#tim persinko

[the20washington-blog]

Phone books going the way of the...the MiniDisc player

Before there were iPods, but after there were CD burners, there was a very neat little invention called the MiniDisc player.  Still blissfully ignorant of legal repercussions, the MiniDisc user could download MP3's from their favorite FTP site, and then load them on to their MiniDiscs through either an analog or a weird optical cable.  And then you could re-record if you wanted to!  Or attach microphones and record Phish shows!  Whats not to like?

Sadly, this clever digital artifact of the turn of the century is now being phased out by Sony.  Just like the phone book, which Virginia decided to junk this year, new technology keeps stomping the old into obsolescence.

-TP

[Patrick Pho, Crunch Gear]

[the20washington-blog]

WWII Wedding Dress: After Maj. Claude Hensinger escaped from his damaged B-29 bomber in 1944, he kept the parachute that brought him safely to the ground.  He later gave the life-saving material to his fiancee, Ruth, who had the nylon tailored into a wedding dress.  She didn't bail on the relationship though - Ruth wore it down in the aisle in 1947.   Her daughter, and then later her granddaughter-in-law also wore the dress in their weddings.

-TP

[Smithsonian Costume Collection]

[the20washington-blog]

"Let him come forward and we will hand it to him right here," says Cheh. "Let him come here and I'll give it to him."

When it comes to giving Sulaimon Brown a subpoena, Mary Cheh means business.  Sulaimon got a lot of attention for crying "cronyism" over Vince Gray's hiring practices.  But after a brief and ugly ride in the spotlight, WAMU says Brown is nowhere to be found.  That's a problem for the D.C. Council, because they want to sit him down and actually get to the bottom of his accusations.  WAMU said that when they called Brown, he told them he had no plans of cooperating in the investigation, but he's not hiding. -TP

[@amorrissey, WAMU]

[the20washington-blog]

If you see this frog in the woods, do not lick it.  This wee little poison dart frog lives in the rainforests of Latin America, but you can see one locally.  The Smithsonian Zoo will be featuring the dime-sized killer in their Amazonia Habitat Exhibit.

-TP

(Photo: Smithsonian)

[the20washington-blog]

Who's Who For At-Large Election

Tomorrow D.C. residents will vote for the At-Large D.C. Council seat to fill the seat vacated by Council Chairman Kwame Brown.

Set apart from the normal election cycle, voter turnout will likely be low. And the field is crowded - there are 5 candidates that have a chance to win. So what's the difference bewteen Sekou Biddle and Vincent Orange?  Do Republicans even have a candidate in the race?  (Yes, they do, and Patrick Mara is his name.) The DCist's Martin Austermuhle lays out the options, in a handy Special Election voter guide.  Check it out here. -TP

[@lydiadepilis]

[the20washington-blog]

Stinkbug, Scourge of Gardens and Offices Alike - The brown marmorated stink bug has been sweeping south and west, leaving rotten tomatoes and chewed-through vineyards in their wake.  But the reign of terror doesn't stop at the door step - these guys will crawl on your desk, your phone charger, fly into your co-workers hair - a quarter-inch of anarchy.  But don't even think of squishing one - that's the way to release the stink. -TP

(Photo - Persinko)

[the20washington-blog]

Former WaPo Writers Buy Politics and Prose

Tough Time to be Selling Books:  While big box stores have folded, the northwest D.C. bookseller has stayed busy with frequent author visits and a loyal following.  The owners of the past 27 years, Barbara Meade and Carla Cohen hand the baton off to a couple that have both worked for the Washington Post.  Bradley Graham and his wife, Lissa Muscatine, will be taking the helm, beating off a flock of bidders that included ex-New Republic editor Franklin Foer and Atlantic magazine writer Jeffrey Goldberg.  If you want to know more about the new owners, the Post has plenty more.  -TP

[@topshelfwbj]

[the20washington-blog]

35 Years of Underground Fun: D.C.'s Metro birthday is Sunday, so in celebration of what some regard as a milestone year (at least WaPo thinks so), an awesome graphic care of Greater Greater Washington. -TP

[@amorrissey]