Thursday, 9 September 2010
A Long Delayed Excoriation
As promised, the first part of my article for Geekplanet on why Jonah Goldberg shouldn't be allowed near keyboards any more.
Wednesday, 8 September 2010
If A Branch Falls...
My latest project is now ready to be revealed - the first in a series of podcasts on comics, hosted by my good friend and high-up GeekPlanet muckity-muck Chris Brosnahan.
This is the first podcast I've been involved with, so I'm a bit stilted - hopefully I'll ease into them. There was a problem with the mic as well, though this has now been fixed.
Also, if I can manage to get through future recordings without being savaged by insects the size of cocker spaniels, then that would be awesome.
This is the first podcast I've been involved with, so I'm a bit stilted - hopefully I'll ease into them. There was a problem with the mic as well, though this has now been fixed.
Also, if I can manage to get through future recordings without being savaged by insects the size of cocker spaniels, then that would be awesome.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
451 On 9/11
Oh, for the love of Pete: is there nothing the lunatic Right isn't prepared to try in the interests of just being the biggest dicks humanly achievable? Florida pastor Terry Jones is planning to spend 9/11 burning Qu'rans.
Naturally, this isn't merely a bullshit move, it's deliberately inflammatory (no pun intended), and it's hardly likely to manage any of that "hearts and minds" outreach we could probably use more of at this point.
Obviously, such scurrilous activities as suggesting this is a bad idea is generating outrage:
I still we still haven't managed to grasp the basics of free speech. I know of no-one on the left who isn't totally supportive of burning Qu'rans "as a matter of Constitutionally mandated free speech if nothing else". It's the "nothing else" part that's the rub, of course.
Actually this reminds me of a story my father likes to tell about my late grandfather. He was very keen on building communities, of helping out where he could in the Berwick Hills estate where he lived, and on one occasion he found himself at a meeting of the local councillors. He started giving stick to a man who had just been put in charge of some initiative or other, and was by all accounts stuffing his responsibilities up royally. Said man got very angry, puffed out his chest, and announced "I am in charge of this initiative, and it is my right to run it as I see fit."
"Oh, absolutely", my grandfather said, sweetly. "No-one in this room is questioning your right to take charge. It's your bloody idiotic way of doing it that's the problem."
If I had a penny for every conservative who confused who heard "You are not allowed to do this" when told "This is a goddamn imbecilic thing to do," I'd be rich enough to afford my own stack of Qu'rans (which I could burn if I wanted to, but, y'know, that would make me a turd). It's exactly this level of purposeful misunderstanding that leads to Sarah Palin arguing criticism of her viewpoints is an abuse of her First Amendment rights (the same Amendment, I swear to God, that she thinks gives a radio commentator the right to say the N-word on radio and not be fired for it).
So, yeah. Totally support Jones' right to do protest against Islam. It's just his bloody idiotic way of doing it that's the problem.
(As an aside, I note the very first commentator on Joshuapundit's post compounds the error by arguing that there is some hypocrisy in the left arguing burning Qu'rans is bad for the troops and thus should be critised, whilst holding that saying the press should be allowed to report on the war even if it puts troops in a negative light. The difference is obvious: the press were attempting to inform the public about what is being done with the troops they sent and the money they paid. Terry Jones is trying to be the biggest twat he possible can.)
Naturally, this isn't merely a bullshit move, it's deliberately inflammatory (no pun intended), and it's hardly likely to manage any of that "hearts and minds" outreach we could probably use more of at this point.
Obviously, such scurrilous activities as suggesting this is a bad idea is generating outrage:
It's revealing that the Left is absolutely bat bonkers about the Qu'ran barbecue but has always been totally supportive of burning the American flag as a matter of Constitutionally mandated free speech if nothing else.(h/t to Mahablog for the link).
I still we still haven't managed to grasp the basics of free speech. I know of no-one on the left who isn't totally supportive of burning Qu'rans "as a matter of Constitutionally mandated free speech if nothing else". It's the "nothing else" part that's the rub, of course.
Actually this reminds me of a story my father likes to tell about my late grandfather. He was very keen on building communities, of helping out where he could in the Berwick Hills estate where he lived, and on one occasion he found himself at a meeting of the local councillors. He started giving stick to a man who had just been put in charge of some initiative or other, and was by all accounts stuffing his responsibilities up royally. Said man got very angry, puffed out his chest, and announced "I am in charge of this initiative, and it is my right to run it as I see fit."
"Oh, absolutely", my grandfather said, sweetly. "No-one in this room is questioning your right to take charge. It's your bloody idiotic way of doing it that's the problem."
If I had a penny for every conservative who confused who heard "You are not allowed to do this" when told "This is a goddamn imbecilic thing to do," I'd be rich enough to afford my own stack of Qu'rans (which I could burn if I wanted to, but, y'know, that would make me a turd). It's exactly this level of purposeful misunderstanding that leads to Sarah Palin arguing criticism of her viewpoints is an abuse of her First Amendment rights (the same Amendment, I swear to God, that she thinks gives a radio commentator the right to say the N-word on radio and not be fired for it).
So, yeah. Totally support Jones' right to do protest against Islam. It's just his bloody idiotic way of doing it that's the problem.
(As an aside, I note the very first commentator on Joshuapundit's post compounds the error by arguing that there is some hypocrisy in the left arguing burning Qu'rans is bad for the troops and thus should be critised, whilst holding that saying the press should be allowed to report on the war even if it puts troops in a negative light. The difference is obvious: the press were attempting to inform the public about what is being done with the troops they sent and the money they paid. Terry Jones is trying to be the biggest twat he possible can.)
Who Are The Real Racists?
First, the good news: we are theoretically acquiring broadband for the flat on Thursday. The last half-decade of dealing with Virgin makes me somewhat reluctant to put too much faith in that possibility, but it is at least conceivable that this black-out is near an end.
The bad news is that I am still four days from escaping the two busiest weeks of the year for me: two conferences which this time round have been placed back to back (indeed, the only reason I was able to spend a post talking about Durham beer is that the brewery tour that inspired it was put on by the conference organisers).
I'm spending some of the less interesting/useful talks thinking about the structure for my next X-Men article, which is centered around Joseph. As I began thinking about the nature vs nurture conflict that he represents (at least in part), I was reminded of this Matthew Johnson post about the problem with assuming the central metaphor for the X-Men is racism and/or homophobia:
On the other hand, the fact that people are drawn to aspect A of a given story does not mean aspect B is not the intended heart of it. Studio 60... was never explicitly about how certain careers demand so much of your time that your co-workers ultimately become both friends and family, but having spent two years basically burning myself up in teaching, that was one of the things I loved most about it (see also Scrubs). That doesn't mean that must have been what Sorkin was pushing for (though if you do know what Sorkin was pushing for, please let me know).
I'm also not unsympathetic to Johnson's case that airport security makes clear that the case for the Mutant Registration Act genuinely exists independently of bigotry. I'd point out power-dampening equipment exists in the Marvel Universe, and I'd be rather more happy with the idea of attaching those to airplanes than demanding all mutants be registered, but I can see that leading to problems as well as more and more people start placing dampeners in more and more places and end up segregating mutants by default.
However, the critical mistake Johnson makes - and it's entirely understandable - is in comparing individual mutants to individual members of a minority. This, of course, is because a single homo superior has more power than a lone homo sapien. But does one mutant have more power than, say, the ACLU? Or HUD? Or ACORN could claim, once upon a time? Hell, some of the lamer mutants have less power than Park51 will, if it ever gets built.
Or, as a more direct comparison: does Magneto have more power than Barack Obama?
Racists in contemporary America don't hurl abuse at black people directly - at least, they don't in public. Instead, they attempt to whip up hysteria over groups that are either run by black people, created to help black people, or provide a service they think black people will disproportionately benefit from. The number of people who last year were convinced ACORN was planning voter fraud widespread enough to steal elections was truly frightening - to say nothing of how Congress took the unprecedented step of voting to deny all future funding to ACORN without a Congressional investigation, something they weren't even prepared to do with the guys who were locking up rape victims in shipping containers. Just two months ago we were inundated by terrified screams that the New Black Panther Party was coming to beat you up if you don't vote their way, and that the Obama Administration was covering their asses.
The racist dog-whistles of the 21st Century are all about pretending one's concern is over disproportionate or unequally applied power, and somehow it's always black people who are either wielding that power, or they're benefiting from it. "Attacking HUD is code for attacking blacks", as Deborah O'Leary opined in "Celestial Navigation".
It's still, I admit, not a perfect metaphor - the people running scared of the ACLU misunderstand both intent and power level, which is not so true of anti-mutant fear. I just wanted to point out that concerns over levels of power is not something that differentiates the Marvel Universe's fictional bigots from the ones we suffer right here.
The bad news is that I am still four days from escaping the two busiest weeks of the year for me: two conferences which this time round have been placed back to back (indeed, the only reason I was able to spend a post talking about Durham beer is that the brewery tour that inspired it was put on by the conference organisers).
I'm spending some of the less interesting/useful talks thinking about the structure for my next X-Men article, which is centered around Joseph. As I began thinking about the nature vs nurture conflict that he represents (at least in part), I was reminded of this Matthew Johnson post about the problem with assuming the central metaphor for the X-Men is racism and/or homophobia:
if superhuman mutants really existed society would have a legitimate reason to fear or at least be wary of them, something that has never been true of any oppressed minority...I'm not sure I'd necessarily agree that middle-class white nerds/geeks like myself feel particularly persecuted as teenagers, or whether the persecution simply takes different forms and stems from different sources, but that aside I think Johnson is entirely correct as to the true reason the books sell. I'd hazard a guess that 99% of teenagers at least either want to fit in, or want to fit in with the group that doesn't fit in (let's call that latter truth the "Goth Paradox").
But if the metaphor that’s supposed to be at the heart of the series doesn’t work, why has the comic been so successful? Because the X-Men don’t represent oppressed minorities, they represent oppressed teenagers. (This may also explain why comic books about characters who are actually part of oppressed minorities generally fail to sell.) Nobody feels more persecuted than teenagers, especially the nerdy, white, middle-class teenagers who have traditionally been the main audience for comics.
On the other hand, the fact that people are drawn to aspect A of a given story does not mean aspect B is not the intended heart of it. Studio 60... was never explicitly about how certain careers demand so much of your time that your co-workers ultimately become both friends and family, but having spent two years basically burning myself up in teaching, that was one of the things I loved most about it (see also Scrubs). That doesn't mean that must have been what Sorkin was pushing for (though if you do know what Sorkin was pushing for, please let me know).
I'm also not unsympathetic to Johnson's case that airport security makes clear that the case for the Mutant Registration Act genuinely exists independently of bigotry. I'd point out power-dampening equipment exists in the Marvel Universe, and I'd be rather more happy with the idea of attaching those to airplanes than demanding all mutants be registered, but I can see that leading to problems as well as more and more people start placing dampeners in more and more places and end up segregating mutants by default.
However, the critical mistake Johnson makes - and it's entirely understandable - is in comparing individual mutants to individual members of a minority. This, of course, is because a single homo superior has more power than a lone homo sapien. But does one mutant have more power than, say, the ACLU? Or HUD? Or ACORN could claim, once upon a time? Hell, some of the lamer mutants have less power than Park51 will, if it ever gets built.
Or, as a more direct comparison: does Magneto have more power than Barack Obama?
Racists in contemporary America don't hurl abuse at black people directly - at least, they don't in public. Instead, they attempt to whip up hysteria over groups that are either run by black people, created to help black people, or provide a service they think black people will disproportionately benefit from. The number of people who last year were convinced ACORN was planning voter fraud widespread enough to steal elections was truly frightening - to say nothing of how Congress took the unprecedented step of voting to deny all future funding to ACORN without a Congressional investigation, something they weren't even prepared to do with the guys who were locking up rape victims in shipping containers. Just two months ago we were inundated by terrified screams that the New Black Panther Party was coming to beat you up if you don't vote their way, and that the Obama Administration was covering their asses.
The racist dog-whistles of the 21st Century are all about pretending one's concern is over disproportionate or unequally applied power, and somehow it's always black people who are either wielding that power, or they're benefiting from it. "Attacking HUD is code for attacking blacks", as Deborah O'Leary opined in "Celestial Navigation".
It's still, I admit, not a perfect metaphor - the people running scared of the ACLU misunderstand both intent and power level, which is not so true of anti-mutant fear. I just wanted to point out that concerns over levels of power is not something that differentiates the Marvel Universe's fictional bigots from the ones we suffer right here.
Sunday, 5 September 2010
Adventures In Beer And Cider
Yesterday's trip to Durham Brewery was interesting for several reasons. First of all, it finally proved beyond doubt that it genuinely is possible to fail to organise a piss-up in a brewery. If any of you are interested in replicating this seemingly impossible task, I recommend taking our organisers tack, and show up half an hour before the brewery opens, without arranging a start time for the tour, and then complain loudly that "this is how I always do it".
Once the tour began (mercifully, the tour group scheduled for half ten failed to materialise, otherwise we'd have been entirely screwed), things became interesting for another reason.
Obviously, that reason was beer. I learned much about its history and methods of preparation yesterday - or at least I did during the first hour of the tour before inebriation set in and I mainly learned how to balance a point glass on a forklift without it falling off - but none of it was so interesting I feel compelled to report it. Instead, I thought I'd mention some of the beers I tried yesterday, along with some of the drinks I sampled during the Beer Festival this week as well (particularly the cider we found that was so sweet and strong that it was like being punched and then hugged by the same apple).
Dabinett Apple (Millwhite) 8.0%: A cider so sweet and strong it's like being punched and then hugged by the same apple. Recommended in small doses, or as a preparation for major surgery.
Midnight Special (Mr. Whitehead) 5.0%: If I'm going to put up with a perry so comparatively bitter and thick, then it damn well better be stronger than 5 percent. Not impressed.
Thistly Cross (Thistly Cross) 7.2%: This is more like it. Ridiculously strong and tasting of sweet apple juice, this could perhaps be considered almost like an alco-pop for adolescent gorillas. Nothing sold out faster, and I can see why.
Inspiration (Durham) 3.2%: Quite tasty, but smells worryingly of pesto. I am told that's just what hops smell like, but it gave me a craving for pasta, cheese and pine nuts. Guess that's better than kebabs, at least.
White Magic (Durham) 7.0%: Made with palis otter malt. Incapable of appreciating this after learning it is not farmed by actual otters.
Temptation (Durham) 10.0%: Unbelievably thick, and quite sweet. Like drinking liquefied coffee chocolates mixed with brandy. Absolutely delicious for about three swallows, at which point you feel less like you're quaffing beer, and more like you're trying to tarmac the inside of your stomach.
Genesis (Durham) 4.3%: Spent whole time trying to think of Phil Collins joke. Failed.
Magus (Durham) 3.8%: The one you want. Seriously.
Once the tour began (mercifully, the tour group scheduled for half ten failed to materialise, otherwise we'd have been entirely screwed), things became interesting for another reason.
Obviously, that reason was beer. I learned much about its history and methods of preparation yesterday - or at least I did during the first hour of the tour before inebriation set in and I mainly learned how to balance a point glass on a forklift without it falling off - but none of it was so interesting I feel compelled to report it. Instead, I thought I'd mention some of the beers I tried yesterday, along with some of the drinks I sampled during the Beer Festival this week as well (particularly the cider we found that was so sweet and strong that it was like being punched and then hugged by the same apple).
Dabinett Apple (Millwhite) 8.0%: A cider so sweet and strong it's like being punched and then hugged by the same apple. Recommended in small doses, or as a preparation for major surgery.
Midnight Special (Mr. Whitehead) 5.0%: If I'm going to put up with a perry so comparatively bitter and thick, then it damn well better be stronger than 5 percent. Not impressed.
Thistly Cross (Thistly Cross) 7.2%: This is more like it. Ridiculously strong and tasting of sweet apple juice, this could perhaps be considered almost like an alco-pop for adolescent gorillas. Nothing sold out faster, and I can see why.
Inspiration (Durham) 3.2%: Quite tasty, but smells worryingly of pesto. I am told that's just what hops smell like, but it gave me a craving for pasta, cheese and pine nuts. Guess that's better than kebabs, at least.
White Magic (Durham) 7.0%: Made with palis otter malt. Incapable of appreciating this after learning it is not farmed by actual otters.
Temptation (Durham) 10.0%: Unbelievably thick, and quite sweet. Like drinking liquefied coffee chocolates mixed with brandy. Absolutely delicious for about three swallows, at which point you feel less like you're quaffing beer, and more like you're trying to tarmac the inside of your stomach.
Genesis (Durham) 4.3%: Spent whole time trying to think of Phil Collins joke. Failed.
Magus (Durham) 3.8%: The one you want. Seriously.
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
"They Must Have Looked Something Like... A Roast Chicken"
Ooh! They've dug up a new species of dinosaur! And it sounds... er... interesting.
Also, I don't care what the fossil record says. That's only an "artist's impression" if the artist in question is off their fucking tits.
The fossil of a stocky new dinosaur with two sets of claws on its feet unearthed in Romania has given researchers a window into what European predators looked like in the final years of the Age of Dinosaurs... "Compared to Velociraptor, Balaur was probably more of a kickboxer than a sprinter, and it might have been able to take down larger animals than itself, as many carnivores do today."Man, it must have sucked to be a dinosaur during the late Cretaceous. There you are, standing around waiting for something to arrive that you might be able to shag, and sighing with melancholy over the upcoming death of your entire species, and all of a sudden this little bastard shows up and starts kicking the shit out of you:
Also, I don't care what the fossil record says. That's only an "artist's impression" if the artist in question is off their fucking tits.
Sixty Second Stage Review Corner
Pretty much all you need to know about Craig Revel Horwood's version of Chess, which a group of us went to see last night, can be summed up by this brief exchange:SpaceSquid: I have to tell you, never in my life did I expect to see the bastard love-child of a S&M Darth Vader and Edinburgh Castle menacing a tiny goth policeman with wood blocks.
The Other Half: Oh, I'd missed that. I was too busy watching someone simulate sex with a cello.
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