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Apple's new iPhone gets its premiere this week, and I can't say I'm all too excited. As a gadget geek, that's a little surprising. But at $500 a pop and with service plans starting at $50/month for only 400 minutes, I can't believe this will have much of an audience. The iPod was expensive as well, but had no long term financial commitment. I'll be interested to see what happens, but count me out as a future iPhone owner. I'd probably just lose it, anyway...
Today's Tribune has a portrait of how the storied Wrigley Field scoreboard really operates. Count me out of that line of work--no air conditioning, danger of lightning strikes, and people constantly getting in the way. Still, there's few things more thrilling than seeing those flags waving when walking up for a ballgame. Sarah and I will be there in a week to see the Cubs lose (probably) to the Brewers--it's been a couple of years for me, so I'm looking forward to the pilgrimage. The Cubs can't seem to make up their minds about winning a lousy division--their pitching and offense have shown signs of dominance, but haven't been quite consistent enough.
In other Cubs news, it was good to see Sammy Sosa get his 600th home run last night in a semi-Cubs related way. Given his current average of .220 or so and an OPS in the .500s, one has to think it's the last major achievement of his career. Despite all the steroid speculation, I'm glad he got over that hump.
Image: http://www.chicagoadventures.com/images/sports_2004_cubs_01.jpg
This month's Sojourners has an interesting look at the spiritual life of suburbia. As an ex-suburbanite, I found it an interesting read. The local paper had a similarly interesting series of stories recently on the ethnic changes happening in many suburbs around the Twin Cities (and, I assume, nationally). This seems like a good thing. The economic development of the suburbs was coupled with the creation of ghettos and the urban underclass during the 1960s and 70s. Seeing those suburban cities become more economically and ethnically mixed is a sign that maybe some balance is being restored. Though I do begin to wonder if those inner-ring suburbs will become the new ghettos--Brooklyn Center, near our home in N. Minneapolis, already has a pretty tough reputation. As Minneapolis redefines itself as a center for entertainment and culture, will it only push the poor to the next available subdivision?
Today's Strip had an interesting sidebar about a Canadian farmer who lets consumers choose their own cow. For eating purposes, that is. Given how large the meat industry has become, it's not surprising how novel this seems. But it certainly has an appeal. Many activists from the local food movement sing the praises of knowing your food and its producers as a form of accountability. Because of the recent pet food scare, this certainly makes sense. A few years ago, we bought a quarter side of beef--about 120 pounds, half of it ground. Our price was more in the mid $3s a pound, but it was still cheaper than most stores, especially for steaks. And we knew that there was only one cow in each pound of our ground beef, not one thousand (the number given by Eric Schlosser for grocery store ground beef).
Picking Bessie out from the crowd seems more of a gimmick, but there's definitely something to be said for knowing your meat before you eat it.
Image: http://www.dennisflood.com/2003/animals/leeds-athens-cows-103.jpg
I'm not really the gambling type. This summer, though, Sarah and I are having to take some financial risks that certainly aren't sure bets. Here's the goal: we'd like to make the move out of our home into student housing. This is a financially motivated decision--I'd like to go to grad school starting in Fall '08, and moving could save us $800-900 a month when all is said and done. However, at the start of the summer, this relied on two things: 1)Selling our current home in a very bad market and 2)Getting a spot at student housing, where we were not at the top of the waiting list.
This situation got either easier or more complicated when we got a call at the end of May offering us a 3 BR townhome at student housing. We said yes, even though our house was not currently on the market. From past conversations, I knew that there were several names ahead of us on the waiting list, but many would not be available until later in the summer. Our best chance would be to get something early and hope for the best. This has since added a new twist: in order to get the 3 BR, residents should have two kids. At the time we were offered a spot, we were pregnant with the second. That unfortunately ended with a miscarriage. Since the offer had been made, though, we were still able to sign up for a 3 BR.
Today, our home has been on the market for two full weekends. Not one showing, though. The fact that a high profile shooting (a tragedy in its own right) happened a block away from our house hasn't probably helped any. There's just not a lot of interest right now, even though our house is unique and gorgeous (even according to objective observers).
So here's the gamble. As of this Friday, we will officially be paying double rent. Given the savings we could expect moving into student housing, if our house does sell in the next couple of months, it's a price worth paying. But will it sell? We have some negotiability on price, but can't (and probably shouldn't) go so low as to ensure a quick sale. What do we do if in a month, at a reasonably low price, there's still not much interest in our house? Do we give up the spot at student housing and potentially go back to the bottom of the waiting list? What if our house sells in September after we've done that? Do we look for an apartment at that point?
The real quandry here is the double rent--it ensures we'll go where we want to, but it's a risk I worry about daily.
Anyway, no real point here, and I hope readers will forgive the belly-gazing nature of this narrative. But we're jumping into the deep end of the pool in a number of ways: I'd be giving up a financially solid job for a few years of very lean living, hoping that we'll be able to pay off whatever debts we accrue at the other end. We're giving up a house we love. It's a gamble all around, and we're walking in faith (more on that in a future post?) that it pays off.
Image: http://www.dwphotoshop.com/photoshop/3d/dice16.gif
It's been years since I saw an add for Apple Jacks, but that lyric still sticks in my head. Based on a story today, though, such jingles may have a limited shelf life. Kellogg has voluntarily agreed to stop marketing unhealthy products to kids. I can't imagine exactly how they're going to do this--most of the market for cereals like Frosted Flakes is the younger set. It IS worth noting, though, that Frosted Flakes itself fits Kellogg's nutrition criteria, weighing it at a scant 11 grams of sugar (the limit is 12). In fact, just glancing over the guidelines, it appears the bar isn't set THAT high for these cereals. Still, any improvement in the shameless marketing of sugar to toddlers is a good one. It's nerve-wracking walking down the cereal aisle with Micah, since just about any cereal he wants isn't good for him.
One larger facet of this story seems significant: Kellogg made this change due to a legal challenge from (among other litigants) the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Much was made a few years ago about consumers attempts to sue McDonalds for their obesity related problems. This seems in the same family, though perhaps the influence of advertising on young minds makes it slightly more egregious. Still, one could surely object that no one forces parents to buy these foods for their kids. It's an interesting chapter in the interplay between food consumers and producers going on right now, one that also features the rise of mass produced organic foods.
Don Herbert, better known as Mr. Wizard, passed away yesterday. I have many memories as a kid of watching him on Nickelodeon compose experiments or play with electronics. I was amazed how neighborhood kids stopped by just in time to see these and quietly hoped that I could be part of that world. I had been unaware of his earlier, and apparently much more well-known, show during the 1950s and 60s.
While I haven't gone on to science as a career, I do still harbor a significant amount of technology geekness, and that is due, probably in no small part, to Mr. Herbert's influence. So here's to Mr. Wizard!
Image from http://images.wikia.com/uncyclopedia/images/thumb/b/b5/Donherbert1.jpg/200px-Donherbert1.jpg
**CAUTION: SOPRANOS SPOILERS AHEAD**
Sarah and I huddled around our TVs last night to watch the last episode of HBO's landmark, The Sopranos. I'm sure we weren't the only ones to wonder if our cable had cut out at the end. Having survived the latest assassination attempt (but still facing federal indictment), the series ends with Tony meeting his family at a neighborhood restaurant. Tension builds throughout the scene as Tony scans every new patron as they come through the door. Most look innocent enough. His daughter, Meadow, has trouble parallel parking, and we wait for the inevitable accident. One suspicious man walks to the bathroom, perhaps echoing the famous Michael Corleone sequence from The Godfather. Yet nothing happens--the biggest surprise is how the camera cuts to complete black just a Meadow enters--the bell rings, we see Tony look up, and then nothing.
To be fair, this episode had a good deal of closure. We got to revisit most of the main characters (at least those still alive) and say goodbye. Death hung like a cloud over the proceedings--both Junior and NYC's Little Italy seem in their final hours. Yet I was surprised how upbeat this episode seemed in the end. Tony makes it through, and everyone in his family seems reasonably happy. As Alan Sepinwall points out, there is some irony here--the characters' happiness could be seen a simple denial of the deeper issues they choose not to fully address: the violence that sustains them, the threat of terrorism and war, or an impending federal arrest. But still, I was left liking Tony more than I thought I would, almost despite myself.
As for the ending, it was common knowledge that David Chase, the series' creator, dislikes tidy endings. In his reflection, Matt Zoller Sietz describes this as a kind of "snuff the viewer" moment. Like so many characters on the show, our time in this world ends abruptly. We never reach full closure, and some characters' stories will always outlive us. Will Tony ever really change? Probably not. He may end up in jail or dead before his time, but we'll never know. In the end, the characters of the Sopranos rarely choose change over the status quo. Those who do (for good or bad) often end up dead.
After eight years, the Sopranos last season was certainly one of its best. It was a fun ride, and it now continues on (at least in a figurative sense) without us.
Image: http://www.hbo.com/sopranos/img/episode/season06B/ep86/ep86_02.jpg
Some friends in our small group forwarded this map of foreclosures in our neighborhood. It's easy to see signs of this just driving around: house auction signs, boarded windows, and overgrown lawns. What's really amazing is how recent many of these mortgages are, only 1 or 2 years old. Somebody was definitely out to make a quick buck from closing costs and interest. Not that I'd know, but I've never heard of something like this happening before, and I really wonder how it will end up reshaping the fabric of the neighborhood. Since many of this properties will probably end up as low-quality rentals, I can't think it's a good thing.
This movie primarily focuses on Sophie Scholl. While references to her faith are somewhat rare, the entire film basically follows the format of a passion play. From other sources, it is clear that like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, faith was a prime motivator for her resistance. She's not a complete saint--her idealism comes across as a bit naive at times. But her courage is quite amazing, especially given her young age (21). There's one scene about halfway through where she and the chief investigator engage in a political discussion about the previous 20 years of German history. It's no car chase, but breathtaking nonetheless in its complexity and intelligence. One can almost see why someone could believe in the Nazis--until they get to the part about genocide.
In any case, if you're someone who can handle subtitles, it's definitely worth a view. It's a great movie about being a non-violent witness to truth in a difficult time. Also worthwhile to see a Christian character who is neither blantantly hypocritical or oversentimentalized.
Harold McGee has an interesting piece in today's NY Times about extra virgin olive oils and its link to ibuprofin. Apparently, it shares some of the same anti-inflamatory substances as the pain reliever, which may be linked to long term health benefits. Overall, this seems part of the good fat/bad fat distinction that's grown up over the last ten years. Not sure I'll be slurping any time soon, though.
Today also marks nine years of marriage for me and my wife, and unlike olive oil, she and our partnership grow only more complex and valuable with age. We may not have the simple, bold flavors of youth, but there's a reason people grow to appreciate subtle flavors as they age. Our wedding program had this Wendell Berry quote from "The Country of Marriage": "You are the known way, leading to the unknown. You are the known place, to which the unknown is always taking me back." I appreciate the known and unknown place Sarah has been for the past nine years, and look forward to the new discoveries in years ahead.
Intrigued by the new Coke project, I purchased a box of powdered stevia extract at our co-op this weekend. Not promising! The package said "non-bitter," but it still left the back of my mouth hurting for a good 15 minutes. And the Center for Science in the Public Interest places stevia on the list of additives to avoid. It may be all natural, but it's not joining my plate any time soon.
News this morning reported a new sweetener on the block: rebiana. Developed by food giants Coke and Cargill, rebiana is a low-calorie sweetener that has one advantage over current favorites Splenda and Nutrasweet: it is all natural. (Of course, splenda claims to be "made from sugar" but the process used to alter it is anything but natural.) Stevia is developed from a plant called stevia, native to South America. Long term health issues are still unclear--this plant has been banned in the past for what appears to be questionable reasons. But this sounds like an intriguing development.
Image source: http://www.rain-tree.com/Plant-Images/stevia-pic.htm