NYC Latino Hoods

by Erik Olsen on

If a picture is worth a thousand words then a bunch of pictures put to audio has got to be worth, uh, more than that. In the case of this audio slideshow from the San Francisco Chronicle, the value is higher than an article, but let’s say a bit less than video.

Seth Kugel and Carolina Gonzalez are the authors of the book “Nueva York: The Complete Guide to Latino Life in the Five Boroughs” and in this entertaining and relatively short audio slideshow they introduce us to places in New York City where Latino culture is thriving with the smells of churrasco and cheese in the air.

Having lived in New York for some time now, I have to say it’s rather pathetic of me that I don’t know all these places, but the slideshow here provided some nice impetus to check them out.

Man vs. Wild

by Erik Olsen on

I’m just not sure we need another man v nature show. Handsome, strapping dudes with rippled abs heading out in to the wilderness to test their mettle against nature. The Amazing Race, the Croc Hunter (RIP), Survivor…even if this one has a vibe of authenticity, there’s just something about all this that reeks of artificiality, of marketing and showmanship. In the upcoming program Man vs. Wild, “seasoned adventurer” Bear Grylls (really? His name is bear?) strands himself in places that tourists sometimes go and where danger lurks around every…um…Burger King. And then, Herr Bear finds clever McGuiverian ways to escape. For example, we learn from the show’s site that he will escape quicksand in the Moab desert, he’ll navigate dangerous river currents in Costa Rica, and build a snow shelter in the Alps. We also learn that Bear: “is a Karate black belt, served three years with the Special Air Service, a special forces unit of the British Army, during which time he broke his back in three places while parachuting over Southern Africa“.

I could be wrong, this new show could be great, but to me, the only way I would really be interested is if he could REALLY REALLY die. I mean, why go to all the trouble and pretense if we all know that he’s probably never going to hurt himself. Yes, yes I know that Steve Irwin took one for the team recently and that helps make the case that these guys really do put themselves in danger, but I’m guessing that won’t be the case with this show. I’m guessing that most everything will be preplanned and made as safe as can be. Yes, yes, that’s fine. I mean, I don’t WANT to see someone get hurt. It’s just that when these shows market the notion to you that everything really is dangerous when we know it’s really not, well, it just has the whiff of fast food.

Diving Antarctica Video

by Erik Olsen on

It’s a cold, forbidding place where the sun shines all day round in summer and penguins (NOT polar bears) gawk and stare at new arrivals with sardonic curiosity. I am talking about, of course, Antarctica, the seventh continent, that massive hunk of land and ice down at the bottom of the planet where few (but increasingly more and more), people go. And while most visitors take trips on large steel vessels that take them through the icy seas where they stand on deck snapping pictures, National Geographic Traveler’s Boyd Matson decides to suit up in a dry suit and check out the scene underwater.

In this series of videos, you can see what Matsen sees as he plunges into 30-degree waters to check out the bizarre creatures that live in the surprisingly rich Antarctic underwater environment. And bizarre they are. We’re not talking the typical fare here of Great Whites roaming about with hungry stares (although there are killer whales), but about the wee little creatures that make up the nourishing net of life down there. Having been to Antarctica myself, but have NOT dived it, I found these rather satisfying little video bits, especially for the scuba fans out there.

Cinematical Reviews A Good Year

by Erik Olsen on

I am a devoted, passionate fan of Ridley Scott’s films. Sorry to say, but like many guys, I have watched Gladiator, oh, probably 10-15 times. I can’t say why exactly I so love this film, other than the fact that there is something about it that is very stirring to my genetic heritage with it’s scenes of vigorous carnage and dudes battling it out with spears, clubs and all manner of killing instruments.

There is also a heart-lifting underdog theme in the film that just makes me all giddy. But that aside, it seems as though my favorite director has got a new film out based on, of all things, a Peter Mayle novel. Sounds squishy, doesn’t it? Well, according to this fine review of the new film, called A Good Year, over at Cinematical, it is squishy. The film is about some hard-driving stock-broker who has to choose between the vigorous city life of London and a mega-bucks career and the possibility of living the easy life (and running a vineyard) in Provence (Mayle’s familiar territory).

Definitely NOT your typical Ridley Scott fare. As Cinematical puts in “A Good Year seems a little too delicate a soufflé for Scott, who seems to be more of a meat-and-potatoes director.” OK, fine. But does that mean you shouldn’t see it? Well, the film does star Russell Crowe, so even if its a big soft around the mid-section, it probably still worth it.

Killer Whale Mystery

by Erik Olsen on

Neil blogged about whales recently, so I figured I would too. In this case ,though ,we’re not talking about whales in the technical sense, since Killer Whales, or Orcas, are actually from the dolphin family. But they are large sea -borne mammals none the less.

What’s happening, according to this compelling National Geographic Web video, is that killer whales who normally make a trip to the waters of California’s Monterey Bay, are arriving much earlier than before. They are also arriving in fewer numbers, and are often ill.

A bad omen for the future of the planet? Are these animals the proverbial canaries in the coalmine? Well, biologists don’t know for sure, but it’s always good idea to keep your self educated on such matters, should you have to go out and stock up on canned food.