Twittering Machines

Center Street Cigar, Clinton NJ

Who knew? Well now I know so I visited my local cigarateria and was pleasantly surprised to find roomS! of cigars. Figure your basic cigar is less than an inch thick. Now figure how many of ‘em you can pack into even a smallish room in an old 1800′s home. Answer = Lots.

Yup. The most photographed Mill in Clinton, NJ is right around the corner

I’m bringing a few recommended smokes for Tomorrow’s event. I didn’t know anything about them before but I’ve come to learn they’re bleeding edge. Yipes. I would have settled for just plain sublime.  But as we used to say – Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em!

One of the places I have a hankering to go is Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Tortola is a super low-key and friendly place. Part of the reason for this is there are no slums blocks from the pristine shopping streets, no barb wire protecting your mega-resort (there are no mega-anythings on Tortola) and no college kids working in every restaurant while locals go unemployed like in the American version of the islands. It’s damn near…

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Men’s shoe maker Generic Surplus digs the padlocked? Rega P3 as fashionable accessory for their Ace Hotel $95 cotton mesh sneakers designed in collaboration with Arkitip. Oh pool boy queue me up some Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

BRAUN
ATELIER 1-81 radio and record STEREO player
designed by Hans Gugelot and Dieter Rams
Year: 1957

BRAUN
SK4 radio and record player ‘Snow White’s Coffin’
designed by Hans Gugelot and Dieter Rams
Year: 1956-1957

and you need a Space Age Bachelor Pad Hawaiian turntable shirt to match

Ah finally some clarification from Network Solutions regarding the recent hacker fiasco. While we were treated to some helpful blog posts telling us what we could do to ‘harden’ our WordPress blogs, suggesting to me at least WordPress had some inherent soft spots – right? – NS has finally manned up and now “owns” this problem:

“Sorry to the WordPress community and customers for any misunderstanding. This issue resulted from a complex combination of factors and we own it.“

Well Shashi from NS has clarified their official position thanks to this little post by WordPress creator (and all-around cool guy and cool hi-fi owner) Matt Mullenweg on the WordPress site:

Secure File Permissions Matter

Posted April 13, 2010 by Matt. Filed under Development.

Summary: A web host had a crappy server configuration that allowed people on the same box to read each others’ configuration files, and some members of the “security” press have tried to turn this into a “WordPress vulnerability” story.

…

I’m not even going to link any of the articles because they have so many inaccuracies you become stupider by reading them.

If you’re a web host and you turn a bad file permissions story into a WordPress story, you’re doing something wrong.

P.S. Network Solutions, it’s “WordPress” not “Word Press.”

See the entire post.

By the way, I’m certain Shashi edited his post to delete a playful response to Matt’s correcting his misspelling of WordPress (Word Press). Who’s your Daddy?

Mata la Pena
A Compilation of International Music

Oh great Mississippi, carry me away. Spring is for traveling, at least that’s what my subconscious seems to be hinting at and this collection from the great Mississippi is the perfect tonic. Calypso, Hawaiian ukulele, Thai ballads, American yodeling and blues hollers, this record reminds me of that wickedly great 78 El soldado de levita by Marfil Y Valencia Patrick played for us.

Maybe that’s because these tracks were transferred from 78s and they’re all wickedly great. Housed in a wicked-thick paste-on over faux leather jacket . Get carried away.

Erik Satie
Piano Music
Aldo Ciccolini

I’ve read that Satie claims the Gymnopédies were inspired by Flaubert’s Salammbo and I’d like to believe that. I was immersed in Flaubert yeas ago and it was among the most beautifully dreamlike reading experiences I can recall – very similar to listening to Satie’s piano music.

The inspiration to dive into Flaubert head first was through a recommendation by a figure drawing instructor at the School of Visual Arts, the painter Ron Gorchov. Ron would sit in the corner reading, rarely if ever walking around to comment on our work. He had a grad student handle that. I figured – shit that’s just shit so I approached Ron one day and asked him what he was reading. “Flaubert” he answered and he continued “you should be reading Flaubert.” So I did.

Ron and I would talk about Flaubert every class and you could say, I would say I was inspired to leave SVA to a large extent by Flaubert – I enjoyed reading and talking about writing more than talking about the figures I was drawing – which eventually led me to Bennington. Anyway, all that’s to say when I listen to these pieces by Satie I’m reminded of that feeling of endless possibility, the unknown (like a dream) all tinged with melancholy. A sweet cocktail.

I discovered a small cabinet of curiosities in a not-so-local liquor store. I must have passed that cabinet well let’s just say a lot never taking notice. Now, that no bigger than a linen closet houses countless wonders.

My choices thanks to Jonathan and Omar: Camacho Coyolar, La Gloria Cubana Corona Gorda (I think – I have to start taking notes) and another Rocky Patel The Edge. So far, this particular Camacho seemed to have the most complex flavor, followed by La Gloria Cubana. All were enjoyable. Again. Dammit!

On deck…

Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 & A. Fuente Flor Fina 8-5-8

Jimi Hendrix:
Blues

“Blues to me means Elmore James, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson” Jimi Hendrix

If you want to hear Jimi play Elmore (and who wouldn’t?), get yee the Blues double LP and spin Side C, track 2 “Bleeding Heart”. And play it loud.

This record opens with an acoustic 12-string version of “Hear My Train A Comin’” from 1967 and closes with a live electrified version of the same song recorded 3 years later at the Berkley Community Theater on October 29, 1970  with Billy Cox on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums. While I enjoy hearing Jimi unplugged, you can’t touch him once he powers up. Play it really loud.

I was reminded of one of many outcroppings of my Hendrix obsession around age 13:

And this crusty morsel recently retrieved from my Mother’s basement:

Do Not Throw Away written in pencil across the top

Hacker: a person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and stretching their capabilities, as opposed to most users, who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary.

“The difference between hackers and crackers is that where hackers use their skills and knowledge to learn more about how systems and networks work, crackers will use the same skills to author harmful software (like viruses, trojans, etc.) and illegally infiltrate secure systems with the intention of doing harm to the system.”

Our ‘crackers’ are also poets. One of the myriad shitpiles of issues affecting out little blog was this lovely poetic change to the index.php file:

While I admit to having a soft spot for hackers and crackers, my feelings regarding this particular foray is very similar to anonymous blog and forum commentors – a bunch of pussies (if you’ll pardon the dated terminology).

If you want a target, there are much primer real estates. Impress me. Take down the Fox News site. But oh wait, it’s the technology that’s the target, not the message. Right. Hackers and crackers are soooo 1980s. Pussies.

Elmo (Elmore) James
Done Somebody Wrong

Released on Fire Records in 1961 (1031) it’s as if Elmo is speaking directly to me these past few months. WTF? I’m gonna find myself a doctor, perhaps my luck will change.

All kidding aside, I love this little record (besides we all know April is the cruelest month). His version of his song “Done Somebody Wrong” is scorching hot. I grew up on the Allman Brothers from the Fillmore which is still classic, but I’m thrilled to finally have and hear the original.

Elmore’s sound, his tone, especially when he uses that slide is partly due to recordings made using his home brew electrified acoustic guitar strapped with 2 D’Armond pickups he picked up in his step-brothers’ electronics store. That big badass beautiful tone inspired tons of guitarists including one of my favorites – Jimmy James (Jimi originally went with “Jimmy James” when he was part of The Blue Flames in NYC before going to England to become famous playing American blues-inspired music).

Added 4/12 – I’ve been looking around for an explanation of the “Elmo James” credit and did not come up with anything other than this guess – James recorded with a slew of labels and broke at least one contract with Trumpet Records in 1952 after “Dust My Broom” hit the R&B charts big time. My guess is he was trying to avoid a lawsuit.

Andy’s original size 8s

Back in the mid-1980s Andy Warhol wore his favorite comfy Ferragamo brogues to paint in. Oops. Paint. The Warhol family auctioned them off in 2006 at Christie’s where the Ferragamo family bought ‘em back for $7,800 (which is much more than Andy paid but he had a habit of doing that to things).

The Ferragamo Creation brogue

Ferragamo has come out with the special edition paint-splattered Creation Brogue so you can walk like Warhol without actually having to walk the walk. $990 gets you there.

Malcolm McLaren
(22 January 1946 – 8 April 2010)