When Did Architects Stop Designing Buildings?

I was looking forward to the results of the White House Redux competition for quite some time. Basically, the competition asked architects to redesign a presidential home / symbol of national power. The guy that won threw together what looks to be the CAD equivalent of animated gifs. Check out his crappy video.

I am fine with whacko art. I really am. I just thought that architects, even crazy ones, would actually design a structure. As far as I can tell, the grand prize is part 1990s webpage, part anime, part malformed and misinformed politcal commentary, and completely useless self-indulgent computer doodles. Where do architects get off thinking they are 1) artists and 2) legitimate critics of anything?

iTunes Genius Mode

So you may be the type that doesn't like your data floating around cyberspace, but I just downloaded iTunes 8.0 and already love the Genius function, which automatically generates playlists based on any song you chose. It can also provide recommendations from the iTunes store. I haven't really used pandora before but it sounds like the same concept. What I like is I can match a mood with songs with zero effort, and results at initial testing seem solid. You know they can't go too wrong because they are using all of your music, but a lot of good stuff I wouldn't have thought up came to the surface as well. Creating your own playlists is so August 2008.

Here is the playlist that came up when I selected Smashing Pumpkins "Landslide."

Landslide Smashing Pumpkins
Yellow Ledbetter Pearl Jam
About A Girl Nirvana
A Long December Counting Crows
Across the Universe Rufus Wainwright
The Freshmen The Verve Pipe
Don't Go Away Oasis
She Don't Use Jelly The Flaming Lips
The Scientist (Live) Aimee Mann
Gravity Rides Everything Modest Mouse
Tonight, Tonight Smashing Pumpkins
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town Pearl Jam
Time Is Running Out Muse
Round Here Counting Crows
Lover I Don't Have to Love Bright Eyes
Lucky Radiohead
All Apologies Nirvana
Babylon (iTunes Originals Version) David Gray
Better Man Pearl Jam
Don't Look Back in Anger Oasis
Where It's At Beck
Wonderwall Ryan Adams
6th Avenue Heartache The Wallflowers
Zero Smashing Pumpkins
Hash Pipe Weezer

Free Conference Calling -- What!?

So I was trying to figure out how to get my whole family on a conference call this evening (all 8 of us, mostly in different places) and I came across this sweet service PowWow Now. It's 100% free. There is no advertising, no signing up, nothing. You just call the number 1 641 715 3777, come up with a 6 to 9 digit pin, tell you friends and you all call in and enter the pin. Standard call rates apply (which on cells is free) and apparently they make money from some sort of reimbursement they get from telecoms. I'll let you know if it doesn't work or if there are some adverse affects, but trying it out once and cruising the site it seems 100% awesome.

Where are the terrorists?

Underrated Science Fiction?

The most underrated science fiction movies, according to Marginal Revolution:

1. Primer - Hmm, seems interesting, but super indie.
2. Aeon Flux - Underrated? Besides Theron in latex, seems like the rest is irredeemable.
3. Body Snatchers - 1990s goodness!
4. Tron - "Soon the ultimate tool will become the ultimate enemy!" -- there is hope for me yet.
5. Sleeper - WTF? I have never liked Woody Allen.
6. eXistenZ - Weak "science fiction" framework for Jennifer Jason Leigh to get naughty.
7. A Boy and His Dog - "A rather kinky tale of survival." O RLY?
8. Enemy Mine - "Brothers because they dared to be." I don't think it works that way.
9. Gattaca - I like it to, but I don't think it is underrated, and if it was, surely it beats Aeon Flux.
10. Silent Running - "Meet the almost human drones..." Errrr....

All in all, that list sucks. He tries to redeem himself with some additions:

"My picks would have been Mission to Mars and Titan A.E. Sunshine is also quite good and not so well known. At times I regard What Dreams May Come as science fiction."

Titan A.E. What a turd.