?? August 2004 | Main | October 2004 ??
Never cheat off an idiot.
Allawi let Bush write significant portions of his speech to Congress. Ok, not Bush, probably Rove or one of those guys. But still, pretty slimy.
Outfoxed remixed.
Interviews from Outfoxed have been licensed under Creative Commons and are available for your remixing pleasure. The director even makes torrents available. The nerds must've gotten to him. Sweet. Get to work!
Deconstructing Yoda.. or at least, trying.
I still don't really understand what that means, "Do or do not... there is no try." I mean, if I followed that I'd never get a date. I *think* what Kasdan meant is to put your full enthusiasm into every endeavor. And yet there are certainly circumstances where it is permissible to "phone it in". Yoda would look like a serious asshole if he put his x-wing-lifting effort into the boardwalk ring toss, for instance, or celebrity Jeopardy, or jury duty. These are clearly all situations where trying is appropriate.
Continue reading "Deconstructing Yoda.. or at least, trying."
Imagining the unthinkable
What if Bush Wins? 16 essayists on the future of the world.
Desperately Seeking Susan: The Lost Woody Allen Film
So the story is ludicrous, the plot has one mcguffin too many, and the writing is so-so at times. There are plenty of reasons to see Desperately Seeking Susan if you've missed it these last 22 years. Steven Wright's small part is one of them, as is Laurie Metcalf's. But the real reason to watch it is production design.
I was so impressed with the look of the movie that I did something I've never done before: I looked up a production designer. And it turns out that the key players in Susan's look were Woody Allen regulars at the time: Santo Loquasto, Speed Hopkins, and to a lesser extent George DeTitta. Now, in retrospect this makes sense: It's an Orion, low-budget New York based film, so it stands to reason there'd be a regular crew-for-hire. But I'd argue that these guys make the movie, by saving Eighties style from itself.
Continue reading "Desperately Seeking Susan: The Lost Woody Allen Film"
A word from Irvin Kershner, director of The Empire Strikes Back:
"Yoda's philosophy was quite simplistic. 'If you get angry, you're gonna lose.' 'Don't try, do.' He has a basic philosophy that is very charming. Not very profound, although young people consider it profound. I wish they would read more."
We need more Irvin Kershners and less Joseph Campbells.
The Internet Culture Database Browser.
History is written by the victors. Jahsonic, less so. Consider it an aesthetic history of the twentieth century as seen by an aspergian, slighly worn DJ, for whom the world changed irrevocably with the Disco Sucks movement of 1979. Sprawling, browsable, and with the endearing lopsidedness of someone with no pretension of authority.
The Wind Beneath My Wingman
Coming soon to a theater near me: Top Gun! The Musical. In a phenomenon known as the "asteroids effect", the addition of musical numbers to the story will make it so gay that it will reemerge on the other side, consistent with topological models of a curved universe, as heterosexual camp.
The show is part of the NY Musical Theatre Festival, and will be playing at the 47th Street Theater.
Gil! Byrne! Lessig.
I felt bad for Lawrence Lessig at last night's Creative Commons benefit. A man who has argued in front of the Supreme Court can be booed by New Wave fans? I guess that's in the spirit, somehow, of democratizing intellectual property.
At any rate, the flash explanations of Creative Commons were well recieved. Chris Anderson (Wired editor) was not a particularly impressive public speaker, unfortunately -- I felt as though he was picturing the audience in their underwear, but got confused by the contrasting Byrne fan underoos and Gil fan thongs.
Continue reading "Gil! Byrne! Lessig."
More Democratic Popery
Saint Clinton certainly reflects sentiments I've heard abroad. At first I thought this was the work of angry sarcastic conservatives. But no, it's a lefty kidding on the square, as Al Franken would put it.
Stop playing with yourself, George.
It's official: George Lucas is doing to his movies what Michael Jackson did to his face.
God forbid we see another actor play Palpatine. Or a spot of english on the tractor beam controls. If you're going to fix this shit, why not fix all the glaring plot holes or technical issues? Or get rid of the ewoks altoghether. And Princess Leia's golden bikini hasn't kept up with advances in underwear technology.
I have a bad feeling about this.
New Shit Has Come To Light Up
Film loves smoke. It provides motion during dialogue, volume and texture for the camera, and occasionally it furthers the plot.
And the Coen brothers love things that film loves. So they all got together and made this European cigarette ad. Its ability to recruit smokers may be limited, and in fact the company gave them and a few other notable directors carte blanche to film whatever they wanted.
But the Coen Brothers' offering certainly speaks to the subject, bringing to light the paradox of a compulsive affectation. Watch this guy plead for a second performance, strangely addicted to an act which most audiences would hold in contempt of taste. Why does the smoker keep smoking despite the obvious health risks, the foul taste, the sneers of onlookers? Presumably, for the same reason he can't get enough vaudeville. He doesn't even know.
Jesus as Superman?
God is dead, said Nietzsche. He invented the Ubermensch, the only superhero with a mustache. And so it's fitting that the Ubermensch's postcessor, the Brooklyn/Krypton-born Superman, is also without a daddy. Jor-El, as we all know, died in a gigantic explosion of plasma when Mr. Red Sun decided to eat Krypton.
And with that in mind, it's time for a frank and earnest discussion about rumors that James Caviezel will be cast as Superman.
Continue reading "Jesus as Superman?"
Springfield Security
Ann-Marie of creativespill.com brings us this terror alert. Which actually raises a good question: Where has the Simpsons, once a dead-on satire of American mores (just watch them eat dinner in an early episode), been in the last 3 years? I saw about half of their episode on post-9-11 hyperpatriotism, but it was pretty tepid stuff, all told. They've really dropped the ball here. I wonder if Rupert's strongarming them. Or maybe, as fans seem to suspect, it's the influence of Ian Maxtone Graham, driving the show into obsolescence.
Why the GOP sucks, in numbers:
Gain (or Loss) in number of U.S. Jobs in annualized rate, by political party and president over the past 80 years| 5.3% | Democrat | Roosevelt |
| 3.8 | Democrat | Johnson |
| 3.1 | Democrat | Carter |
| 2.5 | Democrat | Truman |
| 2.4 | Democrat | Clinton |
| 2.3 | Democrat | Kennedy |
| 2.2 | Republican | Nixon |
| 2.1 | Republican | Reagan |
| 1.1 | Republican | Coolidge |
| 1.1 | Republican | Ford |
| 0.9 | Republican | Eisenhower |
| 0.6 | Republican | George H.W. Bush |
| (0.7%) | Republican | George W. Bush |
| (9.0) | Republican | Hoover |
| source | ||
GOP platform rendered in sarcasm
Ok this is a little lowbrow, probably making the email rounds, but buzzflash.com has this list of things you have to believe to be a Republican today.
The politics of slashdot.org
Continuing on the politics / nerd collision course, slashdot goes political. I figure there's two ways to see this.
One, it becomes a very uninteresting hashing of politics for nerds: Vaguely libertarian guys who, while relatively non-violent and thoughtful, still eat red meat, like outer space, and get a special feeling when they see a rail gun. (disclosure: I'm one of these guys, minus the libertarian part)
Two, while doing all the above, that special blend of slash engine and large installed user base allows a high level and productive debate which could never exist without moderation and metamoderation.
Continue reading "The politics of slashdot.org"
Nerd watches
All this talk about republican hipsters and no mention of Alex P. Keaton's trademark accessory?
How do they get the ash out of the forehead wrinkles?
Klingons for Christ. Via this Metafilter thread.
Clinton's Pre-surgery Phonecall - The Transcript
Before going into surgery, Bill Clinton spoke to John Kerry for 90 minutes about campaign strategy. We think it might've gone... a little something... a-like this...
Continue reading "Clinton's Pre-surgery Phonecall - The Transcript"
On Wings of John Deere
This is the airplane of the future. Or, what they're calling an airbarge. Or something like that. Apparently designing a plane like a carpet beater has some aerodynamic advantage. At any rate, it's an interesting concept. The Independent has a profile on the inventor.
The Art of the Essay
A little calamine lotion for all the political inflammation around here. It's fitting that a master of recursion should write an essay on essays. LISP expert Paul Graham has done so. Via kottke.
Words over Facts
The Daily Show has created this hilarious "ad" for the Bush Administration. If you haven't seen it yet, take a look and spread it around.
And now for some pics
Here's some images from the last few days in NYC:
The rest come after the jump.
Continue reading "And now for some pics"
Jeff Greenfield and Wolf Blitzer grow a pair.
Thank fucking god. The press is actually starting to ask questions. Please keep it up, CNN. And then repeat it every 15 minutes of the 24 hour news cycle. Oh and Kerry guy, get bitchier. Via Eschaton.
Meanwhile, Somewhere near Herald Square
Michael the Black Man calls Democrats the KKK. I guess he has a point with George Wallace, but I don't think that's exactly what he's going for here.
Zell Miller, 2001
My job tonight is an easy one: to present to you one of this nation's authentic heroes, one of this party's best-known and greatest leaders ??? and a good friend.
He was once a lieutenant governor ??? but he didn't stay in that office 16 years, like someone else I know. It just took two years before the people of Massachusetts moved him into the United States Senate in 1984.
In his 16 years in the Senate, John Kerry has fought against government waste and worked hard to bring some accountability to Washington.
Early in his Senate career in 1986, John signed on to the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Deficit Reduction Bill, and he fought for balanced budgets before it was considered politically correct for Democrats to do so.
John has worked to strengthen our military, reform public education, boost the economy and protect the environment. Business Week magazine named him one of the top pro-technology legislators and made him a member of its "Digital Dozen."
FLIP-FLOP!!!
Two pictures, 2,000 words
Eschaton has perfectly summed up tonight's speakers with these two pics.
Guide to Convention Midtown Navigation
Navigation in Midtown is really not so hard, as long as you follow the streams of people in the right direction. Note: Entirely inaccurate.
Anarchists / Naderites / Billionaires For Bush. Southbound only Noon-5, Express only 5-11pm
Pig nose costumes / Earnest Kerry supporters / Bicycles against Bush. West 10am to noon, East noon to 5. Show authorities press pass or boobs for local stops.
Gender issue potpourri express, rush hour only.
Orange Anti-hippie netting, cross with caution.
Elephant Mating Season
And along the same theme as below, Travis LaFrance takes a look at the eerie world of a conservative singles mixer. A great story although I wish there were non-stock photos to be had. That sort of car-crash curiosity, you know.
