First, anyone who missed theBloggess' heroic, fantastic holiday gift drive, check this out and think to yourself, next year I'll do something like that. Here's an article about it in the Washington Post. I also consider her daily bloggings to be among the best there is on the net but mileage may vary.
Second, another kind of serious entry in the media flow: an open letter in response to the statements by Michael Moore. Lashing out is more fun than waiting for things to run their course, and it gives less press. That's not a very good starting point for deciding what's right or wrong, though.
Third, if you're the tech type, you didn't miss this, but maybe there's still someone around who would be as fascinated, awestruck by this as I was and who hasn't seen it yet - so here's that babel fish iPhone app.
Freakin' awesome.
2010-12-09
The meteoric rise of inanity
Stupid idiom: "meteoric rise."
Meteors go down. It's what they do. It's all they do. If they don't, they're not meteors, they're just rocks.
I am aware that technically, it is possible for a meteor to be a so-called earth-grazer. This is a one in a many-billions event, and none of you have seen one. So, nyah.
Don't call anything that's moving upwards "meteoric." The word you're looking for may be shining or brilliant, it may be ballistic or rocket-like or just upwards. Anything but meteoric.
Meteors go down.
Meteors go down. It's what they do. It's all they do. If they don't, they're not meteors, they're just rocks.
I am aware that technically, it is possible for a meteor to be a so-called earth-grazer. This is a one in a many-billions event, and none of you have seen one. So, nyah.
Don't call anything that's moving upwards "meteoric." The word you're looking for may be shining or brilliant, it may be ballistic or rocket-like or just upwards. Anything but meteoric.
Meteors go down.
 |
| Leonid meteor. Wikipedia image. |
2010-12-07
Bruce, pt 2
I'm mildly disappointed by the Promise box. My expectations weren't very high about the actual content, it was to a large extent more paying homage to my own past - but I did expect more after all the talk before-hand. I saw journalists handing out full score reviews left and right, and I just don't think that's fair.
There are some parts to look at when reviewing the whole package that is The Promise, let's take them one by one.
First, it's a remaster of the best record ever. That's a 5/5, how could it possibly be anything else.
Second, it's a double CD with discarded songs from the Darkness sessions. This is where I think journalists didn't quite think, step back and really think. It's a bit magic to hear these recordings. The first time we can hear them in highest possible quality at the very least, and several of them truly never heard before. But hey, guys? These songs seem mostly like... well, discarded stuff to me. Really discarded stuff. Sure, Fire and Because are pretty tight and finished, but they're not really news, and - heresy - I never really liked either of them. They're filler for me. They illustrate perfectly why none of these songs made it onto the Darkness album. Most of the songs are heavily cannibalized for lyrics and often for score as well. As can be seen in the DVD material, the band made several other songs during this period that did eventually make it onto the River, and justifiably, because those songs are all superior to anything on The promise: Sherry darling, The ties that bind, Independence day, and more.
Two other songs are worth mentioning: The "rock" version of Racing, so dubbed by journalists. WTF, "rock"? How can a journalist call this a "rock" version of anything when it's a reject from the album that starts with Badlands and Adam raised a Cain? Second, The Promise. I'm sorry, this may be the best of the songs on its own, but it's also too sentimental, it lacks a point and it lacks musical push. It would have made sense as a single somewhere around the time of Darkness but it suffers heavily in comparison to the collective works that make up Born to run and Darkness and in this context, even The river.
Taken as a new or forgotten Bruce double CD, The Promise is maybe 2 or 3/5. As add on material to Darkness, 4/5.
Third, The making of Darkness DVD. This is awesome. 5/5.
Fourth, The Houston house cut. 4/5 for afficionados. It's a shame there's apparently nothing better to release from the Darkness tour era. The Library of Congress should have intervened. For outsiders, 2-3/5. There are several better full concerts released already.
Fifth, the 2009 DVD. Hmm. A curiosity. I can't imagine why a non-fan would want this.
Finally, more scattered extra material. Not rating that, just noting that it's there.
The box is for fans, and it's a treat. It's no earth-shaker though. It's a boon and I'm glad I have it. I'm gonna leave it at that.
There are some parts to look at when reviewing the whole package that is The Promise, let's take them one by one.
First, it's a remaster of the best record ever. That's a 5/5, how could it possibly be anything else.
Second, it's a double CD with discarded songs from the Darkness sessions. This is where I think journalists didn't quite think, step back and really think. It's a bit magic to hear these recordings. The first time we can hear them in highest possible quality at the very least, and several of them truly never heard before. But hey, guys? These songs seem mostly like... well, discarded stuff to me. Really discarded stuff. Sure, Fire and Because are pretty tight and finished, but they're not really news, and - heresy - I never really liked either of them. They're filler for me. They illustrate perfectly why none of these songs made it onto the Darkness album. Most of the songs are heavily cannibalized for lyrics and often for score as well. As can be seen in the DVD material, the band made several other songs during this period that did eventually make it onto the River, and justifiably, because those songs are all superior to anything on The promise: Sherry darling, The ties that bind, Independence day, and more.
Two other songs are worth mentioning: The "rock" version of Racing, so dubbed by journalists. WTF, "rock"? How can a journalist call this a "rock" version of anything when it's a reject from the album that starts with Badlands and Adam raised a Cain? Second, The Promise. I'm sorry, this may be the best of the songs on its own, but it's also too sentimental, it lacks a point and it lacks musical push. It would have made sense as a single somewhere around the time of Darkness but it suffers heavily in comparison to the collective works that make up Born to run and Darkness and in this context, even The river.
Taken as a new or forgotten Bruce double CD, The Promise is maybe 2 or 3/5. As add on material to Darkness, 4/5.
Third, The making of Darkness DVD. This is awesome. 5/5.
Fourth, The Houston house cut. 4/5 for afficionados. It's a shame there's apparently nothing better to release from the Darkness tour era. The Library of Congress should have intervened. For outsiders, 2-3/5. There are several better full concerts released already.
Fifth, the 2009 DVD. Hmm. A curiosity. I can't imagine why a non-fan would want this.
Finally, more scattered extra material. Not rating that, just noting that it's there.
The box is for fans, and it's a treat. It's no earth-shaker though. It's a boon and I'm glad I have it. I'm gonna leave it at that.
2010-12-06
Why? Why?
One of the deepest mysteries of the net, to me, is how all weird page hits happen. Why are there suddenly a dozen page hits from some company's IP range, hits that leave no trace whatsoever except those page hits? On the rare occasions that you find an explanation it's always unromantic and unfantastic and very down to earth - but unexplained, these occurrences are so utterly baffling.
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