New TV Season Reviews

Lots of new stuff debuted in the last week in TV for both new and old with many more coming in the next few weeks. Below is my quickie reviews for the shows I bothered to watch.

Monday 9/18
The Class - Undecided. Its a weird premise, a reunion of a class of 3rd graders, but if that doesn't stay the focus, the characters might be enough to keep watching. No standouts yet, but I will give it a few weeks to grab me.

How I Met Your Mother - Starting season 2, still good, still funny, remaining on my to watch list. If not on yours, you should add it.

CSI: Miami - You know the show, nothings really changed except finally, thank freaking god, they have ended the whole Horatio and his family of horror crap. Will they finally move on to more interesting things?

Prison Break - Still going strong after a few weeks and will miss it with baseball playoffs coming. I didn't think the premise would hold for a second season but so far its going strong. I hope they have an end game in mind because if they plan on just having this go and go for 5 or 6 years then its toast. I would rather it go out in three solid seasons then 7 stretched out crappy ones.

Vanished - I am trying to like it, but the characters hold no interest for me. You really don't care about anyone's back story, the mystery, and even if the potentially kidnapped victim is dead or alive. There is simply nothing to hook you. Consider this one cancelled soon.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - I have my West Wing fix back. I can tell I am thoroughly going to enjoy this show. Whether or not its sticks around though is another matter. It does require a little brain power on the part of the audience and sadly that is always a gamble nowadays.

Tuesday 9/19
Boston Legal - Same o from previous seasons. If liked it then, will like it now. Personally I watch for William Shatner and his scenery chewing.

NCIS - Going strong and very entertaining. Recommend watching.

The Unit - Same as last season, same whatever attention from me. I can tell its a good show but for whatever reason I just can't fall in love with it.

Smith - Watched it for Amy Smart, will give it a few more eps for Amy Smart, but sadly it suffers from not having any characters to grab your interested or care for. They could kill one off each week and I could care less (unless its Amy Smart).

House - Still going strong, sure predictable but thoroughly entertaining.

Standoff - The character interactions don't mean anything, but the hostage scenarios are neat to watch. I can also tell it will get boring by seasons end (assuming it makes it which I doubt).

Law and Order: Criminal Intent - Still the brain busting puzzles only genius boy can solve. Still entertaining.

Law and Order: Special Victims Unit - The shining star of the series. Worth watching if not already doing so.

Wednesday 9/20
Jericho - End of the world? Maybe. What happens next is the story and I am currently hooked. The survival of this show will depend on how much they hold their cards to their chest and how carefully they play them out. Hold em to long and interest will fizzle fast. Until then I am watching.

Criminal Minds - Still good, still worth watching.

CSI: NY - Same o same o which in this case not such a good thing since I just can't get as interested in this CSI as the others. I think because the actors are so damn bland.

Bones - Same o same o but in a good, entertaining way.

Justice - Lawyers get the people off using any means necessary. Later shows what really happened and sadly so far every time the lawyers have been nearly dead on. Justice prevails! Which makes for a predictable and good guys win story. This show is toast and doesn't know it yet.

Kidnapped - Boy is kidnapped, the FBI and a hunter is looking for him. Egos clash, politics arise, etc. Great cast, good development of the characters already, its my new 10:00 appointment.

Thursday 9/21
Grey's Anatomy - Its the same as previous seasons, up to recycling the same stories and just tweaking them. I will give it a few more eps but at this point I am tied of the circles.

Six Degrees - Jury still out on this one. Not sure what to make of it, what the point of the series is or much else. The characters are hot and well that's about it. I love Erika Christenson but her hotness isn't enough to make the show worth watching week after week.

Survivor: Cook Islands - The race gimmick should draw to a close in another week and then its once again the same clash of egos, brainstorming and betrayals. Another words the same show from previous seasons that either love or hate.

ER - Season 1000, same as previous 990. Whatever.

Friday 9/22
Numbers - Same as last year, only guys have shorter hair. I liked last year, so liking this year.

Law and Order - New night, new female (hot) detective. Same show, same formula. Still solid writing.

Sunday 9/24
Amazing Race - Glorious same o same o. Jealousy abounds as would love to do that show.

Cold Case - Same again, getting bored with it even though the writing etc continues to be solid.

Without a Trace - Same to, really getting bored with this show. I think I am done with it. The characters just no longer interest me.

Desperate Housewives - Put a fork in its done. Once again, the many circles abound as this clearly soap opera show continues to swipe poorly from its daytime counterparts.

Brothers and Sisters - Lots of fanfare about nothing. The characters bore, the premise bores, once again could care less about a single character. This show will last a while only on the will of the ABC execs but I have a feeling the audience will drop off fast.

Simpson - Same o. Which is great by me
American Dad - Ditto
Family Guy - Ditto
War at Home - Ditto in a brainless way.

So there you go. What I liked and didn't. The new season shows are mostly looking like crap except for Studio 60 and Kidnapped. Most of the shows that are in their 3rd plus seasons are showing age and need a new spit shine to survive. Also I watch entirely to much television and some triage needs to be performed.

Random Movie Stuff

The opening theme music from Chris Cornell for the next James Bond film, "Casino Royale" has made an appearance online. Give it a listen. Personally I am unimpressed so it falls inline with most other Bond music.

The trailer for "The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection" has been released on the web by Warner Bros. The main thing of interest of this collection is the Richard Donner Cut of Superman II. Original he was pulled from the film halfway through production so while he had filmed most of the movie, he had no say on how it was all edited together. The set is a huge 11 disc set that includes special features for Superman I-IV and Supergirl. Even though I have the previously released set, looks like I need to sell it to help in buying this one. The trailer is here.

Oh final note, avoid "The Black Dahlia" like the plague. Boring movie. I could complain on and on about it but really its biggest problem is its simply boring. Literally 10 people walked out on the movie and the theatre wasn't even close to full.

Olbermann Demands Bush apologize

"It’s unacceptable to think…"

This is the phrase that angered Keith Olbermann to unleash a scathing commentary on his MSNBC program against President Bush. Bush was responding to Colin Powell's recent statement of concern over the world's view of the US "war on terror." Considering Bush's famed dislike of anything less then blind obedience, the statement was a heat of the moment slip on Bush's part. Since often in anger, the truth comes bursting out, its a sign of just how little Bush understands or cares about the ideals of the United States.

This President’s response included not merely what is apparently the Presidential equivalent of threatening to hold one’s breath, but — within — it contained one particularly chilling phrase. Mr. President, former Secretary of State Colin Powell says the world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism. If a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former secretary of state feels this way, don’t you think that Americans and the rest of the world are beginning to wonder whether you’re following a flawed strategy? BUSH: If there’s any comparison between the compassion and decency of the American people and the terrorist tactics of extremists, it’s flawed logic. It’s just — I simply can’t accept that. It’s unacceptable to think that there’s any kind of comparison between the behavior of the United States of America and the action of Islamic extremists who kill innocent women and children to achieve an objective.

Of course** it’s acceptable to think that there’s "any kind of comparison." And in this particular debate, it is not only acceptable, it is obviously necessary. Some will think that our actions at Abu Ghraib, or in Guantanamo, or in secret prisons in Eastern Europe, are all too comparable to the actions of the extremists. Some will think that there is no similarity, or, if there is one, it is to the slightest and most unavoidable of degrees.

What all of us will agree on, is that we have the right — we have the duty — to think about the comparison. And, most importantly, that the other guy, whose opinion about this we cannot fathom, has exactly the same right as we do: to think — and say — what his mind and his heart and his conscience tell him, is right.

All of us agree about that.

Except, it seems, this President.

With increasing rage, he and his administration have begun to tell us, we are not permitted to disagree with them, that we cannot be right. That Colin Powell cannot be right.And then there was that one, most awful phrase.

In four simple words last Friday, the President brought into sharp focus what has been only vaguely clear these past five-and-a-half years - the way the terrain at night is perceptible only during an angry flash of lightning, and then, a second later, all again is dark.

"It’s unacceptable to think…" he said. It is never unacceptable… to think

Click here to see the video from crooksandliars.com.

Senator Mary Landrieu Slams Republicans on War

Senator Mary Landriue nailed Republicans for their constants attacks on the Democrat veiwpoint by pointing out what many of us already know, the Republicans own failing war policies. I just wish more Democrats would find their backbone.

In light of the rantings that went on for 30 minutes by two colleagues from the other side, I’d like to state for the record that America is not tired of fighting terrorism; America is tired of the wrongheaded and boneheaded leadership of the Republican party that has sent six and a half billion a month to Iraq while the front line was Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. That led this country to attack Saddam Hussein, when we were attacked by Osama bin Laden. Who captured a man who did not attack the country and let loose a man that did. Americans are tired of boneheaded Republican leadership that alienates our allies when we need them the most. Americans are most certainly tired of leadership that despite documenting mistake after mistake after mistake, even of their own party admitting mistakes, never admit they do anything wrong. That’s the kind of leadership Americans are tired of.

(source)

Fox News and the Question Mark

Jon Stewart, with usual skill, skewers news organizations for their use of the question mark to get their viewpoint across while pretending they are not.

Click here for the video.

Nintendo Wii Press Conference; $250 out Nov. 19th

Nintendo has finally laid out all of its launch plans for the Nintendo Wii. Lots of information was revealed so on to the highlights.

- Price: $249.99 (as expected)
- Release date: November 19th, 2006 (two days after the PS3)
- Available colors: white only (crap so no color until spring of '07)
- Units shipped: 4 million, from Nov 11 to end of year
- Box contents: Wii console, cables, sensor bar, one wii-mote, one nunchuck and Wii Sports
- Launch Games: 15 of them including Excite Truck and Zelda, 30 by end of year
- Games Price: $49.99, but 3rd party could charge more

Wii Features:
- WiiConnect24: News and weather channel from the internet, message boards, able to send photos, etc
- Mii: Allows for creation of virtual avatars, photo views, and ability to edit video (formats unknown)

Virtual Console:
- NES games are $5, SNES for $8 and N64 are $10
- Super Mario 64, Super Mario World, Donkey and Legend of Zelda available at launch
- Games tied into account rather then straight download. (hackers have fun)

Other Info:
- Metroid 3 is coming in 2007 (probably fall imho)
- Wii is Wi-Fi enabled, no cost to connect
- Zelda for Gamecube will launch December 11th (to force the impatient to upgrade me thinks)
- Wii-mote costs $39.99 and Nunchuk $19.99
- Pokemom will be first online game, no US release date announced
- Has only 512mb of flash memory (but expandable, uses SD memory)
- Includes Opera browser for web surfing
- No DVD playback
- Wii is region-free so if want some Japanese games, no modding needed, but 3rd party can employ a region look if want

The $250 price tag, combined with $50 games, additional $60 for second controller, plus $50 or so for additional memory equals a fairly hefty price tag, but once that is still cheaper then the PS3. The expected launch titles look good, especially Zelda, but disappointed at the lack of online multiplayer launch titles. The lack of DVD support will be slightly missed, maybe corrected with a future firmware update but doubt it. No mention of whether its backwards compatible with Gamecube, but rumors have indicated it should be. As a whole, I am still excited about the system and have every intention of getting it on day one. One mistake I think Nintendo is making is conceding some momentum to the PS3. They should have aimed for a release date at least a week earlier then the PS3 with possible shipment of wave 2 of release titles on the PS3 launch date to knock some wind out of their sales. However, if Nintendo keeps its promise of 4 million available systems then that should go a long way to help since Sony is choosing the shortage = thirst = later better sales approach. I think Nintendo is banking on people choosing to get their next gen fix on the Nintendo or 360 rather then waiting to get hold of a PS3.

Wii Official Website

Star Trek Remaster Station List and Release Schedule

The details of the Star Trek digital remasters has been released. The very first remastered episode, "Balance of Terror" is set to premiere this weekend so check your local TV stations.

The trailer for is here.
Episode release schedule is here.
Affiliate participation list is here.

Apple Keynote Address; Next Gen iPods Announced

Steve Jobs hosted a keynote event today to reveal the next half year's plan for Apple. Next gen products where revealed for the iPod line including a new smaller shuffle. In addition a new piece of hardware was revealed that would allow playing computer content on your TV, perfect for iTunes 7.0 that will start selling Disney movies.

iPod with video 5.5G - drop in price, 60% brighter screen, increase in drive size, and improved battery life, price is $249 for 30GB and $349 for 80GB. Hands-on

iPod software update - Gapless playback for songs, search function, and improved games (available to buy for $4.99)

iPod Nano - battery life increased to 24 hours, four new colors (blue, pink, green, and silver), little thinner, 40% brighter display, and 3 models. $149 for 2GB, $199 for 4GB, and $249 for 8GB. Hands-on

iPod Shuffle 2G - completely redesigned, tiny with clip, silver color, $79 for 1GB, available in October. Hands-on

iTunes 7.0 - view switch to see album art, free album cover art, NFL games for $1.99 game and $24.99 a season, increased resolution of video to 640x480, and better iPod management.

Movies on iTunes - 75+ movies from companies owned by Disney, pre-orders and first week new releases are $12.99, after $14.99, with older movies at $9.99, in 640x480 resolution

iTV - coming in 2007, allows digital content on your computer (from iTunes library) to be played on TV using wireless network, price is $299. Hands-on

Apple announced a slew of products, most of them just minor improvements to existing products. Now the iPod range is from $79-$349. The iTunes update, especially the free album covers, has my interest. A concern is since the download is dependent on having an iTunes account, does that mean that Apple is able to collect information on what songs you already own (and therefore tell the MPAA what they think you might not own?). Basically I have concerns on the potential abuse of that feature by the powers that be.

As for the movie offerings, I say pass. You are basically getting charged the amount of a DVD for the "privilege" of being able to download it and play on your iPod. Much like the PSP movie format, the price doesn't offset the sacrifices being made in going the iTunes route to get your movie. Buying the slick iTV, which has my interest, doesn't offset this sacrifice. At least with a DVD, you don't have to pay $300 to get a device to allow it to play on your TV.

For me, the product that I am most interested in is the iTV. I like the idea of not having to use wires to play the media content on my computer to my TV. However, before ordering the device I am going to let other guinea pig it for me as I having a feeling there are many limitations to what it can and cannot do. For instance, I doubt it will just play any format of content. I think it will be limited to what iTunes can handle such as .mp3, .mp4, .mov and so forth. Considering the plethora of formats out there, I find that to be a limitation, others may not. In addition, what are the minimum standards does the TV have to have? Just the correct inputs? HDTv? An HD converter box? Can any and all TVs work with it? Again, I doubt it, probably only current gen flat panels will work. If that’s the case, if you can afford a flat panel then getting the iTV should be an automatic purchase. The final concern is how will the new 640x480 resolution and the old resolution play on the TV? Will it translate effortless or will it get that blurry quality from blowing up the pixels to large? The question then becomes, what image quality is being sacrificed for the convenience of putting it on your TV. Hopefully these concerns will be addressed when the iTV comes out in '07.

9/11: Five Years Later

Its kind of hard to believe its already been five years. Time seems to both fly by and move very slow. My said that she could tell me exactly what she was doing when she heard that Kennedy had been assassinated, because the event was so remarkable that it just seared it into her brain. I was skeptical of that as even events that I believe where the most important thing to happen to me, I can only remember bits and pieces, not precise details of exactly what and when. Except 9/11. I know exactly what I was doing, when I was doing it, and the people in the room with me when I heard the news. Its strange to cause I wasn't near a TV so honestly did not believe what I was being told at the time. I called it an exaggeration by the press for ratings. Then I got home. Wow that was a long day.

So five years. The events that have followed as a direct consequence of this singular event are still echoing and only history will be able to put it in perspective. As each generation before I think, I hope the next never has to experience anything like this.

CNN.com is re-playing their coverage "live" using their pipeline service. I can't decide if its something I can watch or not. But I guess for those that missed the history, the reaction, and so forth, it might be worth watching.

Another memory I took not from the day but that period was the worldwide reaction. For the briefest of moments, mankind was one. For an instance, mankind where unified as one, even if in tragedy. If for nothing else can be learned, its that peace is possible, even if the struggle will be long and difficult. Its wasn't until recently, but I saw Jon Stewart's Daily Show a week or so after 9/11 and he nearly broke down trying to express himself and unlike most people a week after 9/11, his was a message of hope. That video is here.

A final memory that has stuck with me was when Britain who broke a historic tradition of the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. My local news only played a snippet, but I remember crying when I saw it. YouTube has a version and I think its worth watching.

7 Days In September

Those are my random thoughts for this day. What are yours?

Happy 40th Star Trek

Star Trek's 40th Anniversary is begins today as it marks the first broadcast of the show in network television back in 1966 with the premiere of "The Man Trap." The celebration will be far and wide I am sure with various conventions. On the television end, you have the plans to spruce up the special effects and matte painting used in the original series with CGI effects. Ain't It Cool News has posted a Q&A with the project leaders to help provide more information about the plans. For my part, I celebrated the beginning of Star Trek, by watching the final appearance of the original cast in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. So go off and celebrate your inner Star Trek geek.

Jon Stewart for President '08

Someone has decided to launch a website advocating Jon Stewart of the Daily Show, for President in 2008. The slogan is "Stewart/Colbert '08 A Funnier America". Be interesting to see if this site grows into something that is truly satirical and mimics the GOP and Democrat websites.

As for what the country would be like with a fake media comedian elected to office, look no further then upcoming movie starring Robin Williams called "Presidential Candidate". No idea when its coming but I will be there on opening night. You can find the trailer here.

iTunes to Sell Movies

Apple has finally announced its predicted plans from nearly a year ago to start selling feature length movies online. Sadly it looks like the move is going to start with a wimper instead of a bang. Where iTunes launched in a can't beat price and practically every available song in the known universe, the movies that will be available are limited to those owned by Disney Corp. This includes Pixar, Touchstone, Miramax, and Lion's Gate and then only a limited selection of their full catalog. I guess its more of a beta, will this work, launch.

Sadly, the price range of $10 to $15 is actually more expensive then the cost of most of the available movies at retail. Catch them on sale, which practically can do every other week at Best Buy or Circuit City, you are really paying a surcharge of $2-$3 to download the music. In turn you are sacrificing size, quality, special features and bevy of other convenience that having the physical DVD copy provides. Personally, I am going to have to pass on this until they make the prices more competitive.

Star Trek Getting the Star Wars Treatment

In time for the 40th Anniversary of Star Trek the Original Series is getting polished by being digitally remastered with new CGI effects. Many of the improvements will include The Enterprise is getting the CGI treatment based off the original model hanging in the Smithsonian Institution in DC, the opening sequence getting spiffed up with depth and dimension, most space shots improved, exterior matte paintings replaced with CGI versions and improved ships, battles and planets.

The television premiere of these changes seem to indicate early September starting with "Balance of Terror." The next batch of episodes will be chosen based on popularity rather then air order but the plan is to convert all 79 episodes.

The full press release from CBS is here.

Winners of 2006 Emmy Awards

NBC aired the 2006 Emmy Awards tonight. No real suprises and except for the opening clip and some amusment from Stephen Colbert and John Stewart, there wasn't much amusement. Really just a by the book award show.

A complaint I have is seeing the one off shows like Oscar Telecast and Barry Manilow being in the same category as the talk shows and late night programs. One is a one time a year event, planned months ahead and the other is cranked out on a daily basis and don't allow for quite the fine tuning. For them to produce gems on a daily bais deserves at least a seperate category but realistically these one-off programs shouldn't be nominated.

Final complaint, quit kissing movie star asses. I get tired of being able to predict a winner not because their television performance was that great but because their movie background gives them a one up. They neither deserve it and doing it cheapens the television medium.

The winners (with my predictions from July):
DRAMA SERIES
"24", FOX (should win)
COMEDY SERIES
"The Office", NBC (was wrong)
MINISERIES
"Elizabeth I", HBO (was wrong)
MADE FOR TELEVISION MOVIE
"The Girl In The Café", HBO (was wrong)
REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM
"The Amazing Race", CBS (should win)
ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk" (was wrong)
ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Kiefer Sutherland, "24" (will win)
ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Andre Braugher, "Thief" (didn't call)
ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "The New Adventures Of Old Christine" (should win)
ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (should win)
ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Helen Mirren, "Elizabeth I" (didn't call)
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Jeremy Piven, "Entourage" (was wrong)
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Alan Alda, "The West Wing" (was wrong)
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Jeremy Irons, "Elizabeth I"
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Megan Mullally, "Will & Grace"
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Blythe Danner, "Huff"
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Kelly Macdonald, "The Girl In The Café"
GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Leslie Jordan, "Will & Grace"
GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Christian Clemenson, "Boston Legal"
GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Cloris Leachman, "Malcolm In The Middle"
GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Patricia Clarkson, "Six Feet Under"
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE IN A VARIETY OR MUSIC PROGRAM Barry Manilow, "Barry Manilow: Music And Passion"
VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES
"The Daily Show With Jon Stewart"

One thing learned, I can't predict a thing. I was called the Keifer win and not much else, good thing didn't place bets on this.

Marines to be Involuntarily Recalled

The Marine Corps authorized the recall of thousands of Marines to active duty, whether they want to go or not. The current estimated number is 2500 but it wouldn't surprise me if the number increases. The recall is a result of a shortfall in unit deployments and shortage of volunteers for Iraq and Afghanistan.

Nothing says a war is going well and the troops support like those very same troops having to be forced to go. Its a solid indication of the military rank and file's support waning along with the general public. This may be normal for any war, but almost 4 years in and Iraq doesn't even look close to be calm enough to allow for a organized withdrawal that the Bush Administration keeps claiming can occur.
(source)

Stargate SG-1 Cancelled

The Sci-Fi channel has announced that its decided to no renew Stargate SG-1 for an 11th season but will renew Stargate: Atlantis for its 4th season. This brings to a close the longest running sci-fi show in American television with 215 episodes. Ironically, the show just celebrated its 200 episode this weekend.

The reasons for the cancellation where not indicated but speculation is that MGM, owners of the series, are planning launch a feature film from the series. This has been off on on plans for the series for several years now with speculation for the end of the 7th and 8th seasons before plans fell through. The first half of this final season of Stargate ends in about two weeks before it takes it final bows in January 2007. What form the shows takes after that, only the producers now.

The announcement text can read here.

Nintendo Wii for $170?

The current rumor circulating the internet is that the Nintendo Wii will retail for $170. That is an excellent price point that would probably get all gamers to at least sample the machines, especially in light of the $400 X-Box 360 and $600 PS3. So far the only thing Nintendo has confirmed is a price point of below $250, which basically means anywhere from $.01 to $249.99 in price. Personally I think the price point will either be $199.99 or $249.99, with the higher price being the most likely outcome. Time will tell as the system is planned on being released in November.
(source)

Bush Admits Iraq and 9/11 Not Related

Bush finally just out right admited that Iraq and 9/11 where not related. This is after years of the administration trying to hit at connections with outright saying it. Glad thats cleared up, but doesn't that beg the question of why Iraq instead of say Iran?

BUSH: I square it because imagine a world in which you had Saddam Hussein, who had the capacity to make a weapon of mass destruction, who was paying suiciders to kill innocent life, who had relations with Zarqawi.

You know, I’ve heard this theory about, you know, everything was just fine until we arrived [in Iraq] and — you know, the stir-up-the-hornet’s- nest theory. It just doesn’t hold water, as far as I’m concerned.

The terrorists attacked us and killed 3,000 of our citizens before we started the freedom agenda in the Middle East. They were …

QUESTION: What did Iraqi have to do with that?
BUSH: What did Iraq have to do with what?

QUESTION: The attacks upon the World Trade Center.

BUSH: Nothing. . . . .Except for it’s part of — and nobody’s ever suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack. Iraq was a — Iraq — the lesson of September the 11th is: Take threats before they fully materialize,

I seem to remember Dick Cheny, Condi and Bush trying link Iraq to 9/11 way back when:

Russert: Do you still believe there is no evidence that Iraq was involved in September 11?

CHENEY: Well, what we now have that’s developed since you and I last talked, Tim, of course, was that report that’s been pretty well confirmed, that he did go to Prague and he did meet with a senior official of the Iraqi intelligence service in Czechoslovakia last April, several months before the attack

- from CrooksAndLiars.com

RIAA Going After Dead Defendants Heirs

Out of "kindness" the RIAA files a motion to give the heirs of Larry Scantlebury 60 days to grieve before they continue legal action against the now dead defendant for illegally downloading music. I guess they want to continue to make an example for him having the indencency to die before the RIAA could squeeze their bit from him.

Whether he actually committed a crime can't be proven as the RIAA has a tendency to be wrong when it goes after grandparents who don't own a computer, other dead defendants or little children. So the lawsuit, in an of itself, indicates nothing due to the RIAA's horrible track record.

Sadly a court of law will probably side on whatever the RIAA chooses to do. This despite the fact that the RIAA can't even prove actual harm was done by the defendant himself. Most of the "harm" they indicate is more wide scale in the sense of lost record sales, not what one individual might have done as I doubt one individual could have harmed an entire industry. If only where that easy, I think the RIAA would have ceased to exist a while back. On the other hand, you have Ken Lay of Enron. With his death, its assumed that his illegally gotten gains can be fully enjoyed by his heirs. Pretty much untouchable, even though actually harm can be proven as a direct result of this person's action. From a law perspective, two similar cases yet two difference courses.

Now many believe this action is necessary. Must make examples of the "bad" guys. We hear on the news all the time about the billions lost due to piracy both online and real world. For software the claim is $29 billion, music $4.5B, movie industry its $6.1 billion. Something must be done, right?

However, there is the problem with how the media reports these figures. Namely what is the motive behind the reports and where did the numbers come from? Those are just two of many questions that should be automatic for these kinds of statistics based surveys.

For all the above examples, the impacted industry paid for the surveys to be done. Therefore its in the best interest of the survey company to produce results their customer expects if they want to continue to get business. You don't get paid X dollars to the customer and report that their entire belief is incorrect. No, report they are not only dead on but its worse then they think. You don't tell your boss he is wrong if you don't have to, he figure out a way to give him what he wants.

Now the numbers. These are big numbers. Where do the dollar amounts come from? For example, the RIAA seem to consider the cost of a CD to be around $18-20. When was the last time people even paid that? If get them at Target, the cost is close to $12, iTunes its $10. What about single sales where the person wants only the one song? Is that taken into account? The same for movies. What is the cost of a DVD to them? $30, $20, $10? A ticket? Is it $5, $10, $15? Those kind of differences could change the final total by billions. What if the number of the initial cost is inflated? Does that mean the $6.1 billion lost is really more like $2billion? Still large but just doesn't quite the same grandeur and therefore the same impact does it.

How do the come up with the number of lost sales? No one even has a handle on how much piracy occurs. So do they assume a million copies that where not sold that would have been if not for piracy?? A billion copies? Or a 100 million less tickets sales? Where do they derive the numbers from? I suspect they pull them at random. Whatever will give the highest yet believable lost in sales for the PR and media machine. On top of that, those numbers assume that if piracy wasn't available, that people 100% of the time would have bought the object through legitimate channels. That means in their minds there is a one to one ratio of sales loss to piracy.

To illustrate, lets assumes 1000 people don't buy the Paris Hilton CD and instead download it illegally (who knows why, but work with me). To the RIAA that is $20 in CD cost times 1000 people not buying = $20,000 in lost sales. 100% of the pirates that would have bought the CD otherwise.

Now, lets pretend for these 1000 potential buyers, the RIAA just really scares them and they decide that illegal tactics are a no go. Will all 1000 go to the store and spend $20 for the CD? Highly unlikely. Lets be generous and say 10% are willing or 100 of the 1000, that means they really only would have only had $2000 in sales.

Of course who really pays $20 for CDs anymore? Since the people are savvy enough to download illegally they are savvy enough to go to Target or iTunes, so really those 100 real world buyers (rather then the RIAA's imaginary 1000 buyers) only would have spent $1000 dollars to buy Paris Hilton's CD. $1000 dollars in lost sales just doesn't read as sexy as $20000 in lost sales does it? Now multiple my hypothetical by about a million and you get an idea about how easy it is to come up with the hypothetical billions that the entertainment industry uses.

When it comes to statistics and reports, don't just take the numbers at face value. To evaluate the legitimacy of the number you first have to know where they came from and also what is the motive of the company compiling the report. These are questions the media should ask and doesn't. Probably out of practice as the media has become more regurgitator and less reporter and searchers for truth.

Lieberman, McKinney Defeated in Primary Run-Offs

Over in Georgia, Democrat Representative Cynthia McKinney was handed a sound defeat by opponent Hank Johnson. The theory is the loss came about because of her antics and behavior including the recent capital hill tussle. I say its because she has proven to be so ineffectual a Representative. She may have gone to Washington DC, but she didn't do a whole hell of a lot other then make noise while over there. Actions speak louder the rhetoric. McKinney needs to tuck tail and never disgrace another public position again. She is the example of what we don't want in our leaders. Lets not make that mistake anymore.

Speaking of mistakes, Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman was defeated yesterday in a primary run-off. After a tense battle against Ned Lamont, Lieberman has decided to run for office as an Independent in an effort to hold his office. Usually when someone loses the primary, they have enough sense to bow graciously and accept the loss, knowing its a sign that those the represent clearly no longer require their services.

Joe Lieberman apparently doesn't believe in the will of the people. He only believes the will of himself. He pretends to couch it in terms of doing it for the good of state, country and party. However the state has clearly said no thanks, the party has begged him to step down, and the country already chose not to elect him as Vice President back in 2000. The message is clear, the people don't want Joe Lieberman and the only one he isn't listening is Joe who clearly and desperately wants to hold onto the power and prestige (plus kickbacks etc) that he has grown accustomed to.

The sad fact though is that thanks to his antics, he could help turn the tide for the Republicans. How often does a Democrat candidate get a call from Karl Rove and President Bush after they lose? Well Joe did. It seems that Republicans are in fact quite pleased at his bid for a seat as an Independent. The conventional wisdom is that he will split the Democrats' votes allowing for a cakewalk to office for the Republican choice, whoever that is. On top of that, the Republicans can use Lieberman as the poster child for how much dissent there is within the Democrat party. Why this is bad I don't know since the unified Republican "whatever Bush says" Party hasn't exactly done wonders for this country.

I propose that the Republicans are wrong. Joe "Rate and Censor" Lieberman in fact will split the votes of both parties. He has clearly identified himself with Republicans on many issues these last few years. It has been suggested that Karl Rove has even offered assistance to Lieberman in his reelection campaign. In addition, senior GOP officials have suggested that they going to encourage Republican members to support Joe. Take a second for that to sink in.

The Republicans are so convinced of their man, Democrat Senator Joe Lieberman, the architect of the Bush Administration campaign and other officials are going to support his Independent bid for office. This despite already having their own candidate. That is the entire story, even Republicans think Lieberman is a Republican.

Despite this, there are probably many in the electorate that just find things like this just so confusing. This confusion over his party affiliation will only hurt the parties, the question is really how much. Joe thinks enough to get him back into office. I hope he is wrong. The country doesn't need another Bush Yes-Man nor does it need a Senator who has made it clear that he doesn't hold value to the Constitution.

Apple WWDC 2006 - Mac Pro, OS X 10.5

Today Apple had its annual Steve Jobs Keynote/New Stuff Address at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). There are lots of links below about the event, but here are the highlights to me.

Mac Pro (standard config: $2499.00)
- The Power Mac is no more. The last bit of Apple hardware has made the conversion to the intel chipset with the introduction of the Mac Pro. A screaming fast machine for the high end graphics developer, user, gamer (except of course no games for the Mac).
- Basic configuration has 2 x 2.66 GHz Dual-core Intel Zeon chipset
- 1 GB RAM
- 250 GB Hard Drive
- NVIDIA GeForce 7300GT, 256MB RAM
- 16 Superdrive (think PC DVD/RW-CD drive)
- Machine is upgraded with 4 harddrive slots for 2 terabytes of data and 16 GB of RAM! I don't think its even possible to do that for current PCs without some extreme customizations.
- Cost to max out the Processor, RAM and data: $12,876.00 (hmm new computer or new card?)

Leopard - OS X 10.5
- Expected release is Spring 2007
- Supports 64-bit applications (without requiring separate version of OS like XP)
- Time Machine - Think traditional backup combined with MS System Restore. Backup computer plus data with ability to restore entire computer or just an individual file from various times frames (probably defined on how often you decide to back up to a drive)
- Space - Basically various "desktops" as you define it, each with the ability to change apps window to window dynamically. Can do same with XP, but have to download a tweak and it doesn't work all the great since its just a throwaway program.
- Updates on Photobooth, Spotlight, Safari, Mail, iChat and improved user support with Braille, voiceover, etc.
- Core Animation - Method to make animation easily.
- Dashcode - Update to Dashboard so that users can make easy personal widgets for themselves including creating widgets around sections of a website such as a comic or other data that may update on a site periodically.

There you go. New Apple high-end computer that is priced competitively with the PC versions and a new update of OS X that will probably compete directly with Windows Vista. No new changes to existing Intel Macs and no new iPod models announced (dang). The Mac Pro on paper sounds like a screaming fast, graphics loving machine. Since I don't do movie designs or other high end graphics stuff, the only thing that matters is how does the machine handles games in both Mac OS and booting in Microsoft XP. Hopefully soon there will be some benchmarks to see how well this machine does compared to other PCs.

Some links of note:
Keynote blow by blow
Mac Pro Hands-On
Mac Pro site
Apple Store link to buy

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and 9/11

While looking at Kevin Smith hilarity, I found some more serious videos, two involving 9/11 and one with the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

One video that I hadn't seen but is very moving is the return of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart from September 20th 2001. It was the first show since the 9/11. He basically just laid it all out there, coming very close to crying on camera, and really he just tells it how it is. Its a very moving that shows the hope that can be found even during a very dark time.

"The reason I don't despair is because. This attack happened. Its not a dream. But the aftermath of it. The recovery is a dream realized. That is Martin Luther King's dream. Whatever barriers we put up are gone. Even if just momentary. We are judging people not by the color of their skin but the content of their character. ...any fool can blow something up, any fool can destroy, but to to see these guys, these firefighters, these policeman, people from all over the country, literally with buckets, rebuilding, that that thats extraordinary. Thats why we already won. Its light, its democracy, we already won, they can't shut that down."
- Jon Stewart 9/20/01

That video is here.

Another video is something I remember vividly from events around 9/11. This occurred on 9/12 I think, maybe the 13th. Its was really an event of history, a sign of the solidarity, at least briefly, that existed worldwide. For the first time, during the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, a different anthem was played. With scores of American's watching, stuck in the country due to the no-fly order, on orders of the Queen, the Star Spangled Banner was played.

That video is here.

Finally, a video from 1992. I remember this event when watching it "live" on American television. To me, when asks to describe the Olympic spirit, this is what I think of. Its the moment during the Barcelona 1992 Olympics, the 400M semi finals, Derek Redmond of the UK tore a tendon (I think) and could not complete the race. Instead of just being helped across the field, he was determined to finish the race. With the assistance of a stadium cheering him on, and his father at his side, he crossed the finish line. This version is from Japan, the American recording is much better but not online that I am aware of.

The video is here.

Kevin Smith on YouTube

I went to Egotastic earlier and discovered that they had a Q$A video from YouTube where Kevin Smith explains his bit in the process of getting Superman on the screen. Before the current incarnation of Superman Returns, there where several aborted attempted to get it to the screen, one of which is Kevin's. Its worth watching as you get a little insight in just how strange Hollywood can be and why such utter obvious crap seems to make it to big screen. The story involves many execs, a no flights or tights policy for the movie, Sean Penn, and Jon Peters. Truly hilarious.

Even more fun was finding other Q&A videos on YouTube.com from various sessions he has done. I highly recommend going hunting for them as Kevin Smith has a gift in telling stories to an audience. Just go to youtube.com, search for Kevin Smith and check out the videos where the thumbnails tend to have a single color background.

Some videos to check out with Kevin Smith:
On "Superman Reborn"
On Prince
An Evening with Kevin Smith

DeLay Remains on Texas ballot

Tom Delay, corrupted and embattled ex-Senator from Texas, still has a chance for office since 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Tom DeLay's name remain on the November congressional ballot. The Texas GOP wanted to replace another name on the ballot to fight Democrat nominee Nick Lampson. However, since DeLay retired June 9th, months after he won the March Primary, the judge decided that is name should remain regardless of DeLay's move to Virginia.

Texas GOP chairwomen Tina Benkiser has tried to remove DeLay's name after he moved but the court ruled the move unconstitutional, "Proof of DeLay's present residency may suggest where he will be in the future; however, it does not put the matter beyond dispute or question."

Democrats are pleased with the decision as it may help them gain a seat in Texas and allows them to continue to use DeLay as a whipping boy through the elections. More then likely the Republican Party will appeal the decision, possibly to the Supreme Court, who I believe will overturn the decision. That, however takes time that the GOP don't have with only election day only 4 months away.

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E3 is Dead, Long Live E3 Media Festival

The Entertainment Software Association announced Monday that the gigantic circus of video game fun that is E3 is no more. The are now going to evolve to a more intimate event focused on targeted, personalized meetings and activities." This change was mostly driven by top game makers not liking the millions of dollars they spend every year on the event, money they feel could be better spent elsewhere (I suspect on executive bonuses).

The complaints are valid. E3 is an enormous affair of lots of noise and fanfare. Products get lost, annoucements quickly forgotten, and the spotlight shifts constantly which can be really annoying if your the big three annoucing the next big thing. Sometimes the gems get lost for this reason. Yet sometimes the gems get discovered for this same reason. The press gets overwhelmed. The goal sometimes failed. Simply put, E3 did become too big. The complaints are valid.

However, this "intimate" affair, at the behest of the big companies, does not seem to be the best solution. They are over correcting the problem, possibly to extinction. Right now, the plans for the new E3, now called E3 Media Festival are up in the air. How will the meetings be handled? How big? Who is invited? Who is not invited? How will the large companies be handled versus the small companies? Will the small companies even get a chance? What impact will this have on sales and the early buzz that E3 generates for games? Will E3 become extinct as a result. Thanks to E3, Nintendo once become king of the console wars in buzz, when before everyone was thinking "wtf is a Wii?!?". Can this kind of turnaround still happen?

It seems the complaints are less about money and more about being stingy. The big companies, Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, EA, etc, don't want to share the spotlight. They want it all to themselves and with the previous E3 coverage, they often had to share it with everyone, big and small. The playing field, at least for most participants, was mostly level. An example is Spore. Its the little game that could. Just based on a booth and a demo conference, it was the talk of many journalists and blogs. I doubt that sat well with executives. With this new E3, why should the companies even participate? Where is the value?

E3 was a weekend long event like the San Diego Comic Con. They are now taking away what made it such an event. In turn they are taking away why its news. Where is the incentive for media companies to commit resources and personnel to cover the Expo, excuse the Festival? Seems like with this new plan, they can send a few AP reporters, let them file their reports and editors can use them if they want. Must cheaper then sending a report like they use to.

I think the real failure is with ESA and the very complainers they are attempting to appease. They responsible for E3 becoming so unmanageable. They are the ones that started the booth wars and the conference wars. If the big companies had managed their budgets, if ESA had created booth restrictions and guidelines, this situation would never had occurred. Instead they let them run rampant, with it escalating year after year until finally they decided to do what sounds like a poorly thought out reset.

I think E3 is now on its death bed and doesn't even know it. At this point, there is simply no reason for retailers to send their reps, the media to report on it and the big companies to spend time on it when they can all get the same results with a simple press conference for a fraction of the cost.

I guess we will all find in the next few years starting in July 2007 when 5,000 of the invited meet at some Los Angeles hotel to have their "intimate [non-]event".

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Real Estate Market Hurting?

USAToday.com is reporting that the luxury condo's and other projects are getting canceled and cut back as sales take a nose dive. Doesn't seem like a big deal until you realize that the linchpin of the United States continuing strong economy has been in a large part due to the stability and growth of the real estate industry. The idea is there is a finite amount of worthwhile land and so it value can only increase. This idea has been true to for several decades of growth.

Its too early to make noises and alarms about this, but its definitely something to keep an eye out on as it could be the first sign of a destabilize economy where high oil prices are hitting everyone in the wallet (except oil executives of course). The constant attempt by Republicans to spend like no tomorrow (to a 8 trillion dollar deficit) along with virtually no increase in wages while a strong increase in cost of living, as resulted in a squeeze on the middle class. A class that historically loved to spend their disposable income to excess but hasn't been able to in recent years.

Hopefully this is just a blip on the economic radar but a little concern is not a bad thing.

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Minimum Wage Increase as a Cost

Republicans have indicated they are willing to pass a 3 year phased on plan to boost minimum wage to $7.25 an hours. The cost though is to make GOP passed tax cuts permanent. This includes tax cut on multimillion-dollar estates, R&D credit for business and deductions for college tuition.

For a 8 trillion dollar deficit and supposedly being the party of fiscal responsibility, the Republicans are doing an outstanding job of not seeming to give a crap. If you want tax cuts, cut spending. Iraq and Haliburton contracts seem like a good place to start. I don't really understand what is complicated about the equation.

Also, can republicans actually pass laws that don't give tax cuts for their wealthy benefactors? Is there some oath that they are taking that prevents them from doing that?

Do have to admit the plan is devious and smart. The democrats try to vote against the bill they will have to deal with "flip flop" comments of the "I was for it before I was against variety." They can speak to Kerry about how easy it is to explain that to the public.

However, if the Democrats make enough show of passing the law, how they are doing it "for the people", "for the poor" and so on and so forth, they can use the tax cut riders combined with the deficit to rake the republicans over the coals with the bill. I guess time will tell how this will play out but it sounds like its going to be a Republican victory.

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Exxon Record Profits Continue

Exxon Mobil reported another near record breaking 2nd quarter profit today. According to cnn.com, that makes the earnings $1318.00 a second in profit. Now remember, profit is money made after expenses such as repairs, R&D, payroll, compensation, all that stuff. This is pure, in the bank, swim in like Scrooge McDuck profit. This is despite the claims of instability in the Middle East disrupting supply and other supposed increases in cost. Again profit is money made after those costs.

Gas sits at $3.00 plus a gallon, the search for new energy sources has been lackluster at best in part because of the oil lobby, yet they are not price gouging? Does any of it make sense to you because it doesn't to me. All I can say is elections are coming up, send the message to your rep that if you support big oil, you don't vote for them.

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Signing Statements Violate Constitution

According to a task force from the American Bar Associations, President Bush's tendency to add "signing statements" to every law he signed (in lieu of a veto), where he typically would make the statement that the law didn't apply the executive branch as Bush "reserves the right to revise, interpret or disregard measures on national security and constitutional grounds."

Presidents in the pass have also issued signing statements but whether of the nature of Bush's is unclear. However have never issued them with the frequency of Bush. At most, Presidents have used the ability rarely and in most cases don't try to enforce it. Bush has added 800+ signing statements in his 5 and a half years of office, compared to 600 statements by all previous presidents in the past 225 years.

Considering the legislative branch (Congress) was designed to create the laws and the executive branch (the President) is meant to enforce the law, while the Judicial Branch (Supreme Court) is meant to interpret the law, this seems like a no brainer to me since his states basically reserved the right for Bush to act as Congress or the Supreme Court when he saw fit to do so.

Even though Congress has claimed concern over this proactive, in reality they have done very little to counter it and don't seem to really care about the attempts on the part of the Bush Administration to grow and gather power. Naive thinking by the Republican Congress considering that a Republican may not always remain in office.

More discouraging, the ABA report said President Reagan was the first to use the statements as a strategic weapon, and that it was encouraged by then-administration lawyer Samuel Alito -- now the newest Supreme Court justice.

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Monopoly Says Hello To Plastic

Parker Bros has decided to update that old boardgame workhorse, Monopoly, using a little tech voodoo and an agreement with Visa, to do away with the brightly colored money and replace it with plastic starting sometime this fall.

Apparently the change is a result of surveys that show that most adults no longer carry cash and simply use plastic for most transactions. The cost of the new money method will set you back around $30 US versus the old style which use to cost around $15.

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More The Daily Show Fun

The Daily Show has had a great week of really giving it to the hypocrite and stupids that is our leadership and press corps. Wednesday night, they provide a nice, easy to understand explanation on the Net Neutrality issue in their usual hilarious way. Thursday was TDS highlighting the Bush Administration hypocrisy on life as illustrated by his veto of the stem cell bill and the Iraq War.

Net Neutrality is the idea that a packet of data is to be treated neutrally by networks regardless of who its coming from and who its going to. It can be a trillion dollar company or some little girl selling pictures, its data, so its all the same.

The phone companies and ISPs want to create a second tier to the internet that provides a "higher" class of service. Now, this doesn't mean the service is actually better, it just means that they can charge all the companies out there to not do anything or give preference to their sites over others. The idea is say google, would pay a fee to insure traffic gets to and from them successfully. The fee could also has an effect of encouraging you to go to the site, or forcing you to. The end result is the "mom and pop" sites would be left out as only the big businesses could handle all the associated fees, which of course would be passed on the to consumer. This also has the effect of having these companies deciding what websites you can go to (based on who pays and who doesn't) rather then you deciding.

The whore for this bill is, of course, Alaska Republican Senator Ted Stevens. There isn't an idea he will not support if the money isn't right. As TDS illustrates, the man doesn't even know, much less understand, the internet, yet he is trying to pass a bill that would have massive consequences for its daily use. Its horrible horrible leadership, but then its Ted Stevens so what do expect?

Click here to get to the video and here to show support for Net Neutrality.

Thursday, Jon Stewart uses Bush's and Tony Snow's on words and actions to illustrate that for a man who values life, as he sure can be cavalier about it. Bush claimed he valued life when he vetoed the Stem Cell bill, a bill he obviously didn't bother to actually read since it proposed making use of cells that where going to be destroyed anyway. He was under some delusion that it would interfere with women who wanted to get pregnant. How that is has yet to be explained. Now compared to that you have Iraq where stats such as 30000 dead is not such a big deal.

Bush: I think it's important to promote a culture of life... A society where every being counts, every person matters.

Stewart: Every. Being. Counts. Every. Person. Matters.

Bush:: How many Iraq citizens have died in this war? Umm. I would say 30,000 more or less...

Stewart: Each one precious...

Click here to watch the video. Its worth the time.

Kevin Smith Rips Joel Siegel

Kevin Smith tossed up a post on his myspace blog that tears into Joel Siegel for his rude behavior during a screening of Clerks II. Apparently Joel just didn't like the movie, and rather then choosing to walk out quietly, he decided that everyone in the room needed to know why he was leaving. Suffice it to say, Kevin didn't appreciate that. Don't blame him.

Read the post here.

RIP PSP?

In an article from Gamworld Network, they suggest that the PSP is done. The attempt at creating the next gen videogame handheld has failed, and not because of the Nintendo DS but more because its a reflection of what Sony didn't do right.

The trigger of this argument seems to be Target no longer selling UMD format for movies with rumors that Best Buy and Wal-Mart will do the same. Once that happens, all studio will bow out too. This is a gimme to me. I don't know what genius business exec though people would be willing to pay as much if not more, for a UMD movie that can't hold all the features of a DVD, only plays on the small screen of the PSP, and just doesn't look as good. If they couldn't price it right, they shouldn't have introduced it.

The biggest problem with the system is the games. The system is more Playstation 1.5 then its own brand and identity. It seems designers decided it was just easier to port games then create unique experiences for the handheld market. If I wanted a PS1 or 2 game, I wouldn't need the handheld afterall.

Another issue is price. The PSP isn't worth the $200 price tag, especially in light that the much funner and better Wii is going to be that price too. Nevermind the more competitivily price Nintendo DS. On top of that, you have $40-$50 games that are not worth that price point. The cause of that price is that making the games is nearly as expensive as the console games, but that seems like a problem that should be taken up with Sony, not with the consumer.

Theatrically, the PSP can survive, but that requires a whole new approach to the system, with a new approach on how its sold and its prices. I doubt that will happen with the focus Sony currently has on the PS3. Long story short, if you are thinking of buying the system, give it a pass.

Article is here.

Don't You Just Want To Smack Nancy Grace?

The more I hear about Nancy Grace, the more she becomes a stain on humanity. She is a television shill in all ways that are horrendous. She pretends to care about people, want to know, inform, and learn, but really she is a selfish b$@#% that just cares about how many people think about what a wonderful person she is. Of course if you even watch her program for 10 minutes you know she is not a great person. She is a horrible person. A person that few people should allow in their lives as she would probably stab you in the back at the first chance if it will create a television "moment."

Case in point was a recent interview with Elizabeth Smart. Smart appeared on the show to help push a new sex offender bill. Grace chose to ignore this and tried to get at the dirty and nasty details of her kidnapping. I hate to think what questions she was restricted from asking but I get the feeling they where R-rated. The women is sick and she tarnishes the CNN brand.

Credit to the lovely Elizabeth Smart for not putting up with Grace. Wish more people did that instead of taking her s#$t.

Click here to get to the video clip.

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Jon Stewart Has Fun with "War?"

Jon Stewart has some fun with the CNN and a little with Fox over there hesitation to define the conflict between Israel and Lebanon as a war. They spent most of Thursday of last week making heavy use of the word "War?", to avoid coverage fatigue. You want to word, but why commit to anything if can save it for the next day right?

Jon Stewart: Welcome back to the program! Returning to the Middle East because, if we don't, really who will? The crisis began Thursday morning. I learned about it from the TV. As the bombs began to rain on Israel and Lebanon, at 4PM Thursday CNN asked the question, "Brink of war?" Huh? CNN's not sure. Is it war? The brink of war? The brink of brink of war? A precipice leading to a slope ending on a brink with war?

Click here for the YouTube video. Worth the watch.

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Bush Loses His Veto Virginity

President Bush yesterday lost his veto virginity when he employed his veto power on a stem cell research bill "would support the taking of innocent human life in the hope of finding medical benefits for others." The bill would have allowed research on frozen embryos at fertility clinics.

Now before you get all shocked and go "but they could become children!!!", please keep in mind that these embryos are not ever going to become life. They are in storage to help the ladies that put them there become pregnant. "Officials say that about 400,000 frozen embryos are stored at U.S. fertility clinics. The vast majority await disposal because the couples that produced them have completed their pursuit of children and do not want another person to raise their biological child."

Its not like a sperm bank where anyone can make deposits and withdrawal when they want to. The embryos are there for a particular person to use and only that person. If they change their minds, get pregnant, whatever, those embryos get destroyed. The bill proposed doing something useful that will benefit all of humanity and because of the ignorance of the President and a few others, he chose to use his veto power for the first time. Ironically this might the be very first time that Bush stopped something that would have helped his big business interests. Silver lining somewhere right?

YouTube "War"

Ana Marie Cox (ex-Wonkette) posted an interesting article on time.com about the home movies/documentaries that US soldier's in Iraq have begun making and compiled for a documentary called "The War Tapes." Some of these videos are apparently on YouTube if you can find them. She describes how the videos provide an "untarnished" view of the war and the attitudes of the soldiers over there.

The article is interesting but sadly Ana felt compelled to add her uninformed two cents by saying "raised on Nintendo and Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, the troops fighting this war want to experience the kind of battle promised to them by Splinter Cell and Total Recall. The videos they make are an attempt to salvage a war whose coherence crumbled soon after Saddam's statue fell. However, while they offer the credibility of an unvarnished image, they lack any meaningful context of what came before and after the clip, or what's happening outside the frame."

The result of this is she undermined the whole point of the article. In all the gibberish, she is dismissing the soldiers viewpoint because the videos have an amateur vibe (no shit Sherlock) and inserts the idea that the soldiers thought war was all fun and games (I call bullshit on that one). I doubt any soldier thinks that, more likely they are just disenfranchised with why they are there and the direction. This occurs in any circumstance, war or just paper pushing, when there is no end in sight, the shit keeps piling up, and the powers that be clearly don't have a clue what they are doing. I guess then the point of the article is if the soldier is not a professional film maker with a "thank god I am here rather then with my wife and kids" viewpoint, then really, no one should hear from them all.

Click here to see what she is referring to.

Same-Sex Amendment Tabled Till 2008

The House voted 236-187 against an amendment banning same sex marriage for the Constititution of the United States. This follows after the Senate did the same thing several weeks ago.

So there you go, the parties have their re-election fodder for the rest of the '06 campaign and the Republican's have this issue to bring back up in 2008 to tap the sheep...oops meant "the base", again for the '08 election cycle. All in all, my compliments to the planners. They get their cake and get to eat it too whenever need the boost.

Daily Show and Colbert Report Amusement

The Daily Show and The Colbert Report has some fun with hypocrisy and irony last night on their shows in regards to our fearful leaders and their apostles.

The Daily show had fun with their old nemesis, ex-CNN host and "reporter" Novak and Hannity. In one clip Hannity talk about how wrong it is to leak information, but then in the next clip he compliments Novak for his integrity in leaking Plame's employer. From Stewart: "They don't understand why it's such a big deal and that's why they've been covering it up for the past two years."

Click here to download the video.

Over on Colbert Report, he pokes fun at Lieberman and his campaign to run as an Independent if he doesn't make it in the primary as a Democrat, even though his beliefs, votes and policies almost match up 1 to 1 with Bush's. He finally poked one more pointed finger at Liebererman using his section The Word, an Inconvenient Truth. Worth the watch.

The video is here.

Rocketboom 2.0 and Amanda Congdon

Rocketboom 2.0 began yesterday with new host (ex MTV Europe News VJ) Joanne Colan. Rocketboom was one of the first video blogs on the internet that started last year with long time host Amanda Congdon at the helm. She, however, was fired or quit. That part is under debate depending on who you ask.

Amanda posted that she was fired by Rocketboom creator Andrew Baron on July 4th. Apparently he wanted her as host or as part owner, but not both. He claims she quit to explore furthering her acting career in Los Angeles. Based on how she tells it in a post on blog, AmandaUnBoomed, it sounds like she was trying to have her cake and eat it to. Her goal was move to Las Angeles to help with a new project "The Jet Set Show" and for "Rocketboom" business.

Considering that Rocketboom was largely a news of the weird/stream of consciousness/celebrity this and that, it fits with what the show was going for. Can't beat LA for all that. However, as her imdb.com profile shows, and she admits, she clearly has a desire to be an actress and has goals that go way beyond Rocketboom. Its sounds like, at least briefly, the plans of Rocketboom and her plans reached a consensus which then seemed to fall apart as Rocketboom never went forward with the LA plans. I have a feeling this is the core of the rift between the two.

So where does this leave Rocketboom and Amanda Congdon? Rocketboom 2.0 has launched, new host took a few tomatoes for giggles, and its course is already looking steady. Basically, Amanda was easily replaced and the ADD that is the internet audience will begin to move on.

Not trying to be rude on that, but the simple fact is most programs, even vlogs, survive as much on the behind the scenes talent as it does the on-camera talent. Considering what I have seen of Rocketboom, it was the former that allowed the latter to look better. I am biased though as while both woman are very attractive and personable, I am a sucker for a British accent. Just as many daily programs survive host changes, so too shall this one.

This doesn't leave Amanda out in the pasture though. She has gotten more press in the last week then ever received in the year plus she has been plugging away on Rocketboom. Articles are everywhere about her, she even compiled some. Long story short, she has about a 90 day window to cash in on the opportunity that getting fired in a public fashion (thanks to blogs) has provided her.

Oh and little advice to the new host, producers, etc, make version 2.0 your own. Don't copy what came before, chart a new direction. Start by dropping the maps and the "good" day of the week bit. Those where Amanda's. Just as Jon Stewart made the Daily Show his own, make this show yours.

Emmy Nominations Announced

The Emmy Nominations where announced yesterday. Sure much talk is occurring on the entertainment channels about it. The noms where both good and bad. A switch to panels hoping to give a better range of noms seems to have mostly failed as they continues to go with the safe selections of the past. There where some suprises noms such as Kyra Sedwick as best actress for the Closer, Lost almost getting ignored, and Desperate Housewives getting some votes but not nearly the total it got last year, but then again those surprises where only one and those shows seconds seasons where not nearly as good as their first.

Sadly some favorites of mine where left out as the WB and UPN continue to get completely ignored by the voters. That means my favorites of Veronica Mars and Gilmore Girls got big goose eggs.

The major nom categories:

DRAMA SERIES
"Grey's Anatomy" (will win)
"House"
"The Sopranos"
"24" (should win)
"The West Wing"

I love House, the show is an absolute pleasure to watch, but it is formulaic and there was no outstanding episode or character arc that really stands out. 24 deserves the win for continue to push the envelope in drama, both human and political. However, at the end of the day, safe and comfortable is what the Emmy voters go for which Grey's Anatomy fits nicely.

COMEDY SERIES
"Arrested Development"
"Curb Your Enthusiasm" (will win)
"The Office"
"Scrubs" (should win)
"Two and a Half Men"

No idea what Two and a Half Men are doing in this category. Arrested Development is gone and already had a win so its out. The Office is ok but still not up there and while cute, not particularity funny. Scrubs should win because its consistently the best comedy on television, but sadly it doesn't get the attention and ratings it deserves. That leaves Emmy vote favorite Curb Your Enthusiasm. I don't thing the show is funny at all but insiders like it and since insiders vote, that's all that really matters.

MINISERIES
"Bleak House: Masterpiece Theater"
"Elizabeth I"
"Into the West" (will win)
"Sleeper Cell"

Uh beats me. I watched Elizabeth I but none of the rest. So I shall guess at random and say "Into the West" for it was the traditional multi-part epic that was the way of mini-series.

REALITY COMPETITION
"Amazing Race" (should win)
"American Idol" (will win)
"Dancing with the Stars"
"Project Runway"
"Survivor"

Amazing Race continues to be the best reality show in television. Great casting and fantastic scope, none compare. However, this year you had all of American, including Hollywood routing for whathisname to win so I expect America Idol to ride that coattail to victory.

MADE FOR TELEVISION MOVIE
"Flight 93" (will win)
"The Girl in a Cafe"
"Yesterday"
"Mrs. Harris"

Once again I have watched none of these. Since Flight 93 is the television movie version of the later theatrical released film I think voters will give it the win just to say "we can do great movies too"

ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Peter Krause - "Six Feet Under"
Dennis Leary - "Rescue Me" (should win)
Christopher Meloni - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
Martin Sheen - "The West Wing"
Keifer Sutherland - "24" (will win)

This is a tough category to call. Really just guessing. Except for Six Feet Under, all of them are outstanding shows with outstanding acting. My preference is Dennis Leary for his acting on Rescue Me which is simply riveting. I think recent changes to the character will hurt em as the current season is airing while voters are deciding. For whatever reason SVU gets raves but little rewards even though Meloni continues to rock. The West Wing is over and besides he will get another Emmy for get guess appearance nod so why offer him two. That leaves Kiefer for 24.

ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Steve Carrell - "The Office" (will win)(should win)
Larry David - "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Kevin James - "King of Queens"
Tony Shaloub - "Monk"
Charlie Sheen - "Two and a Half Men"

Emmy voters love to reward movie actors. While Steve is started in television, he has gained much recognition for his movies so he almost gets it for that alone. However, having said that, of the group, he has probably done the best job. Nothing against my fav of the bunch, Tony Shaloub for "Monk" but Steve's is just the more better performance, but only by a sliver. Kevin James and Charlie Sheen? WTF?

ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Francis Conroy - "Six Feet Under"
Geena Davis - "Commander in Chief" (will win)
Mariska Hargitay - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (should win)
Allison Janney - "The West Wing"
Kyra Sedgwick - "The Closer"

I have never understood why people like Six Feet Under. Its was a depressing show that moved at a depressing pace about depressing people, yet the Emmy folks love it. I am at a loss. Regardless, Francis will get nothing. I would love to see an SVU sweet of the main drama categories but Mariska already one once and her show is never the "safe" chose voters love. Allison was almost gone from the last season of the West Wing and didn't have any outstanding moments in the season. I don't even know why she was nominated. Kyra does a great job on the Closer but really the performance is highly entertaining but doesn't deserve rewards for it. Neither is Geena Davis performance in Commander in Chief. However, she use to be a movie star and that all the voters need to know.
This is one category that could have used a little shaking up. Less West Wing and Six Feet, more Veronica Mars and the like. Range people!! Reward range!

ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Stockard Channing - "Out of Practice"
Jane Kaczmarek - "Malcolm in the Middle" (should win)
Lisa Kudrow - "The Comeback"
Debra Messing - "Will & Grace"
Julia Louise-Dreyfuss - "The New Adventures of Old Christine" (will win)

Jane Kaczmarek should have been nominated and won many times for many years for her performance on Malcolm in the Middle. She deserves it for the last season but sadly that show was always ignored by the voters and will be this year too. No clue why Lisa Kudrow got nominated for she stunk in a show that stunk. There was a reason HBO cancelled it so quickly. Debra Messing should get passed to just because she didn't exactly break new ground. She was coasting through the final season not because she was being lazy but because she has been there and done that so many times with that character. Not something you reward people for. Julia Louise-Dreyfuss will get the win..but not for her current series. This will be more of a win for her still lauded but rarely rewarded work on Seinfeld.

So there you go. The major categories. See on August 27th on NBC with host Conan O'Brian. Sadly the show is probably going to continue to be "safe" and really with these list of nods, its going to be mostly just boring. Personally I could care less who wins (besides Scrubs).

(source)

Coulter's Response to plagiarism Article

Ann Coulter got around to commenting on the plagiarism charges from the NY Post that I posted about before. In her July 5th column, she responded "How crappy a newspaper is the Post? Let me put it this way: It's New York's second-crappiest paper."

Not exactly a mature response and more telling, not a denial either. It seems like she couldn't help herself and had to same something, even if just a dismissive note, but I get the feeling she is just hoping the whole thing will blow over. It probably will but I hope not.

Even more ironic, Ann Coulter derided ex-New York Times reporter Jayson Blair for this very same behavior. She can't even claim she wasn't aware or doesn't know how the rules of sourcing works as she used much ink showing how she feels the behavior is wrong.

About Blair in her 5/15/03 column "The New York Times is to be commended for ferreting out Jayson Blair, the reporter recently discovered making up facts, plagiarism other news organizations and lying about nonexistent trips and interviews. A newspaper that employs Maureen Dowd can't have had an easy time settling on Blair as the scapegoat. Blair's record of inaccuracies, lies and distortions made him a candidate for either immediate dismissal or his own regular column on the op-ed page."

Click here for an interview Keith Olbermann had about this issue.

Here is hoping this issue starts to get into the mainstream press. FoxNews is unlikely to comment on it as she is their golden girl but nothing is stopping the other channels and newspapers from going to town on this issue. It shouldn't be ignored. She is a prominent political commentator who has condemned others for the very act she herself commits regularly. That behavior would not be tolerated from anyone else and it shouldn't be from her.

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North Korea Missile Crisis?

North Korea is working on having long range nuclear weapons and are very close to be successful as they showed the world with a test firing today. Once successful, North Korea gets to sit to force it ways with the big boys joining the US, Japan, Britain, Russia and several other past "super powers."

Basically the fears the US has had for the past 50+ years are about to realized. Many presidential administrations, both Republican and Democratic, have had to spend a great deal of effort to keep North Korea under control and have had mostly been able to do that successfully as we have had the greater bargaining position in both military might and economic strength. With these tests, North Korea has made it clear it wants to be treated as equal to all the other big boys and is not afraid to force the issue.

The news reports have mostly focused on the military threat these tests represent. What they are largely ignoring is the diplomatic, economic and political strength it gives North Korea. Like all other countries that developed nuclear weapons, we can no longer hammer then into submission. We are now going to be forced to compromise with them often and regularly. To make concessions we normally would not have to. Basically they have become our "equals" whether we like it or not. We are no longer in a position of strength.

For this, let us all collectively thank Bush. While previous Presidents have been able to multi-task and make sure the nuclear gate remained closed while keeping an eye on other issues, Bush just couldn't seem to. He was so occupied with his legacy of Iraq that he forgot to keep an eye out for our other enemies such as North Korea. Probably because his advisors told him not worry as they seem to fear giving him bad news. Especially news that isn't clear and neat that can be cleared up with a slogan or a sound bite. Dealing with North Korea politically and diplomatically was never going to be simple so why confuse Bush with it.

So now, where were the administration has drilled into us that security is king over even our Constitution and Bill of Rights, as the evil terrorists will get us with their bombs. He instead allowed our most dangerous enemy to get the means to get the biggest bomb of all. I guess someone somewhere will get another medal for this screwup.

All this is so that Bush can secure what he feels will be his legacy - democracy in the Middle East. He believes he will be the man that secures peace in a land that has had it for thousands of years and he is willing to sacrifice anything, including our rights, our financial and political security to do it. He has now sacrificed our safety. Even more pathetic, he also sacrificed his legacy even though he doesn't realize it yet.

Even if Iraq turns into the peaceful land of democracy and freedom he envisions, he will always have North Korea as the asterisk on his legacy.

Ann Coulter - plagiarist?

Various blogs on the web has spoken about it for many months but the The New York Post finally reported Sunday that Ann Coulter, republican talking points pundit, might has a fondness for plagiarism in both her books and her columns.

John Barrie used his own program, iThenticate, to search against her recent book "Godless" and several of her columns.

Her Aug. 3, 2005, column, 'Read My Lips: No New Liberals,' about U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter, includes six passages, ranging from 10 to 48 words each, that appeared 15 years earlier in the same order in an L.A. Times article, headlined 'Liberals Leery as New Clues Surface on Souter's Views.' But nowhere in that column does she mention the L.A. Times or the story's writer, David G. Savage.

"Her June 29, 2005, column, 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Religion,' incorporates 10 facts on National Endowment for the Arts-funded work that originally appeared in the same order in a 1991 Heritage Foundation report, 'The National Endowment for the Arts: Misusing Taxpayers' Money.' But again, the Heritage Foundation isn't credited."

- source: editorandpublisher.com

Its highly likely that Ann Coulter plagarizes. This opinion is based on nothing further then the fact her entire career is based on blowing smoke and making stuff up on the fly. Actually research and learning the issues are not a strength she bothers to display.

Now normally this is a grave sin in the publishing world that often results in the lost of jobs both for the one that commits the act and the editor that didn't catch it. I wonder if anything will come of this case considering that Ann is the darling of the Republican world currently? I think not likely.

(source)