BillSaysThis

That’s why there hasn’t been any posting here the last day-plus. LittleSteven seems to have developed a worm problem even if Symantec’s utility can’t find it. Anyway, I’m more or less decided to give up the problemsolving until tomorrow and just enjoy the weekend.

Was just checking out the new My Yahoo! beta. Very nice to see MetaFilter listed as Popular From the Web and SportsFilter as one of the Top 10 Editor’s Picks; selecting either gets you the site RSS feed. Indeed, if you search on the term ‘billsaysthis’ in the Add Content page you can even have the RSS feed for THIS VERY SITE, and I am truly proud to be included. Yes I am. Also, I like the new look, its nice, particularly the smoother graphics.

One of the things you just have to accept when watching TV is that despite being in a room with many other people only the two people directly involved in a conversation can hear it.

“Wrong war, wrong place, wrong time.” Could Bush have said it more frequently or more annoying? I don’t think so. Truly sad was the President’s seeming insistence that stating any position different than his will cause us to lose our War. Reminds me of the so-called adults in the Vietnam era who treated any protestors as traitors. Then when the soldiers came home, these same people treated them like dirt not worthy of their soles.

Rebuttal on the last question. Did Bush’s medication wear off? I have no other explanation for the strange and sudden change of topic back to Iraq when the subject was North Korea. And in regard to that huge problem, what was Bush thinking when he insisted that the Chinese would, without question, withdraw from any process if America initiated bilateral talks with the North Koreans?

No doubt in my mind that Kerry presented more cogent arguments, was smoother and a better speaker, but then I went in to this understanding that America cannot afford another term for Bush. So I will be reading the media spin with interest.

Aside: Jim Lehrer did not seem healthy. Seriously. Like he was using all his energy simply to stay upright in his seat.

Matt substitutes tunage for alcohol in preparing for tonight’s debacle debate.

Frank Rich makes, in Now on DVD: The Passion of the Bush, an amazing assertion about the beliefs of Bush supporters that would not have occured to me in a million years:

Bush is not merely a sincere man of faith but God’s essential and irreplaceable warrior on Earth.

These people are not only serious, they’re deadly. MetaFilter, for instance, has the occasional thread/debate on religion, particularly religion in a public space, and most frequently the (almost always Christian) people posting comments favorable to the religious viewpoint keep saying that those on the opposite side are overstating the influence of fringe-level public figures or undervaluing the contribution of belief.

Then I look at the people in positions of power in the US these days and think to myself (since the people of faith never directly respond to such comments) that my fellow MeFites are kidding themselves or being intentionally obtuse. Seriously, who is kidding who? If the Universe actually has a Creator, there is no way in hell (so to speak) that such a being would choose a loser like George W. Bush as a vehicle. I’m not perfect nor are any other members of my species but on any scale you care to use for measuring there are far better candidates. Mysterious ways my ass.

In the old days, news of a major release like Sun shipping a new version of Java would get big, enthusiastic commentary all over the web. And though it’s not like there’s none, I just don’t feel the passion that accompanied the availability of, well, earlier releases of Java, Windows 3.1, Borland Delphi and so forth. Maybe the geeks are just a little burned out in this dotbomb era.

Even though I enjoyed the 95 minutes, give or take, I’m not surprised that 2001’s Who Is Cletis Tout? slipped through the cracks and was immediately forgotten. What we have here is (an attempt at, or what is commonly characterized as) a comic take on the slippery criminal story told to in flashback a la The Usual Suspects, with Christian Slater in the Kevin Spacey role and Tim Allen(?!) in the Chazz Palminteri role, though Allen is a hit man rather than a cop.

But Cletis lacks the subtlety and elegance of that film’s story within a story, layered with lies and misdirection; instead we get something more along the lines of a criminal 1001 Nights where Slater tries, as Allen puts it, to make the hit man forget his mission in the grips of a terrific movie. Critical Jim, Allen’s character, is a classic movie fan and the script gives him mainly a combination of recognizable lines and studio exec chatter for his dialog. We open, for instance, to the closing scene of Breakfast at Tiffanys on a small TV and end with Allen spouting lines from it, and he also quotes The Dirty Dozen, Deliverance and The Great Escape. Even Slater’s natural resemblance to Jack Nicholson doesn’t go unnoticed by Allen.

Writer/director Chris Ver Wiel does an okay job overall, at least enough to keep me from hitting the delete button. Richard Dreyfuss, Portia de Rossi and Billy Connolly are not bad in supporting roles though RuPaul and Peter Macneil don’t do much for me. Allen doesn’t quite have the mien, if I’m using that word correctly, for his role while Slater does a bit better, but then he also has a more active role.

mildly recommended

Too late: Bush Disputes Charge of Favorable Treatment in Guard [via Garret]

Just finished reading Freehold by Michael Z. Williamson and stumbled on this review. Pretty much elaborates what I think about it though overall I seem to have enjoyed the book more than this guy. Short take: Very good writing but 2/3rds of the first 300 pages should have been edited out; on the other hand, after those 300 pages are finished, I read the last 350 in one day.

Teledildonics

That was the last time the 49ers were shut out in a regular season NFL game before today’s 34-0 loss to the Seahawks. Probably the last time the team had such a pitiful effort too. Seemed fairly comparable to last night’s Earthquakes match except the Niners’ opponents came to play. Bonjour tristess, indeed.

Doc on American reaction to Haiti’s hurricane crisis to Caribbean commentary on the Forbes 400 to the NY Times on multinational inner city gangs to Trudy Lieberman [via Garret] on the unlocked doors that are our borders. Seems only a matter of time, and a short time at that, until our neighbors and frequent guests bring Robb’s Bazaar Dynamics into our neighborhoods. Throughout history, “now” has always been the scariest time to be alive, and “the future” always bleak.

I really don’t know what’s wrong with the Quakes lately. Tonight they played as if their bodies were wrapped in cold fish, and that’s typical of the whole season really. No Ching and Derosario could only manage a final 20 minutes, which didn’t help, but Landon had only one play on goal. Chris Brown, the other starting forward, was stuck up top all alone for most of his time, vainly tracking down 40 yard passed with his head and no other players in support. Fortunately the Galaxy had crap for energy and creativity themselves. The point does get us out of the division cellar, on goal difference with the Burn, and three matches left: at Colorado, Kansas City and at Dallas.

A lot of people liked this movie. Not enough for it to make a profit but a lot of, um, the right people, the cool people, the people who were into the post-NewWave English music scene of the early ’80s. For them Twenty Four Hour Party People is a trip home, I guess, but for me wasn’t even worth finishing. I couldn’t connect with the dark humor and not being a fan of Steve Coogan’s Alan Partridge TV character nor the bands involved (Joy Division, New Order) so I hit the delete button after about 45 minutes.

not recommended

In Australia, even the sports stadiums have their own fight songs!

What I’ve seen so far of the new shows (using this list as a reference):

• LAX: We could only watch about 20 minutes of the first episode before turning it off–will this be Heather Locklear’s first series failure?
• Father of the Pride: You must be kidding
• Veronica Mars: First episode was good, very promising but whether the creative staff can keep up the complexity and lack of teen soap are reasonable questions. Given the lack of time slot competition I expect to watch and see.
• Hawaii: Um, I prefer the Five-0 repeats on the Hallmark Channel
• Quintuplets: Andy Richter can’t save this mess because–look at the title–he isn’t the main character and Fox should have never cancelled his Controls the Universe.
• Joey: A guilty pleasure for this Friends fan
  
• Jack & Bobby: After two episodes, I like the future documentary snippets more than the teen years main acts but for now am willing to give it a chance.
  

Returning shows worth a mention:

• The Wire: Justifies the $10/month for HBO all on its own
• Smallville: He flew, he flew! But only sorta. I like Lois Lane but wonder where the producers are going with the Chloe’s not dead idea.
• Two and a Half Men: Not really new but I did finally check it out the other day for the episode with Elvis Costello and Sean Penn. Despite the star power, I don’t get the appeal.
• NYPD Blue: Good start for the last season. I can tell already that I will despise the new Lieutenant by the end of the next episode.
• Law & Order: The formula is intact although I wonder how the comments on the new detective’s wad of cash and fancy Benz will distract.
• That ’70s Show: Hyde is half black? Amusing twist for an aging show.
  

I won’t be watching, not including reality shows since I don’t watch any of them:

• Listen Up: Didn’t like the guy in high school or Seinfeld
  
• North Shore: OC-wannabe
  
• Second Time Around: Girls rule but not me
  
• Rodney
• Method & Red: Stupid hip-hop is still stupid
  
• The Mountain: Teen soapicide
  
• CSI: NY: Melina Kanakarides’ nose makes me nervous
  
• Savages: A Mel Gibson production, need I say more
  
• dr. vegas: uh-oh
  
• Medical Investigation: Don’t like CSI, why would I watch this imitation
  
• Boston Legal: Didn’t like The Practice, can’t see this being any better
  

Yet to be decided:

• Lost: Time slot competition means this interesting show from the creator of Alias is unlikely to survive long enough to get eyeball time
  
• Kevin Hill: Best reviewed new show of the season but…
  
• Desperate Housewives: Lots of hotties, might give it a whirl
  
• Clubhouse: Dean Cain, thumbs up; baseball, thumbs down.

More later, as more shows are watched.

11/16: Part 2

Rolling Stone interviews Springsteen on his involvement with Act for Change and next month’s concerts; he is, not unexpectedly, very eloquent on why and why now.

If Kerry cannot make a case to the voters along the lines in this Alexander Zaitchik article, then perhaps America deserves what it gets. Really, people can be silly in very dangerous ways but this level of willfull blindness is just too much for me. What about you? [via Garret]