So I've been a centrist all my life. And that last post was one of the few times where I forgot there is a middle path. Wow, I'd suck at being a part of any Eastern religion. Once again, there's the option of being a writer and still having a fun job that involves some work. Example: editor, Car and Driver.

Throughout my life I've had the feeling that I wouldn't get the extreme best thing but I'd be happy with where I wound up anyway. So far, it's held true. I don't see any reason why that'll stop - but before I settle I think I have to make one desperate run at the top and see how far I can get up the hill in the process.

I've hit the point in my college career where my entire life comes into question and I have to begin to decide what to do with the rest of it. After getting down here, getting quasi-settled and not being involved in music, it's come to me that music has become a much bigger deal to me than I ever expected. It's an addiction: I need the endorphines of performance and the stress relief that comes with doing some song I really believe in.

It's not that I'm going after the cliched "fame and fortune." My choice, right now, is fame or fortune. If I stick to my academics, keep working hard, and go to law school, I can walk out with enough money to be driving an M3 before I'm 30. Or at least a nicely done 330Ci when I'm done with school. But fame - that comes with being the musician. Being appreciated and all that fun stuff. John Mayer's ridiculous success has made it possible for zillions more heartfelt guys like him (Jack Johnson, Howie Day, the list continues) with a song to sing hit the big time. And maybe it'll be out of style, but maybe, just maybe, there'll be room for one guy with a piano and a guitar and a song to sing. Just go on stage, say what you want, be liked for it, and the big bad record companies won't balk at you for saying and singing what you feel. I wouldn't mind that.

Either way, it's all or nothing, that's just my quasi-competitive nature. But being a high achiever gets in the way of being a musician, and vice-versa. And it's not like I have to make the decision overnight, but still - I probably need some kind of direction in the next few years. And eventually I'll have to make a choice, one way or the other. It's surprisingly not a scary thought, but I know I'm not ready yet to make the call.

OH! I totally forgot to mention that I got a fortune cookie when I was very little. It said "Your love for music will take you very far in life." I was about ten, I think, so I was in music class but that was about it. So far, it's served me well.

So the Friends list over on the right bar there is a curious thing. It only links to 9 people, but I definitely have more than 9 friends. I've never explained until now that the Friends list also has my seal of approval. Boring blogs are a dime a dozen, but those 9 sites are ones that I deem worthy for people who read this one and know who I am / what I'm about / etc.

I guess it comes down to understanding the sort of intangible that drives all of us ("us" being the SSB thugs and friends). And when that essence clicks for you, it's obvious you've been assimilated into the group.

So Aroon linked to this seemingly random post by Emma from a few days back. And honestly, I might not have caught it had it not been for Aroon's posting the entire thing back on his site. And after reading it, I was completely floored. I want to describe the post as "the world of SSB through the eyes of Trainspotting" but that doesn't do it justice. And the kicker was perfect - unexpected, made me crack up. So now you'll notice that Emma's been linked over on that sidebar.

I'm definitely not the first one to say it, but hey, Emma - welcome to the fold.

Much good gaming, folks. Even though some of us had crippled CS, it wasn't enough to stop us from some quality 4v4 action on Aztec, and some action in smaller numbers on Dust2. So here's the rundown on the next CS night:

-Date: don't know. I'm thinking every other Thursday night sounds like a winner, same time and place.
-My server: Some lag, but it was from running a listen. This may be fixed in the future.
-Version: we've got to step up to 1.6, fellas. 1.5's got too many bugs going on for too many people. Click here to grab it from the BitTorrent network, if you have that. Otherwise, try Steam's site to grab it from a more familiar site. 1.6 means easier server administration, easier connection, and better integrated voice. note: 1.6 is out of beta. If you played the Steam/1.6 beta, you have to download this whole new installer and kill off the old beta. Auto-update won't work when upgrading from beta. Your account, however, will still work, but you'll have to enter your HL/CS cdkey to bind it to your Steam account. From then on, you'll be able to access HL/CS from any computer where you log in to Steam.

So! Go get your new CS on, tinker with it a little (the bots are bad ass, I promise) and get ready for more action soon.

-Happy 19, resident Mexican, gamer and driver extraordinaire Alejandro. Much love, my brother.

-CS night is tonight! The action starts at 9:30 at blake.snagger.org.

Friday, October 3 - Sunday, October 5. If you're going to be in town at the same time, give me a shout.

OK, whoever left the voicemail on my cell just yelling "RABBLE RABBLE!" back at me, you win. I have absolutely no clue who you are.

I missed the damned race. I was just getting ready to go check it out at 2:30 in the afternoon and I spotted a guy from Autosport online. He explained that it finished early because there wasn't a massive turnout. Apparently, WRXs kick major ass in the rain. I kind of want to go for a ride in one of those now.

OK, off to borrow a copy of GT3 to get my driving fill.

Soph on Amit commenting: "He should stop. He's doing it faster than a redneck making babies."

So! Site readers and friends, spread this post around the various sites and spread the word. Here's the plan:

What: CS, baby.
Version: 1.5 stock
When: Thursday 9/25 at 9:30PM CST
Who: The [SSB] thugs and friends - this involves pretty much anyone who's ever attended one of our lan parties. Little siblings are also on the list.
Where: Physically, your very own computer. Server? If anyone wants to start a server that has the bandwidth to handle 14 players (university connections are good), then let me know, otherwise I'll run a listen server here at blake.snagger.org ( 129.116.45.184 ). If you want, ping that address and let me know if it's playable.
Other info: integrated voice comms will be used but not required. Bring a microphone if ya got it, otherwise, be familiar with your teamchat key (typically Y or U).

Again, post comments to sign up so we know who to expect and who to slap for being too good to come get some bomb defusing action. I'll count the following as already signed up from old comments:

aroon
chris
amit
emma
blakerson

Tell your friends!

At last, my entry in the Plan II Essay Contest is done and submitted. I've posted the essay for everyone to read online. Here's the premise:

Assume that ten years from now, in 2013, you are a tenured professor of American history at a prestigious university and are free to express your opinions without fear of retaliation. Your specialty is American foreign policy. You are writing a 7 page retrospective analysis of the merits of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

In your article, which you hope to publish in a mass-market news magazine, you first examine the stated objectives of the invasion and the allegations of fact underlying them. You consider whether any reason or combination of reasons was sufficient to justify the U.S. led invasion in 2003 at that time.

Next you will consider in the light of subsequent events (between 2003 and 2013) whether the invasion succeeded in its aims. With your (hypothetical) knowledge of the economic, political, cultural and environmental status of Iraq and the Middle East in 2013, please address the question: "Was it worth it?" In this second part you may invent any future that you can make plausible to your readers.

In your essay, address at least two objectives, which may or may not be included on the following list:

To reduce the threat from Al Quaeda and other Islamic terrorists.

To prevent Saddam Hussein from using weapons of mass destruction that pose an imminent threat to health, safety and welfare of Americans in the U.S.

To liberate Iraqi citizens from a tyrannical regime with a track record of torture, murder, and repression.

To replace the Baathist regime with a democratic form of government, which will increase stability in the middle east by serving as an example for other Islamic nations. Judges of the essays will include both hawks and doves.

That said, my entry can be found here. These are my predictions and personal opinions and while I'm willing to talk about it and explain why I said things, I'm not going to squabble. Hope you enjoy.

Remember "The Superbowl is Gay?" Well, now he's freestylin'. And it's a lot better than his guitar strummin'. And hummin'. And summin'. Hey cool, I can freestyle too.

Oh, yeah. Click.

I...

LOVE

Adult Swim.

So since Soph tells me we have a nice ability to gather together online and do stupid things like chat online, I say why not put our good broadband connections to use and play some CS old-school style? I'm saying Thursday night (maybe next week since that'd be short notice and all), it's before the weekend starts, and we can all play using the voice communications built into CS. Leave a comment if you're interested and when's a good time to get your game on!

But I have little surprises from Soph, the promise of driving next weekend, BMW window shopping, a hug from Alex, and the ever-wonderful Erin (I never realized I'd end up missing her) to make me feel better. Thank you people and machines! I love you all! Perhaps I will go out next year. :)

After a two-hour audition with Ransom Notes, I got really excited about that group. It was a blast singing with them. And then I didn't get called back. Frowny.

and I know you're out there... this is for you.

Warning: tech nerd post.

Remember my ambitious plan for creating the ultimate home theater? Well, the first phase is halfway complete and it'll be done around next weekend.

Here's the phase one setup:
Consoles with integrated DVD player
PC
Cable TV
LCD screen displaying all consoles and PCs
2.1 sound system for all consoles and PCs

Phase two is the final design:
Consoles and wireless controllers!
PC for gaming and general PC use
Cable / HDTV
Second PC for DVDs/MP3s
Projector for displaying all systems
6.1 sound system for all systems

So here's my setup as it will be at the end of next week:
PS2 (serving as DVD player) connected to Console Switch [not plugged in yet, have to get another power strip]
Gamecube connected to Console Switch
Audio output from computer connected to Console Switch (2.1 output from a 1/8" jack through a stereo RCA Y-splitter)
Video output from computer connected to LCD through DVI
Console switch outputs to Video Processor Box (proprietary RCA connector)
Cable TV inputs to Video Processor Box
Video Processor Box outputs sound to my 2.1 speakers
Video Processor Box outputs video to LCD through VGA (I have a dual-input monitor) [Mommy's shipping my VGA cable from home, I should get it right around the start of the weekend. At the moment, we're outputting to my roommate Tim's monitor.]

And of the setup I have so far, it's friggin' cool. Super Smash Bros is obviously what we play, and I have good and bad thoughts. The picture quality is great as far as interference from the box, and there's no lag time, but it's jaggy like playing an RCA Gamecube on a HDTV. The framerate makes up for it though: a true 60fps is a gorgeous thing. Or I can just sit away from the screen. Cable TV is picture-perfect (and it's a great thing to have in the dorm for free). I'll take some pictures soon of the whole setup. By the way, I spent exactly $85 for this setup; the only part I didn't have laying around was the video box. A pretty sweet setup for that kinda cash, I say.

So on Friday I was walking across campus to class when I had to cross the West Mall in the afternoon. For non-Austinites, the West Mall is a courtyard on campus where early in the year lots of student organizations set up booths to try to recruit people. Lo and behold, the Knighthood of Buh set themselves up out in that courtyard on September 12th, with large patriotic signs that said "NEVER FORGET 9/12" and a PA system bellowing emotional quotes over Enya music. Oh, and several Knights handed out American flags to passers-by.

I laughed.

I didn't realize that my UT webspace is just for me only. I'll look into using my 'connections' (read: aroon or nick) to get my pictures hosted on a real server. Until then, ignore the link. Sorry!

Update: The pictures work at last! A zillion thanks to Lindsey for her wonderous help with the UT webspace system.

is what we're now calling every subsequent anniversary of 9/11. It's one thing to have a little news tidbit every year on December 7th that Pearl Harbor was attacked on this day, but it's another entirely to create a new holiday dedicated to subservient conformity commemorating the day common sense smacked us all upside the face and told us we're not invincible. Eerily, I can definitely see the tying thread to Michael Moore's 'culture of fear' point.

Speaking of which, his movie isn't entirely true, but sometimes fictional works make the best case advocating some kind of human progress.

So on this day, I will not be celebrating Patriot Day, or be any more happy to be in this country than I would any other day of the year. Nor will I proclaim I'm "proud to be an American," or that we're blessed by God. It's a privilege to exist in a land that supports basic human rights, no matter how flawed we are, and any American shouldn't proclaim their pride at being here. That takes it for granted. If there were a song "I'm thankful some other self-righteous bitch didn't rape my wife and daughter right in front of me," [as happens in less privileged countries] I'd happily sing that on a day like this. Or any other day of the year, for that matter.

So I dove into my archives for a little to read old stuff. It's so intensely amusing to read my own stuff from two and three years back. With that in mind, I'm posting the current form of my Vitals column to look back on in the future.

Vitals
name: blake
dob: dec 3
dimensions: 6'0" / 175 lbs.
school: ut austin
major: plan ii

likes:
mellow music
calvin & hobbes
microsoft
cookies
games
singing
driving

dislikes:
emo
chinese food
republicans
cold weather
forgetting things

reading:
nothing!
food: italian
book: catch-22
tv: south park
instrument: voice
car (current): camry se
car (desired): bmw 3-series [this part has also held a nissan 350z for a short time, but i came back to the 3 like i always do]
album: incubus - morning view

music:
dzihan & kamien
zero 7
kruder & dorfmeister
michelle branch
thievery corporation
john mayer

movies:
south park
the matrix
moulin rouge
romeo & juliet
amelie
the boondock saints

games:
goldeneye 007
metal gear solid
legend of zelda
quake
final fantasy x
deus ex

women:
michelle branch
rachael leigh cook
natalie portman
vanessa carlton
katie holmes

Friends
aroon & soph
nick
emily
drew
syed
alex
greg
erin

We'll revisit this at some point in the future and see just how far the very base of me has come along.

Your upload speed has improved! It could still use a little boost (still a delay between the head loading and the actual page), but it's usable now. Maybe try cutting back on the number of posts, and clean up your navbar code for any repetitive syntax if you can. I know PHP has a feature to reduce repetitive code using some basic functions that are C-like in nature (call a function, fill in variables, let the function do the werk) so you can basically reduce repetitive stuff (<a href="http://www.site.com">description</a> gets reduced to link(www.site.com;description)). My point is maybe ASP has something along the same lines; you'd know the language better than I.

So I've gotten to listen to the full album. Here's my breakdown, track by track. For the general intro, read the post just before this one.

Clarity: A great leading track. Happy, contemplative, relaxed. Recommended.
Bigger Than My Body: Probably my favorite track. Very optimistic, loud and bold. A telling sign of a new style for Mayer, but it's a good move. Recommended.
Something's Missing: Good stuff. Sounds exactly the same as the live version heard on Any Given Thursday, for anyone who's heard that. Still recommended.
New Deep: A self-described sarcastic song, the lyrics are a quality attack on modern superficiality. But musically I have no clue what the hell's going on. Skip it.
Come Back to Bed: Ballad, all the way: slow tempo, 3/4 time; this song is junior high slow dance Mayer-style. The song's floated around the 'net for a while and is insanely popular with the ladies. If you can tolerate the sound and the stupid trumpet accents (which I blame on producer Jack Joseph Puig), it's a goodie. Recommended.
Home Life: This song's growing on me. I had the same problem as New Deep at first: good lyrics, poor music. The lyrics are still good (but still kind of oddball) and the music involves way too much keyboard/synth work and not enough guitar. The jury's out, but if you skip it you won't miss a classic.
Split Screen Sadness: A great song. This song is the sad sequel to Back to You - but instead of giving it a chance again and again, it's a song about mutual sadness over a breakup. The phrase "two wrongs make it all alright tonight" repeats early on in the song and sets the tone for a second verse that is probably some of the most beautiful writing Mayer has ever done. I can personally relate, which is always a good thing, but even if you haven't had the kind of breakup he sings about, you'll still feel like you know exactly what he's singing. Recommended.
Daughters: Another popular live song brought into the studio, Daughters is a small surprise. While the only version I'd heard in the past is an electric solo, this one switches the clean electrified sound for an acoustic and throws in some light percussion and a touch of piano. Makes it a little more lighthearted and overall just as fun. Recommended.
Only Heart: Sadly, fans of Mayer's Stevie Ray Vaughn inspired electric solo work will be massively dissapointed with this album, as this is the only song that's anywhere near that whole realm of Mayer's playing style. And sadly, this song fails at that. While electric and jazzy, the song sounds like it came straight out of the 80s, and that's a bad thing. Fans of Neon and City Love should skip this track, and so should basically anyone who likes it when Mayer puts the right kind of music to his words. Stay away, at least until Mayer refines the solo and plays a better version live.
Wheel: Whoever decides on the track order for Mayer's CDs has again hit the nail on the head with closing a solid album with a bittersweet song. I'm partial to this song because I've heard it performed live in person and it's truly an amazing musical experience. But now that I have the lyric sheet in front of me, I've fallen in love with the song in a whole new way. This is a song that really anyone can connect with on a personal level, and that's what critics everywhere find enjoyable about a lot of Mayer's music. And the song's closing couldn't be any more beautiful. If you listen to only one song this year, make it Wheel.

It's easy to be disappointed with this album if you come from the John Mayer School of Music. All the album's flaws I choose to blame on Puig since I can trace his more subtle trademarks to bands he's produced in the past. It's not the same sound that got Mayer to his multi-platinum status. The album will sell millions of copies for its refined pop sound, but the hardest of hardcore fans will end up feeling cheated out of Mayer's musical subtleties. In the end, though, Mayer's songwriting creativity pulls through, if muffled somewhat by the overflow of extra instruments. The quality of the better songs on the album definitely outweighs the problems with the album. If Room for Squares was a perfect ten out of ten, this album rates a solid nine. I've gotten my JM fix for the forseeable future and I'm satisfied. But if Puig produces Mayer's next record, I'm gonna be pissed.

Result: Grab it!

1:30 AM. Can't sleep, but Tim is - except when he's rustling about his bed. 9:30 class tomorrow, his at 8:00. Feeling sympathetic, so I'm using my laptop to write instead of my noisy desktop - which also means I've sacrificed listening to my brand new John Mayer CD, bought at midnight at Tower Records down on the Drag. Here's my mini-review after the first three tracks:

A big deal was made about the fact that the album's produced by Jack Joseph Puig, and it shows from the very first strains. The quality of the sound is very reminiscent of one band from my junior high days he was also responsible for - Tonic. Suddenly, the guitar is drowned out by the use of extra instruments (Clarity has a major trumpet part, and one of the other songs has a lot of organ involved) and bass is downplayed in favor of powerful treble (which equates for loud drum cymbals). It's an enjoyable sound, but really not one befitting JM's guy-and-a-guitar upbringing. Of the first four tracks, the lead song Clarity is probably most like his original style: quiet, introspective, with a flavor of improvisation and jazz chords. Bigger Than My Body follows, which despite Mayer's louder, bolder styling and Puig's aggressive mixing sounds like something Mayer would write and play. Then follows Something's Missing, an older song which finally made its way into the studio. No surprises here.

I also heard a part of the album version of Daughters, a song which Mayer has included in his live repertoire for some time. The biggest change here is the decidedly not-live sound of the guitar, one which is typically very clean on the stage. Mayer's vocal work has come a long way from his humble beginnings of a simple guitarist who could barely sing a note. Given his countless sold-out performances, it's clear he's had time to smooth over the edges and his vocal chords are controlled with almost as much precision and grace as his guitar. In this album, he's really hit a higher level of vocalization: still no belting out of his trademark hushed baritone, but his range has risen immensely to hold great falsetto which he uses on several songs - especially Bigger Than My Body.

But one other thing really troubles me: women. The more I write friends and call family members to tell them of my happiness with the opposite sex, the more I come to realize I'm really getting nowhere. I see people joining together all around me and I figure I've got something good enough going for me to land a calm, comfortable relationship. Nope. I've had one prospect after another fizzle out, or show herself to be psychotic, or boring as hell, or worse, interested in someone else. I hit two low points in one day: first off, an old friend of mine (who I really turned to many times for her staunch reluctance to drink) had a sorority chant about chuggin' beer in her AOL profile. Fine, so in college everyone drinks. Hell, I do. But to see the sweetest girl I've ever known become just another drunken party chick is a big downer for me - it's like the whole party aura is so strong that nobody can resist it. Then I realized I had lived for two weeks leaving another very sweet girl behind: a friend from orientation named Sophie (again, the out-of-state one, not our lovable Soph linked at right). So I thought about it and realized maybe I had been too forward when I first went to visit her and so I was in the doghouse for being a bad boy. I wrote a note of apology and dragged it along in my pocket to Jester to visit another orientation friend named Bailie (who turned out to be somewhat boring, but I'll hang out with her again for her love of good movies and anime). I figured once I left Bailie's room I'd slip the note under Sophie's door and run on home. Instead, I knocked on her door and she answered. With another guy scrambling from her bed over to her desk chair in the background, and her in pajamas. As soon as I saw that I realized it had already been way too late for me. So after some short small talk I got the hell out, unable to find a song that fit the mood - the mood that you just found a girl you really liked in bed with another dude.

I can't figure out what's going on. I find it hard to believe that all these girls I like are hypocritical in nature to a fault. Here I thought I had figured out when I could tell I was making mistakes. And I know that it's just plain wrong to become a chauvinist and blindly distrust every female who comes along for the rest of my life (I mean, moreso than I already do). So I'm giving up. And as soon as that thought occurred to me, I thought of just the right song:

Someday I'll fly
Someday I'll soar
Someday I'll be so damn much more
Cause I'm bigger than my body gives me credit for

I missed seeing John Mayer play across the street from where I live by one night. One fucking night.

Sad blakerson.

and I'm not joking. I'm a traitor to my own cause, I know.

I haven't had much time here for playing. I did manage to get the Call of Duty demo, which if you haven't played it you must before reading any further. Go find it, play, and be enlightened to one of the top games of this year.

The only thing that's really played here (in the dorms) is Halo. Lots of Xboxes are all over my dorm, and people jack into the ethernet connection and play on system link, which works like magic. Right as I was writing this, I got invited to play some tonight, and I'm psyched since it'll be maybe my third time to play since arriving. Even without using a profile, I'm probably the second best player here. And that's sad, as the Arlington Halo crowd knows how ridiculously average I am. There's one guy about as good as the Lamar sophomores who's a real expert at killing (though he could care less about those flag things) who they all call The Professional. I have yet to play him, so I don't know how good he actually is - but in my games so far I've cleaned up too.

Now if only Counter-Strike would work - I could use some real stress relief.

Well, I am at one of the biggest party schools in the country. I've gotta say it feels good to be among people who most of the time keep it kind of tame. I still get to go out lots and the friends are great, but I haven't had a single drink since I got here (anyone really surprised? Me neither). But I am going to show up to some parties and knock a few back. Besides, the girls are fun that way.

Oh, and how the girls are fun. That's all I'll say.

Oh, and the music thing is great. I'm working on getting a gig at the radio station, which puts you in touch with the entire local music scene and makes all kinds of connections. The live music is, well, live music - most of it's average and sometimes you get lucky. To any Oakridge people still reading the site, a good friend of mine who lives in the same hall as me/Soph/Syed is one of the members of Fishboy. Small world.

So yeah, this is a place that loves its vices. Really - West Campus (site of all the Greek houses) does things so crazy that the prudish girls shudder at the mention of the place. But to me, just a smidge of the whole party thing is great. It stays fun and fresh and new that way.

So I've been here two weeks. And I still haven't been to one of my classes, but I'll review the rest:

-World Lit (English): I hate it. I hate hate hate literature, and I also hate hate hate the arrogant bitches who teach it. It's going to be a rough semester. The first problem was my choice of professor. I signed up for a woman named Elizabeth Scala, thinking it was the wonderful British woman named Elizabeth who I had met a year ago. Instead of a Brit, I got a short squatty Brooklyn native who's really full of herself. Oh, and it's a two-semester course. It's going to be a rough year.
-US History since 1877: My only regulars class is one of my favorites. The prof is a really neat guy named Stoff. He's got the approach to history I always hoped for and thought I'd never find: the little stories that don't get told in textbooks.
-Plan II Biology: Thank God, it's not another stupid memorization bio class. This goes light on the boring freshman year bio stuff and focuses mostly on current events, like ethics and current questions. The first lecture in the class was on the navigational abilities of birds. The next covered a lot of sexual reproduction stuff but the discussion session between described the link between cell phones and cancer (it's not entirely there yet, though possible).
-Logic: What a friggin cool class. It's nothing but brain teasers and complex rules that describe everything. My final will be tough (I have to invent a new language/process of logic) but I'm looking forward to the challenge.
-America from the Outside: Haven't taken it, but the prognosis is bad. The prof sent out an email assigning 45 pages of reading and a two-page paper due the first meeting of class. What's more, two of the three key perspectives on the country aren't even from the outside - they're from the Federalist papers and a modern pundit. Sigh.

All in all, I can't complain. The work gets done, I'm ahead of the class, and I still get plenty of time for fun. Life is grand.

Well, my Austin activities are interesting. While I'm finally getting some gaming on after close to two weeks in town (Halo's a pretty big thing in the Honors quad), what's more interesting and time consuming is the complete liberal brainwashing I'm getting. The other day, I learned that some friends of mine are big fans of Bowling for Columbine, and I got interested since I had heard so many good things about this movie. "It's not so much a movie about gun control," answered my new friend Robin to my assumption, "as it is about fear." And on the word "fear," everyone who had already seen the movie joined in in unison. "Well, good," I thought to myself, "I'm joining a cult. The Michael Moore cult. A cult welcome in Austin and hated in every other major city in the country." I still agreed to see the movie, assuming I'd get the same sort of wake-up call as everyone else and at least meet my hippie fate with open arms.

Thankfully, it wasn't a wake-up call. It had a lot of what I expected: a very convincing case for gun control backed by some convincing statistics (while Soph finds them one-sided, I find that Moore isn't the first to use such numbers: in fact, Bill Hicks had the exact same argument ten years ago and nobody listened to him while the numbers got worse). What I hadn't expected, though, was Moore's real point (and the source of the whole fear bit): Moore squarely blames the government and mass-media for inspiring a sense of fear in the people. And with Fry's selling gas masks and Washington recommending terrorism insurance, I find it hard to argue. I wouldn't have believed it until the Bush administration myself, but even Clinton followed the same pattern. One scene in the movie points out (but doesn't directly point a finger at a cover-up) that the day of Columbine was the day of the greatest number of bombings in the Kosovo military campaign - which notoriously hit civilian structures day in and day out.

And I realize why people think Moore's such an asshole: he's the single most confrontational man alive, hands down. The film finds Moore chasing down Dick Clark in order to ask him about welfare workers at a Dick Clark's American Bandstand restaurant in Flint, Michigan (which really wasn't necessary, as Moore already made a film on the subject). Next, he's at Charlton Heston's home harassing him about taking the NRA to hold pro-gun rallies in towns fallen victim to school shootings, where Heston simply gets up at one point and leaves. Finally, in the "Hey, ain't that cool" department, he brings the local press to K-Mart headquarters, asks for the CEO two days in a row, and ultimately succeeds in getting the store to stop selling 9mm ammunition - the ammo used in the TEC-9s owned by Harris and Klebold. And yeah, he's an annoying asshole about the things he does. And maybe K-Mart still sells ammo of different casings. But it's ultimately hard to argue that the man's doing bad things for the world we're in.

Now, to respond to Soph's rant on the movie:
-Yeah, Palestinians and Israelis die every day. But the reality of terrorism doesn't force them to stifle their culture - their underground Marilyn Manson wannabes aren't arrested and movies and video games aren't banned just because the terrorists play them. Moore's point isn't that death by violence is a bad thing - that's a fucking given - it's that in this country it causes mass hysteria every single time a tragedy occurs on our soil. You want increased national security to prevent those deaths? Great, but political theorists have *always* said since before the birth of this country that true security doesn't come at the cost of individual freedom.
-I agree entirely with the point that Dick Clark (and the government-subsidized workers at his restaurants) is completely unnecessary. Again, one of his first movies was about a town near Flint (or maybe it was Flint itself), home of the biggest GM plant until GM closed the plant. The movie covers the consequences for the town and for its people, and that complete sequence would have fit there. But harassing Heston is entertaining because he's such a gun nut - and the gun nuts are the reason guns are easy to come by in this country, hence increased chances of killings.

So, unless you're a gun nut, go watch the movie. Even if Moore's an asshole, it's comforting to hear Chris Rock propose that bullets should cost $5000 a piece. And if you are a gun nut, well, I'm wondering how in the hell you found this site to begin with.

OK, time to revisit the blog comment thing once more. YACCS has been down for a week and I assume it's going to be dead for good; if it comes back up again it won't last long. I'd install eNation but that system annoys me with its perpetual slowness - seriously, every time I post a comment to an eNation site it times out but the comment still gets posted. It's annoying. And no, I won't jump on the bandwagon and move to Movable Type, unless the UT webspace allows for scripting and database management (which is super doubtful). Anyone have any ideas?