Senses working overtime #381

1 Fifty years of The Dallas Cheerleaders

2 The Boss and Born In The USA

3 You are astonishing!

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

 

4 The Hawaiian 

5 The unlikely rise of Slim Pickins Outfitters

Overtime: The unusual origin stories of 9 household items

For instance - Vaseline: Chemist Robert Chesebrough had a successful job making oils used for illumination, but when petroleum was discovered in Pennsylvania, Chesebrough decided to seek out riches in the nascent industry.

He noticed that oil rig workers would use a byproduct of the drilling process known as “rod wax” to address cuts and burns sustained during their work. Some might have said, “Wow, this oil rig stuff is really dangerous.” But Chesebrough said, “Give me some of that weird black goop and stand back.”

Senses working overtime #304

 1 How to do nothing 

Jenny Odell gives the lowdown. You could listen to the trees while you read.

2 Pocket's top 10 stories of February

3 Tinnitist

Presents 41 songs to take you to the brink (take a look/listen)

4 Renegades

Bruce Springsteen and his mate, Barack Obama, have put together a podcast. Yes - really!

5 Billy Cobham

This week I listened to Spectrum a lot. 

Overtime: John Wooden signs off the week:

Basketball coach John Wooden, winner of 10 championships, on giving:

"There is a wonderful, almost mystical, law of nature that says three of the things we want most—happiness, freedom, and peace of mind—are always attained when we give them to others. Give it away to get it back."

Source: Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court

Senses working overtime #286

 1 Edgar Rice Burroughs' covers

I'm always amazed at the artwork that adorns pulp fiction novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs

2 Why arrogance is dangerously contagious

3 America votes and the rest of us look on in amazement!

Let's hope they make the right choice.

4 Is this the end of American optimism?

5 Springsteen and the art of aging well

Overtime: Nearly 80 kph downhill...on a bike!

Overtime: RIP Nobby

Senses working overtime #285

1 Broooooce!

He's back with the surviving E Streeters, and back with an album, Letter To You. It's great too (got my copy yesterday).

2 Trump's $1 Billion debts explained, really well!

3 Sigourney

4 My Life In Red And White

I got my copy yesterday - so exciting! I love autobiographies!

5 The 100 most influential animations...ever

Overtime: Bluesleep

Senses working overtime #241

1 Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker

It's finally here. Here's a great piece centred on JJ Abrams and then the final trailer.



2 Poetry corner

1: Have a Good Time

This is a poem. Take it. Pack it up
the mountain. You will meet a man
who says it is an ice-axe. Give it to him. Tell him

he should take it out to sea until
he meets a man who calls it a harpoon.
Follow. Watch them. Let them fight about it. 

Robert Bringhurst (1975)

3 50 Best TV shows of the last ten years

Mr Robot

According to Rolling Stone Magazine

4 Kiss

Why humans kiss

5 Scooter and the Big Man
Their last performance together. Rest in peace, Clarence.

 

Overtime: I hate being late...
and I'm married to someone who is often running late. She doesn't read this blog, but if she did she might enjoy this piece :-)

Senses working overtime #191

1 Merry Christmas everybody
The last set of jewels before the big day. Have a great festive season. See you on the other side!

2 This Is My Song

This peek into a recording studio and real people recording amazing stuff (like grandad/grandson duo pictured) was on the BBC this week and got me all misty eyed. Catch the next episode!

3 Springsteen on Broadway

I was watching this on Netfix while the Light Of my Life was having a bath. When she came out, she joined me and amazingly, for 2 plus hours, we were both glued to the performance (she's not really a music fan so there is no greater testimony to Bruce's electric delivery of his life story than that).

4 Roger Daltrey

Roger is hilarious! He manages to explain his upbringing succinctly, while remaining brilliantly funny. His humorous and recurring mentions of Pete's nose (as an example) are brimming with a honest love for the man - a trick that is tough to pull off.


5 Second best Christmas song of all time!



Overtime Christmas, baby please come home! 
The best Christmas song of all time!! Darlene Love!!!

Senses working overtime #100

And then one day you find 100 posts have got behind you. That means over 500 senses working overtime. Pretty cool stat. 

Only one place to go to end the first 100 posts and that's a back to the future style series of items. Each one of these has a backward glance in common. Hey Ho - let's go!

1 100 Years After (back to the future)

I love these glimpses into the future from 100 years ago via a series of postcard images. Clearly, machines and, curiously, sea life features a lot!

2 A modern Walden

This 20 year old guy abandoned his car and walked off into the woods...and lived there...for 27 years! Amazing!

3 Does it hold up?

The Verge takes a backward look at The Social Network and does a good job. I didn't like the film much at the time (a movie about Facebook founders? Meh) but the article made me want to go back and take another look.

4 Macca at Abbey Road 1974
Great version of Band on the Run BEFORE Wings imploded.

 


5 Budweiser advert hits the spot
Aired during the superbowl - this is a timely reminder of America's origins and the stoopidity of Trump's immigration restrictions.




Overtime
Broooooooooce! The boss attempts a fan request...and nails it! Hey - he's da boss!

Senses working overtime #81

1 Oddvertising

Hey, this is what happens when the advertising gets weird! Love it!

2 Steve Jobs
Great learning here! Wise words to live by.

3 Seth Godin
Not to be outdone - wise words from Seth that I try to share with my students - it's all about the moment!

4 A Swift debut
Lovely piece revisiting Tay Tay's first album.

5 To cross street, press button
Great story about the futility of pressing buttons.

Overtime - Song of the week:
Bruce Springsteen's autobiography (a fabulous read) comes with a great CD compilation - Chapter and Verse, containing stuff by his pre E Street band groups Steel Mill and The Castiles.