Author Archives: skierpage

About skierpage

As you might guess, my site is mine. My Schema.org info is at .

cars: salespeople that don’t sell cars you can’t get

2013 trip to dealer Scene: in front of one Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid out of many that’s close to the spec I want.Me: I’m thinking of ordering this hybrid in a different color. Can I just sit in it?Salesperson: please, yes! … Continue reading

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music: the Most Unwanted Song endures

Way back in 1977 I read a brief article in Wired magazine about artists Komar & Melamid‘s project to make the most unwanted song (and most wanted song) based on a rigorous consumer preference survey. When I got to “an … Continue reading

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art: Franz Kline’s best work in years, done by AI

“Painting of a black cat with white markings sitting on a chair” is the best thing Franz Kline has painted in 60 years! Love the coiled energy and the furry tail on the left. This is the best of 9 … Continue reading

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software: where’s my ARchitect identifier?

One of the oft-touted promises of Google Glass and other Augmented Reality headsets is you’ll look at something and the headset will indicate or say what it is. Meanwhile in the real world, a friend posts great cityscape photographs and … Continue reading

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music: tracing samples and beats

I knew the Beastie Boy’s Paul’s Boutique is the apotheosis of sampling; now https://www.whosampled.com/Beastie-Boys/B-Boy-Bouillabaisse/samples/ lays out all 26 samples. You can also explore J Dilla’s dense samples on the site. It still feels strange to me that artists hear a … Continue reading

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music: a return for Spinal Tap!

zOMG there will be a sequel to This is Spinal Tap. After 38 years, it can only be even sadder than the band’s first tour film; the original was another product of 1984, the high point of Western civilization. This … Continue reading

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cars: Mercedes EQS is another big blob EV

First Mercedes EQS spotted! I joined in online making fun of its front clip that looks like a Honda Civic, but in the flesh it’s quite nice. Like the Lucid Air (I haven’t seen one of those yet), it’s a … Continue reading

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art: market is flash stuff on the wall

For $0 I’m glad I went, but https://artmarketsf.com/ was overwhelming to the point of underwhelming. Some nice Wayne Thiebaud prints, someone painting Diebenkorn “Ocean Park”-like landscapes side-on, …? All blur together. (And no Deborah Butterfield horse sculpture from Gallery Paule … Continue reading

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web: LiveJournal was taken over by Russians !?!!

I tried to login to eBay for the first time in years, without success; it didn’t recognize my username or e-mail. https://monitor.firefox.com/ doesn’t think I was part of an eBay password breach, but it did report I was a victim … Continue reading

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music: the B-52’s loss

I forgot how great the B-52’s briefly were and what an excellent album Cosmic Thing is. Beyond the smash “Love Shack” (produced by Don Was) with Cindy Wilson’s immortal “Tin roof, rusted!” are several more great songs, including the eco-optimistic … Continue reading

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