December 30, 2011
The Year In Awesome: Part II
Best Album I Listened to in 2011: Father Son Holy Ghost by Girls Who knew that surfer pop could be so melancholy? The second album from the California one-man band is a downbeat affair. It's something that you might listen to while sitting on the beach just after breaking up with someone. But for all its mopey tendencies, Girls still has a sense of humor. The track "Vomit" may not have the most appealing title, but it's one of the most gorgeous ballads of the year.
Best Book I Read in 2011: Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart Several of my friends from book club didn't care for this novel about an ill-fated relationship set in a near-future dystopia where the American economy is teetering on the brink of collapse. I can certainly understand their reasons for disliking the book. The two main characters are shallow narcissists who are stuck in late-stage adolescence and they live in a world where consumerism is the only driving passion. But I still found the characters fascinating and their voices compelling. Shteyngart has accomplished a rare feat: writing a book with no likeable protagonists that still keeps the reader turning the page.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 02:13 PM | Comments (0)
December 29, 2011
The Year In Awesome: Part I
We'll look at TV and movies today while tomorrow will focus on music and books.
Best TV of 2011: Breaking Bad In some alternate universe where Breaking Bad doesn't exist, I might have chosen the superb Game of Thrones, which presented a fantastical story firmly rooted in human frailty. But this season of Breaking Bad stood above all contenders. It's now obvious that Walter White's story will end in tears, but this fourth season showed White finally embracing his destiny as a criminal--and perhaps even a villain. White knows he's damned, but he refuses to enter the abyss without pushing a few others over the brink first. And if Giancarlo Esposito doesn't win an Emmy for his masterful portrayal of the meticulous and quietly raging underworld mastermind Gus Fring, a terrible injustice will have been committed.
Best Films of 2011: Melancholia and Super 8 I couldn't make up my mind between these two cinematic polar opposites, so I'm exercising blogger's perogative and listing both. Melancholia is a cold, beautiful film about damaged and petty people behaving badly as a rogue planet bears down on Earth. Only the clinically depressed Justine (Kirsten Dunst) is able to confront the imminent catastrophe with anything approximating dignity. The images from this movie stayed with me long after I saw it.
Super 8 is a love letter to the films that captivated me as a kid--Close Encounters, E.T., and the like. It intertwines a sweet coming-of-age story and a raucous monster movie to create the best kind of popcorn entertainment. It's even got the requisite Spielberg face moment. Super 8 probably won't be remembered as a great film, but of all the movies I saw this year, it had the most heart.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:01 PM | Comments (0)
December 28, 2011
New Toy
While my parents were in town for Christmas, I spent some time helping my dad familiarize himself with his new iPad (a gift from me and my siblings). He was a bit tentative at first, but once I showed him how to download and use apps, his enthusiasm for the device increased substantially. I doubt he'll ever use Twitter or play Angry Birds, but he seems happy enough to be able to read The New Yorker and play chess. I'll be curious to see whether his iPad eventually supplants his desktop computer. He may find the iPad's interface and portability more enticing. As long as he doesn't have to fuss with the settings too often, I can't imagine he'll have many problems with it. At least, I hope not. The closest Apple Store is a couple hundred miles from Green Bay.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 02:05 PM | Comments (0)
December 27, 2011
Coming Attractions
If the trailers are any judge, 2012 should be a good year for movies aimed at the geek demographic. Next summer brings Prometheus, Ridley Scott's kinda-sorta Alien prequel. The trailer is certainly reminiscent of Alien; everything from the slow reveal of the title to the glimpses of an alien ship's interior seem to intentionally evoke the 1979 film. How this film fits into the previously established Alien mythology will probably be the subject of much fanboy speculation over the next several months.
Next December brings the first part of The Hobbit. The first moments of the trailer are a bit heavy on the slapstick, but then the tone seems to shift to something more foreboding. We don't get to see Mirkwood spiders or the dragon Smaug, but Gollum and The One Ring make appearances. And check out Thorin Oakenshield as the first sexy dwarf in cinematic history.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 01:31 PM | Comments (0)
December 26, 2011
A Love Story
This Times story about the relationship between two college students with Asperger's Syndrome is a wonderful read. The couple featured in the article are exceptionally forthright in discussing the peaks and valleys of their relationship and how their respective diagnoses affect their capacity to connect with each other. I'm sure that plenty of young people on the autism spectrum have questions about whether it's possible to meet someone who will accept them for who they are. There's no guarantee that any of us will find such a person, but stories like this are important because they demonstrate that discovering love can and does happen even when the people involved don't fit society's definition of "normal".
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 11:18 AM | Comments (0)
December 23, 2011
Holiday Wishes
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend. I just finished up some last-minute preparations before family arrives tomorrow. The lack of snow here in the Twin Cities is a little dispiriting, but it does make errand-running much easier.
I'll be back next week with my usual year-end wrap-up. See you then.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 04:35 PM | Comments (0)
December 22, 2011
Critic At Large: Star Wars: The Old Republic
Star Wars: The Old Republic shares a lot in common with World of Warcraft, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Like WoW, The Old Republic has all the standard features of a massively multiplayer game: quests, leveling up your character, and killing all manner of baddies. Even SW:TOR's interface looks a lot like WoW's. But despite all its similarities with its predecessor, SW:TOR is quite compelling. BioWare has polished the game's narrative to a high sheen, creating an emotional connection to the storyline that I never really developed with WoW. So far, I've rolled a Smuggler and a Sith Inquisitor and I'm having a blast playing through both storylines. Playing through all the game's content will probably require hundreds of hours.
I can play the game without much trouble using just the mouse and on-screen keyboard. It would be nice if the interface allowed for additional customization, but that will probably come in time. The graphics and sound are top-notch, as is the voice-acting. SW:TOR has earned my subscription dollar, at least until I run out of things to do in the game universe.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 05:49 PM | Comments (1)
December 21, 2011
Those Zany Republicans
When the Wall Street Journal editorial page starts bashing House Republicans for failing to extend the payroll tax cut, you know that the GOP is heading over a cliff. I'd really like someone to explain what Republicans were thinking when they decided to block a tax cut extension that the Senate passed with an overwhelming majority. Did they really believe they would score political points by opposing Obama on a tax cut? Has conservative ideology become so nihilistic as to cause its followers to take complete leave of their senses? Meanwhile, Obama is enjoying a modest but still noteworthy rebound in the polls. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Republicans have a secret compulsion to throw the election to the President. So far, their strategy seems to be working.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 11:52 AM | Comments (0)
December 20, 2011
Rebel Scum
I'm downloading Star Wars: The Old Republic as I write this. I'm not even sure how accessible the game is, so this may be a mistake. But it's Star Wars, so I'm helpless to resist its Force grip. At worst, I'll be out $60. At best, the next couple weeks will disappear down a black hole of gaming goodness. Now, do I first roll a Smuggler or Sith Inquisitor?
I'll post a few thoughts on the game in the next couple days.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 11:18 AM | Comments (0)
December 19, 2011
Punting On Health Care
Health care advocates are frustrated with the Obama administration's decision to let states define the essential health benefits that will be offered through the exchanges. The politics of this move are plain enough: the Affordable Care Act remains relatively unpopular and the administration doesn't want to expose itself to charges that it's "taking over" the health care system as an election year approaches. But it also undermines one of the ACA's core goals: providing a uniform set of health benefits to all uninsured Americans. Instead, we'll likely see the same disparities that currently exist across state Medicaid programs. Some states will require insurers to offer comprehensive benefits while others will be content with bare-bones packages that fail to address the needs of people with more significant health care needs.
This is bad policy and I'm deeply disappointed in Obama for choosing this path. It will only complicate matters for those of us working to implement the next law.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 05:57 PM | Comments (0)
December 16, 2011
A Very Long Weekend
I'm working on my holiday wish list, so I'm keeping today's entry short. I'll be back next week with updates on my winter vacation adventures.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 01:56 PM | Comments (0)
December 15, 2011
Out Of Office
One of the benefits of working for the state for nearly a decade is that I've accumulated quite a bit of vacation time; enough to afford me a two-week holiday that begins now. I'm still trying to figure out what I'll do with myself, but I have a few ideas:
- Create a Wikipedia entry titled "Fishnets"
- Make some quick cash by writing term papers for procrastinating high school students.
- Find creative ways to exceed my 250GB monthly bandwidth cap. Fishnets may be involved.
- Camp out in a busy skyway, instruct my nurse to hold a sprig of mistletoe over my head, and see what happens.
- Play WoW for 24 hours straight while subsisting on nothing but Red Bull and Junior Mints.
- Blog about how few of those goals I actually accomplished during my vacation.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:18 PM | Comments (2)
December 14, 2011
Speaking In Tongues
The fact that nerds are taking over the world is already well-documented. But in case you need more evidence, the Times reports that television and movie studios are willing to pay a pretty penny to linguistics geeks who can develop fully-realized fictional languages like Dothraki for Game of Thrones. Of course, we true geeks know that The Klingon Dictionary blazed the trail for this sort of thing, but Hollywood now seems to be taking the whole world-building process rather seriously, creating lucrative opportunities for talented geeks who wrote their doctoral dissertations in Esperanto.
More and more, I'm second-guessing my decision to go to law school.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:07 PM | Comments (1)
December 13, 2011
Same Old Same Old
Here's a great article about how the fashion and pop culture of today is almost indistinguishable from the fashion and pop culture of twenty years ago. I'm not sure I completely agree. Television shows have become more densely plotted and thematically complex than anything that was on in 1991. But in other regards, the author makes a good point. The best way to date a movie/TV show from the past 20 years is to study the technology the characters are using, not their clothing or hairstyles. We don't seem to have a distinctive trend that peaked and then disappeared, like bell bottoms or finned cars. Have we simply hit the aesthetic pause button? Or is our culture going to stagnate until our alien overlords arrive?
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:49 PM | Comments (0)
December 12, 2011
For Xeni
Xeni Jardin, one of the editors of the vital BoingBoing blog, was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Her moving account of receiving her diagnosis can be found here. Several years ago, Xeni and her colleague Susannah Breslin took an interest in my blog and linked to it from BoingBoing. If not for Xeni, the 19th Floor might never have enjoyed such a long run. My thoughts are with her and I hope you'll send a little good karma her way.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:45 PM | Comments (0)
December 09, 2011
Hire Us
The unemployment rate for people with disabilities has remained persistently high for years and the weak economy makes it even more difficult for people with disabilities to lift themselves out of poverty. The federal government hopes to improve matters by issuing a proposed rule that would require federal contractors to establish goals to hire people with disabilities. No specific hiring quotas are imposed, which means any goals are aspirational. As might be expected, conservatives are complaining that is yet another regulatory burden for the private sector. But federal contractors are already required to establish hiring goals regarding race and gender. Incorporating disability into those goals shouldn't be terribly burdensome.
Whether this policy will actually improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities is difficult to determine. Contractors may excuse themselves for meeting hiring goals by stating that they can't find enough qualified applicants. Future budget austerity measures may also reduce the number of positions that contractors can fill. Still, it's good to see that the Obama administration is giving more than lip service to the notion of hiring people with disabilities.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 05:40 PM | Comments (0)
December 08, 2011
Picture Perfect
Director Ridley Scott comments on the state of streaming movies and how streaming is still no substitute for physical media (and Blu-ray in particular). While I certainly enjoy the convenience of streaming, I can't disagree with Scott's argument. Nearly every film I've streamed on Netflix has suffered from pixelization and blurry camera sweeps. It's great for old television shows, but I still prefer to watch movies in Blu-ray format. I've even begun purchasing more Blu-rays recently because I think the format will be a standard for at least another decade before streaming can begin to compete.
As an aside, I highly recommend The Lord of the Rings Blu-ray set. It looks and sounds spectacular.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:19 PM | Comments (0)
December 07, 2011
Flirting With Disaster
Are Republicans seriously considering nominating Newt Gingrich as their presidential candidate? The latest polls seem to indicate just that. The conservative GOP base, in such a froth over Romney's Mormonism and moderate tendencies, seems oddly eager to throw away the election by throwing its support behind an egomaniac with a history of ethics investigations and who has spent the last decade lobbying on behalf of various corporate interests. Obama is certainly vulnerable next year, but Gingrich is not the candidate to exploit those vulnerabilities. The man's towering narcissism and raging dickishness will undo his candidacy by next summer, but by then it could be too late for Republicans. If nothing else, a Gingrich candidacy could be the bitter medicine that will force Republicans to rediscover reality and start acting like grownups once again.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:48 PM | Comments (0)
December 06, 2011
First Look
If you're curious about how the health insurance exchanges required under the Affordable Care Act will actually function, Minnesota has released some prototype exchanges for the public to sample. Some are a little flashier than others, but they all seem designed to make shopping for health insurance akin to shopping on Amazon. My work duties will focus exclusively on health care reform for the foreseeable future, so I'll likely be playing with these modules and their successors. The exchange will likely be responsible for determining Medicaid eligibility, which will require some truly nimble programming skills. All you tech consulting firms are about to become very busy.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:36 PM | Comments (0)
December 05, 2011
One Word At A Time
The L.A. Times profiles Peter Winkler, a writer with severe rheumatoid arthritis who recently authored a biography of Dennis Hopper. Winkler does all his writing with a MacBook and a plastic stick held between his fingers. This low-tech solution seems to work well for him, although I wonder if he's ever tried voice input. The article doesn't indicate whether he's plugged into the disability community and it would be a shame if he was limiting his writing output simply because aware of the accessibility options available to him.
I really should get serious about my own writing again. Aside from this blog, I haven't done any sustained writing in a while and I'm beginning to feel the itch to resume. But I'm not sure whether I'd be able to balance both blogging and long-form writing on a daily basis. I have no plans to shutter up the blog, but perhaps it might be time to rethink how it fits with my other writing goals.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:23 PM | Comments (0)
December 02, 2011
A 1L's Best Friend
For most law students, finals week is quickly approaching. Every field of study has its own peculiar method of flogging students’ minds and spirits, but law school finals require the stamina of a marathon runner, the calm of a Zen master, the recall of a Jeopardy! champion, and the bullshitting skills of a 19th century snake oil vendor. The entire semester’s grade hinges on how quickly and cogently you can apply sixteen weeks of material to an obscure fact pattern involving widgets and easements. It’s a stressful time when students inhabit the library day and night, often forgetting to bathe, eat, or blink.
Recognizing that finals week can be detrimental to one’s mental health, some schools try to give students a brief respite from the stresses of studying. George Mason University throws a puppy party for its law students. For a short while, students get to cuddle with a shelter puppy and forget all about the elements of negligence. The students seem to welcome the distraction, although it’s unclear what the puppies think of the whole business.
Back in my day, all I had to get me through finals was a couple of aspirin, caffeine pills, and late-night television. I didn’t have a puppy to lick my face and tell me everything would be okay. No sir, I studied for 16 hours each day, approached each final with stoic resolve, and then went home afterwards to have myself a good cry. Just like a real man should. Law students these days are way too coddled, what with their puppy parties and their fancy student lounges with free wi-fi and fancy coffee bars. What’s next? Milk and cookies in every classroom? Supervised naptime in between Contracts and Torts? I fear for the future of legal education.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 05:52 PM | Comments (0)
December 01, 2011
In The Black
Minnesota policymakers received a bit of unexpected good news today when the latest budget forecast revealed a surplus of $876 million. As late as yesterday, most observers were predicting a deficit of as much as $1 billion. State law requires that all of the surplus be used to replenish reserve funds, so it's unlikely that any of last summer's budget cuts will be restored. And the good times are not back by any means. According to the forecast, Minnesota will have a deficit of at least $1.3 billion in the next biennium. I'd like to think that this surplus will give lawmakers some breathing room to consider permanent solutions to our fiscal instability, but that almost certainly won't happen. Instead, this is a temporary cease-fire in the ongoing battle to define the scope of state government. In the meantime, the Vikings' chances of receiving some level of public funding for a new stadium have probably improved slightly.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:24 PM | Comments (0)