In the Loop: December 2007 Archive

People you don't expect to meet on MySpace

Posted at 3:04 PM on December 2, 2007 by Jeff Horwich

So...we capped off our political-themed "Flip Flop Fever" episode by talking with former Congressman Tim Penny the other night. Great way to end, and he was gracious to come and sit in front of a live audience with a show he'd probably never heard of. Seemed to enjoy the show and really get what we're about.

As I thanked him after the taping, he mentioned how much he dug the music. Maybe everyone knows this, but I didn't: Tim Penny plays in a rock band. Of course, I had to look them up on MySpace (or "the MySpace-dot-com" as we're fond of calling it on the show).

It's kind of a family affair -- a band called Led Penny.

The former Congressman and gubernatorial candidate (on the right) sings and plays rhythm guitar (looks like there's a 12-string in the arsenal, according to the pics on the MySpace page.) They play "classic rock and oldies ranging from the early 60s all the way through the 90s."

Rock on. If you can mix music and journalism, you can certainly mix music and politics.

Alex Chadwick + Card Table =

Posted at 4:05 PM on December 3, 2007 by Jeff Horwich (4 Comments)

You know how it is...one link to another...one of Sanden's old blog posts to the Washington Post to a Slate article to...

Alex Chadwick (NPR host) evidently does this thing on the side for Slate where he sets up a card table out in the open in various cities with a sign saying "Interviews 50 Cents." (I admit, I initially clicked the little banner ad because I thought it was someone interviewing "50 Cent." But this is also interesting.)

In this one, he's at Union Station in DC, talking to a guy in a sharp suit who turns out to be formerly homeless. I gather Alex just sits around looking pleasant, and then does an interview with whoever is gutsy/stupid/curious enough to have a seat across from him.

I watched this one, and one other so far (a guy who just got divorced from his fifth wife). Not sure how many I could actually consume without wondering whether I've got better things to do with my life. But it's kind of amazing how you can instantly like one person (this guy here) and instantly dislike another (the fifth wife guy).

I wonder why anyone would sit down to do it. Even if they pay you 50 cents (or is it the other way around?) is it worth staking your reputation on the Internet to whatever impromptu thoughts come out of your mouth in those five minutes?

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Making music using vegetables. (Not *that* kind of music)

Posted at 1:30 PM on December 4, 2007 by Jeff Horwich

I have a lot of musical instruments in my collection. Turns out I could have a similar menagerie for way less money.

I just stumbled onto the quaint little phenomenon of people who make instruments out of vegetables. Apparently, it's quite a thing. (Much like Alex Chadwick's scintillating sidewalk conversations, I'm sure I'm just a little late to the party.)

First, there's the so-called "Vegetable Orchestra:"

Who are they? Where are they from? Are people seriously giving them guff on YouTube because they're playing vegetables instead of sending them to Africa?

Then there's this Japanese guy:

Carrot Pan Flute

Cucumber Trumpet

He's got a whole series: Radish whistle, broccoli ocarina, butterbur oboe (what's a "butterbur?").

I certainly can't eat my saxophone when I finish with a tune.

Is this stuff for real?

The Year According to You

Posted at 12:46 PM on December 5, 2007 by Julie Siple (2 Comments)

For our last show this season, we're doing a bit of Year in Review... upside-down. I mean, we’re not so interested in re-hashing Don Imus or The Surge. (In fact, we might lose our minds.) We're looking for stories that were missed this year, stories worth telling that never made it into the newspaper or on the radio.

Things go unnoticed all the time, of course, sometimes for legitimate reasons. Like a really big news event. The Rake did a long look, after the 35W bridge collapse, at what you missed while you were wondering how a concrete structure could possibly drop into the Mississippi.

So tell us: Which trends, issues, or stories did the media overlook this year? Which ones are still worth hearing? Let us know, and we'll put some of them on the radio.

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I'll name your baby at a discount rate

Posted at 10:25 AM on December 11, 2007 by Sanden Totten (2 Comments)

I'm not saying that I want a baby right now, I'm just saying I'd really like to name one.

Especially when you consider all the fun tools there are nowadays to help you pick a moniker for your little tyke.

I'd start with the basics. I'd read up on this How Stuff Works site to make sure I don't commit one of fundamental mistakes of baby naming - like giving my child initials that spell out a cuss word or naming them anything that rhymes with or sounds like a body part we associate with bathrooms.

Next, I'd read up on current baby naming trends. These days, boy names that end in an "en" sound are hot. Like Jayden, Aidan or Snowedin . . . For girls, a name ending in an "ah" sound is in. So, Mia, Sarah, Kayla or Kiera. And one of the fastest growing names for little ladies is Nevaeh (nah-VAY-uh), it's "heaven" spelled backwards.

Then, I'd look for historical precedence. I'd make sure there were no terrible dictators or plagues that bare the same name as my little child. I would find out what it translates to in other languages and then I would see how popular it's been over the last hundred years or so. (Definitely check this link out. It allows you to see a graphic representation of a name's popularity over time . . . go ahead, see how many people in 1890 shared your name).

Lastly, when I decide that I want a kid with a truly unique name, I'll just use this baby name generator to randomly assemble a perfect handle (look to the top left of the page for the new name). According to this formula, my baby will be named . . . Anut. Wait a minute, that sounds like "a nut"! I can't have my kid going around being called a nut. Sigh. Okay, from the top again.

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A treat for you all!

Posted at 5:38 PM on December 14, 2007 by Sanden Totten

Hey loyal loopsters.

Right now we are busy editing down last night's show. It was a great show. You were a great crowd. It's been a great season.

Seriously, without your support and ideas this show wouldn't work. So to say thanks, we got you all a cake . . . okay, so it's just a picture of a cake, but trust me, it's healthier this way.

That's Julie, Jeff, Larissa, Sanden and one giant Loop sheetcake.

Keep an eye on our blog for updates on the show. We'll keep posting our usual random thoughts and "loopish" take on the news. In the mean time, our Intern Bradley Campbell has something for you all. Check it out (it's a high-five)!

Thanks everyone for your help creating an awesome season of shows!

So what's the deal with In The Loop, anyway?

Posted at 8:00 AM on December 18, 2007 by Jeff Horwich (5 Comments)

That's the question we've gotten an awful lot lately. The second most-common one is "What can I do to help?" Truth is, there's no easy answer to either question.

What's happening with us is technically that the show is going on hiatus, with no immediate plan to resume weekly episodes. This is not a surprise; our weekly season was intended to be a test-run, with the future depending on our success and the ability to support the show financially.

We've done our part, and so has our growing and enthusiastic audience. When we're waking up Monday to blog posts like this one, something must be going right.

Now some decisions have to be made. And, let's face it: We've created a show that carries quite a bit more overhead than just one guy and a microphone.

So, if you like the show, what can you do? I'm in an awkward position to give advice. But there are a couple of first-cut things:

* Forward the show's homepage (www.mpr.org/intheloop) to some friends, or point them to the podcast. It's never too late to pick up new listeners! And we designed these shows to make for good listening no matter when you put your ears to them. Please note that said friends need not necessarily be in Minnesota ;-)

* Review the podcast on iTunes. We've got lots of listeners, but not necessarily the quantity of reviews to match. This is a great way to help influence folks around the world to check it out.

* Fill out our online feedback form, and make sure your friends do as well. We want to hear what you like, and what we can work on. We'll be collecting all the feedback to try to measure audience reaction to the fall season.

* If you're an MPR member (and of course you all are, right? :-) MPR is always interested in what you have to say. MPR also has a general contact form you can also use to give feedback that goes straight to our Membership department. (You don't have to be a member to use this form, of course.)

Beyond those simple points, I'll have to leave it to your boundless creativity. Rest assured, we're feeling the good vibes from you all toward the show, and I'll go into the holidays feeling blessed for all your support.

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Blogging 2.0?

Posted at 1:39 PM on December 19, 2007 by Sanden Totten (3 Comments)

Yesterday I had a chance to catch my breath . . . and catch up on some of my favorite weblogs. While I was cruising around the blogways I came across something that struck me as interesting.

It was on Centripetal Notion, a blog that dabbles in art and science. The blog had up a new feature called Skribit. It's an application that lets readers pick what topics the blogger should delve into. You can vote on a bunch of pre-picked topics, like gift ideas or styles of design. Or you can suggest your own. Bloggers who use Skribit can log into the main site and go fishing through a heap of reader-proposed topics for one they want to write about.

Now, I know blogs were already way web 2.0. But this seems like a logical step forward to me. It's not too unlike what we try to accomplish here at In The Loop, namely, collaborating with a network to make something interesting to read or listen to.

Of course, sometimes the most interesting posts are the ones that no one would have suggested . . . after all, we look to blogs to tell us about stuff we didn't already know about. But overall this is a neat new tool.

And true to Internet form, the first topic picked by the readership of Centripetal Notion was Sex in Space. The web may grow up but at least it's interests have remained relatively steady.

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Bhutto, at the speed of Wiki...

Posted at 12:35 PM on December 27, 2007 by Jeff Horwich

Interesting sidebar to today's assassination of Benazir Bhutto is how fast Wikipedians got down to business.

Her main entry was quickly updated with info on the killing, and a separate article sprung up specifically to deal with the event. Both were heavily sourced, and a flag was added at the top alerting readers that details were still evolving.

You don't instinctively think of Wikipedia as a news source, but when I searched to find more info on the assassination, it was one of the first places I wound up.

Meanwhile, U.S. politics rests for no one. A press release from the Giuliani campaign led a Washington Post blog to speculate on whether Bhutto's killing will be a boost to his flagging front-runner status (by reminding everyone how scaaaaaaaary terrorism is).

Where the heck *are* those dudes?

Posted at 2:55 PM on December 28, 2007 by Jeff Horwich (5 Comments)

The other day, as Hillary-Obama mania resumed after the holiday, it occurred to me that the hoard of also-rans, who usually get at least a token nod in the news, seem to have disappeared right along with the egg-nog and mistletoe.

This is always a sad political moment. Count me among the among the annoyed Americans who hate it that front-runners are somehow annointed before a single vote is cast.

Did they all drop out? Of course not (well, one did). Granted, most of them are about to bite the dust, but I got hungry for a bit of an update.

Chris Dodd: Still going. And expecting "victory in Iowa," according to his campaign web site. Campaign blog describes his Iowa HQ as "bustling." Apparently he got pulled on MSNBC to talk about Benezir Bhutto, which of course demonstrates he is still very much in this thing.

Tom Tancredo: Gone, dropping out with a "heart full of gratitude and a touch of sadness." Celebrating how his presence as an anti-immigrant "zealot" (Newsweek's term, which he quotes) shaped the race. Tom is reportedly taking a week off in Mexico to recuperate. (Not true.)

Mike Gravel: Still in it. Sort of. Gravel seemed to disappear well before the holidays, getting cast as the crazy guy on SNL and excluded from debates for no better reason than people seem to forget he exists (it's pronounced "gra-VEL"). Looks like he's focusing his efforts on crossing New Hampshire in an RV. (Wouldn't you love to be in Iowa to see who winds up in the "Gravel" caucus corner? Someone buy that guy a beer!)

Alan Keyes: Really? OK, then, knock yourself out. According to the Washington Post, he's raised $21,000,which is not really even enough to purchase a seat on Mike Gravel's RV. Maybe Keyes and Gravel should start holding their own debates.

Joe Biden: Experienced. Respected. Eloquent. But I think Americans just can't bring themselves to vote for a man with hair plugs. (Note how this TV ad never shows the top of his head...) Gunning for third in Iowa, probably pinning his hopes on the same rural areas as John Edwards.

John Edwards: Proves that having too much great hair can be equally dangerous. Edwards seems to be straddling the top and bottom tiers, and you know how uncomfortable that can be. Might not belong on this list; if Hillary and Obama stumble, he may be the go-to guy. The Newsweek cover story on him laid out his predicament (and potential) nicely.

Fred Thompson: Still truckin', and on many "front-runner" lists, but feels like a flame-out from here in the peanut gallery. (And just when I was getting my impression down, too.) Future campaigns will learn important lessons from this one -- that in fact anticipation about an outside candidate does not keep mounting indefinitely. Hope the red truck has enough gas to get back to Tennessee.

Duncan Hunter: Duncan Hoo-whaa? His web site features a countdown to the Iowa caucuses, maybe because that's how long it is until he gets to take a break. This is a name I have almost never heard in news coverage about the Republican race. I'm ashamed to say I had to actually find a list of candidates online to see who I had missed...and...ladies and gentleman, Rep. Duncan Hunter.

Bill Richardson: A real mystery. You'd think that with a good head of hair, he'd be able to escape Joe Biden's fate and get some respect. But evidently there's just no spark there. And doggone it, he's just a dead-ringer for Horatio Sanz. Watch this video from his campaign site. Gotta be honest, I couldn't write a better 1:30 of campaign blah-blah-blah if I had to make it up.

Ron Paul: Might be an also-ran, but he's busy putting himself on the map right at the moment. Certainly is bringing in the money for someone so obscure. Unlike the rest of the folks here, Paul's momentum arrow points decidedly up. (And this picture makes him look like Gandalf.)

Kucinich: Likewise (not the Gandalf part). The guy loses big, but seems to gain acolytes. And in recent months, the country has become more acquainted with his hot wife and has begun to see him in a new way. Maybe if he and Ron Paul formed a joint ticket...

(And yes, I did seek out the goofiest photos I could find of all these guys on short notice. All photos via Getty/AFP.)

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Forget the media . . . who are the candidates talking about?

Posted at 12:15 PM on December 31, 2007 by Sanden Totten

Remember grade school? If you were bullied I'm sure you heard the line "they are only making fun of you because secretly they are jealous and intimidated by you."

Well, apply that to presidential politics and we can see who today's top candidates are most afraid of. The New York Times has a cool little flash page that lets you see who is talking about who and what the candidates have been saying about each other in recent debates.

Admittedly, the NY Times has left off a lot of presidential hopefuls from the list, but for those they included, it's pretty telling. Some candidates, like Bill Richardson or Mike Huckabee are only getting talked about by other members of their party. Others are getting blasted from both sides. The one candidate that has both the Reds and the Blues talking? Hillary Clinton. Hmmm . . . is she the most intimidating player of the bunch?

See 2007 flash before your eyes

Posted at 2:47 PM on December 31, 2007 by Jeff Horwich

Courtesy of our senior producer, Mark Brull. Mark first assembled the audio of this for our last episode of the season. Add in the pics from our live-show slide show, and it's like a little portable 2007 you can call upon whenever you're feeling nostalgic.