Monthly Archive for November, 2007

Thu
Nov
29
2007

The faces behind the horrors and the acts 0 cmts

I think the easiest mistake in the world is to — at the moment you recognize the flashbacks, as they come — throw up your hands and say, “I know this story.” The whole point of this movie is to tell you that you don’t, and never did: it’s a story that plays out in faces. It could be boring to hear or see the same stories we already know, so you have to come in at a different angle: not the horrors and the acts, but the faces and the feelings behind the horrors and the acts. That’s the story here.

Recap of Razor by Jacob Clifton on Television Without Pity

150 cabillion contacts 0 cmts

The SNL Weekend Update iPhone sketch from January is oddly hilarious if you’ve ever seen Steve Jobs perform, and the bit about Starbucks was prescient.

Mon
Nov
26
2007

Welcome to AgBlog v7 4 cmts

Welcome to AgBlog Molten, the 7th iteration of this blog. I started working on this just about a year ago, and finally it is done. I’m really happy with it. Lots of improvements in things like legibility and page size, archive view, commenting, and the like. Its based on a solid framework (K2), but still looks pretty unique. All of the different post types are featured on the same footing. What remains is to go through and edit and re-categorize *2339* old posts. So please be patient. The first 100 or so are done, though, so I’m on track to finish around 2012.

Sun
Nov
25
2007

Battlestar Galactica: Razor 1 cmts

This review contains spoilers for Battlestar Galactica through episode 3×04 and for Razor.

Are we supposed to see Cain as a flawed but sympathetic human being? Because I can’t. Major Shaw? Yes, a sympathetic character — young, inexperienced, dead mom, led astray by a powerful force. But not Cain. The transition was too sudden, the decisions too rash and single-minded, the act of CIC brutality too disturbing, and the justifications too feeble for me to see her as a sympathetic character. I choose to ignore the coda and disbelieve the notion that Adama could have taken her place. But I could see Kara in Shaw’s place. Wasn’t she, after all, a surrogate Shaw to Cain in the time prior to Shaw appearing whole cloth in Razor?

Look back at Resurrection Ship. Look at how Cain was then: her strength, her will, her intelligence, her sensibility. She was measured. She was cold. Very often, she was right. Look at Kara’s eulogy. Do you feel like maybe Shaw should have delivered it?

So we get Shaw, and we get Kara, and they fight with each other, because they’re so similar, and we get Lee, and okay, he’s not a bad commander, and we get the rest of the people, and they’re all props, and we get flashbacks, and it’s all filler. It is all things we already know. There is nothing, nothing new here. Why bring it all back, why go to all the trouble, without making something new? If you’re doing a story about Shaw, do a story about Shaw, whoever the frack she is. But don’t do a rehash of Cain.

My opinion of Battlestar Galactica: Razor? Mediocre. A missed opportunity. There was so much potential here. I’d have loved to see a four hour mini-series called Battlestar Pegasus. Instead we get more of the same, ever since they left New Caprica, ever since the show lost its way.

Sat
Nov
24
2007

With paths, racks, and a czar, Mayor Menino vowing to make Boston a bike-friendly city 0 cmts

Riding a bicycle in Boston is something akin to combat. Cyclists routinely rank the city America’s worst. Stung by national criticism and hoping to take a bite out of traffic and air pollution, Mayor Thomas M. Menino is vowing to change that.

"Pedal Pushing" by Matt Viser in the Boston Globe

Bicycling Street Smarts 0 cmts

A short book about safe bicycling techniques on public roads and streets.

The hazards of cycling in Cambridge 0 cmts

My bicycle collision last week resulted in irreparable damage to my bike, and as a consequence I have been reading up a bit on what makes a good commuter bike as well as the situation with safe cycling in Cambridge. I’ve discovered a couple things.

First, commuter bikes don’t seem to be easily available in the US. I’m talking a hybrid-type bike with fenders, a rear rack, chain guard, perhaps some sort of lights, and no fancy shocks or handlebars. They are available, but not everywhere, and not cheap. That said, there are several local bike shops around me that might have some good choices. I’ll have to do some shopping.

Second, despite its very good reputation on this count, Cambridge has made many mistakes with regard to cycling safety, and still has a long way to go before cyclists can really feel safe on Cambridge roads. A good list of local bike safety faults is maintained by cycling expert John Allen. I’ve noticed a few of these as I’ve ridden, but I’ve had just as much trouble just in terms of figuring out where it is safe to ride (not to mention my incredibly bad direction-finding ability), so those things combined have substantially reduced the scope of my cycling. I think I need to find a partner if I want to keep up this hobby.

Kindle usability 2 cmts

I haven’t commented yet on Amazon Kindle because I haven’t been able to see one yet, but at first glance it seems like a usability nightmare. Here are some of the reasons why. I’m still utterly confused by the keyboard buttons. Not to mention how the whole device is just so un-book-like.

Thu
Nov
22
2007

The Zagat History of My Last Relationship 0 cmts

Mon
Nov
19
2007

Revisiting History: Rudy Giuliani 0 cmts

The UK’s Channel 4 is running a damning report on Rudy Giuliani’s record as New York mayor. Had his emergency command center been located underground in Brooklyn, as he had been advised, rather than built near City Hall at 7 World Trade Center, Giuliani would have been commanding the city on 9/11 instead of walking the streets.

Your Proprietor

I'm Danny Silverman, a guy in Cambridge, MA with an interest in law, culture, media, and using technology to bring people together even as we work ever harder to push ourselves apart.

My day job is maintaining computer systems. I like exploring the outdoors. I catch and throw flying discs for sport. My cat is fuzzy.

To contact me: zeno@ this site.

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