Without A Net

Nostalgia for the obsolete

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:20:56 -0800

The new book Obsolete by Anna Jane Grossman takes a look at things going obsolete within our lifetimes. The book includes 100 essays on fading subjects, such as mix tapes, camera film, and writing letters.

It seems that the amount of time before something becomes nostalgic is growing shorter. I personally lamented once popular Web site hosting service GeoCities being shut down recently, remembering my early online adventures building horrible Web sites using GeoCities.

It's also interesting to see how, as something's usefulness declines, our affection for it grows. This isn't to say that these objects are useless. I was talking with a friend the other night who bought a typewriter rather than using a word processor, expressing a love for the tactile level it brings to writing. A photographer friend still carries an $11 plastic camera, which when his fancy professional camera's battery died and his backup had gone AWOL, he used to complete a recent photo shoot.

For a personal favorite in Internet nostalgia, go check out the very first White House Web site from the Clinton administration. (This site really makes me wish that, like Al Gore at the time, Joe Biden had a cartoon gallery.)

(Via Kottke.org)

Bratton versus Colbert

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:02:07 -0800

Former LAPD chief Bill Bratton is about to face an even more probing audience than he's found in Los Angeles. No, I'm not talking about his new New York City security consultant job, I'm talking about Bratton going toe-to-toe with America's top pundit, Stephen Colbert.

Bratton appears on Thursday's episode of Comedy Central's Colbert Report, adding another notable to the long list of public figures who've sparred with the comedian on his faux news program. My DVR's already set.

(Via L.A. Observed)

Defining the 2000s

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:25:32 -0800

I was talking with a friend the other night about the way our culture seems to be becoming more homogeneous. We talked about the distinctive, definable styles of the '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, into the early '90s, but found our ability to pin down what has defined style since becoming fuzzier. Is this just due to our proximity to the times, or has the ubiquity of mass media, and particularly the Internet, led to an evening out of our culture?

In the tradition of long lists of stuff blogs like Stuff White People Like, one blogger has set to defining what the current decade has been about in his blog You AUGHT To Remember. He's counting down the top 100 "trends, fashions, memes, personalities and ideas that shaped the first decade of the 21st Century." I expect we'll be seeing more and more efforts like this as our decade comes to a close in less than two months.

What do you think has defined our decade?

(Link via Kottke.org)

Hiking: Griffith Park and Taylor Mitchell

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:06:46 -0800

So, I'm going hiking tonight in Griffith Park for a special pre-Halloween hike. As my hiking group's Web site describes it, "Bring glow sticks, bracelets, headbands, or whatever other glowing or blinking accessories you can get your hands on and we'll scare and glow our way around the trails and then through the dark and eerie ruins of the old zoo." I was very excited about this. I then decided to go on the Internet.

What should I happen to come across but this: "Teenage folk singer Taylor Mitchell killed by coyotes." The first paragraph:

"A teenage folk singer has died after being set upon by two coyotes as she hiked alone in a national park in Nova Scotia."

It's a tragic story, and I hesitate to even write about this, and wonder if I'm being sensitive to the situation. From my own limited perspective, it's one that puts a little fright into a late night hike at a park known for its coyotes. Of course, as the article notes, coyotes are generally shy, and I'll also be hiking with a large group. Still, I suppose it's natural to have a little fright going into Halloween.

You can watch the CBC's story on Mitchell's death here:

Taylor Mitchell's "Don't Know How I Got Here":

Why seeing U2 live is for suckers

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:39:44 -0800

I'm one of the 96,000+ descending upon Pasadena's Rose Bowl this weekend to see U2 in a sold out concert (or at least the small dots that I will assume are U2 from my seat). However, while you can't beat the energy of a live crowd, the best view may be had by all the people not at the show.

This show will be streamed live via YouTube. You can view the video making the announcement here:

The show was already being filmed for an upcoming DVD release, so it ended up being an opportunity for the organizers to take the show to the Web. It's one of their last concerts of the year, with more to come in 2010.

It's a smart move, as they weren't going to be able to sell any more tickets for the event. I do wonder, if this type of live event online becomes a growing trend, if it could cut into any live performance revenues, which have become even more important as the record industry collapses. Still, as mentioned before, it's hard to compete with the experience of a live concert, the fan moment of being in the same venue as a favorite musician, and sharing your passion with a mass of people.

You can tune in Sunday, October 25th at 8:30 p.m. to check it out at youtube.com/U2. The show will also be replayed twice, then be available on demand like any other YouTube video.

Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images for Principle Management

LAPD makes art of theft

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:50:25 -0800

Greg.org recently pointed out the way that the LAPD's gallery of stolen pieces of art was, in its own way, art all of its own.

It's an interesting collection to flip through. Skipping to W in the paintings and prints section and looking at the Warhols alone makes for some interesting viewing.

(Via Kottke.org)

Remembering pro wrestling manager Captain Lou Albano

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:21:39 -0800

Pro wrestling manager Captain Lou Albano died this morning. There've been some untimely deaths in the wrestling industry, but Albano lived a rather full life, dying at age 76.

Albano is one of the personalities that crossed over into mainstream pop culture in the 1980s alongside Hulk Hogan and "Macho Man" Randy Savage. I'm someone who's watched pro wrestling over the years, and while I didn't get into it until later on, I knew who Captain Lou Albano was.

Albano gained his greatest fame and perhaps most lasting legacy by appearing in a number of Cyndi Lauper's music videos, such as "Girls Just Want To Have Fun," "She Bop," "Time After Time," and "Goonies 'R' Good Enough" (below):

Those music video appearances made him a big part of the early days of MTV (back when they still played videos all day), and MTV News covered Albano's death.

My early exposure personally to Albano was as the star of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show, which I watched religiously as a child. You can view the show's intro and credits here:

His fame stretched far enough beyond the wrestling world that his death has been covered by major news organizations such as CNN, and top trending topics on Twitter currently include both "Captain Lou Albano" and "RIP Captain Lou."

You can view an interview done just two years ago with Albano here:

Coming soon: 'Fully conservative' Bible translation

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:58:49 -0800

There's a project on Conservapedia (a conservative version of Wikipedia) to create a "fully conservative translation" of the Bible.

It's a bit puzzling coming from the same side of the aisle that promotes strict constructionism with the Constitution and that went hand in hand with the Christian fundamentalist movement. Both conservative and liberal religious commentators seem to agree that this is a bad idea.

Still, is it that much of a stretch to see this idea at the same time more from all parts of the political spectrum are seeking sources that reaffirm what they already believe? People already read news sources that reflect their political beliefs and seek out blogs that act as an echo chamber, so isn't politicizing spiritual texts a logical extension of this trend?

(Hat tip: Paul Krugman)

Google explains what a browser is

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:57:44 -0800

We talked earlier this week about how it's easy to get lost in cool new technology while forgetting the basics.

Well, Google apparently agrees, as they started a new initiative to explain what a Web browser is. They did a series of man on the street interviews asking people what a browser is, and less than 8 percent of those interviewed knew the answer.

Google then produced this excellent 1 minute video to explain the concept of a browser:

They also produced an accompanying Web site, WhatBrowser.org. I marveled at the need for these things in 2009, but it's a great reminder that I think applies to a lot of things in life: keep it simple. You need these building blocks in place to be able to do bigger, greater things. Not everyone else will always understand things the same way you do.

Loving the Next Thing

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:14:14 -0800

Several of us went to San Francisco this weekend for an online journalism conference. We learned a lot and had some great discussions about how the news business is evolving and how to better deliver the news to the public.

I'm not sure that I ever need to talk that much about Twitter over the course of three days again, but one thing I came away with was a reminder not to overcomplicate things. As someone who's both an overthinker and who always likes trying out the Next Thing, it's tempting to want to say that this Next Thing is going to come along and be our messiah, but that's just not the case.

It hit home with me during a discussion where one of the most buzzed about products, Google Wave, was being discussed. People were talking about how these other problems we were having were going to be moot because Google Wave was coming and would wash over us with its awesomeness.

Then someone who had some friends who'd actually used Google Wave in its current limited beta said that these friends who'd used the thing couldn't figure it out.

Now, if Google Wave ends up meeting 1 percent of the hype, it will likely have accomplished something. Still, it's a reminder that there's no perfect tool out there and that our mission still comes down to the news, not the technology.

The term 'artistic integrity,' which I'd heard on NPR

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:44:55 -0800

I had the chance to hear author Donald Miller speak in Hollywood last night as part of a book tour promoting his new book, A Million Miles In A Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life. He's best known for his memoir Blue Like Jazz: Non-Religious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality, which is being made into a motion picture.

When he started working on the film, he was told that certain changes would have to be made to his life story in order to create a compelling film. (Unfortunately, I think this is true of my own life as well.) In a line from his book which also made its way into his live act, he talked about how he felt about the changes being made to his life story, noting "I used the term artistic integrity, which is something I'd heard on National Public Radio." He had me at "artistic integrity."

His new book goes on to explain how he wondered how someone could take the principles that make a good story and apply them to real life to make your own life more compelling. One of the more notable ways he's done this is by founding The Mentoring Project, a faith-based organization working to provide mentors to young boys without positive male role models. It sprung out of his work on the book To Own A Dragon: Reflections On Growing Up Without A Father. He also serves on the Presidential Task Force on Fatherhood and Healthy Families.

I'd seen him speak before and was somewhat unimpressed, feeling that he was good, but that he was a far better writer. This time was different, as he actually had something to say. He's a funny author and has a talent I'm still working on, being funny in 140 characters or less.

If you're interested in seeing him on his book tour, check out his official tour Web site or keep an eye on his blog to see what he's up to next.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gcclive/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Steve Martin brings bluegrass tour back to LA

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:57:26 -0800

Steve Martin is coming back to Los Angeles as he continues to tour following his recent bluegrass album, The Crow. I had the chance to see him perform when he came through town in May, playing Club Nokia. I went with a friend who is more of a bluegrass connoisseur than myself, and we were both impressed with Martin and his touring band, the Steep Canyon Rangers.

The show kicked off with an interview segment where columnist/author/humorist Dave Barry spoke with Martin about his career and the album. Martin still has the dry wit that made him famous, and he peppers that throughout his performance.

I knew he'd played banjo for a long time, but you go in and see The Jerk up there and when you start hearing virtuoso musicianship coming from his hands, it can take you aback. There's a sprinkling of comedy in his songs with lyrics, but it's largely serious, quality music that's still joyful.

If you get a chance to catch one of his shows this week or in the future, I'd highly recommend it. You can also pick up his album The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo or check out his performance from this past June on A Prairie Home Companion.

Photo: Steve Martin performs at Club Nokia on May 11, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)

Breaking the bubble

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:21:28 -0800

It can be easy as a news junkie, particularly working for a news organization, to get stuck inside a bubble where it seems like everyone cares about the same things you do.

I was reminded of the fact that this isn't actually true when I came across this blog post. Wait, what do you mean not everyone knows about ACORN, Glenn Beck, and the Baucus health care bill?! You mean not everyone is hitting refresh on the New York Times and the Drudge Report homepages constantly? Scandalous! (And I'm thinking that the numbers of people who actually care about these things and haven't just heard about them is much lower.)

Hopefully at KPCC we do what we can to provide you with information that's interesting, important, and relevant to your lives – but please let us know when we need to burst our bubble.

'Coming out' coming sooner

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:40:59 -0800

The New York Times Magazine has a story in their upcoming issue (already available online) on the increasing trend of gay kids coming out in middle school.

It stood out to me to see this in the same week where the hit Fox television show Glee featured a gay high schooler coming out to his father. Rather than going the traditional route of having either an emotional moment where the father tries to deal with it and ultimately accepts his son, or decides to kick him out of the house, the father simply told the son that he knew, and that he still loved his son. The calm, slightly conflicted, but ultimately reassuring and loving response seems to be a reflection of the emotion of American society as a whole, or at least where the nation is shifting.

It also reminded me of a point that John Edwards made when running for president. He talked about his own conflicted views regarding gay marriage, but said that when he talked with his daughter Cate about it, she told him how, with her generation, it wasn't even an issue, and that the attitude was of course gays should be allowed to marry.

Whether this just seems more apparent living in Los Angeles or whether it's truly a national trend is yet to be seen, but this article seems to indicate that it's not just west coast sensibilities.

Listen to the Patt Morrison show for more on the New York Times Magazine story, and see my review of the film Lord, Save Us From Your Followers for another interesting anecdote about the shifting approach to homosexuality in popular culture.

'Lord, Save Us From Your Followers'

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:45:57 -0800

We talked last week about the harsh tone in our public discourse recently, ranging from Congressman Joe Wilson yelling "You lie!" at the president to Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards. (This connection was noted by Seth and Amy on Saturday Night Live's "Really!?!" segment, which was a lot of fun.)

Well, there's a new documentary looking at this same trend in Christianity called Lord, Save Us From Your Followers, which is sure to not be controversial at all. I had the chance to see an advance screening on Monday and thought it was funny, with some moving scenes as it heads into the second half of the film.

The movie takes its shots at both the conservative and liberal sides of American culture. It follows filmmaker Dan Merchant, traveling the country and putting himself front and center like a calmer, gentler Michael Moore. He crosses the political divide, speaking with public figures like Democratic Senator Al Franken and former Republian Senator Rick Santorum.

He pulls a variety of attention-getting stunts throughout the film, such as walking around in a suit covered with religious bumper stickers and doing man on the street interviews. His most notable, in-your-face stunt is likely when he sets up a "confession booth" at Portland's Gay Pride celebration where, when visitors enter his both, he apologizes for hatred from the church throughout history, as well as his own attitude toward homosexuality. Seeing the sincere reaction of those who entered his booth was captivating.

If any of this strikes your fancy, it's opening in limited release this Friday, coming to Canyon Country on October 2nd and Irvine on October 9th. For further information on when the film is coming to a theater near you, check out the official Web site.

You can also watch a 10-minute sampler of scenes from the film below.

Photo courtesy LordSaveUsTheMovie.com

Cloning made possible by the Internet

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:34:54 -0800

Well, musically, at least.

In this modern age we live in, cloning is finally here. No, you can't create your own Mini-Me yet, but it's a lot easier to at least simulate being an identical twin/triplet/quadruplet and so on.

I was hanging out with friends on Saturday night, and my friend Collin asked me if I'd gotten his e-mail about the video with the guy singing all the parts to some Michael Jackson music himself. I told him that I hadn't received his e-mail yet, but that yes, I'd seen that video with the guy singing "Thriller." (I was thinking of the following video.)

However, I later discovered that my friend was referring to another video involving Michael Jackson music and cloning.

This reminded me of this John Williams/Star Wars tribute I'd seen a few months prior:

As equipment gets cheaper and distribution becomes easier, the one-person recording phenomenon has become increasingly huge, and the idea of having an actual group/band increasingly unnecessary. That's not to say that there's not still magic in collaboration that can't necessarily be duplicated on your own, but the loner now has options.

So, the clones are taking over. Don't try to fight it. They are unstoppable.

Finally, to end on a tangent, the video that my free-associating mind also thought of based on this discussion, and perhaps my favorite of the bunch:

BOOMBOX from Ely Kim on Vimeo.

Connecticut politics may involve more bodyslams

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:11:49 -0800

Linda McMahon, wife of pro wrestling promoter Vince McMahon and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), officially entered the race for Chris Dodd's U.S. Senate seat from Connecticut. She'll be entering the ring of the Republican primary, hoping to move to the next round of that particular political tournament to compete against Chris Dodd as he attempts to win his sixth Senate term. For someone from a business full of colorful personalities, bombastic attitudes, and interviews hyping up a fight, politics seems like a natural fit for Mrs. McMahon.

If Jesse Ventura could get elected governor of Minnesota, who's to say Linda McMahon can't make it to the Senate? She's been politically active for years, including being appointed to the Connecticut Board of Education earlier this year, as well as spearheading WWE's voter registration campaign. Her appointment to the Board of Education followed debate about her company's often lewd, more often violent programming, despite efforts in recent years to make the product more kid-friendly. She'll also likely push her business experience heading the industry leader in the world's favorite fake sport.

Linda McMahon's also appeared as a pro wrestling character on her company's programming. The Associated Press story on her candidacy noted "One video on the Internet shows her in the ring, appearing to kick a man in the groin." (You can see at least one such video here.)

The opposition researchers are likely drooling at the prospects of an opponent who's led such a public life, with a husband who's been investigated for sexual harassment (no charges were ever filed), went to trial on charges of distributing steroids to his wrestlers (acquitted of all charges), and thinks it's perfectly appropriate to pull down his pants on national television (I'd tell you to look it up, but it's probably best that you don't).

That steroid trial is actually what led to Linda McMahon being named president of WWE in the first place, making it all the more likely that it's going to come up in the campaign. It also came out in the trial that she'd fired the company doctor, Dr. George Zahorian, due to mounting attention from the government on that doctor involving steroids.

The Daily Beast joined in on what's likely to be colorful coverage of the race, asking wrestling personalities for their thoughts on Linda McMahon entering the race. Reactions ranged from that of wrestling manager/booker/everything-else-er Jim Cornette who said "The idea that Vince McMahon could be in the vicinity of one of our lawmaking bodies just frightens me," to '80s and '90s wrestling star "Leaping" Lanny Poffo, who said "Connecticut needs Linda McMahon."

Here's hoping that this race can be about substance and doesn't become as much of a circus as Wrestlemania. Unfortunately, given the way politics works, perhaps a more realistic hope would be that it's at least entertaining.

Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The Joe Wilson/Kanye West connection

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:07:52 -0800

Our political and pop culture worlds converged this week in a rather unique way. During President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress last week on health care, Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina yelled "You lie!" after Obama stated that the health care reforms he was proposing wouldn't apply to illegal immigrants. It was a remarkable outburst in a chamber that doesn't get as raucous as foreign bodies like the United Kingdom's House of Commons, where this wouldn't likely result in raised eyebrows.

The trend of major public outbursts continued Sunday night at the MTV Video Music Awards when, as country/pop singer Taylor Swift accepted her award for Best Female Video, Kanye West stormed the stage and said that, while he was happy for Swift, Beyonce had one of the best videos ever (with her hit song "Single Ladies"). Beyonce would go on to win best video later in the night, making Kanye's comments seem even less classy. Kanye left the stage to boos and has been apologizing ever since, on his blog, on the Tonight Show, to Taylor Swift, and probably wherever you see him next.

Bringing us full circle back to the political realm, President Obama made an off-the-record comment during an interview with CNBC where he called Kanye West a "jackass" for what he did at the awards show. The reason why we know about this is thanks to the wonderful world of new media, in particular Twitter, as ABC reporter Terry Moran tweeted "Pres. Obama just called Kanye West a 'jackass' for his outburst at VMAs when Taylor Swift won. Now THAT'S presidential." ABC joined Kanye West in the world of apologies, apologizing for the comment getting out thanks to their reporter. There hasn't been much of an uproar over Obama's comment, probably because most people who saw what Kanye did agree with the president about that, if nothing else.

Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images