Logging

TV: East of Eden

I don't understand the glowing reviews. Opening episode is cringe on its own terms. But the true flaw is the contempt for the original work. Turned a biblical epic into a millennial attempt at romance fiction. I needed to return to the book to remember why the Cathy character was so memorable...and indeed they screw the pooch with her depiction. They turn her from a monster into a victim. But the plot only makes sense when she's a monster. This is a character who we learn at age 16 murders her parents because they begin to deduce what trouble she is and want to restrict her freedom. A pure wolf in sheep's clothing. But in the show, she's a victim of abuse and grooming and awkward male longing...and then she kills her parents because her father spanked her. Huh? What? I was completely baffled by this choice given how she's portrayed in the show. I mean, totally crazy and nonsensical. And then...oh god...then they seem to be doing this thing about her and Charles being in love. Good lord. This is a character who from an early age discovers she can use sexuality for power. What a fascinating discovery! But no...they underplay this at every turn...she uses sexuality as a survival skill. Much worse. Many other deviations in the work, all of which make the character work more shallow. Charles intends to kill Adam one night, but can't find him. Gone. Adam discovers prior to his death that his father is a fraud and hence, he becomes a wayward soul but in the show, he only discovers this after his father's death and so his waywardness makes even less sense. I grasp some of these developments may be not so easy to dramatize for the screen but it gets me wondering why adapt East of Eden at all...

My guess is Florence Pugh and Zoey Kazan could not relate to Cathy or perhaps lacked the imagination to. They don't know what Werner Herzog calls the "ecstasy of evil". Read more male authors.

AI Doom

Now I'm more worried about AI engineers than the AI. 

I'm Telling You

The people building AI are insane. Several reports say that AI engineers are taking up smoking as a signal they believe AI will cure cancer.  Video link here.

If someone takes up smoking, it should be for any of the following reasons

1) It's cool

2) It will help them get laid

3) It makes them think better

4) It allows them to chill out

5) It's fun

But the fact they are doing it to show "their chips are all in" on the thing they are building is downright psychotic. These people are going to all end up on rafts floating down the river covered with tiny rainforest monkeys. 

AI

If you saw some of the stuff I saw with AI, you would sell your stocks and run for the exits. Warren Buffett would be outta here.

Psycho

These are the types of people building AI. I don't know what to say, but maybe I'll let them speak for themselves (or at least with a little AI help):

We opted for surrogacy, because while it felt worthwhile to take time away from work to care for our child, it didn’t feel worthwhile to take time and energy for pregnancy and birth (something I always found horrifying in the first place). The journey was long and annoying,4 but we eventually hired a wonderful lady who became pregnant with a little boy last spring.

 

Moron

This El-Sayed character seems to think the US should basically not support our friends and allies in the world. He phrases it like "involve ourselves in conflicts," but if we don't involve ourselves, the rest of the world will shape the order to their desire. And we should stand by and just do nothing? This man is a lunatic - unclear whether a total idiot or actually malicious. In practical terms, it makes no difference. 

Hamas on 10/7

In hindsight, he questions the timing of it but not the act. Good to know. He also cites the figure of 1 million Algerians sacrificed to decolonize. Interesting that they use Algeria as the model. Someone should point out - the French had a country to return to. Israelis do not. Terrible strategic logic. 

9/11 and 10/7

Super clarifying moments. There are people who want us dead. They lived far away on 9/11 and used an ingenious move to get some of us. Now they live among us, and thankfully, so far, they are too cowardly to act on their own and just want to cheerlead. But they are working their way up to it. The rest of us should remain ready. 

Zidane

GOAT.

Poor Folks

A bunch of old blue dog democrat Michigan Jews discuss being unable to fathom voting for Sayed. 

Obama campaigns for the guy. Tells you what you need to know.

If Only There Were Signs

Palestinian flags were everywhere at the Paris protest.

Nobody pays attention to history - the Palestinians tried to take Israel, Lebanon, and Jordan and were subsequently expelled from all of these places. Nobody in France bothered to pay attention, I suppose...

In fact, you might say the Palestinian flag doesn't represent a nationalist movement at all, but rather resistance for its own sake. Anarchy. Imagine if Palestine were a state...oh wait...we can. It's called Gaza.

Worries

Definitely more worried about Russian plagues, the Young Socialists turning our cities into dumpster fires, Iranian missiles and terrorist attacks, and psychotic women worming their way into my family than AI doom.

Communication

Have tools like Slack and document comments improved or worsened workplace communication? Seems worse than I remember...

Student Riots in France

Maybe the US obsession with youth sports is better than the alternatives.

You Don't Hate the Media/Liberal World Enough 

LA Times reports on this Bay Area story about Chinese in-laws shooting the "husband" of their daughter in a custody battle.

Because the "husband" is trans, the children are only biologically related to one of these parents. Yet, the article makes it seem as though both parents are parents. They aren't. And they don't mention which parent is the biological parent or if the kids are adopted, for example. Totally preposterous.

Logging

Film: 28 Years Later and 28 Years Later Bone Temple

I suppose it's interesting that they're shooting these films on iPhones and treating them like a Marvel Universe, but very little of the character stuff makes any sense to me. In Bone Temple they do this new move I can't stand, the "sympathy for the monster" - as seen in Frankenstein, Predator, King Kong...  The moral imagination of Hollywood today is pretty slim. If someone had the balls, they'd just get it over with and make a sympathetic Nazi movie.

Plane Hijacking

If any country in the world had to deal with what Israel deals with, it would react similarly.

Only country in the world where, for 75+ years, you've had about a billion folks and their governments lining up to voluntarily kill you. 

You'll notice a big "no comment" all day with the folks who only want to talk about Israel, Palestine, genocide, and Netanyahu. Fascinating. 

I Stand By Klobuchar  

I supported Klobuchar in 2016 and stand by my endorsement!

It's very hard for a Democrat to keep their head these days and she seems like she's managed to do so.