There was an article on the BBC website this week about a survey taken of cabdrivers, hairdressers, and pub owners. It turns out that very few of them had ever heard of blogging, and the article took that as proof that the media was out-of-touch with the common people, since the media spends so much time talking about blogs.
Personally, I think it's the media's job to be talking about things BEFORE the common people are talking about them. If the common people haven't heard of blogs yet, then the media should talk about them even more.
But aside from that, I think the real proof of how much a part of our lives blogs have become is the amount of blog comment spam that I've been getting. At least one a day for the last week!
Therefore, I've decided to turn on the "word verification for comments" feature that Blogger offers. I know it sucks, but there you have it. A few bad apples have ruined things for all of us.
Anyway, I just thought I'd give a little heads-up about the change.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Nerdfest.
Apologies to Chris, but what else could I call this?
http://www.time.com/time/arts/printout/0,8816,1109313,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/arts/printout/0,8816,1109313,00.html
Say what?!
I just read about this in an interview in the Onion with Dave McKean. Somebody bite me in the neck and put me out of my misery now.....
http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Story.aspx?ci=516880
http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Story.aspx?ci=516880
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Don't tease me.
Why would someone want to publish a perfectly good headline like this, and then fill the story that goes with it full of shoddy science? That is the most ridiculous conclusion that anyone could possibly have come up with based on the evidence as presented in the article. It's akin to the "Global Average Temperature vs. Number of Pirates" argument here. I've been looking for a reason to link to this article, and I guess that I've finally found it. Sigh. WWFSMD?
Monday, September 26, 2005
Weekending
Had a nice weekend. Went to a birthday party Friday night. Grilled out for lunch on Saturday (see picture above). Saw a couple of movies on Saturday (see reviews below). Watched football on Sunday. Bears lost again (hard). Sigh. Although the Patriots / Steelers game was exciting.
Movies:
Broken Flowers -- really good. I enjoyed its elegiac tone, so typical of Jim Jarmusch films. I enjoyed the soundtrack, which I'd heard so much about. I enjoyed the unresolved ending. I didn't enjoy a) the women behind us who may have been high, because they laughed uproariously at EVERY little thing, and b) the elderly couple in front of us who didn't understand the movie at all, loudly discussed the fact that they didn't understand it, and then loudly answered their cell phone right at a crucial moment.
Roll Bounce -- really good. Feel good movies where the hero pulls out his special move in the final competition are a guilty pleasure of mine, and this one really delivers. It was not a great or deep movie, but it was solidly acted and filmed, reasonably funny throughout, and has a big emotional climax where everything comes out all right in the end. Plus the soundtrack is great. My biggest problem with it is their use of intelligent lights in the roller rink scenes. While I concur that they look cool, I'm reasonably sure that they didn't exist in 1978. Lots of kids at the screening, who were not interested in being quiet in the least, but somehow with a movie like this it didn't matter so much. : )
Movies:
Broken Flowers -- really good. I enjoyed its elegiac tone, so typical of Jim Jarmusch films. I enjoyed the soundtrack, which I'd heard so much about. I enjoyed the unresolved ending. I didn't enjoy a) the women behind us who may have been high, because they laughed uproariously at EVERY little thing, and b) the elderly couple in front of us who didn't understand the movie at all, loudly discussed the fact that they didn't understand it, and then loudly answered their cell phone right at a crucial moment.
Roll Bounce -- really good. Feel good movies where the hero pulls out his special move in the final competition are a guilty pleasure of mine, and this one really delivers. It was not a great or deep movie, but it was solidly acted and filmed, reasonably funny throughout, and has a big emotional climax where everything comes out all right in the end. Plus the soundtrack is great. My biggest problem with it is their use of intelligent lights in the roller rink scenes. While I concur that they look cool, I'm reasonably sure that they didn't exist in 1978. Lots of kids at the screening, who were not interested in being quiet in the least, but somehow with a movie like this it didn't matter so much. : )
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Be. Here. Now.
Not too much to report, but didn't want to wait so long between posts as I have the last few times.
Spent last week as the stage manager for the Second City ETC. They are in the process of developing a new show, so filling in for the week meant attending rehearsals during the day, as well as running the shows at night; and it also meant that the shows were changing from night to night. It was a lot of fun overall -- the cast is a really great group, and I love a good challenge! It looks like the show is going to be really good. My favorite scene so far is the "Apathy Song."
We are doing well in the Euchre League so far this session -- we've won two weeks in a row (special thanks to Heather for filling in this week and keeping the streak alive!) and are currently ranked 15th out of 78 teams.
Saturday was Mary's birthday, and I was able to drop by the party for a little while before heading down to Second City. It was nice, although it would have been nice to stay longer, too.
Last night we went to the new Redmoon spectacle show, "Loves Me... Loves Me Not." I was disappointed. The show is out back of the Museum of Science and Industry in the Jackson Park Lagoon, and it was designed as a show about a flood wiping out a town. Then Katrina hit and suddenly they were left with a show that looked creepy and upsetting. So they completely revamped the whole thing in two weeks. And it shows:
-- First, it was boring -- working on water isn't easy, and we spent a whole lot of time sitting and waiting for the next thing to happen.
-- Second, it didn't make much sense -- Redmoon has never been known for their narrative skills (especially in the spectacle shows, where they aren't adapting an existing story), and this show was weaker than most; it seemed like several groups had each come up with a little scene or action for their part, but no one had had the time (or inclination) to form the parts into a coherent whole.
-- Third, it was hard to tell what was going on -- the action was far away from us, it was dark out, and they were having technical difficulties with one bank of lights the night we were there (not indicating to the audience where their focus should be is also a common problem with Redmoon shows).
-- Fourth, it was uncomfortable -- the audience was seated on the back steps of the museum, and although they were selling seat cushions for $5, the lack of any back support for 2 1/2 hours took a toll (the show was only 90 minutes, but the "house" opened 2 hours early, and though we arrived a full hour ahead of showtime, we still only got so-so seats; I shudder to think what the backs of those early birds must have felt like).
-- Fifth, it was crowded -- not inherently a problem, but a source of many distractions, from the guy behind us who kept talking on his cell phone for 5 minutes into the show, to the old man who came back from the port-a-potties and couldn't find his seat again and stood in the aisle blocking my view for the last 10 minutes of the show.
-- And then it took another 2 1/2 hours to get home! That's no one's fault, but it was annoying.
Work at Columbia continues apace, and in fact I must get back to it. Today is the load-in for the first mainstage show of the year. And so, I am off!
Spent last week as the stage manager for the Second City ETC. They are in the process of developing a new show, so filling in for the week meant attending rehearsals during the day, as well as running the shows at night; and it also meant that the shows were changing from night to night. It was a lot of fun overall -- the cast is a really great group, and I love a good challenge! It looks like the show is going to be really good. My favorite scene so far is the "Apathy Song."
We are doing well in the Euchre League so far this session -- we've won two weeks in a row (special thanks to Heather for filling in this week and keeping the streak alive!) and are currently ranked 15th out of 78 teams.
Saturday was Mary's birthday, and I was able to drop by the party for a little while before heading down to Second City. It was nice, although it would have been nice to stay longer, too.
Last night we went to the new Redmoon spectacle show, "Loves Me... Loves Me Not." I was disappointed. The show is out back of the Museum of Science and Industry in the Jackson Park Lagoon, and it was designed as a show about a flood wiping out a town. Then Katrina hit and suddenly they were left with a show that looked creepy and upsetting. So they completely revamped the whole thing in two weeks. And it shows:
-- First, it was boring -- working on water isn't easy, and we spent a whole lot of time sitting and waiting for the next thing to happen.
-- Second, it didn't make much sense -- Redmoon has never been known for their narrative skills (especially in the spectacle shows, where they aren't adapting an existing story), and this show was weaker than most; it seemed like several groups had each come up with a little scene or action for their part, but no one had had the time (or inclination) to form the parts into a coherent whole.
-- Third, it was hard to tell what was going on -- the action was far away from us, it was dark out, and they were having technical difficulties with one bank of lights the night we were there (not indicating to the audience where their focus should be is also a common problem with Redmoon shows).
-- Fourth, it was uncomfortable -- the audience was seated on the back steps of the museum, and although they were selling seat cushions for $5, the lack of any back support for 2 1/2 hours took a toll (the show was only 90 minutes, but the "house" opened 2 hours early, and though we arrived a full hour ahead of showtime, we still only got so-so seats; I shudder to think what the backs of those early birds must have felt like).
-- Fifth, it was crowded -- not inherently a problem, but a source of many distractions, from the guy behind us who kept talking on his cell phone for 5 minutes into the show, to the old man who came back from the port-a-potties and couldn't find his seat again and stood in the aisle blocking my view for the last 10 minutes of the show.
-- And then it took another 2 1/2 hours to get home! That's no one's fault, but it was annoying.
Work at Columbia continues apace, and in fact I must get back to it. Today is the load-in for the first mainstage show of the year. And so, I am off!
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Running behind.
Phew. The last few weeks have been crazy.
Went home to MI for Labor Day. Saw my new nephew, Jesse! Much cuteness ensued. (That's Jesse's brother Nicholas in the picture with us.)
Caught up with lots of old friends. Saw a few movies -- "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" which was excellent (similar to "Wedding Crashers" in that it's a blend of raunchy sex comedy and romantic comedy but Crashers was better at the raunchy, while Virgin was better at the romance), "Red Eye" which was pretty good until they got off the plane; and "Aristocrats" which was very good and VERY funny, but not very well made (I especially disliked the editing). And I found time to watch the Bears lose.
School is back in session. This is what has been making me insane. Things are going well, but they are going NONSTOP.
I'm also going in to stage manage the Second City ETC show all this week. And they're working on their new revue, which means I have to be at rehearsals as well.
And the fall Euchre League session started. We switched to the Monday night league, which is better for Mike's schedule, but a much bigger and more competitive group. We won our first match this week, though.
All in all, a busy time.
Went home to MI for Labor Day. Saw my new nephew, Jesse! Much cuteness ensued. (That's Jesse's brother Nicholas in the picture with us.)
Caught up with lots of old friends. Saw a few movies -- "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" which was excellent (similar to "Wedding Crashers" in that it's a blend of raunchy sex comedy and romantic comedy but Crashers was better at the raunchy, while Virgin was better at the romance), "Red Eye" which was pretty good until they got off the plane; and "Aristocrats" which was very good and VERY funny, but not very well made (I especially disliked the editing). And I found time to watch the Bears lose.
School is back in session. This is what has been making me insane. Things are going well, but they are going NONSTOP.
I'm also going in to stage manage the Second City ETC show all this week. And they're working on their new revue, which means I have to be at rehearsals as well.
And the fall Euchre League session started. We switched to the Monday night league, which is better for Mike's schedule, but a much bigger and more competitive group. We won our first match this week, though.
All in all, a busy time.
Saturday, September 03, 2005
Fair and balanced
Because I, like Fox news, like to pretend that I have no personal agenda in my reporting, I here present a link to the other side of the too-many-Louisiana-National-Guard-deployed-in-Iraq story:
http://www.nationalreview.com/robbins/robbins200509020719.asp
I believe that while these statistics may disprove one specific criticism of the administration's handling of the emergency, even within the article, Robbins points out that it is FEMA's job to deploy resources effectively, and there are plenty of links available about how badly FEMA handled things.
http://www.nationalreview.com/robbins/robbins200509020719.asp
I believe that while these statistics may disprove one specific criticism of the administration's handling of the emergency, even within the article, Robbins points out that it is FEMA's job to deploy resources effectively, and there are plenty of links available about how badly FEMA handled things.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Depressed expressed.
Ugh. I'm still feeling the effects of this "cold" (read: generic term for undiagnosed minor illness), which means I'm stuffy, achy, and majorly tired all the time. All of which yields significant crankiness. I tend to be emotional when I'm sick. Somehow that's worse than the sickness itself >: P
So, here is a round-up of depressing headlines from today's news:
-- Gas prices are expected to keep rising.
-- Where did the money go that was supposed to fund New Orleans' new levees? Iraq. (PS, the National Guard units that should have been helping repair the levees were also unavailable... because they are stationed in Iraq.)
-- The poverty rate is up, while the education rate is down.
-- Pollution is running rampant.
-- Oh, and don't even get me started on THIS.
Sigh. I have a new nephew. Is this the world we're bringing our children into? I guess it is. So, to cheer everybody up, here's a picture of the little cutie-pie (I get to meet him for the first time this weekend!):
So, here is a round-up of depressing headlines from today's news:
-- Gas prices are expected to keep rising.
-- Where did the money go that was supposed to fund New Orleans' new levees? Iraq. (PS, the National Guard units that should have been helping repair the levees were also unavailable... because they are stationed in Iraq.)
-- The poverty rate is up, while the education rate is down.
-- Pollution is running rampant.
-- Oh, and don't even get me started on THIS.
Sigh. I have a new nephew. Is this the world we're bringing our children into? I guess it is. So, to cheer everybody up, here's a picture of the little cutie-pie (I get to meet him for the first time this weekend!):
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