December 31, 2009

A Decade Of Awesome: Music

1. Mass Romantic by The New Pornographers--The decade opened with a power pop chorus from this Canadian group. "Letter from an Occupant" showcases Neko Case's full-throated vocal delivery and her bandmates' pop virtuosity to stunning effect. The subsequent years would be filled with plenty of sonic darkness from various indie flavors of the month, but TNP demonstrated that music could be heady without losing its sense of fun and excitement.
   
2. Untrue by Burial--British producer Burial weaved together a complex, haunting album that isn't easily classified. Mixing elements of electronica and hip-hop, it sounds like a desperate, pleading love letter from an obsessed stalker in some parallel universe. In the world of Untrue, it's always just after midnight and everyone has a broken heart, but they're still in the mood to dance.
   
3. In Rainbows by Radiohead--This is the album I've been waiting for since OK Computer. Plenty of critics fell in love with Kid A, their first album from the decade, but its atonal experimentalism left me cold. In Rainbows has the baroque grandeur and tunefulness that first made me a fan of their music, but it doesn't sound like a retread of previous material. "House of Cards", with its simple guitar bassline and Thom Yorke's soaring vocals, is a good example of the band's ability to craft a gorgeous song that sounds stripped down at the same time.
4. Silent Alarm by Bloc Party--Bloc Party made an album of shimmering guitars and earnest vocals that is also completely sincere. It has echoes of Eighties New Wave in songs like "So Here We Are" and "This Modern Love" while "Banquet" has a more propulsive feel. The band generated huge buzz when this album came out, which led to the nearly inevitable sophomore slump. Still, this album stands out as one of the most brilliant debuts of the decade.
   
5. Illinois by Sufjan Stevens--If every album in Stevens' fifty-state music project sounds this good, he'll be declared the greatest musical genius since Lennon and McCartney. I'm not sure he'll ever fully realize his ambition, but Illinois is a testament to his vision. Each song tells a story that is somehow related to the state, but the tone shifts from breathy personal narrative to exuberant walls of sound. "Chicago" is particularly gorgeous, capturing the city's vitality in a chorus of youthful voices. Stevens has an exceptional talent for capturing the voices of the characters in his songs, many of whom are throwbacks to a younger, more hopeful America.
   

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:54 PM | Comments (0)

December 30, 2009

Game On

Whenever I try out a new computer game, it's never a sure thing that I'll be able to play it. Some interface tweaking is usually necessary to make the game accessible and the solution isn't always ideal. That's the situation I faced the other day when I was trying to play a game I had purchased as a gift to myself (Dragon Age, in case you're curious). The game has a goofy camera control interface and I wasn't happy with the solution I had come up with, so I did a little web research to see if I could find another fix. In the course of my research, I found a new on-screen keyboard that has a repeat function. In other words, I can hold down a key just as if I was holding down a key with my finger. My existing keyboard doesn't have that function and its absence has always been something of an irritant. Little features like this make a huge difference in terms of accessibility.

Anyway, problem solved. If you're interested in trying the keyboard for yourself, you can download the trial version of the Comfort On-Screen Keyboard.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:07 PM | Comments (0)

December 29, 2009

A Decade Of Awesome: Books

1. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell--Long-time readers of this blog have already had to endure multiple love letters to this book of six interlocking tales that span every genre from epistolary bildungsroman to post-apocalyptic adventure. The stories form a narrative Mobius strip that is dazzling in its execution. The book's sobering study of human cruelty and oppression lingers in the mind long after the last page is turned.
   
2. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon--Chabon gives comic books and comic book creators some long-overdue literary love in this sprawling novel. It traces the careers of a couple Jewish cousins who partner to write comics in the days leading up to World War Ii. Their tales of the Escapist become a huge commercial success, but they are also a vehicle for the cousins to articulate their utter contempt for Hitler and his Nazis. Chabon's prose is lovely and his characters quickly earn our empathy and affection in a vivid story about the enduring power of imagination.
3. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke--Clarke's mannered and imaginative novel about the rivalry between two 19th-century sorcerers in an alternate England is a kind of Harry Potter for adults, complete with footnotes. It melds historical fiction with high fantasy to create a fully realized world where magic exists but it rarely seen. Clarke spent ten years writing this book and it shows in the carefully crafted plot and the distinctly British touches of humor.
4. Spin by Robert Charles Wilson--I love to read science fiction, but I find a lot of it pretty forgettable. Not so with this book that describes what happens to three friends and the rest of the world after the stars disappear from the sky. Wilson's grand idea is a whopper, but he's just as interested in examining how his Big Idea changes the lives of his characters. Good science fiction asks "What if...?" and then sets about answering that question on human scale. Spin does just that.
   

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:54 PM | Comments (1)

December 28, 2009

Even Politicians Get The Blues

Former Minnesota senator Mark Dayton revealed that he has coped with depression for many years. This probably wasn't an easy decision for Dayton, but he's planning a run for governor next year and he may have wanted to address the issue before one of his opponents did. As common as depression is among Americans, it still carries strong associations with being "crazy"; perhaps Dayton's revelation will be another incremental step towards eliminating the stigma surrounding the illness. I'm not sure Dayton is the ideal candidate for governor, but his medical history is irrelevant. His disclosure will hopefully lead his fellow candidates to the same conclusion.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 04:43 PM | Comments (1)

December 27, 2009

A Decade of Awesome: Television

Today, we look at the television shows that routinely bathed me in blue light over the last ten years:

1. The Wire--This seminal show is most easily described as a cop show, but it's really a Dickens novel on television (except with a lot more swearing and drug use). Over its five seasons, it put a magnifying glass to the city of Baltimore and its entrenched but deeply dysfunctional institutions--the police, city hall, labor unions, public schools, and the media. It offered a devastating critique of how each of these institutions fail Baltimore's citizens and how easily well-intentioned people can be corrupted by the power they seek. But the heart of the show is the endless battle of wits waged between the cops and the city's byzantine network of drug dealers. In the end, nobody wins, which is in keeping with the social realism that underpins the entire series.
2. The Daily Show--What started out as just another obscure Comedy Central series is now essential viewing for us political junkies. While most of the "real" news media fed nothing but jingoistic pabulum to the country in the years following 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq, Jon Stewart and his crew of brilliant writers couched their horror at world events in cutting satire. Stewart never is shy about wearing his politics on his sleeve, but he also demonstrates that he's capable of having a reasonable conversation with those with whom he disagrees; a skill that seems to be rapidly disappearing from the media landscape. The show is at its best when it puts on a grim smile in response to our leaders' stupidity and and hypocrisy. 
   
3. The Colbert Report--This companion to The Daily Show is even more blatant in its satire. Stephen Colbert plays Stephen Colbert, a brash and smug right-wing host in the mold of any number of Fox News personalities. The show's conceit allows him to poke fun at the media's vacuity while keeping himself firmly ensconced in the joke. Colbert also loves to deconstruct our consumerist and celebrity-obsessed culture, as evidenced in his Doritos-sponsored presidential campaign and his efforts to get a space station module named after him. His self-aware buffoonery is one of the best running gags on television today.
   
4. Battlestar Galactica--Who would have thought that a remake of a super-cheesy science fiction series from thirty years ago could be this good? In its story about humanity on the run from a genocidal race of robots, BSG created a palpable sense of desperation and dread. In something of a rarity for science fiction on TV, it usually didn't solve problems with science-cum-magic, instead forcing the survivors to muddle through as best they could. As the years went by, the show got even darker, focusing on themes of occupation, torture, and tyranny. The final season relied too much on generic and hokey mysticism, but when BSG was good (see in particular the two-parter "Exodus"), it was riveting.
   
5. Lost--The hatch. The polar bear. The black smoke. The statue. Dudes wearing mascara. I'm still not sure what it all means and I have a feeling that this season won't offer completely satisfying answers, but Lost is always interesting. A show about survivors from a plane crash stranded on a desert island could have turned into cliché really fast, but the creators did a couple of smart things to keep the story fresh. First, the extended flashbacks provided compelling background stories for the main characters that ultimately informed their actions on the island. Second (spoiler alert!), getting several of the main characters off the island established a pair of parallel narratives that kept the plot moving forward. Oh, and adding time travel didn't hurt, either.
   
6. The Office--Adapted from the original BBC series, the American version provides its own absurd take on office life in a struggling paper company. Michael Scott is every bad boss you've ever had writ large: oblivious to his own incompetence, narcissistic in the extreme, and perhaps borderline mentally ill. Still, the writers resist making him a complete parody. Scott understands that work, the place where we spend roughly a third of our adult life, should be fun and that no excuse is too small for an office party. As the economy tanked, the show played up the anxieties of a workplace in crisis mode without losing any of its funny. 
   
7. Mad Men--Ad man Don Draper is a misogynistic jerk whose world is crumbling around him, but he still embodies a bygone era of cool. Watching Mad Men is a bit like peeking into a bizarro version of our own reality; a reality where everyone has a scotch in one hand and a cigarette in the other. A reality in which women are regarded as children or objects of lust. It's a show that reminds us how much of a difference a few decades can make in shaping the world we inhabit. When someone makes the inevitable drama about life in Silicon Valley in the first decade of the twenty-first century, our mores and habits will probably seem equally quaint to younger viewers.
   

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 01:47 PM | Comments (1)

December 26, 2009

A Decade Of Awesome: Movies

So much of this blog has been concerned with my pop culture obsessions of various sorts that I can't resist compiling my own best-of lists for the past decade. Over the next few days, I'll present the books, movies, music, TV shows, and comics that, over the last decade, earned my personal ranking of "awesome". I can't guarantee that each list will contain ten items; it could be more or less. Because I can't be bound by your rules, man.

We'll start with movies. In no particular order:

1. Ghost World (2001) --This indie film asked audiences to sympathize with a smart-ass misanthropic teenager and a lonely, misanthropic middle-aged man living in the wastelands of suburbia. And somehow, it works. Thora Birch and Steve Buscemi are essentially decent people whose carefully cultivated scorn for the trappings of suburban life also leaves them isolated and unsure how to remedy the situation. Based on the graphic novel of the same name, the movie is a nuanced exploration of what it means to be alone in twenty-first century America. 
   
2. X2: X-Men United (2002)--This decade saw Hollywood try to work box office alchemy on the marginalized superhero comic. A lot of those efforts resulted in miserable failure (see Electra) or dull mediocrity (see Superman Returns), but the sequel to the promising X-Men gets nearly everything right. Freed from the plodding exposition of the original, it can focus on the price of being different in a world that values conformity (best line from the movie: "Have you tried not being a mutant?"). We had never seen a film that felt so authentic in its treatment of how everyday people might fear and even hate the superheroes who watch over them.
3. The Lives of Others (2006)--The Bush administration did everyone the huge favor of confirming the paranoid fantasy that the government was entirely willing and capable of eavesdropping on us. It was against this backdrop that this movie debuted, telling the story of an agent for the East German secret police unwittingly begins to sympathize with the activist playwright he has under surveillance. It's a taut thriller that is also a devastating account of the costs of a total surveillance society on both the watchers and the watched. But it also implies that we can never fully grasp the consequences of our actions until we have the perspective of time. 
   
4. Children of Men (2006)--A science fiction that feels incredibly immediate and relevant; it tells the story of a near-future where humans have inexplicably stopped having children and most of the world has descended into a final suicidal fit of self-destruction. England survives as an authoritarian and xenophobic nation that herds its immigrants into grim ghettos that foment revolution. Clive Owen gives a bravura performance as a cynical everyman who is thrust into the role of protector for a young and pregnant immigrant woman. The harrowing combat scene that serves as the film's climax is one of the most masterful filmed sequences of the decade. 
   
5. Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)--It's a stoner comedy that's fully cognizant of the fact that toking up isn't a hobby limited to white guys who play hackeysack and listen to Phish. Harold and Kumar are typical American twentysomethings who find themselves embarking on a bizarre road trip as they search for a White Castle where they can satisfy a scorching case of the munchies. Along the way, they meet racist cops, flatulent college girls, and a hilarious Neil Patrick Harris who can't stop talking about hooking up with some strippers. Good, stupid, unclean fun.
6.  A History of Violence (2005)--Oh, look, another movie based on an obscure comic book! Viggo Mortenson plays a seemingly normal guy with a normal family living in a normal Midwestern town. A brutal series of events gradually causes his family to question everything they thought they knew about him. The film is a violent study of whether we are truly capable of changing who we are. Ed Harris is great as a mobster with a reptilian stare and William Hurt chews up the scenery with gusto. And every film student should study the sex scenes between Mortenson and Maria Bello as prime examples of how to capture raw passion on film.
7. Brokeback Mountain (2005)--All the jokes about the "gay cowboy movie" couldn't rob this epic movie of its grandeur and humanity. In some ways, the story is deeply traditional Hollywood fare. Two people fall in love after a chance encounter, but societal disapproval keeps them apart through the years save for a few surreptitious encounters. The fact that these lovers are two men isn't beside the point, but it's also not a movie defined by the gayness of its characters. Heath Ledger will be primarily remembered for his role in The Dark Knight, but it's this role that underscores his talents as an actor and the tragedy of his death.
   
8. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003)--Technically, these are three separate films, but they are properly viewed as three parts of a sprawling narrative. Peter Jackson and his co-writers showed a keen understanding of the difference between books and movies when they adapted the Tolkien trilogy for the screen. They created a series of movies that are faithful adaptations of the books without being slavish in their devotion. The artistry on display here--everything from the pastoral beauty of the Shire to the epic battles to Gollum's physicality--is breathtaking, but it's the writing that gives these movies their heft and substance.
   

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 03:20 PM | Comments (0)

December 25, 2009

Blue Christmas

Once again, Santa failed to deliver my Tricia Helfer look-alike robotic nurse with the strapless red dress (sold separately). And I tried so hard to be good this year. I'll attempt to drown my disappointment in spiked eggnog and Mannheim Steamroller Christmas albums. There's always next year, I guess.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone. Now get off the computer and go call your grandmother to thank her for that sweater.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:58 AM | Comments (3)

December 24, 2009

Snowed In

The snow continues to fall here in the northern territories as we enter Round Two of the Great Christmas Storm of Ought-Nine. Over a foot of new snow will likely be on the ground by Saturday. Fortunately, my proximity to the skyways ensures that I don't have to be a complete shut-in. I still have to buy a couple gifts, but that can be easily accomplished right here at my desk as soon as I finish this post.

And the Senate passed a health care bill. Yes, Virginia, there is still hope for democracy.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:37 PM | Comments (1)

December 23, 2009

Ghost Writer

Here's another article teasing me about the possibilities of writing with a neural interface. The article describes a more invasive technique for measuring neural input: placing electrodes directly on the brain. That's a little further than I'm willing to go, but I stand ready to be a guinea pig for the first implantable chip. And by implantable, I mean that it can be implanted inside my melon with a small incision that won't mess up my hair.

Until then, I'll stick with my circa-1987 headset technology. It's old and decidedly unsexy, but it gets the job done. And it keeps my neck muscles buff.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:56 PM | Comments (0)

December 22, 2009

The Media Wars

Apple, not content with its complete dominance of the music business, is feeling out partners for a streaming video service that might compete with traditional cable companies. It's inevitable that most of the video we consume will eventually be delivered via the Internet, but it's going to be a long time before the cable monopolies feel truly threatened by the likes of Apple and Netflix. We don't yet have the broadband infrastructure to support the instant and uninterrupted delivery of content, at least not yet. I love the Netflix Instant Viewing service, but it's a rare thing when I can watch a whole episode or movie without the video pausing to buffer. That just doesn't happen when you turn on the television. I'll be first in line when Apple or whoever offers a comprehensive and affordable video subscription service, but Comcast will probably have its greedy fingers in my wallet for a long time to come.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 10:31 PM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2009

Critic At Large: Avatar

During the first few minutes of Avatar, I thought "This is pretty cool." By the thirty-minute mark, I thought "This is absolutely stunning." By the end of the first hour, I thought "I need to see this again."

Avatar is set in the mid-22nd century on the forest moon of Pandora. Earth is dying, but the discovery of a highly valuable mineral prompts humans to establish a mining colony on Pandora. In order to win the trust of the native Na'vi, the corporation leading the expedition creates genetically-altered Na'vi "avatars" that can be remotely controlled by human operators. Jake Sully, a former Marine who is a paraplegic as a result of a combat injury, is brought to Pandora to operate one of these avatars. Through a series of events, sully befriends a Na'vi woman and her tribe. But things take a grim turn when the humans decide to forcibly move the tribe in order to mine the rich vein of mineral beneath their village. I'm not giving too much away by disclosing that Sully decides to make a stand with the Na'vi.

Cameron's attempt at world-building is a marvel of artistry and technical wizardry. Pandora's vibrant and lethal ecosystem is fully realized to dazzling effect, but Cameron really outdoes himself by breathing life into the Na'vi. They are every bit as expressive and nuanced in both movement and emotion as their human counterparts. Without them, the movie is just so much eye candy and explosions. The Na'vi provide the film's emotional core.

The story itself is a bit kludgy and bears more than a passing resemblance to a certain western. And I could have done without the forays into Gaia-inspired mysticism. I'm not sure why Hollywood has to portray alien civilizations as either technological utopias or primitive utopias. But that doesn't make Avatar any less of a crowning achievement and one of the best science fiction movies of the decade.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:49 PM | Comments (0)

December 20, 2009

The Magic Number

Now that Senator Ben Nelson has extracted his concessions, the Senate is poised to pass the health care bill before Christmas. The abortion compromise is still troubling in its contempt for women and the legality of the procedure, but it's less odious than the House version. We'll have to see whether states take steps to ban abortion from being offered on the exchanges, but it seems likely that pro-choice advocates are going to have to step up their vigilance and advocacy in the coming years. As for Nelson's play to get more Medicaid funding for his state, my reaction can be summed up as "whatever". Nebraska isn't California or New York; the state probably has more cows than Medicaid enrollees.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)

December 19, 2009

Wedding Bells

Congratulations to my kid sister, who gets married today. The little girl with the impossibly curly hair who screamed bloody murder at me whenever I called her "Cushy Butt" is now all grown up. Best wishes to her and her new husband as they embark on a life together.

Note to self: bring cash to bribe the DJ so that I don't have to listen to a single Celine Dion song.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 10:24 AM | Comments (0)

December 18, 2009

Widescreen Snark

The Daily Show and The Colbert Report will start airing in high definition next year. Finally, I'll be able to count Jon Stewart's pores and settle a longstanding bet with a friend. It's about time. Watching analog content on my LCD is an awkward experience, like eating a grilled cheese sandwich off a jewel-encrusted platter,

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 11:58 PM | Comments (0)

December 17, 2009

Boy Meets Girl

I missed it when it was first published, but this poignant Times essay about a man with polio who falls in love with and eventually marries one of his former attendants is worth reading. The author perfectly encapsulates the profound insecurities that plague people with disabilities when contemplating romance. Or at least, he encapsulates my insecurities:

And I was the keeper of an obscene little secret I had known perhaps since I had been stuck in the iron lung, and surely from some vague moment later, the point where I realized I would never walk again. It is a thing that will sit rancid in my gut until the day I die, a thing that until then had eaten away at any illusion that love and marriage for me would be like it was in books or movies. And it was this: I would be physically dependent upon those who might love me. I am a chore, an obligation, and I will ever be so. I could not rationalize how a woman might love me and not soon come to hate the millstone I believed myself to be.

I'm more than a little familiar with the horribly seductive ease of believing the worst about oneself. It can become a kind of mantra that takes less and less effort to recite. And on these dark, cold winter nights when loneliness pays more frequent visits, it can be mighty tempting to hold regular pity parties with a guest list of one. It can be mighty tempting to think things will always be this way. But articles like this remind me that I really need to get over myself and just let life happen.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:09 PM | Comments (5)

December 16, 2009

By Zeus!

Good news, everyone! This post isn't about health care reform! Instead, I'm going to direct you to watch the trailer for the Clash of the Titans remake. It contains nary a mention of public options, cost curves, or filibusters. It does contain hot goddesses, men with swords, and a whol bestiary of mythological monsters. In other words, it's awesome.

And when did Sam Worthington become such a big movie star? Was there a ceremony where the movie gods anointed him the next It Boy of the genre movie?

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)

December 15, 2009

Not Great, But Definitely Good

Wonky bloggers lIke Ezra Klein are taking a lot of guff from fellow progressive bloggers for stating that the Senate health care bill is still worth passing even without a public option or a Medicare expansion. Meanwhile, here in Minnesota, the local news has focused on efforts by Democratic state legislators scrambling to find funding for GAMC. GAMC is a state-funded health care program for low-income Minnesotans that had its funding eliminated because of budget cuts earlier this year.

Both the Senate and House bills would expand Medicaid to a significantly larger swath of low-income adults under age 65. That would be a huge benefit for millions of people, including those who are no longer served by GAMC. That fact alone is enough to convince me this bill is worth supporting. The politics of this process are incredibly frustrating, but what matters in the final analysis is whether this bill will make a difference in people's lives. I have no doubt that it will.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)

December 14, 2009

The Big Egos Of Small Men

Senator Lieberman has apparently decided that he'd rather be a spoiler than a hero when it comes to passing health care reform. After nixing a public optiion with an option for states to opt out (which was already a compromise position), he has now decided that he can't support the compromise of that compromise--letting people buy into Medicare. Lieberman is clearly more interested in exacting revenge on liberal Democrats than getting a bill passed, but the inescapable math of getting to sixty probably requires that he win this round. The Maine Republicans don't show any signs of budging and reconciliation would be a messy, lengthy process that could result in a far less comprehensive bill.

Passing this bill won't be the end of health care reform. There will be opportunities to improve it in the years to come, but a bill needs to pass for that to happen. And the enormous benefits of passing a flawed bill will endure long after Lieberman is consigned to his bitter grave.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:36 PM | Comments (0)

December 13, 2009

Mr. Fix-Its

The Washington Post introduces us to a couple of retired engineers who volunteer in schools serving children with disabilities, where they repair wheelchairs and other equipment. They also design and build low-cost assistive technology solutions for the students, demonstrating the kind of home-spun ingenuity that most families of people with disabilities practice on a daily basis. The men describe their initial discomfort working with children with disabilities and how they eventually came to love what they do. It's a sweet story.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 02:26 PM | Comments (0)

December 12, 2009

Information Wants To Be Free

Why do American media conglomerates hate people with disabilities? The MPAA and RIAA (the trade groups that represent music and movie industries), along with book publishers, are opposing a new copyright treaty that includes an international copyright exemption to reading material distributed in accessible formats to people with disabilities. In other words, this treaty would allow people with disabilities to share accessible reading material without paying the publisher. Most developed nations already have such copyright exemptions that make e-books available to people with disabilities at little or no cost. This treaty would allow the individuals share accessible books across borders.

The media conglomerates make the predictable argument that granting such a copyright exemption will promote book piracy. The book piracy boat sailed a long time ago and publishers have much bigger worries than the possibility that a posse of blind book pirates will start uploading Harry Potter novels to the web. Hopefully, disability advocates (with an assist from Google) will be able to get this treaty finalized and ensure that people with disabilities around the world have access to reading material.

Thanks to BoingBoing for the tip.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 01:38 PM | Comments (1)

December 11, 2009

I'm So Worth It

I've been a good boy this year. Well, except for that one time. And there was that other time; I've still got the bruises from that one. But still, I made a good effort. My attempts at moral rectitude, while not uniformly successful, are still worthy of reward. Might I suggest:

• Rome: The Complete Series--Because I love me some sexed-up historical melodrama where everyone speaks with a British accent, so you know it has something to do with ancient history. Because it will look so very pretty on my LCD television that I may even start charging myself admission.  
• Boneshaker by Cherie Priest--Because it's a well-reviewed book that zeppelins, zombies, and characters with names like Leviticus Blue. Because the cover is the very embodiment of steampunk awesomeness.
• Dragon Age: Origins--Because I'm still a fan of old-school role-playing games that take countless hours to finish. Because World of Warcraft doesn't have brothels. 
• The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1--Because it's one thousand pages of apocalyptic zombie action. Because zombies are always entertaining. Because my next girlfriend will see this sitting on my shelf and begin to understand what she's getting herself into.
  

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:41 PM | Comments (1)

December 10, 2009

Untethered

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Mark, I can't wait to get my first neural interface chip that will let me control my computer with pure thought. But I don't want a bunch of cords poking out of my head and making me look like a refugee from The Matrix. What's a stylish gimp to do?" Fortunately, scientists have already recognized this problem and hard at work on a wireless neural implant. You won't have to worry about unsightly cords when sitting in the coffeehouse with your brain-powered Mac and stealing glances at the cute girl at the next table sipping her chai. But no word yet on whether stray radio transmissions will cause your head to explode just as you're about to say something utterly charming to her.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:32 PM | Comments (1)

December 09, 2009

Sponge

According to a new study, the average person consumes about 34 gigabytes of data a day, much of it in the form of video pixels. Pfft, amateurs. 34 gigs is probably what I consume before lunch on a typical Saturday. Oh, stop looking at me like that. Most of it isn't even pr0n.

Actually, I wish I could chart my data consumption from the mid-90's to today. The trend line probably spiked about seven years ago when I got my broadband connection and has steadily risen ever since then. And even though I should be used to it by now, I continue to be amazed by the sheer vastness of this digital universe we have created for ourselves. One day, the Internet is going to become sentient and we're all going to be shipped off to the mines, so we'd better enjoy the party while it lasts.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:15 PM | Comments (0)

December 08, 2009

Public Option #2

A group of moderate and conservative Democratic senators is trying to negotiate an alternative to the public option, which appears to have used up its nine lives (at least for purposes of the Senate debate). Of all the ideas floating around, I'm partial to the Medicare buy-in proposal. It would lower the Medicare minimum age to 55, which would allow millions of Americans to buy into comprehensive health coverage at affordable prices. Of course, I'd like the threshold to be even lower, but this policy change would set the stage for future expansions. Most surveys find that Medicare enrollees are highly satisfied with the care they receive. Assuming that Medicare proves equally popular with the expansion population, it would be difficult for politicians to ignore future calls to make it available to even more people, particularly if private insurers fail to keep their offerings affordable. We could end up, over time, getting the public option that is encountering so much resistance right now.

Nobody knows what a final compromise will look like, but progressives need to demonstrate that this bill will not be a complete capitulation to private insurers.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:44 PM | Comments (0)

December 07, 2009

Recycled

Even though the remake of Tron won't be released for another year, Disney has already decided to mine the pop culture artifacts of my childhood for another movie. This time, it's The Black Hole, a 1979 movie that swung wildly between being cartoonish and terrifying. The basic plot concerns a spaceship crew that encounters another ship in a close proximity to a black hole (the movie wasn't big on scientific accuracy). There's a mad scientist. There's a menacing red robot and a friendly robot that sounds like that guy from Planet of the Apes. Bad stuff happens.

Done right, a polished remake could be fun for us grownups who remember the cheesy original. But the evil, silent robot must stay evil and silent. Children need to be reminded that not every robot has to turn into a sports car with an unfortunate tendency to mimic racial stereotypes.

So when do I get my Short Circuit remake?

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:02 PM | Comments (0)

December 06, 2009

In The Buff

British reality series How to Look Good Naked is going to give ego boosts to three women with disabilities in a string of three episodes airing in January. I've never seen the show, but the basic premise involves a fashion designer counseling women on how to feel more confident about their bodies without resorting to cosmetic surgery or weight loss. I admire the three women who agreed to participate in the show as they seem much braver than me. My solution for looking good naked is to mentally hum "You Look So Fine" by Garbage until I no longer feel the overwhelming impulse to screw my eyes shut  and profusely apologize to whomever else is in the room. Sometimes, this method actually works, but I'd have to come up with a much lengthier soundtrack before I could summon the courage to bare everything for a national television audience.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 04:26 PM | Comments (0)

December 05, 2009

Heavy Rotation

Here's a sampling of my current musical obsessions.

"Repeaterbeater" by Mew -- Who says prog rock is dead? This Danish group channels the spirit of Yes to craft a baroque bit of pop that doesn't once mention wizards or spaceships. The song has a grandeur that one doesn't encounter much in today's world of manufactured teen idols and morose indie singer/songwriters.

"Catamaran" by Candy Claws -- This band reminds me of Air France in its capacity to create sweet, sweet ear candy. Like the rest of the album, this song has a sun-drenched tropical vibe that conjures up images of blue water and white sand. Highly recommended iPod listening if you ever find yourself sipping a daiquiri on the shore pf some privately owned island in the Caribbean.

"Breaking Into Cars" by The Raveonettes -- I've been a fan of The Raveonttes ever since I first heard their signature sound, a curious mix of grungy guitars and old-school AM radio pop that shouldn't work but somehow does. This song starts out with a menacing bass riff but then shifts into a darkly exuberant chorus that will have your inner teenage rebel jonesing to go break something.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 04:08 PM | Comments (1)

December 04, 2009

List-O-Mania

If you're looking for something to help you while away the weekend, you could explore Fimoculous' annual and frequently updated roundup of year-end best-of lists. It's a must-bookmark for anyone with more than a passing interest in the highs and lows of pop culture over the past year. If you're in the mood for something even more comprehensive, the essential largehearted boy blog is obsessively linking to every best-of-the-decade list related to books and music.

I'll be posting my own list sometime in the next few weeks, but these links should give you sufficient ammunition for telling me why my choices suck.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:22 PM | Comments (0)

December 03, 2009

Mark 101

A couple weeks ago, I did a basic introduction to my vent and assorted accouterments for my work colleagues. The idea was to give them enough information so they would know what to do if my tube disconnected in the middle of a meeting or how to silence me should they get annoyed with my blather. Everyone was very attentive and asked good questions, but it reminded me that the everyday aspects of my life--the chair, the tubes, the personal bodyguard--must seem really strange to the typical observer. I mean, how many people do you see in your office who look like me?

It also got me thinking about a more advanced-level course that covers topics such as how to feed me Pringles and how to intervene when I start totally geeking out.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:20 PM | Comments (1)

December 02, 2009

Pitch Black

The next time I'm in San Francisco, I may have to take my brother to Opaque, a restaurant where one dines in total darkness. According to one of the servers, most customers take advantage of the ambiance to make out. I'm all for getting one's freak on, but I'm not sure I could enjoy a meal while listening to the heavy breathing of the couple at the next table.

Not that I would ever allow someone to feed me in total darkness. I'd be liable to leave the restaurant with half of my dinner on my shirt or get punctured in the cheek with a fork.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:59 PM | Comments (0)

December 01, 2009

The Wages Of War

In my darker moments, I sometimes think the country would be better off ruled by a bunch of artificial intelligences with zero charisma but a far better grip on reality. Our policy decisions are too easily swayed by emotion and we have almost no capacity for thinking of long-term consequences. Ezra Klein's post on taxes and the Afghan war reveals just how far we have to go towards a day when our leaders behave like sober, responsible adults rather than eager-to-please indulgent parents.

Rep. Dave Obey is proposing a surtax to pay for a small portion of the costs of the war. More specifically, it only pays for one year of the war. Of course, most of Obey's colleagues--including fellow Democrats--have already declared the idea dead on arrival. Congress seems more inclined to fund a war effort of dubious merit (to put it charitably) that will likely add hundreds of billions to the deficit than to pass a health care bill that actually reduces the deficit. Military spending has always gotten a pass from both parties when it comes to any discussion of fiscal responsibility and that doesn't seem likely to change soon.

I'm all for sensible defense spending. If you pressed me, I could probably even come up with some arguments for sticking it out in Afghanistan. Nevertheless, it's dangerous to have an electorate be completely disconnected from the consequences of the leadership's policy decisions. Our collective refusal to have a rational discussion about taxes and national priorities has created a wall between us and economic reality, but it's a wall built on quicksand.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:52 PM | Comments (0)