I'm the operator of my pocket calculator

[Doctor Rock]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZt64_XOflk[/youtube]

I wonder how much Kraftwerk influenced Devo... And vice-versa. 

[Doctor Rock]

I am actually very interested in science fiction, whereas you could not pay me enough to get me to read fantasy. GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH... I never finished any Tolkein as a kid. Swords & sandals shit never interested me. Goblins, faeries, hobbits, dwarves, dragons, wizards, etc. do absolutely nothing for me. I have difficulty enough containing my laughter when I find myself swimming in the psychobabble deluges of some Star Trek episodes. I need to be interested in the philosophical arguments, the character, the motivations, the existential ramifications for the human individual, etc. because all the silly made up words in the world are not going to keep me 'entertained'. I like to think about and feel what I immerse myself in and I find finicky detail and goofy, meaningless technical jargon very distracting. I could not even bear to watch the Lord of the Rings movies. I just don't give a shit about the predicament thes characters are in.   

I read Lord of The Rings, which I thought was thought was kind of boring.  Middle-brow stuff.  I actually enjoyed the movies way more than the books.  Yes, I like the Lord of the Rings movies.   

There's two fantasy cycles that I like quite a lot: the Earthsea cycle, by Ursula Le Guyn, and the Discworld cycle, by Terry Pratchet.  The Earthsea stories are really well written: unlike the Harry Potter shit, the magic in Earthsea has a logic to it, and you can actually suspend disbelief quite easily. The Discworld stories are actually a parody of fantasy stories and the conventions of the genre.  I think that anyone that hates fantasy will enjoy the Discworld stories. 

What is your take on High vs. Low Fantasy? Again, I know very little about this other than the former is more cerebral (or endeavors to be) and the latter is more straight fantasy.

Unless I have them confused.

I have no take on it, as I didn't know there was such a distinction. 

Wikipedia to the rescue: 

Low fantasy: Low fantasy is an umbrella term, describing various works within different sub-genres of fantasy, to contrast specific works with high fantasy. Though a very vague term, features that may indicate low fantasy downplaying of epic or dramatic aspects; includes de-emphasising magic; real-world settings; favouring of realism, cynical storytelling; and dark fantasy. The archetypal example of low fantasy would be a story taking place in a historical setting where the protagonists lack magic, and where conventional fantasy elements especially typical fantasy species such as elves or dwarves, are lacking.

High fantasy:  High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy fiction that is set in invented or parallel worlds. Built upon the platform of a diverse body of works in the already very popular fantasy genre, high fantasy came to fruition through the work of authors such as C. S. Lewis and, foremost, J. R. R. Tolkien, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s. While it is far from being the oldest fantasy subgenre, high fantasy, along with sword and sorcery, has become one of the two genres most commonly associated with the general term fantasy. 

[Doctor Rock]

Eh, I still don't have a take on it.  Like music, I divide books into "books I like" and "books I don't like".  I have no trouble getting into high or low fantasy.  The Earthsea cycle, for instance, would probably be placed in the high fantasy category.  If I think it's good, I think it's good. 

[Doctor Rock]

Hobo Wars!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1JIa5r5nkE[/youtube]

[Doctor Rock]

You guys know about this, right? 

Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon’s Hidden Hand

I'm kinda surprised there hasn't been more outrage about it... Anyway, I just want to let you know that the administration has made the standard transition from “we don’t illegally manipulate the news” to “of course we did that, why are you still making a fuss about this old story“.  They pulled a similar spin with the torture allegations...

Q The White House has denied that it knew about the Pentagon program that used TV military analysts --

MR. STANZEL: We've been through this before. Do you have a question?

Q Yes. There's something new. Last week emails surfaced that showed that Pentagon officials, including Donald Rumsfeld, communicated with White House officials, including Karl Rove and Stephen Hadley, about the program. One email written by a Pentagon official mentioned that Rove was approached about arranging a meeting between the military analysts and the President --

MR. STANZEL: Your question is?

Q My question is, what was the nature and extent of the involvement of Karl Rove, Stephen Hadley and President Bush in the military analyst program?

MR. STANZEL: Well, the idea that people in the administration would brief people who are talking to reporters about our programs and our policies doesn't seem like to be that far-fetched of an idea to me. So in terms of the emails, I haven't been monitoring the staff emails here, so I can't tell you what their conversations were like. But it's not unusual for administration officials to brief people who are talking about our plans and our policies. Much like I'm standing here today, briefing all of you --

Q Right, and why was the program kept secret?

MR. STANZEL: -- and much like I'm standing here answering your question, and you go out on your liberal blog and talk about the way that you see things; we brief people who talk about the President's policies.

Q Why was the program kept secret?

MR. STANZEL: You can talk to the Defense Department. It was their program -- which they've discontinued.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/05/20080519-2.html

[Doctor Rock]

Yeah, it's early, I'm up, and I'm bored...

[bebopbalogna]

i woke up in a pretty bad mood.  then realized k__ left with MY cigarettes (almost full pack) and left me with HERS (4 left).  and i'm broke and have to work all day and night (museum and restaurant) and will need more than 4 cigarettes today (3 now).  but then i got in my car and charlie mingus comes on the ipods and gets me all the way too work.  now i'm in a great mood!    go figure.

[bebopbalogna]

this thread is not so easy to find. 

[bebopbalogna]

and yes, the pentagon's media manipulation program should be pissing more people off. i think this is a case of people not being surprised by anything this administration pulls anymore, and is willing to just stay mum knowing it will all be over soon. (although the effects will be felt for years).  i'm just hoping that once these guys are out, (and therefore no longer privy to "executive privilege" and the like)  someone has the scrote to hold them all accountable.  i'm not sure obama has what it takes, though.  it would interfere with his "new kind of politics".  it's gonna take a senator or congressman with balls. 

[full blown possession]

Eh, I still don't have a take on it.  Like music, I divide books into "books I like" and "books I don't like".  I have no trouble getting into high or low fantasy.  The Earthsea cycle, for instance, would probably be placed in the high fantasy category.  If I think it's good, I think it's good. 

 

i really enjoy your humor also

this thread is not so easy to find. 

 

[bebopbalogna]

ok. got it.  recent threads have their own box under the sub-categories in the main room.  you have to scroll down to find em.  (head spinning)

[bebopbalogna]

anybody happen to see this guy last night?  as we were watching the pistons-celtics game, we would flip through the channels during commercials and were lucky enough to catch this guy.  fucking a-mazing.  part pop-lock breakdance, part mime, part contortionist.  blew my mind.  at various points i could swear his head was floating around using some cgi shit or something.  anyway, for all you breakdance fans,  here's a healthy dose of boogaloo....

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=0VNO4m7qip0[/youtube]

[captqitn]

whoah.   dudes arms are wiggin me, y'all.

[Tripp]

he's the Arm-Wigga.

[matthew]

You guys know about this, right? 

Yep.

Kurt first weighed in with this blurb from Internet Movie Database, which refers to the Ne

I posted an article speaking of the complicity of the media in keeping the revelations of their own complicity silenced. This commentary contains a link to the original documents cited in the New York Times story.

Then an article concerning the legal aspect.

And then the original article itself.

At the very least everyone should listen to the brief synopsis in this video slideshow: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/04/20/washington/20080419_RUMSFELD.html