I’m an unhappy customer after reading The Human Division in its serialized run. It was clear by around episode 8 that Scalzi would not be able to wrap up all the threads of the story, but (no spoilers) the book ends with an epic battle and no resolution of the main plot, and with smoking [...]
Archive for the ‘culture’ Category
Book review: The Human Division, by John Scalzi
Posted in book reviews, culture on April 11, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Michelle Shocked reaps her whirlwind, whines about it
Posted in culture on March 29, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
After her bigoted anti-gay diatribe produced a backlash she didn’t expect, Michelle Shocked thinks she’s the victim. It’s a typical cycle for right-wingers and reactionaries: they spew hate speech, they receive pushback, then they whine about how they are being so terribly repressed. Color me unimpressed. Michelle Shocked staged a sit in outside a Santa [...]
Twelfth Annual Oscar Blogging
Posted in culture on February 24, 2013 | Comments Off
Welcome to the twelfth annual Oscar™ blogging! Multiple Oscar winners: Life of Pi: 4 Argo: 3 Les Misérables: 3 Django Unchained: 2 Lincoln: 2 For those who are unfamiliar with me doing this, you can find previous year’s Oscarblogging at: 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Updates will be (mostly) [...]
State of the Union thoughts
Posted in culture, politics on February 13, 2013 | Comments Off
I’ve seen a fair amount of convention wisdom chatterers (Morning Joe today, among others) complaining that Obama demanding a vote for actions on gun safety and other things “is too small,” and acting incredulous: “That’s all he’s asking for? A vote?” They’re inside the Beltway and pay total attention to politics. They forget most people [...]
Enough, already
Posted in culture on February 4, 2013 | 42 Comments »
I’m fed up with the Aaron Swartz hagiography and subsequent bullshit garment-rending from people who didn’t know him well, or at all. I’m still reading fresh examples of anguished wailing and blogging and Twittering about the guy. But to me, he seems unworthy of the sainthood that’s being thrust onto his corpse. I don’t think [...]
Civility doesn’t come for free; or, hammer the trolls
Posted in culture, technology on January 23, 2013 | 4 Comments »
Normally I don’t claim to be an Internet graybeard, because I tend to hang in circles where there are many people who have been doing this online stuff even longer than me. Still, I’ve been using online communications since the days of 1200 baud modems, which is way longer than most people I run into. [...]
Does Andrew Sullivan really deserve your love?
Posted in culture on January 10, 2013 | 4 Comments »
When Andrew Sullivan announced he was going indie, I saw many approving comments and excited commentary that he was “the future of journalism” and “pointing the way”. Has everyone forgotten? Why are so many dazzled by his current libertarian/pro-Obama stance, one that is so at odds with his many previous stances? I don’t get it. [...]
How do they even survive?
Posted in culture, family, health on December 26, 2012 | 1 Comment »
In the “Jeez, people are stupid” category, I was reminded yet again today how many folks just make you shake your head in amazement. I had a minor surgical procedure done earlier today. No big deal, but I’ve had a bad reaction (agonizing pain) in the past when it was done in the doctor’s office, [...]
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