“The socialism I believe in is not really politics. It is a way of living. It is humanity. I believe the only way to live and to be truly successful is by collective effort, with everyone working for each other, everyone helping each other, and everyone having a share of the rewards at the end of the day. That might be asking a lot, but it’s the way I see football and the way I see life.”
I like this quote a whole hell of a lot. Cheers, Bill!
Walking into the theater to see Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, there were many reasons why I could be disappointed. I love the graphic novels the movie is adapted from, and most movie adaptations fall short (to put it nicely) of the source material. I loved Michael Cera in Arrested Development and I’ve liked him in the movies I’ve seen him in since, but he was starting to look like a one-note actor, playing the same character over and over. And I’d heard some many rave comments about Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, could it really live up to all the hype?
It really lived up to all the hype.
Every actor was perfect in his or her role, including Michael Cera, who didn’t play his usual stuttering, mumbling character, he played Scott Pilgrim–insecure, sarcastic, sweet, self-involved and more than a little clueless at times. The plot, which left out some scenes and plot lines that are in the much longer graphic novel series, flowed nicely. The dialogue was great, the special effects were brilliant, the music was perfect and there were several really wonderful touches that made the movie unique. It’s fun, it’s funny, it’s exciting and it’s moving.
I had a huge smile on face throughout the film. Walking out of the theater, I was not disappointed at all. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is absolutely fantastic! I love it! LOVE! IT!
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World gets the high score.
Dear Ray Bradbury,
I’m writing you this letter and posting it to my blog, even though I’m pretty positive you’ll never read it, because you’re a cranky old man who hates the internet. But on this, your 90th birthday, I have something to say to you, and this is my best forum for saying things that I want people to read, so…here goes.
I love you, Ray Bradbury.
Not only have you filled my life with beautifully written stories, you have (through your words–your stories, your essays, your poems) encouraged me to live my life with my heart on my sleeve, my passions and my dreams out front for all the world to see. Like Mr. Electrico did to you, you’ve shot me full of lightning and told me to “Live forever!”
I’ve done my best to do that. I’ve walked in dreams and nightmares, played with my toys and danced through life as much as I can. I’ve sometimes lost my way, but whenever I do, I just reread your stories, your essays, your poems. I stop walking with my eyes trained on my feet and start running again, my eyes gazing up at the stars. You laugh and whisper in my ears, reminding me to love life, to love people, to love the world. And most importantly, when I need it most, you remind me that I can do what I want to do.
You’ve touched my life, inspired me and driven me, in so many ways, at some many times in my life. You’ve been with me more than any other author. You’ve been my friend and my teacher. And we’ve never even met.
I don’t know that I’ll ever get the chance to tell you this to your face, but I want you and the world to know how much you mean to me. You’re a cranky son of a bitch, but dammit, I love you! I love you so much, Ray Bradbury. Thank you for being you and sharing yourself with all of us.
Happy Birthday, Ray Bradbury.
Your friend and fan,
Joshua M. Neff
I do not hide the fact that I am a Jane Wiedlin fanboy. She’s cute, she’s funny, she’s geeky, she’s friendly. And when I was younger, so much younger than today, I thought the Go-Go’s were incredibly cool. (Well, I still think that.) She’s been heavily promoting her new comic, Lady Robotika, for months now. (And not quite so heavily promoting it for the past couple of years.) The first issue finally came out last week (co-written by Jane and Bill Morrison, with art by Bill, Tone Rodriguez and Dan Davis), and I bought it mostly to support this awesome lady, but also because it sounded like a pretty cool comic. I’ll admit, though, that I was a little nervous that the comic would turn out to be…well, kind of lame. I mean, I thought Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park would be cool, and boy, was it not!
I’m happy to say I had nothing to worry about. Lady Robotika is many things, but lame isn’t one of them. Is it corny? Yup. Is it goofy? A little bit, yeah. It’s also well-paced, lighthearted fun, with lots of snappy dialogue and amusing pop culture references. As far as science fiction goes, it’s no Blade Runner, but it is kind of The Last Starfighter meets Barbarella, which is very OK with me! I read too many serious comics these days. Having something as cheerfully fun as Lady Robotika helps balance things out.
My only concern now is: how many people out there are fans of SF & superhero comics featuring lighthearted, angst-free adventure stories? I hope there are a good number, because I’d like Lady Robotika to continue with healthy sales. And can we have some more comics that are this much fun? Please?
Last night, Berkie and I were driving to hang out with some friends. I was playing a Robyn Hitchcock CD, and the song “Balloon Man” came on. We stopped at an intersection. Brooke pointed to a compact car on the other side of the intersection. It was designed so that the headlights and grill looked like eyes and a huge smile. Berkie said, “That car has the biggest grin I’ve ever seen!” And then immediately after that, Robyn Hitchcock sang, “…with the biggest grin I’d ever seen.”
Berkie and I looked at each other, wide-eyed. “That was crazy! I’ve never heard this song before in my life!” Berkie said.
“Woah,” I said.
I love synchronicity!
I recently decided to take a hiatus from the Library Society of the World. I’ve got a lot going on in my personal life (that I don’t really feel like talking about here) (but in case anyone’s worried, let me reassure you, it’s good stuff, not bad), plus a lot going on at work, and the LSW was starting to feel like work, not play. So, I decided to step back and take a break.
We’ll see how long that break actually lasts, though, because just after I declared my hiatus, the superhuman Laura Crossett took it upon herself to upgrade the LSW site to WordPress 3.0 and install BuddyPress. The LSW site is now a fully-functioning social site! You can create your own profile, send private messages to other members, create groups, post to the forums–it’s really awfully cool! I sincerely hope people take advantage of the site in the same way they’ve taken advantage of FriendFeed, the original LSW wiki, Twitter and Meebo–to make and build professional and personal connections. And since the new site is a lot more fun, I may come back from my hiatus sooner than I’d originally thought.
“Because women don’t have special powers. Let’s dispense with that theory right now. They don’t have intuition, they don’t have a sixth sense.”
–Jeremy Goodwin (Joshua Malina), Sports Night
I’ve been reading library-centric blogs since 2003 and doing my best to participate in library-related discussions for about as long. I’ve noticed something that’s really starting to stick in my craw.
Librarians love to talk about how special we all are.
This basically comes in two different flavors: librarians are awesome because we have special values, amazing skills and we touch people’s lives in crucial, near-mythic ways; or librarians are pathetic because we as a whole are insecure, passive-aggressive, socially awkward, fashion-challenged and nerdy.
I’m coming to realize I think both of these ideas are complete and total bullshit.
Librarian are not inherently dysfunctional, neurotic or emotionally stunted. I say this with a great amount of affection for the human race, but the fact is a lot of adults are dysfunctional, neurotic and emotionally stunted. It’s not particular to libraries, nor is it more prevalent in libraries. Let’s stop putting ourselves and each other down as a profession, because it’s simply not true.
And while I’m proud to be a librarian and think libraries are very important to human society, librarians themselves are not cleverer, more insightful or special than other working people. Yes, we have certain professional skills that we (hopefully) get better at the more we exercise them. The same is true of doctors, painters, automotive mechanics, farmers and strippers. Let’s take pride in our work, but let’s not put ourselves on a pedestal. Let’s just recognize that we, like other working people in our society, have a job to do.
Librarians are not special snowflakes. We’re not divine and we’re not demonic. We’re just people, for better and for worse. That’s all.
engage the confections!
this day will last
forever
& the heat of my bones
this fever i cannot
shake
is threatening to overtake you all
this day will last forever
until i
devour
the sun
& pull you into a dance
with the moon & me
so…
sweeten the derangements!
open your flesh to me
for i will
drink
your ocean
& burn your ghosts to green
burn
your ghosts
TO GREEN!
Gareth-Michael Skarka tweeted this morning:
And he’s absolutely right.
Colleen Harris blogged last week:
It’s the casual user. It’s your mother, your Aunt Louise, and your next door neighbor. Perhaps it’s you.
And she’s absolutely right.
As a librarian, part of my job is to teach patrons and staff about new technology. As something of a tech geek, I do this in my off-work time, too. I’m always more than happy to teach friends, family, coworkers and complete strangers about the web and social sites, as well as issues surrounding privacy, copyright and general computer use. Walking away from Facebook isn’t just a personal thing, it’s a teaching moment, an opportunity to educate others on privacy and the social web.
If you’re thinking of deleting your Facebook account, or you’re just generally concerned about privacy on the web, or you simply have knowledge about computers and the internet, you need to share with others. Teach people how to protect themselves and to better use this new technology. It ain’t going away any time soon.
I just deleted my Facebook account. Why?
In part it’s because of my concerns over Facebook’s frequent changing of the goalposts when it comes to privacy. But even more, it’s Facebook’s growth as an all-purpose internet site. To my mind, Facebook is trying to be AOL 2.0–a site that provides you with email, IM, image hosting, blogging, games, etc. I don’t want the internet centralized. I don’t want a one-stop-shop for all things internet. I don’t want One Site to Rule Them All. And I really don’t want the internet simplifed and dumbed down for people. I want people to smart-up for the internet. I want people to learn to use email and instant messaging through the numerous apps and tools available. I want people to learn to use a blogging platform. I want people to learn to use RSS. None of these things are really all that difficult, and outside of Facebook, you can control your privacy a lot more.
If you want to follow my exploits and read my rambling thoughts, read this blog and follow me on Twitter or FriendFeed. If you want to see my photos, check me out on Flickr. If you want to talk to me, email or IM me. But don’t look for me on Facebook, because I won’t be there anymore.
|
