Back when I was working part-time looking for a full-time job it would be obvious I had too much time on my hands. One of the benefits of that time was listening to an absurd amount of public radio. It just so happens one of the newer shows I gained an affinity for I can still enjoy due to the miracle of the internet. That show is A Way With Words.
A Way with Words is a lively hour-long public radio show about the English language. Co-hosts Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett take calls from listeners about linguistic disputes, grammatical pet peeves, the origins of words and phrases, and curious regional expressions. Martha and Grant also do battle with quiz guys from the National Puzzlers’ League.
What makes this show a bit magical is that each shows theme is made up as people call in describing different origins of words and phrases. Sometimes you didn’t know you’ve been curious about an expression until someone else mentions it.
Where has DJ Spooky (originally born under the handle Paul D. Miller) been? Why hasn’t there been anything new from the headmaster of illbient? He has been trudging through the snow of Antarctica with a ministudio.
“It’s all about hitting the reset button,” said Miller on the phone from New York last week. “I wanted to see how much we are conditioned by the urban setting, because when you think about it, hip-hop, techno are essentially urban narratives. So I decided to take it as far away as possible-Antarctica wasn’t really made for humans. I wanted to see how that world would sound.”
As of today this hasn’t been performed in public yet. Anyone close to Santa Barbara really should go see him tomorrow night.
Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica
When: Tuesday, April 7, 2009, 8 p.m.
Where: UCSB Campbell Hall, 574 Mesa Rd., Santa Barbara
Cost: $19 - $35
Age limit: Not available Full event details
Can you hear this sound? Don’t feel bad if you can’t because it is a nerve grating tone that can’t be forgotten. I can’t believe I can still hear anything after all the late night parties I attended in my youth in the first place. Its a fun little test though since it is a sound generally only heard by those under the age of 25. Take good care of yourself.
Today is the 70th anniversary of the original radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds. Do yourself a favor and listen to the original broadcast of this crown jewel of american media history. Don’t forget to protect yourself by wearing a pot on your head.
The Art of Manliness blog has comprised a list of “52 workout songs to help you get bigger, stronger, faster.” While I’m a big believer in music being a positive factor when it comes to exercise some of these I’ll skip over. On the other hand there are some good choices there. Then again some of my tastes venture into the realm of cheesy.
14. “I Believe In a Thing Called Love” - The Darkness
While browsing the usual blogs this little jewel was discovered. Jon as a grand post featuring a playlist of his top surf songs.
6. “Baja”
by The Astronauts Rock Instrumental Classics, Vol. 5: Surf
31. “Gargantua’s Last Stand”
by Man or Astro-Man? Destroy All Astromen!!
74. “Surfer Girl”
by The Sentinals Surfer Girl
Since the Gulf of Mexico isn’t that good for surfing after experiencing the Pacific Ocean in SoCal I’ll just play this while floating the river in the hill country of Texas next week. Thanks Jon!
NPR likes to shake things up on a regular basis. Since the beginning they admitted that they couldn’t report as fast as the mainstream media companies, so they would just try and do a better job. One of their current experiments is a two hour segment called The Bryant Park project. Since I’m admittedly not a writer by profession I’ll take the low road and let them describe themselves:
The Bryant Park Project is a distinct and lively take on the news. It combines the authority and intelligence of NPR with the tone and sensibility the next generation of Public Radio listeners demand.
At its core, the BPP is a two-hour morning drive-time news show. The approach is conversational, with host Alison Stewart covering the day’s news by means of interviews and signature segments. The show seeks out stories that satisfy the audience’s curiosity, with a sense of smarts, humanity and fun.
Like any experiment they keep mixing things up to see what works it seems. What they’re good at is the utilization of Web 2.0 technology to get their word out there as much as they can suchas Twitter, Facebook, and RSS feeding. Of course you can still listen to their stream if your local NPR affiliate hasn’t picked it up yet. Enjoy!
NPR has a segment about how to be a productive Procrastinator by “Procrastination expert” Timothy Pychyl. If that is an actual job title I can think of a few people who would proudly hold the mantel.
