the listenerd

*Grammys: What Grammys?

*Graphs: Nate Silver writes for Esquire magazine about “recency bias.” He uses an example from the baseball world to eventually talk about the economy.

“Each year, baseball teams bid against one another for free agents — players like CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and A. J. Burnett, the trio of stars whom the (apparently recession-proof) New York Yankees have signed for more than $400 million. One might assume that with that sort of money at stake, teams would do their homework. After studying the free-agent bidding process for many years, however, I have concluded that this money is not generally well spent.”

*Books: The American Book Review puts out a list of the top 100 opening lines of novels, beginning with “Call me Ishamael.” (WHICH DOES, IN FACT, RULE.) Now I ain’t much of one of them, uhhhhhh, READERS anymore, but it looks like I’ve slogged through a disproportionate number of these. I was partial to #31 through my 20s. I wonder if much has changed. [good]

*Avatars: A person who lives in the same world as you and me has collected screenshots of a variety of videogame characters who look like DAVID BOWIE. That is all. (No nipple conductors in sight.) [the daily swarm]

*Hedgehogs: Being a serious deconstruction (with samples) of the music from the Sonic the Hedgehog videogame series. [waxy]

*The Economy: Key metrics around America’s job situation are the worst they’ve been in more than three decades. (January had the largest single-month drop in jobs since 1974.) Ugh. I well you this because I care.

*Politics: Artist Peter Max paints 44 Obamas. I have officially been brainwashed: Non-Fairey “Hope” Obamas look weird now.

*Farm animals: These mega-muscular super cows (video) may sicken you. Or just blow your mind. But seriously. As Will.i.am would say, W.T.F’ing.Hell? [mefi]

*Food: This Is Why You’re Fat, a tumblr devoted to foodstuffs that are disgusting in their excess. Yum. [everywhere]

*Videogames: The knitter of this fine scarf was a huge Guitar Hero fan. But what song does it represent?

*Lists: The top ten current television show theme songs, according to one source, includes tunes from Family Guy and Two and a Half Men. This is why we cannot have nice things. And by this I refer to God smiting us via the global economic meltdown. [the daily swarm]

*I am tired.