blades of blue

Smokin' Guns and Other Clues

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Tue, 14 May 2013 02:50:00 +0000

1. New Lover ~ Josh Ritter

2. Day Dreams ~ Midi Matilda

3. From California ~ The New Amsterdams

4. Red Hands ~ Walk Off the Earth

5. Green Garden ~ Laura Mvula

6. Fur Coat Blues ~ Jamestown Revival

7. Thrift Shop (feat. Wanz) ~ Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

8. Iron ~ Woodkid

9. Grace for Saints and Ramblers ~ Iron & Wine

10. Trouble Town ~ Jake Bugg

11. You Should've Seen the Other Guy ~ Nathaniel Rateliff

12. Ordinary Fool ~ Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis

13. Chez Keith Et Anita ~ Carla Bruni

14. Heart's Ease ~ Josh Ritter

15. Two Fingers ~ Jake Bugg

16. What Would I Do Without You ~ Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors

17. How'm I Gonna Get Back Home ~ He's My Brother She's My Sister

18. Safety Rope ~ Mick Flannery

19. Trojans ~ Atlas Genius

20. She ~ Laura Mvula

21. Bleeding Out ~ Imagine Dragons

22. Can't Hold Us (feat. Ray Dalton) ~ Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

When you are moving toward an objective...

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Sun, 05 May 2013 13:05:00 +0000

"When you are moving toward an objective it is very important to pay attention to the road. It is the road that teaches us the best way to get there, and the road enriches us as we walk its length."

The Pilgrimage - Paulo Coelho

The Signal and the Noise - Nate Silver

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Sat, 04 May 2013 22:44:00 +0000

I'm guessing that this is probably one of the more "dense" books that I will read this year in that it drifts a bit further into statistical theory then I would have thought i would typically enjoy. In the end though, I have to say that Nate Silver does a really good job of taking the topic of predictions and statistical theory and making it accessible through a slew of interesting examples such as baseball, earthquakes, weather forecasting, climate change and terrorism. Silver is the author of the NYT blog FiveThirtyEight, was named one of the 100 most influential people by Time magazine in 2009 and in the 2012 presidential election he correctly predicted the winner of all 50 states. He didn't do so bad in 2008 either, predicting 49 out of 50 states correctly as well as predicting 100% of the senate races. The man knows his stuff.

Simple Pleasures

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Sat, 04 May 2013 03:23:00 +0000

Back home and basking in some simple pleasures. Travel can be a burden sometimes but it also reinforces what you should truly appreciate.

One Life / Earth Day

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 01:56:00 +0000

As someone who works in the environmental space, I thought that taking the week of Earth Day and choosing a documentary that features the commonality, and really, when it comes down to it, the magical similarities across different species was an appropriate selection for last night. This preview has no spoken words. It pretty much doesn't need any.

Information Bias

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 03:24:00 +0000

The instinctual shortcut that we take when we have "too much information" is to engage with it selectively, picking out the parts we like and ignoring the remainder, making allies with those who have made the same choices and enemies of the rest.

- Nate Silver, The Signal and the Noise

Scholar

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 02:36:00 +0000

I'm not the only fan of a good book in our house by the way...

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 02:28:00 +0000

Rounding out my recent journey through Carlos Ruiz Zafón's novels, I finished off The Angel's Game a little while ago. Of the three, I think that I might put this as the second best, with The Shadow of the Wind as the top choice. All around though, if you are looking for an engaging author who brings a sets a good gothic/mystery tone, I would recommend any of his three novels.

Amazon.com description:

In an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man, David Martín, makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he has taken refuge in the world of books and spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city’s underworld. But perhaps his dark imaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deep within the house lie photographs and letters hinting at the mysterious death of the previous owner.

Like a slow poison, the history of the place seeps into his bones as he struggles with an impossible love. Close to despair, David receives a letter from a reclusive French editor, Andreas Corelli, who makes him the offer of a lifetime. He is to write a book unlike anything that has ever existed--a book with the power to change hearts and minds. In return, he will receive a fortune, and perhaps more. But as David begins the work, he realizes that there is a connection between his haunting book and the shadows that surround his home.

Shout out from the madness...

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 04:49:00 +0000

The last three days have been crazy: work in VA, flight home for a soccer game, score game winning goal almost at the buzzer, making flights by 10 minutes or less at multiple airports, squatting in a friend's house to take meetings as I run between airports and more. Through it all, my wife is a rock star helping me juggle impossibilities and make it look like a game of backyard catch. Easy, full of smiles, a little bit o'lemonade and just hanging in there riding the waves. This post is a simple shout out to her for helping me through the madness. Jozy is of course, excited to have you around Blades of Blue and just checking in every once in a while.

The Snow Clásico, The Sno-Fro Game, the...

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 02:50:00 +0000

Call it what you will, this will be one of the greatest soccer games I have ever been to. Pictures do it no justice. Words fall short. The tension of the moment, the need to win, backs against the wall, weather reaching historic and unheard of thresholds...it all came together in 90 minutes with 22 men on a field, one referee who decided it was ok to play, at least 18 men with shovels to keep the lines cleared and a blizzard. It was awesome. Pictures follow after this video that shows how crazy this game was from a field level view. Wow.

Walk to the stadium.

Pregame - this was before it got bad.

These smiles are not fake. I had at least 6 layers on and enjoyed every minute of it.

Cutest fans in the stadium?

Snow coming off the roof.

The leftovers.

The gang.

Mid game!

ESPN crew. Yeah, they look uncomfortable.

Fun in the snow!

I'ma take your grandpa's style (NSFW)

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 01:58:00 +0000

Yes, I like this song (Thrift Shop by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis). It qualifies as what some of you may think of as a guilty pleasure, what all of you will claim as NSFW (which I almost never, ever post), and a tune that I think almost everyone would agree is a really funky awesome rhythm...which even led my wife to say to me "...I can't believe you have me singing this chorus around the house."

For all of those reasons, this is worth your time...but probably only when you are at home and not sitting next to your co-workers, your mom or your children.

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 21:13:00 +0000

Say what you say plainly, and then take responsibility for it.

Ai Weiwei

The latest documentary in this year's list was Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, a film that explores the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, his work, his message and his impact on Chinese culture. The story is inspirational, his courage is contagious and if you are interested in art of any kind, liberty or the impact of technology on free speech and political and cultural change, this is a movie that you will enjoy without a doubt.

To top it off, following the movie, I made a point to visit some of this work that is currently on display in Washington DC during my last trip up there. Unfortunately, I missed his traveling exhibit by about 1 day...but the pieces I got to see were pretty awesome so I have nothing to really complain about. A couple photos below.

Me and the dragon, one of 12 zodiac heads in his piece Circle of Animals.

His Cube Light

His list of names, all of the children who died in poorly constructed schools as a result of the massive 2008 earthquake that hit Sichuan, China.

Two Graves - Preston & Child

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 01:18:00 +0000

I've been a fan of the Child/Preston Pendergast series for a while now so when the latest one (Two Graves) was released it was a no brainer to queue up and rip through. Which is what you do with these guys...they write thrillers that suck you into the action immediately and it doesn't stop until the last page. Escapism is a necessity sometimes.

Plot summary from Amazon.com (no real spoilers here as I think this is just sums up the intro/chapter 1, all the real twists come from other directions):

For twelve years, he believed she died in an accident. Then, he was told she'd been murdered. Now, FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast discovers that his beloved wife Helen is alive. But their reunion is cut short when Helen is brazenly abducted before his eyes. And Pendergast is forced to embark on a furious cross-country chase to rescue her.
But all this turns out to be mere prologue to a far larger plot: one that unleashes a chillingly-almost supernaturally-adept serial killer on New York City. And Helen has one more surprise in store for Pendergast: a piece of their shared past that makes him the one man most suited to hunting down the killer.

Nesting

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 16:00:00 +0000

For the last month or so Jozy has occasionally chosen to "hunt" my car while it is parked in or near our carport. The working theory has been that some sort of rodent or bird has taken up residence outside our house in the area near the carport, gets occasionally startled by Jozy and takes cover under the car. The last week, it has gotten worse and she now routinely jumps, puts her two front paws on the hood of the car and barks incessantly. Today, she started to crawl under the parked car frantically, to the point where I am pretty sure she was on the verge of getting stuck.

That was when we decided to open all of the doors, the hood, etc. and let Jozy explore and satisfy her curiosity to the point of exhaustion...hopefully resulting in convincing her that nothing is living in the car itself.

This did not succeed.

Apparently, something has been building a nest on top of my engine.

there's something moving...

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 18:43:00 +0000

Lots of new bands to kick off the year, with some of the names scraped from best of the year (2012) lists from various music blogs that I trust. Highlights like Alt-J, Django Django, Benjamin del Shreve and surprisingly enough to me, an American Idol winner are found on this one. A few of my standards found as well with The National and another track from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (my latest foray into hip hop).

1. Breezeblocks ~ Alt-J

2. Wandering Eyes ~ Kopecky Family Band

3. Paint ~ The Paper Kites

4. The Diamond ~ Benjamin Del Shreve

5. Home ~ Phillip Phillips

6. Feel Again ~ OneRepublic

7. We OK (feat. K'naan) ~ The Very Best

8. Heaven Knows ~ Tender Mercies

9. Default ~ Django Django

10. Driver, Surprise Me ~ The National

11. Something Good ~ Alt-J

12. Life's a Beach ~ Django Django

13. Lost Kid ~ The Apache Relay

14. Doused ~ DIIV

15. Get Up Get Down ~ Phillip Phillips

16. Sets Me Free ~ The Apache Relay

17. Iron Rail ~ Joseph Huber

18. Your Head and Your Heart ~ The Saint Johns

19. Bible On the Dash (feat. Hayes Carll) ~ Corb Lund

20. When I'm President ~ Ian Hunter & The Rant Band

21. Otherside (feat. Fences) [Ryan Lewis Remix] ~ Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Brooklyn Castle

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 17:48:00 +0000

An expiring story that touches on chasing your dreams, the financial crisis and how pressure and competitive environments reveal and shape your character. Check out this documentary about Intermediate School 318, an inner-city public school in NY that has won more national chess titles than I can count. Another great installment from my 2013 documentary kick.

The Paper Kites - Paint

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 19:23:00 +0000

I've been enjoying this song from the Australian band The Paper Kites recently. Something about the guitar work appeals to me...a mellow folk/indie sound for a lazy Sunday.

We were trying, but we're trying no more

It's cold on the floor, cold on the floor

This house has never been the same as before

It's never felt warm, never felt warm

There's something moving through the windows and walls

I've seen it before, seen it before

You left me living with a lingering soul,

how little you know, how little you know

Budrus

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 05:25:00 +0000

No matter how much I learn about the culture and politics of the Middle East, it just always remains a mystery to me. This film is about non-violent demonstrations which united a people during the early 2000s, conducted by the residents of a Palestinian town called Budrus and eventually included others from around the world, to protest against the building of the Israeli West Bank barrier inside of their village. Why this wall needed to be built through this town is never explained. How the people triumphed in this tale of unity across cultural lines and years of bloodshed is just pure inspiration. With that, I'll let the trailer speak for itself and leave yet another documentary on your doorstep with a highly recommended label.

A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain - Robert Olen Butler

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 02:41:00 +0000

I bought this book for my wife a year or so ago and randomly found it around Christmas time and decided to give it a shot. This is a collection of short stories which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1993, each told by a different Vietnamese immigrant who has settled in Louisiana. While it is not my typical leisure reading fare, I can see why it received the recognition. Each short story has its own unique form of narrative poetry. Butler is an excellent writer and pulls you into a different world with ease. It's fiction, but not my typical kind. I thought I would just grab one or two short stories at a time and then take a break but just like eating popcorn...I failed. Looking for something a little different? This might be for you.

Alt-J: Breezeblocks

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 05:38:00 +0000

So this video is wicked cool without the song. Add the song and it is that much better. These guys are from Britain and beyond that, I only know that they make some seriously cool music and that their name shares a keyboard shortcut. Seriously liking this song on a standard rotation these days.

Do you know where the wild things go
They go along to take your honey
Break down, now sleep, build up, breakfast
Now let’s eat, my love, my love love love
She bruises, coughs, she splutters
Pistol shots hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks
She’s morphine, queen of my vaccine, my love, my love love love

Boogie Man - The Lee Atwater Story

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 04:20:00 +0000

The latest documentary that made the rounds here is Boogie Man, the story of Lee Atwater, who was an advisor to President Reagan and Bush Snr. He was Karl Rove's mentor and chairman of the RNC. This movie explores Atwater's rise to power, his influence on modern politics, campaigns and the political rhetoric of our times. The movie is not as polished as some other documentaries I have seen recently, but the story and the background you get from watching it overshadow that fact by far. Also, fair warning: it doesn't necessarily paint the Republican party in a positive light be be forewarned if you are of that persuasion and decided to give it a shot. Ebert gave it solid reviews; and it gets solid marks on IMDB as well.

I recommend this for anyone who wants to understand some of the roots that make up the divide we live in today... Dig in and see "how the sausage is made..."

Namesake

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 20:37:00 +0000

Jozy's namesake is Jozy Altidore. The other day I walked by my office door and found her day dreaming about the Champion's League.

Don't Default to that Django

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 05:03:00 +0000

I love finding new music via year end lists from some of my recurring musical reads. I've seen this one on a few different sources so I cannot attribute it to a specific source. Django Django are a Scottish band based out of London and I'm guessing that this song Default is anything but the norm for most of your daily fare. Check it out.

Inside Job

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 05:24:00 +0000

Continuing on the documentary theme, we watched Inside Job this past weekend, a...

...2010 documentary film about the late-2000s financial crisis directed by Charles H. Ferguson. The film is described by Ferguson as being about "the systemic corruption of the United States by the financial services industry and the consequences of that systemic corruption." In five parts, the film explores how changes in the policy environment and banking practices helped create the financial crisis.

I don't have much to say about this film that will not include a superlative. It does a remarkable job of making a complex web of financial instruments easy to understand. So easy that after you understand it, and the greed that triggered their creation and manipulation, you are left disturbed, educated and of course, entertained. If you're a lay person and you want to understand how we got to where we are today with the financial crisis, this movie is a must. Trailer below.

Looking for a great book on the subject? Try The Big Short by Michael Lewis.

A Catalan NY Times-Picayune #Longread

noreply@blogger.com (William LaBar) — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 04:22:00 +0000

I shared this link on Twitter a few days ago but wanted to post it here as well. This movie just seemed especially relevant after watching the 60 Minutes report this past weekend on Sunday on the cutbacks and focus on digital media that has caused an uproar related to the Times-Picayune, established in 1837 (!).

As someone who has refocused my reading on paper based books this past year, I have an emotional attachment to the idea of a newspaper I guess. Although the concept of reading physical paper books is not something I switched back to for simply emotional reasons. And truth be told, when I watched the 60 Minutes story, I found myself reflecting on the fact that paper-print journalism is not the only way to achieve quality journalism...

Anyways, here is an excellent documentary on The New York Times as it grapples with the similar pressures that led to these changes to the Times-Picayune. Highly, highly recommended.

PS: Semi-related, I find myself wondering sometimes what it says about our attention span as a society that multi-page articles have led to the introduction of the phrase #longreads into our vocabulary.

PPS: ...and for you soccer fans out there, did you catch the Barca piece on 60 Minutes as well?!? Cool stuff. Ives posted it here in case you missed it.