web log (late 20th c. – early 21st c.)
I honestly thought that I would be over my Barack Obama obsession by now. And then I read something like Robert Draper’s GQ profile, and then I remember that I have a smart, handsome man as my president and I lose rationality all over again.
Seriously, though. I can’t express enough how relieved I am to have a person that is mentally equipped to handle complex problems and crisises.
I was too conflicted about Watchmen to provide an objective review, and was in too much of a sleep deprivation induced-coma for the next two days to do much blogging. But I know all four of you that read this blog really enjoy my Sunday posts, so here goes. This is what I found on the internet this week.
2. Mall Ninjas
These are excerpts from posts by either a delusional 13 year old or an extremely mentally disturbed mall security guard. I think it’s extremely funny, but I must caution you, it’s extremely internet humor-y. You’ll either find it hilarious or a complete waste of time.
3. Henry Makow- A real live 21 Century sexist:
I know it’s probably not good to laugh at this, because there are probably some people out there who take this seriously, but it’s so offensive, I can only chuckle at the extreme crazy that is this man. And what a lonely existence he must live; alone in a world where people believe that men and women are equally capable at any number of professions and that domestic violence should be prevented by the police. Here’s an exerpt:
How can we fight the New World Order?
Let’s begin by reaffirming our distinct male or female identities. Perhaps this personal manifesto from a happily married male frog who finally jumped out of the pot will serve as a reference for some:
The essence of masculinity is power.
Isn’t it obvious? It’s what women respond to. Similarly, men are drawn to vulnerability in women. We want to protect them.
To equalize power is to eliminate sexual distinction. This doesn’t mean that woman are not powerful and effective as women, but not by becoming like men.
Men — steer clear of any sexual relationship where you are not in charge.
I wish I could embed this video on this blog, but WordPress is stupid and restrictive so I have to encourage you to click on the link. It’s a short video about a man who builds a virtual world for his wife, and it has some of the coolest computer graphics I have ever seen, which is more amazing because they are all homemade.
5. Bad Paintings of Barack Obama
I swear it’s not on purpose that every week there’s something about BHO. These are really funny.
6. John Fetterman and Braddock, Penn.
This man is John Fetterman:
He is the mayor of Braddock, PA, a former steel town that has lost 90% of its population and wealth in the last 25 years. Now, anybody that can afford to leave does as soon as possible, and there are few enough businesses in the community that you can count them on one hand. The median house price is $6,400. Not $64,000. $6,400. Fetterman has been trying a radical new approach, attracting businesses and artists and artisans who want space and low rent to try and revitalize the town. It’s in ideas like this that I betray my age, but everything about this project sounds unbelievably cool and romantic. I’m trying to see if I can persuade my father to buy something there. He’s a general contractor with a tendancy to wander, so I may be able to succeed. Articles about the town found here here and here.
I was too conflicted about Watchmen to provide an objective review, and was in too much of a sleep deprivation induced-coma for the next two days to do much blogging. But I know all four of you that read this blog really enjoy my Sunday posts, so here goes. This is what I found on the internet this week.
1. Hamburger Cupcakes
2. Mall Ninjas
These are excerpts from posts by either a delusional 13 year old or an extremely mentally disturbed mall security guard. I think it’s extremely funny, but I must caution you, it’s extremely internet humor-y. You’ll either find it hilarious or a complete waste of time.
3. Henry Makow- A real live 21 Century sexist:
I know it’s probably not good to laugh at this, because there are probably some people out there who take this seriously, but it’s so offensive, I can only chuckle at the extreme crazy that is this man. And what a lonely existence he must live; alone in a world where people believe that men and women are equally capable at any number of professions and that domestic violence should be prevented by the police. Here’s an exerpt:
How can we fight the New World Order?
Let’s begin by reaffirming our distinct male or female identities. Perhaps this personal manifesto from a happily married male frog who finally jumped out of the pot will serve as a reference for some:
The essence of masculinity is power.
Isn’t it obvious? It’s what women respond to. Similarly, men are drawn to vulnerability in women. We want to protect them.
To equalize power is to eliminate sexual distinction. This doesn’t mean that woman are not powerful and effective as women, but not by becoming like men.
Men — steer clear of any sexual relationship where you are not in charge.
I wish I could embed this video on this blog, but WordPress is stupid and restrictive so I have to encourage you to click on the link. It’s a short video about a man who builds a virtual world for his wife, and it has some of the coolest computer graphics I have ever seen, which is more amazing because they are all homemade.
5. Bad Paintings of Barack Obama
I swear it’s not on purpose that every week there’s something about BHO. These are really funny.
6. John Fetterman and Braddock, Penn.
This man is John Fetterman:
He is the mayor of Braddock, PA, a former steel town that has lost 90% of its population and wealth in the last 25 years. Now, anybody that can afford to leave does as soon as possible, and there are few enough businesses in the community that you can count them on one hand. The median house price is $6,400. Not $64,000. $6,400. Fetterman has been trying a radical new approach, attracting businesses and artists and artisans who want space and low rent to try and revitalize the town. It’s in ideas like this that I betray my age, but everything about this project sounds unbelievably cool and romantic. I’m trying to see if I can persuade my father to buy something there. He’s a general contractor with a tendancy to wander, so I may be able to succeed. Articles about the town found here here and here.
1. OBUSHMA!
2. Photo Clichès
3. Mr. Rogers was a badass.
6. He was genuinely curious about others. Mister Rogers was known as one of the toughest interviews because he’d often befriend reporters, asking them tons of questions, taking pictures of them, compiling an album for them at the end of their time together, and calling them after to check in on them and hear about their families. He wasn’t concerned with himself, and genuinely loved hearing the life stories of others.
And it wasn’t just with reporters. Once, on a fancy trip up to a PBS exec’s house, he heard the limo driver was going to wait outside for 2 hours, so he insisted the driver come in and join them (which flustered the host).
On the way back, Rogers sat up front, and when he learned that they were passing the driver’s home on the way, he asked if they could stop in to meet his family. According to the driver, it was one of the best nights of his life the house supposedly lit up when Rogers arrived, and he played jazz piano and bantered with them late into the night. Further, like with the reporters, Rogers sent him notes and kept in touch with the driver for the rest of his life.
4. High speed cameras:
Fensterln: German for climbing through a window to avoid someone’s parents so you can have sex without them knowing.
7. Pretty interesting daily routines of famous people:
When he eventually reached Paris he visited friends, or arranged to meet them in other cafés by sending pneumatiques. Often the walking from place to place continued, focusing on Montmarte before the war, and subsequently on Montparnasse. From here, Satie would catch the last train back to Arcueil at about 1.00am, or, if he was still engaged in serious drinking, he would miss the train and begin the long walk home during the early hours of the morning. Then the daily round would begin again.
Roger Shattuck, in conversations with John Cage in 1982, put forward the interesting theory that “the source of Satie’s sense of musical beat–the possibility of variation within repetition, the effect of boredom on the organism–may be this endless walking back and forth across the same landscape day after day . . . the total observation of a very limited and narrow environment.” During his walks, Satie was also observed stopping to jot down ideas by the light of the street lamps he passed.
Today I attended an introductory class taught by one of my friends on Magic: The Gathering. I cannot say that I am interested in pursuing it as a hobby, but I was impressed by how much he and his friends knew about the rules and conventions of the game. I was also impressed by Wizards of the Coast’s ability to basically print money and siphon kid’s money away one $15 deck at a time.
The other thing of note today was that I watched the Obama Inauguration concert at the Lincoln Memorial that happened on Sunday through HBO’s webcast. Although I was intrigued by the strange choices of “special guests” (Steve Carrell and Jack Black in particular somewhat distracted from the history that they were reading by, well, being themselves), holy cannoli, there was some godawful music. There were signs of disaster from the very first performance when Master Sargent Caleb Green messed up the national anthem because he couldn’t hear the orchestra. The performers may look cool on the steps of the monument, but the logistics were not set up for good musicianship. In many cases, the performers were many yards away from their backing musicians, and there was no way that they could see them.
Aside from that, there was some terrible musical kitsch. Jon Bon Jovi, apart from being a completely irrelevant musical figure, absolutely murdered “A Change is Gonna Come.” Josh Groban sang a horrific version of “America the Beautiful.” The attempt to “update” the song failed for the same reason that it does when Protestant megachurches add rock accompaniment to hymns; the strict cadence of the hymns does not go well with the rock and roll beat. I laughed as Sheryl Crow and Will.i.am just ignored Herbie Hancock’s strange departure from the key signature in “One Love.”
In fact, the surprise standout of the concert, I thought, was Garth Brook’s abbreviated versions of “American Pie” and “Shout.” I know it was a cold day, but he was the only performer that looked like he was ignoring the cold and actually having fun.
hammer & jack 