New Toy
I've been putting off getting a PS/2 for some time. I don't have enough time to get through my PC games as it is, the PS/3 is coming out next year, yadda yadda. On the other hand, the industry is...
View ArticleIt all makes sense now
Ever since the 1980s, I've wondered how the Reagan Coalition of right-wing born-agains and middle-of-the-road laisezz-faire types could really coexist. I mean, the middle-of-the-roaders will gladly...
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There Is No <fill in the blank>
Been thinking about this global war on terror thing. As with all subjects, we can find enlightenment by way of analogy to 'Logan's Run' Logan 5, party boy and homeland security officer ("sandman"), is...
View ArticleUnderstanding Syriana (premise spoilage)
Two things depressed me about Syriana: 1) Saturday afternoon of opening weekend and we were in there with, like, ten other people, mostly older couples who probably go to the movies every day 2) On the...
View ArticleThe War At Home: Always A Tampon
I was in LA this weekend to see the filming of my brother's first episode of "The War At Home" (Sunday nights on FOX!) as a story writer. We're on the lot at Warners' next to 'ER.' This episode has...
View ArticleHot Women, Hot Stocks
Okay, so, I decided this year to start investing in the stock market. I don't have a lot of money to invest (income being tied up in mortgage, 401k contributions and essential recreations), but then I...
View ArticleUnderstanding the Filibuster
Okay, so a few Dems looking to appeal to the base (Hillary, Kerry, Kennedy, Feinstein) are pushing to filibuster Alito. For some reason, this has baffled a great many people. If they wanted the...
View ArticleMy First Machinima
My interpretation of the opening monologue of "Shattered Glass," filmed with the Sims 2 engine. http://www.pobox.com/~shankel/machinima/ShatteredGlassSims2.mov And yes, that's Hayden "Darth Vader"...
View ArticleMockery and Belief
Tip for the day: try not to believe in anything that will drive you to violent action if it's mocked. Mockery happens. The question is whether you can maintain your integrity in the face of that...
View ArticleWhiskey, Tango, Foxtrot?
So, the vice president shot someone this weekend...apparently. Is it just me, or does it seem a little weird that a) we didn't find out about this until today and b) no one seems to be all that upset...
View ArticleDuel Boot
So, I am now the proud owner of an Boot Camp XP Mac. Last month I had to finally remove the feeding tube from my Vaio NoteAnchor(tm) and I was pretty set on picking up a ThinkPad. BTW, if you're in the...
View ArticleMorning In America II: The Revenge
In the 1980s, "liberal" became a dirty word thanks to a combination of a highly unpopular Carter presidency and a slick sales campaign by Ronald Reagan. Well, conservatives now have their Carter. With...
View ArticleAnd now, some advice for the Republicans
The political cycle goes something like this: the party in power runs out of ideas, the other party offers a new vision, the people follow that vision as far as it will go, switching the power dynamic,...
View ArticleUnderstanding Preversion
So, in another thread I was musing about Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard and their aaaaarghh-based relationship and it occured to me that Magge and brother Jake have both staaaaarred in breakout...
View ArticleThe Impenetrable Mary Harron
I'm looking forward to seeing "The Notorious Bettie Page" http://www.apple.com/trailers/picturehouse/thenotoriousbettiepage/ Mary Harron, the director, fascinates me. She directed two other movies that...
View ArticleBut Fool Me Twice...Can't Get Fooled Again
So, three interesting tidbits from the President. First, he's calling for compassionate immigration reform and dismissing rounding people up and sending them off in boxcars as being, well, a tad guache...
View ArticleMy Syriana Moment
So, I've been playing the market, trying to learn the ins and outs before I have any REAL money to lose in this life. One of my picks was Petroleo Brasileiro (PBR), the Brazilian state-owned oil...
View ArticleThe Numbers Game
Ah, white knuckle fun! So, Petrobras was at $100 yesterday when the Bolivia thing hit. I set a stop-loss sell price at $97, figuring if it tanks, I'll sell high, ride it out and buy back in low. To...
View ArticleThe Rule Breaker
Rule #1: Don't buy your company's stock at the market...diversify Rule #2: Don't day trade...stock price movement is not predictable enough to justify the risk Rule #3: Don't trade on...
View ArticleMay the Farce Be With You
So, Stephen Colbert has managed to do what Al Franken, Cindy Sheehan and Alec Baldwin have failed to do: create actual buzz around the absurdity of our official story. And now, we have Fox News showing...
View Article1000 Things
I was tagged by Trouble 1. At age 12, I realized that everyone is just faking it; that insight got me through adolescence and college 2. Book, Movie, Song: Gravity's Rainbow, Clockwork Orange, Sympathy...
View ArticleRoy Scheider
Roy Scheider died today. Totally by coincidence, I had just finished combining two of his great roles for YouTube. Ladies and gentlemen, let me lay on you All That Jaws!...
View ArticleDopa Doja Darkly - War Protest 10/27/07
Dopa Doja at the war rally last October, done in the style of "A Scanner Darkly" (sort of...ish) http://youtube.com/watch?v=OlXDhtm4s7s
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