Tenor Juan Diego Flórez, earned the first solo encore at the Met Opera since 1994, by hitting 9 high C's during his performance in “La Fille du Régiment.” This is one of the most famous and notoriously difficult tenor arias in the opera canon. About 10 years ago, I had the good fortune to hear Pavoratti himself perform this aria on the Met stage during a rehearsal. It was absolutely stunning, and even more exciting because Pavoratti blew it on opening night of that production. The NYTimes has an article all about the historic evening, and even better an mp3 of the Flórez's stunning performance. I strongly suggest you give it a listen. (via Kottke)

This is a great clip from the show Creature Comforts. The creators of Wallace and Gromit interview real Americans, and then animate their interviews with humorous animals.

I just finished giving my website an overdue Spring makeover. Enjoy the new banner photo (a hidden spot near my apartment in Red Hook, Brooklyn), and the new spring color palette.

Stop by and let me know what you think.

This is one of my favorite Upright Citizens Brigade sketches. Whenever I see Matt Walsh and Ian Roberts perform, I'm reminded of the many improv performances I saw them in back at the UCB Theater in NYC. This sketch is a perfect example of the classic crazy-man/straight-man dynamic that they had perfected.

This morning, the day after Flickr officially integrated video sharing capabilities into their site, I received an invitation to join a new Flickr group called "We Say NO to Videos on Flickr." The group's mission states:

Let youtube have the video and Flickr have the photos or if Yahoo wants videos create a seperate page. Don't become another Facebook or Myspace!! What next Ad's on each page? Please keep flickr for Photographers - Photographers don't want FLICKR flooded with random 'video phone' style videos. Give us the choice on whether we see video. All members of his group say NO.

The formation of groups like this one is a common form of protest on Flickr; the tactic was used several months ago when Flickr changed its rules about censoring photos containing graphic nudity or other content that may be perceived as "inappropriate" from being default-uncensored to being default-censored.

I would say that of the flagship websites of the social media revolution, Flickr has probably had the best record of actively listening to its community, and only evolving in measured steps along with the interests and desires of its users.

When I first heard about the addition of video to Flickr I was definitely apprehensive. As the popularity and accessibility of digital photography has exploded, Flickr has managed to maintain a relatively high level of quality. In an online world awash in poorly lit cameraphone party pics, Flickr has somehow managed to cultivate a thriving culture of aesthetic idealism, an environment where every participant is compelled to share their best work - regardless of their personal level of expertise.

So, after reading Flickr's own take on how they want video to be incorporated into their site:

You can now share videos up to 90 glorious seconds in your photostream. 90 seconds? While this might seem like an arbitrary limit, we thought long and hard about how video would complement the flickrverse. If you’ve memorized the Community Guidelines, you know that Flickr is all about sharing photos that you yourself have taken. Video will be no different and so what quickly bubbled up was the idea of “long photos,” of capturing slices of life to share.

I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt; and I look forward to seeing how my favorite photographers make the most of this new channel for creativity and expression.

more details here

It's been a while since I've shared any funny videos. So here's another gem from Human Giant.

I've recently come to realize that my main beef with Sen. Clinton is that she's stuck in an out-of-date mindset. She still thinks that we live in a political universe in which the Republicans get to dictate the rules of the game. For example:

• Democrats are weak on defense, and have to prove themselves worthy of being trusted to run Foreign Policy.


• Democrats are elitist, and out of touch with working class Americans.


• Democrats naively think we can ignore the constant threats from enemies around the world who want to attack our country.

Clinton is stuck thinking that in order for a Democrat to win, they have to get over these hurdles. That's why she's still in this race, in spite of her minuscule chances. Clinton can't imagine a world in which a candidate like Obama - who refuses to play by these rules - could win.

But, guess what, Clinton? This isn't 1988, or '92 or '96, or 2000, or even 2004. The rules have changed. And they're being re-written by a new generation of Democratic Party leaders like Sen. Obama. And it's the Republican party who is going to have to adapt to these new rules:

• Republicans can not be trusted on Foreign Policy. They've blown every opportunity, and they haven't even learned from their mistakes.


• Republicans are all in bed with Big Business, and they've deliberately ignored the concerns of working class Americans.


• Republicans think that living in constant fear is necessary; and that our freedom is worth bartering for a feeling of safety.