why do they think this will work?
in the pithy words of one commenter:
"so what they go down we have tons of other sites to get our shit"
p2p is Pandora's Box and the lid is not only open, it's blown off, flown out the window and vanished over the rolling hills.
Stop these sites and as many more will spring up in their place.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Lessons of MMORPG's
courtesy of Ralph Koster.
A superficially funny lament for the genre....I'm a total rookie, but I get his point.
He seems sad about it, but I think it's fine because games aren't life, even games that pretend to be life.
A superficially funny lament for the genre....I'm a total rookie, but I get his point.
People are only good at one thing.
That’s why it takes six people (all doing different jobs) to kill most anything.
You never, ever, ever change jobs. If you want to, you probably need to die.
You can be the best in the world at your job.
But so can everyone else.
And you will all do it exactly the same way.
He seems sad about it, but I think it's fine because games aren't life, even games that pretend to be life.
Gifts not in vain
I finally got around to installing the fine robot sticker DT was kind enough to send my way.
(for the web impaired: click pic for slick trick)
(for the web impaired: click pic for slick trick)
Requiem for Don Knotts
In honor of the recently departed Mr. Limpet, here's a clip of him introducing the Monster of the Week on the Muppet Show.
clicky clicky!
clicky clicky!
neato bugs
Impressive and varied insects of Thailand
Poke around the gallerys....that's a country with some kickass bugs!
Poke around the gallerys....that's a country with some kickass bugs!
Monday, February 27, 2006
music: TV on the Radio
Worrisome news....one of my favorite acts of recent vintage just signed with a major label known for destroying talent.
Join me in crossing fingers for their survival.
Join me in crossing fingers for their survival.
Bobo Blog Update for Ivan
Bobo can't update his blog because he lost his password.
And it's on his own server so he can't retrieve it with an email, like a normal person.
"use blogger" indeed!
Also, he thinks he's been getting sinus headaches because he has mold in his walls.
I think he's got nothing more than a bad case of Web MD Internet Symptom Lookup Syndrome....
And it's on his own server so he can't retrieve it with an email, like a normal person.
"use blogger" indeed!
Also, he thinks he's been getting sinus headaches because he has mold in his walls.
I think he's got nothing more than a bad case of Web MD Internet Symptom Lookup Syndrome....
HL2 Comic
pretty funny.
As someone who loved comics when I was a kid but couldn't draw a lick I like this kind of stuff. The ability to use a game engine to 'draw' your comic democratizes the process...in high school I'd have been all over this trend like white on rice.
As someone who loved comics when I was a kid but couldn't draw a lick I like this kind of stuff. The ability to use a game engine to 'draw' your comic democratizes the process...in high school I'd have been all over this trend like white on rice.
film: v for vendetta
As a big fan of the Alan Moore graphic novel I've eyed it's journey to the big screen with trepidation.
He's far and away the greatest writer to work in the comic format, but Hollywood has been less than kind to his creations.
So it came as a shock to check Wolcott today and find an unabashed rave review from the usually jaundiced pen of the Great Man.
Hmmm. I guess I'll have to see it after all....
He's far and away the greatest writer to work in the comic format, but Hollywood has been less than kind to his creations.
So it came as a shock to check Wolcott today and find an unabashed rave review from the usually jaundiced pen of the Great Man.
Hmmm. I guess I'll have to see it after all....
Octavia Butler follow up
a fine memorial with attendant links.
I still haven't seen this on any of the mainstream news sites, who can't say enough about Dennis Weaver.
I mean I'm sure he was a nice man, but he played doads on TV.
Butler was important.
I still haven't seen this on any of the mainstream news sites, who can't say enough about Dennis Weaver.
I mean I'm sure he was a nice man, but he played doads on TV.
Butler was important.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
RIP Octavia Butler
fuck they're dropping like flies!
She was that rava avis, a thoughful, serious writer who chose to explore science fiction themes.
Here's an interview covering her best known book, Kindred.
She was that rava avis, a thoughful, serious writer who chose to explore science fiction themes.
Here's an interview covering her best known book, Kindred.
politics: safe abortion guide
In light of South Dakota deciding to make hay on the Roberts and Alito superme court elevations by banning abortions, Molly has posted the guidelines of a 70's guerilla abortion group on her blog.
JANE proceedures for clean, safe abortions without a doctor
Points that occur to me:
Groups looking to use the government to control behavior they find personally abhorrent but that is widely supported are doomed in the age of the internet.
Google 'safe abortion' right now and you get plenty of useful hits.
Give the reproductive manaics more time to advance their unpopular agenda through the court system and that number will skyrocket. A consensus "best" resource will emerge, be linked to all over the internet and become the Abortion Ebay, or the Amazon of Abortions. Access will be a mouse click away, whatever the government says.
Prohibition didn't work because the Utopian vision of a zealous few were in direct opposition to the opinion of the majority. The same thing will happen with abortion. Criminializing it will do nothing to stifle demand and enacting bans supported by the nuts in the supreme court will generate a tidal wave backlash in the electorate.
just watch...
In the 1960s and early 1970s, when abortions were illegal in many places and expensive to get, an organization called Jane stepped up to the plate in the Chicago area. Jane initially hired an abortion doctor, but later they did the abortions themselves. They lost only one patient in 13,000 -- a lower death rate than that of giving live birth.
JANE proceedures for clean, safe abortions without a doctor
Points that occur to me:
Groups looking to use the government to control behavior they find personally abhorrent but that is widely supported are doomed in the age of the internet.
Google 'safe abortion' right now and you get plenty of useful hits.
Give the reproductive manaics more time to advance their unpopular agenda through the court system and that number will skyrocket. A consensus "best" resource will emerge, be linked to all over the internet and become the Abortion Ebay, or the Amazon of Abortions. Access will be a mouse click away, whatever the government says.
Prohibition didn't work because the Utopian vision of a zealous few were in direct opposition to the opinion of the majority. The same thing will happen with abortion. Criminializing it will do nothing to stifle demand and enacting bans supported by the nuts in the supreme court will generate a tidal wave backlash in the electorate.
just watch...
boxing: fine KO from last night
Here is Calvin Brock putting paid to heavyweight trialhorse Zuri Lawrence:
I like Calvin, he's too small for today's heavyweight division, but has decent skills, shows up in shape and throws combinations....which puts him three rungs above the rest of the division. If he was just a little bigger he could make some real noise.
I thought he was going to get a title shot after his enetertaining win over Jameel McCline, instead he dropped off the map and fought a couple of absolute nobodies in non-televised bouts. Hopefully this will get him back in the mix....
I like Calvin, he's too small for today's heavyweight division, but has decent skills, shows up in shape and throws combinations....which puts him three rungs above the rest of the division. If he was just a little bigger he could make some real noise.
I thought he was going to get a title shot after his enetertaining win over Jameel McCline, instead he dropped off the map and fought a couple of absolute nobodies in non-televised bouts. Hopefully this will get him back in the mix....
Saturday, February 25, 2006
RIP Darren McGavin
Prolific Actor Darren McGavin Dies at 83
Known to most as from his role in the excellent holiday movie A Christmas Story, he will always live in my heart as Karl Kolchack, the hard boiled supernatural investigator I aspired to be when I grew up.
Known to most as from his role in the excellent holiday movie A Christmas Story, he will always live in my heart as Karl Kolchack, the hard boiled supernatural investigator I aspired to be when I grew up.
boxing: old timer's night
'Sugar' Shane Mosely vs 'Ferocious' Fernando Vargas goes down tonight.
I was ready to check it out, but our PPV venue fell through and Pelf isn't coming up so I'll be at my brother in laws BBQ instead.
It's still a compelling bout between two guys at roughly the same spot in the downward spiral of their careers. Fernando is bigger, Shane is less shot....a toss up fight IMHO. I'm picking El Feroz by decision in spite of his cracked chin- Shane hasn't KO'ed anyone of note since leaving 135 and this fight is at 154, where he's never looked good.
Bonus weigh in picture- doesn't it look like someone is trying to pull of Nando's head with an invisible rope?
I was ready to check it out, but our PPV venue fell through and Pelf isn't coming up so I'll be at my brother in laws BBQ instead.
It's still a compelling bout between two guys at roughly the same spot in the downward spiral of their careers. Fernando is bigger, Shane is less shot....a toss up fight IMHO. I'm picking El Feroz by decision in spite of his cracked chin- Shane hasn't KO'ed anyone of note since leaving 135 and this fight is at 154, where he's never looked good.
Bonus weigh in picture- doesn't it look like someone is trying to pull of Nando's head with an invisible rope?
realtime feedback: SHOULD I DRINK MORE COFFEE
well?
I've had a cup already and don't really need more, but it's cold today and I get a wild craving for JAVA when the temp drops below the customary 73 degrees- adding to my dilemma there are a few clouds today.
Hmmm. What say you, the loyal readers of the Baxblog?
I've had a cup already and don't really need more, but it's cold today and I get a wild craving for JAVA when the temp drops below the customary 73 degrees- adding to my dilemma there are a few clouds today.
Hmmm. What say you, the loyal readers of the Baxblog?
in the footsteps of Atget
lens culture: Rephotographing Atget
A guy cruises around Paris tracking down and recreating photos by Eugene Atget. Cool.
Atget is one of my faves.
I got the wife a book of his photos illustrating selections from Proust for Christmas a few years back.
A guy cruises around Paris tracking down and recreating photos by Eugene Atget. Cool.
Atget is one of my faves.
I got the wife a book of his photos illustrating selections from Proust for Christmas a few years back.
Friday, February 24, 2006
this one's for Dango
you put your WEEED in there!
Did you ever run across a crazy elaborate supervillain secret base like this during your years on the meth beat, Dangs?
Those were some highly motivated weed freaks...
Did you ever run across a crazy elaborate supervillain secret base like this during your years on the meth beat, Dangs?
Those were some highly motivated weed freaks...
music: She Wants Revenge
Music has always been an oroborus, feeding on itself to generate new life.
Lately it's threatened to become an auto-cannibal, eating and eating of itself without generating new vistas, the devouring mouth consuming so fast it threatens to catch up with itself and vanish with a comic-book *pop*.
So it's surprising that She Wants Revenge is the first band in my experience to mine the rich and relatively unmolested vein of late 80s/early 90's synth/goth/dance/robot pop music, territory populated by Joy Division and New Order, Bauhaus, early Cure, Sisters of Mercy, and the better offerings of Depeche Mode.
I just listened to it for the first time, and it's catchy as hell...kinda surprising, as I wasn't a big fan of any of the aformentioned bands except for a few songs each. These cats seem to have reduced the genre to a thick sauce, burning away all the boring bits.
The only complaint I've got right now is they could get monotonous, their songs are nicely varied but the lead singer is locked into a metronomic shout/sing groove that doesn't vary much.
But about half the tunes are catchy and involving as hell, and the others are pretty good on first listen. I dunno if this one will grow on me or get stale fast, it seems to have an equal chance of both right now. But so far so good.
here are some of their songs on Hypemachine.
Check out Red Flags & Long Nights, These Things and Tear You Apart, three representative tracks.
Lately it's threatened to become an auto-cannibal, eating and eating of itself without generating new vistas, the devouring mouth consuming so fast it threatens to catch up with itself and vanish with a comic-book *pop*.
So it's surprising that She Wants Revenge is the first band in my experience to mine the rich and relatively unmolested vein of late 80s/early 90's synth/goth/dance/robot pop music, territory populated by Joy Division and New Order, Bauhaus, early Cure, Sisters of Mercy, and the better offerings of Depeche Mode.
I just listened to it for the first time, and it's catchy as hell...kinda surprising, as I wasn't a big fan of any of the aformentioned bands except for a few songs each. These cats seem to have reduced the genre to a thick sauce, burning away all the boring bits.
The only complaint I've got right now is they could get monotonous, their songs are nicely varied but the lead singer is locked into a metronomic shout/sing groove that doesn't vary much.
But about half the tunes are catchy and involving as hell, and the others are pretty good on first listen. I dunno if this one will grow on me or get stale fast, it seems to have an equal chance of both right now. But so far so good.
here are some of their songs on Hypemachine.
Check out Red Flags & Long Nights, These Things and Tear You Apart, three representative tracks.
the future of the music industry
good little article on the genesis and success of baxblog favorite Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, who's sold upwards of 200,000 copies of their self-published and financed debut album with no promotion other than their website and the quality of their music.
clicky clicky
clicky clicky
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Monday, February 20, 2006
watchmaker's notebook
I love being able to dip my toe into someone else's obsession, and this site provided a warm and welcoming pool for my pedal digits.
Even if you don't share my interest in feathering your brain with as many bits of esoteric knowledge as will fit, you should enjoy the high rez pics of watch interiors.
Even if you don't share my interest in feathering your brain with as many bits of esoteric knowledge as will fit, you should enjoy the high rez pics of watch interiors.
Film: Nanny McPhee
capsule reviews:
the niece gave it a thumb's down.
"Her tooth was on the outside" she noted disapprovingly.
The sis-in-law and the wife's cousin enjoyed it immensely.
"It appealed to these 40 year old little kids" commented the ladies.
the niece gave it a thumb's down.
"Her tooth was on the outside" she noted disapprovingly.
The sis-in-law and the wife's cousin enjoyed it immensely.
"It appealed to these 40 year old little kids" commented the ladies.
Jane Smiley on Tolerance
A great post dissecting the logic of fundie religionists who think everyone needs to live by their theological philosophy.
semantics
DT was distraught by the lukewarm response on our boxing forum to his discovery of monk-e-mail, a side that delivers the "ability to send customized talking monkey emails around the globe for free", in the words of the Tatum.
I think the problem was one of framing the message.
He launched his campaign with a tepid Democrat-style endorsement, calling it "funny", which I think drastically understates its brilliance. That might fly in the UK, where understatement is an art forum, but here in the red-blooded USA, home of rugged individualists who are used to advertisers leading them around by the nose, something more sensationalistic is in order.
Something like 'most brilliant web side EVER', or 'The Citizen Kane of free talking monkey email sites!"
What say you, good people?
I think the problem was one of framing the message.
He launched his campaign with a tepid Democrat-style endorsement, calling it "funny", which I think drastically understates its brilliance. That might fly in the UK, where understatement is an art forum, but here in the red-blooded USA, home of rugged individualists who are used to advertisers leading them around by the nose, something more sensationalistic is in order.
Something like 'most brilliant web side EVER', or 'The Citizen Kane of free talking monkey email sites!"
What say you, good people?
Sunday, February 19, 2006
a comment on the Winter Games
from our friends at Emerald Bile.
the beginning:
NBC would not approve.
the beginning:
'Have you been watching the winter olympics?' someone asked me yesterday. Fortunately I was holding some copper wire with which I garrotted him.
NBC would not approve.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Metaphor Madness
more Olympics:
I was watching with both eyes this time, because 'Snowboard Cross' (described by one hyperventilating announcer as "snowboarding meets motocross...ON SNOW!".....I shit you not) is fun to watch, with people bashing into each other and wiping out left and right.
A more descriptive phrase to someone of my demographic would have been "snowboarding meets roller derby....ON SNOW!
The focus was on the heavily favored American (the 'heavily favored American' seems to come standard with all these nouveau Olympic X-sports). This one had earned the ire of the wife and I during the requisite vaseline-lensed 'human interest' piece where she painted herself as some kind of female trailblazer, "proving" that women could be elite athletes...which is a remarkable specimen of navel-gazing ignorance, even coming from a privileged young American.
After all the hagiography, the race finally starts.
The final unfolded like most of the previous heats- whoever was in front after the first turn had a huge advantage over the rest of the field, with only the course to navigate. Only one previous heat ended with more than two boarders on their feet, and this one was no different- the third-place finisher had to hop back onto the course following a wipeout so they could award a bronze medal, and one gal wiped out so bad they had to cart her off on a snow stretcher.
So, the heavily favored American has a huge lead after the other three pinball each other into various states of disarray...only the Swiss gal is still on her feet, a distant second.
But wait....going over the final jump, with the finish line in sight, the heavily favored American decides it's time to show off a little...she's the best, after all, and has a huge lead over the only remaining competitor. So she adds a fancy rail grab to her final jump (there was some debate as to whether it was an 'indy' or a 'fakie'). And EATS SHIT on the landing, spinning off the track while the Swiss boarder blows by her to the gold.
This would be a good enough metaphor for America's current position on the world stage, but it became even more pointed during the inevitable post-disaster interview, where after a huddled conference with her various handlers the heavily favored American lied through her teeth to try and make her hotdogging look less arrogant and idiotic- "I'd been having trouble with that jump all day, and I grabbed the rail to try and stabilize myself."
Patent bullshit, which of course went unchallenged by the interviewer & the announcers.
The LA Times sports page had it right this morning, echoing one of Chick Hearn's famous phrases in a 72 point headline- "One Hotdog, No Mustard".
I was watching with both eyes this time, because 'Snowboard Cross' (described by one hyperventilating announcer as "snowboarding meets motocross...ON SNOW!".....I shit you not) is fun to watch, with people bashing into each other and wiping out left and right.
A more descriptive phrase to someone of my demographic would have been "snowboarding meets roller derby....ON SNOW!
The focus was on the heavily favored American (the 'heavily favored American' seems to come standard with all these nouveau Olympic X-sports). This one had earned the ire of the wife and I during the requisite vaseline-lensed 'human interest' piece where she painted herself as some kind of female trailblazer, "proving" that women could be elite athletes...which is a remarkable specimen of navel-gazing ignorance, even coming from a privileged young American.
After all the hagiography, the race finally starts.
The final unfolded like most of the previous heats- whoever was in front after the first turn had a huge advantage over the rest of the field, with only the course to navigate. Only one previous heat ended with more than two boarders on their feet, and this one was no different- the third-place finisher had to hop back onto the course following a wipeout so they could award a bronze medal, and one gal wiped out so bad they had to cart her off on a snow stretcher.
So, the heavily favored American has a huge lead after the other three pinball each other into various states of disarray...only the Swiss gal is still on her feet, a distant second.
But wait....going over the final jump, with the finish line in sight, the heavily favored American decides it's time to show off a little...she's the best, after all, and has a huge lead over the only remaining competitor. So she adds a fancy rail grab to her final jump (there was some debate as to whether it was an 'indy' or a 'fakie'). And EATS SHIT on the landing, spinning off the track while the Swiss boarder blows by her to the gold.
This would be a good enough metaphor for America's current position on the world stage, but it became even more pointed during the inevitable post-disaster interview, where after a huddled conference with her various handlers the heavily favored American lied through her teeth to try and make her hotdogging look less arrogant and idiotic- "I'd been having trouble with that jump all day, and I grabbed the rail to try and stabilize myself."
Patent bullshit, which of course went unchallenged by the interviewer & the announcers.
The LA Times sports page had it right this morning, echoing one of Chick Hearn's famous phrases in a 72 point headline- "One Hotdog, No Mustard".
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
timesaver
Glenn Greenwald has been pumping out absolutely outstanding, unmissable posts at such a torrid pace lately I just added him to the blogroll, which was easier than linking him in a new post every day.
Film: The Matador
A typical 'high concept' Hollywood idea that was developed and released as an indie film, meaning it arrived in the theaters without having every drop of life pressed out from the combined weight of risk-averse studio meddling, screenplay by committee and test audiences genetically engineered in underground Sony labs for maximum timidity.
It's a movie that would have been just another mainstream studio release in a just universe, but is seen as 'edgy' and 'difficult' in the current environment of corporate cowardice and artistic stagnation.
My take- it has a good script, good acting, good direction and a good plot. A solidly entertaining film. I laughed, I got to see Hope Davis's nekkid flank, I got to see Pierce Brosnan make a good film before he died...all in all, a fine night out at the movies.
It's a movie that would have been just another mainstream studio release in a just universe, but is seen as 'edgy' and 'difficult' in the current environment of corporate cowardice and artistic stagnation.
My take- it has a good script, good acting, good direction and a good plot. A solidly entertaining film. I laughed, I got to see Hope Davis's nekkid flank, I got to see Pierce Brosnan make a good film before he died...all in all, a fine night out at the movies.
Shameless plug
I'm quite a bit more domestic than your average male, but even I was a bit put off when the wife bought me rose peppercorn linen spray for Christmas. I felt like I should be frisking about the house in a pair of heels, draped in an apron and wielding an outsized feather duster.
But, there it was.
So when I was casting about for ways to customize the wife's Husband Experience on Valentine's Day, exotic linen spray seemed like just the thing. I hosed down my shirt and pants, let them marinate a bit, then worked them over with a hot iron.
And let me tell you, never have I had so many ladies go batshit crazy over how good I smelled. "what IS that smell?" they'd say....which I get all the time, but last night it was accompanied by a smile, and they avoided the perjorative 'stench'. Then they would sidle up to me, sniffing, and then start rubbing up against me like bears with an itch between their shoulders.
Far from being put off, the wife was encouraging the phenomena.
"Come here....smell my husband!" she would demand, pointing at my armpit.
So anyone who likes an ironed shirt for special occasions, hook yourself up with some Caldrea linen spray.
Twelve bucks WELL spent.
But, there it was.
So when I was casting about for ways to customize the wife's Husband Experience on Valentine's Day, exotic linen spray seemed like just the thing. I hosed down my shirt and pants, let them marinate a bit, then worked them over with a hot iron.
And let me tell you, never have I had so many ladies go batshit crazy over how good I smelled. "what IS that smell?" they'd say....which I get all the time, but last night it was accompanied by a smile, and they avoided the perjorative 'stench'. Then they would sidle up to me, sniffing, and then start rubbing up against me like bears with an itch between their shoulders.
Far from being put off, the wife was encouraging the phenomena.
"Come here....smell my husband!" she would demand, pointing at my armpit.
So anyone who likes an ironed shirt for special occasions, hook yourself up with some Caldrea linen spray.
Twelve bucks WELL spent.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Olympics musing
I've been watching the Olympics with one eye this week...well, the wife has been watching them, I'm just in the same room. Which just proves that I form opinions unconsciously, like an oyster making a pearl out of a grain of sand (hey, it's my blog, I can spout self-aggrandizing nonsense if I want!)
First, I like the addition of 'extreme sports' to the Olympics.
Not because snowboarding is amazingly fascinating, but because the subculture is relatively new to the spotlight and the performers haven't internalized the book of hackneyed sports cliches that reduce athlete/journalist interactions to the level of Kabuki theater. Snowboarders will say things that surprise the interviewers, and the audience, which entertains me. It's like the USOC forgot to invite them to the media indoctrination sessions that steam the spontaneity out of the starts of more established sports.
Second, what the fuck with the ice staking judging.
Weren't they supposed to 'fix' it after the 'controversy' with the French judge and the dual gold medals last time out?
There was a Chinese pair in second place, they started their program with some outlandishly difficult trick and it went so far wrong they had to stop for a couple of minutes and regroup- the gal ate shit so bad she landed knees-first on the ice and slid fifteen yards into the wall and looked dazed for a couple of minutes.
After a pep talk from her coach ("skate bitch, unless you want to be assembling hard drives for a living!") she pulled it together and they finished their program.
Great, they overcame disaster and finished their routine- good human interest stuff of the sort the Olympics feed us like geese being pumped up for Foi Gras.
But wait...the scoring comes in, and THEY'RE STILL IN SECOND PLACE.
WTF? Why bother skating the long program if you can eat shit so badly they stop the music and call a doctor yet go nowhere in the standings? I don't get it.
I'm not much for figure skating anyway, leaning more toward Bonecrusher Smith than Peggy Fleming, but why bother watching if people can flame out and still win medals?
First, I like the addition of 'extreme sports' to the Olympics.
Not because snowboarding is amazingly fascinating, but because the subculture is relatively new to the spotlight and the performers haven't internalized the book of hackneyed sports cliches that reduce athlete/journalist interactions to the level of Kabuki theater. Snowboarders will say things that surprise the interviewers, and the audience, which entertains me. It's like the USOC forgot to invite them to the media indoctrination sessions that steam the spontaneity out of the starts of more established sports.
Second, what the fuck with the ice staking judging.
Weren't they supposed to 'fix' it after the 'controversy' with the French judge and the dual gold medals last time out?
There was a Chinese pair in second place, they started their program with some outlandishly difficult trick and it went so far wrong they had to stop for a couple of minutes and regroup- the gal ate shit so bad she landed knees-first on the ice and slid fifteen yards into the wall and looked dazed for a couple of minutes.
After a pep talk from her coach ("skate bitch, unless you want to be assembling hard drives for a living!") she pulled it together and they finished their program.
Great, they overcame disaster and finished their routine- good human interest stuff of the sort the Olympics feed us like geese being pumped up for Foi Gras.
But wait...the scoring comes in, and THEY'RE STILL IN SECOND PLACE.
WTF? Why bother skating the long program if you can eat shit so badly they stop the music and call a doctor yet go nowhere in the standings? I don't get it.
I'm not much for figure skating anyway, leaning more toward Bonecrusher Smith than Peggy Fleming, but why bother watching if people can flame out and still win medals?
Movies: When a Stranger Calls
I don't like remakes, as you should all know by now.
When someone remakes a good film I generally fall to my knees and howl to the deaf heavens "WHY, GOD? WHY!"
But a remake of a bad film is even more inexplicable. The original was a pedestrian affair who's single good moment was stolen from a campfire story- "he's in the house!" (which you saw in the preview, so why bother?)
I can't imagine the remake elevates the material any, and "he's in the house!" is once again the capper for the trailer (probably because there's nothing else to use).
Morbid curiosity drove me to rotten tomatoes to check out the critical reaction to this hound, and I thought I'd share some of the amusing pull quotes here:
"If you answer, you may be bored to death."
-- John Wirt, ADVOCATE (BATON ROUGE, LA)
"some of the cast is so bad it made me wonder if they won some sort of internet contest, or were the fifth caller on a radio station to get their roles"
-- Willie Waffle, WAFFLEMOVIES.COM
"A minimum effort horror movie. It does just enough to scare easily unnerved thirteen-year-old girls, and not much else."
-- Joshua Tyler, CINEMABLEND.COM
"Then I'm like 'what's the movie called?' And he's like 'When a Stranger Calls.' And I'm like 'Is it about telemarketing?'"
-- Mark Ramsey, MOVIEJUICE!
"Features an ending guaranteed to confuse and confound morons."
-- Jon Popick, PLANET SICK-BOY
"This week's installment in the 'this film is so bad we're not screening it for critics' series."
-- Frank Scheck, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
"The scare-free When a Stranger Calls is the worst of the seminal horror movies from the late '70s and early '80s that have been getting the remake treatment lately."
-- Lou Lumenick, NEW YORK POST
That last quote you need to take with a grain of salt...calling the original "seminal" and lumping it in with the likes of Dawn of the Dead and Texas Chainsaw Massacre is like including Billy Joel's Uptown Girl on a concert program with Mozart's Requiem and Beethoven's 9th.
When someone remakes a good film I generally fall to my knees and howl to the deaf heavens "WHY, GOD? WHY!"
But a remake of a bad film is even more inexplicable. The original was a pedestrian affair who's single good moment was stolen from a campfire story- "he's in the house!" (which you saw in the preview, so why bother?)
I can't imagine the remake elevates the material any, and "he's in the house!" is once again the capper for the trailer (probably because there's nothing else to use).
Morbid curiosity drove me to rotten tomatoes to check out the critical reaction to this hound, and I thought I'd share some of the amusing pull quotes here:
"If you answer, you may be bored to death."
-- John Wirt, ADVOCATE (BATON ROUGE, LA)
"some of the cast is so bad it made me wonder if they won some sort of internet contest, or were the fifth caller on a radio station to get their roles"
-- Willie Waffle, WAFFLEMOVIES.COM
"A minimum effort horror movie. It does just enough to scare easily unnerved thirteen-year-old girls, and not much else."
-- Joshua Tyler, CINEMABLEND.COM
"Then I'm like 'what's the movie called?' And he's like 'When a Stranger Calls.' And I'm like 'Is it about telemarketing?'"
-- Mark Ramsey, MOVIEJUICE!
"Features an ending guaranteed to confuse and confound morons."
-- Jon Popick, PLANET SICK-BOY
"This week's installment in the 'this film is so bad we're not screening it for critics' series."
-- Frank Scheck, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
"The scare-free When a Stranger Calls is the worst of the seminal horror movies from the late '70s and early '80s that have been getting the remake treatment lately."
-- Lou Lumenick, NEW YORK POST
That last quote you need to take with a grain of salt...calling the original "seminal" and lumping it in with the likes of Dawn of the Dead and Texas Chainsaw Massacre is like including Billy Joel's Uptown Girl on a concert program with Mozart's Requiem and Beethoven's 9th.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Politics: Greenwald follow-up
Unclaimed Territory - by Glenn Greenwald: Follow-up to the Bush post yesterday
The winger blogosphere freaks out about Greenwald's post I linked to yesterday, thus proving his argument on every point.
You can't make this shit up....
The winger blogosphere freaks out about Greenwald's post I linked to yesterday, thus proving his argument on every point.
You can't make this shit up....
Sunday, February 12, 2006
politics: summary
It's been a while since I've linked anything political, mainly because most people I give the link to already share some/most/all of my crypto-liberal humanist beliefs and I'm unlikely to persuede the others by linking to internet pontificating, however high quality.
But today I ran across such a perfect summary of the Bush cult of personality I had to share.
Glen Greenwald hits the grand-slam home run of political posts.
But today I ran across such a perfect summary of the Bush cult of personality I had to share.
Glen Greenwald hits the grand-slam home run of political posts.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
I'm breaking the first rule here....
...but this can't possibly suck!
Because EVERYTHING goes better with big dance numbers and lots of crazy Indian pop music!
Because EVERYTHING goes better with big dance numbers and lots of crazy Indian pop music!
most excellent nom de internet
was making the rounds today and came across a fellow with the best e-name I've seen in a long, long time.
Protocols of the Elders of Awesome
I think he missed a trick by not caps locking 'awesome', but that's just picking nits...
Protocols of the Elders of Awesome
I think he missed a trick by not caps locking 'awesome', but that's just picking nits...
Friday, February 10, 2006
film: New World redux + Curious George
another unrestrained endorsement, this time from the sis-in-law:
"I felt like it was filling up my soul."
Bro in law also loved it, but no quotes available at deadline.
Meanwhile, in a screen down the hall, the wife was distracting my niece by stoically enduring prolonged exposure to Curious George, echoing Mel Gibson's Christish writhings at the gushing climax of Braveheart.
When asked her opinion she replied
"it's probably great for really little kids."
The niece (a really little kid) opined:
"The man went swimming.......in his clothes!
HAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
"I felt like it was filling up my soul."
Bro in law also loved it, but no quotes available at deadline.
Meanwhile, in a screen down the hall, the wife was distracting my niece by stoically enduring prolonged exposure to Curious George, echoing Mel Gibson's Christish writhings at the gushing climax of Braveheart.
When asked her opinion she replied
"it's probably great for really little kids."
The niece (a really little kid) opined:
"The man went swimming.......in his clothes!
HAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
Thursday, February 9, 2006
attention IVANUS: Chuck Wants You
I'm breaking my habitual thursday/friday silence to alert Baxblog's own Ivanus Rex to the existance of his dream tee shirt provider.
I'm not even a member of the Cult of Chuck and I'm tempted.
I'm not even a member of the Cult of Chuck and I'm tempted.
Tuesday, February 7, 2006
more stolen superbowl content: Mrs. Tatum Reports
from her workplace in downtown Pitt:
It's cold. It's snowing. The Victory Parade is scheduled to begin at 11am and conclude at the Plaza across from my office at 12:30.
By 7:50 this morning, when I was rushing through the wind on my way to work, the plaza- the endpoint of the parade - was already a sea of black-n-gold clad steeler fans, apparently just milling about in anticipation of the parade FOUR and a Half Hours later.
My colleagues just made a trip outside for steelers gear, which is being hawked
from every streetcorner.
As if anyone needed yet another tee-hat-jersey-towel.
As I write, at 9:15, the Plaza is nearly at capacity.
Only 3 hours to go!
Human Customer Service
gethuman.com is a site dedicated to sneaking customers past the automated corporate firewall and connecting them with an actual human being.
Some good general tips to be had.
Some good general tips to be had.
books: this I need to read
of all the manifold literary genres to be had, the 'brief history of disparate people joined by a profession' is one I strive to avoid in both my personal and professional life.
But I am moved to abandon principle by some of the excellent quotes from this article.
Gotta get that one...
But I am moved to abandon principle by some of the excellent quotes from this article.
As I say, this is a delightful volume. Marías closes it with a longish piece about his collection of portrait postcards of writers, meditating on what the various images mean to him: The young Gide, he concludes, looks like "a professional duellist"; T.S. Eliot like "a man who has spent decades combing his hair in exactly the same way." But let me finish with Marías's reflections on a photograph of Rilke:
"Rilke does not have the face one would suppose him to have, so delicate and unbearable was he in his habits and needs as a great poet. . . . His face is frankly dangerous, with those dark circles under deep-set eyes, and the sparse, drooping moustache which gives him a strangely Mongolian appearance; those cold, oblique eyes make him look almost cruel, and only his hands -- clasped as they should be, unlike Conrad's indecisive hands -- and the quality of his clothes -- an excellent tie and excellent cloth -- give him some semblance of repose or somewhat mitigate that cruelty. The truth is that he could be a visionary doctor in his laboratory, awaiting the results of some monstrous and forbidden experiment."
One glance at Rilke's picture and you'll see that Marías's description is exactly right.
Gotta get that one...
Monday, February 6, 2006
flip a coin
Two opposing facts collide-
one, Bobo hates good movies.
two, Bobo likes mexican wrestlers.
so what will he make of this?
I don't remember if you were one of those sticks-in-the-mud who didn't like School of Rock, that would help with handicapping.
What say you, good readers? Will Bobo say 'yea' or 'nay'?
one, Bobo hates good movies.
two, Bobo likes mexican wrestlers.
so what will he make of this?
I don't remember if you were one of those sticks-in-the-mud who didn't like School of Rock, that would help with handicapping.
What say you, good readers? Will Bobo say 'yea' or 'nay'?
Superbowl (stolen content)
Steel Town local DT, on his daughters reaction to the game:
I missed most of it and didn't have a rooting interest since Cali wasn't represented (even when the hated Raiders make it, I root for the other team), but I'm glad the Steelers won.
I have fond memories of the Bradshaw/Harris/Swann/Stallworth dynasty, relatively unsullied by Terry's subsequent career playing the country yokel on television. Memories of when it was still a championship game and not a half-assed national holiday which generates more news coverage of how much consumers spent on pizza and what corporations paid for 60 second ad spots than the game itself.
Her interest in the Steelers can be boiled down to getting to wear a shirt with big numbers on it. She isn't really clear on the game concept yet. She "played cars" rather than sitting on daddy's lap to watch the game. I don't think the game came up in our conversation this morning, which focused more on the pink boots / purple shoes discussion.
She did like the "Steelers are going to the Super Bowl" endless loop in front of the cheese shop there. Every time the song ended she would say "uh oh, here it comes again" and then dance around squealing and screeching with her pal there. I think we did that for about 20 minutes.
I missed most of it and didn't have a rooting interest since Cali wasn't represented (even when the hated Raiders make it, I root for the other team), but I'm glad the Steelers won.
I have fond memories of the Bradshaw/Harris/Swann/Stallworth dynasty, relatively unsullied by Terry's subsequent career playing the country yokel on television. Memories of when it was still a championship game and not a half-assed national holiday which generates more news coverage of how much consumers spent on pizza and what corporations paid for 60 second ad spots than the game itself.
Sunday, February 5, 2006
books: cover of the week
It's been a while since I've had a cover worthy of this honor.
I think this one fits the bill...
It's got the whole package, but my especial favorite is the recommendation at the bottom:
I think I'll start signing all my correspondence that way.
Stephan "the man from O.R.G.Y." Baxter.
classy!
I think this one fits the bill...
It's got the whole package, but my especial favorite is the recommendation at the bottom:
I think I'll start signing all my correspondence that way.
Stephan "the man from O.R.G.Y." Baxter.
classy!
Saturday, February 4, 2006
Cthulego Rising!
Yet another geek with too much time on his hands and a digital camera.
That is not dead which can eternal lie,
And with strange æons, even death may die.
ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!
That is not dead which can eternal lie,
And with strange æons, even death may die.
ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!
Wednesday, February 1, 2006
Computer stuff: crappy headphone alert
It's rare that a bit of consumer electronics is wretched enough to inspire a profane diatribe from your humble narrator, but this past week I came across a pair of headphones fit to act as a muse for Lenny Bruce.
The microphone on my previous headset of record, the estimable and long-serving Plantronics Audio 90 Multimedia Stereo Headset, gave out last week. And in today's high tech gaming landscape, typed chat just doesn't fly- it's like trying to hold up your end of a conference call via telegraph, or semaphore, or notes tied to the legs of pigeons.
Driven to a rash act by the goad of instant gratification, I pissed on one of my own cardinal rules and picked up a headset at Best Buy, home not only to a rotating cast of lardass teens camping the Xbox 360 to play Madden but also high prices and limited selection.
It was an immature and foolish act.
And the gods saw fit to punish my willful hubris with the Logitech Precision Gaming Headset. As it was the only headset available that wasn't one of those spidery telemarketer deals, I didn't look too close at it- Logitech makes great mice and keyboards, people like their speakers, how badly could they fuck up something simple like a pair of gaming headphones?
Oh, foolish man!
First, the good news- installation was a snap, and the microphone worked fine.
Alas, those two positives were trampled underfoot by the seething mass of fatal flaws: torturous fit like a wearable Iron Maiden (I gently probed my ears and scalp for wounds after my first experience with them), awful sound quality reminiscent of my first set of Walkman headphones in Jr High, not to mention the clumsy faux futuristic look of them, a balding middle-aged engineer's idea of something with appeal for "the kids".
I mean, you're never going to cut much of a figure in a pair of headphones with a boom mic poking out of the side, but these were so profoundly dorky the wife took time out of her busy crochet schedule to mock them. If you dared wear them to work at the call center the other operators would peck you to death like a sick crow, and you would ascend to the afterlife knowing they were right to do so.
I just don't understand these things.
They're so profoundly fucked it's like they were constructed in some Cthulean dimension with different physical rules than ours...the angles are all wrong, just looking at them makes you uneasy, and the sounds they produce are a grotesque, unholy mockery of human speech.
So I did what I should have done in the first place and ordered another pair of Plantronics from Amazon. They arrived today, and after work I'm going to exorcise the Logitechs from my home, salt the earth, burn sage and have the ground re-consecrated, then hopefully enjoy an evening of chattin' with my pals minus the torment and dismay of the Headphones from Hell.
The microphone on my previous headset of record, the estimable and long-serving Plantronics Audio 90 Multimedia Stereo Headset, gave out last week. And in today's high tech gaming landscape, typed chat just doesn't fly- it's like trying to hold up your end of a conference call via telegraph, or semaphore, or notes tied to the legs of pigeons.
Driven to a rash act by the goad of instant gratification, I pissed on one of my own cardinal rules and picked up a headset at Best Buy, home not only to a rotating cast of lardass teens camping the Xbox 360 to play Madden but also high prices and limited selection.
It was an immature and foolish act.
And the gods saw fit to punish my willful hubris with the Logitech Precision Gaming Headset. As it was the only headset available that wasn't one of those spidery telemarketer deals, I didn't look too close at it- Logitech makes great mice and keyboards, people like their speakers, how badly could they fuck up something simple like a pair of gaming headphones?
Oh, foolish man!
First, the good news- installation was a snap, and the microphone worked fine.
Alas, those two positives were trampled underfoot by the seething mass of fatal flaws: torturous fit like a wearable Iron Maiden (I gently probed my ears and scalp for wounds after my first experience with them), awful sound quality reminiscent of my first set of Walkman headphones in Jr High, not to mention the clumsy faux futuristic look of them, a balding middle-aged engineer's idea of something with appeal for "the kids".
I mean, you're never going to cut much of a figure in a pair of headphones with a boom mic poking out of the side, but these were so profoundly dorky the wife took time out of her busy crochet schedule to mock them. If you dared wear them to work at the call center the other operators would peck you to death like a sick crow, and you would ascend to the afterlife knowing they were right to do so.
I just don't understand these things.
They're so profoundly fucked it's like they were constructed in some Cthulean dimension with different physical rules than ours...the angles are all wrong, just looking at them makes you uneasy, and the sounds they produce are a grotesque, unholy mockery of human speech.
So I did what I should have done in the first place and ordered another pair of Plantronics from Amazon. They arrived today, and after work I'm going to exorcise the Logitechs from my home, salt the earth, burn sage and have the ground re-consecrated, then hopefully enjoy an evening of chattin' with my pals minus the torment and dismay of the Headphones from Hell.
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