Orange Crate Art

Monday, February 27, 2023

Sunday, February 26, 2023

“For good,” “forever”

[The New York Times, February 26, 2023, 7:00 a.m. CST.]

[Later that same day.]

I took a screenshot of the headline this morning. I thought it was wildly inappropriate, as the words “for good” invite, if only for a moment, misreading.

Is “forever” an improvement? I think I’d prefer “How the War in Ukraine Has Changed Europe.” No need for prophecy. But what I’d really prefer is an end to megalomania and wars of aggression.

NEAT?

I must carp: in today’s Los Angeles Times crossword, the answer for 13-A, four letters, “Old-Fashioned option” is NEAT.

Now — once upon a time, the Old-Fashioned was made without ice. And there might somewhere be a modern recipe for an Old-Fashioned made without ice. But an Old-Fashioned is made with ice. Look at a few recipes. It’s a cocktail made with ice.

But even if no-ice is an option, an Old-Fashioned is never NEAT. The Oxford English Dictionary:

Of alcoholic liquors: pure; unadulterated; spec. not mixed with water (or, in later use: soft drink, etc.); undiluted.

An Old-Fashioned is made with whiskey, bitters, sugar, and water (and, if you must, a garnish). It is not NEAT.

You may remember this moment of Internets hilarity: How to make an Old-Fashioned. “Everything good and mashed.” Not neat at all!

[I like this odd phrasing: “ice became normalized in the 1860s.”]

Mystery corner

[Mystery corner, c. 1939–1941. From the NYC Municipal Archives Collections. Click for a much larger view.]

Today’s location is for your guessing pleasure. Do you recognize this mystery corner? Leave an answer in the comments, anything from a tentative guess to a confident assertion. I’ll drop a hint if appropriate.

*

Mystery solved: it’s the corner of Broadway and 112th Street, 2880 Broadway, Morningside Heights, Manhattan, long the home of Tom’s Restaurant, whose exterior served as Monk’s Café in Seinfeld. In this photograph, the street-level space was occupied by Kane’s Food Shop. The building was designed by Art Vandelay.

*

February 27: A reader shared an advertisement:

[Columbia Daily Spectator, September 27, 1937.]

Also now in the comments, links to a color postcard and an advertisment for Tom’s Restaurant.

Related reading
More photographs from the NYC Municipal Archives

Saturday, February 25, 2023

Today’s Saturday Stumper

Today’s Newsday Saturday Stumper is by Stan Newman, the puzzle’s editor, constructing as Lester Ruff. It’s an easier Stumper (less rough), but it’s not a walk in the park. It’s more like a walk in the woods, but woods with a discernible hiking trail. Not Dante territory.

Some clue-and-answer pairs of note:

2-D, eight letters, “Objective arbiter?” A nice twist.

13-D, six letters, “Sister brand of Nehi.” In days of yore, the choice after two-on-two or three-on-three basketball. (Why?)

23-A, four letters, “Archer follower.” Clever.

30-A, four letters, “Cell descriptor.” What kind of cell?

33-A, five letters, “Ancient allegorist.” I like that the perhaps obvious answer is the wrong one.

37-A, seven letters, “What Kareem wore on the court.” I can’t recall ever being aware of them. Converse, Adidas, Pumas, that was me.

39-D, eight letters, “23 Across-related star surname.” Oof.

43-A, six letters, “Alternative to Bea.” We even know one.

52-D, five letters, “What some policewomen are called.” Another slight twist.

My favorite in this puzzle: 21-D, three letters, “Teen leader of yore.” I was thinking some prefix.

No spoilers; the answers are in the comments.

Friday, February 24, 2023

Alex Katz, scared silly

From Artforum, Alex Katz, interviewed by David Velasco:

Who were you looking to as you learned how to paint?

The guy who set the standards for me was Velázquez.

Do you still think of Velázquez when you paint now? Is that somebody who is in your head, or —

I just think about putting the paint on the canvas. I’m terrified.

Yeah, that’s enough.

Yeah, really. I mean, I load the brush and I hope it works. I mean, I’m scared silly.

If I were teaching a college writing class, I’d show this interview to my students.

A handful of Alex Katz posts
Alex Katz meets Lionel Hampton : Alex Katz’s piano : Focusing : Foods : A pinned note in Katz’s studio

[I wish I could’ve seen the big show at the Guggenheim.]

Et in Hi and Lois ego

[Hi and Lois, February 24, 2023. Click for a larger, more disgusting view.]

Hi and Lois failed the breakfast test today, at least if you don’t belong to one of the bird species that eat the dead.

Dot offers the punchline in the second panel: it’s called carrion “because birds fly away with it.” What a riot.

I have a soft spot for squirrels, as this post, this post, and others will confirm.

Related reading
All OCA Hi and Lois posts (Pinboard)

[Post title with apologies to Latin.]

Thursday, February 23, 2023

Tomito

Tomito is a free Pomodoro app for Mac by Gilbert Guttmann. It’s beautifully designed and highly flexible. I think it’s the best Pomodoro app I’ve seen. You can set intervals of your choosing for work and breaks, keep or hide dock and menu bar icons, keep or hide a countdown in the menu bar, keep a stylized timer (small, medium, or large, with color choices) in front of all windows (or hide it), and choose from a number of sounds to signal the beginning and end of Pomodori. That’s the stylized clock to the left: twelve-and-a-half minutes down, twelve-and-a-half to go.

My only problem with the Pomodoro technique: stopping when I’m supposed to. If I’m reading or writing and liking it, why take a break? But break I do, or try to.

Related reading
All OCA Pomodoro posts (Pinboard)

[One small detail: If you find that you can’t quit the app, look for a prompt hidden under some open window, asking if you’re sure you want to quit. You can check a box so that the prompt won’t appear again.]

Cures for hiccups

It looks like clickbait, but it’s from The Atlantic: “The Cure for Hiccups Exists.” I am now waiting to try out the second recommendation. I hope to be waiting for some time.