RSSApril 2007 Archives
April 25, 2007
Blame the Speech Not the Tactic?
(America-centric, sort of). The news program 60 Minutes here in the USA recently profiled the "Stop Snitchin'" theme of rap music which basically warns inner city, typically African-American, kids not to report crime to the police. Interviews show this is carrying some weight. But at one point host Anderson Cooper notes that many of the teens being interviewed have lost trust for the police already due to (as I recall the words roughly) "behavior of the police in enforcing the drug laws". Bingo! But they leave that thought to pass by -- with only a brief comment by a kid on being stopped and harassed for no reason -- to pursue more attacks on rap lyrics, with disturbing inclinations for free speech.
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Posted by Matthew Hogan at 08:54 AM
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American Culture
April 19, 2007
History's Greatest Bloopers: One Small Step
Having revisited the otherwise great Neil Armstrong's famous "one small step for man, one giant leap for Mankind" screw-up on the moon, I am soliciting other great moments of history where the wrong thing happened , as in a movie outtake. (He meant to say: "one small step for A man". Even as a little kid when it happened, I remember saying "huh, did that make sense?") Could it be President Harding and his "return to normalcy" when he supposedly meant to say "return to normality" but misread it. Did a Roman centurion hit his thumb with the hammer while crucifying you-know-who? Did MacArthur fall all the way into the sea at Corregidor on the first take? Maybe there is some real stuff.
Posted by Matthew Hogan at 10:13 PM
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April 16, 2007
A September 10 mentality?
A shooting spree at Virginia Tech in the USA has resulted in 30 or so innocent deaths. I just heard Wolf Blitzer say on CNN that it is the worst massacre in US history; another announcer called it the worst mass murder in US history. How about that? I thought it was just us war skeptics that had forgotten 9/11. Sadly, anyway, if this had been in Iraq, such a horror of murderous loss would be "just another Monday morning".
Posted by Matthew Hogan at 07:38 PM
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American Culture
April 13, 2007
RIP -- Kurt Vonnegut
Spoiler alert. Every Vonnegut novel ends with the general world, or the writer's world, being destroyed. Now, I guess it's his turn. He was quite interesting, for a lefty. In an interview, he said he wanted the full military burial, to obtain what he was never assured in life -- the unqualified approval of his community. Wonder if he'll get it. Well, may he rest in free-thinkers' heaven.
Posted by Matthew Hogan at 01:16 AM
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American Culture
April 07, 2007
Murphy's Law of Car Radio Music
Ages ago, someone put out a collection of "Murphy's Law" type rules, such as "The other line moves faster" or "you cannot make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious". Subjective and anecdotal evidence has convincedme of another rule, to wit, viz. and I quote: "The best song comes on the car radio only when you are pulling into your destination at the last minute." How often one finds oneself, soaring on a highway for 45 minutes , barely enduring Hall and Oates (you young'uns won't understand) stuck on the airwaves, only to hear, just as you're turning into the parking lot with moments to spare,the radio commencing some generational anthemic opening like this, or some spine-shaking grand old Rolling Stones chestnut. You kids with your post- grunge, and your CDs, and your iTooths, and Blueberries, and PalmTunes won't understand the unique value of the surprise selection of a familiar oldie while driving. But we ancient ones still appreciate it. Sadly, however, we only get to appreciate the opening riffs og these selections as we hurriedly align the vehicle inside the yellow stripes and race to the office or train.
Posted by Matthew Hogan at 04:16 PM
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American Culture
April 03, 2007
The Windsor: What makes this knot different from all other knots?
OK, I needed a Passover pun. Apologies to all 12 tribes of Israel (plus the Levites, depending on the reckoning.) And Happy Passover too to all. My knot concern, brought on by a recent semi-formal appearance, is this: although a Confirmed Slob, I retain, nevertheless, an almost womanly passion about that clothing decoration called a tie. (Wipe that Freud off your face!) Yet, sadly I don't know how to make the classy cool Windsor Knot, as opposed to the standard wussy and uneven inverted trapezoid. I am the son of a master Windsor Knotter but he got Alzheimer's before imparting the Secret. The Wikipedia link is circular and this page is only deceptively user-friendly, hopeless to follow. Is there anyone out there to help?
Posted by Matthew Hogan at 10:04 PM
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Random Personal
April 01, 2007
Anti-techie rant: whatever happened to the off-switch?
I've probably ranted on this subject before but I will do again, even if so. I am too mad to come up with a pun, which will please entirely too many of you. But it boils down to this: am I so old now that only a few of us remember a time when a switch existed on devices which actually turned the device OFF? Like right away. Without holding it down for a full afternoon. Like turning off a faucet. Look, it's not hard to break a circuit, ok?
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Posted by Matthew Hogan at 08:06 PM
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Rants -- Technology
