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Just had one of those moments when two apparently disconnected memes collide and touch at an emotional level.  First of all, the assassination of Benazir Bhutto is described in poignant detail by John Moore on the New York Times web site.  At the same time that I was listening to his recounting of the assassination, I was also listening to the Barber's Adagio for Strings.  I had only heard the frantic versions that Orbit and Tiesto had performed.  The original version is so somber, so serene.  It runs 7:46 minutes but sets an almost exquisite mood for this sad scenario.

This will take at least two browser tabs.  Start the audio (below) in a separate window and let it run a few minutes to set the tone.  Then open a separate window to listen to John describe the assassination on the New York Times web site while pictures of the emotional scene play out.  It works - and regardless of your position on the situation or your feelings about the woman or the country, you can't help but be touched by the tragedy.

P.S. The audio I've included has no license issues.  I'm certain if I was making money on this, the photo the would be an issue for Getty.  I've given them all the link goodness I can muster.  Other then the photos in the NY Times montage, I think this is the best shot.  The version of Barber's Adagio is unencumbered by a license - and not my favorite version.  I'd have included my favorite by Charles Munch but the version I have is copy protected and Vox wisely won't let me include.  It's a shame because it is a much more powerful version then you'll hear now.

via the inimitable Mr. Kottke and from there to the Cynical-C, we have Peter Sellers adding his own style to a musical classic.

Just a little light entertainment.  Probably better material for del.icio.us, but what the heck.

I just dropped ComputerWorld's SharkTank from my feed reader.  I've been cleaning up my subscriptions.  I have way more subscriptions then humanly possible to consume (and he's not human - so don't interrupt me).  When I started using Google's reader I had imported my feeds from another tool that organized feeds differently.  I ended up carrying a folder full of ComputerWorld feeds and never reading them.

It turns out there is a reason I don't read them.  The one feed I didn't immediately remove was SharkTank.  I remembered the stories were humorous.  The problem is the publisher insists on only publishing partial feeds.  I mean what's the point.  Each story is so short I spend more time navigating to the story then I do actually reading it. And then to top it off, this is user submitted material.  An editor somewhere is cleaning up this content but otherwise they are trying to monetize readers content and inconveniencing me.  Never mind.

Partial feeds can work but most of the time they are an inconvenience.  If you insist on shackling content then your hurdle is much greater for attracting readers.  I have got to want to navigate to your page and step out of the feed reader context. It's your prerogative but you are going to lose readers like me if you don't have really compelling material.

My 17 year old daughter says "I don't get it" watching the latest Nike commercial.  The commercial, featuring Sean Merriman transitioning seamlessly between games with different opponents and different playing conditions.  She's trying to find the logic in the action.  There's no logic.  This is all about emotion.  It makes me want to get out and tilt at windmills - it's just motivating.  Lets go kick some ass!

I get it.  The commercial hits an emotional key few commercials reach.  The music in the background is "The Gael" by Dougie MacLean and is most familiar to everyone that enjoyed The Last of the Mahicans.  In fact, what really works is to watch the clip from the movie and then watch the commercial.

So go out and rent the video and reward Michael Mann for some really good work.  The cinematography, the music, the direction - he's done some good work and this is some of the best.  (And if you're inclined, rent The Kingdom - another movie of his that hits the right chords.  It's hard to believe this is the same guy that subjected us to not only the original Miami Vice series but had the cojones to bring the series to the big screen (no link recommendation for that POS).

I was listening to XM Radio's Deep Tracks program hosted by Bob Dylan today when they played "Teacher Teacher" by Rockpile.  It's one of those familiar songs you (or at least I) could not place.  I knew I'd heard it before but couldn't recall where (or better when).  Google comes to the rescue and I discover the unique place in music history they hold.

Like playing seven degrees of separation, how many jumps does it take to go from Chuck Berry to Elvis Costello?  Would you guess three traveling through Rockpile.  How about ELO's Jeff Lynne producing the group's album.  They even bridge the gap from Rockabilly to New Wave Music.

I've included some videos from Youtube (thank you BlondFalcon2) which look like they are direct from the 'Tele".

The following snip has been posted a dozen times around the internet.  I received it in an e-mail from my favorite propagator of urban myths so I have to be a little careful simply posting without some caveats.  It's interesting but the source is as yet undetermined.  The jury is out regarding the accuracy of the gas tips.  The earliest reference I can find on the web is from September 23 but the Snopes reference is from February of 2007.

I've been in petroleum pipeline business for about 31 years, currently working for the Kinder-Morgan Pipeline here in San Jose , CA . We deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period from the pipeline; one day it is diesel, the next day it's jet fuel and gasoline. We have 34 storage tanks here with a capacity of 16,800,000 gallons. Here are some tricks to help you get your money's worth:

1. Fill up your car/truck in the morning when the temperature is still cool. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the denser the gasoline. When it gets warmer gasoline expands, so if you're filling upin the afternoon or evening, what should be a gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and temperature of the fuel (gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, ethanol and other petroleum products) are significant. Every truckload that we load is temperature-compensated so that the indicated gallonage is actually the amount pumped. A one-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for businesses, but service stations don't have temperature compensation at their pumps. ( Which means "too bad for us"........)
2. If a tanker truck is filling the station's tank at the time you want to buy gas, DO NOT fill up. Most likely, dirt and sludge are being stirred up when gas is being delivered and you might be transferring that dirt from the bottom of their tank into your car's tank.
3. Fill up when your gas tank is half-full because the more gas you have in you tank, the less air there is and gasoline evaporates rapidly, especially when it's warm. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating "roof" membrane to act as a barrier between the gas and the atmosphere, thereby minimizing evaporation. (ed.: Another reason not to wait until you are empty is that you are gradually burning out the fuel sender unit in your gas tank. The fuel pump/sender unit is all one part on most cars now..........replacement is roughly $600)
4. If you look at the gas trigger (at the pump) you'll see that it has three delivery settings: slow, medium and high. When you're filling up DO NOT squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to the high setting. You should be pumping at the slow setting, thereby minimizing vapors created  while you are pumping. Hoses at the pump are corrugated; the corrugations act as a return path for vapor recovery from gas that already has been metered. If you are pumping at the high setting, the agitated gasoline contains more vapor, which is being sucked back into the underground tank...............so you're getting less gas for your money.

What small act of kindness have you done in the last thirty days? 
Submitted by One Kind Act.  

I spent time talking to the mother whose daughter had been suspended from a sports team for violating a school rule (and state law).  Other parents were being vindictive and calling for harsher discipline instead of the three game suspension her daughter (and mine) had received.
My point to her was that on any given sideline for any sport, many people are vindictive and spiteful about countless things and that these same people weren't necessarily targeting the woman's daughter.  I told her to not take the comments personally and let the moment pass.  People do not always act with the best of intentions but we're better off looking for the best and not dwelling on the worst.

What small act of kindness have you done in the last thirty days? 
Submitted by One Kind Act.  

I spent time talking to the mother whose daughter had been suspended from a sports team for violating a school rule (and state law).  Other parents were being vindictive and calling for harsher discipline instead of the three game suspension her daughter (and mine) had received.
My point to her was that on any given sideline for any sport, many people are vindictive and spiteful about countless things and that these same people weren't necessarily targeting the woman's daughter.  I told her to not take the comments personally and let the moment pass.  People do not always act with the best of intentions but we're better off looking for the best and not dwelling on the worst.