Do you know how many minutes there are in a year?  If you answered 525,600, then you probably know Jonathan Larson’s musical Rent and its signature song, “Seasons of Love.”  I myself am a fan of the Chris Columbus movie from 2005, but I know there are others (no doubt more obsessed Rentheads than I am) who aren’t.  Those folks should be glad to know that Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway, which played in theaters in 2008 is now on DVD and Blu-ray.  As Broadway fans know, very few stage productions are commercially released, and often the shows get made into mediocre movies that make some people wonder what the fuss is about.  Face it, we’re fortunate that we’ll have both a pretty-darn-faithful movie and a stage production on both DVD and Blu-ray DVD, and in my mind the fact that the movie has almost all the original principals sets it apart from most other Broadway-based movies.  To see Anthony Rapp leading “La Vie Boheme,” or to see the cast singing “Seasons of Love” or “No Day but Today” is incredibly moving.  On the other hand, this new version gives us a talented young cast in a live stage environment, singing all the music that was cut out of the movie (watch the first 8.5 minutes below). It’s an embarrassment of riches!  Then again, few musicals would deserve the double treatment better than Rent, which defined Broadway for an entirely new generation.

You know how when people ask you what you watch on TV, and the talk turns to acclaimed and well-made stuff that you’re proud to be associated with: Battlestar Galactica, 30 Rock, Breaking Bad, Lost … you know what I’m talking about.

Well, I’m going to own it: I’m watching the just-launched season of Make Me a Supermodel, and it’s awesome! (See it free here.) It’s a “reality” show, so there are no pesky scripts — just beautiful people who have to frequently disrobe, make and endure Zoolander-ish statements and lust after/loathe their competition. You know, ’cause that’s what models do, right? As I write this, I’m streaming an episode called “Eye Candy” from Amazon Video On Demand, and it’s literal: the contestants must “embody” sugary delights with the help of body paint, glitter and attitude. In the previous episode, they had to create intimate (but not too intimate) moments in a giant clear cube elevated by a crane. Last season, they had to pose underwater with giant snakes (I am not making this up!), so I can only imagine what the future holds.

Come on, admit it: What’s your guilty pleasure? (American Idol counts, as far as I’m concerned.) – Stephanie Reid-Simons, Amazon Video On Demand

Whether you are a Netflix customer who prefers the disc through the mail approach, the streaming content service through your computer or other devices, or a combination of both, in my opinion the one thing that customers can probably agree on is that browsing for movies on the Netflix site leaves something to be desired. I’m sure that the powers that be over at ‘Little Red’ are aware of this, at least I hope that they are. You would think that they would have done something about it already, but not really. Personally I resorted a long time ago to using other sites to browse for movies, then when I have a title I want I search Netflix by name. This is just a guess on my part, but with the jump in subscriptions that Netflix has seen due to the expansion of their streaming functionality it looks as if they have decided to rely on other sites to help customers as well. The following from Michael Hart, Director of Engineering at Netflix on the Netflix blog:

“How many times have you read about a great movie on a web site and then forgotten to add it to your queue? Netflix has partnered with some of the web’s top movie sites so you can add movies to your queue or start watching them instantly with just one click. We’re very excited about our first two partners, The New York Times and Rotten Tomatoes, and we’ll be continuing on our quest to help you get the most out of your Netflix subscription wherever you find great movies.”

The screen caps below are from the two sites mentioned above. Like Hart says this is a very good start when it comes to increasing access and speed of access to the titles consumers want. The Times site lets you tap into both your queue and Netflix’s ‘watch instantly’ functionality, while Rotten Tomatoes lets you add to your queue. These partnerships are a great move that gives even easier access to content than before. I only hope that we’ll see more of it in the months to come.

The Kindle 2 started shipping in earnest yesterday, and many who’ve been keeping abreast of the e-book reader may be wondering what exactly makes it differ from its predecessor besides it’s looks.  Instead of giving it a formal gadget review, we decided to do a side-by-side feature comparison between the Kindle and the Kindle 2 to help you understand better how the device has improved over the past year.

So for the curious, here briefly is a rundown of the most important changes and new features in the Kindle 2:

Obvious Stuff: The Cosmetics

It’s thin.  Real thin.  The original Kindle was a little less than an inch (0.7″) at its thickest point and it tapered on one side.  The Kindle 2 is about a third of an inch (0.36″) all the way across, about the thickness of a magazine.  The back now has a stainless steel finish, removing the potential battery cover mishaps a few users were experiencing.  The interface is much cleaner, replacing the scroll wheel and animated side cursor with mirrored side buttons and a simple five-way rocker switch.  A lot of functions are consolidated to this rocker switch, letting you pull up, navigate, and select items in popup menus.

The 6″-diagonal screen is the same size but supports more shades of grey–16 shades versus the original Kindle’s 4–making graphics easier on the eyes and making image-heavy content like blogs much more pleasant to read.

Faster Pages

The Kindle 2 just plain runs faster, with 20% faster page turns.  It’s one of those statistics that doesn’t necessarily stand out on paper; but having both Kindles side-by-side, believe me it makes a difference.

Longer Battery

The battery lasts about 25% longer in the new Kindle.  That means four days of reading with the wireless turned on, and up to two weeks with the wireless antenna turned off.

Text-to-Speech

Now the Kindle will even read your books to you.  The text-to-speech function features a male and female voice that will recite book content through the onboard speaker or connected headphones.  The text-to-speech works surprisingly well, though I personally found the male voice to be a little less “robotic”.

No Memory Card Slot

You can play MP3s on the Kindle 2, but keep the 1.4 GB capacity in mind because the SD card slot has been removed in this version.  Amazon backs up all your content purchases, though, so you can make room where you need to.

Web Browsing

Amazon’s “Whispernet” 3G network will now let you peruse web pages in addition to downloading books.  Wikipedia, Dictionary.com, and more are browsable right on the Kindle with no data plan or bills.  I’m not going to lie–the web functionality’s pretty limited and it’s never going to replace a dedicated web browsing device, but it’s great if you want to look up a word in a book you’re reading, looking for a quick recipe, or want more background on the topic at hand.
Want to know more?  Learn more about the Kindle 2 on Amazon.com.

Seriously? Apparently so - some people have actually broken the cat-leash barrier. Here is the editorial review of the official guide to walking your cat:

Walk Your Cat - The Complete Guide is written for indoor cat owners who want to give their cats access to the outdoors by taking them for walks on a leash. While it is often believed that cats can’t be leash-trained, Walk Your Cat shows that taking your cat for a walk does not have to be a drag. This book is unique in that the authors have developed a thorough, easy-to-follow approach to walking cats that is solidly grounded in the current scientific understanding of feline behavior. Following their approach, you can allow your cats to enjoy a full range of natural behaviors while on walks, making their lives richer and healthier. But, Walk Your Cat is more than just a training guide. Getting to the heart of feline behavior to show you how cats can be leash-trained, the book offers readers a new window into the inner lives of their cats–as well as insights into the important and natural role that walks on a leash have to play in the life of the modern indoor cat.

What it is: The 22nd 007 film, Quantum of Solace which picks up just minutes after the death of Bond’s love, Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale. Through an on-the-edge-of-your-seat, heart-racing car chase involving the Italian countryside and a beautiful Aston Martin, we are introduced to a very different, very dark Bond. Magnificently played once again by Daniel Craig, James Bond is hell bent on revenge as he tracks down the people who were responsible for Vesper’s death. After capturing and interrogating, Mr. White; M and Bond make a startling discovery involving the secret organization, Quantum. This leads him to Haiti where he meets the mysterious Camille (Olga Kurylenko) whose motives for revenge are one in the same with Bond. He is ultimately forced to abandon M’s (Judi Dench) orders and act on his own accord. With MI6 following his every move as he is now considered a major threat to friend and foe; the trail takes Bond to Bolivia and finally Russia where he learns the truth behind Quantum and the death of Vesper.


Why it’s significant: Say goodbye to the slapstick comedy and double entendre of Bond films past and say hello to a new era in 007. Say goodbye to the infamous names like Pussy Galore, Xenia Onatopp, and Plenty O’Toole. This latest installment gives us Camille. Just plain Camille; who Bond never appears to even think about a quick romp with. Quantum of Solace continues what Casino Royale started, taking us to deeper and darker places than previous Bond films. This is mainly due to art house director Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball, The Kite Runner). Daniel Craig is still as muscular and suave as ever, but he plays a Bond who emerges from a tragedy as more of an action hero (think Jason Bourne) than a man in a tuxedo with fancy gadgets. The action scenes are superb and the scenery sensational (Quantum was filmed in 6 different countries). Oh, and did I mention the Aston Martin?

This week, Philips introduced the two newest additions to their popular GoGear line.  The compact GoGear Ariaz (pictured) sports a 2-inch full-color screen and employs a hybrid control scheme consisting of touchscreen buttons and a large rocker key.  The Ariaz also has radio and voice recording features, and will launch in 4, 8, and 16GB sizes.  Philips’ other new player, the GoGear Opus, comes equipped with a 2.8-inch QVGA display–the largest in the GoGear series.  The Opus has larger storage options as well, and will ship in 8, 16, and 32GB sizes.  Like the Ariaz, the Opus will come with FM radio and voice recording functionality, but the Bluetooth stereo audio output will make it a bit more flexible than its smaller-screened counterpart.  In a nod to more discerning listeners, Philips will bundle a pair of high-definition sound-isolating earphones with both players; allowing owners to capitalize on the proprietary MP3-enhancing FullSound technology found at the heart of the Opus and Ariaz.  While American availability has yet to be announced, our European readers will be able to pick up one of Philips’ new GoGears this April.  Pricing will range from 79 to 129 euros for the Ariaz, and 99 to 179 euros for the Opus.

Today, tucked away in the New York Times was a short piece printed from their City Room blog by 77-year-old literary lion Gay Talese chronicling his recent efforts to help New York’s panhandlers improve their signage.

“As I strolled past Bernard L. Madoff’s apartment house in the East 60s the other day on my way to cash a check at my neighborhood bank on Madison Avenue and 63rd Street, I was greeted by a middle-aged panhandler who sat on the sidewalk leaning against the bank’s brick wall waving a plastic cup in my direction”

As you might imagine, there are some lively comments both championing and jeering the notion of Mr. Talese in all his sartorial splendor handing out dollar bills along with eye-popping copy written on the backs of “laundry board that the dry cleaner sends home with my shirts” to the city’s homeless population.

(Full disclosure: Gay Talese is one my literary heroes and of all the wonderful writers who’ve crossed my path, meeting Mr. Talese remains one of my fondest memories. And when he stopped by our offices to talk about A Writer’s Life, he did indeed pull out strips of those famous laundry boards to write down our names and take random notes.)

Some observations of “Talese-isms” from his City Room piece that I’m still mulling over:

• In our ATM culture, I can’t recall the last time I conducted bank business with an actual bank teller but naturally Mr. Talese still cashes checks in person.
• A double mention of his famous strips of laundry board that he uses to take notes!
• A reference to a computer (and a printer). For a man taking notes on laundry boards, I assumed he would be using a typewriter or Dictaphone.
• “I took down the names and phone numbers of many of my street clients.” Who knew so many panhandlers have phone numbers?

Despite the fact that tonight’s listings are shot for all non-West Coasters (my apologies for the unintentional bias), here’s a rundown of notable author appearances on the telly this week.

Monday, February 16
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Daniel Sperling, author of Two Billion Cars: Driving Toward Sustainability [Repeat from 2/11/09]

The Colbert Report

Adam Gopnik, author of Angels and Ages: A Short Book About Darwin, Lincoln, and Modern Life [Repeat from 2/12/09]

Tavis Smiley

Former President Jimmy Carter, author of We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work

Tuesday, February 17

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Walter Isaacson, author of Einstein: His Life and Universe [Repeat from 2/9/09]

The Colbert Report

Steven Pinker, author of The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature [Repeat from 2/11/09]

Thursday, February 18
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Thomas Ricks, author of The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008 [Repeat from 2/10/09]

Growing up in Seattle’s suburbs circa 1990, Faythe Levine came of age in an era of zines and riot grrrls.

By the mid-’90s, this DIY culture of creative expression had sparked the indie craft movement that–fueled by the Internet’s connective power and the commercial platform of sites like Etsy.com–grew into a full-on revolution. By 2006, Levine was a crafter herself, and so inspired by the amazing work she saw
happening in the wider community that she hit 15 cities across America to interview and film independent artists and crafters at work.

Levine’s documentary, Handmade Nation, premiered in her current hometown of Milwaukee, WI, on February 3, and screened three times this weekend at New York’s Museum of Arts and Design. Buzz had been building since ‘07 thanks to the YouTube trailer and the massively connected, supportive nature of the underground craft culture, so those of us who care passionately about handmade crafts and people who make them have been anxiously eying the film’s screening schedule–and consoling ourselves in the meantime with the film’s fantastic companion book, co-authored by Levine and Cortney Heimerl and released last fall.

Starting with a timeline of the movement’s exponential development (and a brilliant Craftifesto from
DIYtrunkshow.com), the book presents photo-rich interviews and profiles of crafters from every region, punctuated by essays on the role of the handmade in modern life from craftivists such as Andrew Wagner, editor-in-chief of American Craft magazine, and Callie Janoff, cofounder and NYC minister of the Church of Craft.

Literally making your living with your hands takes formidable resourcefulness, skill, and endurance, but all of these crafty people seem to feel such deep satisfaction–from making something from start to finish, tapping into a creative force, making personal connections with other crafters and buyers, reimagining the cast-offs of consumer culture, and creating a thriving economy outside the traditional corporate structure. Just reading about their experiences feels profoundly empowering.

• Get the book
• Watch the film trailer on YouTube
• Visit the Handmade Nation blog
• Read a marvelous interview with Faythe and Cortney on design*sponge