Columbus Circle Compass

One of my favorite areas in New York City is the newly-renovated Columbus Circle, the geographical heart of the city. At one point several years ago, I had an image in my mind's eye of the circle as a literal compass, so last year I started a website and petition to have such a design installed on the circle (seen above with compass rendering superimposed).

Earlier this afternoon, I moved the website over to Blogger and updated it, but the address remains the same: http://www.columbuscirclecompass.com

The petition has 85 signatures to date and the idea has received accolades all around, even from NYC government officials (with the inevitable red tape, of course). If you are interested in helping to keep the effort alive, please sign the petition and check the site for updates. Let's make it happen!

Michael Jackson turns 50

Today he's officially half a century old, joining Prince and Madonna, both of whom reached that milestone earlier in the summer. This week, he spoke with Good Morning America about his birthday, life, and career.

On my 12th birthday back in 1992, one of my presents was a cassette of his Bad album from 1987. I had asked my parents for it earlier in the year after having seen him in the 3-D film Captain EO at the EPCOT Center. It's not an overstatement to say that that cassette was life-changing; I had never been so fascinated by an artist and his music before (save for a brief interest in Vanilla Ice, which fortunately ran its course quickly).



Soon after my birthday, he performed in Bucharest, Romania as part of his Dangerous World Tour. It was a spectacular concert that drew the largest audience in HBO's history up to that point. I was at a wedding the night it aired live, so I programmed my VCR to record it. That same night after returning home to watch it, I studied the performance of "Billie Jean" and quickly taught myself the moonwalk, which is still a great way to impress friends and family!

Speaking of which, here's how to do it:



When I became a fan, it was close to the end of his pre-allegation career. Though he was (and is) a man of many eccentricities, there was no real stigma in being a Michael Jackson fan. Of course, that all changed in 1993 with the child-abuse allegations leveled against him. He has always maintained his innocence, and at the time I proudly defended him and maintained my admiration for him. Since then, though, I gradually branched out and discovered other artists and music while his career and personal life seemed to be in a perpetual state of decline.



His innocence is debated to this day, even after being acquitted in 2005 of additional child-abuse allegations. Of course, we have no way of knowing for sure if he is and we probably never will. I certainly hope so for the sake of all parties involved, but for now I can only commend the good he has done through his high-profile charity work and trust that it is indicative of his supposedly good intentions toward children.



Not surprisingly, Michael Jackson has kept a much lower profile in recent years. His last album was 2001's Invincible, which defied expectations and topped the charts in America. I will check on occasion to find out the latest news on him, though it is often anyone's guess. Rumor has it that he is currently living in the Las Vegas area and is preparing a new album.



Sadly, these days it is almost impossible for most of us to listen to his music or watch his videos anymore without that question lingering in our minds, and I have long since moved on. Still, I look back fondly on the excitement and invigoration his music and videos once brought to my life. When it comes to overall talent and showmanship, there has never been an entertainer like him before, and so many younger performers of today cite him as a major influence. Whatever we may think about him, the man is a living legend.



On that note, I leave you with one of my favorite Michael Jackson performances, this one from the 1992 Bucharest concert during which he sang the title track from what is still the world's biggest-selling album:

Scenes from the S.C. Governor's Mansion

I bought an Olympus Stylus 300 (my first digital camera) almost four years ago. Since then, I've had more fun taking pictures than at any previous point in my life. Photography has become a steady hobby, but Art Wolfe need not worry!

The variety of photos I've taken with this camera runs the gamut from Kevin Bacon to Nine Inch Nails. I take it with me almost everywhere, whether on day trips to Charleston and Savannah or more remote (and expensive) locales like New York and Colorado. The Olympus is an ideal travel accessory since I love landscape and urban photography.

Below are a handful of photos I took closer to home, on a day when the private backyard at the Governor's Mansion was open to the public. These pictures make for great desktop wallpaper (click for 1024x768 resolution). Alas, Gov. Mark Sanford eluded my lens during this visit. Maybe next time!

Back and center:


Yard/makeshift soccer field:


Row of flowers:


A tree divided:


Garden gates:


Fountain at plaza:

20 George Carlin Quotes

Friday marked two months since George Carlin passed away at age 71 from heart failure. Whether dissecting the English language or skewering politics and religion, he made us think while we laughed. I had the privilege of seeing him live last October when he came to the Township to rehearse material for his final HBO special, It's Bad For Ya. Also, Carlin was the source of the weather forecast seen on the top-right of the McNewspaper's header, which pays perpetual homage.

The week after he passed, Barnes & Noble offered a special on a hardback tome, 3 x Carlin, which contains all three of his previous books as well as some new material. I purchased it for just under $10, which is a steal since it is almost 900 pages of continuous belly laughs. I finished it this past week after almost two months, and I was disappointed to be done with it.



Here are 20 memorable quotes I culled from his books (Brain Droppings, Napalm & Silly Putty, and When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?) which remind us of his genius and make us miss him even more.

1. If the shoe fits, get another one just like it.

2. Whenever I see a large crowd, I always think of all the dry cleaning they have out.

3. If you have chicken at lunch and chicken at dinner, do you ever wonder if the two chickens knew each other?

4. You know what's fun? Go to a German restaurant and insist on using chopsticks.

5. Although the photographer and the art thief were close friends, neither had ever taken the other's picture.

6. My phone number is seventeen. We got one of the early ones.

7. I'd hate to be an alcoholic with Alzheimer's. Imagine needing a drink and forgetting where you put it.

8. Here's something you can't do by yourself: practice shaking hands.

9. I think they ought to have really fast escalators that you have to jump on and off, and if you get hurt, too bad.

10. I went to the Missing Person's Bureau. No one was there.

11. Meow means "woof" in cat.

12. I think someone could make a lot of money if they set up a little stand at the Grand Canyon and sold yo-yos with 500-foot strings.

13. I buy stamps by mail. It works OK until I run out of stamps.

14. Have some fun: Walk into a gift shop and tell them you came to get your gift.

15. I can never decide if "what's-his-name" should be capitalized.

16. Here's a dead-end business: A shoeshine stand at the beach.

17. One great thing about getting old is that you can get out of all kinds of social obligations simply by saying you're too tired.

18. If you vote once, you're considered a good citizen. If you vote twice, you face four years in jail.

19. I don't know about you, but years ago, when Evel Knievel was jumping across the Snake River, I was rooting for the river.

20. When will the rhetorical questions all end?

5 Nifty Vista Gadgets

I purchased a new computer back in April, replacing one I had been using since 1999. Yes, it was definitely a long time coming! My new rig is an HP Pavilion Media Center that came pre-installed with Vista Service Pack 1, which means that I had the good fortune of bypassing most of the headaches many people experienced after Microsoft launched the operating system in January, 2007.

Vista was also my formal introduction to the world of gadgets/widgets. These are tiny programs that run on your Web site or computer desktop and offer dynamic content. Popular gadget services include Yahoo! Widgets and Google Gadgets.

In Vista, the Sidebar can host a wide array of gadgets that do everything from monitoring your system's performance to showing weather forecasts. Here are five favorites that are staples of my Sidebar. All five can be found at Vista's Sidebar gadget gallery. If you have your own picks, let me know; I'm always on the lookout for the next great gadget!

1. All CPU Meter



By far one of the most popular downloads in the Vista gadget gallery, this meter tracks your RAM and processor usage (dual core or quad core).

2. WeatherBug



The weather gadget included with Vista is very limited compared to this one, which provides forecasts, radars, weather cameras, and severe weather alerts.

3. Control System


Allows easy access to standby, shutdown, restart, logoff or hibernation with a single click on your desktop. No more having to go through the "Start" button for these actions!

4. App Launcher



Unlike with the standard Quick Launch toolbar, you can view folders in flyouts, add dividers for organization, create profiles and tabs, and much more using this launcher.

5. DriveInfo



Like the name suggests, this gadget monitors your drives and shows the amount of available space. For CD/DVD drives, it informs you if a disc is detected in the drive.

Subway Emergency

A gentleman in Florida recently ordered two sandwiches from a Subway restaurant, and believing that his order was not correct, he took the logical next step: he called the police.

Nine Inch Nails dig deep into Duluth

Several of my top favorite bands are on tour this summer, including Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and Coldplay, but it was Nine Inch Nails that I couldn't miss. Trent Reznor and co. gave a spectacular performance last night at the Gwinnett Arena in Duluth, Georgia, as part of their Lights in the Sky 2008 tour, and the three-hour drive from Columbia was well worth it. That's even after factoring in gas costs!

Pulling into the parking lot, I saw two protesters holding up a sign reading "Jesus Christ is the Son of God". I had heard that this kind of thing happens on occasion at NIN shows, but they are misguided in my opinion since the music of Nine Inch Nails is not at all hateful or Satanic, just introspective and raw.

Outside the Gwinnett Arena:



While making my way inside the venue, I bought a tour T-shirt as a souvenir. I had ordered a presale ticket from the band's website back in May before tickets went on sale to the general public, so I had an excellent seat (although I hardly used it since we were all on our feet most of the time). I was practically at stage right just a few rows back from the floor, close enough to clearly see Trent Reznor's every angst-ridden facial expression.

I was glad not to be among the moshers on the floor. I felt a bit sorry for them since they had to stand for nearly 4 hours while getting crushed. The occasional crowd-surfers were amusing to watch, though.



The show was scheduled for 7, but started instead at 7:30 with opening act Deerhunter. Judging from last night, we will be seeing much more of them in the future. Their guitarist is an attractive young lady who must have been at the bottom of all the pyramids during cheerleading practice, as evidenced by the piggy-back ride she gave to the lead singer at one point:



Nine Inch Nails walked on to the stage around 8:45, fifteen minutes after Deerhunter finished their set. It was an understated entrance that took place during the instrumental "999,999", followed by (you guessed it) "1,000,000", a new rocker that kicked the concert into high gear and was met with thunderous applause.

Next came another new song called "Letting You", which happens to be my favorite from the new batch. I recorded it and am posting it here exclusively (well, YouTube also) for your viewing pleasure. It captures the kind of manic, exciting energy that Trent and the band injected into each song, and the crowd couldn't get enough:


In addition to lead vocals, Trent at times also played guitar, keyboard, and even a tambourine (which he tossed into the audience afterwards, much to the delight of a young blonde lady in the front row who caught it). The visuals never overwhelmed the songs they supplemented and were very impressive, namely two massive latticed metal scrims (which were "pixellated", allowing for all kinds of lighting and color effects) that often surrounded the band but didn't obscure them. While such a setup is best seen from front and center, I had a good perspective from the side that the floor crowd didn't.



Along with the requisite older favorites, NIN's last three studio albums (Year Zero, Ghosts I-IV, and The Slip) were all well-represented last night, and none of the songs sounded out of place when taken out of the context of their respective albums. Crowd pleasers from recent years included "Only", "Survivalism", "God Given", "Discipline", and "Echoplex", among others.



The band performed for over 2 hours and gave a generous encore of four or five songs. Surprisingly, "Hurt" was not the final song; this time, it was the bittersweet "In This Twilight", after which the band members left the stage one by one, each waving one final time to the crowd. Trent thanked the audience several times during the show and, would you believe it, I think I even caught a hint of a smile once or twice!



At 43, Trent Reznor remains at the top of his game and is one of the few artists who puts his fans first in everything he does. Reznor commanded the stage like the veteran showman that he is. My first Nine Inch Nails concert experience was a feast for the eyes and ears, enough to make Pink Floyd a little envious.

More photo highlights:















Suffice it to say that what I saw last night was not just a rock concert. It was the blueprint.

Fireworks, Smoke and Mirrors in Beijing

Last Friday, I along with 1 billion others watched in awe as each act of the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Games unfolded. From the 2,008 drummers on the floor of the "Bird's Nest" to the dramatic torch lighting courtesy of Li Ning, the show was nothing short of amazing. I remember thinking that London will have a major challenge in 2012 trying to surpass the sheer ambition of what we witnessed on Friday.

Unfortunately, some aspects of these ceremonies were deliberately hidden from the world...much like the Olympic Flame, which was nowhere to be seen until minutes before it was lit. Within the last two days, a couple of stories have surfaced which seem to suggest that some of the integrity of the exhibition was compromised. Revealed so far:

• Much of the "footprint fireworks" sequence that was thought to be in real-time was actually rendered and pre-recorded:



• The girl in the red dress, Lin Miaoke, lip-synched the anthem. The real singer was the girl on the right, Yang Peiyi, who was deemed too unattractive for the television broadcast:



Also hovering over the Beijing Olympics are the usual suspects:

• China's massive pollution problem, which may have been understated by the Chinese government.

• Outrage over China's human rights violations and ongoing support of the Darfur genocide.

• The government's fierce suppression of Olympic protesters.

The opening ceremonies were an unforgettable spectacle, the likes of which the world has never seen before, and the Games so far have been thrilling. Nonetheless, it's too bad that these issues still cast a shadow on this Olympic experience. Not helping matters is the fact that Todd Bachman, father-in-law of US Men's Olympic Volleyball Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon, was stabbed to death on Saturday in Beijing.

At any rate, I'm glad that the Games finally made it to China; it was a long time coming. Americans may not agree with its Communist government and the actions thereof, but there are many good people in that country who have waited years for this to happen, and what better host for the Olympics than a nation which almost 20% of the world's population calls home?

Voting Results

The Sandman always seems to take his time before visiting me on Sunday night for some reason, even though I like my job and hardly ever dread Monday mornings. Maybe it's just something about making the mental transition from the weekend to the workweek, or maybe I just have too many thoughts floating around in my head, but it happens almost every week like clockwork.

Speaking of sleep, here is one of the newer entries on I Can Has Cheezburger?, a site that is always good for a laugh.



Sleep well...even if it's just a catnap!

10 Top Attractions in Columbia, SC

I used to find it almost inconceivable that so many New Yorkers never visit the Empire State Building or set foot in Times Square. Having lived in Columbia my entire life, I understand how it can be all too easy to take for granted the things that make one's hometown special. In fact, Columbians often claim that there is little to do here. I beg to differ!

These ten hot spots are a small sampling of what makes Columbia a unique and lively destination, and to be sure, this list is just the tip of the iceberg. A visit to any of these places is sure to satisfy locals who want a decent staycation as well as tourists and day-trippers looking to discover what else Cola Town has to offer besides Hootie & the Blowfish (whose members are often spotted around town).

1. South Carolina State Museum



With over 70,000 artifacts in its collection, the museum is the perfect starting point for visitors and history buffs. It is housed in a former textile mill dating back to the 1800's and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

2. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden



This 170-acre zoo (larger than the San Diego Zoo’s 100 acres) receives over 850,000 visitors each year. Riverbanks is home to more than 3,000 animals and 4,200 species of plants. During the holidays, the Lights Before Christmas is a must-see.

3. EdVenture



If you have kids in tow, this is the place for them. EdVenture is the largest museum in the Southeast that is specifically for children. They'll love the variety of hands-on exhibits and exploring the inner workings of Eddie, the 40-foot-tall kid.

4. Congaree Vista



Columbia's answer to Fifth Avenue. Once an industrial district, today the Vista is downtown Columbia's most trendy dining and commercial center. Art connoisseurs in particular will be right at home among the Vista's 60 galleries.

5. Five Points



If the Vista is Fifth Avenue, Five Points is Times Square. This bustling intersection has been a major shopping district for more than 75 years and is very popular among University of South Carolina students due to its proximity to the Columbia campus.

6. Sesquicentennial State Park



Developed under President Roosevelt's New Deal, Sesqui is the perfect spot for a Saturday afternoon picnic. The park offers bike and hiking trails, fishing, boat rentals, a playground, and much more. For Fido, there is a 2-acre dog park he can run around in off-leash.

7. Columbia Museum of Art



South Carolina's international art museum features American and European art spanning several centuries. Browse the Renaissance and Baroque sections and check out the Turner Collection, which showcases artifacts dating back to the T'ang Dynasty.

8. State House



A handful of noteworthy monuments and memorials are scattered on the grounds, and a section of the building's interior is open to the public. Also, see if you can locate the six bronze stars on the outside walls marking shell/cannonball hits from the Civil War.

9. Village at Sandhill



Recognized as one of the best mixed-use shopping centers worldwide, this outdoor commercial mecca in northeast Columbia has something for everyone. Come on Friday evenings from 6-8 during the summer for free outdoor concerts.

10. Finlay Park



A 14-acre urban oasis in downtown Columbia and the city's most-visited park, Finlay hosts numerous festivals and events as well as outdoor movies on Friday nights during the summer. The park has picnic tables, two playgrounds, and a cafe.