My first project was to build an ionization gauge control circuit for Professor Edgar Everhart’s Cockcroft-Walton accelerator. In those days, vacuum tubes were the active components in electronic circuits. I can still recall the warm orange glow of the vacuum tube filaments and the cool blue glow of the thyratron tubes.
To me, it all comes down to things being character-driven. It’s hard for me to look beyond that. CG and all this cool stuff – so be it. But to me, it pretty much begins and ends with character-driven plots rather than technologically-driven plots.
I’ve adjusted to being mostly situated in Vancouver now, which I love, and to the fandom that comes along with it. At some points when we’re filming in Vancouver, there are more than 100 fans outside our scene. It’s so cool being able to be a part of something where people are so passionate.
I suppose the only thing at 50 you can really start to look forward to is just total irresponsibility. As you get older, you can just sit in a chair, wear anything you want, you know you can walk down; old people dress cool. You know they wear sweatpants. The elderly have it down.
I try to explain to people that the only way to be cool is to be who you truly are, and the only way to live life is to do the things that you want to do and be the person that you want to be no matter who that is or what that is or how you have to do it. That’s the only way you can be genuinely happy.
You make your first album, you make some money, and you feel like you still have to show face, like ‘I still go to the projects.’ I’m like, why? Your job is to inspire people from your neighborhood to get out. You grew up there. What makes you think it’s so cool?
That is who Barack Obama is – a person of admirable character – and that is who he has remained for me over these last four years. I have not agreed with his every decision, but never once have I seen him break his cool, lose his composure, or abandon his insightful perspective – even during the most serious and/or absurd national disasters.
I do value the respect I get from my contemporaries, but to have Oasis cover my song, to have Puff Daddy cover a song, to have Goldie come along to my gigs – that’s where my ego is at. To have my fellow musicians like what I do, that’s very cool.
I like to wear shoes that are cool but also practical. The same goes for bags. Your bag is a big deal in New York. You can’t just carry around a little clutch, because you don’t have a car or anywhere to stash things during the day, so you need to carry your whole life with you. That’s why I like big, chunky bags with lots of compartments.
Honestly, in the music business, it’s all about being cool or being the newest thing or being the ‘It’ person, and I’ve tried really hard to be what is expected of me or what would be advantageous to my career, and I just reached the point where I said, ‘No, I’m an emotional loser. I can’t pretend to not care.’
Watch ‘Dog with a Blog’ to get a good laugh, to see me, of course, and to see an awesome, awesome talking dog who is the cleverest, most awesome dude in the world. He’s really, really adorable and cute, and it’s really cool seeing what kind of tricks he has up his sleeve.
I used to love to draw. I didn’t want to go to art class because I felt that would be too corny when I was young, but architectural drafting was the cool thing to do because there was more precision. It taught me a lot about building and structures and doorways and frames and windowsills.
Me and Vince are like cool, man. Good relationship with Vince, man, and I’ve been on a lot of trips with Vince, as far as with overseas, going to visit the military. And even at work, man, ideas, he’s open to a lot of people, everybody, pretty much. If you have a good idea, he wants you to go in there and prepare with it.
Redford always has been a cool presence both before and behind the camera. His best movie as a filmmaker, 1994’s ‘Quiz Show,’ exhibits a classicism verging on self-repression, and the social indignation in many of his films engages more than moves you.
On the back of my car, it says ‘The Situation’ in letters. It’s pretty fun. I work so much, I’ve been blessed to be busy, but when I have time and I’m able to drive my car, which is a couple times here and there, you know, it says ‘Situation’ on the back of the car, and people are honking the horn and fist-pumping, and it’s really, really cool.
I was the kind of reader in smudged pink harlequin glasses sitting on the cool, dusty floor of the Arrandale public library, standing at the edge of the playground, having broken a tooth in dodge ball, and lying under my covers with a flashlight.
What’s really cool about our family is that we don’t hold grudges, and I think that is what’s been the key to the success. We get into our little disagreements, and whether we’re right or wrong, we’ll go and apologize. That’s just the way we are.
I do love Instagram, and my kids are with me, like, 24-7, so it’s inevitable that they’ll be on there. And honestly, I know it sounds weird, but I look up people all the time on it. Because I find people so interesting, and I’m curious about them. It’s a gateway to meet new people. I think the whole concept of Instagram is really cool.
I always thought I’d look corny in the type of rap video in the club with girls and all that type of stuff. I just didn’t think I could really pull that off. We always think it’s more fun and better just to go outside the box and to use our videos to show cool concepts.
Basically, my mum and dad bought me a CD player for my 14th birthday. They didn’t really listen to music at all, but my dad had a couple of tapes that he’d listen to, like Tom Lehrer. My dad was a physicist and Tom Lehrer was like this really weird Harvard class professor, who was really cool because he was also a satirist and pianist.
I think there are four or five interesting pockets where a lot of cool technology companies are getting started. Chicago is one of them. New York is certainly another. Silicon Valley really dominates. And you’re seeing some stuff out of Boston and Seattle and down South.
I had everything you could collect. I had these Spice Girls postcards. I also had the stickers and Barbie girls. I had all five of them. I was a real fangirl. They were actually preaching some cool stuff, the thing about girl power and sticking together with your best girlfriends.
Plate tectonics is not all havoc and destruction. The slow movement of continents and ocean floors recycles carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans back into the atmosphere. Without this slow speed carbon cycle, Earth’s temperatures would cool dozens of degrees below your comfort zone.
I thought it would be so cool to be a musician, but I always thought it was impossible, because I would never be accepted in mainstream media. The fact that I’m able to tour North America and around the world is an incredible blessing, and I am thankful every time I do it.
One day, when this modeling thing is over for me and I don’t enjoy it anymore, I’m just gonna be gone! You know? I’m not here for fame or money. I’m not going to stick around and pretend everything is cool if I’m over it. When it’s done, I’m out. Ciao.
