Rugged Elegance, LLC: Rugged Elegant Performances

Funny Cide in 'Awesome' Warm-up

Wed, 04 Jun 2003 03:53:54 GMT

Funny Cide in 'Awesome' Warm-up

Funny Cide sparkled in his final tune-up ahead of his bid to win the US Triple Crown.

The three-year-old will attempt on Saturday to claim the Belmont Stakes and become the first horse to win the treble for 25 years and the first ever gelding to achieve the feat.

Thu, 29 May 2003 02:43:55 GMT

Apple Finds the Future for Online Music Sales New York Times:

Apple Computer seems to have the future of online music in its hands for the moment. Its new service, iTunes Music Store, has been the first real success story in the long effort to sell music over the Internet. In just its first month of operation the service, by the company's estimate, has sold three million songs online, at 99 cents each. This is an impressive figure considering the limited access that music fans now have to the service.

Wed, 28 May 2003 22:58:18 GMT

Online Music Price War Begins BBC NEWS:

The cost of downloading songs from the internet has been cut in the first round of a price war. Listen.com, which provides internet radio broadcasts for $9.95 a month, is slashing the price for burning music onto CDs from 99 cents to 79 cents. This comes just a month after Apple Computers launched its online iTunes music store, which allowing Mac users to download songs for 99 cents with no monthly subscription fee. The Apple service has been far more popular than expected, with two million songs downloaded in its first 16 days.

This is obviously good for all of us who are consumers. -Tim

Wed, 28 May 2003 04:53:23 GMT

A Radio Tuner Remembers Which Songs You Loved New York Times

Like most mobile audio players, the Kenwood KTC-H2A1 Here2Anywhere is small enough to carry in one hand. But the Here2Anywhere is a satellite radio tuner that works only when it is resting in a somewhat less portable docking station. When it is plugged in, the Here2Anywhere becomes a broadcast node for the Sirius satellite radio service, which for $13 a month gives subscribers access to 100 streaming stations.

Wed, 21 May 2003 17:26:01 GMT

Roman 'Virtual Reality' Recreated BBC News:

The Romans invented many things but it may come as a surprise to some that they could also be responsible for a rudimentary version of virtual reality. Researchers at the University of Warwick have uncovered 3D paintings in the ancient villas of Pompeii which used tricks similar to virtual reality to impress guests.

Tue, 20 May 2003 20:49:54 GMT

Film: Italian Renaissance by Patricia Thoms The Village Voice:

The most profound change in Italian cinema is its regionalism. " In the '70s and '80s, you had films that were mostly produced in Rome, often where Rome was a central element," says Monda. "Now we have films from Naples, Sicily, Turin." The characters often speak Neapolitan, Sicilian, or other dialects. Regional differences matter in Italy. They're far deeper than those between, say, New York and Mississippi.

Sat, 17 May 2003 01:58:22 GMT

Michelle Wie, 13, Gets Spot in Men's Tourney San Jose Mercury News:

Teenager Michelle Wie has accepted a sponsor's exemption to play in the Boise Open on the Nationwide Tour, becoming the first female golfer to compete on the PGA Tour's developmental circuit. The event is Sept. 18-21. Wie, a 13-year-old eighth-grader in Honolulu who hits the ball farther than some PGA Tour players, will be the third female player this year to go head-to-head with the men.

Fri, 16 May 2003 06:41:55 GMT

Plates Of Foie Gras, Flattery On The Side Los Angeles Times:

A sparkling soiree sets the stylish tone at a French Riviera movie mecca. Oh, to be a fly on the wall. CANNES, France -- Even with Franco-American relations sinking lower than the Titanic, and an oil slick threatening to literally blacken this preciously expensive seaside idyll, the mood at this fete seems robustly buoyant.

Mon, 12 May 2003 17:32:42 GMT

'Hairspray' Leads the Tony Awards, With 13 Nominations by Stephanie Rosenbloom :

"Hairspray," an adaptation of the John Waters cult film in which an overweight girl with big hair and a big heart fights for integration, led the Tony Awards today with 13 nominations, including best musical.

Mon, 05 May 2003 06:51:55 GMT

Symphony No. 9 in D minor ("Choral") Opus 125 If I had to own only one piece of classical music, Symphony No. 9 in D minor ("Choral") Opus 125 would be it. I remember flying cross-country back to San Francisco, listening to this CD has I gazed down upon the puffy white clouds and the beautiful mountain landscape below. Talk about "Ode to Joy!" Part of National Public Radio's "Milestones of the Millennium" series, this is the 1961 recording of Cleveland Orchestra with George Szell conducting. -Tim

Sun, 04 May 2003 03:48:50 GMT

2003 Kentucky Derby Winner, Funny Cide Gets Last Laugh Over Empire Maker Associated Press via ESPN

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Funny Cide was close to staying home for the Kentucky Derby. It's a good thing his trainer had a change of heart. Funny Cide had the last laugh Saturday, rolling to victory in the Derby and becoming the first horse bred in New York to win America's greatest race with an upset of favorite Empire Maker. With the surprising win, Funny Cide became the first gelding since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929 to win the Derby. Since then, 74 geldings tried and failed. Not this one.

A race horse epitomizes rugged elegance by exemplifiing pure strength, fearlessness, grace, determination and beauty. Having once felt the rare connection of one's body working in sync with other beings in a crew race, I can only imagine what the winning horse and jockey felt like today as they ran the race of their lives. Congratulations Jose Santos, Funny Cide and all those who helped make this dream a reality. - Jennifer

Fri, 02 May 2003 17:27:50 GMT

Apple's Straightforward Approach Pays Off BBC News:

Apple's iTunes Music Store sold 275,000 tracks its first 18 hours, according to the US music magazine Billboard.

I contributed seven tracks to the total, buying tracks from U2, Hall & Oates, Head East, Billy Joel and Jerry Jeff Walker. Can you tell I went to college in the late 70's and early 80's? -Tim

Wed, 30 Apr 2003 03:44:09 GMT

CD Review: Slowing Down the World by Chris Botti Amazon.com: "Whether his trumpet is open or muted, Chris Botti is an artist of the subtlest detail, able to draw an emotion with the briefest phrase. Sometimes even a single note--a sudden high, a muffled half valve, or a burred aside in the lower register--can be telling. On Slowing Down the World, he's consciously invoking the quiet moments, creating limpid pools of melody and reflection." If you're looking for a CD to create a romantic mood, you can't do better than Slowing Down the World. Highly recommended. -Tim

Mon, 28 Apr 2003 20:27:38 GMT

Apple's New Music Store: Officially Impressed Updated as of 5:04PM Apple seems to have straightened out the server problems they had earlier today and I am officially impressed! As I write this, I am Jerry Jeff Walker's "L.A. Freeway," which I just downloaded from the Apple Music Store. This song brings back lots of great memories. The Apple Music Store is everything that you would expect from Apple, clean, elegant and inspiring. The interface is intuitive -- if you can use a web browser you can use the Music Store. You can either browse or search, quickly and easily. Purchased music ends up right in iTunes -- no need to import a file. I have found all the music that I have searched for: Eagles, Jimmy Buffet, Sting, Nora Jones, Faith Hill, Springsteen, Neil Young. I love the ability to listen to 30 second snippets of music prior to downloading a song. This feature will enable me to explore lots of new music without leaving home and, I'm sure, spur incremental purchases on my part. The Music Store validates my continued loyalty to Apple and gives me yet another way to impress my PC-challenged friends and family. -Tim P.S. Here what the New York Times has to say. Posted Originally at 1:27PM Cnet: "Apple Computer on Monday unveiled its latest line of digital music products, including a long-awaited Internet music store and ultrathin versions of its popular iPod portable MP3 player." I downloaded iTunes 4.0 from Apple's web site. I found out that AAC support required QuickTime 6.2, so I had to download that as well. I restarted my Mac to check out iTunes. The most interesting new feature is Apple's Music Store, which is implemented like a browser window within iTunes. (See screen shot 362K.) Everybody and his brother must be trying to access the server farm, as I've had a difficult time getting through. I keep getting "504 Error There was an error in the Music Store. Please try again later." I was able to get through for a period of time and listen to a snippet from U2's "It's A Beautiful Day." The snippet sounded great. I attempted to buy the song for 99 cents, which brought me to a registration screen. Despite repeated attempts, I was not able to complete the registration process as the server at the other end was too busy (405 error). We're inspired by what we've seen. Hopefully Apple can get the server problems resolved, because the Music Store looks very promising. More later. -Tim

Fri, 25 Apr 2003 07:19:54 GMT

'Everest': Younger Hillary Retraces Steps OF Father USA Today: "Dad, it's Peter. We're on the summit. That simple message bridged a half-century, 29,035 feet and a technological revolution as Peter Hillary spoke by satellite phone to his father, Sir Edmund Hillary, from Mount Everest in National Geographic's Surviving Everest (Sunday, 8pm ET/PT)."

Performance Review: Band of Brothers

Thu, 17 Apr 2003 16:56:58 GMT

Band of Brothers by Stephen Spielberg / Tom Hanks A war saga may seem to be a strange choice for Rugged Elegant Living. This series, however, uses war as a backdrop to explore the essence of humanity or lack thereof. Originally broadcast on HBO, this mini-series captures the real life story of Easy Company's paratroopers from boot camp in Georgia to their perilous parachute behind enemy lines during the D-Day invasion to their triumphant capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest. The mini-series gives you an in-depth feel of what it must have been like to be a soldier during World War II. Each episode of Band of Brothers is significantly enhanced by interviews with the men upon whom the mini-series is based. Watch this mini-series so that you can get an idea of what these men sacrificed for our country. You will learn much in the process. Ten hour-long episodes on six DVD discs. Not rated, but due to excessive violence and language we would not recommend Band of Brothers to anyone under 16. -Tim