Category Archives: Pop Culture & Society

I’m totally serious. I mean, when you read a paper like say, the San Jose Mercury News, which is mostly wire service filler, a handful of articles, and the Deep Thoughts of Clint Reilly, or watch CNN and see them stumble and bumble any sort of coverage that really tells you anything, you begin to wonder if maybe these crybaby MSM folks are just not up to the job.
Meanwhile, there’s TMZ.com, which has an army of video cameras and associated folks on the scene. Sure they may pay off sources, but they somehow manage to get the dirt. When pop culture train wreck Britney Spears tried to fake out the press and do a bunk to Mexico, there was TMZ, catching it all on tape. It’s as if Marcellus Wallace told the TMZ crew “If Britney goes to Indochina, I want a photographer waiting in a bowl of rice ready to put a lens in her ass” or something.
Imagine if TMZ was on the campaign trail, getting the real dirt on our candidates and also going after all the shenanigans of GW’s crew. I would imagine that in about a week, we’d have a total revolution or something.
But then again, who wants to look at a bunch of politicians in compromised positions? At least some of the celebs are attractive….

So there you are, wondering, “how can I make 2008 I a productive year” and don’t realize that the Post-Apocalyptic Workout solves so many of your problems!
Not only do you find out how best to disencourage cannibalism, you also find out the skillz you need to pay the billz in the post-apocalyptic world!
Go there now, read Nina’s wisdom, and have fun! She rocks and you will, upon reading her blog!

Why I remember this I don’t know, but back in the 1990s, a brewing company came out with a “40” of Malt Liquor that was named “Crazy Horse” (as in the Native American /Indian leader). Needless to say, more than a few Native Americans/Indians were rather pissed off to see their leader being used to sell crappy beer.
Activists made the media rounds and while this particular report doesn’t say it I remember seeing a congressional hearing where some Native American/Indian leaders, to show others why they were so pissed, made up bottles of “Jesus Christ White Wine” and “Malcolm X Malt Liquor” to give others a taste of what they’d felt when they saw Crazy Horse on sale.
Then I read the L.A. Times and saw this piece of news about a new wine from Israel.
“Grapes of Galilee” wine. With not one, but TWO pictures of the Son of God on it. It’s to be marketed to Christians or something.
It just goes to show you that no matter how crazy, ironic or “out there” a criticism can be, someday, if you’re not careful, it can REALLY happen.
I don’t know that I’d be buying wine with Jesus’ picture on it, and with an ad campaign that insinuates taht if Jesus drank wine back in the day “it came from their vines” (to paraphrase the vintner.). I’d happily buy a wine from Israel, since I’m sure there are good wines from Israel. But why drag Jesus into this? Does this mean if I buy a wine from Napa I’m supporting Satan or something?
Anyway, enjoy your weekend, and watch out for those sneaky mailers that aren’t telling the truth about the Fix MUNI proposition! Looks like that “deal” to get things done got broken by one side after all. A pity.
*Note: I used both “Native American” and “Indian” because my experience has been that people in California like to say “Native American” but whenever I’ve worked on political campaigns with indigenous peoples of North America, they almost always refer to themselves as “Indian,” and the names of many national organizations dedicated to such issues also say “Indian.” So I put in both so no one gets all mad.

Wow.
Yeah. Wow.
I finally saw “Californication” on Showtime thanks to their free weekend hippie promo deal, and all I can say is “wow!”
Why? Simple. David Duchovny’s character, embittered writer Hank Moody, is the rock star of writers. Sure we’d all love to be super successful, have our novels butchered, but still make residuals, and oh yeah, get to have sex with hot women AND punch out guys who dis our seriously beloved, and so on, but you know.
That ain’t happening.
So “Californication” offers a window into a world that we (and by “we” I mean “dumbass guys in their late 30s who so wish they could be so fucking cool”) really enjoy. It’s a perfect companion to that tiresome, girly show “Weeds” (which induces vomiting despite its charms), and well, it’s just a wonderful show.
Anyway.
Oh, and one of the appeals is the circular humor and logic I’ve not seen since Peter Bagge did “Hate” and “Neat Stuff” back in the day. They start out planting the joke, let you go around the pool a few times, and WHAM! bring it back in such a way you didn’t expect, but should have.
Just watch the show. You’ll like it. Or not. Or at least understand a little more about a guy’s guy, and realize why some of us are just glad the Alan Alda Bullsh*t 70s Sensitive Man Lies are done.
Seriously.
Just watch the show. Ladies, if you’re a fan, feel free to email me.

Recently I posted a snarky entry that suggested that a blog on the SFGate site shared “too many similarities” to one I’d posted earlier. While never using the “p-word” it was a tad harsh.
After speaking with some folks, it has been determined that it was indeed a case of “great minds thinking alike” and any suggestions otherwise that Chron TV blogger Rain Jokinen were doing anything unethical are simply incorrect.
I am not so insecure in my own writing and sense of self that I cannot admit a mistake and apologize. Too often, in our “gotcha” culture, people don’t back down when they’re mistaken. (That’s how we got stuck in Iraq, et al).
Personally I have always admired people who aren’t afraid to say “I made a mistake.” Now I am doing what I advocate for others!
Now let’s all enjoy tonight’s episode of Heroes and look forward to a week of fun and excitement!

You have to hand it to Apple, Inc.: just when you start to wonder if there’s anyone left around who actually does something for a living other than ad sales, financial derivatives ,or say, laundry, good old Apple makes a product really well, then keeps making it better. Today’s new iPods are an example of that.
While I always liked the iPhone conceptually, I did not want to gget one because a) it cost a fortune and more importantly, b) getting one would mean having to switch from my favored cellphone company, T-Mobile, and switch to the Soviet-like stagnation and bureaucracy of AT&T, which sucks. So I figured I was out of luck.
It wasn’t so much that the phone part was any different than my current Nokia, but rather that for many of the tasks I have when I’m out and about (checking email, approving comments, and getting NextMUNI info), the iPhone was almost as good as lugging around my beloved G4 Powerbook. But that AT&T thing killed the deal.
Enter the newest iPod, with all the great features of the iPhone I wanted – just no phone itself. It’s a little cheaper, can hold more music, files and videos, and best of all, gives me a chance to get the cool features of the iPhone while at the same time giving the finger to the toads at AT&T. No ongoing “fees” or “contracts” – I can keep my awesome rate plan with T-Mobile.
Sure I’ll be the nerd with two gadgets in his pocket but so what? I can get the product I want and not get strangled by AT&T’s fees. Apple, THANK YOU!

I just saw this while enduring SCIFI Channel’s dull “Eureka”…but it was worth it….this BSG movie will be out on DVD and on the SCIFI channel in fall 2007….should be good.
Now that you’ve seen the trailer, why not buy an Adama for President T Shirt and be the coolest person on the beach this summer!

I’ve been remiss in not getting the word out to folks as best I can about the looming destruction of Internet radio that’s coming fairly soon, and how they can help try and forestall the Forces of Doom. Which is rather stupid , on my part, since I am an avid listener of SOMA FM. In fact, thanks to SOMA FM, I’ve ended up buying more music than I would if there was no SOMA FM. Plus, their “Groove Salad” channel is great for background music when I’m on a writing deadline.
There is a Save Internet Radio event coming up on Sunday that you should check out. Also, oddly enough, there is an unusually informative piece in the SF Weekly that explains much of what’s going on, and its impact on Internet stations here in town.
This was a surprise, since this is the first time in a years I can remember reading something that I didn’t already know in said publication. But I digress.
My biggest objection to how all of this is going down is that once again we see the big entertainment companies and the RIAA decide that the only way to be successful in business is to go to war with the customer, and use Congress and their ilk to write bogus laws that reinforce this war. Then they wonder why it is people are running away in droves from their dull offerings and towards all things Internets. Duh!