… just another blahg …

Apparently, there’s some sort of “pixie dust” created by Dr. Stephen Badylak (University of Pittsburgh) that can help regenerate tissue. An Ohio man accidentally lost a sizeable bit of a finger, then brushed the “extracellular matrix” (the scientific name) on, and it grew back in 4 months.

The regrown finger tip (nail and all) is not just cosmetic but entirely functional. The substance seemingly prevents scar tissue from forming and is processed from the lining of a pig’s bladder in a lab. If you are thinking how naive or nuts I am, then read (and watch) it on today’s BBC news. I’m in utter disbelief myself!

I’ve been missing Austin, Texas very much. And when you think of that city, gosh, how you crave it’s awesome local music scene. Here for one is the brilliant Guy Forsyth Band performing Taxi live. So good! Enjoy.

“Writing is a form of personal freedom. It frees us from the mass identity we see in the making all around us. In the end, writers will write not to be outlaw heroes of some underculture but mainly to … survive as individuals.”

This is a quote from Don Delillio, a writer born in 1926 in NYC. It brings to mind how important the sense of individuality that develops when you write is. And I think it explains why I deeply feel that everyone should regularly write (albeit merely the perspective of the social psychologist in me). See it’s tough to make make too many assumptions when you write, which in turn sparks freedom of thought.

But there’s one more thing I realize as I blog about this: while writing may be highly individualistic, the act of publishing, no matter how small the scale, is distinctly collectivistic. It is an effort for your thoughts to be known - and this involves not just yourself but virtual strangers. Writing for others sparks freedom of speech. (Call this bit the social activist in me if you will.)

Okay, so I’m not sure what my point exactly is, but I needed to put this down, if only for starters. A somewhat-related article I read in the New York Times today deals with the fascinating interaction between our language and our thoughts. Here it is. (If you don’t already have an account, you may have to sign up for NY Times, but it’s simple, free, and very worth it.)

Hillary Clinton said a couple of days ago: I want the Iranians to know that if I’m the president, we will attack Iran. In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally OBLITERATE them. This DEMOCRATIC candidate’s willingness to be perceived as the next war-president of the US is both sickening and scary. What exactly is going on?!?!

Free some underwear from those irksome dangling tags to get a pretty good product: Hanes Tagless Underwear. Then come up with some well-conceived copy to sell it: Because the world gives you enough tags. Add a tri-series of neat artwork. So far, so good, right? Now, add a dash of sensationalism, let a mindless handful of viewers get a peek, and there it suddenly is: the perfect recipe for a disaster. McCann India is the ad agency in question and their campaign - now withdrawn - had 3 print ads. The first showed a man bearing the burden of a vivid bunch of “gay” things, the second had a guy pulling at a similar collage of stereotypically “black” things, and the third depicted an assortment of “Pakistani” stuff - each with the same words at the bottom. Hanes Tagless Underwear. Because the world gives you enough tags.

People have been calling the campaign “anti-gay” and “racist”. How is it either of those things? The fact that it was seen as biased is odd; it’s anything but! (The only thing that does bother me about the campaign is that people who aren’t really aware of the stereotypes in question will indeed become so after seeing it.) Yes, the executions are hard-hitting for the times, but I also think that the basic brand idea borders on brilliant! And that is what McCann’s defense should have been - instead of the spineless apology they actually mustered up.

I’m typically not in to ‘pop’ but, like Amy Winehouse, Lilly Allen makes for an addictive exception. She deserves many kudos for her gritty lyrics, mired in funky beats and slick melody. All of 23, she’s made a formidable debut with her album called Alright Still, on which you will find a slew of great songs…

Alfie is about her little brother who smokes a bit, well, much. There’s also a song in which she makes fun of her granny’s colostomy bag, in Nan You’re a Window Shopper. (So terrible, Lilly!) In LDN she talks about the sights she sees as she rides through the park - you won’t guess how sorry those sights are unless you listen closely. Take What You Take is unbelievably catchy, but my absolute favourite is Shame For You in which she sings: “Oh my gosh must be jokin’ me, if you think that you’ll be pokin’ me, don’t take me on, no no!”

Very funny. As her target audience might say: truly wicked. If there’s one song that captures all of her attitude though, then it’s this one: have a listen!

PS: Is there a good reason why, when it comes to decent pop, the British trump the Americans? I’ll have to save that for another day.

Perhaps we should take great objection to the mere existence of the word. It’s a blight on what should be our relationship with the creator; that is, of course, assuming there is one. But whether or not there is one, it is clear that fear should be no part of any equation that a being has with its universe at large.

Why then do words like ‘god-fearing’ crop up in so many manifestations of all kinds of organized religion? It’s a sad reflection on how willingly we allow ourselves to be controlled - not only by “religion” but also by fashion, tradition, whatchamacallition. Like Ben Harper might say, it’s high time we fought for our minds.

Incidentally, he has a song called ‘God-Fearing Man’ on his CD called ‘Fight For Your Mind’. But here’s yet another - and perhaps more fitting - of his songs instead.

Came across a cool ‘new’ word today. It’s pronounced vull-ay-it-ee.

Much of course has been said on the topic of logos, but here are my two cents, nay phils.

There’s a logo for a ‘horseracing city’ in Dubai called Meydan. The logo is simple. It’s a sort of variegated blue background. On it, in a white and very legible font is: Meydan. A thoroughbred destination. That’s the English version. I saw a similar looking logo in Arabic the other day and knew instantaneously what it was for - even though I am thoroughly uninitiated when it comes to reading the script.

Compare this to tonnes of other logos around that try and do too much - fancy color schemes, an effort to communicate not just the company but it’s holding company as well, fonts that overwhelm, and taglines so verbose or rehashed that they repel. It’s often pretty unnecessary, largely ineffective and highly forgettable stuff…

So ditch the clutter and think Nike, Fedex, and Apple instead! I believe the message is simple.

Josh Rouse is a singer-songwriter I’m a little conflicted about. I got pretty hooked on to a couple of his CDs - his songs are so mellow and catchy! But then I saw him play on stage, and it was a sorry disappointment. Something about his music just doesn’t work live. I also don’t think much of the sound engineering at the El Rey in Los Angeles, but blaming the venue is often a lame excuse for a mediocre performance, and so I resist.

Compare him to Ben Harper (yet another typically mellow ‘n’ catchy fella) live , and it’s easier to see why Josh falls sort of flat in person. Maybe it’s because Ben’s so comfortable going extempore that he rocks it. Josh hesitates in venturing too far from the original recording, and it detracts greatly from the musicianship. I meant to find a couple of videos from each to make the point better, but you know how recordings of live performances on youtube can be…

So here’s a random tune from the eternally hot Bruce Springsteen instead!