I have a membership to a new service that lets me clip bits of reporting from various news outlets. As an experiment, I went looking for bits on the recent Chinese earthquake in Sichuan.
And then I found … this:
I’ve seen some crappy journalism in my day, but really? Szechuan Chicken as the emotional linking device to a 7.9 magnitude earthquake? CNN, do you really have such contempt for your audience that you think they need that to help them care?
The more I follow the journalism, the more I’m repulsed by journalists. It doesn’t help that, technically, now I am one.
Who buys a Charr a sweater for Christmas? They’re pelted! They don’t need sweaters. Not even hanging out in the Shiverpeaks (which probably brands me as a terrible geek just for recognizing the setting).
Who let an Asura dance like that? And why? More importantly, why didn’t they have Maurice LaMarche voice him in the voice of Vekk / The Brain?
If you have no f-ing idea what I’m talking about, the machinima above was made in Guild Wars, one of the MMORPGs I’ve been playing for years, since the beta, in fact. I’ve been continuing to play quite a bit of it lately, since Eye of the North was released.
And, yes, totally worth it to go get Gwen and Pyre Fierceshot together as Heroes in your party, then go over to post-Searing Ascalon City and head out to destroy Charr by the fistfull. Hatered, on! Whooooooo!
Who knew Jackie Mason had aregular video blog? And who knew he was a far better ranter than me? I feel like I’m in the presence of a far better man than I. I humbly take off my hat.
This an existential psychological play was named "The Man in the Cube" and was written and produced by Jim Hensen (prior to his Muppets productions). It was broadcast on NBC's "Experiments in Television" series in 1969. It stars actor Richard Schaal, father of actress Wendy Schaal and one-time husband of Valerie Harper.
My commentary: This is evil and cruelty distilled into a nice, tight, one-hour of suffering. I always knew Jim Henson had a dark, bile-ladened streak of evil tucked inside a green sock-puppet.
Mar. 31st, 2007 @ 07:54 am Apocalypse in Atlantic Station
So, yeah. Next week is finals for me, with Rolling Radio being spread over two days of frenzied nightmares and the video editing project being up as well.
That last is of interest because I finished it, already. Mind you, I did something slightly ... unexpected.
The assignment:
Take this pile of stock footage shot in Atlantic Station. Put together a video with at least a 60sec voice over and a background audio track that comes up and down as appropriate under at least one interview. For extra credit, do a stand-up intro for the piece (you may borrow one of the school's cameras to do so).
Obviously, what they expected was a sort of dynamic, upbeat commercial insert for Atlantic Station.
What they will get is pointedly not what they expected.
I fear my sense of humour is dangerously perverse.
George Takei really needs to be on TV more. Bugger, he just needs to come hang out with the rest of the Squid's Krewe and mock people publicly with the rest of us.
Where did this come from? A reporter asking straightforward, direct questions and a candidate giving straightforward, direct responses? What new Hell is this?
Oh, it's Fox. They do crazy, experimental journalism like reporters doing actual interviews once in a while.
Hmmm. Well-spoken, neat, communicates his points well. Conservative personal stances but moderate expression ("I don't like abortion, I hate it, but I believe in a woman's right to choose" plays pretty well to mainstream America), and even handled the issue of question on 2nd Amendment law with a certain deftness. Supportive of the overall Iraq war effort and still putting it contextually in the framework of an overall War on Terror and names the big state actors (Iran, Syria). Genial, smiling, and an upbeat the-future-can-be-good script. Plus, he's still got 9/11 good-will and "he was in charge during a disaster we survived" thing, going.
He could carry the Republicans to a win in '08 if they nominate him. He's electable and he has the right message. If the Democrats put up Hillary, he'll devestate her in the debates, and not because of any innately superior command of the facts, but simply because he has the "America, you're good and things are getting better!" message and Hillary's still on the strict Democratic "America, you're a cesspit of filth!" script. Given the choice of the two paths, history's been pretty clear on which side the middle third likes to go.
While not as amusing as Hillary vs Condi: Fight! it could still be a very keen match-up.
I admit, the Mac vs PC commercials really get up my ass. Not the least reason being that the guy playing the Mac side comes off like an elitist, self-involved prick while PC looks like a kind of nose-down nice-guy who can actually support a family.
This is why Eric the .5b uses words to describe me like "conservatarian."
I gave in to evil and put my pre-order in on Supreme Commander today at the local EB. I figured since I've been following the development of the thing for the past couple years, it behooves me to buy it. This in stark contrast to Dungeon Siege II, a game whose beta was so horrific that despiteHeather and I being ultra-huge fans, neither of us bought the final release. In fact, we actively sought to avoid even the beta once it was clear development was going in the exact opposite direction of our tastes.
Luckily, SupCom looks to have gone in altogether the right direction, or at least as much as one can hope for in these things. Lately, I've been feeling a definite shortage of Blow Shit Up (BSU) that no amount of World of Warcraft: The Burning Itch can remove. (OK, admittedly, the Draeni really make it shade over more toward being the World of Starcraft. Give the Silithid a PC race for the Zerglings with the Draeni clearly descendants of the Protoss and we're onto something, but I digress ...)
Best "feature that really should have been in more things before now" moment? Probably the co-op campeign missions; you and a friend can go through the campaign together, which makes so much more sense than pure head-to-head gaming that one is hard pressed to say exactly why that particular facet has gone so long without realization. The only other game I can think of that allows such is the Full Spectrum Warrior series.
So, while we're laying down the hooks, how about some nice things that sell the game play?
Hey, if the last video was hovering around the mid-80's level of refinement, I think this one pushes up to at least the early 90's, possibly even mid 90's. A few interesting scene shifts, some tighter editing, and the only fanvid to mingle Six-String Samurai, The Last Dragon, and Rejected.
Brilliance, sheer brilliance. And I don't necessarily mean in the original sense of the parody, the "modest proposal" that the poor sell children for food. Nor do I mean the classic melodic underpinning of the video.
You see, most proposals for the elimination of poverty ignore the fact that active capitalism is the only proven method of reducing poverty, that the process of increasing the wealth of society in general improves the plight of the poorest and the richest. No, they're offended that anyone but their favoured victim class is having anything but the blackest of suffering and focus on what they think of as "income redistribution" through "progressive tax tiers" (code for "I think you have too much money") and other such foolishness.
I have a far more effective method of income redistribution that will work, guaranteed, with few negative effects, socially or economically.
Kill the poor.
Yes, that's it. Kill the poor. Pick your favoured arbitrary wealth level, and simply execute, en masse, those whose incomes fall beneath it. There'll be no more poverty! In fact, those who remain'll become effectively wealthier by the net pool of those who are thus eliminated. A portion of that increased net wealth can go to body disposal, with billions of dollars left over, in fact.
This leaves only the rich, who've proven they either have usable social skills, good genes, or the talent of being in the right place at the right time, all things worth keeping in the gene pool. We eliminate millions of Starbuck's employees, which is probably the strongest supporting statement for any income redistribution scheme I've ever seen.
Remember, only together can we fight poverty. I suggest fighting it with large explosive charges.
Jan. 14th, 2007 @ 01:36 am Windows 386 Promo Video
Microsoft sent this tape to retailers to explain the benefits of Windows 386. Boring until the 7 minute mark when the production is taken over by crack-smoking monkeys. My mind, my mind! Why is she chanting occult mantras at the screen?! Why, why!?
Jan. 9th, 2007 @ 08:28 am First Strike Capabilities
I think it's safe to say that this double-billed double feature very well may be the best cinema lensed in the US of A this coming year, and I can honestly say that 6 freakin' days into the year. I won't even count down the days.
And, because I love grindhouse cinema so much, I bring you this:
Because, by Hell, that is how you sell a film. "We urge those who might be offended by nudity and sexual activity not to see it." OK, I'm in!
Jan. 2nd, 2007 @ 03:06 am Ultimate Hunt: Afghanistan
You want your corporate communication to reach me? You want me to want your stuff just from an ad? Take a note from Kodak, of all folk. Borrow from Network's style. Flash-back to previous corporate missteps with a sense of fun. Make fun of fucking Celine Dion.
Legendary Singer James Brown Dies at 73 By GREG BLUESTEIN 12.25.06, 3:10 AM ET
James Brown, the dynamic, pompadoured "Godfather of Soul," whose rasping vocals and revolutionary rhythms made him a founder of rap, funk and disco as well, died early Monday, his agent said. He was 73.
Brown was hospitalized with pneumonia at Emory Crawford Long Hospital on Sunday and died around 1:45 a.m. Monday, said his agent, Frank Copsidas of Intrigue Music. Longtime friend Charles Bobbit was by his side, he said.
The hardest working man in show-business has laid down the microphone for good.
And now, a musical interlude, in tribute:
Hat tip to Eric the .5b for telling me about the song ...
Dec. 22nd, 2006 @ 08:34 am Tina and the Normaltones
Zombina and crew have become one of my fave bands. They have a Christmas song from their new EP on the Redoubt and their latest full length album as well. If anyone can get their other albums and get them to me, these would be good gifts. :)
And if I can ever find a girl who thinks an upbeat undead cute-punk girl singing these lyrics are a turn-on, I'm so set:
Deadalive (Doc Horror) When I die let it be by your hand If ever I should rise again let it be on your command
Oh, your eyes turn red and burn into mine as my head explodes
Go! Deadalive!
I'm gonna die tonight to prove my loyalty This is the only way, your love will be my grave
aggravated
amused
jealous
creative
thoughtful
shocked
naughty
crazy
