Re: Guest Post - "Looking Good Today"

1

Apologies for OT but ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha:

"The Radical Tea Towel Company swiftly ignores the rule about not bringing politics to the dinner table. In fact, their towels do quite the opposite: with a fine selection of towels featuring some of the most revolutionary figures and ideas in Western history, these cloths are sure to incite some serious dialogue. The towels pronounce powerful words from the likes of Nelson Mandela, Thomas Paine and Dr Martin Luther King, encouraging solidarity to start in the home's most communal room. And lest you think that this is a corporate shill taking advantage of the passion of the people, Radical Tea Towels follows a strong ethical policy that would make its comrades proud--materials are exclusively sourced from suppliers who guarantee fair labor practices, and the water-based inks used in all products have little to no environmental impact."

Posted by: Flippanter | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 7:23 AM
horizontal rule
2

Neneh Cherry is the missing link between The Pop Group and Portishead.


Posted by: Martin Wisse | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 7:46 AM
horizontal rule
3

Grantland's produce has brought my opinion of Bill Simmons' taste to Dead Sea-ish levels.


Posted by: Flippanter | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 7:55 AM
horizontal rule
4

I prefer Michael Hedges' cover of Buffalo Stance.


Posted by: MAE | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 8:00 AM
horizontal rule
5

That has been one of my favorite songs for 2 decades. It has about 25 hooks.


Posted by: Cryptic ned | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 8:16 AM
horizontal rule
6

I like Buffalo Stance, but, Grantland, you have published about 50x too many unedited 20,000 word articles about the "importance" of some minor pop culture items so this one, too, will go unread. Fewer, but fewer better, words, you morons.


Posted by: Tim "Ripper" Owens | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 9:33 AM
horizontal rule
7

Saying there's a correct gait for a bear crawl sounds ridiculous, but I'm not sure it's actually any different than saying there's a correct form for a bear crawl, that you need to pay attention to in order to do the exercise correctly, which: is true for most other exercises so why wouldn't it be true?


Posted by: urple | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 9:46 AM
horizontal rule
8

I too had the standard "But Krusty, why now? Why not 20 years ago?" reaction anticipating another oral history. But this article turns out to be basically a concert review.


Posted by: Cryptic ned | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 9:51 AM
horizontal rule
9

Grantland's produce has brought my opinion of Bill Simmons' taste to Dead Sea-ish levels.

Grantland, you have published about 50x . . .

You people. It disturbs me that I have apparently read enough of Grantland to have an opinion about their authors. But Wesley Morris is great. He and Zach Lowe are the reason I read Grantland at all.


Posted by: NickS | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 10:18 AM
horizontal rule
10

7: Gait is my word, not theirs. They probably do say "form" but what they're obsessed with is that your left arm move simultaneously with your right leg, and vice versa.

The reason I say gait is that what's most natural for four-legged walking is for that pairing to be slightly staggered - lead with one arm, then opposite leg. Then the other arm and then other leg. They are very concerned that Right Arm/Left Leg move together (and LA/RL likewise.) It feels awkward and it is so stupid.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 10:25 AM
horizontal rule
11

Zach Lowe is smart but completely boring and unreadable. WRITE FEWER WORDS.


Posted by: T"R"O | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 10:27 AM
horizontal rule
12

Right Arm/Left Leg move together

This is how I've always understood that bear crawls should be done.


Posted by: urple | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 10:28 AM
horizontal rule
13

Right - but I'm talking about how they believe they are correcting it precisely. Roughly, yes, it feels right when opposite limbs move together. But the arm goes slightly before the leg does. It drives me crazy when they harp on that (very small) natural lag.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 10:30 AM
horizontal rule
14

What feels right is probably right, in this context, and they really believe that you have to overcome that and time opposite limbs precisely together.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 10:31 AM
horizontal rule
15

Have you asked them why the perfect synchronization is important?


Posted by: urple | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 10:34 AM
horizontal rule
16

My guess is that they have no answer, and they may then realize they are being ridiculous. Or maybe they do have an answer, maybe even a good one. Or maybe they have no answer, but will bluff up some bs, but you'll see through it and at least you'll know.


Posted by: urple | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 10:36 AM
horizontal rule
17

||

Since we've already drifted off topic, the MLK day parade is going by right outside my office window:

1) The local high school's dance/cheer squad's dance routine is pretty impressive.
2) The girls are wearing leotard type things and must be f*cking freezing. Dedication, I guess.
3) In light of recent events I'm not sure how to judge the wisdom of leading off the parade with a huge phalanx of police (dress uniforms, not riot gear).

|>


Posted by: AcademicLurker | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 10:36 AM
horizontal rule
18

I'm thinking about doing so. I'm trying to decide if I should do so as "curious uninformed middle-aged mom" or the "I tried to find any fitness papers on this on Google scholar, and I know you're going to recoil and yes ma'am me, because I'm coming off as your professor" approach.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 10:36 AM
horizontal rule
19

17: We weren't off-topic.


Posted by: urple | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 10:37 AM
horizontal rule
20

Does it look like what Pekovic is doing at 1:11?


Posted by: NickS | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 10:38 AM
horizontal rule
21

I'm trying to decide if I should do so as "curious uninformed middle-aged mom" or the "I tried to find any fitness papers on this on Google scholar, and I know you're going to recoil and yes ma'am me, because I'm coming off as your professor" approach.

Start with curious uninformed middle-aged mom. If you get an unsatisfying answer, switch to I tried to find any fitness papers on this on Google scholar, and I know you're going to recoil and yes ma'am me, because I'm coming off as your professor.


Posted by: urple | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 10:41 AM
horizontal rule
22

19: Ack. I somehow mentally edited out the crossfit stuff at the bottom of the OP.

I guess I'll maintain that music + crossfit gets us sufficiently close to cheerleading that 17 isn't too far off topic.


Posted by: AcademicLurker | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 10:42 AM
horizontal rule
23

When the coaches say "keep your butt down, take little steps" I think they're being reasonable. It's just this exact timing bit. Like you said, I'm pretty sure they're just repeating what they've heard, and it would crumble upon reflection.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 10:42 AM
horizontal rule
24

21 seems reasonable.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 10:53 AM
horizontal rule
25

22.1: Can you teach me how to do that?


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 10:53 AM
horizontal rule
26

To the OP :
I feel like I now understand the specific, not just general, reference in this Kids in the Hall video.


Posted by: Gobbleh Humunga | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 11:13 AM
horizontal rule
27

If they're anything like dogs, bears have many different gaits, including the staggered one heebie describes and even one where same side limbs move in parallel.


Posted by: Eggplant | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 11:14 AM
horizontal rule
28

I always enjoyed the bear crawl in group exercizes, because it gets a lot easier when you're flexible so I could make up some ground lost because of my perennially shitty cardio.


Posted by: Eggplant | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 11:16 AM
horizontal rule
29

This is science, commentariat, and if Unfogged can't science what can we do? So I present:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0166432894900868

The coordination and control of human creeping with increases in speed

Changes were documented in the inter-limb and intra-limb timing of well trained adult males creeping at increasing speed on a motor-driven treadmill....

Perhaps someone with an institutional subscription can acquire the text, because no, I'm not paying $41.95 for publicaly funded research.

Damn, Neneh Cherry was looking good on the day of that video shoot.


Posted by: W. Breeze | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 2:07 PM
horizontal rule
30

Which parts of the video are ahead of its time?


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 2:49 PM
horizontal rule
31

The bomb the bass sukka mix on the buffalo stance 12" is awesome.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 3:13 PM
horizontal rule
32

here.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 3:16 PM
horizontal rule
33

31, 32: Anything that starts with "Give me a motherfucking breakbeat!" can't be bad.


Posted by: Josh | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 3:39 PM
horizontal rule
34

And then there was "Got To Get", the evolutionary link between "Buffalo Stance" and "Lucas With The Lid Off".


Posted by: Cryptic ned | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 4:26 PM
horizontal rule
35

||
Meant to post this earlier. Nick Berube. son of Dutch Cookie's colleague and friend of the blog in the past, will be on Jeopardy for his 2nd night tonight. He exhibited great poise on Friday while knocking off a woman who had won with $30K the day before (he ended with about $8K as in Final none of them came up with Keats from his epitaph and grave site being in Rome). He did luck out with Architecture & Buildings as a category (he is an architect). His best answer was correctly identifying a picture as being by Constable.
|>


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 4:32 PM
horizontal rule
36

I'm at Carnegie Hall! It was easy to get to, by the way.


Posted by: Flippanter | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 4:42 PM
horizontal rule
37

Thank God there's a subway stop right there. Practicing sucks.


Posted by: Jesus McQueen | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 4:56 PM
horizontal rule
38

35: Clearly none of them had ever read Dan Simmons' "Fall of Hyperion".


Posted by: Josh | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 4:56 PM
horizontal rule
39

35: Well, damn. I was going to finally stop procrastinating and do the boring thing I've been promising people I'd finished for weeks, but I guess I have to go watch that now.


Posted by: essear | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 4:58 PM
horizontal rule
40

finish, I mean.


Posted by: essear | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 4:58 PM
horizontal rule
41

35 may actually be the only thing I remember from that book.


Posted by: Josh | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 5:00 PM
horizontal rule
42

Hey, did everyone notice that the Latest Comments came back? What a relief!


Posted by: Natilo Paennim | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 5:15 PM
horizontal rule
43

38, etc: also some Tim Powers.

PT & Pilates often insist on simultaneous diagonal action because it's so much harder to stabilize through. Side-note; I'm four months into PT not, seemingly, preventing a recurring ankle problem (peroneal tendon?). Inactivity means I can't eat without thinking, as I'm never properly hungry but I sulk-snack. BORING. and I can't decide whether to double up on the PT or ask about Google-sez surgery.


Posted by: clew | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 5:27 PM
horizontal rule
44

I'm taking nitroglycerin on the theory, I guess, that my Achilles tendon will get more blood and thus heal. Where it connects to my heal has calcified. Anyway, PT is my next option.

Feet: The shittiest appendage.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 5:38 PM
horizontal rule
45

44.last: could this be the new sodomy thread


Posted by: Turgid Jacobian | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 5:49 PM
horizontal rule
46

||

I hesitate to make light of an injury, but I strongly feel The Onion should go ahead and start giving Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe the Biden treatment.

|>


Posted by: Stanley | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 6:01 PM
horizontal rule
47

Limping is the new sodomy.


Posted by: clew | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 6:03 PM
horizontal rule
48

35: I was out and did not get to watch, but apparently he won again.


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 6:19 PM
horizontal rule
49

Oops, spoiler alert.


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 01-19-15 6:19 PM
horizontal rule
50

Ahead going into Final tonight (Tuesday), but missed it while another contestant got it and passed him. Good run.


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 01-20-15 7:13 PM
horizontal rule