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PS... A Column on Things |
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By Paul E. Schindler Jr. |
Some things are impossible to know, but it is impossible to know these things. |
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I have a day job. So every word of this is my opinion, not that of my employer. This offer IS void in Wisconsin. Except, of course, that some material in this column comes from incoming e-mail; such material is usually reproduced in the Sans Serif type font to distinguish it from the (somewhat) original material.
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January 9, 2006 Vol. 8, No. 2 Table of Contents:
General NewsA Good Read: Forbes Fictional 15 or Tom DelayI am uncertain as to which of these items gave me more pleasure this week: The Forbes Fictional 15 - Forbes.com: a listing by Forbes Magazine last November (just brought to my attention by my daughter Marlow a few days ago) of the wealthiest fictional characters--a self-parody, in a way, of the Forbes 400 Riches People listing. I, for one, am sorry Bruce Wayne is now outranked by Lex Luthor, a change from the original list. Fine entertainment. But, while I do not believe in schadenfreude, I can't help but take note that the hammer has come down on The Hammer, with Tom DeLay deciding not to return to the GOP leadership. Frankly, I wish he had, but he chose to merely retain his seat and his place on the Appropriations Committee. He has been a malign influence on American politics since the day he entered it, which is why I've contributed to his opponent former U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson. 11am
Game of FourApparently, you're no one in the Blogosphere unless you've "filled in" this survey. Four jobs you've had in your life: stockboy in a children's wear store, clerk in a coffee shop (one day), ad salesman for fourth-tier AM radio station, telemarketer of circus tickets Four movies you could watch over and over: Groundhog Day, Deadline USA, Citizen Kane, The Paper. Four places you've lived: Portland, Ore., Boston, Hartford, Conn., San Francisco Four TV shows you love to watch: Simpsons, Arrested Development; Family Guy; Boston Legal Four places you've been on vacation: Santa Catalina Island, Oregon coast, Venice, Paris. Four websites you visit daily: New York Times, LA Times, e-commerce web sites where I buy stuff--too numerous to mention, so count them as two. Four of your favorite foods: ham, miracle whip, my mother's meatloaf, hot dogs. Four places you'd rather be: Paris, Venice, Santa Catalina Island, the Oregon Coast Four albums you can't live without: I haven't listened to popular music on a regular basis since 1974, so artists not albums: Beatles, Weird Al Yankovic, Firesign Theater and Martin Mull. Then you're supposed to tag another blogger. Tag Jim, you're it. 10:00 Political NotesElevator Story, Culture of CorruptionFor years, the GOP has bested us in the elevator pitch (or the description of a show you can write on the back of a Broadway Producer's business card). The Republican elevator pitch has been: We favor low taxes, family values, and a strong military. How about this for the Democratic elevator pitch: We favor investing in America, the Golden Rule, and promoting real national security. *** A reader who I consider a personal friend and in intelligent person, despite his political leanings, chastised me recently for using "culture of corruption" on the grounds that it was a coinage by the Democratic National Committee. I think it has come into somewhat wider use in the last few weeks, and while no Republican has had the courage to utter it (that I have been able to find), I think if you Google the term you'll find at least 403,000 hits from a variety of viewpoints. I must say, the appearance of Tom DeLay's official website at No. 4 (as of Sunday night) appears to be the result of Google Bombing, since I can't find the phrase there. Of course, this item will help raise the page's rating... oh dear, I guess I'm taking part in the Google Bombing. But for dueling Google Bombing, you can't beat the fact that George Bush's biography is the first listing for "failure," while the second is Michael Moore's web site. Who says the right-wing echo chamber doesn't know how to game the system? By the way, while we're at it, can we agree that the GOP congressional habit of calling us the "Democrat Party" is tacky, partisan and petty? We don't call them the "crony capitalism party," do we? Briefs
8:00
Craig Reynolds' Technobriefswhat is the world coming to when Google goes into direct competition with Microsoft by giving away its Google Pack but the headline is Google entering video-on-demand business? More evidence that distributing commercial video may be the web's Killer App. (Similarly Yahoo goes mobile.) Google Pack's software delivery and updating channel may be more significant when it includes free replacements for the Office suite. In Redmond Microsoft Employees Rage As Internet Explorer Ship Sinks while Bill Gates does his best "What, me worry?": Microsoft downplays Google threat. On the other hand, a bump in the road for Google Voice: Patent Firm Sues Google for Voice Services.Robots: hopping, "rolling", wild, best: an update on plans to explore other worlds with swarms of autonomous hoppers: Microbot Madness: Hopping Toward Planetary Exploration. Back in 2004 I mentioned a tricycle with square wheels using a road shaped like an inverted catenary. Now comes this vehicle that works on flat surfaces: Robots with square wheels? (see video). Not clear if there is any advantage, beyond the indisputable "hack value" as we used to say at school. Teleoperated semi-autonomous robotic cameras for observing wildlife: Robot Cameras in the Wild. Wired posted this idiosyncratic list of The 50 Best Robots Ever. Gee, I used to like Coldplay. I've bought their music in the past but I'll stop now that they have allied themselves with the Forces of Darkness: Coldplay's new CD has rules: No MP3s, no DVD players, no car stereos and ColdPlay CD DRM -- more information. Via Cory Doctorow.Sony BMG virus endgame: when I first head a deal had been cut (Sony BMG tentatively settles CD software suits) I was stunned by how little the aggrieved parties were going to get. If McDonalds had been selling poisoned hamburgers for the last six months, does anyone think it would make things right if they offered coupons for a few UNpoisoned burgers to those they made sick?! Some of the victims are not going along: Law student files rootkit small-claim against Sony. In addition to exposing its victims to secondary infections of their compromised PCs, the process of removing the Sony BMG rootkit was complicated, error prone, and sometimes destructive. The settlement certainly did not appear to compensate customers for the time spent fixing their damaged PCs. But as the Beeb explains (Legal fallout from Sony's CD woes) this agreement has a larger purpose: "The settlement seeks to both compensate US consumers for the harm they suffered from the Sony CDs and to place limits on Sony's future use of TPMs." Other DRM developments: Its Patricia versus Goliath in upstate New York: Mom Fights RIAA Suit Solo. I wish her well. Maybe I should put my money where my mouth is and send her a few bucks. As these cynical anti-consumer lawsuits grind through the courts, more of the music industry slimy tricks come to light: RIAA Accused Of Coaching 15-Year-Old Witness In File Sharing Suit. Smart LA Times op-ed against "plugging analog hole" bill and a cogent open letter to the Reps pushing it. The Guardian on bypassing the music barons: Our tunes. forward looking: Top 10 Trends for 2006, Congressional Tech Issues in 2006. Backward looking: Best Tech Moments of 2005, Most Important Infotech Stories of '05, 100 things we didn't know this time last year, The 50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years, 2005's 10 Sexiest Geeks and Top 10 Free Time Wasting Sites on the Net. Study links brain defect to autism --- FCC knocks telcos' secret plan to divide and bill the web --- Data privacy drives CMU expert's work --- Panasonic shows laptop fuel cell --- In L.A., the hybrid is, like, so last year but biodiesel is in --- Digital mapping only begins with the roads --- Consoles herald games revolution --- The Million Dollar Homepage --- Can we bring back a long-extinct animal? Quagga Quest, see particularly slide 5.7:00
HumorNone6:50
MoviesNeal Vitale's Reviews: Pride and Prejudice, Review of the Year In MusicPride & Prejudice - 4 StarsIf you are a fan of classic, period love stories, this latest adaptation of Jane Austen's 1813 novel is for you. At just over two hours, Pride & Prejudice begs for a bit of tightening up, but that complaint is a quibble in a film that is lovely and a joy to watch. All the key roles are handled masterfully - Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean) is radiant as Elizabeth Bennet, Matthew MacFayden is her perfectly reserved and rich swain, Jena Malone and Rosamund Pike stand out as two of Bennet's sisters, and Donald Sutherland and Brenda Blethyn (Secrets & Lies) give marvelous small performances as her parents. *** I've divided this year's best CDs into two batches - a "first tier" and "honorable mentions," with the second group not quite living up to the first in terms of quality, inventiveness, and/or distinction. In alphabetical order by artist: 1. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cold Roses Honorable Mentions Songs As often happens, there are some records from the prior year that only make their way onto a "best of" list well into the next year. Here are a few from 2004 that I haven't mentioned before. 1. The Black Keys - Rubber Factory 6:00
King Kong 3 stars. Neal already has his say on King Kong, which I finally got around to seeing, in all its butt-numbing splendor, last week. It is, of course, over-the-top, silly, "parody of the too long movie" problem too long at three hours Am I the only person who noticed an echo of Jack sinking beneath the waves in Titanic when Kong lets go of the ledge and falls to the ground? Whatever else you can say about this third version of what is now clearly a classic take, it is the first one in which Kong is a real, feeling, acting participant in the action. The combination of CGI and a guy in a monkey suit is one other film makers may want to emulate. Speaking of CGI, I need to point out that this film's depiction of 1930s New York is vastly more detailed and evocative that that in the original Kong, when you could shoot 1930s New York street scenes in 1930s New York. Of course, they did virtually everything on the back lot back then... more's the pity. 5:30
Match Point 5 stars Since I started this whole "stars" thing, I have tried to be sparing with my five-star ratings--so far, issued only to Syriana and Capote. But if Woody Allen doesn't snare at least nominations for best picture, best director and best screenplay, then Oscar is as blind as justice. This is, quite simply, not only one of Allen's best pictures in years, but one of the best pictures in years, period. POSSIBLE SPOILER He revisits the issues he first tackled many of the same themes about adultery and criminal culpability in his 1989 Martin Landau vehicle Crimes and Misdemeanors. There will be those, like my wife, who say he did a better job of it the first time, but I disagree. I see Match Point as the mature work of an artist who continues to grow. END OF SPOILER I confess to being a Woody Allen fan, and one of those who is able to ignore both his semi-loathsome personal life and some of his offensive clunker films. Yes, I also thought his earlier stuff was funnier. But he has been doing a two-steps-forward, one-step-back dance for years with the idea of making films about relationships and the human condition that, along the way, include a few light hearted moments. In Match Point there are moments of irresistible Allen schtick, but they are embedded in a thoughtful and touching screenplay. As a director, he's known for drawing career-best performances out of some of his actors; Scarlett Johansson may well prove another in a long line of people who never top what they did for Woody (no matter what the Academy says). The film is not set in New York. There is no Woody Allen surrogate. The humor is sparse and character-based, not jokey. Woody is moving on, and we're lucky. Four Golden Globe nominations already, but this film deserves everything it is going to get in terms of praise. 5:15 LettersJon Carroll Cat Column, Letterman Vs. O'Reilly, Peggy Coquet Plugs Theater, Peterman on Selling Pixels, Dan Grobstein FileAmerica's best daily personal columnist has written another cat column: Rain Drives The Cats Crazy. Don't miss this teapot-sized tempest; almost as good as Jon Stewart vs. Tucker Carlson. What is this? Only late night comedians dare speak the truth to Right Wing Media Bullies?
Peggy enjoyed her movie-going experience in Vancouver, Wash.: if you're in the neighborhood, why not try it? Earlier this fall I went to see "Shopgirl" at Cinetopia ( http://www.cinetopiatheaters.com/); today I went to see "Brokeback Mountain." Both times I was in a living room theater. The food is pretty good, the wine is exceptional and the sound and video are better than average, at least for this region. (Both prints of the films I saw had minor "pops" in them, "Brokeback" had a major jump early on.I met the owner, Rudyard Coltman, in the wine-tasting room. He was interesting on the subject of wine. He also said that by the end of next summer he hoped to have all theaters digitized, not just the largest one; and that he hoped to incorporate a new 3-D technology developed by Industrial Light & Magic, for a film to be released later this year. I would've remembered more but I was on my third glass of wine ... Glad to hear someone is going digital! Two other great living room theaters: Oakland, Calif.'s Parkway and Portland, Ore.'s Kennedy School Theater. Kent Peterman writes: Perhaps you are acquainted with this. I wasn't. It's a page done by a person named Alex Tews on which he sells pixels at a buck apiece. A fascinating page if you've never been there before. There is a wide range of links and even a link to Ebay to buy one of the "parcels".Spooky AOL Ad Says Big Brother Is Watching the Internet: Why is a company that profits from Internet use demonizing the Internet?
Dan Grobstein File
In case you missed the current issue of Florida State University's Research in Review, you need to read this interview with Professor Lance deHaven-Smith. The least of it is the old news - immediately to be shouted down by the Tom DeLay staffers who stopped the Florida recount, and Tom DeLay fans everywhere - that, guess what, Al Gore really did win the election: New York Times
Hold the Mustard, Maybe Forever By ANDY NEWMAN The Second Avenue Deli seems to have met its match in that implacable beast, the real estate market. [Ed. Note: Not the 2nd Ave. Deli!] 5:00
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