Punisment Park

I know that among people my age, it is rather fashionable to be in love with the film V for Vendetta. Never mind if you have no idea of the comic, or if the idea of a masked, faceless mob as the only way of fighting back seems sad and pathetic - if you want to show your rebellious stripes, V is for you.

I think I've got something better.

Punishment Park is a fake docmentary created by British director Peter Watkins during the Nixon years. After being shutdown and shutout upon release, its out on DVD, and now Google Video. I've read a lot of opinions about it - some say it is a disturbingly accurate look at possible future for our current political world, others say its overblown hippie propoganda. Some argue that the film has less power without any context (ie. you have no idea of politics between WW2 and Vietnam, you have no idea about this film), while still others wonder if some of the messages are too simple and exaggerated.

All valid and interesting points, but the film is still astounding, both in how natural the actors are, and the ideas it presents. At the very least, I promise it will make you think more than V.

Please give it a watch. You could do a lot worse.

Kid Nation!

So some stupid new reality show puts kids alone in a desert town for them to run themselves. Only they aren't alone, because there's the whole cameraman thing and what have you. Now we have accusations of child abuse and breaking labor laws, kids getting hurt, etc.

Here's the fun thing; according to CNN, some of the kids got sick after drinking bleach, which in turn worries the parents about the show, not only because their child is getting sick, but because they're afraid of a whole nation of people knowing they are so bad as parents they couldn't teach their child to not drink fucking bleach, which by the way, does not at all smell or taste like water.

This should be renamed from Kid Nation to "Human Natural Selection".

Greatest Hits?

CNN on the pros and cons of Greatest Hits discs. There's some really interesting stuff in this one; like how Cake refused to do the Greatest Hits thing, and how Metallica and AC/DC's refusal to do the same is part of the reason they won't be found on iTunes (which potentially destroys the integrity of their albums).

Personally, I am a fan of Greatest Hits CD's, and yet I'm not. For some bands like Queen and Boston, having their best songs in one place is fantastic, and can even save me money, especially when a band has a lot of albums out there. But with other high profile bands, the same doesn't seem to apply. I think The Beatles' One is an absolute waste, because it certainly isn't the absolute best of the band, even if that is not the intent. When it comes to The Who, I've seen at least two different compilations each with a few different tracks. Why does one have The Kids Are Alright, but another is missing Old Red Wine? When a band has too many good songs, then the hits disc loses its effectiveness.

I do also agree with bands that believe in the power of the album. While a great deal of my music listening in college came from classic rock compilations, I find myself leaning more towards albums as I have more money to spend on tunes.

Finally, it is no surprise (But a damn shame) that greatest hits discs are being somewhat ruined by modern artists who are pressured by labels to release them. By now, I suppose Britney has enough material to draw from. But Hilary Duff? Does she even have more than two albums out? A compilation is pretty worthless if 40% of its content comes from the same place. It probably means you don't have many genuine hits.

But hey, who is surprised to see the music industry ruining a good thing to suit their own means, while completely misunderstanding the concept behind it?

Links , for fun

So much to go over, mainly quick links for your perusal. Let's do it.

-Physics might be a great way to analyze economics. So let me get this straight; we write their software, build their computers, engineer their products. Now we do their own job better. Yet we'll never be the bosses with such horrible social skills. Oh well I guess.

-I know a lot of you like them internet memes. Here's one before it becomes a meme. Now you can actually brag about knowing of it a month after its existence, rather than a year like I see so many people do.

-Men need more Testosterone. Guess the war on the male gender continues on into the biological scope.

-Here are a few reasons why you might not sleep well. I'm guilty of 5 or so of the 6. No wonder I feel like shit every morning.

Will I change my habits? Hell no

A story

The Greystone Grill's corner meeting room was packed. Walking into the mass of polo wearing developers, I got tickets for two free drinks. I didn't believe they would work, until the waiter came back with my Harp. I expected awkward introductions and prodding questions, but instead I got friendly handshakes and little small talk. Everyone had good questions and answers during the presentation, which was a nice informational session reporting services. I got a free meal of bacon wrapped scallops. What a fantastic night that was.

The moral of this story? MSDN user groups are a fuck ton better than Linux User Groups

The real moral of this story? Don't compare user groups based on one meeting with each or you'll look like a tool. Sorry I didn't have anything better to write about today.

A moment

Ladies and gents, its been a long time this year since I've shed tears, but I did tonight.
300 wins. Thanks Tommy.

;)

So I guess this one makes it official?



Looks like I've got a new home.