Blogrolling 

Food from thought 

Here it is 

Another angle 

discuss

1. Choose Surveys from the Editors Only menu.

2. Look down the left edge, you'll see a bunch of commands relating to surveys. Choose New.

3. Enter the title and description of the survey, and in the intimidating XML section, replace the default text with your own. If you have more than three choices, copy/paste. If you make a mistake you can't break anything but the survey you're working on and it won't accept incorrect results. It may look a little intimidating, at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty fast and easy.

discuss

http://doc-weblogs.com/surveys/run/dave@userland.com/howHighIsTheSky

discuss

My tastes haven't changed, as far as I can tell. But, I take a larger view of all of this, anyway. My wife recently told me that she thought the events of 9/11 were the defining moments of our life - that nothing else would be 'bigger' than this. I had to disagree. I think the fall of Communism in the USSR was bigger. Perhaps the fall of the Berlin Wall. Or landing on the moon. The Bhopal disaster killed 3 times as many as died on 9/11. There are natural disasters that kill as many people as died that day.

I haven't changed anything I'm doing. I have a 3-year old, though. As a consequence, my family's lives are fairly violence free for the most part. We still watch things like ER and The Practice after he goes to sleep. We try to avoid violent commercials while he's awake. He's really into Scooby-Doo. I don't worry about whether that will affect him negatively.

Maybe others will shift to less violent entertainment. Why would they, though? Islamic Fundamentalists are the ones we should be worried about. I don't believe they're big consumers of our popular entertainment.

discuss

My entertainment tastes haven't changed much, I spend a little more time surfing global news sites, but, alas, there's not much I can do about foreign policy.

The gifts for the kids I get stuff for will be scaled back a bit this year 'cause the ACLU and the EFF need a bit of support. But I expect the same sorts of things, a couple ultra violent video games to give 'em catharsis from the pressures of high school (and give their mother the appropriate "oh my god, you gave my children what?" heart attack), some robotics or similar kits and parts to encourage the creativity.

In the days after the attack, when people were openly friendly on the streets and met each other's eyes more often and offered to help each other, I thought "Gee, this is just like being back at Burning Man". So rather than veging out in front of the tube I'm trying to leverage that time into making connections with real people, getting out to those live shows and exhibits that I always say I'm going to make and then end up missing, working on sculpture and projects for bringing a bit more Burning Man style wackiness and art into my life and my community. But then I say that every year about this time...

discuss

Am looking for works of significance, quality, and intelligence. Band of Brothers has been top-notch. The Simpsons is always great. Watching more of the Discovery Channel. Have seen loads of independent films recently and looking forward to more.

Have also been listening to more classic rock -- music that was recorded during the Vietnam era. Found myself listening to it in a whole new light, looking more for what they were talking about inside the context of the times and wondering how the music of today will be impacted by the events of September 11. What new conversations will be had through music today? What new stories told?

discuss

I haven't changed that much. In fact, I've been enjoying my limited library of heroic SF movies. Even though their based upon an outdated, cold war era, SF vocabulary, I find I really enjoy seeing alien butt kicking.

Recently ran my DVD of Total Recall (while it was on broadcast) and was reminded how much I'd enjoyed it in the past. Much better than the original story in that it provides a much more believable plot line. The story is of a man who goes into a "we can dream it for you" vendor to have a trip to mars as a secret agent dream embedded in his memory. The process fails when the dream merchants discover that he really did save the the world. The Phillip K. Dick story has a much simpler and simplistic adventure attached. THe movie's adventure is more believable (at least if the hero is Arnold) and thus makes the question of whether the events actually occur more enjoyable.

Anyhow, I missed basedball for the week it was away, and wish the news would get back to the usual local murders and fires and such, but since I'm in NYC, that may be too much to ask.

discuss

One of my favorite columnists Leonard Pitts Jr. has some great thoughts on this subject here:

http://www.miami.com/herald/content/features/columnists/pitts/

...Dave

discuss

Later we watched The Matrix on DVD with great surround sound. I saw it on the big screen when it came out and loved it. Tonight I felt very uncomfortable watching parts of it. When the helicopter crashes into the skyscraper and a ball of flame erupts I kept thinking about another ball of flame erupting from another skyscraper. And the realization, watching it this time, that, when balls of flame erupt from the side of a skyscraper, people are going to die. Many people.

We have watched so much violence on the big and little screens. We know that it's not real and I think that we start confusing the fact that no one is really getting hurt on the screen with reality - that maybe no one is really getting hurt in real life too. At least not the hero. Recent events indicate otherwise.

Young men are anxious to enlist so they can invade Afgahnistan and whup some ass. I guess every generation has to find out for itself. Not everyone runs through walls of bullets like Keanu Reeves.

discuss

Not yet, but I definitely feel different neurons firing when I see media. My wife was watching Working Girl last night and there was a brief scene of the New York Skyline at night. That brief scene was amazing.

What kind of toys and games are you buying for kids this Christmas?

Well, I've always been a book and lego and craft gift giver (and getter) - so I have no change here.

What kind of movies and shows are you looking for when you go to blockbuster or channel surf on TV?

I find myself wanting to see things like Lawrence of Arabia and Three Kings -- but my most recent DVD purchase (a week ago) was This Is Spinal Tap. So I guess escape is a priority.

discuss