a fiction writer, and apparently people are speculating that he has ...”
Mine is on the FedEx truck on its way to my house right now!
“Apple Computer Inc. said on Tuesday it has received 100,000 orders for its iPod mini ...”
Might as well face it
“Cole Porter may have been onto something when he wrote "I Get a Kick Out ...”
Not enough hours in the day
“Danny Gregory scolds us, albeit gently, for not finding time during the day to exercise ...”
Hipper than thou
“Hipster Detritus hints at an upcoming screed against indie music credsnobs and suggests Ten Hipster-Baiting ...”
18
You're soaking in it
“Adrants laments the death of lasting brand positions in the course of noting that Jan ...”
17
Harder than it looks
“A former British cabinet minister spends a week as a teacher, and the teacher she ...”
If you can't post something nice, don't post anything at all
“Here's an excellent, carefully thought and worded post on corporate blogging. I wasn't sure at ...”
16
Cats ask for it by name
“From AdSlogans.com, The Advertising Slogan Hall of Fame. I like that the Brylcreem slogan is ...”
14
Everyone who lives in Lidsville really flips his lid
“"Have you ever thought you liked a terrible song just because you remembered it, mistaking ...”
Gaming the system
“A system error makes clear what everyone expected but couldn't demonstrate: Writers and their friends ...”
13
A new breed of Valentine's Day card
“Happy Friday the 13th before Valentine's Day.
(Link via Stephany Aulenback at Maud Newton.)
”
12
A quivering of mint over the cask-wood wine-depth of brandy
“"I'm certain that most of you have never even heard of the stinger, and you ...”
11
I'll take "Masters of the Underworld" for a thousand, Alex
“"The quizmaster is describing various monsterish toys sold at Toys'R'Us and the teams are asked ...”
Lush life
“The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced yesterday that sales of wine and spirits at state ...”
My photocopying technique is unstoppable
“"Then the world blossomed into a rainbow of possibility: I was approached by someone who ...”
10
It's "fra-gee-lay" ... it must be from Italy!
“For those who want to construct their own fancy leg lamps, as seen in A ...”
09
Trials of the slush pile
“More on rejection... Teresa Nielsen Hayden of Making Light discusses what it's like to be ...”
Rejection and publication
“"Two years ago, the manuscript of what was to be "Everyday Matters" was lying in ...”
Rockwellesque tableaus of multi-generational TV-watching
“Jonah Goldberg was so shell-shocked by the incident that he suffered a kind of post-traumatic ...”
We who are about to drink salute you
“A fine collection of ads this week at AdAge.com's advertising roundup. The Beyonce/Britney/Pink ad for ...”
The Human Clock
“The Human Clock - A Photo for Every Minute of the Day
”
06
David Foster Wallace parody competition
“DFW Parody Competition Finalists.
An excerpt from my favorite entry:
The Y-shaped Styles of Certain Flowers
So. There ...”
All Things Hodgman
“I recently came across this interview with John Hodgman for Media Bistro.
I'm a big fan ...”
Upcoming Event: Gist Street Reading Series, Feb 14
“From the mailing list announcement from Sherrie Flick:
"The February Gist Street is on SATURDAY, February ...”
Fan fiction promotes writing skills in children
“An article in Technology Review, "Why Heather Can Write," looks at the fan fiction communities ...”
It's a new day, a new site
“I've decided to take a new tack in blogging -- more original writing, more personal ...”
|
created by Snazzy Archives
