September 30, 2011
Critic At Large: Neighbors at Mixed Blood Theater
The Mixed Blood Theater's production of Neighbors may offend you. It may unsettle you. But it won't bore you. The titular neighbors are two families: the Pattersons and the Crows. Richard Patterson is an ambitious classics professor married to Jean, his intelligent but somewhat aimless wife. They're a biracial couple (he's black and she's white) raising a willful teenage daughter, Melody. Richard is deeply troubled when the Crows, a family of black entertainers who style themselves as a minstrel troupe (complete with blackface that is never removed) move in next door. The Crows are loud, abrasive, and crude; everything that Richard detests. When Melody begins hanging out with young Jim Crow (yes, Jim Crow) and Jean starts to spend her lonely afternoons sharing tea with Zip Crow, a charming but brash dandy with a fondness for top hats), Richard fears that his neighbors will sabotage his family's upward mobility.
Neighbors is one of the more disorienting plays I've seen. One minute, you're watching an outrageously bawdy minstrel skit. The next, you're watching a deeply hostile argument between husband and wife. Neighbors' bipolar tone mirrors America's attitudes on race: we laugh when Chris Rock pokes fun at black stereotypes, but we become uncomfortable and a little defensive when forced to confront our own attitudes on race. The play is at its best when it forces us to squirm under the weight of our own assumptions and biases, right until the surprising ending.
Mixed Blood is making all of its mainstage performances available for free, so you have very little to lose in checking it out. Full disclosure: I serve on one of the theater's advisory committees.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:59 PM | Comments (1)
September 29, 2011
On The Town
I enjoyed a night at the theater this evening and about which I'll write more later. But for now, I'll bid you good night. Think of me tomorrow morning when I'm struggling to stay awake at my desk.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 11:41 PM | Comments (0)
September 28, 2011
Future Upgrade
When I first read about the new Kindle Touch that Amazon unveiled today, I didn't give it much consideration. My Kindle DX is a little bulky, but I like the big screen. However, a Kindle Touch might be slightly more accessible for me. It turns pages with a tap on the screen rather than with the push of a specific button. If I could trigger a tap with a switch attached to some sort of stylus, I'd be able to at least turn pages forward. It will be something to ponder when it's time to replace my DX--although I see no reason why my DX shouldn't last for quite some time.
As for the Kindle Fire tablet--meh. It looks nice, but if I want a tablet, I'll probably get an iPad.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)
September 27, 2011
Hear And Obey
The forthcoming iPhone 5 is rumored to include sophisticated voice control, allowing users to send texts and issue commands simply by speaking to the phone. I'm generally dubious of voice control systems. More specifically, I'm dubious of their ability to understand me. Every voice control system I've used has left me frustrated and annoyed. That's not to say others won't find this feature helpful, but I won't be lining up at the Apple Store on Day 1 of its release. My 3Gs still works just fine.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:18 PM | Comments (0)
September 26, 2011
Critic At Large: Paul
I meant to see Paul while it was in theaters last spring, but it's perfectly enjoyable as weekend home entertainment fare. It tells the story of two British geeks, Graaeme and Clive, on a pilgrimage to America to attend Comic-Con and then visit famous U.F.O. sites across the Southwest in their rented R.V. Soon after embarking on their road trip, they run into (almost literally) Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen), a shipwrecked alien on the lam from his government minders. Paul has been a "guest" of ours for several decades--long enough to have picked up colloquial English and a fondness for cigarettes and pot. He enlists the humans' assistance in his quest to rendezvous with a rescue team sent by his people.
From there, Paul doesn't deviate much from the buddy/road trip movie formula. Wackiness ensues, various things blow up, one of the nerds falls in love, and everyone learns a little something about themselves in the end. The script resorts to dick jokes a few too many times and the love interest (Kristen Wiig as a fundamentalist Christian) is a bit one-dimensional, but it generally treats its characters with endearment. The movie is something of an homage to geek culture and makes a few clever references to other well-known science fiction films. Paul tries a little too hard to get laughs, but it doesn't wear out its welcome.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:16 PM | Comments (0)
September 23, 2011
Clocking Out
Time to get away from this screen. I'll be back on Monday with something more insightful to say. Enjoy the weekend.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:28 PM | Comments (0)
September 22, 2011
Hack And Slash
Based on reactions from those playing the beta preview, Diablo 3 looks like my kind of game. Lots of monsters, lots of atmosphere, and lots of mouse clicking. It probably won't be out until next year, which gives me time to finish up Torchlight and decide whether I want to play as a Monk or Demon Hunter for my first play-through.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:34 PM | Comments (0)
September 21, 2011
Measurable Results
Most opponents of "Obamacare" are quick to point out that among the Affordable Care Act's many flaws is that most of its major provisions don't take effect until 2014. It's a fair criticism, but it also overlooks the impact of other provisions that have already taken effect. Consider, for example, the Census Bureau's finding that the proportion of uninsured adults ages 18-24 fell by 2% in 2010. At the same time, rates of uninsured adults in other age groups increased over the same time period. One likely explanation for the decline is the ACA provision allowing young adults to remain on their parents' insurance until age 26.
Of course, a 2% decline isn't dramatic in itself. But it's noticeable enough to merit comment. It also demonstrates that real people are beginning to benefit from the law's existence. Once the rest of the law takes effect--the insurance exchanges, the ban on denials of coverage for preexisting conditions, the Medicaid expansion--millions more will directly benefit from the ACA. Findings like this are also likely to fuel Republican efforts to repeal or nullify the ACA before that happens.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:09 PM | Comments (0)
September 20, 2011
Corporate Maneuverings
Netflix's decision to spin its DVD business into a separate entity surprised and annoyed me at first. I'm not happy about having to manage my DVD and streaming queues on separate websites. But if this move allows Netflix to build a comprehensive streaming library that makes a companion DVD subscription service obsolete, it will be worth the inconvenience. I find plenty of good stuff to watch on its streaming service (mostly television series), but its still woefully lacking in current film releases. As long as customers like me see Netflix make progress on obtaining the necessary licenses to expand its streaming library, I can put up with the company's growing pains.
Still, Qwikster? Netflix must truly believe that the days of DVDs-by-mail are numbered for it to choose such a juvenile and easily mocked brand name.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:27 PM | Comments (1)
September 19, 2011
Mind Games
The Times Magazine ran a good article over the weekend on brain-computer interfaces, emphasizing the benefits and drawbacks of more invasive versus less invasive methods of measuring brain activity. It also explains how the tech can be used to play videogames like Galaga. Granted, it's not Red Dead Redemption, but at least researchers understand the potential of their invention. The piece doesn't say exactly when I'll be able to telepathically sext via my iPhone, but it implies that day isn't far off. It also doesn't tell me who I need to bribe to ensure that I'm part of the next round of human trials.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 05:55 PM | Comments (0)
September 16, 2011
A Weak Crop
NPR echoes my own impressions of the forthcoming fall TV season: boring and uninspired. Aside from Fox's Terra Nova (which has dinosaurs) and NBC's Prime Suspect (which has Maria Bello), none of the other premiering series holds much interest for me. And even those two shows are likely to be mediocre at best. Instead, my TiVo is primed for the return of Fringe, Boardwalk Empire, and The Walking Dead. Perhaps some other series will catch enough buzz to earn my attention, but I'm skeptical. And a dearth of interesting new programming should speed along my efforts to re-read the first four Song of Ice and Fire novels before tackling A Dance with Dragons.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:24 PM | Comments (0)
September 15, 2011
Rowsdower!
A.V Club has a good introduction to Mystery Science Theater 3000 for the uninitiated, along with a liberal sprinkling of episode clips. It's a bit shocking to realize that it's been off the air for a dozen years. My law school buddy (and one-time guest blogger) Charles and I were huge MSTies and would get together every Sunday night at my tiny West Bank apartment to watch the latest episode. It requires a certain sense of humor to appreciate, but few things have made me laugh harder.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:02 PM | Comments (0)
September 14, 2011
XP Is Ancient History
Even though it seems like I downloaded the preview version of Windows 7 just yesterday, Microsoft is now showing off early builds of Windows 8. It looks like it will work quite nicely as a tablet OS, but I don't see any compelling reason for desktop users to upgrade. I'm not really interested in 8's tile-based design; 7's shiny interface serves me quite well. If I want tiles, I'll play some mah-jong.
I'm sure I'll upgrade eventually, but perhaps I'll wait for Windows 9.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:21 PM | Comments (0)
September 13, 2011
What Is Wrong With You People?
I haven't watched any of the GOP presidential debates, but the highlights are enough to reinforce my dimmest views of the party and its most vocal supporters. At last night's debate, audience members cheered when the moderator ask Ron Paul whether a hypothetical young man without health insurance who has fallen seriously ill should be allowed to die. Paul supporters can be a boisterous and particularly knuckleheaded bunch, but I don't think they were the only ones cheering. And at the previous debate, one of the biggest applause lines came when the moderator pointed out that Texas had executed a lot of people.
Has the combination of the recession and the disaster that was Bush's presidency thrown conservative psyche into such turmoil that it can only respond positively to other people's suffering? Has overwhelming nihilism replaced any cohesive ideology they might have once possessed? It may be typical for a pinko Minneapolis liberal like me to react with revulsion to these cries for blood, but I can't imagine that they play any better with independents who might have tuned into the debates out of curiosity. Republican handlers might consider putting up big signs that blink "DON'T APPLAUD EVEN THOUGH YOU REALLY WANT TO, YOU HEARTLESS DICKS" when appropriate.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:04 PM | Comments (0)
September 12, 2011
Books For Rent
Amazon is trying to persuade publishers to sign onto an ebook subscription service. Depending on the price and catalog, I could be persuaded to pay for something like this. On average, I purchase at least one Kindle book per month and frequently more than that. If Amazon makes something like this part of its $79 Prime service, the cost would likely be a wash for me and i may be more inclined to read books that I might not otherwise purchase individually. And I could still purchase the physical version of a book if I so chose.
I'm skeptical that publishers will go along with a subscription service, at least initially. The model is simply too different from the traditional sales paradigm to which they are so accustomed. But Amazon is probably one of the few companies that has a halfway decent chance of turning this idea into reality.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:39 PM | Comments (0)
September 09, 2011
Universal Design
Somebody from Apple has been reading my blog. How do I know this? Because Apple filed a patent application outlining a process for connecting assistive technology to iOS devices like iPhones and iPads. It's good to see that Apple recognizes a demand for making their devices more accessible to people with disabilities. Perhaps next year's iPad 3 will actually incorporate these ideas. If it does, I'll be one of the first in line at my local Apple Store. I'm also available to do beta testing.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:42 PM | Comments (0)
September 08, 2011
State Of Disunion
I wonder how many Congresspersons will be finalizing their fantasy football teams on their BlackBerries during Obama's jobs speech. Whatever the President proposes is likely to be modest and likely to garner scant GOP support. Republicans might go along with an extension of the payroll tax cut just to deny Democrats a line of attack during the 2012 campaign, but tax cuts probably aren't enough to revive the economy. Unfortunately for the millions of unemployed, Washington lacks the vision to do anything meaningful that might bring create jobs. The best we can probably hope for at this point is that the economy skirts recession and resumes its anemic recovery.
Writing about politics is not much fun right now. Perhaps I can at least look forward to a Packers win tonight.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:04 PM | Comments (0)
September 07, 2011
Home Office
I worked at home today for a couple reasons:
- I needed to do some editing and didn't want to be slowed down by my work computer's dying gasps.
- Major construction is occurring on my street, which makes getting home an exercise in frustration.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 04:30 PM | Comments (0)
September 06, 2011
Good Intentions
Here's yet another story about people with disabilities controlling robots with brain waves. What makes this article so charming is the scientists' naive hopes for how their inventions will be used. They actually think us poor gimps will use said robots as proxies to visit sick relatives from our sickbeds. After our robot-assisted revolution is complete, I'm going to visit these scientists in their holding pen, read this article to them, and then laugh maniacally for a few minutes. The ones who start crying will be sent to the combat pits to face my gladiator-bots.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:23 PM | Comments (0)
September 05, 2011
Soothsayers
The Times ran a gee-whiz article over the weekend about recent science fiction novels that predicted America's economic decline with "eerie accuracy." The article focuses in particular on Gary Shteyngart's Super Sad True Love Story, a dystopian novel that provoked some strong reactions among my book club members. But as Charlie Jane points out at SF blog io9, these authors don't possess any uncanny powers of foresight. SF authors have been weaving dystopic tales of American decline for at least a couple decades. The books highlighted in the Times simply appeared at a time when our real-life economy happened to take a dive. And things aren't quite as bad as what's depicted in the books. At least, not yet.
As a sidenote, Shteyngart's novel is worth a read. The main characters at the center of the book are two of the most unpleasant and annoying people you'll meet in contemporary lit, but the novel still offers a wryly funny take on the economic implosion of a near-future America.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:33 PM | Comments (0)
September 02, 2011
Nerd Rage
As much as I love Star Wars, I wasn't really interested in the forthcoming Blu-Ray collection. I already own all six movies on DVD and I don't see any reason to give George Lucas any more of my money. But after reading about how Lucas is using this release to tinker yet again with the films, I'm even less interested. For the most part, I didn't mind the changes that were introduced in the Special Editions back in the late Nineties, so I don't consider myself a reactionary fanboy. However, at some point, Lucas lost all perspective.
In the latest version of Return of the Jedi, Darth Vader unleashes a cheesy, overwrought "Noooo!" before he kills the Emperor. Ick. Just...ick. ROTJ wasn't a great movie, but that scene of Vader's salvation of himself and his son is so effective in the original because he doesn't utter a word. To add that terrible "Noooo!" is to turn that scene into the worst kind of B-movie schlock. I'm all for directors using technology to realize their true vision for a film, but changes like this insult the audience's intelligence and cheapen the film's impact. I simply can't get behind that.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:02 PM | Comments (0)
September 01, 2011
Scared Off
I was supposed to interview a nurse this evening, but he cancelled a couple hours beforehand. Via e-mail, he explained that he wasn't comfortable learning to care for someone on a vent without close supervision. Of course, that's fine. I'd rather have a candidate bow out than try to convince himself that he's not unnerved. But I've never regarded my vent dependency as the most challenging aspect of my care. For the most part, the vent does its thing without much fuss unless a tube disconnects or it malfunctions (which is rare). I've hired nurses with no vent experience and many of them are still with me several years later, so a lack of experience doesn't really concern me. Then again, 25 years of living with a vent has probably made me more than a little blasé about my predicament.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:55 PM | Comments (1)