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Anil and Alaina sitting in a museum…. what a neat gift
Page 52 of 128
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Wow: "In 2009, the Monitor will become the first nationally circulated newspaper to replace its daily print edition with its website; the 100 year-old news organization will also offer subscribers weekly print and daily e-mail editions." I will be sad when the NYT does this in a few years, leaving me to download PDFs to a gadget
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Alaska's main newspaper endorses Obama. The editors neatly sidestep any pro-Palin bias by focusing (rightly) on the two candidates for President, then politely put the governor in her place, noting her extreme lack of experience
Now online: MTV Music. So obvious and wonderful it’s amazing it took this long. Not only is it great for archival purposes, it’s also a chance to see videos that don’t get much air time in this post-music video era. Shame it took MTV so many years to roll out an easy-to-use music video archive, but hey, better late than never.
What I’ve watched this morning, blissfully all over the map:
~ Godley and Creme, Cry (probably my favorite video, period)
~ Val Emmich, Get on with It
~ LL Cool J, Mama Said Knock You Out (live Unplugged)
~ Estelle, American Boy (she looks nothing like I expected)
~ Kiss, I Love It Loud
~ Queens of the Stone Age, Go with the Flow (check the similarities in the glowing eyes to the Kiss video)
~ Living Colour, Cult of Personality
I’m disappointed by some conspicuous omissions (Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way” is a huge lack; “Ray of Light,” “You Oughta Know” too), but in general, it’s both fun and fascinating.
First, an update: I have continued my bicycle commuting healthily since I took it up in May. Schedule and weather willing, I’ve been riding to work twice a week straight into the fall. I’m running out of time, though: once Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend, my route home will be quite dark by 5:15 p.m., which will probalby shelve the bicycle until spring.
Biking in autumn is quite different than jaunts in the heat of summer. For a while, it becomes easier: no heat and harsh sun means less fatigue and sunburn. Jeans are a comfortable (if floppy in the legs) riding outfit. Water bottles go untouched.
Very rapidly, though, the weather turns, and all bets are off. Beautiful days begin at 40-degree temperatures with icy winds, making the riverside route a touch more masochistic than expected. Layering nylon outerwear blocks the breeze but creates sweat. And the shorter days create dark areas and reduced visiblity, making the ride far more treacherous.
Which is not to say I’m enjoying it any less. The views have changed; morning light is more angular, evenings scenic and comforting. The once-crowded greenway has been steadily emptying, providing less to look at but more room to ride. I’ve watched a new park by Chelsea Piers take shape and witnessed the return of the Intrepid. Fellow bikers are either intense riders in full gear or civilians in warmer clothing–I spied a woman in skirt, hose and overcoat the other day, talking on her phone, astride her hybrid Raleigh.
And, of course, I’m burning roughly 500 calories each day during my commute. Part of the genius of the bicycle commute is that I’m getting a workout during time that would otherwise be spent doing nothing. For someone who hates going to the gym, this is a great efficiency.
But it’s the pleasantness, above all, that makes the bike ride worthwhile. Instead of spending time underground, I’m cycling through a beautiful park alongside the Hudson River, watching the sun rise and set, listening to music, moving at my own pace. I’m already looking forward to the springtime.
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Sorry Choire!
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This is what we've come to: even plunging stock prices disappoint us when they don't plunge strongly
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Clever concept for getting frequent flier miles essentially for nothing, but it seems like a lot of effort for $10 in value
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Neil Gaiman tries to buy a G1 phone. Most noteworthy for the soon-to-be-universal term, "Do the Google"
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Check out the last two photos, Los Angeles 1908 vs. 2008. hoo wee
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It's a really, really bad sign when a company whose stock price is at 27 cents plans on doubling the number of shares outstanding. Note to self: don't spend money on new sat radio gadgets anytime soon
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Matt is so… Oregonian
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Bottled water: not just bad for the environment, but potentially bad for you, too! I've started keeping chilled water in my fridge, 1970s-style. But sadly we still crank through a case of Poland Spring every two weeks
Having long anticipated the opening of the Upper West Side branch of Shake Shack, I was thrilled to hear of its opening yesterday. My wife and I checked on it Saturday, with no luck; yesterday we were out of town, so by tonight we decided we’d waited long enough, and off I went to get us some take-out.
Arriving after 8 p.m. on the second day was a good move. The line took around 20 minutes, the service was chipper and efficient, the store clean and cheery. (A tip: wait time from the entrance of the restaurant is around 10 minutes. It’s also 10 minutes from the corner of 77th and Columbus to the front door. Beyond that you’ll have to ask the neighbors.)
To patrons of the original, the new Shake Shack is not particularly innovative or exciting. The decor is a proper match to the shack in Madison Square Park, right down to the metal mesh and backlit sign. In a nod to the neighborhood, the main floor includes indoor waiting-area seating, a section for stroller parking, and some new concretes like the Natural History Crunchstellation.
So, most importantly: how was it? In short, very good. The overall quality is still Danny-Meyer-playing-short-order-cook high; all ingredients were fresh and each item prepared to order.
Burger: The Shack Burger has the same allure as downtown, tasty and inviting. But the full flavor isn’t all the way there yet. The original Shack has been grilling burgers 12 hours a day for years, and there’s a flavorful char that provides the “ohmigod this is amazing” taste. This early on, uptown is missing that extra kick. Still solid, though, and my wife noticed the difference less than I did.
Hot dogs: We tried a Shack-cago and a New York Dog, both of which were enjoyable, basic hot dogs. The multitude of toppings on the Shack-cago was great, particularly the relish.
Fries: Best part of the meal. Crunchy, fluffy, bursting with flavor. The uptown fries are as good as Madison Square if not better, despite rumors that the ones here are frozen.
Concrete: Our Shacky Road went fast. Crunchies added afterward were a fun and unexpected twist. I’m still partial to the Shack Attack, but really, any concrete is a good concrete.
All in all, a solid start for the first expansion of the Shake Shack. In a few months’ time, I will be fighting long lines (or showing up at 9:30 p.m., after most of the UWS has gone to bed) for what I’ve long declared is the best burger in New York City–now a short walk from home as well as 500 yards from my office. Heaven.
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I really, really, really want to do this with my kid next year
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"I look at these people and can’t quite believe that they exist. To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. 'Can I interest you in the chicken?' she asks. 'Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?' To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked."
Get Rid of the Performance Review! in the Wall Street Journal tackles the outmoded concept of one-way personnel assessments. In it, Samuel Culbert makes the case that reviews slow productivity and breed animosity in ways that are not particularly useful. Employee “previews” are suggested as an alternative.
But a far better mechanism already exists: the employee-led performance review. Staff are given blank assessment sheets and write objective reports of themselves. These are then shared with management; the boss leads a sit-down session to discuss areas agreed upon as well as areas omitted by the employee.
I’ve been giving and receiving self-administered performance reviews for years and see many benefits. Employees are often more critical of themselves than their managers. They encourage improvement even before the face-to-face review begins. The process also eliminates the one-sidedness of employer reviews, because the process begins with a dialogue rather than a directive.
Some organizations do two-sided assessments, which is even better: employee fills out a form, employer fills out the same form, then both sides review the two sheets together. This provides great momentum for consensus-building and easily identified goals. It also clarifies why areas are included or excluded by either party (e.g. “I hadn’t mentioned my early Friday departures because I thought my late nights offset them… I’m glad you highlighted this as something that’s important to the company.”).
My current employer has begun managerial reviews, which is an interesting twist: we’ve got one-way reports, but they’re up the chain of command instead of down, so I’ve been reviewed by a project manager and am scheduled to review the president. I was reluctant to do them at first, and now I know why: they are the one-side-accountable, administered/received reviews outlined in the WSJ article. Fortunately, bubble-up reviews work differently–they’ve been excellent sessions of constructive criticism and a good chance to think objectively about peers. Very useful for continued personal growth, particularly in a small company.