Colleges

Helping the students who don't need financial aid.

The Best Pitcher in the American League

40 years old.  300lbs.  Coming off a 50 game PED suspension.  Only throws fastballs at about 90mph.  13-3 with 2.52 era.  One thing baseball has that other sports doesn't -- stories like these.

Quiet Deflation

Of Social Media.  The venture capital is drying up.  There goes the profit!

A's

The A's are doing it again.

Best dollar for dollar organization in baseball.  Easily.

A Father's Sad Truth

Dreams are important, but so is money.

I'd file that one under: no duh.

Why Were Eddie Murphy Vehicles So Good?

I've been thinking about "The Heat" because I thought it was quite bad (and gets worse the more I think about it), and yet everyone I talk to seems to like i.  I think it boils down to whether you like Melissa McCarthy or not.  I'm not a fan, I realized.  I hate her self-pitying attempts at emotion.  She can play gross out funny, but that's it.  My favorite role for her is the side character in Bridesmaids because she is simply comic relief.

The Heat is an engine for McCarthy.  Many Hollywood film are simply engines to watch stars we like.  I think back to all the great Eddie Murphy movies from 1982-Harlem Nights: 48 Hours, Trading Places,  The Golden Child, Beverly Hills Cop, and Coming to America.

From a business perspective, these were all Eddie Murphy vehicles.  Sure, in the first two they paired him with someone - Nolte and Aykroyd - just like they did with McCarthy with Bullock.  And maybe I just like Eddie Murphy better than Melissa McCarthy, but I think there is a qualitative difference in all of those movies versus The Heat (except perhaps Golden Child) above and beyond the difference between Murphy and McCarthy.  The scripts were downright good.  I dunno, it feels like times have changed.

Funny

My child is gifted.  He's also 29, unemployed, and living in my basement.

This letter is like conservative catnip.  I almost cannot believe it is real.

 2) You greatly exaggerate the importance of “chores.” Also, the idea that a kid should be forced to “get a job” is abhorrent. My son was very gifted so we gave him all the tools to succeed academically. This meant we didn’t turn him into slave labor and we certainly didn’t tell him he needed to go work behind a cash register. He concentrated on his school work, and we did our job as parents and financially supported him. 

 3) It’s easy to mock a “30 year old who lives with is parents.” My son is almost 29 and he’s been home with us since he graduated. Unfortunately the job market isn’t the greatest (maybe you hadn’t heard) and I’m not going to let him starve on the street. He has a college education, it’s pointless for him to be out working in a retail store or some other menial job. I will be here for him until he is able to get the job he deserves.

How To End Global Warming

A real simple plan to end global warming - a carbon tax.

And then you rebate the money back to people via an income tax discount.

I could easily be talked into scrapping the entire IRS code and replacing it with a simple progressive income tax a second grader could understand and then complement it with various consumption taxes to "nudge" certain society-wide benefits like lowering carbon emissions.

Mission Creep

When everything is terrorism.

Yes.  This is a huge problem.  We've suddenly let any crime or foolish threat become labeled "terrorism."  Even the Boston Bombing, which was legitimately terrorism is getting blown way out of proportion by calling it "a weapon of mass destruction."  Total mission creep.

I think we made a major mistake in framing this as a "war on terrorism," as opposed to a war on Islamic Fundamentalism -- or perhaps even a war against Sunni Fundamentalism or Salafists or even just Al Queda the organization.  Of course, we needed to do this framing because of politically correct language and our fear to lump all Muslims together.  Never mind that it is completely accurate and exactly what was going on.  Forgot the truth.  Forget the fact that these people concerned with political correctness reveal their utter ignorance in defining the problem this way in the first place.  They are the one's lumping Muslims together.  They are the one's who think everyone is incapable of distinguishing. So dumb.

Paranoia

I spoke with a college buddy last night on the phone.  We connect every three months or so.  Then, this morning I get a LinkedIn invite from him.  I know he didn't initiate, nor I.  I write screenplays he is a doctor.  There is no need for a LinkedIn connection.  So my question is this:  coincidence or does LinkedIn somehow have access to AT&T information or our cell phone conversation?  It seems to me a pretty big coincidence that the day after we spoke (out of speaking every 90 days or so), LinkedIn would see fit to for us to become friends.

I dunno.  Am I being paranoid?

Intern Error

The funny (and racist) practical joke regarding the Asian pilot names was the result of intern error.

Interns.

I'm not sure the solution to this problem, but in case it isn't obvious, technology has rendered the need for a lot fewer employees in low margin businesses like news, movies, government gigs, etc.  But technology cannot yet answer the phone and fact check, etc, and these jobs are falling to interns.  These internships ARE NOT educational.  They build job skills, yes, but they are not educational.  We used to have an employment system which trained people on the job.  In Hollywood, companies use interns to do menial work and in exchange they learn some basic skill sets that are useful for securing low paid assistant jobs.  This is not educational, in my opinion.  I learn soccer skills by playing pick up, but I don't consider this educational.  Someone can learn to work a cash register -- but that isn't educational -- it is a technical skill.  My point is this:  interns are being ripped off in multiple ways.  They are being ripped off by the companies who use them to perform menial tasks.  They are being even more ripped off by the schools who take their parents money (or worse, borrowed loans) for credit.  This is a huge scandal.

There is a culture in Hollywood and government jobs to do summer or school internships.  In truth, no one designing these programs are trying to manipulate any one given individual.  The companies and places who hire interns don't have the money to employ a full time person.  But the problem is - jobs in these industries are highly skilled and someone needs to learn how to do them.  But there is not enough money out there to train people on the job.  The intern-assistant road is a the work around.  In some ways, it works.  It weeds out people.  But if you ask me, it is a highly immoral system.  If anything, I could see them retaining summer internships, but no intern on the planet should need to pay school tuition.

I hope the Federal intern case will change things.

This was not a coherent post.

Logging

Film:  The Way, Way Back

An enjoyable, easy going Friday night at the movies.  Not profound, but got a few laughs in.  Podcast coming soon.

Disgusting

The Town.  A book about DC, where people "come to do good and end up doing well."

Everyone sells out.  Why is this so?

Logging

TV:  The Bridge

I had higher hopes.  The device of a ticking bomb was used in what is supposed to be a gritty crime thriller.  Hacky.  You got to be wary of giving these villains super powers and see them as the heroes of their own stories and not just foils for the protagonists.

I Don't Like to Travel

The story of how Louie CK got David Lynch to play Jack Dall.

Season 3 wasn't great, except for the 3-parter.  It almost could have been a great movie in itself.

Respecting Other Cultures

When other cultures ask for "respect," often this is the type of thing they mean:

Saudi Arabian princess arrested on suspicion of holding maids captive in Irvine.

It's actually called slavery.

Logging

TV:  Ray Donovan Pilot

If I had Showtime, I'd watch the show, but I won't subscribe in order to watch it.  Make sense?  Obviously influenced by classic LA private eye stories -- should be right up my alley -- but they make it a bit too pop for my sensibility.  Also, there was some stuff that didn't make much sense.  Also, what is the deal with references?  They have Elliot Gould losing his mind and wading out in the ocean as this obvious reference to The Long Goodbye and the Sterling Hayden character.  But why?  What is the point of references in movies/shows anyway?  Is it supposed to engender favoritism by people who are able to pick up on the references?  It doesn't do much for me.  Smacks of English majors jerking themselves off.

Still, fun, guy stuff in here.  Jon Voigt's small performance is damn good.  And I like Liev Schreiber - just not totally on board with the character.  Maybe it deserves HBO patience.

Logging

Film:  16 Blocks

Mos Def ended his acting career with this performance.  Someone should do a film festival screening of former A-list directors doing taut action movies in their later years.  This one was by Richard Donner.  You could add Walter Hill's Bullet to the Head, Taylor Hackford's Parker, and there are probably more I'm not thinking of at the moment.

Corrupt

How means testing for colleges drive prices up for everyone.

One of my big problems with "progressives" and liberals in general is they always try and tinker with systems that work perfectly well.  The whole idea of public universities is a great (and progressive idea) where taxpayers subsidize tuition for everyone.  Therefore, everyone gets the benefit (ie the opportunity to attend such university) and the more general societal benefits of a good university system and educated population.

But I guess this wasn't good enough.  Inequality still exists, so someone gets it in their heads that we can further improve the system by making public universities cheaper for some than others.  Bad idea.

The liberal drive to constantly improve and make better the promise of America is genuine, but it often causes people to needlessly tinker and fix what is not broken.

Reading Fiction Is Good For You

So says science.

News

Welcome to the 21st century.

Of course, the big question is what Kobe Bryant will say about Howard's departure. He "unfollowed" Howard on Twitter the day of Howard's decision, a statement all its own.

We've become so lame.

The Moviegoers Return

And we review Man of Steel.

Logging

Film:  Mildred Pierce

On DVD.  Damn, Joan Crawford was hot.  I enjoyed the film, but didn't love it.  Refreshing to see a real movie, though, that at the very least, aspires to be about something (don't spoil your kids) as opposed to the recent treks to the theater which have been generic and disappointing.

Logging

Film:  The Heat

Eh.  A few chuckles, but ultimately a very forgettable film.  Another movie that is exactly what you'd expect with a super generic story.  I suppose if you really enjoy Melissa McCarthy, it is a good vehicle for her.

Best Back Court in Bball?

Steph Curry, Andre Iguodala, and Klay Thompson?

Logging

Film:  White House Down

It is exactly what you think - Die Hard in the White House directed by the guy who made Independence Day.  I thought the writer would have been a tad more ashamed of the Die Hard plot rip offs, given the the very scenario of the movie was a rip off, but he just goes for it full throttle and unapologetically.

I can't help but think the political correct folks have done a disservice to the movies.  The only bad guys allowed in American action films seem to be old, disgruntled white men.

Oh well, had to see it because The Heat was sold out.  Again, I feel ripped off by the movies.

I Think He Might Be Right

On how to get your kids to do well in school and life.

If you want your kids to be like the rich/smart kids, then emulate what the rich/smart families do. Talk to the kids, and treat ever interaction like an educational opportunity. 

 and then, this:

Charles Murray in his Coming Apart points out that rich white people tend to be married, go to church, invest in educating their children, believe in the work ethic, and in general embody all the old American virtues that built this nation. But, he points out, they no longer preach what they practice. And the result is that the gap between rich and poor, between well off and poverty, grows greater. Those who don’t practice the old virtues descend further diwn in comparison to those who do; but no one notices that, or if they notice it they don’t say anything. It’s as if we are keeping The Protestant ethic as a secret.

Baseball

John Rawls on why baseball is the best game.

He makes a few good points and the tension in a big time playoff or World Series game is something to behold.  One thing that baseball does not possess, however, that football, soccer, and basketball all have is the synching up of movement and passes and teamwork that really elevates the watching experience. Teammates work in conjunction with one another in the other sports, whereas, for the most part, baseball is a sport of individual plays.  Yes, there is some throwing to each other involved and moving runners over, etc, but that pales in the comparison to the passing or team defense in basketball and soccer and the obvious synched up nature of football plays.

Funny

Los Angeles' Douchiest Neighborhoods.

I have never lived in one of these places, although I've been very close.

Blogging Problems

Having trouble posting the way I like to.

Every time Google/Blogger adjust the blogging settings, I hate it.  My impression of these internet companies -- a bunch of losers with nothing to do always tinkering with crap that doesn't need tinkering with.  Assholes.

Justin Smith

Could be one of the bets players in the NFL.  Signed a 2 year extension.  He's already 33.

 You said last year you didn’t want to be the guy that just plays a handful of snaps at the end of his career. Is language built into this extension …

JS: Yeah, there’s ways for both us. That’s not going to happen. I said that. I meant that. I won’t be a guy that’s around for 10 snaps, 20 snaps. It’s either I’m going (to play full-time), or I’m not going. And when it’s time to get my ass out of here, I’m going. I get a ticket like everybody else, so that’s what I’m doing.

Jesus

Did Aaron Hernandez murder this guy?

Man, young guys are really, really dumb.

Affirmative Action

Is basically just discrimination against Asians.  But the interesting thing -- Asians don't seem too bothered by it.

A couple, perhaps borderline racist, hypotheses:

1.  Asian American communities primarily see their children in competition against each other and not other ethnic groups.  Since affirmative action is basically African American and Hispanic kids getting into college at the expense of Asian students, the emotional toll of getting shorted is not very strong.

2.  Asian American communities view their well being in relation to their home countries (or other Asian countries) and despite some unfairness in the American system, prefer it to the nepotism very prevalent in Asian countries.

3.  Asians tend to be frugal (go buy Asian groceries for evidence) and don't mind sending their kids to UCSB instead of Dartmouth because dollar for dollar UCSB is probably a better deal.

4.  Asian Americans have their own communities that are not as attached to the traditional WASPY institutions like the Ivy League, Stanford, Duke, etc, and therefore do not value those institutions as much as say, someone with family who has attended such institutions.  Obviously, Asian Americans still strive and attend these places, I'm just suggesting at the margin, the gravitational pull is not as strong.

5.  Asian Americans tend to not put their energies into American politics and instead focus on economic achievement.

Those are just some hypotheses.  I'm half Asian.

Men on Strike

I doubt I'll read this book, but the premise is interesting.

More and more men are dropping out of American society. They aren't going to college, they aren't holding down jobs, they aren't getting married and they aren't becoming fathers. Current explanations typically involve blaming the men themselves: Some blame pandemic immaturity (XY-chromosomers won't "man up" and accept adult responsibility for wives and children). Other cite a "Cardboard Man" rigidity that makes men unwilling to function as househusbands or amanuenses to the female professionals increasingly favored by our deskwork economy. 

Helen Smith, a practicing psychologist and blogger for PJ Media ("Dr. Helen"), offers an alternative theory: "Most men are not acting irresponsibly because they are immature or because they want to harm women; they are acting rationally in response to the lack of incentives today's society offers them to be responsible fathers, husbands and providers." They are "going Galt," as Ms. Smith puts it—imitating John Galt, the industrialist titan in Ayn Rand's 1957 novel, "Atlas Shrugged," who hides out in a gulch to defy the big-government welfare state. (Ms. Smith is a self-described libertarian and Rand fan.)

Young and Isolated

More on the great unravelling.

Let's go genius elites: you presume to rule, where are the answers to the question of employment for hard working Americans?

Logging

TV:  Parenthood

First couple episodes.  A bit saccharine for my taste.

Myth:  Information Wants to Be Free

How much is 1 million listeners worth?  $16-17 to the musician.

If people believe professional musicians produce better music that amateurs, we ought to figure out a system to get them paid.  And fast.

LA Food vs. NY Food

This food writer prefers LA.  And he doesn't even mention Tsujita Ramen Noodle, which to me is hands down, the most unique and best restaurant I've been to in LA in years.  You have to go at lunch and get the Tsujita style ramen -- I haven't even tried other things on the menu because it is so good and delicious.

Logging

Book:  Storm of Swords

The third book in the Game of Thrones series and the best of the books.  I got so taken by the Red Wedding, I turned back to the books (I stopped after the first two), and read this 925 page beast in about 2 weeks.  Such great fun to get into a book and so rare.  Of course the thing is imperfect and of course it is different from the show.  But who cares?  I've learned that when you can just enjoy the read, you need be happy and thankful and let the voice of the critic be drowned out.

Game of Thrones is such a unique and fun reading and watching experience.  The texts complement one another really well and I even enjoy going to the Game of Thrones Wiki to read up on the history of certain characters and to remind myself of who is who and related to whom, etc, etc.  Very fun and I suppose, incredibly nerdy.

Because No One Cares

Why no one can find Thomas Pynchon.  Ugh.  This is so annoying -- upon his own reflections on Gravity's Rainbow:

"I've put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant, and that's the only way of insuring one's immortality," he once said of his dominant novel — perhaps Pynchon accomplished with his life.

Sounds dull to me. Made me think of this interview with William Monahan I recently read.

I think that scripts should be published, but they are published, really, because when you’re a screenwriter, your stuff ends up in samizdat form on thousands and thousands of desks and shelves across the industry. If you write a screenplay that gets circulated, you have a bigger readership than any literary novelist. And it’s an educated audience as well. Some reviewer might be out there saying, obviously Edge of Darkness didn’t come off because of the script, blah blah blah, but everybody has read the script, except the journalist attacking it.

I've never thought of screenwriting this way, but it is totally true.  I read a decent number of books and the majority of them, no one else I know has read.  Sometimes, they've heard of them.  Occasionally, one or two people I meet have also read those same books.  But with certain scripts that have passed around the industry -- tons of people have read.  Of course, I'm talking about people who's job it is to read scripts, ie execs and agents and other screenwriters.  But this is a curious thing, isn't it, when you think about it.  Even many scripts written by friends or peers which will never get made are more read in my everyday circle than the newest Pynchon novel.  Kind of fascinating, if you think about it purely on literary terms.

Good New Podcast

From Matt Miller at KCRW.

His last two guests are Jared Laneir and George Packer, both guys with interesting-sounding new books about the end of the American middle class.  Lanier talks about how the internet destroyed the middle class and Packer does a more broad social history type of book about how American institutions are crumbling in front of our eyes and how uncertainty and anxiety reign all around the country.

The more I read and think about these things, this notion that "information wants to be free" is actually one of the great heists in the 21st century -- Google and Facebook seizing and aggregating private (and valuable) information -- and essentially stealing the future from working Americans.  To begin, look at musicians, porn stars, journalists, filmmakers, and all those who work in surrounding support positions to those jobs -- and you'll notice the same trend -- jobs disappear while everyone steals the fruits of the labor over the internet.  And the quality is slowly dying as the experts get old and retire and there is no one to nurture those who show promise or enough gatekeepers to wade through the crappy material to select the good from the bad.

Silver Lining

On the mediocracy in the teaching profession.  Silver lining:  because of the great stagnation, they believe talent will flock to teaching.

Truly The End of Days

George Zimmer is fired from Men's Warehouse.

Goes to show: anyone can be fired.

Logging

Films:  Ain't Them Body Saints and The Spectacular Now

Screenings at the LA Film Festival.  Super fun atmosphere to watch movies.  Makes movies you wouldn't otherwise enjoy, still worth the time and effort.  Saints is good, but not great.  It's fine to be inspired by Malick, but I'm just wondering if filmmakers ought to strive to be something other than what people in the past have already done -- and better.  The Spectacular Now was an enjoyable movie watching experience, but I don't think it will find a wide audience.  Afterwards the filmmakers talked about being inspired by Cameron Crowe and John Hughes, but the film lacked both the humor and the melodrama of the better movies by those guys.  No conflict between the two lovers, so it got kind of flat and I imagine would not be as fun to watch if you were at home or in a regular theater.

My God

Rarely do you read about someone that you simply want to read more about.  This man sounds like a genius and a man after my own heart.  Money bits:

Creativity always comes as a surprise to us; therefore we can never count on it and we dare not believe in it until it has happened. In other words, we would not consciously engage upon tasks whose success clearly requires that creativity be forthcoming. Hence, the only way in which we can bring our creative resources fully into play is by misjudging the nature of the task, by presenting it to ourselves as more routine, simple, undemanding of genuine creativity than it will turn out to be.

and

In the first place, Friedman considers withdrawal or exit as the “direct” way of expressing one’s unfavorable views of an organization. A person less well trained in economics might naively suggest that the direct way of expressing views is to express them! Secondly, the decision to voice one’s views and efforts to make them prevail are contemptuously referred to by Friedman as a resort to “cumbrous political channels.” But what else is the political, and indeed the democratic, process than the digging, the use, and hopefully the slow improvement of these very channels?

Hirschman pointed out the ways in which “exit” failed to send a useful message to underperformers. Weren’t there cases where monopolists were relieved when their critics left? “Those who hold power in the lazy monopoly may actually have an interest in creating some limited opportunities for exit on the part of those whose voice might be uncomfortable,” he wrote. The worst thing that ever happened to incompetent public-school districts was the growth of private schools: they siphoned off the kind of parents who would otherwise have agitated more strongly for reform.

When I was in high school, I had the idea that the best way to improve public schools was to ban private schools.  It would force more of the wealthy, caring parents to send their kids to public schools and they would insist the schools got better.  It was one of my clearest ideas that I believed would work, but figured it was basically illegal because people can form private schools if they want to.  And now, here I read this economic genius writing the same idea in a much more elegant, informed way.  I love this guy!

Linked In 

I haven't signed into Linked In for over two-three years.  I get tons of emails from them, some of which I wouldn't mind checking, in theory.  But they all require me to sign-in, which I don't want to do.  Linked In was my foray into social networking.  Dipping my toe in before signing up for Facebook.  Basically, as far as I can tell, the thing is basically spam.  Any pertinent information could be easily emailed to me by my Linked In contacts if they wanted.  But they don't want to.  Linked In basically spams on behalf of you.  Am I missing something?

Ginobliiiiiii

That was just a badass game played by the Spurs.  Near perfect.  I'm rather enjoying the finals even though none of the games seem to be close.  Still, the team match ups and coaching chess matches are fun to watch.

When Work Disappears

I've been talking about this for years - mostly because I've seen it happening all around me here in the entertainment industry and hear about it tangentially from friends in other industries.  Now McArdle, Krugman, and Reynolds are catching on,  Firstly, I think the social effects of work elimination are vastly underrated.  On a macro-level, sure, you can make the argument that new jobs will be invented.  (although it isn't clear that trend is continuing)  But that doesn't do much good for a young family with a 2 and 4 year old when both parents are out of work and need health insurance.  And we need young families to survive and prosper -- if we expect America and the human species -- to continue into the future.  Secondly, you need a middle class for democracy to prosper.  The topic itself deserves a larger blog entry, but if the majority of your citizens are either on the dole or have no stake in the society, you can be pretty sure trouble is just around the corner.

There is another issue as well.  Down here in LA on the fringes of the entertainment industry, there is one type of "growth" industry, that is the web-series, internet video type of stuff.  In fact, I know quite a few people who work either full time or part time or have worked job-to-job basis in some type of media job where the primary space of content is the web.  Superficially, this should be cause for celebration.  Growth.  New jobs replacing old.  Opportunities and so forth.  I would be very hesitant to celebrate.  The VAST majority of these jobs barely pay a living wage.  They end up employing a lot of young people right out of college.  Most probably do not get health insurance.  Most, I'm sure, have no type of retirement plan.  And most don't have equity in the companies themselves, so I'd be wary of characterizing this as a hotbed of entrepreneurial activity.  The fact is, the web stuff is uncharted territory and importantly, most of the money is coming from investors versus customers.  No one has figured out a model yet -- not in journalism, not in music, and not in entertainment -- to deliver a consistent profitable business.  Maybe some on the high end will prosper -- although I think the business model basically is "lets get bought by Google."  My basic point:  these are not middle class jobs.  They pay too little and are excessively risky.  And for them to become "middle class" type of jobs, ie a job where someone can comfortably raise a family, they would, in essence, come to resemble traditional entertainment jobs (which are disappearing).  Hence, the problem.

Kaiser in California

Megan McArdle writes about Kaiser pumping up their rates based on the healthcare bill.

The more I read and think about it, our healthcare system is fundamentally flawed.  It incentivizes NOT caring for the sick, which, of course, runs contrary to the very mission of medicine in the first place.  I have no answers, but this healthcare bill does nothing to satisfy the basic problem -- only further complicate it.  This will make the rich richer and the poor poorer as any type of regulations that overly complicate rules will always do.  (the rich find way to milk the system and the poor do not understand the system and get ruined by it).

Logging

Film:  Man of Steel

This movie sucks!  Ugh.

UPDATE.  From a Grantland review.

The geeks, nerds, and obsessives have so completely taken over the entertainment industry, and so thoroughly know the comic books, science fiction television, and galactic film series they're working with, that there are no new surprises left. Even when it's new, it's nostalgic.

Whether it's Batman or Star Trek or Star Wars, the audience has been there before and can't wait to go again — to find the Easter eggs hidden for only them, to bask in the filmmakers' adherence to sacred texts. This obviates any real expectation that a movie will work as a movie, that it will be a piece of commercial art that takes you to some emotional or visceral place. Certainly, a few of these movies have cleared that bar: Christopher Nolan's second and third Batman films achieve this, as do Bryan Singer's X-Men and its first sequel. J.J. Abrams's maiden Star Trek do-over went for something audacious.

My thoughts on these movies amount to PFFFFFTTTTSSSS - a big wet fart noise. I booed after the movie because a few nerds clapped and yelled out - how dare you cheer this!  To no avail, of course, the Arclight was busier than I've ever seen it.

Video

More on Lucas and Spielberg -- end of movies as we know it.

Thinking about this more:  when's the last time Lucas was right about anything?  In 2003, I went to a talk with him at USC and he said he was going back to his student roots and going to start making small movies again.  That was 10 years ago.  I've yet to see one.

Predictions are hard.  Especially about the future.

Good

Unpaid interns get positive ruling in the Fox movie legal suit.  The use of unpaid interns in Hollywood is a tradition and a scam.

San Fran Bart Man Goes Crazy

Worth Highlighting

Spielberg and Lucas predict implosion of film industry.  Hat tip, Phil from a comment.

"you're gonna have to pay $25 for the next Iron Man, you're probably only going to have to pay $7 to see Lincoln." He also said that Lincoln came "this close" to being an HBO movie instead of a theatrical release.

George Lucas agreed that massive changes are afoot, including film exhibition morphing somewhat into a Broadway play model, whereby fewer movies are released, they stay in theaters for a year and ticket prices are much higher.

This sounds eerily like the end of movie as a cultural touchstone and a popular media.  I don't think we will be better off.

Metta on the Finals

I love this bit hidden at the very end of this article.

"So, as a fan, sometimes to see LeBron not take over, I'm kind of like, 'Come on, let's do it.' His pops went to jail with my older brother. My brother spent 10 years in jail, they were locked up together. I'm a fan of LeBron, so I always want to see him do well and sometimes I'm like, 'Step it up! Start playing.' "

Pretty incredible.

Spurs just whooped them last night.  Miami does not play hard all the time.  I have no idea what's going on with them.  Ray Allen had a play when he should have put a hard foul on Leonard in the first half and he just let him get a dunk.  I couldn't believe it.  I know Ray-Ray is old and just likes to shoot 3's.  But come on.  NBA finals.  Play it out and then retire.  Who wants to win a ring by just hitching their carriage to LeBron?  You gotta seize it as a team and I just don't see them playing that way, talented as they are.  I don't blame LaBron for shrinking sometimes.  The pressure these days is enormous.  But someone has to say to the guy "just play."  Don't overthink.  You can see him trying too hard sometimes to get his teammates going in the beginning.  Just play.  Have fun.  I know it's easier said.

Still, I'm rooting for Pop and the Spurs.  Love their team.  Parker isn't playing well right now, though, and there's no way to keep up the three point craziness.

Bad Sign

In 2012 there was more student filming in L.A. than filming for TV dramas.

Doesn't sound sustainable.

Woman Finds Dad's Killer

Nice work.

Another Shooting in Santa Monica

Jesus, what is going on?

And the LA Times story on the first shooter.  Once again, he fits the exact same pattern as the other recent spree shooters.  Everyone around them knew they were powder kegs ready to explode and yet they are able to purchase guns and plan an attack.

I'm not saying we can throw these crazy kids in prison before they commit a crime, but one of the most obvious and basic functions of a government is to protect the public from insane individuals who are way outside the bounds of regular society.  This shouldn't be difficult or cause any sort of legal question.  This is common sense.  Even an Indian tribe in the 1600s with no legal system or advanced weaponry would know to keep Crazy Eyes Norman away from all the kids and not let him have a bow and arrow and/or fire.

We aren't getting rid of all the guns and we don't need any "well, what about his civil rights...blah...blah...blah."  There cannot be a more idiotic response than a concern with the rights of a psychopath who basically announces:  I'm going to kill 20 people tomorrow with this gun than to say "well, we can't do anything about it because he hasn't committed a crime yet and we don't want to prejudge people."  I tell you what: if you actually believe such a thing, you should have to teach at the school with one or two of these psychopaths.  Or sends your kids to school with them.  You'll change your tune right quick.

Whatever happened to the loony bin?  Let's put some tax dollars back to the loony bins.  If someone is crazy and their family knows it, their community knows it, and they aren't fit for regular society, throw them in the loony bin where there isn't stress, there are medical professionals who know how to deal with nutty people, and there aren't any weapons and sharp objects.  They can watch DVDs, read Game of Thrones, go on walks in the yard, and do pilates classes.  It doesn't need to be One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.  Common sense.  But no, low end lawyers want a say and cowardly politicians won't risk anything.

God, our elites got so crummy so fast.

The Unwinding

I'd like to read this book.

Smart Quote

From Tywin Lannister in A Storm of Swords "The greatest fools are oftimes more clever than the men who laugh at them."

The Value of the Pause

Can commercials and time between episodes increase our enjoyment of television?

To this day, I still enjoy watching Seinfeld on syndication because I think the show works really well with commercial breaks.  And while I'm dying to see this next Game of Thrones episode, I think the anticipation is part of the fun.  All of which is to say, the binge/Netflix model is not something I think is inherently better.  Although...I suppose you can always create your own pauses like when you read a book...but it really isn't the same is it?  TV watching is a fundamentally passive activity (and should be).

Logging

Film:  The East

There was a decent idea in here - a corporate spy enters an anarchist environmentalist organization to take them apart from within.  I liked the idea of exploring fringe counter-cultural America in a Point Break - style story.  But the craft just wasn't there.  The writing was below average.  Acting was tolerable, but not good.  It reminded me very much of Margin Call and Arbitrage -- movies that used to be done at a mid-level studio level than are now reduced to an indy space.  And you can tell.  Michael Clayton might be the last really good example of a studio film made this way well.  In this film - and I felt the same way about Margin Call and Arbitrage - the filmmakers need to figure out a way to fill up the frame.  It is so clear the movie has no money to spend because the frame feels empty all the time - lots of wilderness shots, or shots foregrounded, or close ups.  These filmmakers might benefit from watching Michael Bay's Pain and Gain and paying attention to what can go on within the frame..  Beasts of the Southern Wild didn't suffer from this and I suppose that film had just as little to work with.  There were other issues as well - a very hackneyed outlook towards hippy-anarchist world POV and non-functioning love stories - basically it was a bit amateur.  Another $28 down the drain for a movie worthy of Netflix Streaming.

Better Get the Right Opinions

Assault on empirical data.

If you take certain positions, you will be cast into outer darkness. Whether your statements are empirically accurate is irrelevant.

The irony is there is plenty of racism and injustices related to class, homophobia, and religious intolerance all around the world and in the United States.  But it is easier to go after these people's jobs than to actually confront and change the world in any meaningful way and feel like you are fighting the good fight.

Not As Crazy As It Sounds

GOP candidate says yoga can open you to demonic possession.

Yoga did begin as a sex cult and there is an element of body worship and spiritual mumbo jumbo that strikes me as strange.  About as strange as weird Evangelical practices.

I've been reading - more like skimming - an ebook called "You Aren't What You Eat," which is highly critical of foodie culture for being gluttonous and overly fetishizing what we put in our bodies and it got me thinking about this stuff.

There is this thing out here on the West Coast which cloaks itself as progressive, mindful, healthy living involving yoga, foodie culture, environmentalism, life coaching, glutton free consumption, etc, a lot belief sets that strike me as more faith than rational.

Logging

Film:  The Stories We Tell

A pretty good documentary.  Some interesting reenactments done in 8mm.  Really liked the cuckolded father figure.  The story, in a way, ultimately became his.  He was a terrific writer.

The story and world got me thinking about the lack of anyone in the film with religious beliefs or strict morals.  People didn't really talk about things in terms of being right or wrong, but just want someone chose to do at the time for emotional reasons.  And making choices in this manner, I thought, caused a lot of confusion and damage to others.  But no one in the film seemed to have the language to talk about the events in those terms.  No one in the film felt like they were wrong or were wronged.  I found it puzzling.  I suppose there was one brother who felt that way, but his POV was minimized.  And, perhaps not coincidentally, he was the only one whose marriage survived.

Saw this on a Monday night and we were the only people in the theater.  $27 for two tickets.  It's awfully hard to justify spending that amount of dough on a documentary -- even a good one.  I suppose you get a night out and it is still cheaper than going to the theater or a fancy restaurant.  But I can't help but think the optimal viewing experience for documentaries are Netflix instant.  Maybe this is nothing new as documentary has always been a fringe aspect of the theater going experience and show at smaller, art house theaters where there are audiences for such things.  I guess I feel like movies like this ought to be cheaper.  Maybe all movies in theaters ought to be cheaper.

Too Much of A Good Thing

How student loans ruined college education.

It wouldn't be the first time debt ruined a good institution.

Conservative vs. Liberal

Good point.

“Maybe the difference between under-30s and their elders isn’t the era in which they grew up. Maybe it’s a lack of life experience. As young people pass from their 20s to their 30s, they get married and have kids. They lose their naïvete about self-realization, having it all, the equality of family structures, and the interchangeability of moms and dads. According to this theory, the reason why older people are more likely to believe that unwed motherhood is a big problem, or that kids do better with stay-at-home moms, is that beyond the age of 30, you discover that these things are true.”

There are some other factors as well.  When you are young, you don't have anything except a lot of time.  You don't have money, experience, a family, or things you have earned and want to hold onto.  Thus, your opinions - particularly political opinions end up getting shaped around vagaries like "fairness" "equality" and stuff like that.

As you get older, you begin to acquire wealth, job experience, perhaps real estate, and stocks and use these things to build a family.  You grow more protective of you stuff and more conservative with your choices, because you have stuff, but your time is more limited and you know you don't have the same ability to recover from mistakes as you did when you were young.

Reactions to the Red Wedding

Where Did Robb Stark Go Wrong?

If Ned Stark's flaw was his unwillingness to "play the Game of Thrones," what was Robb's flaw?  Youth?  Inexperience?  Breaking his vows?  Entrusting the wrong people?  Or making bad strategic decisions?

There were the immediate causes of the Red Wedding:  breaking his vows with the Frey's and marrying for love, trusting Bolton, his decision to march on Casterly Rock, but there were other strategic elements that brought him to the point where the walls closed in.  Let us look at those:

1.  The decision to raise banners in the first place when his father was taken hostage.  Verdict:  Good decision, one he needed to do.

2.  Continuing to march on Tywin Lannister when his father was killed and not recognizing Joffery as king.  Verdict:  Good decision, follows the same logic of the first decision and resulted in the capture of the Kingslayer.

3.  Acceding to his bannerman's call for him to become King of the North.  Verdict: Huge mistake.  At the time, this was awesome, but in hindsight, seems to be a mistake.  What had Robb done to warrant being a King?  Had he not learned the lesson of Robert Baratheon - the difference between winning wars and ruling?  Why not support Stannis' claim to the throne, continuing Ned's policy, and trap the Lannisters between two powerful enemies?  He would have gotten his father's justice and restored Westeros to basically the same state it existed prior to Ned becoming the Hand.  Perhaps Robb's flaw was arrogance?

4.  Sending Theon to get Iron Island support.  Verdict:  Small mistake.  Robb needed to do this once he declared himself King of the North.  BUT...he could have done it differently.  He could have demanded Iron Island support -- rather than ask -- and not entrusted Theon.  He had no reason to distrust Theon at this point, but he did have reason to distrust Balon.  This was a tough call and Robb had not been let down by his bannermen or people around him yet, so it was a forgivable mistake, but a mistake still.  The lesson:  do not give unproven allies the benefit of the doubt.  Make them "pay first" by demonstrating loyalty before giving them help.  He should have kept Theon as a ward until the Iron Islands successfully attacked the Lannisters and the war was over or settled.

5.  Not torturing Lannister prisoners and generally treating them well.  Verdict:  Basically a good decision.  Robb theorized that treating prisoners well would encourage the Lannisters to do the same.  They did not.  This pissed off both of Robb's main bannermen and sowed later seeds for betrayal.  But, I don't think this was a mistake.  Getting into the gutter would not have changed the overall calculus of winning the war.

6.  Breaking his vows to Frey and marrying for love.  Verdict:  Obvious mistake.  Definitely the most clear mistake, but perhaps not his biggest.  I think declaring as King of the North was still the biggest because he lost sight of his original goal: justice for his father by crushing the Lannisters .

7.  Not punishing his mother for letting the Kingslayer go free.  Verdict:  Good decision.  What's a guy to do?  This was not a mistake, although it sowed doubt in the minds of his bannermen and gave them major frustration.  But honestly, what was he going to do?  Kill his own mom?  No choice here.

8.  Continuing to march on the Lannisters after Theon took Winterfell and the Kingslayer was free.  Verdict:  Mistake.  Robb considered going back North and retaking Winterfell, but was talked out of it by Bolton because they had the Lannisters on the run.  This was a mistake.  This is like when a gambler is losing and starts betting more to "win it back."  You need to stop when the signs are flashing red.  Losing the Kingslayer and losing Winterfell were signs Robb was losing his grip on power.  Yes, he was winning battles, but he was also "losing the war."  Plowing forward was the first desperate move he made.  It turns out Bolton may have been manipulating Robb at this point, but we are not sure yet.

9.  Going back to ask Frey for help.  Verdict:  Obvious mistake.  Another compounded mistake, like sending Theon to the Iron Islands.

In my mind, the mistakes break into two sets:  strategic mistakes and tactical mistakes.  The strategic mistakes were the more costly:

a.  Declaring self King of the North
b.  Continue to fight war after Winterfall fell and they lost the Kingslayer
c.  Breaking the marriage vow with the Frey's

Tactical mistakes:

a.  Going back to Frey
b.  Sending Theon to Iron Islands

I'm sure I am missing some stuff.  I might expand this into a real piece.

Football!

I'm getting pumped for football season again.  Planning on riding the Chiefs early on -- they are looking like a well built team, set up to win this year.

Logging

TV:  Game of Thrones, penultimate episode, season 3

Fuck the Lannisters.

UPDATE:  After a night of rest, I am reading more about the Rains of Castamere.

I would call the episode anything but underwhelming.  I was hurt watching "the scene."  I literally had the reaction of "how can the author/storytellers do that?"  It was too cruel.  I was mad.  I started packing my bags to head off to Westeros to plan a revenge on behalf of Robb Stark, but then realized Game of Thrones does not really exist.

As for how it was executed, etc, etc, the A-storyline was exceptional.  Humor, creepiness, a slow, gut-wrenching feeling of terror, hope, and then hope shattered.  It was just brutal.  This was why I didn't read book 3.  I knew something was coming.  I could even sense Robb was doomed.  But I guess I never imagined in this way.  It felt like many of the real horrors of GoT had all happened in the past - the mad King burning people, the Targaryen children being slaughtered, and that while Ned Stark's death was surprising and awful, in some ways it felt like a single dumb mistake of Joffrey.  This brutality was worse - an orchestration of multiple powerful people against a noble family for being noble.  That said, Robb and Caetlyn each made mistakes that brought them there.  Caetlyn letting the Kingslayer go lost the war for Robb.  Robb ditching the Frey daughter sealed the mechanism for his slow motion demise.

I hope to find out why Bolton betrayed.  I suspect he lost faith in Robb somewhere along the line.  Or perhaps, like Littlefinger, he is simply a man of ambition who was always going to betray.

Those who read the books say the slaughter was better executed in the books.  Judging by the fact it happened midway through book 3, I'm inclined to agree.  You would never see it coming.  I wonder why the showrunners decided to ditch this strategy.  I told my fiance before the episode began "someone important is going to die tonight."  I felt something big had to happen in the penultimate episode the way the season was heading.

In the end, Robb was constantly let down by the people around him - Bolton, the Karstark, his mother, and Theon.  Did he bring this on himself by being too above it all?  Too noble?  Too good?  "No one trusts you unless you have a little dirt on you."  Maybe so.

Interesting Theory

The internet as one big vanity press.

Rwwwrrrrr...Catfight...

President Obama made a secret deal to support Hillary Clinton when she runs for president in 2016, campaign sources say, payback for the support her husband gave him in 2012. Bill Clinton’s animosity toward Obama is legendary. A year before the last election, he was urging Hillary to challenge the sitting president for the nomination — a move she rejected. According to two people who attended that meeting in Chappaqua, Bill Clinton then went on a rant against Obama. “I’ve heard more from Bush, asking for my advice, than I’ve heard from Obama,” my sources quoted Clinton as saying. “I have no relationship with the president — none whatsoever. Obama doesn’t know how to be president. He doesn’t know how the world works. He’s incompetent. He’s an amateur!” For his part, Obama wasn’t interested in Bill Clinton upstaging him during the presidential campaign. He resisted giving him any role at the convention. But as last summer wore on, and Democrat enthusiasm waned, chief political strategist David Axelrod convinced the president that he needed Bill Clinton’s mojo.A deal was struck: Clinton would give the key nominating speech at the convention, and a full-throated endorsement of Obama. In exchange, Obama would endorse Hillary Clinton as his successor.

Gender Equality and Happiness

My litmus test for believing gender equality in the workplace will lead to more happiness:  when I see women happily marrying lower status men and when I see clean, livable bachelor pads.

I'm not betting on either.

(note: those developments will indicate men are happy to clean and keep a presentable house and women will be happy being breadwinners and paying for everything)  Again, I don't see it happening.

Work-Life Balance Awful in US

I think we could rightly dub the era post-9/11 the age of anxiety.  Anxiety, anxiety, anxiety.  It's taken over the country on every level.  It seems to be the one thing Americans can agree on: we are anxious.

One of the major reasons:  this idea of work-life balance being out of whack.  Another article about it.  The dirty little secret about the age of anxiety:  we'd all be A LOT happier if women were working less and men were working more.  Women would be happier.  Men would be happier.  Our country would be equally well off.  Marriages would be better.  Children would have better homes.  Communities would be incrementally better off.  But we can't say it, nor act upon it, because it is not politically correct.  The liberal utopianism espoused at colleges have made such thoughts retrograde and sexist and wrong to utter, much less act upon.

We are anxious because we are fighting windmills.  Life is hard enough without utopian expectations -- the old timers knew it and lived accordingly.  We'd be smarter following in the majority of their footsteps rather than trying to recreate the world in the image of freshman dorm room discussions.

Logging

HBO Film:  Behind the Candelabra

Like most biopics, the film starts fairly interesting and quickly falls into the same, well-tread, predictable rhythms of downfall, pain, losing everything and finding one small moment of reckoning at the end.  If you'd already knew the story of Liberace trying to make a young lover get plastic surgery to look like a young version of himself, you know the most interesting and weird part of the story already.  My biggest irritation with the story was that the whole thing was utterly predictable.  Many biopics fall into these same patterns and why I really, really, do not like this genre.

Rob Lowe gives a standout small performance as a creepy plastic surgeon.  Some cool directorial flashes, to be expected by Soderburgh.  Found the script rather dull.  No reason the movie needed to exist today -- felt like it should have been made 10-15 years ago -- and it wouldn't surprise me if this was when it was written.

Improv Characters

Finished my entry level improv class today.  Good time.  Not sure if I'll continue.  A bit pricey and not sure what ultimately I'll get out of it other than being decent at improv for a short while.  Surprised at how much energy it saps to perform, even for only a little bit.  Some of my characters from later in class:

Hank the elderly helicopter pilot expert with an injured back.  Originally from Texas and now living in Southern California, Hank learned to fly birds in the army and then worked for news stations most of his adult life.  He is gruff, no nonsense, and can talk all day about different kinds of helicopters.

Gianno the positive and forward thinking pot farmer.  He is confident and good with ladies.  He spent time in jail for selling pot he stumbled upon in the forest.  He also was beaten by the other farmers whose pot he stole, but he harbors no ill will.

Hugh the youngest partner ever at Orrick, Orrick, and Waldman who became obsessed with washing his hair and fixed up a shower in his office and later bought a shampoo factory, causing him to go bankrupt.

What can I say...it was all on the spot improv!

Game 5

DJ Augustin does not belong on the court at this time of year.  And holy shit - LaBron in the 3rd quarter.  I've never seen anything quite like it.  I basically thought Indiana was the better team until LaBron just went nuts and the game was over in like a 5 minute stretch.  It was almost depressing.  I literally fast forwarded through most of the 4th quarter because the game was just over.

I can't believe how much trouble Indiana has just dribbling the ball and making entry passes to the post.   These are like the most basic things in basketball.

Half

Americans are still only half as wealthy as we were before the recession.

I still think a substantial portion of pre-recession wealth was "wealth," ie unsustainable fake worth tied up in frothy housing prices in shitty living areas.  But still.  I suppose it was one of the unintended perks of going to grad school -- I had no money going into the recession -- and thus, no money to lose.

Jalen Rose Advice To Young NBA Players

In a BS Report podcast, Jalen Rose advises young NBA players to model their games/careers on role players versus superstars.  He says there are only a handful of superstars, but young NBA guys can develop skills to become important role players and have great careers.  He didn't go into too much detail, but I took it mean, rather than trying to become the next LaBron - which no one will - try to be the best at a certain niche skill - like lockdown defense, or 3-point shooting, or post-up scoring.  Watching these playoffs, it totally makes sense.  Seeing guys like Kawhi Leonard, George Hill, Roy Hibbert, Udonis Haslem, always makes me appreciate the NBA role player and the difference they make on good teams.

I started thinking about it in the realm of filmmaking and career as well.  I've never quite framed the thought in this way before, but it makes sense from a filmmaking perspective to become highly skilled at a specific niche versus trying to be the next PTA or Quentin Tarantino.  Everyone strives to be an auteur, but this strikes me as akin to every NBA player trying to be LaBron.  As an outsider, it seems like an absurd pursuit.

It strikes me as a more reasonable goal for young filmmakers to pick a specialty based upon what the world needs:  maybe you will define yourself as an innovative writer like Charlie Kaufman, a special effects whiz like James Cameron, a tasteful producer in the mold of Scott Rudin, or a joke writer for sitcoms, a comedic music video guy, a low budget horror filmmaker.

Work-Life Balance

Men don't talk about the work-life balance.  They just do it.  It's called being an adult.

1 in 285,000

An academic does the math and doesn't think his odds of meeting someone are very good on a given night in London.

Then again, it seems like most people find someone at some point in their lives, so there must be something faulty in his math.

The two keys, if you ask me:  lower your standards and/or improve yourself.  If you're lucky, you'll only have to do one or the other.

Middle Class Woes

Even in an unlikely area:  quarterbacks.

I'm Just An Average, Everyday, Normal Guy

Jon Lajoie asks people to donate to his kickstarter so he can be rich.

I suppose if you ask me whether I'm in favor of Zach Braff, etc, like people raising money on kickstarter, of course I'm going to say No.  I won't donate and I think people who do donate should be mocked.  They deserve it.

On a legal and social level - of course - do whatever you want with your money.  You can go dump it in slot machines or buy lotto tickets or buy real estate on the moon if you want.  But please, please, please do not ask me to praise this as some sort of new-world, power-to-the-people, social-media-futurist bullshit.  Do not expect me to believe this is something awesome and we, as a society, should get excited about it.  It's asking for charity.  And therefore, it is yuckier when people like Zach Braff do it than say, a film school student.

Ratios and Housing Bubbles

On how Houston avoided the housing bubble and is thriving post-Great Recession.

Houston avoided over-building problems in this recession by tightening lending and home construction in the early years of the crisis. Houston didn't really have a housing bubble in the 2000s. The ratio between its median house prices and median household incomes peaked at 2.7 in 2006. By comparison, a typical Miami family would have to spend five-and-a-half years of their total income to afford an average home in the city by 2006. In Riverside, it would take nearly seven years. So as housing values cascading all across along the Sun Belt -- by 40 percent percent in Miami and 44 percent in Riverside -- they merely dipped about 2 percent in Houston.

The big key to me is ratios.  Median house price is 2.7x median income.  See, that makes sense.  You make 100,000 a year, the house you buy/own should cost about 270,000.  One glance at SoCal real estate and you quickly realize how much money you need to make to have a reasonable mortgage.  If you get much higher, you're devoting an incredible amount of your income to mortgage, or put yourself in a very vulnerable position to fluctuating prices.

White Wine

Your guide to white wine.

Endurance

Marcus Aurelius.

Doesn't Surprise Me

Seattle Seahawks lead the league in PED suspensions.  Those maniacs play liked a bunch of roided up monsters against the Niners the last couple years.  You'll notice of all the teams on the list with zero suspensions over the past three years, the only good one is the SF Forty Niners.  My guess is the Seahawks were tired of getting worked by the Niners and turned to the PEDs.

ps - Jim Harbaugh, if you are reading this, I have developed a game plan to stop Russell Wilson.  If you want to get in touch, please email me directly.

Culture and Economy

A really interesting blogpost.  I may start reading this guy.

Polanksi

Says "the pill masculinized women" and "leveling the sexes is idiotic."

He will not be listened to, but the man is a genius.

Easier to Look Good When the Economy is Bouncing Back

A nice profile of Jerry Brown in the Atlantic.  I think it's easier for Brown to look good when the economy is doing well...or at least...high income earners are doing well because that's where all the tax revenue in CA comes from.  Still, I like this quote:

The truth is that a reliance on rules and a mistrust of mere politicians have come close to ruining public life in California. “When given a choice between human judgments and formulas, we’ve always chosen the formulas,” Joe Mathews says. He is critical of Brown in many ways, and yet he says, “I would rather let the Jerry Browns of the world make decisions for me than some crazy set of rules someone thought would help.”

Yes, the system in California is screwed up.  Anyone who votes knows it.  Do you read those propositions?  Do you feel qualified to make those decisions?

In a total side note:  when the money is flowing, so long as you are not a total idiot, most decisions you make are reasonable.  Vacation?  Needed to recharge the batteries.  Car repair?  Spend to save in the future.  New clothes?  Help your image at work.  Savings/investments?  Easy to save more than 15% of the income.  But when the money is not flowing, no decision is without stress.  Vacation?  Can't afford it.  Car repair?  Is it worth it?  New clothes?  Waste of money could be spending elsewhere.  Savings/investment?  Nearly impossible.  I figure the same applies on a public scale.

Logging

Food:  Diner 371

In Anza, CA, which is horse country, south of Idyllwild and north of Temecula.  A damn fine breakfast burrito in an unlikely spot.

Film:  Austin Powers, the original

A great deal of fun.

Activity:  Riding horses.  Playing Yahtzee.

Prefer either of these to Facebooking or Internet dating any day.

Wanting To Be Liked

A 14-year old on her facebook habits.

I don't fear becoming obsolete because I don't use Facebook.  I fear the western world reverting to the social norms of middle school.

Money quote:

"If I'm not watching TV, I'm on my phone. If I'm not on my phone, I'm on my computer. If I'm not doing any of those things, what am I supposed to do?" Casey says.

We make our own culture.  All the advocates of Facebook and Social Media are turning us into 14-year old girls.  No wonder the economy is in the tank and people are anxious and miserable.

Logging

Restaurant:  Yang Chow

I've been craving a good white-person Chinese spot.  I'm a fan of Kung Pao chicken and rice and these kind of dishes.  Yang Chow gets good reviews.  Wow.  Disappointing.  Henry Hunan in San Fran blows this place out of the water.

NBA:  Loving the Pacers-Heat series.  Pacers have a dynamite trio in West, George, and Hibbert.  Too bad their guards cannot handle the ball.  Really pathetic.  But they aren't scared of Miami.

Random other crap:  Is it just me or does all this tinkering with email programs and other computer software stuff just make it harder to use?  Who is coming up with all these unnecessary fixes?  Don't these genius programmers have anything else to do?

Cannes

Refn and Gosling booed in Cannes.

I must go to Cannes one day.  They view movies differently than everywhere else.

Fan Fiction

Amazon building a market for fan fiction.

I've never thought much about fan fiction, but it made me realize what JJ Abrams and his crew, Marvel, and all these comic-book movies are making:  fan fiction.  Fan fiction has this lower-status amongst literature, but in essence, has taken over the movie business.

Strange days.

Unintended?

The actual result of Obamacare will be this:

Of course, we all know the real reason for this. it’s meant to force healthy young people to subsidize healthcare for older sicker people. Just force them to pay more for insurance than they ought to, and force them to buy more extensive coverage than is rational.

Not sure if this is unintended consequence or just the choice we made.  Insurance and medical stuff costs too much for old people to afford and someone has to pick up the slack.  Who else but the young?

Woops

Headline: Father who set up video to capture 'paranormal' activity accidentally films his girlfriend having sex with his teenage son instead.

Good For Intel

Funding a rebellion around data and returning power to people rather than the data aggregators (like Facebook and Google).

Cynics will argue Intel is trying to undermine competitors - ie software vs. hardware - as in where the money will be in the future.  Fine with me.  I hate how Facebook claims ownership of your data and then uses that info as a pyramid scheme to rip off investors.

Heard about a case on the radio the other day where Facebook was using some kid's picture in an advertisement and the mother sued the company because Facebook didn't get permission or pay the kid for the image.  Facebook tried to settle the case for $20 million by giving the Plaintiff's lawyers $10 million and donating $10 million to charity.  What?  Are they insane?  First off, they shouldn't be using children's data without parental permission.  Second off, they shouldn't be using anyone's image for profit without paying for it.  But this gets at the entire crux of what I hate about Facebook.  It seizes your information, your pictures, your comments, your friendship networks -- claims ownership of the information -- and then tries to leverage it into profit for members of the company and investors.  They would argue they are providing a service to the users.  If that were the case, they should charge the users to be part of the network and see how many people pay for it.  Nada.  It is scam game.  The buyer and seller are not making any sort of "real" exchange.

Facebook and their investors are hoping for some type of happy accident in the future where they can figure out a business model to turn it into a profit-generating company.  My bet is it involves claiming people's data and selling it to marketers and advertisers.  This deal people are entering with Facebook are like the Indians selling Manhattan for beads and bread.

Logging

Film:  House of Games

Mamet is a better writer than director.  "You came back for more like a dog eating his own vomit."  Damn.

This is a good little movie.