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Unblogged Bits (Tue. 6-Jul-10 0200)

Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….

The Little, but Real, Effects of Unemployment « Rortybomb – But, for God’s sake, let’s be sure we make cutting the deficit our number one priority.
Pam’s House Blend:: Removing shoes for the TSA is the least of our problems in new documentary – Something that it sounds like everyone should see. Except me, because I’m not sure my blood pressure can stand it.
Are Juvenile Courts Manufacturing Criminals to Feed the Prison Industrial Complex? – Ironically enough, there was an episode of “Leverage” a few weeks back that touched on the problem of private prisons doing whatever they can to make a profit. That plot was neatly resolved in 60 minutes. The real problem will take take decades to resolve, even if we were willing to start now.
Stoning Sakineh – There are things that take my words away, so great is my revulsion and abhorrence of them. Sakineh has my prayers, and my words of support, what little they can do for her. I will not let myself say what I think of her judges and executioners, nor the people in her country (and elsewhere, perhaps even here, amongst different faiths) who support this barbarity.
Reading E-Books Takes Longer Than Reading Paper Books: Soulskill
Punishing the Unemployed – NYTimes.com – There may be some clueless and confused out there about whether the deficit is more important than present unemployment, but I do think the majority of those in congress arguing this are doing so in a very calculated, cruel fashion, willingly destroying lives they don’t value in order to retain or expand their political power. Shame.
No one could have imagined — Barbour Edition: Steve Benen
YouTube – I Am Not A Pornographer – Wow. I might have to go out and get a copy of this book. (Also, I love it when moralistic busybodies demand that parents should get to choose what their kids should read, except when the parents choose “wrongly,” in which case the moralistic busybodies should get to override the parents.)
Gallagher Is a Paranoid, Right-Wing, Watermelon-Smashing Maniac – The Stranger, Seattle’s Only Newspaper – Wow. I never really got Gallagher in the first place but … um … wow.
Beyond Art And Ego – “It’s okay to love your mistakes. It’s not okay to be blind to them.” And that seems to have been MNS’ problem with The Last Airbender.
WordPress Now Lets You Phone in Your Blog Posts – This is pretty interesting. I can see some times when this would be a handy feature for my blogging (though I prefer the searchability of text). Alas, not available outside of the hosted wordpress.com as of yet.
End the Liberal Bias Against Slavery – I’d not been aware that the Catholic Church was (to judge by the blurbs on the book cover and in the text) so pro-South at the time. It’s an interesting side story in what looks like a generally reprehensible book here.
Are Lolcats a Sign of Human Progress? – That, or the Impending Apocalypse. Maybe both.
Technology Review: Blogs: Guest Blog: AI That Picks Stocks Better Than the Pros
Europol Report: All Terrorists are Muslims…Except the 99.6% that Aren’t | loonwatch.com – The link back to terrorism in the US is also fascinating. But don’t let the facts get in the way of your demagoguery, Wingnutties!
New from Japan: Breast Bowling – So. Very. Japanese.
A Very Scary Fireworks Show: Exploding H-Bombs In Space : NPR – Wow. That’s … zany.

It’s Podcastic!

We recorded the Third Stupid Evil Podcast this afternoon, starring Les, Your Faithful Author, and the Mom of Les. Yes, Mary of “Momma’s Corner” was on the line, and we got many insights into what went into Making Les the Les He Is Today.

No, really, it was a lot of fun, and while I was much less obsessively chatty than usual, I was quite entertained by our discussions of The Last Airbender, The Afterlife, Fruit Preserves, and Making Fun of Guys Who Are Steadily Growing Older.

It really was fun. Les’ mom seems a very nice lady who I’d love to visit some day (I envision her sitting around with my own mom, chatting and laughing with my mom about Where They Went Wrong). It was a pleasure talking with her, and, of course, Les.

You can find the MP3 file here, or go to this SEB post for a convenient playing interface. A link to this podcast will be in the sidebar or some other prominently placed point on this blog for your future podcast-listening pleasure.

UPDATE: And now you can click on the player below to listen to this choice bit of fun.

Tweets from 2010-07-04

My biggest concern over MNS' stark failure with The Last Airbender is that it will tarnish the very deservedly acclaimed animated series.. #
"It's full of stars." Finally got the rest of the solar string lights up on the deck. #

Unblogged Bits (Sun. 4-Jul-10 1400)

Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….

Video Interview: M. Night Shyamalan on The Last Airbender – There’s a lot here that demonstrates where MNS was on a completely different wavelength from — well, most of the people who have commented on this movie to date.
The Last Airbender: The Greatest Fan Film of All Time – I particularly agree with most of the criticisms by Matt London here.
Something to think about as you get your flag ready to fly for July 4 – Adams and Jefferson were extraordinary — both brilliant, both finding grounds for great friendship, and for great enmity. One wonders what might have changed in American history if they had overcome the latter earlier, or never developed the former when they did. It’s something to consider, in this era of cut-throat politics, ideological poison, and governing for points rather than for the nation.
Supreme Court Strikes a Blow Against LGBT Discrimination – There is a difference between refusing to support someone who refuses to do something, and forcing them to do it. There is a difference between not funding someone who discriminates and compelling them to not discriminate. There is a difference between the government not funding discrimination and the government forbidding discrimination. It seems pretty clear-cut to me.
Confirmation Bias – Confirmation bias is diabolical and widespread. And, yes, even folks who are aware of it have to constantly fight against it. Indeed, one of the great dangers of the Internet is that it provides copious avenues for confirmation bias.
Crept out the back door – The whole “numbers game” thing bugs me. While Christ commanded his followers to spread the Good News, he didn’t indicate in any way that we should be counting coup and keeping score. Certainly a growing congregation is probably a happy thing (especially if it means more voices and more fellowship amongst diverse people), but being right, or righteous, is not a majority vote. What God wants is not determined by whose denomination is growing fastest. Churches that focus on growing their numbers are, I think, grossly missing the point.

Unblogged Bits (Sun. 4-Jul-10 0201)

Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….

No, You Can’t Hand Out Bibles at Public Schools – Rrg. “If a Muslim group wanted to hand out copies of the Koran, you can bet these Christian Right groups would be first in line suing to stop them.”
Institute for Creation Research Explains Atheist Billboard Vandalism – Um … if atheists were to deface a religious billboard, that would be wrong. If theists are defacing atheist billboards, isn’t that wrong, too? Do these folks really believe that God holds them to a lower standard?
What killed the Kin? — Engadget – Order, counter-order, disorder. Microsoft needs to get its organization and strategic plan under control, otherwise it’s in serious trouble.
Sculpted Pencil Leads – Wow.
EyePhone reference mysteriously disappears from online clips of Futurama – That’s … interesting.
Futurama Fashion Statement of the Day: “Small Brain Slug… – WANT.
The Last Airbender Review: The Last Straw for This Shyamalan Fan – I agree with most of the bits here, though I disagree strongly with the evaluation of the music.

Tweets from 2010-07-03

Going thru face-tagging in Picasa of our WDW pix. Lots of background strangers; makes me wonder about all their snapshots that I'm in, too. #
Last Airbender – 3.5/10. MMS loves the material, but neither wisely nor well. Plus he can't write dialog that even good actors could say. #
Margie thinks I am being delusionally positive about Last Airbender. We both agree music was pedestrian, inappropriate, distracting. #

Trailers Park

Trailers we saw before The Last Airbender …

Megamind: I kept flashing to Dr. Horrible, but this looks pretty good. Likely to see.
Rango: Had only heard of this a few days ago. Looks amusing. Possible.
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole: I suspect we’ll take Katherine to this one — especially if we can get her to read the book first.
Nanny McPhee Returns: Didn’t know the first of this “Ugly Marry Poppins” series had made enough to warrant a sequel. As unlikely to go to as I was to see the first (which I didn’t).
The Green Hornet: This just looks fun. Likely.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: This just looks even more fun. Very likely.

Movie Review: “The Last Airbender” (2010)

Let me start off by saying how much I love Nick’s Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon series. I’ve watched it — mostly with Katherine, usually with Margie — probably three to four times through, and other sections even more often. It’s charming, witty, silly, profound, well-animated, well-scored, well-written, and, while having some weaknesses, is some of the better storytelling I’ve been pleased to share with Kay during her childhood.

This movie, however, is none of these things. It is leaden, stilted, overly self-conscious, shallow, poorly scored, abominably written, and will, alas, not sink into the mire of forgotten cinema, but will instead, based on the reviews of this first weekend, serve both as an exemplar of bad adaptations and as a final nail in the coffin of M. Night Shyamalan.

And none of it had to be that way.

The Last Airbender (2010)

Overall		Story
Production		Acting

Adaptations/remakes tend to fail because the creative leader behind them because either (a) doesn’t care about the material and is simply in it for a buck, (b) either cares or doesn’t care for the material, but is out to make his or her new thing on its back.

They succeed when the creative leader really loves the material, respects it, and wants to build from it, taking advantage of the new talent, technology, and medium to make things even better. And, of course, when the creative leader has the wherewithal to do this sort of thing.

So take Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Almost everyone has something to criticize about it. But nobody question’s Jackson’s desire to do well by the material, to adapt it for the screen (something so many people, brilliant and otherwise, said could not be done), and his ability to actually do so. The complaints tend to be, mostly, quibbles (coughArwencough), and I think nearly anyone out there (certainly anyone likely to be reading this) will agree it was a remarkable achievement, flaws and all.

M. Night Shyamalan (MNS from here on out) is not Peter Jackson.

There’s no question in my mind that MNS loves the source material. He’s made that clear in interview after interview — his kids were real fans, and he picked up on that and really wanted to do this movie, a departure from his usual fare.

He loved unwisely and not well.

More details (and spoilerishness) below the cut.

Continue reading “Movie Review: “The Last Airbender” (2010)”

Unblogged Bits (Wed. 30-Jun-10 2000)

Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….

The Last Airbender :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews – It’s hard to tell how much of Ebert’s scorn is based on the tacking on of 3D (a cinematic tool he hates and one he spends considerable column length here criticizing) and how much is that the movie is just that bad. I would not discount his judgment out of hand, ever, but I know there are movies I like that he doesn’t.
Cuccinelli: Gay men and women are excluded from the 14th amendment’s protections. – Doubtless he’d like to exclude them from others as well.
Wonder Woman’s dowdy fashion makeover – Comic Books – Salon.com – Okay, I am second to none in admiring JMS’ writing savvy, and Jim Lee is a hell of an artist. But … well, aside from ratcheting WW through yet another reboot, does it really serve one of DC’s iconic heroes (and the most prominent female among them) to change from the swim suit and red boots she’s worn (mostly-sorta) since the 30s into pants and a jacket? I think not (and think it’s a sign the reboot will, eventually, get retconned away).
GOP Thurgood Marshall attacks in historical context – War Room – Salon.com – So Orrin Hatch (R-UT) isn’t willing to say he would not have stood with the 11 notoriously racist Senators who voted against Marshall’s confirmation. And Tom Coburn (R-OK) said the same thing today. Good to know.
Djou, Cantor, Most Of GOP Caucus Cave To Steve King’s Effort To Repeal (And Not Replace) Health Reform – Wow. It’s both amusing and disturbing to see the GOP leadership let themselves dragged even further right.
‘Weapons’ seized in G20 arrests not what they seem – The Globe and Mail – Hey, Canada, you still have a long way to go to beat our police when it comes to acting stupidly during protests — but keep on trying!
Dork Tower and Dr. Blink Comic Books, You Ask? – This is very good news.
Venn Diagrams – DORK TOWER, Friday, June 18, 2010
Value – SMBC June 30, 2010
Deregulation, In Jesus’ Name – First off, saying that civil law should only be for the “bad” and not for the “good” is pointless, since people don’t go around with big green lights or red lights on their foreheads. Unless the suggestion is that, well, good Christian citizens and corporations should be deregulated because, well, they’re good Christians. Second, the item from 1 Timothy (besides the interesting edited noted in the article) isn’t actually about civil law, but (from context) about religious law and teachings. But don’t let that stop you from extrapolating holy economic regulatory guidance, guys!
Beck blames Woodrow Wilson for single-handedly enacting 17th Amendment | Media Matters for America – I do have to give credit to Beck for making Wilson far more famous than he’d been for generations. Of course, that only applies under the principle of “there’s no such thing as bad (or dishonest) publicity.”
Right-wing media change standard on questions a Supreme Court nominee should answer | Media Matters for America – Hiding from hypotheticals for me, but not for thee!
Tooth Regeneration Gel Could Replace Painful Fillings – This could be damned revolutionary (and another reason why dentists have been shifting over to more cosmetic areas of the field).
What Boehner considers an ‘ant’ – “Ladies and gentlemen, the man who would be Speaker.”
Engle: Obama Unleashing Demons With His Father’s Day Declaration: Kyle
Fox News Attacks Chicago Libraries – mediabistro.com: GalleyCat – What a bunch of (appallingly influential) maroons.
Angle Calls Unemployed Americans ‘Spoiled,’ Claims There Are Plenty Of Jobs Out There – Let them (work for people who) eat cake!

Unblogged Bits (Sun. 6-Jun-10 0200)

Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….

Not exactly what Arizona needs right now – Obviously this state subscribes to the idea that “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.”
One fish, Two fish – Very sad.
Gene Luen Yang: Why I Won’t Be Watching the Last Airbender Movie – Honestly, I’m more worried about MNS making a crappy film. While culturally set in Asiatic fantasy, ATLA didn’t go out of their way to make their protagonists very Asian-looking (nor were most main voice actors Asian). I think it would have certainly been more appropriate to include Asian actor (hell, from a publicity standpoint, if nothing else), and I certainly agree that non-Caucasian actors are under-represented in Hollywood. But, again, my worries about TLA is that MNS will make a mess of it in more fundamental ways. (And, yes, I’ll probably be going to see it soon after it opens.)
Now Glenn Beck loves American Nazi sympathizers: Promotes book by prominent Hitler advocate of the 1930s – I eagerly await to see what the Rodeo Clown does next.
Car Culture, RIP? – That’s a fairly remarkable change in the statistics.
Built to kill – 40 breathtaking closeup photographs of animals – These are gorgeous (if occasionally gruesome). And, I have to admit, a bit of a relief from endless pics of critters covered in BP oil.
Why Can’t More Video Game Trailers Be Like Deus Ex 3’s? – An interesting analysis of the state of the art of the game trailer. “We’ve gotten to a point in gaming, though, where innovation in terms of gameplay has slowed down. Everyone in the industry is equally capable of putting epic combat features into their games. Also, there are just so many games constantly being made that truly original ideas are few and far between (though existent). So if you want to stand out these days, it takes a lot more than just a specific gameplay element. The passive experience must be what distinguishes a game from its rivals.” Although I’ll confess, I have less of a desire to play “Deus Ex” than to “see the movie.”
BP’s spill plan: they knew where it would go, that ecology would never recover, “No toxicity studies” on dispersants – So the response plan seems to have been … “posture and pray.”
Beck says progressives ‘co-opted’ the Civil Rights Movement. Seems he forgot what conservatives did. – Beck and other conservatives who make this arguemnt get traction with this only by obfuscating sociopolitical alignment (progressives vs conservatives) with party affiliation (Dems vs GOP). Though we tend to think of Dems as progressive and GOPers as conservatives, in the southern depths of the Civil Rights movement, the “Dixiecrats” were highly conservative Democrats (a reaction to Republican-led Reconstruction post-Civil War). This meant the GOP helped break the Democratic deadlock in Congress over the civil Rights Act of 1964. After which, of course, the GOP’s “Southern Strategy” co-opted the Dixiecrats into their own party.
Sorry I haven’t been to church lately… – Money graf: “This ‘study’ will be mentioned by extreme social conservative nutbags, quoted on talk radio, and mentioned in conversations. It will influence people. It will make senators reconsider positions on issues and spawn still more “studies” that will quote it. Social ignorance is like the telephone game, except only the ‘facts’ change, the message remains clear.”
LOL: The Reoccurring Prop Newspaper – I love it. (Also note the “Desperate Housewives” one demonstrates it’s double-sided.) Now I seriously want to read that paper.

Unblogged Bits (Tue. 4-May-10 1400)

Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….

Maybe Aang Was the Second-to-Last Airbender – Holy … wow. I don’t know whether to be appalled, or ecstatic. A lot depends on who the underlying creative team is.
Rest in Peas: The Unrecognized Death of Speech Recognition: Miss Cellania
Conservatives Want To Deny U.S. Citizen Faisal Shahzad Miranda Rights, Ensuring He Won’t Be Convicted – Oh, Good Lord — I actually agree with something Glenn Beck had to say? Yeesh.
LU Cancels Classes for Lynchburg City Council Election – Have to wonder what the Right would say if it were, say, a union calling a work stoppage to bus everyone to the local polls.
Quote of the Day – I realize the “law & order” types have never been fond of the Miranda ruling (rubber hoses and the third degree, anyone?), but the current harping that nobody accused of terror — or at least nobody “foreign” (even if a US citizen) — should be Mirandized because it’s more important to just beat the truth out of ’em and then shove ’em before a firing squad, rather than shilly-shally about with “rights” and “trials” seems particularly despicable (and, may I say, anti-American).
DORK TOWER, Monday, May 3, 2010 – Oh, Lord — how this describes so many games I have been in. (It’s not necessarily a bad thing, unless you’re looking to actually get gaming done ….)
AFA’s Fischer: Any Muslim Unwilling to Renounce Islam Ought to be Denied Entry to the US – I think a look at crime statistics in the US, as well as a review of Western history, will indicate that Christians are guilty of most murders. I think we should force all Christians to renounce their religion or face deportation. (Just kidding, of course, but, yeesh.)
The United and Continental Airline Mashup – What I note most about the (ugly) logo change is that it finally drops any of the “United [States]” red-white-and-blue imagery. Which may well make sense from a global standpoint, but is still sort of sad. As well as (as noted) ugly.
Captcha Advertising – I’m appalled, but I have to applaud the guy who came up with the concept.
Cuccinelli ditches censored lapel pins, blames the media for making them a ‘distraction.’: Amanda Terkel
SBOE dare not say his name: “Obama” – Yeesh.
Right on cue, McCain starts complaining – So is McCain’s standard now that folks who are likely to face capital crimes should not be Mirandized until they’ve been compelled to state everything they know. Is he actually listening to his own words? Jeez — what lessons did he really learn from the North Vietnamese?
The GOP’s emergency-room argument lives – Money graf: “Sue Lowden’s campaign and its Republican brethren oppose health care reform, but they’ve endorsed the most inefficient system of socialized medicine ever devised.”
Report: FBI Opens Criminal Probe Of Massey Energy | TPMMuckraker – Good. Nice to see some investigation into (if not, yet, accountability for) this sort of tragedy.
Wash. Nuns Investigated By Vatican – Investigated for sexual abuse? Nah. Investigated for “feminism and activism.” Glad the Vatican has its priorities straight.
US citizen from Pakistan nabbed on Dubai-bound plane in Times Square case, to appear in court – chicagotribune.com – Okay, now we’re in a relatively informed place to start talking about this case (on the presumption that the Feds have the right guy).
The American Family’s Financial Turmoil | – Scary Infographic. And, yes, I’m doing better than “average,” but it worries me a lot, as a society and an economy, that this is what the “average” is.
Is Walt Disney World feeling nervous about the arrival of Harry Potter? – I agree. While it may impact some folks going exclusively to WDW, if it draws additional visitors to Orlando it’s likely to add some attendees to WDW, too.
AT&T asks government to create national censorwall and system for disconnecting accused infringers – Oh, that pesky “civil trial” stuff — I mean, if we can bypass it for terrorists, why not bypass it for important stuff, like people who download a song they don’t actually own?

Movie trailer mania!

Seeing two very different movies in the theater this weekend, I had a chance to see an array of trailers. First, for ones that were before How to Train Your Dragon:

Prince of Persia – Looks like parkour is, appropriately, highly emphasized in this movie. Looks fun.
Karate Kid – I was not wowed by the idea of this remake. I’m still not, but except for the window dressing changes, it looks like they’re making a pretty faithful remake of the original. That begs the issue of why you’d want to, though watching the original is a bit … painful these days.
The Last Airbender – On the down side, an older trailer than some of the ones I’ve seen online lately. On the up side, big screen and no caching issues! Woot!
Megamind – An animated film about a super-villain. Meh.
Legend of the Guardians – Kay is definitely on the wait list for this one. Talking Owls! Magical Adventures and Quests! It’s got her name written all over it.
Despicable Me – Another animated film about a super-villain … but this one looks funny.
Shrek – An intriguing reboot (magically) of the franchise, which may actually give it a bit of freshness again.
Toy Story 3 – It looks as good the first two … which begs the issue, again, of why.

And before Losers:

Sex & the City 2 – I am so glad I never watched this show. Or the first movie. Or … anything about it. Bleah.
Step Up 3 – I would much rather watch the impressive dance numbers than the second-rate Fame soap opera. That they are doing this in 3-D is … an interesting idea. For the dancing, at least.
Takers – Gritty urban crime caper thing, full of guys trying to demonstrate they are bad-asses. Um, not feeling the interest in this trailer.
MacGruber – A spoof of the action-spy genre sounds like a great idea. This movies does not.
Lottery Ticket – Black kid in the ‘hood wins the Lottery, but can’t turn in the ticket (for some improbable reason) for three days. Hilarity, sex, and violence ensue.
Splice – They created it in a lab! It got loose! And it’s DEADLY! (Yawns)

Unblogged Bits for Mon, 26 Apr 2010, 2:01PM

Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….

Sony declares official end of the floppy | Tech News on ZDNet – Yeah, everyone laughs, until the remember some day the stuff they have on a 3.5″ floppy from college that nothing can read any more …
Boobquake to Rock World on Monday — Daily Intel – I fully support this effort — in the name of science, of course.
How Sarah Palin Has Become a Singular National Industry — New York Magazine – Les and I chatted about Sarah (and her new, profitable career) during the Lost Podcast. Interesting reading (beyond the snippet here).
Hayworth explains his ‘birther’ inclinations – Every time I shake my head sadly over what McCain has morphed into, I need to remind myself of the person who’s facing him in the Arizona primary. Yeesh.
All Gardeners are Perverts, Part I – It’s not so much a real fear as insurance policy ass-covering and the application of state law on school volunteers who are there to work with kids upon anyone who might be on school property. I’m waiting for the day when all parents of kids at a school have to undergo a criminal background check so that the school knows it’s safe for them to be on the grounds.
Neanderthals may have interbred with humans – Not tremendously surprising.
Why acupuncture aids spinal recovery – health – 26 April 2010 – New Scientist – This is pretty darn cool — both therapeutically, but also as an example of how science works. You test for a result, then try to figure out what what you observed happened, then test to confirm. The answers aren’t automatic or easy or even always correct (there’s always more to test), but you end up with something you can reproduce and extend from, rather than simply attributing it to “chi” or good spirits or prayer or an alignment of the zodiac with the level of bodily humours.
Why You Should Never Pay For Online Dating – A self-serving, but interesting, crunching of pay dating sites.
New Last Airbender Trailer, New Awesome Stuff, New Crap to Worry About – Not the first person I’ve read note that there’s an utter dearth of humor in the trailers we’ve seen. Which could be a simple direction for the trailers only, or may indicate that’s the direction MNS is taking the film. Which would be a crying shame, because the “fun” is a big part of what made ATLAB enjoyable and made the drama all the more meaningful.
Even Tancredo worries AZ immigration law may go too far: People shouldn’t be pulled over for how they look. – Hey, Arizona dudes, when even Tom Tancredo expresses concerns about how harsh your anti-immigrant law is, you might want to give it another look-see.
An economic historian debunks the originalist rhetoric of Citizens United – A nice take-down of the conservative activism in the “Citizens United” case.
The fate of Wall Street reform – This is a win-win situation for the Democrats — either they get the financial reform bill that the country needs and wants (for which they can take credit), or the GOP can bask in the inky glow of having blocked said needed and wanted legislation directly on behalf of the financial industry (which is likely to hurt them come November).
Catholic League’s Donohue Makes Big Claim: Not All Pedophilia Is Abusive – Sexual abuse is, ultimately, about power, the inappropriate wielding of power of one person over another. While our laws on age and sexual consent may be drawn arbitrarily, they exist nonetheless, and for a good reason. Donohue’s claim that someone who is being abused would never continue a relationship with the abuser over many years demonstrates how little he understands about sexual abuse.
Calling out McConnell, cont’d – When one side engages in systematic lies, delays, obstruction, broken promises, demands, rejected compromises, and, oh, more lies — then insists that if the effort isn’t “bipartisan” than it isn’t legitimate, then that insistence isn’t actually bipartisanship, it’s just another means of obstruction.
The evolution of toleration in the West. – In some ways, it’s an interesting insight into the current conflict within the GOP and the Right — fiscal/big-business conservatives vs. social conservatives, and how the two never coexist easily (and have often been enemies). I don’t buy completely that capitalism/trade is the core reason for the increase in tolerance in Western society, but it is certainly one of the reasons (beyond the simple idea that both travel and familiarity with those who are different tends to reduce knee-jerk cultural prejudice).

Yet another Last Airbender trailer

With the noteworthy new footage inclusions of Appa, Yue, the Blue Flame, and Fire Nation Lizard Mounts. Boo-yah! It does indeed look like the first movie will, somehow, encompass the entire first season. Yikes.

(Not so thrilled with the retrofit to 3-D, but …)

Unblogged Bits for Fri, 23 Apr 2010, 2:00PM

Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….

SDO: The Extreme Ultraviolet Sun
YouTube – Virginia’s new iPad – When she was born, the Wrights had only recently flown; telephones were just beginning to spread (albeit with manual exchanges); there were no regularly scheduled radio broadcasts; the zipper had not yet been invented, but the first electric refrigeration units were just being crafted; there was no stainless steel, and there was no greatest invention since sliced bread (which first showed up in 1928). Which makes me wonder what wonders I have yet to see over the rest of my life, and marvel at all that’s changed in my own handful of decades …
What if the old curmudgeon teaching economics married that cute, brainy geography teacher? « Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub – This is a pretty cool effort. Will be keeping my eye open for the stamped $1 bills.
Full Frontal Nerdity by Aaron Williams – Teach the Controversy!
Fowl Math For A Chicken-Based Health Care Economy | TPMDC – As DOF notes, one wonders if medical schools will let their students pay off their loans in chickens, too …
Wonk Room » NEW STATISTIC: 13,425 Soldiers Discharged Under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – So has spending a couple of hundred million dollars, and getting rid of 13K active duty personnel over the last 17 years actually made our country safer? Shyeah, right.
Paramount And M. Night Shyamalan Make ‘Airbender’ Into 3D Conversion – Deadline.com – I’m utterly unconvinced that 3D conversions — any more than color conversions — actually work, except to drive up ticket prices. Feh.
CenturyTel to buy Qwest in $10.6 billion stock swap – The Denver Post – I can see my office building from here!
Denver may curb all-walk intersections – The Denver Post – That would be a shame. I kind of like the downtown pedestrian signals as they currently are. (Plus … four-car trains? Yikes.)

Unblogged Bits for Wed, 31 Mar 2010, 1:05AM

Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….

I Pledge Allegiance To Linguistic Obfuscation : NPR – Confirming my belief that the pledge is mostly (until adulthood, if then) simply syllables repeated without much thought or understanding behind them.
Shyamalan Addresses Airbender’s Race Controversy And Answers Your Questions [Airbender] – Some very interesting tidbits in here. I’d feel more confident if MNS could put together a coherent sentence, though.
Zoo’s river otter still on the loose in Springs – The Denver Post – Be safe, Kitchi!
mental_floss Blog » Puberty Makes You Stupid – Um … yeah.

Unblogged Bits for Fri, 26 Mar 2010, 12:48PM

Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….

Maddow takes full-page ad in Boston to say she’s still not running
U.S., Russia agree to new nuclear arms treaty – I will be curious to see how much “bipartisan” support they actually end up with. Given the shenanigans in the Senate the past week (month, year), I think Obama could propose renaming the country “The United Corporate States of Jesus” and would still get a filibuster from the GOP.
Christian Coalition: Bart Stupak Is a Traitor Just Like Benedict Arnold and Julius & Ethel Rosenberg – The hyperbole machine cranks on …
Poll: Tea partiers afraid of ‘big government’ want the government to create jobs and rein in Wall Street. – Of course the VA isn’t socialized medicine! It’s all-American doctors taking care of our beloved troops!
Obama bumper sticker fuels violent political road rage in Tennessee. – Well, you know, anything is justified when you’re dealing with a Disciple of the Antichrist, right?
Well, That’s Finally Sorted Out – Nerd for the win!
Watch Now: ‘The Last Airbender’ Trailer – Not a whole lot new vs the previous trailer — but we get to see the glider, and we get to hear Aang. I’m a bit more impressed by the former than the latter, to be honest …
Apollo 13 astronauts set for 40th anniversary gathering at Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex – I now officially feel OLD.
Topless Robot – 13 Great Nerd Movie Scores by People Other than John Williams – An interesting list, though with two (Horner and Poledouris) glaring gaps.
When even a hack manages to embarrass himself – So we should pay any attention to what you have to say now, Sen. Hatch, because …?
BBC News – Vatican attacks media on ‘Pope role’ in sex abuse cases – It’s actually true that, since becoming Pope, Benedict as taken a much more active and public role regarding the sins of the Church, though mostly in comparison to his predecessors. That doesn’t give him a bye on what happened during his earlier positions in the Church, and, frankly, the overdefensiveness and conspiracy-theorizing of the Vatican in this matter is not helping matters much.
: This is what Andrew Breitbart calls “journalism”… – Summary: “Obama is Hitler! He’s also Neville Chamberlain! He’s a Crypto-Muslim-Fascist-Jew-Hater! And Israel is the only hope Jews in America have to avoid being rounded up and exterminated!”
The other reform breakthrough – It’s worth noting that the reform of the student loan program — removing banks as high-margin middle-men for government loans — got slipped into all the health care reform mix. I’m not a big fan of that sort of legislative jiggery-pokery, but given (a) it’s such a long-overdue and welcome reform, and (b) trying to pass it outright through the Minority of NO would be impossible, I’m willing to turn a blind eye to it this time.
The finishing touch: Steve Benen
It’s Done: House Passes Reconciliation Bill – Prescriptions Blog – NYTimes.com – Not just done, but done-done. Except, of course, for the court challenges and demogoguery. And, of course, for using it as a stepping stone to even more effective health coverage reform.
a Brief Guide To Boogers
Spectacular Animal Portraits by Steve Hoskins (20 pics) – Very fun. Must share these with Kay.
Abbott and Costello Get an AIDS Test
Facebook: what social networking site ‘is blamed for’ amid syphilis claims – Telegraph – It’s worse than “Avatar” and “Obamacare” combined! It’s the Facebookgeddon! The Facebookaclypse! Facebooknarok! Yeesh. I dislike Facebook for a variety of reasons, but none of these wild claims are among them.
Confusing familiar with simple – Certainly something to think about in user interface design. And for public policy, for that matter.

Unblogged Bits for Tue, 9 Mar 2010, 6:33PM

Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….

Stomach-churning details of CIA waterboarding crimes – But remember! It’s okay if you do it to (accused, alleged, rumored, bounty-sold-as) BAD people. And it’s certainly not torture! Nor a war crime! Really, gosh-honest, truly!
How blast-proof suits work – Very cool.
CNN visits dog and cat meat market in China – I’m with Les — while I would be extremely reluctant to ever consume dog or cat meat, I can’t say that my on consumption of fleshy mammals gives me any moral high ground to tell others what to do in this area, aside from doing it as humanely as possible.
The Common Sense Guide to “Organic” and Other Food Labels [Food] – If you’re going to pay more for “organic,” take some time to make sure you’re getting what you’re paying for.
MythBusters’ Adam Savage: My Lifelong Pursuit of the Perfect Blade Runner Gun [Ultimatediy] – Now there’s a fan.
34 Of 41 Senate Republicans Supported Passing Major Domestic Policy Legislation Through Reconciliation – But, of course, that was when they had the 51+ vote majority …
Rick Green Says His Controversial History is “No Big Deal” – Wow. Fabulous candidate for the Supreme Court you got there, Texas — herbal cure shill, special deal wangler, fist-fighter, in addition to being a religious nut (and I use the term advisedly). Oh, and he has no judicial experience. But this guy ins in a run-off for the seat? Crikey.
By Invitation Only – It seems the folks who make the most noise about building democracy in Iraq seem the least interested in Iraqi sovereignty and autonomy.
Continental Will Cancel Flights To Avoid Fines For Late Takeoffs – Well, it’s hardly service-oriented, stranding passengers in the terminal without a flight. On the other hand, that may be better than simply being locked up on the tarmac for 4, 6, 8 hours …
Beck targets churches that embrace ‘social justice’ – Alfred Toynbee noted, “The best safeguard against fascism is to establish social justice to the maximum possible extent.”
In case Dems needed added motivation – Re Limbaugh’s threatened fleeing to Costa Rica if HCR passes: “It’s probably worth noting that Costa Rica would be an interesting choice for Limbaugh’s self-imposed exile. The national health care system in Costa Rica is socialized and generally considered the best in Latin America. Indeed, the World Health Organization ranks Costa Rica’s system as slightly better than ours.”
A small victory in Texas – Kudos to Texas (for once).
Health Insurance Industry Defends Massive Profits, Complains It Is Being ‘Vilified’ – Money quote (so to speak): “The top five earning insurance companies averaged profits of $12.2 billion, an increase of $4.4 billion, or 56 percent, from 2008. And in 2008 (the last year for which data was available), CEO compensation for these companies ranged from $3 million to $24 million.” Hard to feel sorry for them, I must admit.
My Constituents Care Way More About Political Gamesmanship Than Jobs, Health Care, And The Economy | The Onion – America’s Finest News Source – Once again, the greatest humor comes from striking so close to the truth …
First same-sex couple weds in D.C. – Congratulations to Angelisa and Sinjoyla!
Limbaugh vows to flee the country if health care passes. – This is, without a doubt, a key reason to pass this legislation, and should be used to pressure wavering Democrats to do the same …
Avatar: The Last Airbender Re-Watch: Prelude to the Endeavor – I plan on following along this Tor rewatch. I love this cartoon, and even Katherine’s many, many, many, many rewatches of it have not cause the charm and excitement to pall. (Well, not for long.)
Fantasy and the need to remake our origin stories – Fantasy, myth, literacy, genre fiction, anthropology … a fascinating essay.
Citibank exposes 600,000 customers’ Social Security numbers – The Problem Solver – Yes, I know that these sorts of errors can occur. On the other hand, that’s why you’re supposed to test these things, idjits.
10 Amazing Life Lessons You Can Learn From Albert Einstein: Mr. Self Development

Yet more Last Airbender goodness

Yet another trailer, this time with some actual dialog …

Or maybe not-so-goodness.

I’m forced to agree with Topless Robot that Kitara does not come across as very impressive here in her few appearances. Regardless of the whole ethnicity controversy (about which TR has some interesting comments) aroundt the movie, if they make Kitara less than the (strong, occasionally stuffy, confident, pushy) leader she is in the cartoon, there’ll be hell to pay.

There’s more close-up of Aang’s tattoos, which are actually made up of smaller tattoos, which is a keen idea (though Katherine isn’t fond of it).

I’m having doubts about the “bending” shown in the trailers — it looks real but not nearly as impressive as I’d expect.

We’ll see.

Another Last Airbender trailer

I keep trying to keep expectations down about this movie, but this new(er) trailer looks … pretty darned good.

I’ll keep being pessimistic, just so I can be pleasantly surprised.