Category: Culture

Culture can he high or low, good or bad…

The 2blog bookmarks are full!

Time to core-dump!

Catchup, yet again

Bookmark catchup

catch up blogging

  1. 15 Things Kurt Vonnegut Said Better Than Anyone Else Ever Has Or Will
  2. Darker Matter – Exclusive Interview with Douglas Adams from 1979
  3. Odds of dying equal one.
  4. 26 Reasons What You Think is Right is Wrong
  5. 100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know
  6. Why Intelligent People Tend To Be Unhappy
  7. Is America Too Damn Religious?
  8. The Funny Pages :: Misc :: US World
  9. science vs. faith
  10. A celebration of spring turns ugly – The Boston Globe
  11. BreakingNews.ie | World News | Pakistan: 11 dead, 100 injured in kite flying festival
  12. Film’s View of Islam Stirs Anger on Campuses – New York Times
  13. MEMRI TV
  14. An Atheist’s Guide to Mohammedanism
  15. 5 Blogging Methods That Work » Net Business Blog
  16. Letterman’s Top Ten Top Ten Lists
  17. Most Awkward Interviews
  18. ZUG: Comedy Articles: GAY-OK!
  19. Daredevil condemned for escalator stunt | Oddly Enough | Reuters
  20. Keystroke the Carriers | Brand Name Coupons
  21. Who Is Monitoring Your Domain Searches? » Daily Domainer
  22. In the Company of Jerkoffs – 10 Zen Monkeys
  23. SEC Suspends Trade On 35 Companies In Pump-And-Dump Crackdown — Spam — InformationWeek
  24. BSFW: Penis owner’s manual
  25. DNSFW: The jerk at work

A once-in-a-lifetime kind of evening…

We went out to see stand-up comedy, spur of the moment. The headliner was Marc Maron.

Interestingly, between the opening act and the headliner were two acts — where there usually is just one.

What made it a once-in-a-lifetime thing? Every act was strong. Honestly, there was no weak material. I’ve never had that happen before in my life.

Oh, and it’s too late. They’ve moved on.

Oh, and we got in under the wire.  No, they didn’t sell out, no SRO here.  I’m pointing out that in a few weeks I could have had to sit through Craig Shoemaker again.

Go fly a kite

Something to remember — this is important!

The Zilker Kite Festival is coming on the 4th of March. It’s supposed to be windy and warm today, so I may try to take G out to practice locally.

And just how often do I remember to blog about things that are upcoming? How often do I remember about the kite thing before it happens?

This must be a daddy thing.

Then again, you must also remember to not use razor-sharp string.

Strength and lonliness

Normally, weekend nights when we are home, we watch PBS Britcoms.

Tonight, PBS Mystery — a Brittish adaptation of Dracula — ran long. Instead of britcoms, we were presented with a half-hour animated musing on lonliness called “A Room Nearby“.

Instead of feeling for these people, I felt smug. They are talking about how lonliness is isolating, and dwelling on the negative aspects thereof, whereas by the time I was 14, I relished my lonliness, and used every moment of it that I could grab to forge my own identity.

C’mon, folks. Lonliness is not an affliction. It is not a curse. It is not neccisarily rejection by society. Even if it were, so what if it is? Take this time to forge yourself stronger. I cannot deny the ability of wallowing insofar as it can be a tool to eventually strenghten oneself, as much of the time that I now realize has made me stronger involved nothing more involved than myself and a Rubik’s Cube — or less (but we won’t go there today, WILL WE!?!), and faced with the almost archival fact that nearly 1/3 of gay teens attempt suicide (isn’t that number lower yet?), I can understand the need for such — well, what is it? A Short Film? A TV show? A mini-series? I must not be the target demgraphic. I’ve always had soneone to talk to, no matter how young or old.

I keep saying that “I am nobody’s demographic.” Whenever I say that, I feel that I’m being disingenuious. Then I think about it — Aside from “Dexter”, what have I found in popular culture to attract me? Certainly not the Police performing tonight. I have a Simpson-esque attitude toward almost all awards shows — or is that Allen-esque? No matter, because both those terms imply a marketability, in the sense that “Pythonesque” is now in the OED, which has allegedly disappointed John Clesse as much as I presume I must also be disappointed.

I’m still not going to hold back about my concerns about weakness, which I think if one of my greatest strenghts. Combine the best of New York City — that is, the directness; the best of San Francisco (ummmm, no comment), and the laid-backness of Austin, and you’ve pretty much got me.

And that all said, I still get both 80’s film references, and Pynchon references.

Oh, and I’m one of the best unix geeks you’ll ever meet. I’ve learned from the best of the best of the cream of the crop. I can make perl and sh sing.

And PBS is still playing “Keeping up Appearnaces”. Sigh.

If only I had an extra $48,500 lying around…

So there was the big Trek auction at Christie’s last week.

And, the only thing I could be interested in, Picard’s flute from “The Inner Light”, went for $48,000, after being initially estimated at $800-1200.

Oh, to have that kind on money to blow on a non-functioning prop.

Anyone watched Trekkies lately? Or Trekkies 2? How about Galaxy Quest?

Oh, and if I had an extra $48,500 lying around, I’d buy Grace a really nice DVD player and that episode, and put them in storage for when she got older. I’d then put the other $48,000 and change into a nice long-term investment for her.

Flashback video!

Musical puns

So, we’re driving home after desert last night, and Grace asks for “Kids music” (preset 4 on the satelite radio).

A song called “Lonely Broccoli” comes on, in a 1950’s style.

I couldn’t decide if it was “broc-a-billy” or “do-wok”.

Breaking?

So, the pope has been dead for about 12 hours, and CNN is still calling it breaking news?

I blame it all on post-nine-eleven hysteria.

Odd realization about Robert Blake

Isn’t is odd that the last time we saw Robert Blake in a film it was Lost Highway?

Isn’t it odd that Lynch now admits he got it from the OJ trial?

The more things change, the more they change.
Oh, wait. The more things stay the same, the more they stay the same.

Hey, why is the contrapositive of those two statements a cliche?

Anybody? Anybody? Bueller?

Why Tarrantino dialog is considered “good”

Specifically, I’m talking here of “Kill Bill Vol 2“:

There’s a section where Bill is talking about comics — making the point that Superman’s alter-ego is human while every other superhero is the alter ego of a human. The quote, from imdb:

An essential characteristic of the superhero mythology is, there’s the superhero, and there’s the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When he wakes up in the morning, he’s Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic that Superman stands alone. Superman did not become Superman, Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he’s Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red "S", that’s the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears, the glasses, the business suit, that’s the costume. That’s the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He’s weak, he’s unsure of himself… he’s a coward. Clark Kent is Superman’s critique on the whole human race. Sort of like Beatrix Kiddo and Mrs. Tommy Plympton.

Nobody else puts that kind of diaglog in “action” films. Few others could get it through the studio system, and most of those that could, wouldn’t.

Think about that; a serious critique of all humanity, embedded in conversation in what is by all standards an action film.

In many ways, it goes back to what made “Titanic” such a formula film; a guy flick is one where lots of people die quickly (think ID4), while a chick flick is one where a single person dies very, very slowly (think Terms of Endearment). Titanic — the Cameron one — tried pathetically to surf both these descriptions. It succeeded, but looking back I’m pretty sure most people will agree that it only succeeded on those terms. All in all, that film was much too clinical where it was factual, and too hammy where it was fictional. The makers of that film had no — zero — expectations of their audience. “Feel sad here. Here’s a touching moment of humanity. Don’t forget minor moments of humor! And in the name of all that is holy, don’t forget to include some simulated teenaged sex before the audience notices the plot holes or bad dialog or starts to think!”

Then, of course, there are films where nobody dies, and 80’s music plays while people try on clothes.