on the road again

so much for ethical and economical misgivings, we hit the road tomorrow--gouged gas-prices and all--and head down to durham, NC for a few days to work on the house with leilaundsebastian. i have to confess that despite my sense that we americans consume far too much oil as it is and probably shouldn't subsidize it the way we do, i still can't help feeling bitter about the way that these companies seem to be manipulating gas prices. they rise meteorically in a matter of minutes, but they don't adjust the other way as easily? gimme a break. turns out, there's no immediate shortage to speak of (aside from the big one), which relieves my direct ethical concerns about interfering with the NOLA relief efforts. so we've decided to embark on this lil' roadtrip all the same. and my main motivation, not to downplay the value of visiting family, is our stop in DC on our way back north.

on monday and tuesday next week, i'll be attending and participating in this year's future of music policy summit, which promises an engaging conversation among musicians, industry types, lawyers, and academics. i'll be sitting on a panel about "transformative use"--a subject that i'm rather interested in. one of the best things about the future of music coalition is their attention to policy issues: for them, this is not an abstract, academic excercise--it is an opportunity to think seriously about the music industry as it is organized today and to think about, propose, and enact better models for musicians, audiences, and--i suppose, though i'm not sure they're necessary--investors. at any rate, i'm gassed just to get another chance to hang with such fine folks as jeff and siva--never mind getting to see legends like george clinton and hank shocklee.

although durham and DC are probably rather wired spots, i may be offline a bit, so please amuse yourselves in my absence by checking in on the very talented folks on the blogroll -->
(in partic, the poplicks dudes and leninologists have been really on point lately.)

in other blog news, if there's a silver lining to be found in the ominous back-to-school cloud now creeping over so many of us (aside from, y'know, the sheer joy of learning), it's the return of mr.babylon. i don't know about you, but i've been dying to know what p-yayo did on his summer vacation. (i've got some guesses.)

finally, i leave you with joe twist's submission, as inspired by the photo that begins the post below, for "strangest public signage in Arlington, MA." according to mr.twist, a one-time part-time ahlington resident, "This monument to an O.G. American badass is in that little park in the center of town." no doubt--public signs don't get much stranger, and O.G.s don't get much gangster (dude was on some rasputin shit), than this: