Erik Erickson's Blog-o-rama

How Apple Can Release Only an iPhone 4S Tomorrow and Not Totally Disappoint Everyone

2011-10-03T14:57:00.014-04:00

It seems like everyone is expecting Apple to release a brand new iPhone - the iPhone 5 tomorrow. Alas all we know for certain is that a slightly upgraded version of the iPhone 4 - an iPhone 4S - is being shown off. Hopefully Apple has some other things hidden up their sleeves. Here are a few possibilities that could sweeten the bitterness of an MIA iPhone 5 tomorrow:

1. Surprise new features in iOS 5 (the next release of the iPhone software due this month):

a. Voice control and recognition system-wide. This would ape another Android feature but if the rumors are true, Nuance is involved. Nuance is best known for Dragon Dictation software but if they're involved, it could be a game-changer.

b. Apple=branded maps and navigation. Aping yet another feature of Android, although given the typical Apple polish this could also surpass its predecessor.

2. NFC - Near Field Communication for purchases with just your cellphone. We know Apple's been working on this (due to patent fliings) and Google has already begun their (very limited) test of NFC with Android.

3. iCloud music streaming. As announced (and as currently running in beta), Apple's "iTunes-in-the-cloud" service only allows users to re-download previously purchased songs :( But if they allowed streaming, this would realize its full potential. Otherwise they're not even competing with Google Music and Amazon's music locker.

Unfortunately at this point it seems likely that only one new iPhone will be announced tomorrow. I hope I'm wrong. But if I'm not, there's going to be quite a chorus on "mehs" afterwards.

The Big Questions I

2011-06-26T02:19:00.002-04:00

If Twitter is integrated system wide in iOS 5 , how do you just create a plain text tweet? All screen shots so people attaching photos or links.

Cadbury = Filthy

2011-03-30T13:07:00.000-04:00

Cadbury's Flake and related chocolate products have had one major
theme throughout the decades they've been around - can you guess what
it is?

The trailer for X-Men: First Class: Charles And Erik's Cold War Adventure

2011-02-11T22:49:00.001-05:00

This looks fucking awesome.

http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-trailer-for-xmen-first-class-charles-and-eriks,51689/?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=feeds&utm_source=type_newswire

Erik via iPad

An Engineer's Guide to Cats

2011-01-10T21:01:00.000-05:00

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Multiplayer Looks Sweet

2010-10-18T13:03:00.004-04:00

[play video in separate window]

This is a novel style for multiplayer, similar to The Ship Halflife mod. Each person is an assassin and you get one person designated as a target. Someone else is assigned to kill you. So you have to move through town without exposing yourself too much to protect yourself and not alert your target to your presence. You get a radar for the target you're hunting, but don't know where your pursuer is. It fosters a playing style that rewards slower methodical play. This looks like a great break from the typical adrenaline-fueled mania present in most multiplayer games.

They've also added a leveling and unlock system similar to Modern Warfare. There are other neat mechanics present so that one person doesn't just dominate everyone else, such as the fact that the top player has multiple assassin's assigned to take them out. What a breath of fresh air, especially for the adults who get tired of being owned by fourteen year olds because we don't have lightning reflexes.

Once I've explored every nook and cranny in New Vegas, I'll definitely be checking this out.

id Software's Rage Running on an iPhone 4

2010-08-13T13:33:00.000-04:00

this, is, amazing.

Where I Been

2010-07-20T16:29:00.001-04:00

[Thx for the idea, Jade]

The Rise of the Anti Apple People

2010-06-15T01:10:00.001-04:00

On tech blogs like Engadget and Gizmodo and even David Pogue's Times column there has been this surging growth of really angry anti-Apple sentiment. The comments on any posts having even the littlest bit to do with Apple are out of control. Here's just one example, I spotted on Gizmodo:

"Wow. If I didn't think that Gizmodo editor's were Apple fanboys, I sure do think it now.

Why in the hell should anybody adopt Apples Facetime? Is it somehow better than other videochat services? Why doesn't everybody just get Skype? Why don't Apple just make an integrated Skype videochat app?

The world doesn't revolve around fucking Apple, and no one should adopt Apple's videochat, especially when that feature has been around for years on vanilla dumb phones that can do videochat to any other phone on the planet that has a front facing camera.

Seriously Giz, get your heads out of Steve Jobs' ass."

Holy crap, so much vitriol. And there's tons more just like it, meaner and/or more ignorant.

You die-hard anti-Apple guys are like the Tea Party of tech: So vehemently against one organization no matter what or how ridiculous the reason. Don't you realize being categorically anti-Apple is no better than being categorically pro Apple? Sheesh, calm down already.

Erik via iPad

How Christian is Tea Party Libertarianism?

2010-05-28T09:43:00.004-04:00

Great article over at Sojo by Jim Wallis. Some key quotes:

"Both compassion and social justice are fundamental Christian commitments, and while the Christian community is responsible for living out both, government is also held accountable to the requirements of justice and mercy."

"Libertarians seem to believe in the myth of the sinless market and that the self-interest of business owners or corporations will serve the interests of society;"

"C.S. Lewis once said that we need democracy not because people are essentially good, but because they often are not. Democratic accountability is essential to preventing the market from becoming a beast of corporate totalitarianism – just as it is essential for the government. And God’s priorities should determine ours, not the priorities of the Chamber of Commerce."

"When the system is designed to protect the privileges of the already strong and make the weak even more defenseless and vulnerable, something is wrong with the system."

Amen.

How is the Dell Streak an iPad Competitor?

2010-05-26T12:30:00.003-04:00

I realize that the lines are blurring but this is a smartphone with an awesomely large screen, you could hardly call it a "tablet."

Super Trippy IHOP commercial - 1969

2010-03-29T00:52:00.001-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt_OS54FFFE&feature=youtube_gdata

At the Red House, Where Black People and White People Can Buy Furniture

2010-03-27T09:57:00.001-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnOyMSEWNTs&feature=youtube_gdata

Viv Magazine iPad Interactive Magazine Demo (Noir)

2010-03-16T14:52:00.004-04:00

This new magazine "format" for the iPad (and other tablets) might look cool, but man does it seem useless for actually trying to read articles.

Imagine a magazine's pages stretched out across a DVD menu, with small angled copy appearing in only a few paragraphs at a time. What a nightmare.

You know why banner ads are still so maligned? Because when I'm trying to read there's a bunch of crap moving on the page distracting me. They can have their flashy "interactive magazine" format, I just want to actually read.

Bonnier's concept seems way more useful, too bad it isn't real yet.

Game Design and Apple Design

2010-02-23T11:57:00.005-05:00

From a great article on metagaming at sleepoversf.com:

The more features an application has, the more uneasy a user can feel. This principal is one reason why Apple’s products tend to be so satisfying to use. The more limited a product’s functionality, the easier one can master it. And feeling like a master of your tools is a wonderful thing.

I would even say it's simpler than that: more simplicity = less stress. It's not so much the feeling that I've accomplished everything I can with my iPhone and its apps, it's that it's so easy for me to figure out how to do things I've never even tried before.

The rest of the article is about creating challenges outside of games to accomplish in-game. It's form also follows the topic of metagaming, allowing you to hide areas you've already read.

Another nugget:

And like perfectly fit clothes, that feeling is
empowering. A paradox, then: the less you enable people to
do, the more they will do.

Hitler responds to the iPad

2010-02-04T22:22:00.001-05:00

Brilliant.

iPad: The Morning After

2010-02-04T17:15:00.008-05:00

Alright, I've cooled off a bit. I've listened to hours and hours of podcasts and read through virtual reams of opinions, taking in everyone's opinion on the iPad. Yes it's got some obvious flaws . But I only ever wanted to get hold of a device that allows me to read regular books and comics - and this does it. Probably does it really well in fact. Plus, it's backlit, unlike most other e-readers.

I got word from Bitolithic, developer of the best iPhone comic viewer Comiczeal, that he was already starting development for an iPad-optimized version. Huzzah.

So how do I feel now? I am looking forward to its release. But there is one really big question left: will Apple allow the Kindle iPhone app on the iPad? Or will they disallow it since it competes with their iBooks Store?

After all the hub-bub with Macmillan's price fight with Amazon , their removal and subsequent re-instatement, I'm not sure if Amazon would even want the Kindle app to work on the iPad. I sure hope they put it on there so no matter what I get the best price on any given book. How much would it suck if all the books on iBooks were $12.99 - $14.99, but could be had by Kindle users for much less (there are many on Kindle for only $6.99).

This begs a bigger question: when, oh when , will content producers (publishers, movie studios, etc...) realize that people are never going to pay the same prices for digital versions of things as the physical versions? They are only making it worse for themselves by not releasing books, movies, and DVDs the same day as the physical versions, but for less money. Piracy is still too complicated for most people. If there's a simple, legal option, and a price benefit, then much less people will be forced to seek out illicit versions.

Apple's iPad Won't Kill Netbooks and Other Complaints

2010-01-28T10:28:00.005-05:00

So the iPad has been revealed. I wrote earlier that I am underwhelmed by the iPad because it lacks multi-tasking, Flash, has an almost identical interface to the iPod touch, can cost $30/mo., has a supposedly mediocre on-screen keyboard, and makes me think of menstrual cycles. But it is very interesting in the ebook department.

That last part is the key for me personally. I already read books and comics on my iPhone and would probably be happy to pay $500 for a giant iPod Touch - which is all this really is. And that's the disappointment: they didn't create a new and specialized user interface like I was really expecting. I mean the home screen icons are still tiny and now just spread apart awkwardly, much like the honeycomb arrangement on phones using Windows Mobile 6.5. I think that's ugly and not really adjusted correctly for a larger screen tablet.

BUT if they want to kill Netbooks, at least for nerds, they NEED Flash. How stupid is it to visit sites like Hulu and see big empty spaces where video should be? This is the worst part probably, and stings so much because they want this device to be a media powerhouse, especially in the video department. But my dreams of not having to boot up my Macbook to look at websites in my free time are killed. The iPad internet browser is crippled like the iPhone and iTouch, which makes since for those devices (I hate to imagine how awful browsing on the iPhond would be if Adobe had their way), but makes zero sense on an iPad. It's an internet tablet for Crom's sake.

And don't get me started on the $30/month fee for wireless data. I actually wouldn't mind paying that if my iPhone data went down in price by $20/month - but it doesn't. So with an iPad I could be paying $60/month JUST for wireless internet. I already pay that much for internet in my home. If Chelsea wanted one of these too, with 3G (in addition to her iPhone), we'd be paying as almost as much as a car loan for all of our internet access - about $170 EVERY MONTH. I'm a nerd but that's absurd!

I'm not alone in my mixed feelings, either. Most of the Engadget crew have conflicted opinions, and one person at Gizmodo concludes that the different negatives all add up to a deal-breaker. Another makes the point that despite its failings, we'll all want these anyways. Even Walt Mossberg thinks that it's going to be up to the application developers to make or break this device, not Apple. Lastly, David Pogue, my favorite mainstream tech columnist, thinks we're all being too negative and that we'll love the device once it's released.

[Note: For the record, yes there is no such thing as an iTouch, but if they're willing to use the name iPad, iTouch would've been a better option, and one that doesn't remind you of lady things.]

The Day the Earth Caught Fire [1962] - Review

2010-01-24T21:33:00.003-05:00

What a great find. Fine British film that seems pretty unknown but should be considered a classic and studied. It feels like a sci-fi/disaster version of The Wire.

I'll let a few words from a biographer and director Val Guest himself describe this the best way it could be:

"At a time when the vast majority of science fiction films were populated by aliens, blobs and bug-eyed monsters, Val Guest brought his trademarks of intelligence, seriousness and realism to the genre...Perhaps inspired by his background as a journalist, Guest chose to shoot his fantasy films in a gritty documentary style...'That's the only way to make the unbelievable believable...You have to do these science fiction things like you would any other drama...I tried to present them like strange but very real events at which a camera just happened to be present.'"

Amen.

I Should be More Excited About the Apple Tablet

2010-01-18T13:32:00.003-05:00

So today Apple has officially acknowledged that they're introducing a new product later this month (had only been rumored previously).

I find myself concerned and hesitant to get too excited. While I have been wanting an Apple tablet device for years now, I am afraid for it's success.

I've always loved tablet PCs (owned 2 of them). But I'm not representative of the larger market: tablet computers have remained very niche. Just look at how little press has been given to the HP slate Microsoft unveiled at CES - there's a good chance you've never even heard about it. Even within the tech world it's been yawned over, not fawned over.

So how will Apple surmount the consumer confusion and indifference that's prevented tablets from taking off? And even if people like the device, if its price is as high as rumored ($600-$800, some say as high as $1000), it had better do some really fancy new stuff.

I'm also concerned about its rumored tie to a cellphone carrier like Verizon that would require a monthly contract. That would probably be a deal-breaker for me. The last thing I need is another 2 year contract with a monthly bill.

It just seems like there are a lot of things it will need to overcome to be successful so it doesn't end up like the Apple TV. How many people do you know who own an Apple TV?

My skepticism betrays a deeply held hope that it will be a fantastic product and succeed fabulously, as the iPhone has in the smartphone market - a market which arguably presented more competition than tablet PCs currently do.

Ultimately my dream is to hold a 7" - 10" device that allows me to download and read books and comics in color for long stretches of time and to be able to browse the web with Flash (I don't want Flash anywhere near my phone). On the 27th we'll see whether they've cooked up another hit or their first big miss in a while.

Google Will No Longer Censor Chinese Search Results

2010-01-12T23:03:00.001-05:00

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/12/google-to-stop-censoring-chinese-search-results-will-review-th/?icid=engadget-iphone-url

Erik via iPhone

White House thanks Lieberman for blocking President's reform promise, but now criticizes Howard Dean for defending it

2009-12-19T00:37:00.001-05:00

Absolutely infuriating. Is Obama totally distracted by escalating
Afghanistan and the world climate change summit and his staff have got
the whole debate backwards?!

I mean it's mind-boggling that they'd prod Lieberman towards further
killing the most important legislation of a generation.

There's also a fundamental flaw here with the way the Senate works
that this one person or a handful of peole end up with all of the
power. Majority rule: we only need 51 votes for anything there but
these few can hold up an kill such important progress.

The combined bill with the House better include a real public option
(no triggers, maybe opt-out by state). Although no matte what now the
most essential element for controlling cost is out of both: there
won't be a govenment body setting the rates for health care services.

Fucking garbage. Hey Americans, don't get sick, if you do, die quickly
because the US Government and health insurance companies hate you.
http://www.americablog.com/2009/12/white-house-thanks-lieberman-for.html

Erik via iPhone

Truth Make Bill O'Reilly Mad, No Room for Debate

2009-12-11T15:17:00.003-05:00

From a recent episode of Law & Order: SVU:

"Limbaugh, Beck, O'Reilly, all of 'em, they are like a cancer spreading ignorance and hate...They've convinced folks that immigrants are the problem, not corporations that fail to pay a living wage or a broken health care system..."

Bill O'Reilly:

"Dick Wolf is a coward for putting that out there, he is also a liar..."

Yes, making your point on one of the most-watched television shows in the country is cowardly, it takes no courage to do that.

Magic Mouse: So Much for the Excitement

2009-10-20T17:34:00.005-04:00

So it works like a mouse to move around the screen but you lose the ability of scrolling?! That's a pretty big omission.

Yeah, I'll be skipping that then. I'm not keeping another mouse at my desk for when I'm in Boot Camp - which is 8 hours a day. Sad, I was excited and considering the purchase. What a dumb move, just write the drivers you dolts.

UPDATE: Someone has gone to the effort of hacking the Magic Mouse drivers together for us, still surprised Apple hasn't put out some drivers yet. You can get them here.

T-1000: Year 1

2009-10-17T01:39:00.002-04:00

iRobot's Soft Morphing Blob 'Bot Takes Its First Steps

The Big Lie

2009-10-10T23:47:00.001-04:00

"I've seen the Big Lie technique -- say anything loud enough, often
enough and it'll sound like truth, but I considered it a tool of
totalitarian governments, and not possible in America."

-Captain America (as written by Steve Englehart sometime in the 70s)

Wow, reminds me of all the misinformation and patent lies the right
wing nutjobs spout on the radio, tv and through email about Preisdent
Obama and his policies. Both during the Preidential campaign and now
for almost anything he does, but especially for the health care debate.

Death panels! Mass abortions! Socialism! (as typically used when they
mean communism)

Rep. Alan Grayson on CNN

2009-10-06T16:43:00.001-04:00

Representative Grayson tells it like it is. The only person putting across the real sense of urgency appropriate to this debate.

Who is the douchebag who keeps claiming that Republicans have several plans? If they have so many plans, how come they haven't put even one forward for consideration? Idiot.

And so many people think CNN is liberal...what a joke. If liberals and conservatives are both unhappy with their representation on CNN, then CNN is either sufficiently neutral or completely inept.

More Evidence of Our Broken Health Care System

2009-10-06T10:01:00.001-04:00

I'm not necessarily on board with every point this video makes but the fundamental truth is in there: health insurance companies face pressure to increase profits, like any other business. But they are such huge businesses now that they end up spending tons of money lobbying, way too much of what each member pays in premiums goes to marketing and non-health related costs. They also feel pressure to cut costs and do so almost ruthlessly by denying legitimate health care needs of its members.

We shouldn't be too surprised as this is the way of for-profit businesses, which health care companies didn't used to be in the US, they were non-profit entities originally. Perhaps that's the only way to rein in this out of control system that's no longer based on providing the best possible care.

Fear Him

2009-10-03T18:52:00.001-04:00

Alan Grayson Stands up to Republican Hacks on Health Care

2009-09-30T21:48:00.001-04:00

This is funny, but the best part they didn't include: when Grayson stated that our current health care crisis amounts to another holocaust. Extreme? Or is there a nugget of truth in there...

I'm just glad Grayson is finally standing up, I've been talking to his aides for months trying to get to the bottom of why he wouldn't come out in steadfast support of a public option. Now I think it was because he was hoping that Single Payer made it. Unfortunately Single Payer doesn't have much chance, but a Public Option could definitely, and will I hope, pass this year.

I love your pinko commie heart, Mr. Grayson. Thanks for your defiance.

Best App Store Review Yet

2009-09-28T12:08:00.003-04:00

Discovered this review for the "Max Injury Lite" [iTunes link] iPhone dismount-style game. Someone needs to create a website for people to submit and share great customer reviews of App Store items or maybe just any products in general. Unless it already exists...

The Book of Eli HD Trailer #2

2009-09-26T14:48:00.001-04:00

So somebody just made the Fallout 3 universe into a film. Crazy that post-apocalyptia is fast becoming the new main stream genre of choice. Zombies, vampires and post-apocalyptic wastelands dominate pop culture - is everyone becoming a nerd?

The Real Problem with Health Care Reform

2009-09-22T20:38:00.006-04:00

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Seriously though, how can you be against the Public Option? Because your high ideals prevent you from considering such "nonsense?" You're right, keep letting people go bankrupt and die. Maybe you don't even know anyone affected, and they could just be homeless people for all you know. The rest of the industrialized world, all of the other capitalist democracies, *are* wrong. We should stand firm on the mighty belief that people *should* profit from the sickness and misery of others.

Right.

9.12 DC Tea Party March and Interviews

2009-09-16T13:38:00.001-04:00

Wow. You know people this stupid exist but you don't really know it until you see this.

I want my country and my religion back.

My Uncle on Health Care Reform

2009-09-13T18:52:00.001-04:00

"...it is definitely is a sad day when the voice of millions of the most ignorant and selfish of citizens is controlled by a political party that has been bought... lock, stock and barrel by a private group of people in a protected non-competitive atmosphere who profit in the billions of dollars over the sickness of their fellow Americans and the selective denial of care to others."

Stick Figures Show Why We Need Government-Run Health Insurance

2009-09-09T18:00:00.001-04:00

Excellent job, this little animation.

Health Care Costs Much Less than Pointless War

2009-09-02T11:41:00.003-04:00

I used to defend our invasion of Iraq. I used to think that if Saddam Hussein was out of power, that was good for their country and for our safety. But then it became abundantly clear that not only did Iraq not contain any weapons capable of harming us, but Al Qaeda training never occurred there. Saddam was actually keeping them out.

So they never posed a threat, never aided terrorists against America, but we're sending our sons, daughters, mothers and fathers to die over there.

And people seem to have no problem to continue doing this while a lot of Americans are going bankrupt, homeless, sick and even dying under the outrageously broken system we currently have. In fact they're not really even offering a clear alternative plan to the various health care bills in the House.

The military-industrial complex has become a disgusting monster. How can you not see that with at least half a brain and the capability of possessing emotion?

Disney to Buy Marvel and Its 5,000 Characters for $4 Billion

2009-08-31T18:11:00.000-04:00

Holy shit.

Main Street Bipartisanship in Iowa

2009-08-31T11:08:00.001-04:00

It's no coincidence that Grassley has receive $2.9 million from health care firms and is also one of the most vocal opponents of the public health care option. I wonder when us regular folk can stop having to compete with large corporations to win our representatives' favor.

Now Youre Cooking with...Magnets?

2009-08-30T11:39:00.000-04:00

http://m.gizmodo.com/site?t=bCuo9efZ5fVswlPnqONiRw&sid=gizmodoip

Apparently some of the top restaurants are using induction burners
that heat steel or iron cookware with magnets. It means that there's
no ambient heat and you can touch the "burner" immediately afterwards
because it's cool, heating only the pan.

It is also significantly more efficient than using gas or eletric,
saving money and energy.

Neato.

Space Shuttle Launches are Neat

2009-08-29T02:24:00.001-04:00

Lollapalooza 2009: The World's Best Dancer!

2009-08-28T12:43:00.001-04:00

This is awesome. Totally worth seeing how it gets better as it goes on...

McCain Booed By Arizonans For Saying Obama Respects Constitution

2009-08-26T12:06:00.001-04:00

I would like to know how that woman can go around accusing people of violating the constitution with apparently no knowledge of it on her part. Very happy to have left the Republican party every time I see these liars and lunatics out there.

I hope your old and false ideals die with you, lady.

Good on McCain for being real though. Finally a little bit more like his old self, that earned him his nickname back when he was genuinely a cross-party maverick.

The Great Dictator Speech by Charlie Chaplin

2009-08-21T13:18:00.001-04:00

A great speech condemning Hitler and fascism from the first Charlie Chaplin "talkie." Still powerfully relevant today.

You have to understand that he's dressed like Hitler not to say that this is what Hitler said, but to satirize him and criticize the Nazi regime. When he says "machine men" he's referring to the Nazi soldiers. Basically doing the opposite of him.

Hot Tip: Read Your Personalized Plate Phonetically

2009-08-19T20:58:00.001-04:00

You may love Virginia and be a "VA GAL" but you're also 'vagal,' some
loosely vagina-based secretion.

Glen Beck is His Own Worst Enemy

2009-08-18T10:11:00.001-04:00

[thanks baby]

Dear Conservatives

2009-08-17T17:28:00.002-04:00

This was a comment posted to an article featured on digg.com about the faces of angry people at the health care town halls. I've edited it slightly for my own use but it's 99% the same:

Dear conservatives:

You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.

You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate energy policy.

You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.

You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.

You didn't get mad when we invaded a country that posed no threat to us.

You didn't get mad when we spent over 600 billion(and counting) on said illegal war.
Of which, over 10 billion dollars just disappeared in Iraq.

You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.

You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.

You didn't get mad when we didn't catch Bin Laden.

You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.

You didn't get mad when we let a major US city drown.

You didn't get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark.

You finally got mad when.. when... wait for it... when the government decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Yes, useless wars, lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, are all ok with you but helping out other Americans... well screw that.

That about right?

[Good find, R]

Who Needs Big Government?

2009-08-17T12:48:00.001-04:00

If you have amnesia about why Roosevelt's New Deal and other government programs were created last century, let this trip through memory lane show you how wonderful life is without government interference.

Gets really good in the last half.

The Year of Tomorrow: A Ronald Chevalier Fanfiction for Gentlemen Broncos

2009-08-17T12:41:00.001-04:00

Well, there's probably no way the movie will be this good. I wanna see more fan fic from this guy!

Okay, I think it's just Jemaine and is part of the marketing so maybe it *can* be this good...

"I slash you...and you're cut too"

"Shoot the piyun piyun!"

Gentlemen Broncos Official Trailer

2009-08-17T12:34:00.001-04:00

Looks like it could be good, not sure what to make of it yet. I hope it's more Napoleon Dynamite than Nacho Libre.

Government Health Care Option is a Must

2009-08-17T11:04:00.000-04:00

"leaving private insurance companies the job of controlling the costs of health care is like making a pyromaniac the fire chief."

-Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y.

Britain Responds to Criticism of Its Universal Health System

2009-08-15T02:09:00.001-04:00

From The New York Times:

Britain Responds to Criticism of Its Universal Health System

The British love to mock their National Health Service, but they have
been incensed by its being used as a punching bag in the fight over
President Obamafs proposed reforms.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/15/world/europe/15britain.html

Good read regardless of your opinion on government provided health
care, includes pros and cons of British system (which is obviously not
the type we're trying to deploy here).

Dick Armey in Trouble

2009-08-15T01:56:00.001-04:00

From The New York Times:

Drug Firms Cost Lobbyist His Position

Dick Armey, a former Republican House leader, resigned from his
lobbying firm after drug company clients complained about his
opposition to the Obama health plan.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/15/us/15lobby.html

Maybe he can direct some of his FreedomWorks Neanderthals screaming
jibberish at town hall meeting to go yell at drug companies. Good luck
with that.

Fight back against health insurance lies

2009-08-10T17:14:00.001-04:00

"Health insurance" my ass.

And Now for Something Completely Different - The Legend of Neil

2009-08-10T13:00:00.004-04:00

Legend of Neil, Episode 1

Atom.com: Funny Videos | Atom Originals | Legend of Neil

This is hilarious. If you've ever played any of The Legend of Zelda games, you'll probably enjoy this.

New Rules for the Health Care Debate

2009-08-07T16:30:00.013-04:00

Here are my new rules for entering the health care debate:

1. Not allowed provide an opinion without knowing more details about the systems the rest of the industrialized world uses. You need to know much more than just anecdotal evidence Fox news produces.

That means maybe watching Frontline's investigative report on health care in the rest of the modern world or perhaps viewing Sicko (it doesn't matter what you think you know about him, this is the least partisan thing he's done since Roger & Me).

2. Not allowed to vehemently protest a Public Option unless also pubicly decrying the evils of our American socialized education system, police forces, firefighters and public libraries.

3. No bringing Nazis into this, you've already lost your argument if you're suggesting that ANYONE in elected office is for fascism. I am referring, of
course, to Rush Limbaugh's tirade referencing the false history of the rise of the Nazi party. He had almost completely made-up facts about parallels to the current move for American health care reform.

If you can manage to accomplish at least two of those things, then you can actually contribute and we can talk. And by "talk" I mean an actual exchange of ideas and not screaming slogans at representatives from districts other than yours while pretending to be a constituent.

And oh yeah, one last thing:

4. You must be willing to concede that you are in the minority of opinion since Obama was elected by America last year (and by no small margin) largely for his health care platform.

These rules are necessary because we're dealing with moronic crap like this:

Who Wants the Government to Kill Granny? Republicans, It Turns Out

2009-08-06T18:33:00.003-04:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

You only need to watch the first minute or so of the video to learn that the source of all the hype and lies around the Public Option allowing the government to kill the elderly is from a provision that republicans actually put into some of the proposed health care bills being worked on. This particular republican senator from Georgia wanted the government bill to include covering living wills. You have to be quite an alarmist to lose your shit over that.

If only they'd stop shouting and bullying long enough to listen and observe how public options are run in this country now and in other industrialized nations, they'd realize that no government officials would interfere with a patient's relationship to their doctor. But intelligent debate and discourse is exactly the opposite of what they're contributing.

"Canadian-Style" Health Care? Give me a Break

2009-08-06T14:59:00.007-04:00

Yet it's hard to tell since there's so much on the news with idiot "journalists" talking about it and front groups, funded by insurance and pharma companies, using ads like the one below to get Americans to think that's the case and scare them away from it.

I won't go into every thing that's wrong with this ad, since so much is false in it and FactCheck.org does that very well, but I think the two biggest things to learn about this ad is that Shona Holmes had a benign cyst of a type that is not life-threatening. She would not, as she says, die if she had waited 6 months.

But okay, maybe you're thinking 'well, having to wait to remove it is still a burden on the patient so it proves that government health care sucks.' Wrong again. The ad states, and has the gaul to do so in writing, that "Washington wants to bring Canadian-style health care" and adds, in voiceover only, "...to the US." Neither President Obama nor any of the other Senators or Representatives have proposed a plan for a single-payer, completely government-run health care system. What most Americans are demanding is simply a public option, just like those same officials have themselves.

And the reality of a public option? Nothing changes except someone else foots the bill. You manage your health, go to the doctors you do now or would want to in the future, and the system covers it.

So once again we learn that the sky isn't falling and there's no reason to be afraid of the public option. Ignorance is the only enemy in this debate and talk like this spreads dangerous lies that can result in many, many Americans going bankrupt and/or losing their lives if we don't act now to provide them with reasonable health care. My mother is one of those people.

I am my brother's keeper. Are you?

Myth: Fast, Efficient and Effective Corporate Health Care

2009-08-06T14:10:00.003-04:00

"Bureaucracy" is not a legitimate issue to raise against a public health care option. As I've seen and shared on here, government systems like VA health care (and in the rest of the industrialized world) are actually run more efficiently and are more effective at getting and keeping people healthy. These corporations, who will still exist even after we've had a public option created, are gigantic bureaucratic nightmares whose profit motives require them to deny care and coverage.

[thanks, ben]

A Canadian Speaks Out About Their Awful Health Care

2009-08-05T09:40:00.004-04:00

Saw this comment on YouTube the other day:

Gillz17,

What does "Way too much power" mean? In Canada, the gov't doesn't mediate our healthcare. I find my own doctor, make my own appts., pay for my own medication, report? nothing to anyone, and am free to go into any prompt care, emergency ward, or walk-in clinic if I can't see my own doctor immediately. I wouldn't even know how to get in touch with the gov't regarding my healthcare. And no gov't official has ever got in touch with me. How is that an infringement of my liberty?

Which is exactly one of the issues my mom brought up last night during our discussion about her evil Minnesota socialized health care (insidiously dubbed "Minnesota Care"). It is also the same thing I heard from our Canadian neighbor.

Remember kids, don't be suckered by the ratings-hungry mainstream media. The sky is perfectly intact.

Big Pharma's Hit Squad: 6 Senators and Why

2009-08-02T16:14:00.008-04:00

On the left: The names of 6 Senators who oppose a public health care option and mandatory employer-based coverage.

On the right: Their lifetime contributions from Health Insurance and Pharmaceutical companies.

Is it really coincidental that they're so vocally outspoken against real health care reform even when the majority of Americans want it (and many are literally dying for it)?

At least they're also up against an enormous amount of doctors, nurses and other health care professionals, including the American Medical Association, who have come out in support of the bill from the H.E.L.P. committee and its inclusion of a public option.

VA Health Care: A Model for Us All

2009-07-30T18:36:00.010-04:00

Best Care Anywhere: Why VA Health Care is Better Than Yours

Not only can the government provide an excellent health care program, they're already doing it, and better than any other private insurer.

Phillip Longman was tasked by Fortune magazine to find the most exemplary provider of health care in America. None of the government health programs were even on his radar, assuming that couldn't possibly compete. But his research led him to one unavoidable conclusion: The American VA health care system is the best source of care in this country.

He's written a whole book about the experience and his research but here's a highlight:

-RAND Corporation published a study finding that our VA health care system was the highest ranked in quality, cost-effectiveness, and customer satisfaction along with 294 other qualities reviewed.

The VA system is also unique from private insurers because of its emphasis on prevention over prescription: meaning that it's in their system's best interest to catch and cure things early, as simply getting treated when you have a problem leads to the extremely high health care costs our current private system suffers from. As a result, the VA system also has seen its cost per patient go down significantly as private insurance plan costs per patient have risen sharply.

The best part of all of this is that the system is scalable. There apparently was some push back when the VA was considering covering family members (of the military for example) thinking that it would over burden the system. But now it's generally accepted that doing so is a good move and the system is scaling fine.

This is a prime example of a good government-run health care program and it's mechanics can provide the details we need to create the vehicle for delivery of a country-wide health care option.

Military Health Care - Government System Better than Private Care

2009-07-29T10:49:00.003-04:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Bill Kristol

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Joke of the Day

Bill Kristol admits that the American government can provide a great health care system (that's better than anything in the private sector), and does so with our troops.

Shatner Does Palin

2009-07-29T10:38:00.000-04:00

Watch at Hulu

Sick Around the World

2009-07-28T16:52:00.004-04:00

I've posted this before but it's even more timely now:

Can the US learn anything from the rest of the world about how to run a health care system?

Frontline: Five Capitalist Democracies & How They Do It

[full segment viewable online]

Hot Tub Time Machine - Red Band Trailer

2009-07-27T13:52:00.001-04:00

I remain optimistic but there wasn't much in this trailer that actually made me laugh.

Disney Cruise Lines, Destination: Ruth Lane

2009-07-16T13:40:00.000-04:00

Can someone tell me why a Disney Cruise line bus is parked on Ruth
Lane? We're a one-way, one block street of no particular consequence.
Do they pick up everyone from their house?

Prison "Thriller" - The Truth

2009-07-16T10:51:00.001-04:00

Guns, Credit and Corn

2009-07-15T12:49:00.003-04:00

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

The Word - Guns, Credit, and Corn

http://www.colbertnation.com/

Good News, Everyone

2009-07-14T19:12:00.005-04:00

Well thank God. The House AND the Senate both have versions of health care reform plans for implementing a public option. I'm not calling this over or anything but we're a little closer to extending a life preserver to so many suffering Americans. I look forward to the day we all understand that America is only successful when we bear each others burdens in the name of unity and charity and are not completely ruled by the tyranny of a private system that profits by denying coverage.

Before the NHS was implemented there was a sharp division and many who fought vehemently against it. Now the overwhelming majority of British people think, despite some imperfections, it was for the better and that the government can be of benefit with health care and not a burden.

And it appears that the burden of paying for this new option, as outlined in these initial plans , is very light. You'd have to be an imbecile to think that an additional tax of $1,500 to a family making $500,000/yr. was anything more than a drop in the bucket. The same for a sum of $9,000 for households making $1M or more per year. The brunt of this plan will force only the top 1.2% of wealthy America to bear it. The cost can't be borne upon the backs of our poor and middle classes and it looks like we're avoiding that.

Businesses will adapt and the economy will adjust to any increased costs for employers, and small companies would largely be exempt from any penalties. With some rational and logical approaches to problem solving we can make this a reality. Perhaps our life expectancy rates will start to go back up again, what a novel idea: to improve the health of citizens over time instead of leaving them to languish in the hands of corporate fat cats who have no incentive to help those in the most need.

TV Tropes

2009-07-13T13:54:00.007-04:00

Watch out Action Slacks and Hyperdrive, there's a wiki for TV script writing, pretty soon every Tom, Dick and Harry will have their own series. Thank God there's no info on the web about online marketing, otherwise I'd be screwed.

and for gosh sakes, will someone please start using the star rating system at the bottom of posts? even if you hate a post, i'd love to know. it's anonymous so i won't be taking retribution.

Former Head of CIGNA Publicity Spills the Beans on the Truth Behind Health Care Industry

2009-07-11T10:57:00.002-04:00

Wendell Potter speaks out in this segment from a recent PBS interview about the Health Care industry's talking points memos that were circulated to Congress people and Senators, among others, that was previously successful at scaring people away from any government role in health care.

Potter admits that the systems in other countries aren't broken, in fact they work quite well which has been documented by PBS before, and that the industry simply used the minority of examples where things went wrong in order to get people to think that those issues were common place.

I'm so sick of people, conservatives especially, decrying the ill effect of giant industry-funded lobbying groups but then they go on to repeat talking points from memos created and circulated by lobbying groups.

I wish there was a way to get these people to open their minds for just a day to the possibility that a government health care system could actually be significantly better than a privately-run one so they would see the reports on how well this is working all of the other "first-world" capitalist democracies around the world.

I know I've said it before but if having public library and education systems is so important to the well-being of a nation, how is health care any less important? The truth is that a completely free-market system results in the kind of mess our economy is in now because there wasn't enough government intervention in the form of regulation to prevent it. A hybrid capitalist democracy with social programs for essential services is the ideal form of government. I believe Germnay post-WWII is an excellent example of this, but I won't go into that now.

And how can a system that profits primarily by denying coverage and charging a bunch of extra fees outside of the monthly premium be good for the health of Americans? If a public health care option is not created, we are all responsible for even more misery and death to our fellow citizens.

That's Some Incredible Battery Life

2009-07-09T22:03:00.003-04:00

I love you, new MacBook (Pro) ♥♡

Top 10 Reasons Why The BMI Is Bogus

2009-07-07T14:53:00.001-04:00

Finally! I've been trying to tell people this for years.

Why has it taken people so long to realize a simple ratio formula
created in the 1700s by a mathematician is irrelevant as a fat or
healthiness indicator?!

http://www.npr.org/templates/text/s.php?sId=106268439&m=1

Stupid Wii Fit uses BMI and it aggravates me every time I use it for
checking my weight (this is all our Wii gets used for anymore). I'm
not a small guy but obese?! What a joke.

Happy 4th Everybody

2009-07-04T20:44:00.000-04:00

Just waitin for the 'works at Eola

Fellow Fallout 3 Fan

2009-07-04T15:03:00.001-04:00

I screamed so much when I saw this, Chelsea, who I was on the phone
with, thought I was getting into a car accident. It's like an 18" tall
sticker.

Republican Health Care Horror Show

2009-06-21T19:32:00.001-04:00

Be frozen in your fear of every imagined scenario of what could go wrong instead of being rational about how we can overcome the challenges we face. And assume everything will go as absolutely horrible as possible. No real change is better than any progress, apparently.

I used to hate the phrase "fear monger" when it was used against conservatives but once I got out of knee-jerk defense mode and looked at my enemy's argument more closely, and then re-examined my own, I saw how apt the word is.

Also, Pat Robertson (who appears in the vid) has done a lot of good for humanity through his charity work but he's done this country no good by helping to perpetuate a very hypocritical and distinctly conservative American version of Christianity.

You know what scares the hell out of me? The idea of Sarah Palin getting more support from my old party and holding any more powerful office than her governorship. That's really scary. She's a dumber female version of good ol' W.

Be afraid, be very afraid.

John Hodgman Roasts Obama

2009-06-21T00:17:00.002-04:00

YouTube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW7OPByRGDY

Erik via iPhone

'Save our CEOs'

2009-06-14T02:16:00.001-04:00

Eugene Mirman 2009 LHS Commencement Speech

2009-06-14T02:11:00.001-04:00

This high school commencement speech is world's better than our UCF one. La dee dada dah.

Neill Blomkamp's "Alive In Joburg" (2005)

2009-06-13T12:22:00.001-04:00

This 6 minute short film is the basis of what became the full length District 9 movie coming out later this year. I like the style in general but I think it's a bit heavy-handed to have it set in South Africa - that makes the race-relations messaging a bit too obvious.

I like the way the alien stuff is integrated/composited into the real world and the psuedo-documentary style, even though that's not new at all, it feels right here.

It seems ridiculous, though, that the governments of Earth would only complain about giant floating ships with lines tethered to the ground sucking water and power out of our infrastructure. Someone would cut those or try to take down the ships.

Project Natal on Jimmy Fallon

2009-06-11T22:38:00.000-04:00

TomTom for iPhone - turn-by-turn navigation for iPhone

2009-06-08T15:55:00.001-04:00

FINALLY jeeeebus.

Coca Cola "What Goes Around Comes Around"

2009-06-07T17:29:00.001-04:00

Nice.

[thx ben]

Han Solo, P.I.

2009-06-06T00:23:00.001-04:00

Well played, sir.

NEVER.

2009-06-05T23:36:00.001-04:00

Commentary on Nintendo's press conference where they announced what types of people they were interested in targeting (hint it's not the never people).

nVidia Tegra: True System on a Chip

2009-06-05T17:18:00.001-04:00

The future arrives in October. Anything running on nVidia's miniscule system-on-a-chip called Tegra can run for 25 days playing music constantly, or HD video - streamed live from the web, for 10 hours straight. Netbooks will be replaced with this. Smarthphones will have to adopt something like this (hello Apple's acquisition of PA Semi for creating their own chips) in order to meet the power-hungry needs of modern computer use.

I will probably have a review of one of the tablet units up later this year if they're out in the Fall with the other devices.

Defend Against This!

2009-06-02T20:06:00.001-04:00

See Rainforest Deforestation From Satellite Imagery

2009-05-30T01:27:00.001-04:00

We are depleting and altering the very surface of the Earth undeniably and rapidly. This will even accelerate its already breakneck pace until how much is left?

pygmy jerboa

2009-05-30T00:52:00.001-04:00

unreal. that looks so fake. an adorable little guy, mebbe he's going to college.

[thx ben]

Headbanging while making fire

2009-05-29T23:53:00.001-04:00

yes.

[thx drew]

Project Trico HD - Colossus Developer's New Game

2009-05-23T02:15:00.001-04:00

Shadow of the Colossus = truly video games as art.

Their next game? Maybe more cutesy but it looks none the less massive and magical.

Ari's Landlord Made Front Page of Consumerist

2009-05-19T17:44:00.002-04:00

It's an amusing (but frustrating) story about a jerk landlord and nicest IT person I've ever heard of (and I've worked with some jerks).

http://consumerist.com/5245562/landlord-and-service-tech-call-tenant-a-nerdy-dipshit

Way to go man, that's awesome so many people want to help out. I'm glad you listened to me and sent it to them (heh).

My New iPhone Wallpaper

2009-05-19T17:10:00.001-04:00

...is gold-smacked StephenColbert.

Muscle Game for the Wii...the Hell?

2009-05-18T23:09:00.001-04:00

i know i should be past the gosh-the-japanese-are-crazy reaction this elicits from me but i'm not, mkay. they keep upping the ante on weirdness and this game looks like a lot of bat-shit-look-at-all-the-hyphens crazy.

LITTLE MAC and Gray Davis as his Coach

2009-05-18T22:24:00.001-04:00

Maybe he's giving Little Mac the whole "golden egg" thing two. Does Punch-Out Wii end with Mac getting it from a street-wise assassin and a man of the, erm, cloth?

【MADです】フォールアウト３テレビドラマ版OP【FALLOUT3】

2009-05-18T21:49:00.001-04:00

this fallout 3 vid is gweat. well the first half at least.

Macworld Boston 1997 - Return of Steve Jobs

2009-05-18T15:54:00.001-04:00

Very interesting watch if you're an Apple follower. After 25min. the crowd starts booing Jobs. I did NOT know Bill Gates spoke at ANY Macworld, ever.

Loot-O-Tron 3000 (aka Fallout 3)

2009-05-16T11:51:00.004-04:00

i separate heads. super mutant heads, in the capital wasteland. this illustration by jimmy giegerich is almost like unofficial fallout 3 art. i have reached over 60 hours in the main game now (haven't started broken steel but got it to raise the level cap). i don't think i've ever played any game over 60 hours in my life. and that is saying something. multiple things actually.

well, except maybe for x-com ufo defense in 8th grade. i was voluntarily home-schooled (everyone assumes your parents are crazy and they force you into it, it was exactly the opposite for my sister and i) for the first half of 8th grade. i guess i got bored of doing school work until 1pm, and then playing x-com until 7pm every day. for reals. my mom thought i was learning computer programming. which i did have to do to get the game to run - autoexec.bat, himem.sys...those were the days.

I'm Good at Tetris! Rice!

2009-05-12T10:30:00.003-04:00

Condoleezza Rice the Barbarian.

[Thanks, Dave]