The Joy of Censorship

I've been busy lately, and I haven't really been following the Public Library Association Conference blogging. Most of it doesn't seem particularly interesting, and I think it's because I'm familiar with most of the concepts because I'm in school now, but the people at the conferences haven't been in school for quite a while...

Anyway, Here's the recap of a talk that might interest a few of you:

The Joy of Censorship by Joe Raiola, senior editor of MAD magazine

He says censorship doesn't work in any form. The proof that censorship doesn't work, he says, is in the Bible. God is the universe's first censor, keeping them away from the fruit of the tree of knowledge. "When you're told you can't have something isn't that what you really want.... The human desire for freedom of choice, even when it comes to fruit, is more powerful than God. He fails as a censor. But there are people all over America, who think they are going to succeed where God failed"

Yahoo is freaking me out

I like my yahoo mail. It works like mail, not like "I'm all cool and modern" gmail. But now I'm freaked out.

The other day it logged me out of the messager because it said someone else logged into my account. And I figured it was just a fluke, I get signed out of AIM all the time for no reason at all. But I changed my password anyway. And today, it wouldn't let me sign in at all. And I had to do the full password reset thing. And now, I have a new, retardedly long, much different password. Nothing seems to be sent from me account that I don't know about, and I don't have any more spam than usual.

But I'm freaked out now. My whole life is in that email. All of my school stuff is in that email, instead of being safely on my hard drive. I should probably rethink this strategy.

In the meantime, if you get any email from my account that doesn't seem to have been written by me, call me immediately. I'm rather freaked out.

Who wants a Fraggle DVD?

Target had a sale this week. I was excited. I thought I was buying Fraggle Rock - Where it all Began. Turns out I got Fraggle Rock: Where It All Began.

What's the difference? Well, the one I wanted has a 45 min feature on Fraggle songs, and an episode of the animated series. The one I got came with some short about a claymation penguin.

Please someone, take this off my hands and give it a good home, please. Fraggles deserve good homes, and I already own the 3 episodes on my Season 1 box set. They're good episodes you can read about them from my September post.

Two runners die in Los Angeles marathon

Yes, the marathon was this weekend.

2 people died, a third had a heart attack but didn't die. 75 other people had to be medically treated.

When will it end?! When will people stop running their freaking marathons, stop draining our emergency response resources? When will they listen to me? How many more people have to die? When will they learn?

This girl in my office ran. She was in bad shape today. Stupid runners. They deserve it.

Yes, I'm saying it now. Marathon runners deserve to die. They're just show offs. It's not healthy. And what most people don't realize is that the LA Marathon is not a charity event. No dying children benefit, nothing. They just close down the streets and draw our emergency personnel away from any real emergencies that may be happening. Just because.

Metaparty

So, i'm not very cool. And I am totally in love with the idea of a metaparty.

Wonder Pets!

Wonder Pets! is my new favorite show. And, since it's on during the educational block of Nick Jr., no commercials! It is cuter than anything on tv.

There's a guinnea pig, duckling, and turtle who are all class pets in a school house. When the kids go home for the day, the adventues begin. The tin can phone rings, and someone is calling because some kind of adorable baby animal is in trouble. In the 90 mins I spent watching Wonder Pets! I saw them rescue a kitten trapped on a piece of driftwood in venice, a baby penguin stuck on an iceberg, a baby triceratops stuck between some rocks, a baby unicorn with his horn stuck in a tree, and a bird trapped on the top of the statue of liberty. So the Wonder Pets assemble their fly-boat out of wheels, a frisbee and a sail, and set off. And through teamwork they accomplish everything and sing a song about it: How's it gonna work? Teamwork!

Did I mention that the whole thing is mostly all in song?

I think the animation style looks an awful lot like south park, but apparently it's not:

The style of animation used to create Wonder Pets! is called "photo-puppetry." It is an original style of animation created for the series that allows animators to manipulate photographs of real animals. I think kids will identify with the characters because they look so real and huggable.

And it totally looks like someone just popped the thing out of a computer in like an hour. But apparently every episode takes 33 weeks and "A live orchestra performs each episode, and the music is written by some of Broadway's top composers." But they sing the same songs every episode, and often multiple times per episode, they just substitute the current word or animal of the day. I really like formulaic tv.

We’re not too big
And we’re not too tough
But when we work together
We’ve got the right stuff

This is what I'm dealing with

This Taiwanese guy at work came in wearing a shirt with a pig and the words Pink Floyd flocked on in pink. He’s within a year or two of my age, and he actually went to Berkeley. He spent some American years in an American college. And the older people knew something was up, boys like him don’t listen to Pink Floyd. Turns out, he thought it was a brand name [notice brand name, not band name). And the ladies are making fun of him for thinking that the pig’s name was Floyd. This is what I’m dealing with, people!

And in other music news, ABC’s god awful Sons & Daughters show has acquired the rights to use The Who’s The Kids are Alright. I am so embarrassed to be alive. I think I’ll start drinking early tomorrow.

Happy early St. Pat’s. If I can get my homework done tonight, I’m really going to start drinking at like 7am at the KROQ broadcast from Hermosa.

Why is McDonald’s so retarded?

I understand reinvention. But until they stop being a fast food restaurant that sells unhealthy, gross food served by people who don’t care, they’re not really fooling anyone.

And there are just too many conflicting commercials. Are they good for you? Is it for women? Is it for forgetful men who never pay attention? Is it for children? Is it just a lifestyle choice for everyone including children who are dumb enough to give scarves to plastic Ronald statues? Is it for people who like to pretend they’re being healthy by eating fried chicken breast strips, which in reality have more calories than a big mac?

And why do horrible people insist on calling it Mickey D’s? That’s a 3 syllable name, the same as McDonald’s. It’s not an abbreviation. And it’s certainly not cool?

And mostly, why, oh why, do I want a shamrock shake? They’re so good for the first minute. And then they turn on me, and I’m stuck with ¾ of a cup of minty, milky green swamp juice.
Does anyone born after 1975 actually like shamrock shakes? Do people even like McDonald’s shakes in general. I know Carl’s Jr. is pushing their new shakes hard, with that horribly offensive cow molesting commercial. But are milkshakes really a drink for the new millennium? They’re so packed full of calories and fat, and very much not Atkins-friendly. They only time they’re usually appealing to me is at a retro diner type place. And even then, I usually go for the chocolate coke.

snack attack, motherf****r

I'd like to direct your attention to the All Cupcakes, All the Time blog.

It's a great pick me up in the middle of the day to look at a few new cupcake pictures.

And lately they've started posting interviews with people who like cupcakes. And this girl is just a little bite of heaven

Yes! I bake my own cupcakes! Occasionally, I'll try to make them topical (I made a batch of "Crazy Delicious" cupcakes that used Mr. Pibb in the batter and Red Vines icing as an homage to "Lazy Sunday") or at least personalized. (like the Space Invader cupcakes for one friend that loves that particular game.)

gather 'round

I was swayed by Jessica Simpson and Miss Piggy and their horrible butchering of Nancy Sinatra. But, mostly I was swayed by my love of cheese and pizza hut. It was only a matter of time before those bites were going to pop right into me. And boy, was that a mistake.

In regards to full disclosure, I always prefer thicker crust to thinner crust. Pizza Hut pan pizza with chicken, onions and tomatoes is my favorite. Sausage is a close second, and pizza has the best sausage of all the major chains. When I think pizza hut I think pan pizza—regular and thin crust don’t even cross my mind. This is similar to my not making margaritas with salt, so when someone else makes them and they come with salt, I’m confused for a second.

Cheesy Bites pizza is thin crusted and floppy. And since you pull the crust off to eat separately, there’s nothing really to give it structure. The pizza itself is disappointing. And while the cheesy bite parts are greasy, garlicky and almost satisfying there is a very distinct margarine-y taste afterward. And don’t even get me started on the awful garlic dipping sauce. And the way the edges are connected to the pizza is disturbingly like Pillsbury crescent rolls.

I would expect Jessica Simpson to peddle a sub-par product. She’s not quite par herself. And she already has that horrible line of edible-but-not-really cosmetics. But I’m disappointed in Miss Piggy. Poor Jim must be spinning in his grave.

February Assignments

I turned in a paper last Saturday. It was on the whole warrantless wiretapping fiasco, in the grander scheme of secrecy in general. I started writing it the same day. It was 6 pages. The only scholarly material I used came from class readings. The subject actually turned out to interest me. However, I didn't have time to do enough research. So I substituted emotion for facts. I got my grade back today. I was rewarded with 15/15 points. I shouldn't get 100% on a paper that embarasses me.

I guess that's what happens with preaching to the converted.

In other news, I got 91% on my first graded cataloging assignment. I earned that one. I wish the professor would be less guarded with his answers to class questions though. I'll write a long cataloging post one day. Until then, do you know that charts count as illustrations, but tables don't? And how are chart and table defined by cataloging? I just don't know.

I'm so over grades.

Eye for an Eye

Eye for an Eye (warning: crappy website)

This show takes syndicated court reality shows to a new level. I have to say that every second I spend watching it makes me more embarrassed. But I can’t stop.

The “judge” calls himself Extreme Akim, and that’s what the audience chants before and after each commercial break. He and his bat of justice, along with the motley crew, help bad people solve their problems. Kato Kaeiln does commentary, and Sugar Ray provides security.

I’ve been watching this show sometimes, during the GH commercial breaks since I cut my work hours in January. I’ve seen a good handful of shows. And up until today, it was quite clear that everyone involved in the show was a bad person. And NO ONE ever learns a lesson, or concedes that maybe they were in the wrong.

There have been bitchy neighbors, who were sentenced to throw a house party and ruin the offending neighbor’s house.

There was a fried chicken dispute that ended with the cheater being “tarred” with syrup and feathered on the street corner.

There was a scuffle about whose cat peed in the car, so they did a dna test, and found out both cats had. So Akim sent both women (wearing motorcycle helmets) through the carwash in the convertible (top down, of course)

There were the parents who wouldn’t stop bickering. No matter what it was, no matter how small the issue, so he tied them together, like a 3 legged race, and made them perform a series of tasks including making the girl lunch and buying and assembling a bike. Not for one second could they stop bickering for the sake of that poor girl. She is going to be in therapy for years.

Often, instead of issuing a ruling, because both people are just awful and incapable of reason, they just duke it out in the boxing ring.

But today there was one rational person. Not happy with real law, this lady took her crazy ex-husband on the show. Today’s show was disappointing for 2 reasons. 1. There was a clear right and wrong, with the right being with the good person. 2. The nicest, worst dominatrix ever was on. Yes, as punishment for trying to control his ex wife’s life, threatening her current boy friend with a gun etc., Akim made the asshole see a dominatrix. Actually, they scheduled her to interrupt his lunch at a public restaurant. She put a chain around his neck, made him wear only a diaper, made him eat dog food and beg, roll over, etc. But the guy continued to be an ass. He was so full of his jerky self, and not one bit of her whipping the sass out of him. She made him beg, and thank her for the dog food. But just because the words came out of his mouth doesn’t mean crap. That guy didn’t learn a lesson at all. He was embarrassed on tv, but he wasn’t humbled. And really, how many people watch this show? The whole thing left me very unsatisfied. I’m going to go look at dominatrix porn now.

Robin's Daily Dose

Dr. Robin Scorpio is not a doctor, she just plays one on TV. Actually she's a character on General Hospital. There is no real life Robin. However, she has a blog. The ABC writers generally update it after the show 4-5x per week.

No, big. It's a great, cheap promotional tool for the show. It offers viewers a small recap of the show from her perspective--- great for when you miss a day.

But. Then it gets strange. People can post comments (they've got that moderating feature, so each one has to be approved by the web guy, or whatever). They don't post show gossip and such. Grown women, and even men, actually write to the fictional character like she's a real person. They post comments such as:

Robin, I think that Dr. Patrick Drake has serious feelings for you and in turn, you have those same feelings for him. I'm not suggesting you let your guard down but don't put up such a brick wall. You are a strong and wonderful person. It wouldn't make you any less of a woman to admit you're falling in love

Gag! what's wrong with people! Some people just need lives, I guess. I mean, it's perfectly fine for kids to write to TV characters like they breifly had for American Dreams, or Lizzie McGuire, but a line needs to be drawn between family entertainment, and grown people who watch soaps. I realize soaps are all about escape. And I've been known to fall in crushes with TV characters and not really the actors behind them. But, never in my sentient, grown-up life have I imagined that a TV character would care that I support him.

I wonder if it's a way for the writers to steal ideas from the crazies?