Tuesday, May 11, 2010

It was a creed written into the founding documents?

Saturday, May 08, 2010

Finally Fringe is getting on with the story

Walternate strolled in, in the final minutes of the last episode. Two more eps to go in the season. About time. I’ve been channeling Sringer Bell‘s impatience.

P.S. Levi Johnston is a poor man’s Josh Jackson.

Saturday, May 01, 2010

Random notes on my first three hours with the iPad

I was so excited I forgot my area code.

I signed up for the 3G plan: limited bandwidth, $14.95 for a rolling 30 days, no contract. It seems quite fast in suburban Chicago, even loading a movie on Netflix.

Netflix looks beautiful. I hadn’t really tried to predict what I might want to do with the device, except that I thought I would like curling up in bed to read books and watch movies. I’m not sure how I’ll prop it up. The case is nice for creating a school desk slant angle but you need something more like an easel to watch it. Right now I’m using a sort of beanbag pillow.

Public domain books in the iBook store are much nicer than the PD books made for Kindle.

I synced all of the audio in iTunes. Will I listen to audiobooks using it? I have no idea. It might be safer for driving, with the larger controls.

After specifying Gmail in the device settings, it accepted my user/pass, but the inbox never did fill up after several attempts.

It’s a little smaller than I imagined it would be.

I got the keyboard, not Bluetooth, the accessory that the iPad mounts on vertically. The keyboard has a nice touch. The ensemble looks extra sweet. I predict it will be used in many a home magazine or furniture ad.

After using it constantly for the first three hours following unboxing, I wanted to do something else. I can’t afford it, so I’m going to be biased toward loving it, but that doesn’t mean I won’t actually love it. I may already love it a little. We’ll just have to see what it’s good for—maybe something I can’t foresee. I want to make a web app for it to really learn how what its middle ground position in the universe of devices is all about.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Echo from France: Sound familiar?

“Your coming to power is undoubtedly a historic event. For the first time this old Gallo-Roman country will be governed by a Jew. I dare say out loud what the country is thinking, deep inside: it is preferable for this country to be led by a man whose origins belong to his soil… than by a cunning talmudist.”

—A member of the French parliament following Leon Blum’s election as prime minister in 1936.

(Of course Blum really was a socialist.)

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Yeah, I fell off the wagon

Well that didn’t last long. Two weeks ago I said I’d try not to gripe about the Right. Couldn’t do it. You can’t follow the news and keep that pledge.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Cuter euphemism for a marathon session in Congress

Chris Matthews is fond of saying ”Bring in the cots” when daring Congress to duke it out in a filibuster.

Watching an older (1997) Ken Burns series on Thomas Jefferson, I cracked up at the description of the 1800 election, when the House of Representatives convened to break an electoral college tie, but then the House found itself in a tie.  It went on for days, and the congressmen ”had to send home for their nightcaps.” After 36 ballots, Jefferson edged out Aaron Burr.

The had to part is what got me giggling, along with picturing the current session’s members all snug in their nightcaps and powdering gowns, and on C-SPAN. Presumably you couldn’t spend the night away from your nightcap, and it would have to be your own cap.

If the GOP has the gall to threaten filibuster in the Senate on the reform bill, and the Dems have the guts to call them on it, we might see that midnight cap run. I suppose the 21st century version would be roomy new fleece hoodies for all, with promotional logos. Still better, Snuggies all around, red or blue. They’d look like two church choirs competing in a festival. Maybe Goldman Sachs would oblige.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Treme: Can’t wait

Sunday, March 28, 2010

No more junior high school partisan cattiness (at least I’ll try; how about you?)

I think I’ve finally exhausted myself with obsessing over outrages by the right wing. So much resentment poisons you, makes you bitter about everything. I still disagree with Republicans and especially its Tea Party wing, but I’m going to try not to let it run my life, try not to spend my mornings before leaving for work searching for something to be peeved about, try to avoid media outlets that make the divide their guiding principle. It might be a good pledge for a lot of us to take.

Fox and MSNBC shows: you might think about swearing off basing your story lineups on “Can you believe what they tried to pull off today?” Yes, even Rachel Maddow, who I think is great and with whom I almost always agree, aren’t you getting to be a more thoughtful flip side of Sarah Palin? Smiling through the jibes, cheerfully sniping, looking for outrages—hoping for them, even?

Newspaper columnists and bloggers: try talking as much about your own agendas as you do about the other team’s positions. I’d like to hear more about what the camps really stand for, less about what they’re against. Crazy when you have to learn about party positions by reading the other side.

I might not succeed. I’m going to find another channel; I’m outlining some fiction about a small-town conservative politician who has some redeeming qualities. The obsession started during the presidential campaign and it’s hard to break free. Probably a good thing, though, if we could…