A Zappa interview by Norman Gunston, who is, according to uploader royism, an "Australian TV icon".
Zappa's got his usual grumpy interview face on, but I find it hard to believe he's not in on the joke.
Month: September 2012
Kabuki
Cut the crap.
Democrats, news media: quit pretending that it is some kind of shock or revelation that a Republican candidate believes half the population is made up of lazy good-for-nothings who just want handouts.
Republicans: quit pretending that that hasn't been the core of your party platform since the Reagan Administration.
This is not new. Bring up welfare or the Affordable Care Act in absolutely any political discussion and see how long it takes for somebody to espouse the very beliefs that people are pretending to be surprised to hear coming from a Republican.
About the only guy who's not being utterly disingenuous here (for a change) is Romney. Because he's refusing to apologize for being an amoral mercenary with absolutely no sympathy for anybody with less money than himself.
You know, a Republican.
Vai's Audition
One of the greats talking about where it all started. Good shit.
What Now?
So today I got the old "Well, the project's almost over and we don't know what that means for you" talk.
As per usual, if it were up to the discretion of people I have actually met, I'd have the job. But, as per usual, I am at the mercy of west-coast bean counters.
The thing about that: when you complete a project weeks ahead of schedule, the people who have actually met you think, "Hey, maybe we should keep this guy around." But the bean counters tend to think, "Oh good, that means we can cut him loose that much sooner." Here's hoping the people who value me win the argument for a change.
Apparently I've got, at the very least, two weeks left. Which could mean I become unemployed just in time for my thirtieth birthday. I don't think it'll be that soon, but man that would be a fun little extra coincidence.
So it goes. I'm sanguine, I guess. I'd like to keep my job -- it's a good gig, it pays fairly, I'm settled and I like the people I'm working with -- but you know, if I'm forced into another change of scenery, I'll make the best of that too.
If nothing else, there are plenty of companies that could still use a guy who can handle a Windows 7 migration.
What's New in Baltimore?
Santa Monica, 1981. Another soundboard recording via YourArf.
Telephone Answering Machine Madness
Another rarity from tomtiddler1, who says these were answering machine messages at the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen.
I Don't Wanna Get Drafted
Via uploader YourArf. Soundboard recording, Rotterdam, 1980.
On Suspension of Disbelief
I just watched the Darkness Falls episode of X-Files.
Here's the thing.
Aliens? Yeah, okay, I can work with that.
Scary Martian faces that possess people? Well, okay, I guess.
But bioluminescent bugs that can't stand light? That doesn't make a lick of goddamn sense!
And that's before we get into some of the finer details, like how when the gas is low and they don't think the generator will make it through the night, nobody even mentions trying to light a fire.
One line would be all it would take. Maybe say the ground's wet -- it looks wet enough in the last act of the show, even though it's sunny out when they're having the generator conversation.
Or just say that a little bit of light isn't enough to keep the bugs away. That could tie together with the climax, where the dude gets eaten by them despite being right in the headlights, and then Mulder, Scully, and Ranger Guest Star all get swarmed and nobody tries to open a car door to make a light come on.
This shit would be easy to handwave, but I as the guy in the audience shouldn't have to do it myself!
Murder by Numbers
Another great posting from the great tomtiddler1. Frank and Sting, Chicago, 1988.
Doctor Who: The Curse of Fenric
Continuing from Ghost Light; originally posted on Brontoforumus 2008-04-06.
Curse of Fenric makes a fine followup to Ghost Light. It's got vampires, Ragnarok, game theory, cryptography, World War II, sea monsters, time paradoxes, causality loops, and ancient exiled evil.
Most interesting is the "Battle not with monsters lest you become one" theme. I can't recall an American children's show ever uttering the word "Dresden"; hell, I'm hard-pressed even to think of one that actually showed a swastika. Acknowledging that the Allies were far from innocent in the war is powerful stuff for -- what was the expression Sharkey used? -- goofball foreign children's television.
The plot twists are obvious, the characters are simplistic, and all in all it's a lot easier to follow than Ghost Light. But simplicity aside, the characterization is excellent, particularly from the Doctor and Ace during the climax.
All in all, a great mix of elements, well-written and well-acted. I think I'm going to have to agree with the fanboys: it's a pity the show was cancelled just when it was starting to turn around.
Available on Netflix and Amazon Prime; well worth watching.