Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Fair and Balanced

Most mainstream news media producers feel the need to present both sides of an issue, no matter how ridiculous one side is. This can lead to a shifting of perception of moderate towards the radical argument, because by attempting to maintain the appearance of impartiality, the mere presentation of an argument can legitimize that argument.

The primary function of news media is to generate advertising dollars, but the naïveté of the public cannot be overestimated (I present to you as proof the existence of the Birther movement in the United States), and it irritates me to have extremist viewpoints aired by mainstream news media for the obsolete purpose of appearing impartial. Or perhaps for the purpose of airing ridiculous viewpoints as entertainment.

News can be reported to me in a "boring" fashion. Perhaps it's simply the result of my formative education centering on science, but context, sources, and sometimes even reasoned conjecture are the types of additives I prefer with my news. If the news must be entertaining, the producers should hire writers to throw in some dry humor, and maybe I'll even watch the commercials.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Hey baby.

Hi there! I'll use a (very slightly) different color and font to distinguish my posts from Super Z's. I chose purple because it was the least eye-straining result of my random mouse flailing. I chose the font "Georgia" because I loved listening to Laura Harris say "jyor-jyah" over and over in Dead Like Me. I could watch her talk for hours.

It just hit me how culturally prescient Beavis & Butthead were. While watching some old clips (over a decade old!), I found it eerie how well their "yeas and nays" have carried forward to align with the music that is and isn't popular today (at least in terms of LA-area KROQ rotation). Consider:

  • Love of Nirvana, RHCP, Metallica, Tool, the Beasties, and most of the other 90's era rock that's still hugely successful today.
  • Disdain for the late 80's/early 90's mascara and hairspray rock (see: Poison) that... er, hasn't aged well.
  • Their discerning taste wasn't limited to rock, either - they were down with Snoop Dogg and even with Lady Miss Kier shakin' it (Groove is in the Heart - really!)
  • Another revelation that blew me away was that they loved themselves some Radiohead - not just the crunchy Creep, but even Fake Plastic Trees. (Yes, Beavis and Butthead were into Radiohead two albums before 90% of their massive current fanbase had even heard of them.)
  • They knew instantly just how bad Vanilla Ice was. (C'mon, some of us - er, you - had To The Extreme on cassette tape. Admit it!)
I leave to you the task of analyzing precisely why Beavis & Butthead's musical taste has proven itself so canny and enduring in the long run. (In my head, it was kind of a chicken or the egg argument, except exponentially more horrifying.)

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Christmas Season


Next few posts are late; I've been neglecting to transfer pictures from my mobile. This one was taken at a local Costco on August 2, 2009.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Refreshing

1 Part Trader Joe's® Pomegranate Blueberry Juice Blend
1 Part Hansen's® Pomegranate All Natural Cane Soda

Result: Relief from 38° Celsius weather.

Yes, Celsius. I try not to perpetuate the near inexplicable refusal of the United States to move towards a more meaningful measurement system. 100
° is the boiling point of water at sea level; it is not "real hot, yo".