catching up

It's been too long. You look great, though. Have you done something new with your hair? No. Oh, I know, you've lost weight. No? Those pants are really slimming.

I grabbed some KY and managed to yank my head from my a** and here I am, folks. Next week I'm heading to Geneva (to open up a bank account, buy a knife, eat some chocolate, learn how to yodel, get a new pair of lederhosen and do a little role play with me as Heidi -- pigtails and all). This, of course, means that you will be neglected again, despite my best intentions. I apologize in advance.

So much to talk about, so little time, so I play the lazy blogger game of giving you a shiteload of links to keep you busy. Will you forgive me?

MySpace has finally been getting some good press these days (although I guess Lou Dobbs might disagree), as it has been put to good use in organizing the students who have been walking out of their classrooms and protesting Congress' efforts to criminalize illegal immigrants and their allies (like little old nuns and other deliquents). Though the kids have been sent back to school, their mark has been made. Hopefully, the Senate was paying attention.

More later . . .

shanking your cellmate

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case today about whether or not prison officials can withhold reading or personal materials from inmates as a tactic for behavioral control. This means, according to the AP story, keeping magazines and newspapers, as well as personal photographs, away from the inmate "for months and sometimes years".

The lawyer for the state of Pennsylvania says that,

"It is a matter of common sense that withholding desirable inmate privileges -- as a sanction for misbehavior -- may deter prisoner misconduct and induce behavioral reform."

I'm guessing 1) this guy likes to ground his kids, and 2) they think he's an a**hole.

There's a pretty strong distinction between "deter(ing) "prison misconduct" and "induc(ing) behavioral reform," but even deterrence is a little shakey. They're in prison, they knew commiting a crime could result in them serving time and that obviously didn't work. But "behavioral reform"? Taking away an inmate's family photos and news from the outside world does not seem likely to contribute to the inmate's ability to see the error of his ways. It seems more likely to contribute to him feeling the need to express his need for power and control over his own life in another way (shanking his cellmate sounds like a viable option). I can't argue about the constitutionality of the tactic, but effectiveness?

I know there's at least one of you out there that's likely to have an opinion about this one -- and to bring research to back it up.

plato warned us

I just caught up on last week's Time cover story about "the multitasking generation". You've heard it before: kids sitting in front of their computers, doing their homework, IMing three friends, listening to iTunes and cooking a six course meal. The tales of families who are so absorbed in technology are a little sad, but I'll admit that I am impressed that kids are apparently putting together PowerPoint presentations for their Christmas wish lists.

Those same kids are probably snickering about all of the hullabaloo that adults are making about the technology that has come to define their generation. In fact, there's a great paragraph in the article about this clash.

"Every generation of adults sees new technology -- and the social changes it stirs -- as a threat to the rightful order of things: Plato warned (correctly) that reading would be the downfall of oral tradition and memory. And every generation of teenagers embraces the freedoms an possibilities wrought by technology in ways that shock the elders: just think about what the automobile did for dating."

But cognitive scientists think it is more than just a bunch of parents freaking out about scary news stories about MySpace.com. I took it to heart when I read,

"habitual multitasking may condition their brain to an overexcited state, making it difficult to focus even when they want to."

Last week I had two pretty damn productive days and three that bordered on useless. More often than I should probably admit, I become paralyzed with a hyperawareness of all the information out there that I need to process and act on.

Check out the article. It's worth your time. As an experiment, try doing absolutely nothing else while you're reading it.

Come on, you can do it.

yuck

Barbara Bush sure loves her boys.

There's an AP story out this morning that says that the white-haired matriarch insisted that a donation she made in the name of hurricane relief be used to buy software from her son Neil's company. There are no denials from her spokespeople. Nope, her husband's chief of staff, Jean Becker, says that Mrs. Bush is just a really proud mom and "enthusiastic" about the software.

keep on moving

Despite the fact that he doesn't use email, apparently even President Bush thinks that blogs are a valid way to get the word out. He's calling on supporters of the war in Iraq to voice their opinion -- and support others who share it -- by "reach(ing) out to the groups that are supporting the troops, that got Internet sites (his destruction of the English language -- not mine) and just keep the word moving."

renewing my subscription

Forget Anderson Cooper. My news channel crush is Josh Rushing from Al Jazeera International. The latest issue of Fast Company came in the mail yesterday emblazoned with "This is your last issue! Subscribe again today!" and they may have just convinced me to resubscribe with the cover photo of Josh. I've written about him before. Josh is the former U.S. Marine (serving as a press attache to General Tommy Franks) who was featured in the documentary about Al Jazeera, The Control Room, who resigned his commission and signed up with Al Jazeera last September. Since then, the crazies have been calling Josh a traitor for taking the new gig. Apparently we only want Karen Hughes informing the Arab world about the U.S. perspective.

Josh is not going to be promoting terrorism. H*ll, he's spreading democracy, just like George W. Remember, freedom of the press? An informed public?

I guess that wasn't what they meant.

i've reconsidered

Mr. and Mrs. Smith finally made it to the top of my Netflix queue and I think I may be reconsidering my tolerance for Brangelina. Fine, fine, they love each other and, yes, I admire their politics and Angelina's philanthropy. But the fact that they made the decision to make that movie? The fact that the entire point of the movie was for them to be sexy? It was CRAP. Angelina was CRAP. Obviously she's hot, but the "I'm so horny I'm going to hump the furniture," look on her face throughout the second half of the movie was more of an embarrassment than a turn on. Angelina, make us believe that your desire to make good movies is more potent than your desire to screw your leading men and I'll be back in your camp. But, for now, I'm joining Team Aniston.

playing grown up

I think of DC as a town filled with people playing grown up. Occasionally, it's almost literal: kids just out of college wearing cheap, ill-fitting suits that make them look like they just came down from the attic after a game of "dress up". They don't want to break the rules. The people that come here to DC have a belief in "the system"; it has worked for them (whether it's because they were born into privilege or because they figured out how to manipulate it) and now they want to work for it. It is a broader group than the kids that come to town to march up to the Hill and make photocopies. It's all around you. Even the little lefties that sign up to work for the well-meaning nonprofits and PAC's believe in the system. They might reject the current administration, but they think it's worth their time to try to change it and to put in someone "better". And they aim to change it according to the rules of those who have come before them.

Apparently it's not just DC. Apparently, I have been deluding myself into thinking that generational change will make so much of what is considered to be "new" today in the media (and trendy and, therefore, easy for the old folks to ignore) commonplace once we can remove the carcasses that block the doorways.

But, alas, perhaps I was being overly optimistic.

Paul Conley, via Jeff Jarvis, shares a less than hopeful tale of today's journalism students, after a visit to a college media conference.

"Teachers told me over and over again that their students were adamantly opposed to converging news operations at their schools. The print kids don't like the TV kids; the Web kids don't like the print kids, etc. The 'cultures' don't mix, so the products don't mix and the students don't develop multimedia skills. Remarkably, as one teacher pointed out, few print students actually 'lived' in the world of old media. They all owned iPods. They snap photos with cell phones, communicate with Instant Messenger and join social-networking sites. Yet they expect to work in some sort of old-fashioned land of ink and paper."

Jarvis thinks it's time for people to "tear up their business cards" because "all media are new today."

I couldn't agree more.

But when you look around, with the "old" being pushed and prioritized, it's no wonder that the kiddies are prioritizing it as well. They have the ideas and they have the know-how, but the people in charge have yet to validate what they know and so the young ones don't even realize that they are the experts. And too many of them think that the only way to get ahead is to play by the rules, versus making their own.

too much sh*t

I feel like I spend way too much time justifying blogs and, hell, the entire online universe these days. Some people just have their heads up their a** and there is nothing I can do for them. They will simply fade away, like the dinosaurs. (Bye bye.) But, for others, there is hope.

Unfortunately, as I've mentioned in the past, when forced to justify, the natural inclination is to get a little high-falootin' and start talking about the magic of social networking and opportunities for free and uncensored expression. Blah blah blah.

But sometimes, folks, the magic of the Internet is that there is a whole bunch of stupid sh*t out there that will just make you laugh. And who doesn't need or want to laugh from time to time?

(I know I do.)

And, this, my friends, made me laugh (a subtle snicker/chuckle/guffaw, but a laugh nevertheless).

Thanks to Boing Boing for the heads up.

go away

Those of you think this whole social networking phenom is just a big pain in the a** will appreciate isolatr as much as I do.

You know, sometimes we don't need to have any more friends, we don't need to find other people who share our interests and, yes, sometimes we lose touch with people because we never really liked them in the first place.

So there.

I'm kidding. Ha ha. Love that social networking. Can't get enough of it. Want it all day and every night.

(P.S. I forgot to thank Boing Boing for this one. Sorry, folks.)

talking trash

This is just lame. Annie Prouix, the author of Brokeback Mountain, is still kvetching about the fact that Crash won the Best Picture Oscar. She's even stooping low enough to call the winning film "Trash". Get over yourself, Ms. Prouix. You're not doing anyone any favors and you're not winning any fans. Belittling racism as a relevant and contemporary issue and putting yourself up on a pedestal is not becoming.

And Michael Douglas will be joining Ms. Prouix in hell. Forget that, he's going to have his own special VIP room in the burning pits. Please tell me he didn't really say this.

avoid this place

If you're in DC and looking for a place to have a nice meal, skip Viridian at 14th and P. Lovely space and, at least tonight, quiet enough to enable you to have a real conversation with the person with whom you are seated. But the food was astoundingly bland -- from the complimentary carrot soup starter to the white bean pate and pureed caramelized onions served with the bread basket. With all three, I felt like I had just raided the baby food aisle. The arugula salad was skimpy -- every element (beyond the arugula) was too neglible in size to have any impact (pecan pellets) and the oyster mushroom soup was ridiculously salty. The brussel sprouts were actually pretty good, although they could have used slightly less oil. And the raspberry cheesecake? Yeah, sorry, folks, that was NOT cheesecake. Not even close. The server recommended the flourless chocolate cake. Perhaps we should have reconsidered.

smile and say cheese

Thanks to ABC News for pointing me in the direction of Holla Back New York City. That creepy guy on the street that just told you that he liked your tits? I finally understand the value of a camera phone. Take a picture and post it to Holla Back. The pig may not necessarily come across his photo any time soon, but at least you'll feel like you may have contributed, ever so slightly, to making him feel as exposed as he made you feel.

rat f*ckers

60 Minutes had an interesting segment tonight about research that suggests that there is a physiological justification for homosexuality. While the scene of the lab rat taking it up the ass repeatedly is a bit much (including the stunned facial expression - if rats can have stunned facial expressions, this one had one), the hero of the story is 9 year old Adam, who apparently has "extreme gender nonconformity". Adam wears pretty nail polish, has a lovely pink canopy on his bed and he thinks he was meant to be a girl. In the room next door, his twin brother Jared is also playing with dolls, but his come armed with Uzis.

Adam is sweet and, perhaps I am putting a little too much weight on his shoulders, but he's also a really hopeful sign about how fabulous the world could be if we just gave kids -- and big people -- the space to be who they are and to be proud of who they are. While his dad doesn't show up in the story, Adam's mom seems committed to doing just that -- giving Adam his space. Someone had to give the thumbs up to his decorating choices. Someone had to buy him that nail polish.

Here's how Adam sees it:

"I was supposed to be a girl in my mom's stomach. But my mom wished for all boys. So, I turned into a boy," Adam explained.

Asked if he wished he was a girl, Adam nodded.

"Do you think there was anything that you could have done that would have changed Adam?" Stahl asked Adam and Jared's mom Danielle.

"I could have changed Adam on the outside to where he would have showed me the macho boy that I would want as a boy. But that would not change who he is inside. And I think that would have damaged him a lot more," she said.

Stahl asked both boys if they are proud of the way they are, and both boys gave her big nods.

"Yup," Adam replied.

P.S. Dan pointed out to me that this post, well, had no point. I think I wrote it when I was falling asleep. Unfortunately, now I am trying to fix it, but I am falling asleep again.

What the h*ll was my point? Oh yeah, disturbing images of rats being raped anally, countered by somewhat endearing conversation with a little boy who is more well-adjusted than I'll ever be.

Go to sleep, abf.

Going to sleep.

the slide

I am one of those to blame for the demise of The West Wing. I stopped watching it religiously about two seasons ago, or maybe more. But I'll be watching reruns on Bravo for years to come (over and over). I watched the show tonight and it's just so damn good. And the key slide across the table by Donna? If I can't have Josh Lyman (because he is, after all, fictional), she should. Okay, Amy is probably more his speed, but Josh and Donna have been sniffing each other's crotches for years. Go get 'em, Donna.

a good thing

I just came across the blog maintained by Grey's Anatomy's writers (via an LA Times article) about the show's fans. It's good stuff. Does it have a precedent? If not, hopefully it will become a precedent. What a great way to build viewer loyalty, to bring the show's biggest fans even further into the fold. And, well, the fact that these folks are writers by profession makes the blog a damn fine read.

friday blues

Have you seen the new Lisa Loeb show on the Style Network? It's all about her search for a man to love. She's adorable. She was/is friends with Ethan Hawke. She can play a guitar. Maybe it just gives me comfort to know that when I'm old and alone, maybe I can call Lisa to come over and sing a song for me.

Ooo, I'm feeling whiney. And, yes, it is Friday night and, yes, I am writing on my blog. Shoot me now and take me out of my misery.

I have been so busy that I have neglected to call the cable company to upgrade my service and renew my HBO subscription. This means that I will miss this Sunday's premiere of The Sopranos. Poor me. I will tide myself over with this review of episode one from The New York Times.

Despite the fact that Wonkette is pretty crap these days (both before and after the departure of Ana Marie Cox), their rebuttal to Ann Coulter's rather lame tear-down of George Clooney is worthy of a read.

making me angry

A men's organization in Michigan has filed a lawsuit in an effort to exempt men from financial responsibility for unwanted children. That in itself is offensive. I mean, if you don't want to have a child, wear a condom. Don't presume that the woman is responsible for preventing pregnancy. You think condoms suck? Have you read the list of side effects that come with birth control pills recently?

But it gets even more offensive. Just days after South Dakota passes a law to ban abortion - inevitably leading to a showdown in the Supreme Court - these cocksuckers have named their lawsuit "Roe v. Wade for Men".

Let' see. Writing a monthly check. Carrying another human being INSIDE YOUR BODY FOR NINE MONTHS. Not quite the same thing, a**holes. Cry me a f*cking river. Keep your d*ck in your pants or wrap up and, if things go wrong, take responsibility for the fact that you prioritized shooting your load over the possibility that it was going to cost you some cash in the future.

Grrrrrrrrrr.

wash your hands first

Bush's decision to accuse Congress of being skimpy on funding to rebuild the Gulf Coast is nothing less than pathetic. Your hands aren't clean, Mr. President. Don't embarrass yourself.

Let me tell you what else is in the Post this morning before I jump into the shower . . .

Read the A2 article about a recent study that suggests that the increase in HIV prevalence among African Americans directly mirrors the rise in the proportion of African American men in the prison population. While other studies have said that half of all men in prison have sex with other men, all but one state (good old Vermont) ban the distribution of condoms behind prison walls.

Then, with four days until the season premiere of The Sopranos, read the kinda sad (and strangely reminiscent of the recent New York magazine cover story) article about the actors whose characters have been killed off by producer David Chase (the real mob boss). Five years later, John Fiore -- whose character, Gigi, died while taking a crap -- is still bitter. Sure, not the most glamorous way to go, John, but I think it's time to get over it.

today's Post

Today's front page Post story about Harold Ickes' plans to start a firm dedicated to collecting data on Democratic voters is not a good sign. It's not that Dems don't need to invest some serious cash (George Soros, progressives favorite john, is providing the loot) in order to catch up with Republicans' ability to use technology to mobilize the grassroots. Of course they do. But "a vote of no confidence" for the DNC's ability to take the lead in developing and managing the technology -- with an adequate infusion of cash -- is a real problem. There's more to this story and, as the Post suggests, it probably has something to do with Ickes' role in getting Hillary Rodham Clinton back into the White House.

Luckily, the Republicans are splintering in their own special way. Turn the page for Dana Milbank's take on an event on Tuesday at the conservative think tank, the Cato Institute. Andrew Sullivan and Bruce Bartlett, former aide to Ronald Reagan, both think that the Bush Administration has betrayed conservatives. In fact, said Bartlett, "If Bush were running today against Bill Clinton, I'd vote for Clinton."

Can someone please tell me why Tom DeLay won yesterday's GOP primary in Texas? I mean, beyond the fact that it's Texas?

jake's bikes

Jake comes through once again.

Check out his bikes!

(I told you I would share them if he sent pictures to me.)

no conspiracy

I'm not the only one who is feeling a little let down about the fact that Brokeback Mountain did not win last night. But I'm not sure that I'm going to buy into the conspiracy theories just yet. Come on, folks, Crash won. Not Chronicles of Narnia. It wasn't about Christian America stomping all over the poofters.

I think I need a picture of Heath to make me feel better.

for Jake

This is a present for Jake. (Thanks, BoingBoing.)

The rest of you can share in the bounty.

I could have just sent it straight to Jake, but he hasn't made an appearance here in a while and I like to give him the spotlight.

Jake, by the way, builds amazing bicycles, although I do not believe he has built one that rides on railroad tracks. But he could if he wanted to, I'm sure. If he sent me photos of his bicycles, I would share them with you.

the morning after

I like Susie Bright's take on Oscar fashion. Comes to you via The Huffington Post.

ryan's hope

I got tired. Crash won. Consolation prize for Terrence Howard and Matt Dillon, but mostly for Ryan Phillipe, who is doing his best to avoid his destiny as a much hotter version of Chad Lowe.

And we all know what happened to Chad Lowe.

ruff ruff

Seeing the clips, I really think Joaquin was absolutely amazing. You know it's not Johnny, but you think Johnny might just be pumping through his veins.

(But, I still love me some Heath.)

I'll be okay with any of them, but I'm guessing that Terrance Howard's speech would be the most awful.

Is Philip going to bark the acceptance speech?

(He didn't bark.)

My commentary is about as deep as a wading pool.

it's hard out here

"A whole lot of WITCHES jumpin' ship."

Okay. Let's take a vote. Are you more offended by the use of the word "bitch" or the fact that they just turned a hip hop song into something that resembles Rob Lowe's song and dance routine with Snow White, circa 1989?

(They won!)

i wish

I wish Lily Tomlin and Meryl Streep really were as high as they appear to be.

G-d bless ya, Robert Altman.

ignoring the important stuff

Sorry, not doing much blogging about the awards. Just feeling excessively grumpy about this charger issue. I can really ride something to death, can't I?

Rachel Weisz. I saw The Constant Gardener and thought she was pretty great, although not as great as Danny Huston. But Michelle Williams -- or Amy Adams -- was who I really wanted to win.

nip and tuck

I just spent the weekend with my family, which means I thought about what I am going to look like as I get older (it's been on my mind more than it should be). I'm not saying I'm going to start to save up for surgery just yet, but I think I am getting closer to understanding what it is that compels women to nip and tuck and inject and lift.

Dolly Parton's singing, which might have something to do with why the thought above just occurred to me.

bad word of mouth

I just called housekeeping because they didn't call me. Yeah, they didn't find it. I really really really hate incompetence.

So, if you're ever in New York and you need a place to stay DON'T stay at The Time Hotel at 8th Avenue and 49th Street. I know I never will again.

By the way, I am proud to be out of touch as well, Mr. Clooney.

jake, i can't quit you

Okay, that was funny (Bjork joke).

Still no call from housekeeping . . .

First award goes to . . . George Clooney. Wow.

(I wanted it to go to Jake.)

ha ha

The first Brokeback Mountain joke of the night.

And, um, the first child molestation joke of the night . . .

hooray for hollywood

Oscar night. I'm in my pajamas waiting for housekeeping to call me back to tell me whether or not they have the adaptor for my Blackberry that I left in my room the other night. I'm already brewing for a fight if they tell me they don't . . .

I am also listening to the sound of the elevator through my wall. This may be the last time I ever stay in this hotel. I'm getting grumpier by the second.

fly by

Sorry, folks, I only have time for a fly by this morning. I've been on the road and busy and just a touch disorganized. Now, I am heading to my grandmother's for the weekend for her 90th birthday and won't be able to post again until Sunday. But I'll give you my full attention then.

Or, my full attention while watching the Academy Awards.

In the meantime, do everything in your power not to see what the double EE's look like while jogging when you check out the Shockometer. I tried, but quickly descended into my normal state of juvenile behavior. (It came to me via Daddy Types, which is a reflection of a new work project and not a new fetish.)

Someone sent me an email with this recent article about ITunes in the Post with the subject line "Blog this," which left me feeling a bit like a show dog who has been given a biscuit and asked to sit -- so don't do that anymore. If you think something is worthy of being written about, WRITE ABOUT IT.

Anyway, what do I think about the article? It's about the iMix function on iTunes and the impact that it is having -- and will continue to have -- on online music sales. Basically, it's a way to share that great mixed tape you made with a whole hell of a lot more people than before.

(Of course, there's something about that perfect mix that you made for someone you were gaga for that just shouldn't go any further than from you to him. I've had a couple of tapes -- yes, tapes, I did live and breathe in the 80's and 90's -- that I would have liked to break in after hours -- a la Laverne and Shirley -- to get back so I could destroy the evidence.)

It's a great example of word of mouth happening in a way that benefits the online music stores in terms of volume, but leaves the old school music industry scratching their head wondering how in the h*ll they're going to sell CD's or even promote individual songs.

"This CD contains at least four songs that perfectly capture the heartwrenching experience of getting a divorce, along with three songs that are great soundtracks to the first time you sleep with someone else after 15 years of bad sex with your ex-husband."

Yeah, not so much.

The focus of the article is on people who are making iMixes that reflect the loss of a child. In addition to finding great music that captures their feelings, they are also finding each other and building a community in a way that I don't think Apple intended. Harvard researchers (they are always from Harvard) have looked at the phenomenon:

"Instead of primarily disc jockeys and music videos shaping how we view music, we have a greater opportunity to hear from each other. These tools allow people to play a greater role in shaping culture, which, in turn, shapes themselves. In this way, recommendation tools encourage music fans to engage in expressive acts, becoming creators."

More when I get back from Grandma's.

welcome, hammer

You know, I was going to make a snide comment about the fact that MC Hammer is now blogging (note, it is "MC Hammer" and not "Hammer" -- he's going back to his roots, old school style).

But I'm not going to do so. He loves his son, does benefit shows for Katrina victims and has bad dreams about getting the sh*t beat out of him by racist cops, circa 1968.

Let the man talk.

Thanks to Random Culture for the heads up. (And for getting the "Please, Hammer, don't blog this," and "You can't blog this" jokes out of the way for all of us.)