citizen koan

once again...

2012-01-30T20:34:00.001-08:00

What digby said.

60th

2012-01-04T21:57:00.001-08:00

Was going to post pictures again. But just don't have the heart for it.

red desert

2012-01-03T21:55:00.001-08:00

and to end the year on a note entirely consistent with the rest of the year...

2011-12-31T16:02:00.000-08:00

President Obama signs National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law:

“Any hope that the Obama administration would roll back the constitutional excesses of George Bush in the war on terror was extinguished today."

Luckily, Ruben Bolling has the useful info you'll need.

"So... You've Been Indefinitely Detained! Helpful Information From Your U.S. Government!"

And even if you're absolutely convinced that Mr. Change You Can Believe In would never use this indefinite dentention power for ill (which, to be clear, I'm not), are you as confident that the next Republican president won't? Really?

And to end on an up note (that's sarcasm), read this.

Happy New Year.

videodanza partida (nsfw)

2011-12-30T18:30:00.000-08:00

(by Alba Casanova and Marc Guardiola, via io9)

everything you need to know about change we can believe in

2011-12-14T17:30:00.000-08:00

More on the horror of that defense bill here.

amalgamation

2011-12-09T11:35:00.001-08:00

(Give it a bit of time to completely load.)

(from Micaël Reynaud)

clockwork meme

2011-11-27T22:04:00.001-08:00

Yeah, there's been a million of them, but this has to be the winner.

(Via someone on Twitter. Original source unknown.)

when worlds collide #2

2011-11-25T21:42:00.001-08:00

Miles Davis and Kenny G hang out.

quote of the day

2011-11-20T18:33:00.001-08:00

"Every time you try to “manifest your dreams”, a smarter and less superstitious woman beats you at something! And also angels cry. Logic angels."

- Jennifer Dziura

(via Molly Crabapple)

again

2011-11-15T23:18:00.001-08:00

Happy birthday, Mom.

shipwreck

2011-11-02T19:50:00.000-07:00

Music video for Shipwreck by Berlin-based electronic music duo Modeselektor in collaboration with Thom Yorke of Radiohead.

oh, the horror

2011-10-24T21:11:00.000-07:00

Given that I definitely don't consider myself a fan of horror films, I was rather surprised to realize I'd actually seen 14 of Slant's "25 Best Horror Films of the Aughts," including one of the few films I've ever seen that I actually wish I could unsee (#5).

On the other hand, if you're looking for something to watch on Halloween (or anytime, actually), I can heartily recommend numbers 14, 12, 4 (don't read the synopsis) and 1. And, if batshit insane is your thing, 23 and 2.

the internet never forgets

2011-10-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

things that make me sad

2011-10-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

That I can't send a link to today's xkcd to Rocket Girl.

another year

2011-10-18T22:18:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday, Dad. Miss you more then ever.

compare and contrast

2011-09-14T20:45:00.000-07:00

It's unlikely that many people in the USA, unless they're in the Korean or otaku communities, have ever heard of the hugely popular Korean girl group, Girls' Generation. For the purpose of today's lesson, I'm posting one of their first big hits, Gee, from early 2009. It was named song of the decade by the Korean music site, Melon and, at the time I'm posting this, the video has 52,219,736 views on YouTube. (I'd recommend that anyone prone to diabetes limit themselves to no more than the first minute or so of the video.)

One year later, they released the video for their hit, Run Devil Run.
Just sayin'.

facebook is creepy

2011-09-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

theya

2011-09-01T22:53:00.000-07:00

As documented in this early post, a little less than three years ago Theya, one of our four doggie companions, began to exhibit signs of congestive heart disease. She has been on medications during the intervening years and had, by all appearances (and vet checkups), been doing well on them. This morning, as is my routine, I gave her her morning meds and took her, along with our other three dogs, outside for a bit of a walk before leaving for work.

When I returned this evening, I got her evening meds ready and was surprised that she didn't come running for them (I'm sure you know where this is going). When I didn't find her sleeping in her crate, I got a very bad feeling. Which was borne out when I found her lying dead in the middle of our living room.

Theya's arrival in our family was accompanied by a great deal of drama. And she was not exactly the most mellow of dogs. But she was a sweetheart. We'll miss her.

in the details

2011-08-23T21:05:00.000-07:00

I came this ->||<- close to dropping out of this year's collaborative tarot deck, but somehow The Devil made me do it. Not exactly as playful as past cards, but there you go...

anniversary 2

2011-08-03T00:10:00.000-07:00

At the new Scotts Valley Library.

I can't believe it's been a year.

anniversary

2011-08-02T00:06:00.000-07:00

Today would have been my and Rocket Girl's 27th anniversary (not counting the 15 years of friendship pre-marriage). To mark the day, these photo memories of Rocket Girl and Chica, the best dog in the history of the world (with a bonus pic of the inimitable Buster, the cat Rocket Girl rescued from Maui in 1994).

In mid-1986, Rocket Girl awoke one morning with the certain knowledge that our dog was waiting for us at the pound. Rushing there, she found a chihuahua/rat terrier (and who knows what else) mix in heat, with kennel cough, and scheduled to be euthanized that evening. At the time, our local SPCA had the reputation of having pet adoption standards that were only modestly more stringent than those for adopting a child. But Rocket Girl recognized her as our dog, so took our sons out of school so that they could be interviewed by the SPCA staff and, as I was out of town on business, had me paged out of a meeting so that I could assure the staff by phone that having a small dog would not constitute a threat to my masculinity.

Chica was an integral part of our family's life for the next 14 years. And although everyone maintained the fiction that Chica was "our" dog, in reality, there was no doubt about whose dog she really was.

Miss you.

l/m

seeking investment advice

2011-07-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

Do any of you know if there's a market in which you can invest in cat food futures?

plot device

2011-06-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

The fact that this is basically a commercial (for Magic Bullet Suite 11, a video post-production tool) does not in the least diminish its fucking awesomeness.

Making of (which is actually more of a commercial, but still interesting) here.

come alive

2011-06-27T22:52:00.000-07:00

Janelle Monáe live at Glastonbury. Two nights ago.

movie night

2011-06-26T23:54:00.000-07:00

A double feature.

(Both via The Online Photographer.)

the next-to-last...

2011-06-19T00:19:00.000-07:00

...of the "firsts."

play it as it lays

2011-06-17T19:37:00.001-07:00

(via Kim Morgan at Sunset GunShots)

airport '11

2011-06-10T09:04:00.000-07:00

Every time I fly, I'm reminded of the extent to which the terrorists did, in fact, win.

1973

2011-06-05T00:44:00.000-07:00

notorious

2011-06-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion.

ghosts

2011-05-31T16:19:00.001-07:00

(Robert Montgomery, via Erin O'Brien)

this ain't no party

2011-05-28T18:12:00.001-07:00

This ain't no disco.

tweet of the day

2011-05-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

Just because.

reading

2011-04-17T23:11:00.000-07:00

The latest in the continuing series. This particular memory inspired by a friend's standing-room-only reading that I attended this past week at one of our local bookstores. Watching her read in exactly the same place Rocket Girl read nearly sixteen years ago.

Capitola - Summer, 1995.

Previously.

what does it mean that these all look like attractive alternatives?

2011-04-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

Craigslist Apartments.

not quite a hiatus

2011-04-03T22:12:00.000-07:00

As you might deduce from the weeks that have passed since the last post, things are currently a bit (well, actually more than a bit) unsettled chez citizen. But rather than just let this sucker sit here untended while things either do or do not work out, I thought I'd fill the void with assorted stuff I happen upon during my increasingly sporadic random net exploration - minus the scintillating commentary that this blog has never actually become known for.

Today, via Clayton Cubitt, it's the video for Woodkid's Iron. Both the song and video are by Yoann Lemoine (who, coincidentally, was also the director of this previously posted video). While you can watch it below, it's a lot better at its orginal size on vimeo or at Yoann's web site.

what matters in america

2011-03-16T08:08:00.001-07:00

From the front page of today's Huffington Post:

Plus, it's hot on Twitter!

c'mon people, what the hell's it going to take?

2011-03-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

Seriously.

cold war

2011-03-06T20:31:00.000-08:00

Still not much bloggin' energy, but I'd been meaning to post this for a while with some would-be clever writing about how you should go buy the album and listen to it all the way through in one sitting while giving it your undivided attention. So, sorry about the lack of cleverness, but do it anyway. This woman is an artist of astonishing potential (which, if you're not already familiar with her work, will only become obvious when you've heard more than just this song).

how anonymous did it

2011-02-18T08:10:00.000-08:00

Fascinating.

(via ars technica)

irish spring

2011-02-12T14:50:00.001-08:00

On Monday afternoon, August 2nd (our 26th anniversary), Rocket Girl went shopping at the local Costco and bought, among other things, two very large packages of 4 oz. bars of Irish Spring "Original" soap. They were put away in their traditional place in the bathroom cabinet next to the shower where they would be within easy reach whenever it became time to replace a bar that had eroded past efficient cleansing utility.

This morning, I opened the last of those bars of soap.

For the first time in a little over six months, Irish Spring soap is back on our shopping list.

Fuck.

ecstatic dances for the human sacrifices

2011-02-09T21:01:00.000-08:00

Not much energy for bloggin' around the Citizen's place these days, so what better time to fulfill my goal of making the archetypal liberal blog post:

What digby said.

emperor tomato ketchup

2011-02-01T20:30:00.000-08:00

In honor of an unexpected development in another of my sources of distraction, here's Stereolab performing Cybele's Reverie and Les Yper Sound live on Jools Holland back in the mid 90s.

adventures in marketing #1 - pink ponies: a case study

2011-01-26T08:25:00.000-08:00

fuckyeahgirlsyoungwomenwhoplaysaxophoneinhighschooljazzbands*

2011-01-24T21:41:00.000-08:00

Especially baritone saxophone. (And although Blogger limits the size of pictures to the point that you probably can't tell, there's one playing trombone as well, which is also pretty awesome.)

* Gratuitous tumblr reference

not a rant

2011-01-23T20:10:00.000-08:00

One of the principles I adopted upon returning to the blog was to avoid using it as an outlet for the personal outrage so often generated by the political and social state of our nation. Frankly, there are others who do it much better (Glenn Greenwald and the Rude Pundit for two), and, probably more importantly, it's just too damn depressing.

So, as the post title says, this is not one of the rants that used to occasionally appear here. Instead it's just a strong suggestion that you read this (and be sure to read the updates at the end about the treatment of David House and Jane Hamsher at Quantico this morning).

This is what is being done in all of our names. What the hell have we become?

we got more

2011-01-22T20:58:00.000-08:00

Not feeling particularly inspired, so here's a pretty neat video instead.

the politics of fear

2011-01-18T08:07:00.000-08:00

(via Skull Swap)

wallet

2011-01-16T20:54:00.001-08:00

Wallet.

(Back from the southland.)

araki/gaga

2011-01-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

A match made in heaven (or somewhere).

(Nobuyoshi Araki, Vogue Hommes Japan, September 2009. via Suicide Blonde)

tone of everyday

2011-01-10T21:31:00.000-08:00

To reiterate my sign-off from the previous post, I really have nothing to add. Instead, entirely irony free, I offer this.

jesus fucking christ

2011-01-08T22:06:00.000-08:00

From back before the November elections:

(That Facebook page is the one with the map with the gunsights over the target congress people. The map that was scrubbed without comment this afternoon.)

Nothing to add, really.

(screen grabs via skippy the bush kangaroo)

it will be streamed

2011-01-07T20:51:00.000-08:00

(via dockera )

mostly scenery

2011-01-06T20:52:00.000-08:00

In going through boxes of pictures, I've discovered a small cache of largely unlabeled old photos that appear to date from the early twentieth century. I'm somewhat perplexed about why I don't remember ever encountering these before, but I suspect that they are pictures of my parents' families and relatives.

I have no idea who the three young women in this photo might be, but, while I have no way to know for sure, it gives me a great deal of pleasure to believe that the young person intruding into the frame at the right is my father.

the way it is

2011-01-05T20:36:00.000-08:00

(by Anthony Discenza, via the Catharine Clark Gallery )

birthday 2

2011-01-04T20:52:00.000-08:00

birthday

2011-01-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

Today would have been Rocket Girl's 59th birthday. Perhaps it still is. I don't know.

To mark the day, I'm inaugurating an occasional series of photos selected from those that inspired the previous post. Today, it's Bermuda - July, 1988.

The concept of "missing" doesn't even exist in the same universe with what I'm feeling.

Happy birthday.

l/m

the citizen's #1 photo tip

2011-01-03T16:35:00.000-08:00

Over the past few months, I've reviewed literally thousands of family photos spanning the last 30 or so years. As a result, I've had a number of epiphanies about the creation and preservation of photo memories. Unfortunately, many of them are only applicable to the quaint, soon-to-be archaic practice of actually getting prints of your photos to mount in albums or (more commonly) file in shoe-boxes in a closet. (This change is actually a big deal. More about it in some future post.) But the single most valuable insight I've gained is applicable to any personal picture taking. And it is this:

No matter what your reason for taking pictures, be it a birthday, graduation, party, date, vacation, goofing around or whatever, take more pictures of the people who mean a lot to you and fewer pictures of the scenery. When you revisit those pictures years or decades later, the fact that you have personal proof that Hawaii has nice beaches, or that there are spectacular waterfalls in Yosemite, or that the Eiffel Tower is, in fact, in Paris, will mean absolutely nothing compared to having a rich visual record of who you and the people you've known and loved were, back when you were experiencing those beaches or waterfalls or Paris.

Trust me on this one. You'll thank me later.

back

2011-01-02T00:08:00.000-08:00

Sort of. Maybe. We'll see...

interior portrait

2011-01-01T21:51:00.000-08:00

(Profound thanks to N for sending me the poem.)

...

2010-08-03T17:27:00.001-07:00

two of swords

2010-08-01T01:11:00.000-07:00

Well, as predicted in this post, I was unable to weasel out of the second card I'd committed to create for this year's collaborative tarot deck project. So:

(Ceci n'est pas un hommage à Magritte.)

commerce

2010-07-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

Post deleted.

infographic

2010-07-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

(by Joey Roth via swissmiss)

another candidate for the most awesomest blog post ever

2010-07-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

Today I stumbled upon a blog post entitled SLEDGEHAMMER AND WHORE on the blog, I find your lack of faith disturbing. The blog is described as "Another Screenwriter Blog." The blogger is identified only as "Josh."

It's a wonderful post. It's an epic post. I encourage my myriad of readers to go read it in its entirety. I feel (almost) certain that you will not be disappointed. (And while the first third gives the impression that it's all about the TV production business, keep reading.)

Also, while the subject of what motivates one to exercise plays only the smallest part in the narrative, it does offer one motivation that I don't believe I have ever before encountered:

"I know that at different times in this blog I've referred to myself as a fat, lazy fuck. But in truth...who am I kidding. That's exactly what I am. However, in the last year I've become a less fat, less lazy fuck. I've hired a trainer, mostly at the behest of my wife, who doesn't want me to die young and leave my child fatherless. My own motivation for working out is mostly to postpone my death at least until my wife is old enough that she can't remarry anyone that would sexually threaten me when I watch them fucking from Heaven."

Anyway, go read it.

Update: Bonus Coincidence

So after writing this, I went looking for clues about who "Josh" was.

An aside: A few weeks ago, we finally got an upgrade to our DSL connection that resulted in a connection speed somewhat faster than our previous barely-twice-the-rate-of-a-56k baud-modem connection. (We live in the semi-boonies as far as AT&T is concerned.) One result of this is that we can finally take advantage of Netflix's streaming service and get picture quality better than an about-to-fail-from-old-age VHS tape.

While looking for something to test the service, I found the TV series The Sarah Conner Chronicles and decided to watch the first episode. Four days later, I had watched all 31 episodes, up to the point where the series was cancelled at the end of season two.

I know I'm over a year behind the rabid fan community in being outraged by this (I'm sure most of them have reached the stage of acceptance and moved on), but I was seriously bummed. Particularly given that the season ended with a cliffhanger. Talk about lack of closure.

The point? "Josh" turns out to be Josh Friedman, writer and executive producer of The Sarah Conner Chronicles.

Doesn't mean a damn thing, of course. But there you go.

cow clicker!

2010-07-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

Back in my post about Echo Bazaar (with, BTW, totally rocks), I claimed that I was, "a person who refuses to go anywhere near any Facebook games." Well, never say never. For I have recently found a Facebook game that truly transends the very category of "Facebook game."

Said game is Cow Clicker, by video game designer and critic Ian Bogost. It's genius. As decribed by Mr. Bogost:

"You get a cow. You can click on it. In six hours, you can click it again. Clicking earns you clicks. You can buy custom "premium" cows through micropayments (the Cow Clicker currency is called "mooney"), and you can buy your way out of the time delay by spending it. You can publish feed stories about clicking your cow, and you can click friends' cow clicks in their feed stories."

If you're on Facebook, you owe it to yourself to check it out. And if you're looking for something to do in those six hours between clicks, you might find this post by Mr. Bogost rather intriguing.

if only...

2010-07-14T16:30:00.000-07:00

I write like
David Foster Wallace

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

the unicorn consort

2010-07-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

(Photo © Baron Wolman. Used by permission.)

This photo by Baron Wolman (rendered sepia by the passing of time) was taken on June 5, 1970 at the wedding of Theresa St. Clair and Jack Rumbaugh in a canyon north of Malibu, California. It appears in a photo story about the wedding in the August, 1970 issue of Rags, a "counter-culture" fashion magazine that was published in San Francisco from mid-1970 to mid-1971. Brilliant San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll was a writer for and later editor of Rags. The artist Barbara Kruger is listed on the masthead as one of its art directors.

While I doubt that it's necessary for anyone who knows me in real life, for the benefit of internet friends I'll point out that that's me in the middle, playing soprano recorder. To my left is Charles Fischer, the founder of the consort. I'm sad to say that I no longer remember the name of our then-third member.

Thanks to Cassandra Tondro's blog, Rags Lives!, you can see the entire article here.

That same issue also includes an article about the Hamilton Pulsar, described as "the first solid state portable wrist computer in the world." The Pulsar was actually an LED digital watch (the kind where, for battery life reasons, you could only read the time by pressing a tiny button which would light up the display for 1 1/4 seconds). It cost $1500.

And oh yeah, The Cockettes.

um...eew?

2010-07-09T20:08:00.000-07:00

(via the ever-inspiring Yimmy's Yayo.)

Temperance

2010-07-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that it's been an entire year since last year's collaborative tarot deck project, but apparently it has.

This year, for reasons that I can't quite piece together, I volunteered for three cards. What was I thinking? Luckily, due to a mixup, one of the other members accidentally created one of the cards that had been assigned to me. I was quite relieved to let her keep it. Last weekend, with time running out, I did this:

This was my first attempt at doing coloring in Photoshop, and truth be told, I'm rather pleased with the result.

So far, I've been unsuccessful is my attempts to weasel out of the remaining card, so there may be one more coming this year.

blog quote of the week

2010-07-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

From PZ Myers at Pharyngula, in a post discussing an apparent* Twilight-themed sex toy:

"...nobody will ever try to sell you an Eli vibrator. Ever."

(If this makes no sense to you, it's most likely because you have not yet seen the brilliant Swedish film, Let the Right One In. If that's the case, your assignment is to remedy that unfortunate lack immediately. Or at least before the ill-advised American remake arrives. If there were ever a movie that did not need a remake, this is the one.)

* Although I'm not entirely convinced "Twilight" isn't just the description of its color.

media quiz of the day

2010-06-26T13:17:00.000-07:00

From what website was the following screen grab made? (I'd provide multiple choice answers, but that would undoubtedly give it away.)

everything you need to know about the financial "regulation" bill

2010-06-26T13:06:00.001-07:00

(from the AP via the indispensable Glenn Greenwald)

Previously.

politics

2010-06-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

(via FucknFilthy)

9000.2

2010-06-20T02:45:00.000-07:00

9000 says:

"Reblog if u care ... Nobody seems to care anymore. We care about LadyGaga zeitgeist of Ignorance, (our constant stimulation has assumed priority) and the FIFA Soccer Cup of Mafia and Corporations (organized crime). www.ustream.tv/pbsnewshour "

Update: For any readers not familiar with Twitter, a bit more insight into the above may be found here.

9000

2010-06-19T23:54:00.000-07:00

(9000)

modern art #2

2010-06-11T12:42:00.000-07:00

The Rude Pundit, on Twitter:

Coated in mud at Bonnaroo, I said, "Look at me. I'm a Gulf pelican." Everyone laughed. Then I died.

i feel better

2010-06-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, embedding this video has been disabled, so click the image to watch it at YouTube. (At first blush, you may be wondering why I'm posting this. Keep watching. Trust me.)

for memorial day

2010-05-31T17:17:00.000-07:00

This.

uh oh...

2010-05-30T21:35:00.000-07:00

While we're on the subject of distraction...

As someone who does not count himself among the admirers of "casual" games like Farmville, Mafia Wars, and the like (to say the very least), but who, for a period a few years ago, lost untold hours to The Kingdom of Loathing, my discovery yesterday of the browser-based game Echo Bazaar raises a red flag. While it is still too soon to tell for sure, this one definitely holds the potential to eat one's life (for a few weeks at least).

It's pretty much impossible to describe the play of Echo Bazaar in a paragraph or two, but, like any self-respecting MMOG, there's a dedicated Wiki that includes a Getting Started guide and a detailed walkthrough of the the first few actions to get you going.

What's really intriguing about Echo Bazaar is the world-building. It takes place in "Fallen London," a vaguely Victorian underground version of actual London with a touch of steampunk, a touch of Lovecraft, and more than a touch of China Mieville (along with a welcome touch of dark humor). It's also fairly non-linear, giving you the freedom simply to explore or to pursue various of the goals that become available as your experience increases. And, unlike many such games (The Kingdom of Loathing excepted), the writing (presented in small, bite-sized chunks) is typically worth reading (and sometimes quite wonderful).

One element that could put some people off is that Echo Bazaar requires a Twitter account to play. But the developers go to great lengths to assure players that there is never any requirement to involve your account if you don't want to. However, if you do choose to take advantage of the Twitter integration, there are definite advantages to cooperating with friends who are also playing (you must be following each other on Twitter to do so). Personally, I find the Twitter requirement totally benign (and I'm a person who refuses to go anywhere near any Facebook games).

That being said, I did create a separate Twitter account specifically for Echo Bazaar. So, if any of my myriad readers do decide to give it a try, come follow Ariel Hawksquill. Once you've found lodging, perhaps we can help each other out (or compare nightmares).

And if there aren't any posts here for a while, you'll know why.

modern art

2010-05-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

Q: How many performance artists does it take to change a light bulb?

A: I don’t know, I had to leave after four hours.

(the New Shelton wet/dry)

sunset

2010-05-27T01:17:00.000-07:00

Now this is some major league distraction. Made entirely on my iPhone after getting home from work today. Shot with iTimeLapse Pro, edited with ReelDirector, score created with GrooveMaker. On a fucking phone.

(Nice of the weather to cooperate.)

into the moonset

2010-05-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

Probably not quite as awesome as attractive young women kissing, but still an effectively distracting option to ranting about infuriating stuff like this and this. Jeeze.

(via kox patrol)

mini quote of the day (right-wing hypocrite edition)

2010-05-18T17:20:00.000-07:00

Indiana Republican Rep. Mark Souder, evangelical right-wing hypocrite (is that redundant?) and vocal supporter of "family values" and abstinance-only sex education, announced today that he is retiring. Seems that he has been having an affair with a young woman who he first met when she was a guest host on a Christian radio show in 2004, and who he later hired as a part-time staff member.

Souder, who has been married since 1974 and has three grown children, reportedly met his mistress for sex in various Indiana State Parks. And, in another of those death-of-irony moments, a video has surfaced in which Souder is interviewed by his mistress on the value of abstinance-only sex education (although it now seems to have disappeared from YouTube).

In his resignation speech today, Souder said he would be leaving "the poisonous environment of Washington, D.C." to focus on "...renewing my walk with my lord."

He and his lord will no doubt be walking along the Appalachian Trail.

the bed #2

2010-05-16T21:21:00.001-07:00

Previously.

i can hardly wait

2010-05-15T21:54:00.000-07:00

Because we (and by "we," I mean "I") need a break from the constant barrage of disheartening political developments and dispiriting idiocy, that's why. (Probably NSFW.)

(by Ditlev Rosing & Frederik Valentin)

"and throw it back..."

2010-05-14T15:03:00.001-07:00

(by PRIEST, via Wooster Collective)

caleb howe: worst fucking person in the world

2010-05-12T21:14:00.000-07:00

Last week, Roger Ebert, film critic, vocal liberal, cancer survivor, prolific Twitterer, and general all-around good person, posted a tweet critical of some kids in California who decided to provocatively wear American flag shirts on Cinco de Mayo. In response, right-wing blogger Caleb Howe of the conservative site Red State chose to reply via his own Twitter account with a prime example the insightful and well-reasoned debate the right is so well-known for:

What a sad fucking excuse for a human being.

the day slash fiction was born

2010-05-11T01:10:00.000-07:00

(via Retrozone)

tweet of the day

2010-05-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

And the day isn't even half over yet.

More here.

ohio

2010-05-04T15:09:00.000-07:00

Obvious? Yeah. So?

born free

2010-04-30T14:45:00.000-07:00

Brought to you by the Arizona Office of Tourism. (NSFW)

foursquare

2010-04-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

Brand loyalty.

the very definition of meta

2010-04-27T23:35:00.000-07:00

Constantin Film, the German production company responsible for the film Downfall (Der Untergang), the source of the scene of Hitler ranting at the news of his imminent defeat that has become an internet meme with the addition of "new" subtitles, has requested that YouTube remove all of the versions of the scene, claiming that they are an infringement of their copyright. YouTube is apparently complying.

Hitler responds:

the bed

2010-04-24T21:31:00.001-07:00

(click the image for the full size version)

i've lost the will to rant

2010-04-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

Seriously.

However, given that the coming Supreme Court nomination is likely to be the most important and far-reaching act of the Obama presidency, potentially shaping the very direction of our country for a generation to come, I strongly recommend that you read these two posts by Glenn Greenwald:

The case against Elena Kagan

The long, clear, inspiring record of Diane Wood

And just in case you're concerned that your blood pressure is too low, this should solve that problem.

To quote Greenwald quoting John Cole:

The message is clear- you torture people and then destroy the evidence, and you get off without so much as a sternly worded letter.

If you are a whistle blower outlining criminal behavior by the government, you get prosecuted.

As he notes, I guess there're at least some circumstances in which the Obama DOJ is willing to "look backward" after all.

that's entertainment

2010-04-17T23:10:00.000-07:00

forward, not back

2010-04-12T22:21:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken by the documentary photographer Steve Shapiro. It was taken in 1963.

Change?

vatican announces support for science education

2010-04-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

(via QBN)