bookofjoe

Nike needs to hire Geppetto

If you're gonna charge $250 for a pair of top of the line running shoes, the least you can do is use decent glue on the soles.

Above, exemplars of two different pairs of Nikes I purchased in the last couple years, each of which has had the contact surfaces of the soles detach from the foam underneath.

I just noticed the green shoe's rubber piece was coming off yesterday; the shoe closer to Gray Cat has just 1 (one) of the original 4 (four) black rubber tiles still in situ (the other shoe of this pair lost all [ALL] of its black tiles a long time ago: as I recall, I noticed the first one to be coming loose within a month of buying them).

Sure, I can repair them with ShoeGoo (below)

but that gets old when you have to keep doing it over and over.

Shape up, Nike!

MarketScreener

A lot going on here.

Free, the way we like it.

Fair warning: there goes the day.

'Tortillas Construction Module' — Damián Ortega

Damián Ortega, 43, was born and lives in Mexico City, Mexico.

He created 'Tortillas Construction Module' in 1998 using corn tortillas.

The piece is in the collection of the Guggenheim Museum, New York City.

Experts' Expert: Jacques Pépin shows how to fry an egg

It's what's for breakfast.

SocketStation

Bluelounge makes great stuff: quality build, nice looking, functional.

From their website:

A socket accessory shelf with built-in cable management

Keep your counters clear and your device safe.

The convenient, easy-to-install shelf replaces your existing outlet faceplate.

Cord neatly wraps under the base for a seamless appearance.

Create an instant charging station anywhere in your home or office.

Perfect for smart hubs, phones, electric toothbrushes, and any other small electronic devices requiring a socket.

Ideal for Amazon Echo, Google Home, or other small devices, the SocketStation can hold up to 3 pounds and is engineered to neatly manage excess cords seamlessly within the interior of the shelf.

Convenient and space-saving: The SocketStation is an instant space maker for bathrooms, kitchens, offices, and bedrooms, and is perfect for holding any device or hub.

Easy to use: Simply remove the lid, wrap any extra cord, plug it in, and establish your device's new home.

Cords fit neatly through the channel for easy access to the outlet and a sleek, organized look.

Features and Details:

• 5.875" x 4.5" x 4"

• Holds devices up to 3 lbs.

• Fits most standard U.S. outlets

• Includes two faceplates (below)

$12.99.

Sign of the Apocalypse: Cheetos Mac'nCheese

From Cheetos: 

Your favorite snack is now a cheesy mac!

Introducing Cheetos Mac 'n Cheese.

Bold, creamy, and full of Cheetos flavor, this is the mac you've been dreaming of for lunch, dinner, and anytime in between.

Get your paws on a microwaveable cup or box of this deliciousness today!

Cup or Box: 96 cents.

Gerhard Richter's Tholey Abbey Choir Windows

[The choir windows of Tholey Abbey in Germany, with a new design by Gerhard Richter.]

From the New York Times:

A Stained-Glass Gift From God and Gerhard Richter

The monks of a German abbey hope new windows by the renowned artist will draw visitors and secure the community's future.

 For Abbot Mauritius Choriol, the new church windows ceremoniously inaugurated last Saturday at Tholey Abbey are a gift: from God, from two generous patrons, and from Gerhard Richter.

The three windows [top] — with deep reds and blues prevailing on the two outer displays and the central one dominated by radiant gold — are made in stained glass to a symmetrical design by Mr. Richter, the revered German artist.

"Abstract art is not normally my thing," said the abbot, who oversees Tholey Abbey. "But you don't need to be an art expert to appreciate the qualities of these."

In the days since the installation was completed on September 10, the abbey's monks have been able to enjoy the windows in peace.

But if all goes according to plan, that will change: The windows, at more than 30 feet tall, play a key role in the monks' plan to secure the abbey's future by turning it into a center for hospitality and education.

From October, the abbey grounds will be open to the public six days a week.

A report commissioned by the monks said that the new work by Mr. Richter could attract up to 100,000 visitors by next September.

Tholey is the oldest working abbey in Germany.

The first surviving document that mentions it dates from C.E. 634.

Situated in tranquil green hills near the borders with France and Luxembourg, the abbey [below] is home to 12 Benedictine monks who meet five times a day to pray.

[Monks have lived and worked on the Tholey Abbey site since at least the seventh century.]

They also grow fruit, keep rabbits and chickens, and make quince schnapps, honey and jam.

Twelve years ago, the abbey was near to closing.

The garden was a jungle, the windows were drafty, the walls were damp, and the abbot at the time was tired of his job, according to Abbot Choriol.

"It was in a very sorry situation, financially and in personnel terms," he said.

Then, in 2008, a pair of wealthy benefactors stepped in.

Edmund and Ursula Meiser, a local businessman and his wife, who are both committed Catholics, first offered to build a fence around the abbey's garden.

They then paid for a renovation of the chapter house, built a new gate, and restored a baroque pavilion on the abbey grounds.

In 2018, the monks and the Meisers turned their attention to the abbey church, whose corroded windows were "flaking away like pastry," the abbot said.

The monks wanted a work by a famous artist for the church's choir windows, a focal point behind the altar, where the morning sun shines through into the nave.

Abbot Choriol said their inspiration was the cathedral windows in the nearby city of Metz, France, which are by Marc Chagall and attract thousands of visitors a year.

"But Chagall is dead," the abbot said. "So we asked, 'Who is the most famous artist in the world?' Gerhard Richter sprang to mind. We didn't think he would say yes. We thought he would politely decline."

A local organist, Bernhard Leonardy, wrote to Mr. Richter and asked him to create a design.

In June, the artist called Mr. Leonardy and left a voicemail message.

"Gerhard Richter from Cologne here," he said. "It's about the oldest monastery in Germany. It all sounds wonderful, but I am too busy and simply too old. I don't think I can do it."

Then followed a 10-second pause.

"Although — I would like to do it," he added.

The monks wrote to Mr. Richter expressing concern that his fee might be too high.

After all, an abstract painting by Mr. Richter fetched about $45 million at Sotheby's in London in 2015.

The artist replied to say that he would design the windows for free.

"Not a cent," Abbot Choriol said. "We were speechless."

Mr. Richter, 88, declined to be interviewed for this article; his studio said he was not well enough.

But in brief comments reported by the German press agency DPA on Wednesday, Mr. Richter said the Tholey windows might be the last entry in the official catalog of his works, which begins with the 1962 painting "Table."

The windows will be No. 957 in the catalog.

[With their recurring patterns and intense colors, Mr. Richter’s windows at Tholey Abbey resemble the design of a Persian rug.]

Short of a miracle, "that's it," DPA reported him saying.

These are not Mr. Richter's first church windows, however.

A stained-glass structure that he designed for Cologne Cathedral [below], containing 11,263 randomly arranged colored squares, was met with both criticism and admiration when it was inaugurated in 2007.

[Mr. Richter’s Cologne Cathedral window, which is made up of 11,263 colored squares.]

Cologne's archbishop at the time, Cardinal Joachim Meisner, caused a furor when he said the abstract design with no direct reference to the Bible was "better suited to a mosque."

The Cologne window was commissioned by Barbara Schock-Werner, an art historian who was the cathedral's custodian until her retirement in 2012.

She said in a recent interview that the comment by Cardinal Meisner, who died in 2017, had been "the best P.R. possible."

"There was a big fuss at first, but then the reception was really enthusiastic," Ms. Schock-Werner said, adding that most visitors find it beautiful. "It has also made the cathedral a destination for people interested in contemporary art."

1964 British Grand Prix footage remastered to 60FPS

Best watched in 720p60.

Pro Tip: turn up the volume.

Digital dominance: New global ranking of cyber-power throws up some surprises

[via the Economist]

Lego Baby Yoda

From the Verge:

Lego is releasing a new 1,073-piece set that allows you to recreate the adorable character from The Mandalorian in all his glory.

It stands 7.8 inches tall and is designed for builders ages 10 and up.

The set does not just net you a Lego statue of a cute character: you can have some fun with how he looks in your house.

Baby Yoda has a poseable head and adjustable ears and mouth.

The set includes an info plaque that shares more details on Baby Yoda, such as his height and age, as if the statue were an exhibit you would see at the museum.

It also includes a traditional Lego Minifigure,

meaning you get two Baby Yodas for the price of one (double the cuteness).

$79.99: Apply within.

Preemptive Replacement

The headline up top is a term I made up to describe a particular behavior of mine.

For as long as I can remember, I've removed the almost used up Scotch tape roll from my dispenser before — not after — I get to the end.

I hate to run out of tape right while using it: it's annoying to stop and have to go get a replacement roll and trade the two.

My practice means throwing away the last couple perfectly good inches, through which I can clearly see the almost exposed plastic hub.

I deal with toilet paper the same way: bag those last few squares.

Variations on this theme include:

• Replacing both light bulbs in a difficult-to-access fixture when one burns out, even though the other one is working fine.

• Prepositioning a fresh bottle of soft soap near one that's almost empty so as not to run out while washing my hands.

• Back in the day, anesthesia cart preparation* [above and below].

Early in my residency I got in the habit of setting up my equipment and drugs after finishing my cases for the day, even though it was routine for residents to come in early in the morning to do it.

The way I saw it, I could do my setup in peace, without the distraction of twenty other residents around me in the hallway talking and joking, as I was the only one who did this; I could sleep in an extra half hour in the morning; I had a chance to double-check that I had everything I needed before wheeling my cart into my OR.

Am I the only person who does this sort of thing?

Flautist?

clif?

Bueller?

Anyone?

*The 2008 video up top, with 112,000 views, is my second most popular ever.

Part 2, also from 2008,

is my fourth most popular, garnering 48,000 views.

It occurs to me that I'd easily have long since acquired many thousands of subscribers if I'd kept up with that sort of thing instead of featuring my sleeping cat.

Sic transit gloria mundi.  

What is it?

Answer here this time tomorrow.

Hint: bigger than a bread box.

Another: not a color iteration of the Rorschach test.

Another aspect:

It was cheaper for Christopher Nolan to crash a real 747 into a hanger in 'Tenet' than to do it in CGI

Back story here.

Helpful Hints from joeeze: Cheese comes to room temperature faster if you position it on its rind

A rule of thumb re: cheese is that it needs an hour outside the refrigerator to come to room temperature, its most delectable state.

Shorten that time by positioning it rind down (above): this maximizes exposure of the paste to air and subsequent thermal equilibrium with ambient conditions.

Nothing is too small to be noticed and made better in bojWorld©®.

Pictured: Chällerhocker.

...oops! Eraser

2.8" x 1.6" x 0.6".

Apply within.