Book of the day: The Rescue Artist

Just bought this book today. Its subtitle says it all: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece. The missing masterpiece in this case is one of the most famous modern painting: "The Scream" by Edvard Munch. I've just started. Should be a good read judging by the reviews.

BTW, I bought it at a deep discount from the iconic bookstore Stacey's in downtown SF. Probably my last purchase there since it's going out of business. It's really sad. I've read over hundreds of books and magazines there! (I bought about half a dozen) This bookstore will be missed by many San Franciscans.

Album of the day: Democracy is Dead

I have not been impressed by much new heavy bands lately but this band Dead by Wednesday deserves more listening because they make a good blend of hardcore and metal. The "Dead" in the band's name is probably inspired by Dead Kennedy? It's hard to imagine their music is not political! Check out the lyric of the title track. Definitely not subtle. Let's hope Mr. Obama will do a better job and these guys won't have a song about him.

Animal of the day: Hawaiian Petrel

Hawaiian Petrel is the reason why Hawaii is switching over from analog to digital TV today, a month earlier than the other states in US.

For those not familiar with the switch: starting Feb. 17th, all US TV stations that have been broadcasting analog over the air will switch to digital. When this happens, all analog transmission towers could be torn down. The government does not what this to happen during the nesting season of Hawaiian Petrel, an endangered bird species.

BTW, there have been talks from Obama's team about delaying the switch (not specific to Hawaii but the whole US) because (1) the fund for offering free digital-to-analog converter boxes has run out and (2) surveys show that a lot of people still don't understand the implication of the switch and won't be able to watch TV after the switch.

I have to disagree. This kind of "no one left behind" mentality is not always applicable! After all, it's just TV. No one will die from TV-less-ness. (For those who say people rely on TV for emergency info: have you forgotten something called radio?)

Tech of the day: how to surf web slower

You might ask if I am out of my right mind and who would want to do that. Answer: web application developers who want to make sure their apps work fine even when the connection is really slow.

Here is a Firefox plug-in for simulating a slow connection: Firefox Throttle

Topic of the day: prayer for the whole nation

There is an old saying "you can't please everyone" but as the US President-elect, Mr. Obama has to please everyone, I guess.

After inviting a pro-Prop. 8 (gay marriage ban) Reverend to his inauguration, he invited gay bishop Gene Robinson to offer a prayer at the Lincoln Memorial at an inaugural event. On one hand you could say he is trying to please everyone. On the other hand he might just pissed off everyone!

Anyway, I gotta praise Bishop Robinson for saying "I will be careful not to be especially Christian in my prayer. This is a prayer for the whole nation."

This is what I call open-mindedness, one thing that Prop. 8 supporter does not understand.

Album of the day: This meets that

Jazz great John Scofield is a guitar hero of mine. His straight-ahead album "Works for me" is one of my favorite but I have always enjoyed his live performances very much, whether he played straight-head jazz or more fusion/electric stuff.

For some reason I totally missed his 2007 release: "This Meets That," a primarily fusion album that also feature a horn section! Definitely an interesting album. I found the customer reviews on Amazon even more interesting: while most reviewers gave high praises, some are very critical. And the negative comments came from those who liked his prior releases, e.g. "A Go Go." Seems like the negativities have to do with his guitar playing being random or inconsistent, which as a big Sco fan, I do not totally disagree. I don't exactly get his 3 minute cover of Stone's "I Can't Get No Satisfaction"

Topic of the day: religious zealots strike again

If you condemn religious groups in California who pushed the passing of proposition 8 that takes away right to marriage from gay couples, you gotta be furious about what they do in Hong Kong: they are against extending the domestic violence law to protect gay couples.

So, why do they think homosexuals do not deserve to be protected from violence just like everyone else? One pastor from the Yan Fook Church said that such law will help spreading of AIDS! Can you believe this?