Top Republicans Embarrassed By Birthers; – This is one of those cases where, on the one hand, I’m gleeful that GOP tactics are biting them in the butt, but on the other hand those tactics have still had a toxic effect on the political and social system we all have to live in.
The Gospel according to Ayn Rand – On Faith – The Washington Post – I’m trying to figure out how Ryan can claim that Ayn Rand was the basis for him entering public service — since “public service” would seem to be, by definition, not part of Rand’s philosophy.
Obama’s signing statement is wrong – “There’s no denying that Obama has been inconsistent on signing statements. But conservatives who profess to want fewer Obama ‘czars’ might start by calling on Republicans to stop exploiting that dysfunction to grind the nominating process to a halt.”
House GOP Ends Climate-Change Committee Because It’s Not Real – Because why would we need to have a congressional focus not just on climate change, but on energy independence? Just drill, baby, drill! And with enough warming, soon everywhere will be a deep-water drilling site!
Strange bedfellows and ethanol subsidies – Amusing. But the whole ethanol thing has been a bi-partisan vs bi-partisan issue for a long time. It will be interesting to see how the “federal spending doesn’t create jobs” thang goes alongside the “cutting this federal spending will cost jobs” thang.
Wasn’t My Job to Do My Job – So from Simpson’s standpoint, it was to put out what HE thought were the solutions to the problem, not to come up with something that that the commission could all agree on. Um … then why do you think you weren’t the only one asked, knucklehead?
Kyl: Dems Cave By Monday Or No START Treaty | TPMDC – So, Sen. Kyl, the issue is not all your ostensible concerns over nuclear security and upgrading our remaining weaponry, but it’s about playing political games. Got it. Thanks for revealing yourself as a hack.
Bedroom Decorating Is a Hot Trend for Tweens and Teens – WSJ.com – We’ve (esp. the [ahem] maternal grandparents) certainly indulged Kay with some redecorating efforts in her room, though much has been DIY, not via Pottery Barn and the like. And that’s how you can do it without spending several thousand dollars every couple of years (sorry, Kitten).
Foreign aid and public confusion – “This may be the single most important fact about public opinion regarding the budget: most Americans think that much if not most of the money the federal government spends goes to things they don’t like and people they don’t like, whether it’s wasteful pork or foreigners or lazy welfare recipients. So when you tell them we have to start slashing government, they think, ‘Sounds great — it certainly won’t affect me!'”
What the right’s “American exceptionalism” attack on Obama is really about – “Let’s stipulate at the outset that there’s really no point in getting into a debate with right-wingers over the question of whether Obama believes in ‘American exceptionalism.’ That’s because the right intends this attack line as a proxy for their real argument: That Obama is not one of us.”
Pence’s priorities – “I think the minimum that we have to do right now for Americans that are struggling in unemployment in this economy is make sure that no American sees a tax increase.” Welcome to today’s compassionately conservative GOP.
All 42 Senate Republicans announce hostage plan – “Also note the unstated truth behind the threat — Republicans will block literally everything until they’re satisfied, at which point, they’ll try to block literally everything anyway.”
Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
— Jesus, Matthew 7:1-5
*She considers herself in rebellion against “the mainstream media, the Episcopal Church (and others which make up the rules instead of obeying them), and the decaying culture her children witness every day.”
One of those "hostile" and "intolerant" atheist billboards
She goes through a series of examples of ads — billboards, bus ads, etc. — being put up by the American Humanist Association, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and the American Atheists. They vary from cute to mildly confrontational, but they boil down to a declaration of: “I don’t believe in God, but I can still be a good, moral human being with a nice life; if you feel the same way, don’t be afraid to speak up.”
Ms Segelstein is exasperated and confused.
I guess I just don’t understand. Christians (along with Jews and Muslims) …
… And, I suppose, some other parenthetical religions …
… gather in groups to worship. Atheists don’t gather not to worship, so why seek out members? What’s there to be a member of?
Humans are social animals. We look for ways to herd together. Loneliness is one of the great psyche-crushing occurrences in the human experience.
Let’s say you lived in a neighborhood where everyone painted their houses taupe. In fact, the HOA rules pretty much encouraged that. And everyone was always raving about how wonderful the color was, how lovely it looked, how excellent it was to live in a neighborhood of all-taupe houses. There might even be discussion in passing, over the back fence, about how there were some folks who preferred blue houses, but, you know, those people had bad taste at best, and were perhaps mentally disordered at worst.
And let’s say you really don’t like taupe houses. But you’re trapped there, all alone.
Until one day someone says, “Well, you know, I actually kind of like blue houses. I’ve always found taupe houses a bit boring, even ugly.”
Wouldn’t you be thrilled?
Wouldn’t you wish you’d spoken out sooner?
Wouldn’t you be so happy there was someone else out there who validated your feelings, so that you weren’t alone any more?
Ms Segelstein doesn’t get it. As far as she’s concerned, there’s people who like taupe houses, and folks who criticize the people who like taupe houses, and she doesn’t understand why.
(And, yes, atheists do gather together sometimes to discuss stuff, even in regular meetings. Though I think most of them do, in fact, enjoy sleeping in on Sundays.)
And why should atheists care about stopping worshippers who are just “going through the motions”?
Because they believe in personal liberty? In people being able to make a choice? In folks feeling trapped but also feeling like they have to go along with the taupe house thing because, well, everyone else does it, and that’s the color house their parents lived in.
Or, to put it another way, as the Bible says in John 8:31-32:
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Truth. Truth is important. Some people value the truth, and they value the opportunity for people to discover the truth, and to act on that discovery.
People who are just “going through the motions” might be perfectly happy to go along as they are. Or they might be miserable and feel trapped. But they’re a lot less likely to do anything about it if they don’t realize that what they feel isn’t unnatural or evil or anti-social or a disappointment to the world. Choosing to stop being a believer “going through the motions” doesn’t mean cutting oneself off from all society. There are others who (dis)believe like you do.
That’s the message these billboards are trying to convey.
Do they think they might get their hands on money once pledged to churches?
Of course. Because (a) we all know that atheists are amoral and only interested in money, and (b) Christian churches and church leaders would never advertise their religious gatherings in order to get money.
Trying to tear down the belief system of the world’s foremost religion — Christianity — is what seems intolerant to me. Placing prominent ads declaring the birth of Christ to be a myth seems downright hostile.
Given the vocal, virulent, hateful efforts by some conservative Christians to, for example, tear down the belief system of another of the world’s foremost religions — Islam (we’ll leave aside the long history of Christianity tearing down the beliefs of Jews, or of Christian missions sent around the world to convert/”save” the non-Christians of the planet, regardless of what they currently believe) — it’s hard to take Segelstein seriously here.
Turning the clock back a bit, consider Paul, who basically went off to Greece to preach against the false gods of “the world’s foremost religion” in favor of his Christian God. Declaring Zeus a myth would have seemed downright hostile to some, don’t you think?
But Ms Segelstein still doesn’t get it.
To my mind, these campaigns feel defensive, as though atheists are weighted down with chips on their shoulders, or feel left out of some club.
Ever seen a bully get hit back? Their immediate reaction isn’t fear (that may come), or anger (that may come, too). It’s outrage, confusion, dismay at a turning around of the Established Order of Things.
Thus, too many Christians (mostly, though not exclusively, on the Right) are outraged about people who disagree with them, who question their facts, who point out where their actions to match their words, who dare suggest that Christians have at times been bullies, or who dare whisper that Christianity might be wrong. How dare they? Sure, many Christians are huge believers in the Great Commission to bring all people to Christ, but it someone dares try to bring someone away from Christ …
Well, they’re just being “defensive.” They have “chips on their shoulders.” Obviously they “feel left out of some club.”
Yes. That “club” is a society that assumes Christianity as the norm — and anyone who varies from that norm as something Different, Other, something suspicious, a bit sinister, probably a threat (hide your children) … or, at the very least, someone whose “belief system” needs to be “torn down.”
It’s projection. The folks most appalled at anyone trying to proselytize out of their community, and the most willing to ascribe to that proselytizer dark and threatening motives … are the very ones who see nothing wrong with proselytizing folks into their community. After all, if Christianity is the “norm” and that is “right,” then anything else is “abnormal” and “wrong.”
Thus, the assertions of theological reality that Christian churchgoers would consider to be innocuous mantras are, in fact, attempts to change someone’s belief system. “Jesus saves!” might sound like a hearty, welcoming, even positive statement to someone who believes in Jesus. To someone who doesn’t, it’s making assertions about one’s spiritual fate (you need to be saved), which religious faith is true (the one associated with Jesus), and the implications of failing to follow that faith (lack of salvation).
Oklahoma also has various “God” billboards which purport to pose questions and observations from the Almighty, like: “You think it’s hot here?” and “What part of `Thou shalt not …’ didn’t you understand?” and “Life is short. Eternity isn’t.”
It’s not that such things shouldn’t be said. It’s that some Christians are so blind as to think it’s fine and natural and acceptable for them to say “My belief system is true, yours is false, join me” while it’s rude and “hostile” and “intolerant” for someone else to say exactly the same thing (or even to say, “Hey, if you really don’t believe, that’s okay, you’re not alone”). Especially when it’s (shudder) atheists.
Mote? Meet beam.
I don’t approve of intolerance, whether from atheists or theists of any stripe. And when the atheist/humanist world gets the widespread, shrilly intolerant screedifying — accepted, even lauded by the Christian Religious Right — of folks like Peter LaBarbera (a co-columnist at OneNewsNow) or Bryan Fischer, let alone James Dobson, Pat Robertson, or Jerry Falwell — I will criticize it as firmly. In the meantime, insisting that atheists practice a “Don’t Ask, And Really, Truly Don’t Tell” policy on their very minority belief system because it offends Christians who see it as a Dire Threat to their majority … is pretty goofy.
Speaking of which:
Christians I know don’t go around declaring that only fellow Christians can be good. And if they do, they’re wrong.
Really, Ms Segelstein? Really? You’ve never heard that? Every visit the Internet much?
How about, again, your fellow OneNewsNow columnists, who suggest we can only have a good, moral country if we havea Christian country.
Or maybe you’ve heard Christians (some Christians, at least) saying that, no matter how “good” a non-Christian acts, they are condemned to suffer eternal torment in Hell (“You think it’s hot here?”).
Indeed, Ms Segelstein, as a “reluctant rebel” against the Episcopal Church, you would probably prefer a more strict adherence (as ultra-orthodox Anglicans do) to the Anglicanism’s 39 Articles of Religion, the 13th of which pretty much says just what you say you’ve never heard Christians assert:
XIII. Of Works before Justification: Works done before the grace of Christ, and the Inspiration of his Spirit, are not pleasant to God, forasmuch as they spring not of faith in Jesus Christ; neither do they make men meet to receive grace, or (as the School-authors say) deserve grace of congruity: yea rather, for that they are not done as God hath willed and commanded them to be done, we doubt not but they have the nature of sin.
In other words, doing good works without faith in Christ ticks God off. Which I think means “declaring that only Christians can be good.”
(I don’t believe that, mind you, and I’d say most Episcopalians don’t — but, then, Ms Segelstein is on record criticizing the Episcopal Church “and others which make up the rules instead of obeying them.” So wonder if she “obeys”/believes in that rule, too.)
Maybe Christians should launch a kinder, gentler campaign in response. They could quote Timothy Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC, from his book The Reason for God on the subject of common grace: “[E]very act of goodness, wisdom, justice, and beauty is empowered by God….He casts them across all humanity, regardless of religious conviction, race, gender or any other attribute to enrich, brighten and preserve the world.”
Actually, if more Christians did take that tack, I think a lot fewer people would feel that some (many? most?) Christians are as arrogant as we sometimes come across (“Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven”).
That wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) stop others from making their own assertions as to the metaphysics (or lack thereof) of the universe, or which “myths” are “real,” or of inviting those who might believe the same to come join them (or at least know they are not alone). But it would maybe help establish a climate where we could figure out where we can all get along and discuss some of these questions together.
Why Fred Phelps’s Free Speech Rights Should Matter to Us All – Another example why the calumny that the ACLU is a “liberal/radical/leftist” organization is profoundly untrue. And, as loathesome as I find Phelps and his Gang of Family Idiots, if they don’t have the right to speak, nobody does.
The Original King of Irony Lives On – And yet, he seems to have made an amazing come-back in the GOP. what that says about the GOP I leave as an exercise for the reader.
Lou Dobbs’ Little Meg Whitman Problem – “The Nation also editorialized today that this latest revelation only adds more fuel to the arguments that immigrants, legal and undocumented, are so thoroughly integrated into our economy that those politicians who seek to scapegoat and demonize their work are almost alway engaging in hypocrisy. The piece argues that we must legalize and regulate this work, instead of demonizing the workers our society is thoroughly dependent on.” But … but … but … without evil, lazy, Welfare-sponging, American-decaptitating, job-stealing, anchor-babying illegals to demonize, we’d have to find someone else to demonize!
So that’s why Koch funded a major evolution exhibit – “The fact that we could be knocked back to a stone age level of technology without going extinct is not a point in favor of welcoming global warming.” But think of the money-making opportunities! Especially if you cunning corner the shell and bead market ahead of time!
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.
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.”
Wash. Nuns Investigated By Vatican – Investigated for sexual abuse? Nah. Investigated for “feminism and activism.” Glad the Vatican has its priorities straight.
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.
Matthew Yglesias » Pentagon Shooting – A fine (and backhandedly positive) comment about how the nation doesn’t freak out when it’s a non-Muslim killer going on the rampage. “Wild overreactions and wholesale reconfigurations of the constitution, of US foreign policy, or of daily life are considered off the table by definition. And rightly so!” If only we were so relatively rational about the other cases.
What’s the Harm? Answer: Pentagon Gunman was a 9/11 Truther – The truth will prevail — but it won’t necessarily prevail without blood, toil, tears and sweat. Not everyone who believes something screwy is going to go homicidal — but certainly the sort of folks we see go on these homicidal rampages (organized or not) believe something screwy.
This Is What Happens When The Religious Right Takes Over Your State – Nice. “Not only are we not going to ensure we don’t discriminate against them, we’re going to make sure that nobody else protects them from discrimination, either.” Time to break out the “Virginia is for Haters” bumper stickers again, sadly.
Boulder Catholic school denies preschooler with lesbian parents – The Denver Post – Because, you know, Jesus had the Apostles do background checks on all those children he suffered to come unto Him, right? Nice job, SHJ — what could have been a teachable moment … has become a teachable moment, only with a pretty obnoxious lesson.
The freest and most democratic nation? – I love this country. But driving a drumpbeat of exceptionalism only blinds us to the areas where we fall far short of our ideals.
Judging Books by Their Covers: U.S. Vs. U.K. – I always love comparing book covers between editions, publishers, countries for the same book. Some interesting design choices here.
Isildur’s Bane – I’m seriously disappointed by the Obama Adminstration’s actions regarding homeland security and this sort of thing. But it seems a sad truism that, once granted a power, governments never let go of it, and, in fact, use it to argue that they are justified in asking for more.
Working the ref – And, once again, if you can’t win on the facts, try smears instead. (The side note about the GOP firing parliamentarians they felt weren’t being open enough to their own reconciliation efforts is just frosting on the cake.)
The blockade is gone, but it’s not forgotten – Heh. “After all, if the rules let Jim Bunning hold up unemployment benefits for 200,000 Americans just because he feels like it, maybe voters won’t get so outraged when the GOP talks about how important the filibuster is.”
Google Wave Gets a Smarter API – I think Wave needs better/clearer integration with other Google tools. It also needs some success stories in major companies to show how its power can be leveraged and to overcome the critical mass of users problem.
Why DRM doesn’t work… – The core problem with DRM is that it’s intended to keep people away from the product, with an exception to be reluctantly (and partially) made for folks who pay for the privilege. There is little to no incentive for companies to make DRM easier to navigate or less onerous (the idea that their business depends on it is counteracted by their intense fear that online access will destroy their business regardless).
Ever wonder why it is those burgers in the ads look so much better than what you pull out of your take-out bag?
When I worked at Burger King for a few years, we have a wall-sized photo-montage of one of these burgers in the lobby. It was remarkable, like some unattainable pagan god of burgery goodness lording over its domain.
Make sure you include droplets of water on the fresh lettuce (and on the side of the soda) to give them cool, fresh looks — though there are also other techniques to make the burger steam for the commercial.
Mozilla’s Raindrop Looks To Make Your Inbox Personal Again – I think aggregation of messaging streams in this fashion is going to become a real battle in coming years — as individual messaging systems add features and aggregators try to demonstrate their (very real) value in pulling together this sort of data.
BBC NEWS | Technology | Universal phone charger approved – Unfortunately, it’s not likely to be a primary reason for phone selection, but hopefully it will be a factor. Esp. if governments put a surcharge on those phones that don’t use it (to cover waste/energy costs).
Badass Quote of the Day [Dispatches from the Culture Wars] – There are some very cool things about our country, things worth protecting and even worth promoting. But, yeah, American Exceptionalism is not only bad diplomacy, it’s a great way to deny the many things about our country that are not “the greatest* (and to deny the difference between the best and the best that could be). If no human can be perfect, how can any society of humans be perfect?
Does President Obama Care About Public Opinion On Afghanistan? – We neither want a President who is a slave to the polls, nor who disregards what the people think. A leader and a servant. It’s a very difficult role to play, and few Presidents have done it consistently well.
Some Christians mad at R. Crumb – Unless they can point to some sex and violence he portrays that isn’t in the Book of Genesis, I suggest they leave off. If you’re going to argue that Scripture is the Directly Transcribed Word of God, then turning around and downplaying any aspect of it seems more than a bit suspect.
Denounced as witches, African children suffer mightily – One wonders where Abp. Akinola, so fiery and frothing at the American church for embracing The Evil Gays, is in stopping these horrifying activities in his own back yard.
Game of choice for extremists and eliminationists – ‘2011: Obama Coup Fails’ – It’s not so much that someone’s developed this game, but that (a) it’s so badly put together, and (b) so badly written. One could write this sort of thing semi-believably by turning the hyperbole-meter down to only 11, and be far more effective. (See Harlan Ellison’s “Glass Teat” column about the Resistance in a Nixonian Fascist State for a less breathless example — and we are talking Harlan Ellison here as a model for calm, which tells you how over-the-top this particular “game” is.)
Byron Williams: Mormon Paradox – Money graf: “In this context, Oaks speaks as a member of the dominant culture who already has the privilege that others are trying to secure.”
GOP Launches Strategy to Trip Up Health Bill – Roll Call – For “We need time to give the public a chance to figure out what’s in it and what they don’t like about it,” read, “We need time to scare the American public into acting against their best interests.”
Man finds missile launcher in Comal County – I find it remarkable that it took as much effort as it did to get someone to take charge of the darned thing. I feel safer!
Ninety Years of Refrigerators, and Logos – I love the classic script version, and think it still has traction in a more modern design era. The new one had potential, but really didn’t end up as anything all that noteworthy (and, if it isn’t, why bother?).
Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….
A Swift view of Andromeda – Whenever I see lovely pics of galaxies, the end titles music for the (original) Outer Limits always plays in my head.
HAPPY Days or, Should Pets Be Tax Deductible? – Everyone has sacred cows — and when you’re a Congresscritter, of whatever party, you get to vote in tax advantages to them. I have pets, but I’d just as soon not get a tax deduction for them.
Why American Credit Cards Suck [Travel Tips] – Yeah, we’re going to be the greatest country in the world right until we turn around one day and realize everyone else has left us behind.
Product Ideas for Google Reader – Google Product Ideas – A great way to solicit (and vote on) feature ideas. Of the 2,000 ideas received, they’ve come up with responses (“Answered Ideas”) on a dozen … none of mine, alas.
Busted burglar – I guess if you’re going to be burgled, it’s good to have a burglar with a sense of humor.
The Creation “Museum” [Pharyngula] – Sounds like a “museum” only insofar as the muses covered all areas of entertainment. This is basically an amusement park for Creationism, not a place to explore and learn.
Populating a Brave New World – Um … why are we talking about a series of white blondes for Mustapha Mond? Who, at a minimum, is Turkish, if not Arab or African.
So tell me why it is that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is rated PG-13, but all the the Burger King and toy tie-ins seem to be targeting kids age 8 and up?
Cheerier Cheer While the basic idea is “cheerier,” the finished producton the bottle is waaaaay too busy to stand out cleanly in the supermarket aisle.
Google on Wednesday officially announced its entry into the fray of contextualized advertising—serving up advertisements in accordance with a user’s prior Web-surfing habits. The move, which has raised alarm in the privacy community, carries an unprecedented privacy twist: Google users will now be able to see and edit the information the company collects about them.
That strategy may mean more effective, targeted advertisements, but one might wonder why any consumer would join an effort to lure him or her into spending more.
Advertising is about offering goods and services. I am going to be offered goods and services regardless of whether this sort of arrangement is in place or not. But if I choose to buy more, I have to take responsibility for that, not Google. And, if I’m behaving responsibly, then if I buy more, it’s because more valuable services and goods were offered to me. That’s not a bad thing. Indeed, that’s arguably a very good thing, akin to what Amazon does when I log in and buy and browse stuff.
Besides which, if it increases the revenue streams from online ads, that makes the Internet a much more viable concern for content to be supported, not by access fees, but by ads. Again, that’s not a bad thing.
In addition to being the first major company to give users the ability to see and edit the information that it has compiled, Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) is adopting the practice of competitors like Yahoo in letting users opt out of what it is calling “interest-based advertising.”
Google said that it will segment users along 20 categories and nearly 600 subcategories, but won’t create categories for certain hot-button privacy interests, including race, religion, sexual orientation or certain types of financial or health concerns.
So it’s not much different from the contextualized ads I used to have in my blog, only tailored by my Google interactions. Wow, not really Teh Evil if you ask me. And if I can see how they are classifying me, and correct any mistakes — and, heck, opt out if I want … I think it’s all a good thing.
Along the line of 60s books that never were, here are some very spiffy movie poster remakes from Olly Moss, done in a “minimalistic post-modern Germanism style.” I particularly like…
Along the line of 60s books that never were, here are some very spiffy movie poster remakes from Olly Moss, done in a “minimalistic post-modern Germanism style.” I particularly like the Die Hard and Deer Hunter renditions, though most of the others all have something clever to offer. Cool.
First from Kottke, a list of the trailers that showed during the Super Bowl. Transformers 2 Race to Witch Mountain Up Star Trek Land of the Lost Year One…
First from Kottke, a list of the trailers that showed during the Super Bowl.
You’d think that, faced with a public that Fast Forwards through everything commercial that media companies would figure out (a) how to make commercials more appealing, or less obtrusive, or…
You’d think that, faced with a public that Fast Forwards through everything commercial that media companies would figure out (a) how to make commercials more appealing, or less obtrusive, or (b) another revenue model.
Walt Disney Co.’s two big TV networks, ABC and ESPN, have struck a deal with cable operator Cox Communications Inc. to offer hit shows and football games on demand, but with the unusual condition that Cox disables the fast-forward feature that allows viewers to skip ads, according to a media report Thursday.
The deal between Disney and Cox is expected to be announced today at the National Cable Television Association convention in Las Vegas, The Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition.
Cox, the nation’s third-largest cable operator with 6 million subscribers, was willing to nix fast-forwarding to gain access to popular ABC and ESPN content, the Journal said, adding that on-demand programming, aggressively rolled out by cable operators over the past three years, provides cable operators a competitive edge over satellite-TV providers such as DirecTV Group Inc. in the race for subscribers.
This only applies — at the moment — to On-Demand TV. But you can bet your bippy Big Media would love to have it apply to DVRs, too. Which is a great way to have people be irritated and cranky when watching your shows and the ad that advertisers are paying money for.
I get torqued enough at DVD material I can’t FF or Menu through. Normal TV stuff? Feh.
