Whilst passing through the living room, I caught the last moments of a Nike commercial that ended with the tagline, “Run barefoot.” As a semi-hardcore barefooter, and cofounder of Minnesota’s only barefoot hiking club, this intrigued me. Was Nike–the world’s largest shoe manufacturer and sweatshop operator–actually encouraging people to unshod themselves and exercise in the healthiest manner for their feet? So I looked into it a little more. Alas, no. Noting the success of the Stanford track team’s barefoot training program, Nike designed a shoe that simulates being barefoot. Called the Free (and you can bet it won’t be anywhere near free in the stores), the shoe “combines nature with technology to simulate the act of running barefoot on grass helping to strengthen muscles, prevent injury and improve overall athletic performance for a multitude of sports.” A quote from the press release:
This shoe is unbelievable. It feels like you are not wearing anything on your feet, but it gives you a lot of support.
You know what also feels like not wearing anything on your feet? Going barefoot! Anyone who spends $80 on a pair of shoes so they can pretend they’re barefoot deserves to have their arches and hamstrings wither away, and to have their toes plagued by fungus, and to have their feet smell like a cow’s behind. When you shut a body in a coffin and place it in a dark, damp place, it moulders and decays. And that’s exactly what happens to feet when they’re kept locked in foot coffins.
The Nike Free is the ultimate in consumer stupidity: wear a shoe to simulate not wearing a shoe. Hey, how about this, you marketing geniuses? How about a meal that leaves you still feeling hungry? Or transparent clothes that simulate being naked?
Idiots.
the back yard from my pov following a hard day’s work.
The Graduate
Originally uploaded by olivander.
O: What’s the gold ribbon for?
A: Oh, something cum laude. It has to do with my grade point.
AND she already has a job lined up. This kid is a parent’s dream.
Booked Up
Originally uploaded by olivander.
We visited Booked Up in Archer City, TX–probably for the last time, as they are set to close indefinitely Dec 31. Made several excellent finds, among them Bernard Heuvelman’s “On the Track of Unknown Animals”, “Willie Ley’s Exotic Zoology”, a first English Edition of Lowell’s “Democracy and Other Essays”, and a first edition “Treatise on the Gods,” by H.L. Mencken.
There are only a handful of these speed demons in existence, and there’s one at the dealership in Lawton, OK. 550hp. Base price: $139,000.
Pass the Goo
Originally uploaded by olivander.
A cow-orker of mine brought this back from a trip to China. They’re really crackers, like Goldfish, but shrimp-shaped and -flavored.
A blank concrete wall behind the new Arts Center has become a popular
canvas for graffiti. Rather hypocritically, the Arts Center people
have been power-spraying the designs away. So much for encouraging
art. From the work I’ve seen, many spray-paint taggers are much more
talented than many “real” artists. One group puts their artwork
indoors, the other puts theirs outdoors. I think it’s time to tear
down the walls and integrate art with our environments. I thank the
taggers for adding a splash of colors to my morning walk. If not for
them, it’d be just another dreary grey wall contributing to the
color-neutralization of our cities.
Anyway, I saw this new piece of graffiti on the wall this morning.
Roughly, it says, “It is prohibited to contaminate the mind with
publicity.”
Our occasional Washington correspondent Jean phones in with this report:
Now houses are exploding in Maryland.
Gas Leaks Identified in Pr. George’s
By Nancy Trejos
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, April 23, 2005; Page B01
Washington Gas has found about 1,400 active leaks in underground service lines within a 100-square-mile area of Prince George’s County, according to a report the utility sent late yesterday to the Maryland Public Service Commission.
The leaks are not considered hazardous because the vapor remains underground and has not migrated into homes or buildings, Washington Gas spokesman Tim Sargeant said after releasing the 33-page report. The company plans to repair all leaks within six months, the report said.
Washington Gas has been under scrutiny since a District Heights house exploded in March after its residents complained of a gas odor. Since then, company officials have acknowledged that they had noticed an increase in the number of leaks in the county a year and a half ago.
Good luck selling your houses over the next six months, folks! Note that the leaks are not considered hazardous because they’re confined to underground–slowly accumulating and building up in concentration. (rubs chin) Hmmm, what else do we know of that operates on the same principal?
I must confess that I haven’t done a very good job of observing TV Turnoff Week, but what can I say? I has to have my Daily Show fix. However if you have given up television for lent–or are just too frightened by images of the scary new pope to turn it on–and if you happen to live in the Philadelphia area, why not stop by The Jaunt and partake in some of their festivities? An old cellmate of mine is participating, and you can gaze in wonderment at the fact that my tiny hometown turned out such a high percentage of weirdos.
