To Get Deliveries

For email delivery:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Small Pursuits

Projects and Ideas Banged Out in Usually Less Than a Day (RSS)

Thursday
03Dec2009

Thoughtful Fantastic, Ep. 2: Flirting Ninja 

Stream the Show

Note: to download the show, see the end of the post

Matthew's Movie Choice: Flirting with Disaster
Zane's Movie Choice: Ninja Assassin

Flirting With Disaster

We discuss what makes stuff enjoyable and why this movie, while funny, is not enjoyable for Zane.

Ratings

Ninja Assassin

We almost are turned away from the theatre because Zane is under 17 and I do not carry my Legal Guardian Papers with me. Secret Fact: I do not even have SECRET GUARDIAN PAPERS.

Ratings

Download

To Download the episode, right-click the link below

Ep. 3: Flirting Ninja

Sunday
15Nov2009

Let's Get Real... with Wine! (No. 2)

Today's question about wine comes from @jose_jose":

Well, Jose + underscore + Jose, howse about this derring-do (I must apologize for the sound in this video. I was at my father-in-law's house and his microphone selection is shockingly abysmal):

Matthew from McSweeney's Stained Teeth Wine Column helps someone remember that wine he had once that he thinks he liked.

To ask a Real-Life Internet Wine Columnist your own question about wine and have it brought to life in digital video form, you may either:

  1. call and leave a message in the YWNB voicemail (click the Call Me widget in the right column)
  2. post it to @mattlatmatt on Twitter

OH ALSO: here's what Jose + underscore + Jose was probably drinking: Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz

Saturday
14Nov2009

Let's Get Real... with Wine! (No. 1)

As I indicated earlier, You Will Not Believe is now open for your questions about wine. I understand that the world of wine can be confusing and life-threatening; and so, I have decided to put my copious credentials in this area to good use.

To ask a question, you may either call YWNB by clicking the "Call Me" widget in the right column of this publication; or by posting your question to @mattlatmatt.

Our first question comes from @theguru42 from Twitter:

Well @theguru42, I'm about to save your life.

Matthew from McSweeney's Stained Teeth Column About Wine answers your wine questions.

Thursday
12Nov2009

Thoughtful Fantastic: Podcast Take Two

Stepson and I return with our second attempt at a movie focused podcast. This week we change our name to Thoughtful Fantastic; and discuss Smokin' Aces and the new Coen Brothers' movie A Serious Man.

Smokin' Aces

We agree that the movie is bad, but enjoyable. And we discuss how violence affects us differently We rate this movie 2 GREEN as indicated below.

A Serious Man

While this led to a pretty good post-movie discussion, we both agreed that it's impact on us was minimal. In a reverse, Zane says this movie is good, but not enjoyable. We talk a bit about what boring movies mean. This movie gets a SINGLE GREEN.

We are still working out the kinks before we put this up on iTunes. For now, you can stream the show using the player below; or download the file by right clicking the file link below.

As before, feedback, ideas, movie suggestions welcome.

Ep. 2: Smokin' Serious

Wednesday
11Nov2009

You Will Not Believe Phone Line - NOW OPEN for your Wine Questions

A while back at McSweeney's, I answered some folks' wine questions. Needless to say, they were extremely grateful for I had clarified a murky murky world.

But because the Stained Teeth Wine Columns come out on a monthly schedule, I was unable to answer more questions in a timely manner. WELL NO LONGER, because now you can call You Will Not Believe and leave your Wine Questions in our voicemail. I will answer these questions (hopefully all of them depending on the number of them) with a video response.

To Place a Call simply click the "Call Me" widget in the right column. This will ask you to put in your number and then Google will do some old-timey operator magic and connect us.

Additionally: you can submit questions from your extremely busy, active internet-based life by Tweeting them to me: @mattlatmatt

Don't have a wine question? No problem. I'm also gathering voicemails for the next round of Google Voice Poetry. Just call with your well wishes and status updates.

Tuesday
10Nov2009

Google Voice Transcriptions

For those not as nerdy as myself

Google now has a phone service. This phone service gives you one number that you can forward to lots of different numbers simultaneously (your mobile; your home; your car from the late 1980s).

"OK - that is cool," you say. "I like the idea of having one number instead of 4." And so you should. But that is not the best part of Google Voice.

The best part of Google Voice is that it turns your voicemail into email. When someone calls you and leaves a voicemail, Google's super computers transcribe that voicemail and email it to you. For me, someone who has pretty much stopped listening to voicemail because of how long it takes to do so, this is a great thing.

OK BUT: the google transcription is done by machines. And those machines are terrible at speaking english. The transcriptions are understandable, but far from coherent. Read aloud, these transcriptions sound like the ramblings of someone who has read a few descriptions of Allen Ginsberg's poetry.

AND SO: I present to you my dramatic readings of my Voicemail, as transcribed by Google Voice:

Friday
06Nov2009

McSweeney's Column Update: Wine Reviews of Stuff that Isn't Wine

The most recent Stained Teeth Wine Column went up on Ol' McSweeney's Literary Shack today. It is a series of Wine Reviews of Stuff that Isn't Wine. What kind of stuff you ask? Oh, you know, stuff like FDR's New Deal and The 1988 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. You know, stuff like that.

ALSO: the column appears on the new McSweeney's iPhone app, which if you are an iPhone user is a pretty nifty thing.

Stained Teeth in New Portable Format!

Tuesday
03Nov2009

Some Public Speaking: Stained Teeth at Ignite

Recently, I gave a talk at an event in Idyllic Amherst MA called Ignite - an evening of 5 minute talks accompanied by slides. The slides progress automatically every 15 seconds - just like my brain.

I spoke about the possibility (and difficulty) of writing about wine from an experiential stand point. It is in conjunction with an upcoming web project whose name shall simply be PROJECT DRUNKARD.

Sunday
01Nov2009

The Teenager & The 30 Year Old: A Podcast First Attempt

The Stepson and I recently sat down to discuss our impressions of Where the Wild Things Are. It was the first attempt in what will hopefully become a regular audio podcast in which Zane (the teenager) and myself (the 30 year old) will discuss movies. The idea is that we will both experience movies we wouldn't normally, and then really actually talk about them. Zane will bring me to the blood-fest gore torture movies that are the rage now; and I will bring him to see Jane Campion's newest movie. Our discomfort in both cases will lead to some sort of enlightenment hopefully.

This is just the test-run. Normally we will discuss two movies in each show - one of Zane's choosing and one of mine. These first shows are just us figuring out what works and what doesn't, but we are open to feedback - as well as suggestions for movies. After a few shows are under the belt, we'll be putting them on iTunes.

Ep. 1: Where the Wild Things Are

Sunday
18Oct2009

Auto-Tune Frank Sinatra, Number 3

Luck be an Auto-Tuner Tonight

Created with I Am T-Pain for the iPhone