Going to See the Boss

I went to bed early last night to rest up for Bruce Springsteen tonight.

I’m going with fellow Springsteen fan Mark of JerseyStyle Photography. He wrote a great pre-concert post…

I’ll be back tonight to talk about the show.

Michael Moore the Limousine Leninist

Let’s not beat around the bush… Michael Moore is a hypocritical, corpulent piece of crap.

As a rule, when I disagree with a person, I don’t like to ridicule them, I attack the substance of their ideas. When I call Mikey a bulky bowel movement I am not doing it for the purpose of mocking his weight, I do it because it goes directly to the heart of hypocrisy.

This fat, rich man has thrived in our capitalist system. He came from a humble family in Flint, Michigan and amassed a fortune. He sends his daughter to a private school, and earns millions of dollars as a movie-maker. Capitalism served him well. In our system he has prospered and reaped the benefits of his wealth… And there is nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all.

I can’t stand the guy, and I disagree with damn near everything he says. However, he makes a product that people are willing to buy, even if that product is based on partial truths and deception, he uncovered a demand, and like any good capitalist, he fulfills it.

So why the hell is he making a movie that calls for the destruction of the system that has afforded him the opportunity to thrive? I don’t really know. What I do know is that he has no viable suggestions for a better system. He calls for more “democracy” in our economy. It’s a sweet idea, and a great use of a word that no one likes to disagree with, but I have yet to see him suggest how that would work. Plus, what if the people decide on governing the economy in a way that Michael Moore finds distasteful? Many of us still like our right to keep and bear arms? I for one see it as a necessary freedom.We all know how Mikey feels on the subject.

Like an immigrant who made it to this country and now wishes to deny admission to new immigrants; the “this is my country, now get the hell out” mentality… Moore struck big, climbed to the top, and wants to torch the ladders. No one else may strive for greatness. Capitalism works, the United States works because there is an incentive to strive for more.

In any non-capitalist system, no man could grow as rotund as Michael Moore. He clearly eats more than his fare share… And that’s OK. He earned his money, he can spend it as he pleases. However, in the socialist utopia he imagines is possible, he would be a few hundred pounds lighter, his child would go to public school with the rest of the peasants, and there is a good chance he wouldn’t have the freedom of speech that his trade is built on.

Do Michael Moore a favor and don’t see his movie. So many people are hoping to make money off of it, and that is clearly wrong in Mikey’s eyes.

If you are still reading and want to see how half-baked his ideas are, watch his interview with Wolf Blitzer. Mikey spent all of this time making an anti-capitalism film and can’t articulate a semi-intelligent argument against the system, or propose a better alternative (Part one is all you need to watch, but I’m providing part two as well).

Can anyone tell me why he is wearing a hat for my school? As far as I know, he never had anything to do with Rutgers.

If you want to read more on Mikey’s hypocrisy, check out Michael Wilson’s work.

Finally, to give credit where it is due, the phrase “Limousine Leninist” came from commenter pst314 on the brilliant political blog Samizdata.

Sorry for the off-topic post. Mikey’s been ticking me off for a long time.

“Keep Fucking That Chicken”

Dear Al Gore,

New York News anchor Ernie Anastos made some unexpected and embarrassing statements on the air a few days ago. Before you invented the Internet, that would have been over in a flash.

Those who were watching would have been shocked. Maybe they would question if they heard what they thought they heard. Some would have spoken with their friends. It would have been a tiny local issue.

Now Ernie isn’t just famous in the greater New York City area, he is Internet famous! His statement will never die. Lucky him.

Thanks Al for creating the Internet to preserve and pass on stupidity like this.

Gmail Phishing

Mark from JerseyStyle Photography contacted me this morning about an odd email he received from “Gmail.”

From: Google Email Team
To: Date: Sep 25
Subj: Warning: VX2G99AAJ

Dear Account User,

This Email is from Gmail customer care and we are sending it to every Gmail accounts owner for safety. We are having congestion due to the anonymous registration of Gmail accounts so we are shutting down some Gmail accounts and your account was among those to be deleted. We are sending this email to you so that you can verify and let us know if you still want to use this account. If you are still interested please confirm your account by filling the space below.Your User name, password, date of birth and your country information would be needed to verify your account. Due to the congestion in all Gmail users and removal of all unused Gmail Accounts. Gmail would be shutting down all unused Accounts, you will have to confirm your E-mail by filling out your Login Information below after clicking the reply button or your account will be suspended within 24 hours for security reasons.*

User name: ………………………..*

Password: …………………………..*

Date of Birth: ……………………….*

Country Or Territory: ………………..

Warning!!! Account owner that refuses to update his or her account within Seven days of receiving this warning will lose his or her account permanently.

Thank you for using Gmail !

The Gmail TeamG MAI L BETA

This is absolutely fake. It’s a phishing attack designed to steal your password.

Here are the signs that it’s not real:

1. Google won’t ask you for your password in an email. No legitimate company will. Ever. Don’t give your password to anyone via email.
2. Even if it contained a link to a Google-looking site that asked for your password, I would be skeptical. There are some phishing sites that look very convincing.
3. It’s poorly edited. Take the last line alone, “The Gmail TeamG MAI L BETA.” The spacing is all wrong. Google wouldn’t release that.
4. It doesn’t make sense. Google has a ton of data storage capacity, they won’t be running out of space.

If you ever get an email like this and are unsure if it’s the real deal, send it my way and I will take a look for you.

Practice safe computing with a health skepticism while reading email.

Hulk-Ku

The new video game Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is a pretty big waste of time. I’m kind of mortified that I took the time to play it through to the end. However, there was one thing at the end that almost made it worth my time; Hulk reciting a series of haiku.

Allow me to save you $60.00 and a bunch of time by sharing a video of the audio file:

As far as the game goes, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 commits a few major gaming offenses.

1. The enemies all feel the same. The big difference is that some of them take more time to kill. Otherwise, everything feels very repetitive.
2. It rewards you greatly for breaking things in the scenery. Rewarding a player for doing pointless things like breaking scenery means that they will. It’s an annoying waste of time.
3. Unlocking characters. I’m pretty tired of having to unlock characters. Why all of the hoop jumping?

I love the characters. I wanted to enjoy the game… but I can’t. It’s just not very good.

Bug vs. Feature

I love this cartoon.

If you’ve worked in IT or web development for my than a month, I have no doubt that you have either hear or said the following words:

“That’s not a bug, that’s a feature”

I never use that phrase because I know that no one buys it… but still the phrase survives like a cockroach.

The top ten list I pull the cartoon from is pretty good too.

Thanks to Melissa for sharing this bit of funny with me.

Craigslist entertainment: Lapsitter

Here’s a bit of Craigslist craziness:

need someone to sit on lap (lynbrook)

I have bad back problems, and need someone to sit on my lap for four hours a day ,it helps me straigten my, back I know it sound weird but it helps , willing to pay ten dollars and hour for four hours , twice a week , has to be in good shape and looking for a male to do it because they are stronger to do this sort of job, if you are interested e mail , this is not bs ,you could watch tv, use computer I will even give you food, please respond , just want to let you know that I am not gay or anything like that , just need the weight of you leaning on me , that is all, and sitting on me helps , trust me this is not what I wanted but it helps, thank you

I love this kind of shit. It makes me stop and ponder things like… “How would one list this job on his/her resume?”

The top two that I thought up are “lap engineer” & “professional genital warmer.”

Thanks to Pete S. for sharing.

FCC Win

Today the FCC proposed a number of net neutrality guidelines that most notably include prohibiting broadband providers from “discriminating against content or applications, and mandate transparent network management” (Engadget).

It’s nice to see a government agency leaning towards personal freedom.

Of course, this isn’t law or policy and there is a good chance there will be any number of loopholes for broadband providers to exploit.

It reminds me of a bit from Lewis Black’s stand-up routine about Enron. He said something along these lines:

“If you have a company, and you can’t explain in one sentence… what it does. It’s illegal.”

This may seem incredibly simplistic, but what’s wrong with using this language?

“It is not permissible for a broadband provider to discriminate against content or applications. Discriminating against content or applications will result in the following penalties…”

Why do we have to make this so complicated that it will be ineffective?

Wii Price Cut

Nintendo’s Wii is joining the console price cut party.

It seems that the family friendly video game system is getting a $50.00 price cut, making it $199.99. I hope this translates into sales for all three console makers as the holiday season approaches.

A Moment

Johnnie Moore shared this video a couple weeks ago:

It prompted me to ponder the question “what is as moment?” which I think was the goal of the piece.

That in turn, made me think back to an old episode of the Aaron Sorkin show, Sports Night.

In one episode there is a rather geeky discussion about the definition of the word “momentarily.” It turns out, “momentarily” has two conflicting definitions:

• For a moment
• In a moment

That means that the statement, “I will be with you momentarily” could mean, “I will be with you shortly,” or it could also mean “I will be with you for a short while, then I will leave.” I guess it’s also possible that it could mean “I will be with you shortly and then leaving.”

I don’t think any of this ultimately matters, but this kind of inane BS is the stuff that runs through my skull.

Concert Review: Rodrigo y Gabriela Blew My Mind

I wrote about them last year <“Rodrigo Y Gabriela” – The Most Badass Guitarists You’ve Never Heard of>, and last night, I finally saw them live… they blew away my lofty expectations.

Hearing their percussive, metal influenced classical guitar harmonies on album is one thing… seeing them do all of this crazy stuff live is a whole different experience.

Last night’s show at Terminal 5 in Manhattan was their first show since releasing their excellent new album 11:11 (Yet another thing I ran out of time to write about. I’m going to skip an individual review post and just say that it’s excellent. You should listen to it). Gabriela explained that it was only supposed to take them six months to make their last CD but they recorded it and re-recorded it a few times until it was to their liking. She described it as being a lot like “Spinal Tap,” which cracked me up.

They played a brilliant mix of stuff from their first & second studio albums and a few things from their latest live album. They killed with each and every track. I clapped and danced my geeky ass off all night; it was one of the most fun and energetic performances that I ever had the honor of seeing.

Probably the most emotional moment of the show for me was when they played Metallica’s Orion. Orion was written in honor of Cliff Burton, Metallica’s bassist who died when the band’s tour bus got into an accident in Europe. Metallica basically never performs the song live, but Rodrigo y Gabriela play it essentially note-for-note, daring listeners who claim they “don’t like metal” to reevaluate that judgment. I can think of no better tribute for the late Mr. Burton.

This is kind of a discombobulated review (mostly because I am beyond exhausted), but my point is listen to Rodrigo y Gabriela (albums). If they are playing near you, do yourself a favor and go see them (tour schedule).

Pink Floyd Rock Band? It Could Happen

It seems that the members of Pink Floyd are considering a music game. After seeing the loving care that the Beatles received in Beatles Rock Band (review coming really soon), I can’t think of a band that is better suited for the same treatment.

The stages would be freaking awesome. The music is incredible (and far more difficult than the Beatles), and that solo on Comfortably Numb… ooo the solo on Comfortably Numb. I’m in love with this idea already. I hope it happens.

So many great albums!

(Story Source) (Image Source)

There Will Never Be Another Beatles or Michael Jackson

I wish I had a dollar for each time I have heard or read that there will never be another Beatles or Michael Jackson.

Yes, it’s true… there never will be another Beatles or Michael Jackson, but as incredibly talented as they were, talent is not the reason there won’t be another band or artist as influential as these two.

The simple reason for this is because the music industry is broken, and splintered. Gone are the days where record companies have the power to make everybody like (or at least listen to) a single group or artist. Things are far more segmented. People listen to different things.

It’s great for listeners, but it also means that the cultural phenomenon of an entire society experiencing the same music simultaneously just isn’t going to happen again.

So let it go. There will be people as, or more talented than the Beatles and Michael Jackson. They are out there performing now… go find them.

While I’m on the subject of the late Mr. Jackson, I am going to direct you to this rather vulgar, but spot-on rant that Jackie Danicki reposted. Unfortunately we will hear about Jackson’s death/ “murder” until the end of time.

On 9/12, the Greatest Man in History Died

On September 12th, 1009, Norman Borlaug died at the age of 95. When I call him the “greatest man in history,” I write completely free of sarcasm, hyperbole, or cynicism. I honestly hold Mr. Borlaug in higher regard than any person who has ever lived.

Why is he the “greatest man in history?”

A few years ago an episode of Penn & Teller’s Bullshit discussed bio-engineered food. Mr. Borlaug was the father of the Green Revolution; an agricultural revolution whereby science and technology were used to increase crop yield, and fight famine (not to be confused with the Green Movement which is notorious for cherry-picking science). From Mexico, to India, the Philippines, and Africa, Mr. Borlaug helped poor people in undeveloped countries feed themselves. Estimates put the number of people saved, and subsequently sustained by Mr. Borlaug’s work at over one billion people (it’s probably more, and over time that number will continue to increase).

Penn & Teller declared Mr. Borlaug “the greatest man in history.” Since seeing the episode, I read a lot about Mr. Borlaug and only became more impressed. Prior to his death I had gone to great lengths to try and name another person who was arguably “better” than Mr. Borlaug. I still can’t. One billion plus lives is an unimaginably high standard to set, and he didn’t do it from some swank home in the States. He lived with the people he was helping. He experienced the suffering firsthand, and did something about it. Not only that, he worked into his 90’s, constantly striving to save more people, and alleviate human suffering. To my knowledge, there has never been another person who has had the intelligence, ingenuity, compassion, and drive to help so tirelessly on such an enormous scale.

Unfortunately groups like PETA have demonized Mr. Borlaug, and there are many unfounded articles circulating that make him out to be something terrible. I could rage on those groups all night, but I will save that for another post… another day… those people will still be around tomorrow. Today is a day of mourning. We lost one of the great ones.

Therefore I feel that the aforementioned guiding principle must be modified to read: If you desire peace, cultivate justice, but at the same time cultivate the fields to produce more bread; otherwise there will be no peace.

Norman Borlaug

Welcome Back Football Season

J -E -T- S JETS! JETS! JETS!

And what a wonderful season opener it was for my beloved Jets. They simply manhandled the Houston Texans in an away game with a rookie quarterback and new head coach. There is a long season ahead of them, but I am seriously hopeful for the Jets for the first time in a few years.

Here’s some Football funny from the Onion:

How do they think this stuff up?

Then, like um… like um… like um there’s this:

And like um… the inevitable remix:

Congratulations Ellis Lanksder, you’re YouTube famous!

Happy football season everyone.