With apologies to Michael Stipe.
I would love to go into all the details of the story in which you are about to read, but I can't. I can't because they would easily identify me for who I am (not that that is really difficult, but still). They are also not public knowledge and, if they were, local media affiliates here and back home would make them press fodder. They aren't big stories mind you, but they would get a couple of days of media coverage and fade off the papers in favor of Anna Nicole Smith's baby's potty training and Lindsay Lohan's latest embarrassing nipple slip.
I have come to the realization that hard work will get you nowhere in life. I am sure that at least one other blogmember has figured that out, but I wanted to share with you why I found this to be the case. I have a job that I am very happy with but doesn't pay what I deserve. It isn't an entitlement thing, it is a standard payscale issue and everyone agrees that I don't earn enough. My direct supervisor's supervisor (who hired me) even agreed and freed up some additional resources for my development when he absolutely did not have to.
I am also taken care of fairly well at my job. I am surrounded by mostly good people. The ones who are not good are more annoying than bad. I have the opportunity to use my skill sets and my degree in ways that are beneficial to others around me. Thus far this year I have written letters of rec for 4 internships, 5 graduate schools, 10 law schools, and I have more letters to write in the coming weeks. Most of those students will go on to succeed in what they want to do. One girl is an absolute superstar and has already received offers for full-rides at major law schools in the top 20 rankings. Another girl is going to be a great classroom instructor at a high school somewhere. In short, I am serving a purpose and I'm doing ok.
Except for today.
Today, I have been told that due to budget cuts (and not anything I have done) I am no longer going to be employed as of June 30th. My supervisor's supervisor is trying to find a way to re-allocate resources for me, but told me in all frankness that it didn't look promising. I have played every political connection I have (and that is actually quite a few believe it or not) and chances are something will happen. I'm not totally up the creek, but the water is moving faster.
You may ask why hard work doesn't pay off. Budget cuts can happen to everyone. Well, because at the same time that I am down here struggling to make ends meet and to be kept on for the next fiscal cycle so I can continue to be underpaid by 25% of what a comparable person makes, I found out some news.
At a school that I used to be affiliated with (where I actually taught Rev. Josh in a class) they are unable to hire me. They are unable, because they have no lines to hire anyone because the President of said university has allocated those lines to programs designed to correct social wrongs to some people. They have hired an individual to teach in my field who has yet to write a page on their dissertation and has just completed their coursework for their doctorate. In other words, they have yet to earn a doctorate but have a full-time, permanent line teaching because of something that neither they nor anyone else have absolutely any control over. I don't want to go into details on the schools, but my degree (which I have actually finished) is bigger than theirs. I work and scramble and bust my ass to help people - I get budget cut. This person works for a bit at a vastly inferior institution - gets a full-time job.
I don't know how to redress this situation, but I have made some calls. Something may come up. I didn't know when I was graduating as a shy fat kid that I would actually turn out to have significant networking and social skills, but I'm very glad that I do. We'll see now if those will complement my hard work and actually keep me clothed and fed in the coming year.
For those of you who are religious (and those of you who are not) say a prayer for me that this all works out.
Yet, due to circumstances beyond anyone's control, this person
Thursday, January 31, 2008
How the West Was Won and Where it Got Us
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Finally updated my Blogspot
"7 Trends In Hip-Hop I'd Like To See Die in 2008"
Peep it if that would be of interest to you.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
WWF Royal Rumble 2008, this Sunday!
This actually looks like a good little PPV.
Ric Flair vs. MVP
Ric Flair will retire if he loses
I have been pleasantly surprised by MVP ever since he and Chris Benoit had what could have been easily a 5 star match at Wrestlemania 2007. If Flair brings his A+ game, and not his floppy titty sandbagging game, this could be a dark horse candidate for Match of the Year. Winner: Ric Flair
Chris Jericho vs. JBL
While I haven't been as attentive to WWF programming lately, I have caught bits of the Jericho/ Layfield feud as it's been building, including that swank hogtying and hanging segment. And I like the grudge match feel to it, in a time when some matches have the "grudge match" tag attached for no damn good reason. Good heat, good athletes, good in-ring storytellers, and nothing but the sky as the limit for these two since their returns. With both just coming back to the scene, it's hard to determine who'd get the duke, but I'm going to nudge Jericho due to his loss to Orton at the last PPV ... BUUUT, I'm guessing there'll be a DQ finish that will propel this feud to the next level, which will be ... hm, let's say a cage match. Winner: Chris Jericho
World Heavyweight Title: Edge (c) vs. Rey Misterio
Edge. Rey Rey's time as a champ is probably done. However, this will probably be a pretty good match, but I'm hoping that Edge doesn't pull out his current pussy patrol of his identical twins, Chavo and Vickie Guererro. Winner: Edge, to retain
WWF Title: Randy Orton (c) vs. Jeff Hardy
It's funny to look at Hardy's run in TNA, which alternated between the drizzling shits & pretty dynamic. Since his return to WWF, his motivation looks like it's sky high, and given Cena's absence & Vince's apparent love for face champs on Raw, I think Hardy pulls out all the stops and takes this one to the bank. From what I've seen out of Hardy in his recent run, I'll even go that extra step and say that they'd be pretty foolish NOT to put the title on Hardy, even if it's for the short term. Winner: Jeff Hardy
30 Man Royal Rumble Match
Confirmed participants: Batista; Shelton Benjamin; Big Daddy V; Carlito Caribbean Cool; Tommy Dreamer; Fit Finlay; Mick Foley(?); Mark Henry; Hardcore Holly; Hornswoggle; Kane; Ken Kennedy; The Great Khali; Santino Marella; Shawn Michaels; The Miz; John Morrison; Jamie Noble; Chuck Palumbo; Cody Rhodes; Snitsky; Triple H; Umaga; Undertaker.
Six open spots are available.
Oh, so many options, and so many dark horses, and so many open spots, and so much detritus. Batista will never have a problem getting into the number one contender spot, so he can afford to hit the floor. This goes also for Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Undertaker. Shelton - no. Big Daddy V - no. Carlito - no. Dreamer - no. Finlay ... hmmm ... Foley - no, God no. Henry - no. Holly - ha ha ha. Hornswoggle - hell no. Kane - he's still here? Kennedy ... hmm ... Khali ... hmm ... Marella - no. Miz & Morrison, tag champs - why? Noble & Palumbo are too up each other. Rhodes - whatever. Snitsky - no. Umaga ... hmm ...
Okay, let's go back: Finlay - after his vicious ass brawl with Khali, including that incredible berserker rage beatdown at the end, I would love to see Finlay go to Wrestlemania, but based on how over Finlay is while attached to Hornswoggle he will probably get throwed out by Khali. I envision Khali getting the ol' multi-man heave-ho that was always reserved for Andre the Giant. At this point, I can't tell if they're (WWF, or "New York," if you prefer) still as high on Kenneth Kennedy as they used to be, considering his cost has far outweighed his benefit, but there's still potential there. And personally, Wrestlemania will be a no-brainer for me if Umaga should actually go on to fight for ... well, hell, any title. So, I'm saying, of the two, Kennedy would be more likely to win, to re-establish his luster as THE guy of this year. Winner: Kennedy (That's provided that none of the other six open spots are filled with sure things, like, say, CM Punk.)
Any thoughts, predictions?
Friday, January 25, 2008
Fred, we hardly knew ye
You totally had Bruce Willis' back in "Die Hard 2," but you didn't do Nick Nolte any favors in the remake of "Cape Fear," so I'm still on the fence with where I stood with you.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Marvel Zombies
I have a question.
I read through a graphic novel of Marvel Zombies at Borders and Noble A Million other day, and I was confused. The story started, it seemed to me, halfway through. Humanity was already pretty much dead and the only non-infected heroes were Magneto and Black Panther. Is this where the story started, or did I accidentally read the second volume of a two volume set first?
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Book Recommendation
NP - Placebo - Running Up That Hill
(See what I did there? Its the return of the NP feature)
If you have some time to kill and want to read a well-written book that is interesting and about 100 pages too long, read Neal Gabler's biography of Walt Disney. It just came out in paperback a few months ago and is likely still in every Borders And Noble A Million in your current locale. Sharp analysis, though he might be a bit long on details in the early days that aren't really germane to the story.
I'm about 150 pages into it and so far he paints Disney as a man very adept at hiding his insecurities behind his old-fashioned Protestant work ethic and his self-created image of the happy-go-lucky American boy. The moral of the story for me at this point how many times Disney failed before he got it right.
ARGH! TNA Against All Odds 2008 news
Sorta spoilery ... read at your own risk!
According to 411 Wrestling, a No Ropes, Barbed Wire Massacre match between Judas Mesias (YAY!) and Abyss (BOO!) was taped for the Against All Odds pay-per-view. The current idea is to insert the taped footage into the PPV broadcast; the Athletic Commission of South Carolina would not allow the match to be held in the Bi-Lo Center. Which both sucks AND blows.
Pondering the awesome that is Amy Winehouse
After recently released video of her smoking "something" - presumably crack - from a glass pipe, I started wondering something: Do you think that she regrets releasing "Rehab" as her first go-to single? It's pretty much become a punchline for her recent excursions, that's for sure; if I read one more article about her drugging, cracking, and weirding, that includes in its title something to the effect of "Maybe she should have said 'yes, yes, yes," to rehab," *hurgedy, hurgedy, hurg*, I'm'a get me a shotgun and kill all the reporters I see.
The Death of the Joker
Heath Ledger - Dead.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/22/heath.ledger.dead/index.html
At this writing, it looks like an overdose according to the AP.
Ah, I hate the rap business...
While posting ads on Craigslist to solicit my beats, this guy hit up the SpaceLAB page. If you're gonna be an artist manager, try to at least manage the English language first...
From: ****
Subject: RECORD LABLE COMPANY
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WORK WITH A RECORD LABEL COMPANY, WHOM LOOKING FOR UNSIGNED TALENT ARTISTS. I AM WORKING WITH 4 ARTISTS(R&B AND RAP)HAS NICE GOOD UPBEATS SOUNDS FOR 2008! 2 OF ARTISTS' SONGS HAD BEEN PLAY ON SATELLITE RADIO STATION. IF INTERESTED WHAT I HAVE NOW TO OFFER?
REACH ME @ *******@YAHOO.COM I WILL SEND MP3 BY EMAILS...
Guess who I signed to a 31-album deal today??
In other news...
...drops Feb. 5th. As in for real this time.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
What movies in 2008 are you dying to see?
I am a movie and comic book nerd and want to know what movies are you dying to see this year?
I am ready to see the new "Indiana Jones" and "The Dark Knight". Those are the two I am really wanting to see. What are your thoughts?
Saturday, January 19, 2008
The Countdown to Against All Odds 2008 - Part One
I'm going to the upcoming TNA pay-per-view, "Against All Odds," which will be held in the spacious, luxurious Piggly Wiggly Sportatorium in beautiful Greenville, SC. Along with the spouse and three of my closest nearby friends, Will will be accompanying me to the big show. (Weee-eeellll ...)
So, in honor of this being the first ever pay-per-view wrestling show I've ever attended, I'm going to get myself jazzed up for the show by taking a look back at the "Against All Odds" shows that have come before. This will include the usual dorking out with stats, comparative analysis, and sparkling wit and cynicism by yours truly. First on the docket: Against All Odds 2005
This was TNA’s fourth monthly pay-per-view, following the dissolution of their weekly pay-per-view programming. Pre-show matches included Phi Delta Slam d. Lex Lovett & Buck Quartermain, and Disciples of Destruction d. Jerrelle Clark & Mikey Batts.
Match one: Petey Williams vs. Elix Skipper
As one of the earliest TNA pay-per-views, this one really established a standard of starting things off with a competent X-division showcase that would get the crowd going for the rest of the show. Skipper – admittedly, the least talented of the Triple X faction (behind Low Ki and Christopher Daniels) – holds his own against Williams, and minus a few botches in some transition moves, this one works for what it is, and that’s to establish the momentum of what you want the rest of the show to be. Skipper thankfully eschews that crap-ass Play of the Day rocker dropper-style spinning neckbreaker variation, in favor of the Kryptonite Krunch (Air Raid Crash) driver. Skipper d. Williams.
Match two: Michael Shane & Frankie Kazarian vs. BG James & Jeff Hammond
And this is how you don’t follow up a hot match. Hammond, announcer for TNA at the time & NASCAR lead analyst, pinned Kazarian with the “Pit Stop” elbow drop; Hammond makes an arm motion as if he’s changing gears, then runs a three-quarter lap to his left around the ring, ending his run at the head of his opponent and dropping an elbow. Yes, it’s exactly as shitty as it sounds. Shortly after this match, Kazarian would sign with the WWF for a brief period. James/ Hammond d. Shane/Kazarian.
Match three: Dustin Rhodes vs. Raven
“Sucky ducky, quack quack!” has to be one of my favorite promo quotes in the new millennium, so thank you, Dustin Rhodes, for your one and only contribution to wrestling’s majesty in the 2000’s. This match follows up the gradual decline in quality of Raven’s opponents since the opening of TNA’s monthly pay-per-view cycle. Victory Road 2004 – Abyss & Monty Brown; Turning Point 2004 – DDP; Final Resolution 2005 – Eric Watts; and now, Dustin Rhodes. I wouldn’t have predicted that Raven would be the same guy that would take the TNA World belt by the middle of the year. And yet, three years later, Dustin still works for TNA … wait, sorry; “Black Reign” works for TNA, Dustin mostly just hangs around backstage, probably eating out of a dumpster. Raven d. Rhodes.
Match four: NWA World Tag Team Titles – Kid Kash & Lance Hoyt vs. America’s Most Wanted (James Storm/ Chris Harris) (c)
Kash & Hoyt lost the tag tittles to AMW on the first ever ever-ever-ever Impact show (on Fox Sports South). Kid Kash is my hero, and his team with Hoyt has been one of my favorite teams in TNA history, even though Hoyt sucks fat dongs as far as his charisma goes. AMW are sharp as usual, and I find myself pining for a Kash return to TNA at some point in the (near) future. At the very least, Kash should make good on his promises to return to the Tri-Cities wrestling scene and clean that shit up. AMW d. Kash/Hoyt.
Match five: Full Metal Mayhem – Abyss vs. Jeff Hardy
"Full Metal Mayhem" is TNA's answer to "Tables, Ladders & Chairs." This was Jeff Hardy and Abyss’ first pay-per-view match against each other; Jeff Hardy would go on to defeat Abyss in a falls-count-anywhere match at Destination X 2005. This was also the period in which Hardy looked his most motivated, as he’d been sloppy as hell during his end run in WWF. Hardy also took some solid death bumps from Abyss, including one incredible overhead belly-to-belly from ring to floor through a table outside the ring. But the new spot that replaced the Skipper huracanrana from the cage top at Turning Point 2004 was Hardy’s swanton from 10 feet up off the entrance ramp. And after all that? Abyss d. Jeff Hardy
Match six: Team Canada (Bobby Roode/ Eric Young) vs. Monty Brown/ Diamond Dallas Page
Team Canada was an incredibly solid faction, during a time when stables were rounding the corner toward being a rarity again; Team Canada had even outlasted WWF’s Evolution crew. A1 was the body-builder guy who could take the losses and do the necessary jobs when needed, Petey Williams was the light heavyweight wrestling machine, and Roode & Young, representing the Canadians in this match, were a solid tag faction. Can’t really remember what circumstances led to the amicable relationship betwixt the Alpha Male & DDP; probably little more than “faces teaming up to keep the heels at bay,” which is so simple it just might work. Of course, Canada takes the loss; unfortunately, Don West does NOT call Scott D’Amore (Team Canada’s manager) a “fat piece of shit” (that wouldn’t happen until Lockdown 2005). Brown/DDP d. Team Canada.
Match seven: TNA X-Division Title, 30:00 Iron Man Match – Christopher Daniels (c) vs. AJ Styles
This was the first 30 min Iron Man match between Daniels and Styles; they would go on to meet each other under these circumstances a second time at TNA Bound For Glory 2005. This was another precedence established by TNA: The repeat booking of their most successful match-ups (See Against All Odds 2006, Joe vs. Daniels vs. Styles II). These two have some great chemistry, and so much happens in the first few minutes that you’ll think more time has passed than really has; sometimes, that kinda feeling happens when very little happens. I’d submit this is a better Iron Man match than Hart/Michaels at Wrestlemania 12. Styles d. Daniels, 2-1 in the all important Iron Man match component, the “Sudden Death” ending.
Match eight: NWA World Heavyweight Title – Kevin Nash vs. Jeff Jarrett (c)
Every time Nash took a step forward, I was expecting him to fall over in pain from a detached quadriceps muscle. This match toodled along quite satisfactorily from the start – surprisingly so, actually. But the way that the backstage vignettes have been hyping the stipulation that if Jarrett uses a guitar he loses the title, I’m feeling a bit suspicious. And sure enough, when Jarrett bring out a fucking cello(!) to El Kabong Nash, my opinion of this match goes in the porcelain throne. Jarrett d. Nash; Jarrett wouldn’t lose the title until May’s Hard Justice, just one month away from a one year reign as the champion.
Comparatively, here’s how the matches stack up against each other, from best match to worst:
1 – Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles
2 – Abyss vs. Jeff Hardy
3 – Kid Kash/ Lance Hoyt vs. AMW
4 – Petey Williams vs. Elix Skipper
5 – Kevin Nash vs. Jeff Jarrett
6 – Team Canada vs. Monty Brown/ Diamond Dallas Page
7 – Dustin Rhodes vs. Raven
8 – Frankie Kazarian/ Matt Bentley vs. BG James/ Jeff Hammond
Next week: Against All Odds 2006, or, Former Mid-card Comedy Act Makes Good
Friday, January 18, 2008
I completely missed this
I had no idea Romero was this close to releasing a new movie
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=25823794
The video is choppy, but the trailer looks nice. I don't know how well a zombie flick will work in the Blair Witch style, but I'll watch it.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
No.
The New Porn Order has signed Former WWE wrestler Gangrel to a 12 movie exclusive directing deal. Gangrel, now officially known as The Vampire Warrior, will make his directorial debut with "Miami Rump Shakerz 2" set to be released in November. In addition to directing, he will also be making appearances as part of the NPO team. "I am thrilled to be joining the New Porn Order and taking this step into a new level of my career. Directing offers a new challenge that I am very excited to be taking on. I look forward to the many great films that will come from this union." said The Vampire Warrior.
You can read more here if you didn't die reading the above paragraph.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Jake is going to need to pick up the pace
if he wants to be rap's fat Elvis.
Deeply depressed rapper Eminem has become a virtual recluse, comfort eating his way towards obesity. The once skinny Slim Shady...has ballooned up to 14.5 stone (203 lbs). Eminem...survives on a diet of calorie busting Mexican takeaways and heart clogging fillet minion steak. He thinks nothing of eating the same food day in day out, ordering from a nearby posh restaurant and paying for his army of hangers-on...He usually gets up at dawn but instead of working on new songs in his home studio he lolls around watching TV or playing mind-numbing computer games.
I'd be smartass and say that if I had Eminem's money I'd loll around all day watching TV or playing video games, but I do that anyway and I don't have Em's money. I suppose this is the logical result of growing up in a trailer park and then achieving and almost-improbably sustaining wild success nearly overnight. I'd feel bad for the guy, but there are worse ways to go.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
"Frankenstein" nearly a reality; more news at 11
"The researchers removed all the cells from a dead rat heart, leaving the valves and outer structure as scaffolding for new heart cells injected from newborn rats. Within two weeks, the cells formed a new beating heart that conducted electrical impulses and pumped a small amount of blood." [more]
Burger King continues to herald the decline of western civilization
Really, if you’ve reached a point where you freak out because you can’t get a Whopper, then don’t breed. That’d be like bitching when the waitress says, “We don’t have Coke, is Pepsi okay?”
Hey, here’s a commercial idea, Burger King!
Customer: “Um, I guess gimme a Whopper, with tomatoes and oni –
Cashier: “I’m sorry, ma’am, we’re no longer serving the Whopper.”
Customer: “What? No longer serving the Whopper??”
Cashier: “It’s been taken off the menu.”
Customer: “Well … I guess just give me a salad, then. I probably need to cut back on the fast food anyway.”
The Legacy of Stone Cold Steve Austin DVD, out 2/12/08
Click here to check it out!
Matches featured are:
Disc 1:
- Steel cage match for the WCW World Tag Team Championship
Hollywood Blondes vs Dos Hombres - Slamboree, 23/5/93
- Stunning Steve Austin vs Flyin' Brian Pillman - Clash of the Champions XXV, 10/11/93
- U.S Title
Ricky Steamboat vs Steve Austin - Clash of the Champions XXVIII, 28/8/94
- Steve A' Mania - Gangsta's Paradise, 16/9/95
- "No Baby That's For Somebody Else?" - Hardcore TV, 10/10/95
- Triangle Match For The ECW Title
Sandman vs Mikey Whipwreck vs Steve Austin - ECW, 9/12/95
- Caribbean Strap match for the Million Dollar Championship
Savio Vega vs Steve Austin - Beware of Dog (In Your House), 26/5/96
- #1 Contender match for the WWE title
Bret Hart vs Steve Austin - Survivor Series, 16/11/96
- Free for All match
Steve Austin vs Yokozuna - SummerSlam, 18/8/96
- Steve Austin/Terry Funk Confrontation - Shotgun Saturday Night, 18/1/97
Disc 2:
- WWF Championship
Undertaker vs Steve Austin - A Cold Day in Hell (In Your House 15) 11/5/97
- World Tag Team Championship
Steve Austin & HBK vs Owen Hart & British Bulldog - Raw 26/5/97
- Shawn Michaels vs Steve Austin - King Of The Ring, 9/6/97
- World Tag Team Championship
Steve Austin & Dude Love vs Owen Hart & British Bulldog - Raw, 14/7/97
- WWF Intercontinental Championship
Steve Austin vs Owen Hart - SummerSlam, 3/8/97
- WWF Championship
Dude Love vs Steve Austin - Unforgiven, 26/4/98
- First Blood match for the WWF Championship
Kane vs Steve Austin - King of the Ring, 28/6/98
- WWF Championship
Kane vs Steve Austin - Raw, 29/6/98
Disc 3:
- No Holds Barred Match For The WWF Championship
Steve Austin vs The Rock - Backlash, 25/4/99
- Non-Title Match
Steve Austin vs Eddie Guerrero - SmackDown, 16/11/00
- No DQ match
Steve Austin vs Triple H - Survivor Series, 19/11/00
- 3 Stages Of Hell Match
Triple H vs Steve Austin - No Way Out, 25/2/01
- No Disqualification match for the WWF Championship
Steve Austin vs Rock - WrestleMania X-Seven, 1/4/01
- Redneck Triathlon
Bad Blood 15/6/03
Doesn't look too bad. I'm disappointed by the lack of Austin vs. Undertaker from Summerslam 1998, as well as the absences of Angle and Benoit (but, I do understand). Now, if they cut out the fan interference by the young man with Down's Syndrome during the Austin/Michaels KOTR match, we riot.
Southern Words that Should be Banned Forever
Sometimes, when I read the hometown paper site, I see words posted by others that need to be banned from general use.
Today's word is "papaw." In E. Tennessee, this means grandfather. I absolutely loathe the sound of this word and shudder every time I see it written. It is "grandfather" or "grandpa," not papaw. God that sounds terrible.
Worst cover of all time
I thought about turning off comments for this one because it really is undebatable.
How Soon is Now - Tatu
Remember Tatu? That Russian girl group who acted like they were lesbianic in order to sell records? They cover the Smiths and it is absolutely dreadful. It takes a lot to beat Sheryl Crow's Sweet Child of Mine, but this, sadly, accomplishes that feat.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Just a bit of mundane shameless promotion.
Move it along now, nothing to see here.
© 2008 SpaceLAB Recordings
All Rights Reserved.
A little rap n' wrestling
Murs featuring 2Mex - Introducing the Brain Busters
I stumbled across this on Ollie's computer. Murs and 2Mex are not not really dudes I check for much, but I decided to give this a listen to see if by "Brain Busters" they meant Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard. They did, and I thought this song was kinda cool, 2Mex impressed me with the wrestlers he name-checked. The backpackers get a pass on this one. You can check it out here.
Shower thought
I've seen some messed up fetish sites online, during some random web excursions ... but why no STD fetish sites?
(And if there's a sudden surge in websites for STD porn ... then credit that trend to the S to the G isM.)
Monday, January 07, 2008
New book available through Hamilton Books
The Death of the Grown-Up: How America's Arrested Development Is Bringing Down Western Civilization by Diana West (links to Amazon.com listing, since Hamilton Books doesn't cooperate like that).
What struck me is the description of the book, courtesy of the Hamilton mailer: "The author writes on how grown-ups have become extinct and explains why we cannot stop Islamic terrorism. She believes the disease that killed them emerged in the fifties, leading to a nation of eternal adolescents who can't say no, a politically correct population that doesn't know right from wrong."
There's quite a bit wrong with that description, I would think. First, I think the link between arrested development and Islamic terrorism (sic) is a tenuous one, at best, and yet it seems to be the only thing that even remotely interests me about this book.
Second, isn't the problem with political correctness that too many people try to be "overcorrect," which would imply that it's not their sense of "right from wrong" that's flawed, but their approach to that end.
Third, the fifties?? I'd put the blame closer to the freakin' eighties, man. If the crux of your argument includes the scourge of political correctness, did I miss the memo where political correctness erupted during the sedate and open-minded period of the civil rights movement?
Hmm, lessee what's in the world that pissed me off today ...
I'm not even joking: If Britney Spears is truly bipolar, I'll eat my fucking hat.
And seeing as how I don't even have a hat, I'd go out of my way to get a hat, for the sole purpose of eating it, if Britney Spears were to be truly, truly bipolar.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Kat Von D
Watching some ads for "LA Ink," something popped into my head.
I'm sure tattooed chicks have their place in the world, and within some reason there ain't nothing wrong with a girl with ink. Buuut ... something about seeing Kat Von D makes me think that, in person, she smells like a grandparent's attic, all musty, dusty, and stank, like that kinda smell that makes your lungs just say "hell nah" and go on strike until you can make it outside.
West Central Tribune: We bring the insensitive!
I don't know much about all your fancy journalism & ad revenue, but there's gotta be a better way to advertise warm jammies than in a story about a child dying from hypothermia.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
SGM pm3 Ringtones
Being a tech nerd and having the equipment to do so, I make my own mp3 ringtones because the ones you buy from the various providers often suck. Low quality compression and questionable clip selection usually makes them borderline unintelligble. Recently, it occurred to me that I could host ringtones here at SGM in a way that would allow people to download them directly to their phone via the WAP browser that pretty much all cellphones have these days. After a little research and work this evening, I was able to make that happen.
Because of obvious copyright issues as well as bandwidth limitations (I don't want the hosting wiped out with ringtone downloads since the backgrounds, header, and post expansion script is hosted on the webspace), I decided for the time being I'd limit it to Jake Palumbo ringtones. So for those of you with WAP-enabled cellphones that support mp3 ringtones, point your celly browser to
http://wap.sciencegonemad.com/index.wml
(Note the file extension is WML, not HTML like you're probably accustomed to. And that URL only works on WAP browsers, so if any of you are rockin' PDAs with full browser support, I don't know what to tell you. Actually, I do, but that will come later.)
Currently available is a 30 second clip from the remixed version of Radio One in two versions: a smaller, 200kb+ lo-fi mp3 and a larger 800kb+ hi-fi mp3. Obviously the hi-fi version sounds better and you can tell the difference even on the small speaker of a cellphone, but be aware that while there is no charge from SGM for the download, your wireless provider almost certainly will charge you for data usage. The charge is typically one cent per kilobyte downloaded, so that would put the larger version at around eight dollars in data charges making it the most expensive ringtone you'll ever buy.
(Also at issue is that most cellphones, like my current Nokia, have limited storage space, so you'll want to check your available memory before you try to download either of these. You should have room for the lo-fi, but the hi-fi version may be too large.)
The alternative to this is to download the mp3s to your PC and then transmit the ringtone to your phone via USB cable or bluetooth adapter. You can download the mp3s from these links:
Radio One (128kbps hi-fi)
Radio One (64kbps lo-fi)
If Jake is agreeable, I'll add a couple of ringtones from District Selectman soon.
If anyone has any questions about any of this, I'll do what I can to answer them, but I may not have answers for questions about specific cellphones that I'm not familiar with.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Shower thought
Who's the tallest porn actress?
And interestingly, Google supplied me with an answer ... well, several, but one name keeps coming up, and that's Essy Moore, who's billed alternately as 6' to 6'2". Inconsistency?? In the porn industry?? A film industry that would probably try to cast Jenna Jameson in a "I Just Turned 18" themed spank film? Pshaw.
(Note: Link above is not safe for work ... actually, it's not safe for anybody.)
Recent Scholarship
Finding sources for this course is fun.
Part of me thinks this is cool, and part of me thinks we have ran out of things to study.
"Performed Identities: Heavy Metal Musicians Between 1984 and 1991. This was a doctoral dissertation from Bowling Green State University. I haven't read it, of course, but I'm mining his footnotes for reading assignments for my students.
Also, we have Professional Baseball and Fan Disillusionment: A Religious Ritual Analysis from the Journal of Religion and Popular Culture. Can't use that one (it came up when I was trying to find an article on TBS and the rise of a national cable audience around the Atlanta Braves) but it looks pretty good as well.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
It's a whole new year
We're on our fourth year at this joint? Not bad.
Anyone made any resolutions for 2008, or have resolutions (like April Fools' pranks) become passe? I jotted down a few that I'll post up in the comments section later, once we're unpacked from our various trips to and fro.
I think resolutions, if you aren't making them with the self-fulfilling propohecy that you'll break 'em anyway, are very good methods by which to orchestrate some important characterological changes. A new year marks a milestone by which you can measure your progress through life. A few years back, I told myself that I'd try to write on the blog every day, which I actually did all right with, up until my appendectomy.
At any rate, I have an SGM-specific resolution - one that I share with at least two other scientists, according to my emails in the past few days - that I'm going to try to hold myself to for 2008.
Law & Order: SVU - last night's episode
... sucked balls.
It was being hyped as a "new episode," which it wasn't, but if it was, it would have apparently meant that the writer's strike is still on, but now networks have picked scab writers to handle their shows.
The episode started off with a chick being raped by her sister's boyfriend. This turned into a plot twist that the rapist has some kind of sleepwalking/fuck thing going on, in perhaps the most asinine explanation of a mental disorder I've ever seen. Has sex while he's sleeping? Sex that is particularly well choreographed, to include rough behavior & arousal of partner? Riiight ... the fact that he doesn't get incarcerated for such a questionable defense just goes to prove why we should mistrust the legal system.
To continue recapping this episode would make my skull split open & spawn rape goblins, but it involves a missing girl, 4 suspects, an ersatz Second Life game where "someone's playing the game but in real life," virtual underage sex, a character who has assumed a false identity, the worst case of Stockholm Syndrome ever, and the most contrived acquirement of a confession I've ever seen in a cop show. This episode required what I believe to be the Guinness Book of World Records' biggest suspension of disbelief ever.
A New Year's Day football thought
You know....
At least Florida didn't start the season with a loss to a I-AA team. People will remember the App State game long after they have forgotten about the Outback Bowl. And That's True.
