Re: Reality Distortion Field

1

Dude it's totally confusing. There's that Arby's ad with Levy, and of course the horrible jazz that daniels puts out: stop it! Stop it, all of you! Don't you realize we treasure this fiction? Unless, like Sulu, it's your wedding, we never want to hear from you again.

I saw Presbylewski (sp?) in a Shakespeare play, on the other hand, and will soon see Blume's cousin in another Shakespeare play, and at least in the first case it worked perfectly well, so maybe the issue is the medium.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:30 PM
horizontal rule
2

Reddick is in something new, too, some sort of X-Files looking knock-off.

I get where Simmons is coming from, and I don't understand how The Wire pulled it off, because it's not just about the main characters that people feel that they're real. Usually a show gets that with one or two leads, not 90% of the cast.

(There were some people on something I read earlier this week who mistook Simmons' remark as racist, because he didn't want all those actors to get ahead in their careers. I am surprised they managed to be able to order cable.)

Now that I've finished season 4 and the gods have not seen fit to release season 5 on DVD yet, I am watching the Sopranos, and I'm about halfway through the second season and not sure why it's as acclaimed as it is. It's well done, but it's leaving me kind of cold.


Posted by: Cala | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:35 PM
horizontal rule
3

Characters should be re-used, like John Munch in H:LOTS or JarJar Binks in those muppet movies.

||
Emily's story is Modern-Love worthy:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/magazine/25internet-t.html?ei=5070&en=57c6f69c5c9511d4&ex=1212120000&emc=eta1&pagewanted=all
|>


Posted by: Econolicious | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:35 PM
horizontal rule
4

On the other hand, every time I see Dukie and he's happy and not on heroin it's like a great victory over the odds in my mind.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:37 PM
horizontal rule
5

the gods have not seen fit to release season 5 on DVD yet

You don't have to wait. And since you'll buy (or rent) the DVD as soon as it comes out, no guilt.


Posted by: ogged | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:41 PM
horizontal rule
6

Levy shouldn't be on bloggingheads anymore, either.


Posted by: Jesus McQueen | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:44 PM
horizontal rule
7

I wouldn't have thought Simmons was racist for writing that. But if Ogged agrees with him, well, the data are the data. Also, I remember the first time I hung out a bit with an artist whose work I had long admired. It turned out that in private she wasn't very much like her public persona. Very disconcerting to realize that she was an actual person. Then I learned that there was no Great Pumpkin, a blow from which I'm still reeling.


Posted by: Ari | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:45 PM
horizontal rule
8

Charles Shultz was a woman?

Way to blow my mind, Ari.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:46 PM
horizontal rule
9

There's a philosophical argument that refers to the Great Pumpkin, and it was disconcerting how, the last time I taught the argument, half of the class had never heard of it.


Posted by: Cala | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:48 PM
horizontal rule
10

The Great Pumpkin, that is, not the argument. It wasn't disconcerting that they weren't following the argument, for I knew they had just not done the reading.


Posted by: Cala | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:48 PM
horizontal rule
11

What's the Great Pumpkin?


Posted by: ogged | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:49 PM
horizontal rule
12

Does anyone have experience with universal AC/DC adapters? I need to buy one. Actually, I might not be able to read this thread until after I buy one.


Posted by: eb | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:49 PM
horizontal rule
13

Oh, it's some funnies thing.


Posted by: ogged | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:50 PM
horizontal rule
14

Ogged you really are Mexican, aren't you?


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:50 PM
horizontal rule
15

Most of the students in the survey course I'm teaching now were ten or eleven when Bill Clinton left office. They have only hazy memories of 9/11 in some cases, because they were young enough that their parents protected them from the images.

And I'm still loving my Eee.


Posted by: Ari | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:51 PM
horizontal rule
16

I need to buy one.

For a laptop? Usually those plugs are proprietary.


Posted by: ogged | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:51 PM
horizontal rule
17

12: for what? What voltage? Why not radio shack? Wait, you can't read this?


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:51 PM
horizontal rule
18

eb can read, dude. It's Ogged who's Mexican.


Posted by: Ari | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:52 PM
horizontal rule
19

A fujitsu laptop. Radio Shack is probably the first place I'll try. Because it's around the corner. I'm a little concerned that it's not an actual shack though.

I have about 30 minutes of battery left. I should stop commenting soon.


Posted by: eb | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:53 PM
horizontal rule
20

15: It's pretty sweet. I tweaked it a little so it doesn't look like a little kid's machine (normal-looking desktop), and I killed the English-Chinese hotkey because I kept accidentally turning it on, and I did all of that without breaking it.


Posted by: Cala | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:53 PM
horizontal rule
21

20: Yes, I canned the Teletubbies wallpaper. I'm not sure which key you mean, though. Maybe because mine is set up for XP?


Posted by: Ari | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:57 PM
horizontal rule
22

As for the proprietary stuff, I looked into a couple of brands,* and the adapters come with multiple plugs, one of which will work for yours (if you're careful about what you buy). But they're kind of expensive and I don't want to get something that will break easily if I can avoid it. I can't wait to get the manufacturer's model shipped to me.

*Because I understand priorities, I did this before commenting.


Posted by: eb | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:57 PM
horizontal rule
23

22: you can get the multi-adapter radio shack thing and it willl probably be useful for other things, but will probably also be cruddy.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:58 PM
horizontal rule
24

The fact that comment 12 isn't either "Great, start'em young" or "You've never heard of Family Circus? Golly" is a travesty. A travesty, I tell you.


Posted by: washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 05-22-08 11:59 PM
horizontal rule
25

21: There's a ctrl-space hotkey on the Xandros distribution that changes the input to allow Chinese, and while I'm getting better at typing on the eee (it's not the size, it's got a different touch than my big laptop), I kept hitting that, and the result when typing in English is to make the font spaced out and screwy-looking. It was driving me crazy, so I sought a tool to kill it, and found another tool to make it not like FunTimeWithTheTeletubbies.


Posted by: Cala | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:01 AM
horizontal rule
26

25: I don't get it.


Posted by: eb | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:01 AM
horizontal rule
27

Man I'm so unimpressed with you eeeeeee bastards. iPhone 4 lyfe!


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:02 AM
horizontal rule
28

What's the Great Pumpkin?

Bill Richardson


Posted by: gswift | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:03 AM
horizontal rule
29

25: Again yeah, the touch thing is tough. I have to type MUCH harder than on my beloved Mac. Also, Windows is even worse than I remember. Seriously, why does anyone tolerate that crap? I may yank the XP and see what the Linux world is like.


Posted by: Ari | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:04 AM
horizontal rule
30

In 26 25 was supposed to be 24. And to 23: I guess that's about what I expected and I'll have to make do. I can decide later if I want to order the real cord.


Posted by: eb | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:05 AM
horizontal rule
31

Ari you would totally jizz all over an iPhone.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:06 AM
horizontal rule
32

27: If the iphone were a one-time expense and had a real keyboard that would allow me to write a book, I'd have one already. But having to pay monthly for a crappy cell plan and then not being able to process words, well, nope, I think I can live without that kind of convenience.


Posted by: Ari | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:06 AM
horizontal rule
33

32: so buy a touch, skeez. The keyboard is fine. You're not going to write a book on an eeeeEEeee, crazy.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:08 AM
horizontal rule
34

31 see 32. Also: yick. Also also: my co-blogger has one. It's super-cool. But it doesn't do what I want it to do.


Posted by: Ari | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:08 AM
horizontal rule
35

28: Bill R, looks like Tuco in that photo. I guess he did well with that money he ended up with after Blondie cut the noose at the end of tGtBatU.


Posted by: disaggregated | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:09 AM
horizontal rule
36

You're not going to write a book on an eeeeEEeee, crazy.

I already wrote two earlier today. Well, they were more like booklets. Or maybe blog posts/comments. But they were good. And eeelicious.


Posted by: Ari | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:11 AM
horizontal rule
37

If you double cross him and leave him alive, you know nothing about Bill Richardson.


Posted by: washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:11 AM
horizontal rule
38

Why would I want to double cross a superdelegate?


Posted by: disaggregated | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:20 AM
horizontal rule
39

Ari is just lovely in 7, though the first sentence is his response to someone else.


Posted by: parsimon | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:25 AM
horizontal rule
40

"Ari you would totally jizz all over an iPhone."

What, has 'skeet skeet skeet' not made it to the internet yet?


Posted by: Rottin' in Denmark | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 2:21 AM
horizontal rule
41

Get ready for McNulty as the bad guy in the next Punisher movie.


Posted by: Gaijin Biker | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 2:56 AM
horizontal rule
42

Also, holy crap, I did not realize at the time that McNulty was the snaky councilman Theron in "300". But now that I think about it, yeah, that was totally him. IMDB rocks!


Posted by: Gaijin Biker | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 2:58 AM
horizontal rule
43

Dude, how could you not notice that?

Also, Ray Stevenson had better not fuck up the Punisher role, because Tom Jane was damn good.


Posted by: gswift | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 3:01 AM
horizontal rule
44

Probably because I hadn't watched any of The Wire yet.


Posted by: Gaijin Biker | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 3:03 AM
horizontal rule
45

I guess the way I wrote #42 was kind of misleading.


Posted by: Gaijin Biker | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 3:04 AM
horizontal rule
46

I should have said something like , "When I finally got around to watching The Wire, I didn't realize that McNulty was the guy I had seen earlier in 300."


Posted by: Gaijin Biker | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 3:11 AM
horizontal rule
47

co-starring with R. Kelly in some horrible movie on IFC

Is R. Kelly in something other than Trapped in the Closet (Parts 1-n)?


Posted by: disaggregated | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 6:16 AM
horizontal rule
48

It's well done, but it's leaving me kind of cold.

I've never been able to work up much interest in The Sopranos myself. [shrug]


Posted by: apostropher | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 6:42 AM
horizontal rule
49

OT:

I loved this quote from today's NY Times about a list of books to read before you die:

"It plays on every serious reader's lingering sense of inadequacy. Page after page reveals a writer or a novel unread, and therefore a demerit on the great report card of one's cultural life."


Posted by: Will | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 6:46 AM
horizontal rule
50

the Punisher role, because Tom Jane was damn good.

I don't think you've ever written anything that has made me doubt your character or your basic decency more.


Posted by: SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 7:03 AM
horizontal rule
51

Does anyone have experience with universal AC/DC adapters? I need to buy one. Actually, I might not be able to read this thread until after I buy one.

I've purchased an AC adaptor for a Fujitsu Lifebook on eBay for around $20. The Radio Shack option, as I recall, runs about $100, and it's bulky and physically hideous. I'm not sure whether an eBay purchase would arrive fast enough for you, however.


Posted by: SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 7:12 AM
horizontal rule
52

The Wire is, at best, mediocre.


Posted by: hunger_artist | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 7:28 AM
horizontal rule
53

The Wire is, at best, mediocre.

Your comment is, as made, compelling.


Posted by: SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 7:30 AM
horizontal rule
54

Beadie showed up on The Office recently, but this was ok because a) her look was different enough that my first thought was "hey, Amy Ryan" rather than "hey, Beadie!"; and b) Amy Ryan is welcome to appear on my television any time she damn well pleases.


Posted by: potchkeh | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 7:32 AM
horizontal rule
55

52: Don't you know anything about trolling? You can't just barge into the discussion with a comment like that! You need to work up to it. You've got to establish some commonality and empathy with the group first. Try "I had a great dream last night that I was on the firing squad that executed John Yoo," or "I got my KitchenAid stand mixer from Amazon yesterday, and man, is it awesome!"


Posted by: Knecht Ruprecht | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 7:33 AM
horizontal rule
56

47: trapped in the closet parts 13-n, featuring Michael K. Williams.

Snoop does not appear to have any lucrative endorsement contracts yet.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 7:43 AM
horizontal rule
57

Snoop does not appear to have any lucrative endorsement contracts yet.

She should do shampoo ads. "How my hair look?"


Posted by: Jesus McQueen | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 7:50 AM
horizontal rule
58

hunger_artist has just never found any TV shows s/he really likes.


Posted by: ben w-lfs-n | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 9:19 AM
horizontal rule
59

So really hunger_artist was saying that The Wire, as with all TV shows, is at best a towering achievement in an aesthetic endeavor only capable of mediocrity, relative to the higher forms of media? How urbane!


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 9:28 AM
horizontal rule
60

What's the Great Pumpkin?

You're in luck, the Complete Peanuts reprints fall into the category of comics well worth buying.

Granted, I can only say that for sure about the first six years, I know the comic goes quickly downhill at some point, and that doesn't contain the Great Pumpkin.

But, nevertheless, one of the best comics you could be reading (permission is granted to anyone who skips Peanuts because they're reading The Complete Pogo instead.)


Posted by: NickS | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 9:50 AM
horizontal rule
61

I love lists of books I should read, because I am an optimistic, can-do person who functions best when given a check-list. The bookstore had the book "1000 Books to Read Before You Die", which I was sorely tempted to buy.


Posted by: Walt Someguy | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 11:06 AM
horizontal rule
62

It turns out we're talking about the same book. _And_ someone has typed in the whole list already, here. Off to the library.


Posted by: Walt Someguy | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 11:13 AM
horizontal rule
63

hunger_artist has just never found any TV shows s/he really likes.

But the onlookers braced themselves, crowded round the television, and did not want ever to move away.


Posted by: Blume | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 11:19 AM
horizontal rule
64

62: That list is so bad it doesn't need to be discussed, but three by Houellebecq? Even out of 1000? Ludicrous.


Posted by: Blume | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 11:22 AM
horizontal rule
65

63 wins the thread.


Posted by: NickS | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 11:24 AM
horizontal rule
66

65 gets it right.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 11:30 AM
horizontal rule
67

The Radio Shack option, as I recall, runs about $100, and it's bulky and physically hideous.

I ended up with this, which isn't too bad from a bulk/appearance standpoint and at least was $80 instead of $100. It comes with a pouch to keep all the various tips, none of which - aside from the one I'm using - apply to anything I currently own.

My laptop hasn't been fried and the battery is charged, so that's good.


Posted by: | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 11:46 AM
horizontal rule
68

Oh, and I wanted to point out last night that a number of Wire actors appeared on episodes of Law and Order. Not a surprise, when you think about it.


Posted by: eb | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 11:51 AM
horizontal rule
69

I had to google the reference in 63 to get the joke, but now that I get it, well-played, Blume.


Posted by: Knecht Ruprecht | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 11:54 AM
horizontal rule
70

69 gets it right.


Posted by: eb | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 11:55 AM
horizontal rule
71

||

Hey nerds, want to see something neat?

Check this out!

Teo especially might get a kick out of it.

|>


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:05 PM
horizontal rule
72

I find North Dakota's home ownership rate disappointing.


Posted by: eb | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:10 PM
horizontal rule
73

I think they only have the northeast in there.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:11 PM
horizontal rule
74

I find North Dakota's home ownership rate disappointing

Why? Look at the states with higher ownership rates. Do you see anything to aspire to there?


Posted by: Knecht Ruprecht | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:13 PM
horizontal rule
75

[explanation redacted from this comment and posted to standpipe's blog]


Posted by: eb | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:16 PM
horizontal rule
76

75: Don't worry, I got it. My comment was a failed attempt at a joke.


Posted by: Knecht Ruprecht | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:18 PM
horizontal rule
77

States like Minnesota and Mississippi?


Posted by: John Emerson | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 12:19 PM
horizontal rule
78

but now that I get it, well-played, Blume

With the assist from w-lfs-n's prior comment.


Posted by: Blume | Link to this comment | 05-23-08 8:35 PM
horizontal rule