Katrina and the news

I am sure many have been watching the news coverage of Katrina as it made landfall. CNN showed a "man on the scene" type approach, often with Anderson Cooper talking about random stuff, trying not to get knocked down and of course hammering whenever possible just how dangerous what he is doing. Now he of course thinks that makes him heroic, the rest of us know it just makes him stupid. So CNN is doing the "you are all going to die" approach to Katrina.

Fox News, as much as I hate to say it, trumped CNN this time. They took the "this is the facts and what is happening now" approach. Less man on the streets wasting our time, more informative, and more insightful. This is all just leading to landfall.

During and especially afterwards however, both news stations became doppelgangers, just talking about the same stuff over again with the same footage over and over again as really no one knew anything. Rescue operations where just beginning, the damage assessment just starting. The horror revealed, but not digested. Basically back to the business of worse case scenarios, crappy guesses, cheerleading and useless information.

However, every know and then, these stations remind them why we need them. TVNewswer has done an excellent job of showing the shining moments and the not so grand moments.

One moment that stands out however is a phone report from CNN's Jeanne Meserve during 8/29 Newsnight. It was a sad accounting of the some of the lives lost and why. Also what she experienced while down there trying to give her report and the emotionial cost. It was a rare moment of humanity in the news coverage. A shrinking of the distance between reporter and subjects. Sometimes you need objectivity...and sometimes you don't.

Click here for the mp3 audio.

Serve iTunes to the PSP

Somehow someone figured out how to serve up your iTunes library to the PSP. It doesn't really replace the nifty iPod but its something goofy to do especially if have a sudden jones for a song.

Instructions are at the Digikid Blog.

PSP 2.0 is go.

Sony has finally gotton around to releasing the firmware update for the PSP. The two main features of this update is a pretty nifty web browser that works suprisingly well and wallpaper to replace the current background with whatever picture want to.

Hopefully soon websites designed with PSPs in mind will pop up for our enjoyment. Sony already has one but of course its just really adverts for sony crap. Also if someone comes up with a pic converter let me know. Because of the screen dimensions some pictures need to be converted to the dimensions etc for optimum viewing but until the playstation forums has proven to be exceptional with many PSP wallpapers and people willing to convert your posted pics so click here for some stuff to use.

Also check out WinPSPortal out for a program available for the PSP. Not sure what it does but might be worth goofing with.

PSP Update 2.0?

From Sony:

The PSP Firmware 2.0 Upgrade for the North American market will be available during the week of August 15th, instead of on August 12, as previously reported.
Designed to compliment the comprehensive entertainment experience of games, movies, music, photos and wireless connectivity provided by the revolutionary portable device, the firmware 2.0 upgrade will allow users to take advantage of the unit’s built-in Wi-Fi capability and wirelessly search the Internet from Internet Access Points or hot spots. The firmware 2.0 upgrade will be available for download directly to a PSP using a Wi-Fi connection or downloaded to a PC from http://us.playstation.com/psp and transferred to a PSP through a USB cable.


How come it seems so hard to release stuff in the US and not Japan? You would think by now they would have figured out a way to make sure that translation etc, was a straightforward process almost as simple as flicking a switch considering no product nowadays is hardly ever not released in both countries.

Not just Natalee "Aruba" Holloway is missing

Either its the new thing, or maybe just maybe, the media is realizing that other people disappear everyday. All in the same week, two media NBC and The Los Angeles Times, have indicated that they realize there is a bias in the media on covering missing person cases.

This of course is something I blogged about a long time ago but still interstesting to see others acknowledging it. The real question though is will there be change from it? Highly doubtful. Why? Its business people. The simple fact is the covering the death/disappearance/etc of an affluent family's missing female member is ratings gold. Especially when the pissing person is young and beautiful, followed by the family members greiving being quite beautiful. Have you seen Natalee's mother and aunt? They are gorgeous, which is why they are thrown up on television screens at every opportunity. As for why money is a factor? Well other then influence taht money brings, its a matter of convience. They usually have someone who doesn't have to work, which means they have time to fly around the country, to interview, to show up on the talk shows etc. Don't really have an explanation why men and non-white are not covered. Pretty sure there are slight racist overtones but more likly its again business. Ratings simply wouldn't be as high (course that doesn't speak well of the country).

Any case, we will continue to see the march of the pretty white affluent white woman bemoan the death/disappearance of her pretty white family member for years to come.

Hooking Up

I have been watching the program on ABC called Hooking Up. Its comes on Thursdays at 9:00pm. It basically follows 4 or so woman as they use online dating to find the perfect man. You would think it would be extraordinary entertaining or maybe uplifting. Instead its kind of sad.

Now the woman, simply gorgeous. We all wish woman that looked like them where on online services. The ages are the 20s and 30s cause 40s are apparently too old or don't date. I think the producers wasted an opportunity in contrasting how age plays a part in deciding a mate. So we have a bunch of photogenically stunning woman seeking the perfect man. Of course this means photogenically stunning men to start. Its interesting to see how the woman immediatly shutdowns when eyeballs her date is bald, or not tall or built enough. So physical is a priority on the ole checklist.

Then comes the dates...and the breakups. It will sound like I am picking on these woman, but they do the breaking up (ie just don't call him back) in every case shown. Now this just could be creative editing, I don't know. Often over minor things or way out there expectations. Some of these woman are making evaluations on whether she could marry him after the first date. Its the first date!!! You don't know shit about the person yet these woman are making those kind of decisions. One woman definilty likes the confident aggressive jock type. But god forbid he gets too aggressive. So she likes it, but doesn't. And somehow the guy is supposed to know the line is. If he doesn't guess it just right, bye-bye. I could give more examples but suffice it to say, the men are expected to be physical love at first sight followed by mental love at end of first date. There is a reason they continue to be lonely.

What makes it sad though is these woman don't seem to be bitches. They actually seem pretty great, someone that would probably be fun to date, develop a relationshipship with. You root for them. You want them to find happiness. I wish they where bitches so could yell in joy for every failure but instead I just think what opportunities they probably wasted. What possibilities of happiness never discovered cause this guy was bald, or too nice, or whatever thing was not good enough. If only they realized perfection doesn't exist. That a checklist is a guideline, not a rulebook. Until they realize that, I will continue to hope for the best.

Susan Torres dead

May not know who Susan Torres is. She and her family was the opposite of how Terri Schiavo was handled. Where one was forced to die with no dignity, this one was able to. Where one was a lesson in greed and abuse of power, this was a lesson of a parents love. Where one was abuse by the media, this was one of restraint. She saved her child, and her family allowed her to pass with dignity.