Barack Hussein Obama’s The Audacity of Hope – Part 3

This is the final part of my three part review of his book (here are parts one and two). Once again, it’s an enjoyable read. I agree with him that our army doesn’t need to worry too much about a ground troops invasion but instead we need to figure out how to fight splinter cells (I have a plan, but it involves an old CIA agent by the name of Fisher).

The last part that I will discuss hits close to home for more reasons than just because I’m a public school teacher (but, just like Obama, I must admit that that will color my discussion).

Education = Opportunity

Obama recites an American mantra, that people can succeed in the United States if they have the proper education. He abhors the fact that college loan interest rates are going up. He also can’t stand the fact that a Maytag factory he visited laid off hundreds of workers but then when those workers tried to get more of an education, Maytag offered them a job again. If they took the job, they couldn’t finish the training. If they rejected the job, it negated their ability to qualify for the training.

These are all things that I think need to be changed. I agree with Obama.

To save the consumer money, he also suggests alternative fuel research (I am also a big fan).

…[W]e should end every single tax break the industry currently receives and demand that 1 percent of the oil companies with over $1 billion in quarterly profits go toward financing alternative energy research and the necessary infrastructure.

Once again it’s a government infringement on someone’s rights (I can almost guarantee the CEO of an oil company is probably not going to say, “You’re right! I should make less money and invest more into research that will put me out of business.” A government imposition of beliefs, much like the criticism of abortion legislation.)

Education. Science and technology. Energy. Investments in these three key areas would go a long way in making America more competitive.

And money towards apple pie.

It also means paying teachers what they’re worth. There’s no reason why an experienced, highly qualified, and effective teacher shouldn’t earn $100,000 annually at the peak of his or her career. Highly skilled teachers in such critical fields as math and science – as well as those willing to teach in the toughest urban schools – should be paid even more.

I will be ticked if science teachers make more than English teachers. (Once again, Ray Bradbury and the turning in the grave.) I graduated with credits in Calculus II and Calculus-based Physics I & II, as well as University Chemistry and Software Techniques, Intro to Programming, and a whole slew of labs. I thought about becoming a Physical Sciences high school teacher. For about a day. And then I realized that the teachers that I had the best connection with were my English teachers (although my high school Physics and Chemistry teachers were Greek demi-gods (actually, one was a Highlander)).

I went into English because that was how I could impact students’ lives the way I saw best. Would I be steered away when I could have made more money with science?
All veteran teachers making $100,000? I’m down with that. But then he talks about teacher accountability. That’s great! I actually think that No Child Left Behind has gotten more teachers thinking about common standards, common skills, that students leave the classroom with. Having test accountability also means that you can’t just stick the ELL student in the corner with a coloring page (I have seen it, but I won’t say where).

…[M]ost teachers can tell you with amazing consistency which teachers in their schools are really good, and which are really bad.

Wow. My first year teaching at the junior high level was met with raised eyebrows at best. All the faculty knew was that I didn’t have students in rows the whole time and that students read out loud, even though students aren’t good at reading out loud. (Perhaps they need, oh, this is a longshot…practice?) That was my first year. My fourth year I was the district Teacher of the Year. I know that I grew as a teacher, but I don’t think that I was too different of a teacher. People’s perspective and understanding of teaching switched.

But that first year, if we were under Obama’s style of payment, I would have been short-changed the peer evaluation money. Also, when you connect practice to money, teachers are tempted to teach to impress and not necessarily take risks in instructional strategies.

teachers can tell you with amazing consistency

Great. Salem 1692. Or was it the Jacobins? Who do you try to impress to save yourself? Who is whispering about who? Teachers gossip (which, I assume, other workers do). Teachers teach with differing personalities/styles that can still meet the standards. Do we have the parents grade you? Are they the educational/state standards experts?

Because I see it day in and day out, I believe that it would require many things about public education to be reformed to work.

Barack Hussein Obama’s The Audacity of Hope – Part 2

He really does seem like a guy that you could get along with. He recalls a story of when a campaign opponent sent a stalker named Justin to videotape his every move and conversation, including cell phone conversations with his family and when he went into the bathroom. Obama asked him his name and if he was supposed to be always within 5 feet of the candidate. The paid stalker just handed over his phone to Obama and they got nowhere. Finally Obama walked into a press conference about to start and said, “Hey everybody. This is Justin. He’s stalking me.” Then the voyeur was voyeured, staring like “a prisoner of war” at all of the cameras now pointed at him.

Another story that he tells is of how he was going to try to re-enjoy the bachelor life in his D.C. apartment while his family stayed in Illinois. He admitted that he had become so domesticated that he had forgotten to buy a shower curtain. His first morning on Capitol Hill he was showering huddled in a corner hoping to not flood his bathroom.

He seems like a decent enough guy because he wants to see every side to a decision, but that may be his downfall. Within a page of where he describes how the pragmatism and success of the Union has been based on no absolutes, he also says this:

Knowing this, I can’t summarily dismiss those possessed of similar certainty today – the antiabortion activist who pickets my townhall meeting, or the animal rights activist who raids a laboratory – no matter how deeply I disagree with their views, I am robbed even of the certainty of uncertainty – for sometimes absolute truths may well be absolute.

He keeps coming back to the topic of abortion throughout the book, which sadly usually shuts down the conversation for most listeners. I think it’s great to see both sides, but sometimes Obama sounds like my students (“Well, both sides are good! Let’s do both!”) or like me trying to decide on Wii Degree or Mario Strikers. Sometimes decisions do have to get made. Obama makes it clear that he is very in-tune with peoples’ freedom. While he lauds the government for infringing the personal rights of slaveholders or invading a company with environmental regulations, he does not believe a woman’s choice should be infringed. I support both the removal of slavery and requiring companies to not toxify my water, but I’m quite sure that there were some slaveholders that didn’t view slaves as humans and that there are some corporations that think human desires outweigh the Earth. When do we choose to infringe and when do we hold back? Decisions do get made.

But the broader issue here is: Do women have the right to make these profoundly difficult decisions? And I trust them to do it. There is a broader issue: Can we move past some of the debates around which we disagree and can we start talking about the things we do agree on? Reducing teen pregnancy; making it less likely for women to find themselves in these circumstances.

Can’t the corporations make decisions of their own in good conscience about where we all live? Won’t school board members want to racially/economically integrate their schools naturally? Sometimes intervention is necessary. But yes I do agree with him when he says that there are things that we can agree on, like preventing teen pregnancy as a shared goal. How we reach that goal is where the divide happens. But it is good to try and get past extremes, to listen to each other, and see where we can work together. (Even if he does clump the NRA and the National Right to Life together.)
It’s interesting that he still thinks of children not yet born when he says we have an “obligation to children not yet born whom we are saddling with debt.”

Another thing that made me think was his comparison to Scripture (he uses the word “Scripture”) to the Constitution. I think I get what he was saying that we can read the journals and reflections of the Founding Fathers, but I do not agree with him that to understand “Timothy and Luke” (his choices) we would need an intermediary. (By the way: people ask about his background and his religion in Yahoo! Answers all the time, but the answers are actually pretty easy to find. He lists himself as black but his mom is white and his dad is black. He also lists himself as a member of the United Church of Christ. He was born in Hawaii but spent his early years in the 60s in Indonesia.)

I think it should be mentioned that Carter, Ford, Ferraro, and McCain (you know, the guy running for president) put together Project Vote Smart. Pretty cool stuff.

This quote from Obama (since I can’t hate the guy) is funny:

Few people end up being United States senators by accident; at a minimum, it requires a certain megalomania, a belief that of all the gifted people in your state, you somehow are uniquely qualified to speak on their behalf…

I wish more senators would admit to their megalomania. At least Luthor has come to grips with his Metropolis/world domination.

The Haiku:

Complaining always

Re-electing the rascals

Ninety-six percent

As much as we hate politicians, we hate change even more.

Slash in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

Joining the ranks of Bowser, Sephiroth, and a giant nuclear battlesuit, Slash from Guns n’ Roses will be a boss to thrash against in Guitar Hero III. “Sweet Child of Mine” will be in the game as well as “Knights of Cydonia” by Muse.

That…is…awesome!

The Haiku:

Rock out against Slash
In the cold November rain

But you’re still a dork

Also in nerd news: 

There’s also a really cool icon tutorial for Photoshop here.

New Picture Up At 1-18-08.com and ABZ-3293 explained in connection to J.J. Abrams the Bad Robot’s Film

Cloverfield Monster

This is much cooler than translating Sanskrit from EthanHaasWasRight/Wrong/LactoseIntolerant.

1-18-08 J. J. Abrams

There is a new picture on J.J. Abrams’ site from the “Cloverfield” trailer/movie. It’s progressing through the night/morning. A story in Flash photos. Woo-Hoo! Now we’ve got four people, the majority screaming, “Godzilla!” (just kidding) but one staring back at the fire (looks to be taking a picture or videotaping…atta boy! Do it for the YouTube!). And then the usual mass of crazy crowd.

Pretty intriguing, actually. I’m wondering, with just the head of the Statue of Liberty flying towards the crowd, if it’s not a sea monster but something taller. Grabbed the head off and threw it, bent up the crown a little bit.

Alls I know is that without Will Smith we’re messed up.
It also looks like Rob from the trailer is more stressed than panicked.

1-18-08 Rob's Stressed About Japan
Good job to Dave’s Movie Corner for picking up on the Japanese business going away party. Maybe Rob was off by a day?

And what about ABZ-3293? Simple. Kali hates SUVs.

E3 Horror Story – WiiFit and the new Star Wars Game

Before I begin…a search on Galaxies brought up Galaxy Zoo, a place where astronomers need your help classifying astronomy stuff. It’s like Mahalo, but now the monkeys have black monoliths.
Push-ups? Argh! My stomach just got in knots. If there’s one thing that I have learned with the Wii, it is producing more and more games that I am not the best in the family at. I used to be able to ride my wave of experience, only being challenged occasionally by my brother (unless it’s a first-person shooter, where he reigns supreme (sUpr33m, I guess)).

But with the cool revelations at E3, I may have to gather up more courage to play around my friends. The balance board, the coolest peripheral I have seen, has a scale function in addition to a BMI calculator. Because that’s what video game players need, a program to diagram body weight and body fat.

But push-ups? My 3 year-old will school me!

WiiFit Push-ups
There’s a soccer head-butt game, too. This is in addition to a gun holder to align your nunchuck and wiimote into a gun mold. Should be pretty cool to use on Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. In the game, it seems like Samus will fight her dark side, much like Spider-Man and Venom. I learned way back when when the first Starfox was announced that sometimes cool 3D games look horrible when photographed. The Arwings looked like a bunch of triangles (which, frankly they were) and, compared to beautiful 2D pixels of Final Fantasy, why should anyone use this new 3D technology? But when you sat down to play the game, sweetness ensued.

The new Mario-Kart looks more like a Crash Racing game than one with turtle shells.You’re supposed to be able to play online. That’s what I’m looking forward to in Mario Strikers.
But a steering wheel? How many peripherals do you need? How much white plastic can a house hold? (Especially for Mac fanatics.) I’m assuming this will use the tilting of the controller like Super Paper Mario.
Bee Mario

Bee Suit Mario

Zipping around from planet to planet, galaxy to galaxy, is Mario in Mario Galaxy. And, in the great tradition of raccoon tails, frog suits, and stone statues, Mario gets to dress up as a relative to Bumble Bee Man from The Simpsons (Spider-pig, Spider-pig). I’m getting more of the humor in Mario. Crazy plumber.

“Check Mii Out” sounds intriguing. You put your Miis up for a vote against the world. (Like a “Hot or Not”, but with rounder heads and more elevator music) I love the voting channel already (I went 10/10 on predicting the world’s voting trends, and then the aliens came (seriously)), but this is why I created the Booyor Mii. Online vs. offline presence. It’ll be even more interesting as the kids get older.

And the classic:

Star Wars

I will sit back now and stare at my screen.

Here’s a Yahoo! Exclusive video of Force Unleashed. All the extreme Force powers without any of the moral obligation. The power to bring down a Star Destroyer and strip a TIE is no match to a mind trick…I guess.

Another Controversial Presidential Talk

Here’s is the entirety of the speech. The bold emphasis is mine.

…[W]e observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom—symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning—signifying renewal, as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago. 1
The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe—the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God. 2
We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans—born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage—and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. 3
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty. 4
This much we pledge—and more. 5
To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do—for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder. 6
To those new States whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom—and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside. 7
To those peoples in the huts and villages across the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required—not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. 8
To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge—to convert our good words into good deeds—in a new alliance for progress—to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers. Let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house. 9
To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support—to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective—to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak—and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run. 10
Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction. 11
We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed. 12
But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course—both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankind’s final war. 13
So let us begin anew—remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate. 14
Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us. 15
Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms—and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations. 16
Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce. 17
Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah—to “undo the heavy burdens … and to let the oppressed go free.” 18
And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved. 19
All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin. 20
In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than in mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe. 21
Now the trumpet summons us again—not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are—but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation”—a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself. 22
Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort? 23
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it—and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. 24
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. 25
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. 26
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.

John F. Kennedy, Friday, January 20, 1961

I find it interesting that this may have been criticized by modern Democrats and Republicans depending on whose mouth it came out of in modern day. I would not consider myself a Barack Hussein Obama voter, but I am enjoying his book, Audacity of Hope. In it he says that at our core, Americans share similar values boiled down. But when people get into the political arena, they have to be the extreme. You must either be big government or big business, you can’t base your decision on what you think of the situation but instead what the TV audience is cheering for. There are some more interesting thoughts that I’ll put in a part 2 review (since I already put up part 1).

And now for today’s haiku:

The Republicans

and the Democrats must learn

that we are jaded.

My Hot Picture was featured on MySpace

My Band

Me

You may have seen this in a message from Tom.

Actually, that’s not me. But it sure looks like me. So I sent a message in myspace form:

Hope you do well in the fuse contest, since your midriff guy in Tom’s bulletin looks like me.
Good luck, dopplegangers. (And nice cardboard instruments. Very edgy.)

I think it’s supportive. We’ll see if they reply.

Ethan Haas, 1-18-08 J.J. Abrams Insider about Mysterious Trailer

This is supposed to be a scoop:

“I’m working on this shoot, and even we don’t know what it is. Here is what we DO know however:

1) “some” inside source said something about us being on 6th/Main st in downtown LA, true; However, we did not do anything on a fire escape 8 floors up. Everything was shot street level… and nothing on any fire escape.

2) **edited out as it may expose “me” too much**

3) On a take in the scene you all saw (the trailer) at + 30 seconds after impact movie time, just a couple of us were told by Mr Reeves that we are seeing a giant foot stomp down (this is at the point where the tower explodes). Not Godzilla, but it is interesting…

4) Will the Military be firing? One of the Hummers in the downtown shoot had a 50cal mounted on the roof and the gunner was aiming up into the air down the block. He kept swiveling a bit here and there (as directed to do so), but if he is supposed to be firing, it will have to be CGI’d in later as not even blanks were being used. Not pertinent, but perhaps somewhere in the future of this, it will provide a better clue for us to solve this enigma.

It’s taken from trailerspy so it would be kinda fun if it really was someone from the shoot. All I know is that there is a lot of hype/buzz going around.

I am Adam, a fan of fuzzy underwear and haikus

The Wal-Mart in your area (so maybe your area) has a deal for a Best of Season 1&2 DVD set for He-Man (who, as some may know, hangs out with people who think they “master” the “universe”). Now when I first saw that TV shows were going to be on DVD (Friends and Simpsons making it popular) I wondered how long it would take for Masters of the Universe to hit the shelves. After watching the final episode of Thundercats online, I was a little suspicious. (I never knew how much Snarf was punchable…)

My childhood/geek obsessions were being sold back to me for extreme prices. To get all of season 1 would take volume 1 and volume 2 purchases. At first listing that was $49 + $49. Instead of $100, a full season “only” costs $60-ish dollars. (At Wal-Mart you can also buy a date.)
This weekend I found the “Best of” DVD set in the $5 bin at Wal-Mart.

Sweet.

Now I have to decide whether to watch it with my daughter or not. I didn’t have to worry too much about “Spirits of Evil, I am Mum-Ra the EVER-LIVING!!! Muahaha!” (although Mum-Ra’s the bad guy, so he’s cool calling on spirits of evil).

My biggest concern is the fact that my childhood hero has a distinct lack of pants.

The dude walks around in fur boots, furry underwear, and a bandolier. If I were to walk in Wal-Mart (okay, Wal-Mart doesn’t count) Target like that, the security guard would arrest me.

I love this show, though. In the first episode that the fans voted for, “Evilseed”, giant vines are taking over Eternia. He-man thinks Skeletor is responsible for it; Skeletor thinks He-Man has done something. Let’s listen in:

Skeletor: He-Man! What manner of sorcery comes from Castle Greyskull this day?! [I forgot how high-pitched his voice was]

He-Man: Suppose you start off by telling me what you’ve done with the plants and then what you’ve done with Queen Marlena and then [He gets easily excitable]

Skeletor: Back up, muscle boy. I want to know what you’ve done to the plants. [He may mean 'pants']
He-Man: Me?

Skeletor: Yes because they’re bugging the big bones out of me. Did you see that? The stuff’s all over the place! [He points his thumb over his shoulder like he's about to say, "Hey, I got 'dis friggin' weed problem over here."]

They are able to work out their differences. (I don’t want to give out any spoilers, but they work out a nICE solution.)

I had forgotten this stuff: He-Man sits with his legs crossed, Orko is quite Elmo-ish (and solves the same purpose), the He-Man logo is very jarring between scenes, Teela and Evil-Lynn not only have the same taste for ram’s horn intimate apparel but they have the same cheekbones and forehead, He-Man and Man-at-Arms save a gnome from a runaway flooded house but only He-Man gets thanked, Orko talks with his stomach while Skeletor’s epaulets flap up and down with his emotions (as well as a bone face that can frown and look shocked), and there are a couple of times where both people are looking away from the camera so all that is animated is their hair.

Teela: Evil-Lynn, stop babbling!

Man-At-Arms: I think we should all be quiet…[I don't think he's having a good dad day]

All of that said and done, I think that for $5 you can’t beat it. It’s a great show (Teela lectures us at the end about what we’ve learned) that still stands up since 1983. (I am officially old.)

With the DVD set you’ll get 10 episodes and a 70 minute He-Man documentary (a “man-umentary”, if you will). It will help you to forget that he ever was a space pirate with a ponytail. Come on, I can’t be the only one to try watching that show, right?

Here’s some fun facts from Wikipedia:

Near the end of the Mattel product conference where the He-Man Trio was first shown by Sweet alone, Ray Wagner pointed to the three He-Man figures and said, “Those have the power”.

He first showed up in a DC Comic before his animated show came out. Much more Conan-esque:

Holy Eternia

Though his origin is mysterious, and the cartoon describes him only as a “demon from another dimension,” a tie-in comic implies that Skeletor’s true identity is Prince Keldor, younger brother of King Randor, thus making him He-Man’s uncle. It is revealed in the He-Man motion picture He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword that Skeletor was Hordak’s right-hand man up until his capture, and supposed release.

I…actually went to see that movie in the theater when it first came out.

And now, the haiku:

I still believe that

By the power of Grayskull

Pants are essential

Another Futile Ohm Favorite – as a Haiku

Uncov lets me know
That teh catz beat teh boxorz
off teh Mahalo

Chained monkeys forced to write have never come up with anything good, even if they’re from Hawaii. Mahalo has to be one of the craziest set-ups for information, part wiki and part Google.
Something good that was inspired by Mahalo. The typing monkeys brought me to a voter record kept by the Washington Post. I wanted to be a little more objective, so I then googled the Vote Smart Project. I liked uncov’s use of graphs. As you can tell by the hypemonster, graphs are ALWAYS good.

Update: I forgot to add some HD news. If you want to experience the best in HD-DVD experience, try out Happy Feet. I haven’t tried it, but if there’s anything the Ohm knows it’s picture quality and flightless birds.

Face of Cloverfield, 1-18-08 Monster Revealed

Check out the crazy new footage and website!

Cloverfield Monster
In a stunning move, Paramount has decided to release a screen still from on the set of J.J. Abrams’ new film.

Here it is:

1-18-08 Monster

“I will take over the world, and the fires of many ages will be rendered smooth.”
It’s kinda blurry, but you can kind of make out some type of gray sweater and smarmy look. It is said that the monster will “rampage” the “Big Apple”.

Here is a scientific analysis of the hypemonster. We’ll use BlogPulse!

More people were talking about the iPhone than Mitt Romney, but 1-18-08 still had more hype.

You’ll notice in this next graph that more people care about their family than the Iraq War, but more people still value 1-18-08 over their families.

In fact, more people value 1-18-08 than love and life itself combined:

Cloverfield, 1-18-08, and how J.J. Abrams is a bad robot

If you haven’t seen my other posts, check those to make more sense of the spoilers.

If you’ve read anything about it on my site, you know that I find Lost intriguing but that I wish it had more Heroes quality to it. J. J. Abrams copies stuff. Plain and simple. At least Heroes makes nods to their sources and their geek audience (the NCC-1701 on George Takei’s license plate).

I am interested in 1-18-08, especially since it sounds more like gods at war instead of a Godzilla clone. But the EthanHaasWasRight site is a huge rip-off. Yes, I’ve seen Myst. Everything rips off Myst. Check out Ocular Effect. Notice anything similar? This was used to promote another ABC show, Fallen. Now I’m not as impressed. Sure the site is set up well, but Ocular Effect did it a year ago. This rumored funky Slusho site looks very much like the Hanso candy bars from Lost. I just think Abrams is obsessed with things named “Dharma”.
And those secret movies? Majestic-12 or Command and Conquer. (I think it’s forgiveable to copy Blair Witch to try that technique again.)

Paramount actually released the trailer on Apple. At least they’re not trying to stop the Tube of You (or YouTubes).

Update: I had already read that Ain’t it Cool reported the other sites as fake. I don’t know the people there, so I don’t know for sure. Here’s my guess. They’re having some fun, putting their own little chase into the hypemonster to get people to Google naughty words. If they got a letter/e-mail from J.J. Abrams, then cool! Congrats folks on a site that has grabbed the attention of a big-time director. But what better way to build intrigue than for official sites to look unofficial? This is the allure of viral marketing. Does anyone remember when Sony paid people to graffiti how much they loved their PSPs? It’s much cooler to have unofficial unions, to be a part of a secret group, than to be a part of a commercialized fan club. Everyone wants to belong to something special, and the marketing firms are making money off of your God-created desires.

1-18-08 is making their own browncoats without having to create a season worth of genius episodes (like the train robbery…man, Jayne’s hat rocks!).

And by the way…did you hear how there’s now a picture of the monster from 1-18-08? It’s quite unofficial, though.

Will I watch the movie? It still looks like fun.

Barack Obama’s The Audacity of Hope – Part 1

How can you be a Republican? You love people.

Ah, the great college paradox I was. I was asked that question by a good friend my senior year in college. She had seen me care for kids in an after-school program in inner city L.A. She had been in my group of friends that took a homeless guy out for coffee and egg McMuffins. I had hopefully been seen as someone that was not judging/shunning and really wanted her to return to fellowship with Jesus and other believers.
But how could I still have a soul and be Republican?

It’s like the bumper sticker that I see at the public library every time I go:

Republicans for Voldemort for President

Although, to be honest, I think Palpatine shows promise as a guy who can organize people and get things done.

So I must admit that I might need to hide the fact that I’ve read Obama’s book from certain people (make that: “Discretion would suggest that…” but sometimes I’m not one for getting caught up in discretion).

The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama is great (sorta). I think it’s wonderful that a senator and presidential hopeful wrote a book by himself (or at least no one wants to take credit for ghost writing). He has been a law professor, after all. I think of the president in The Simpsons movie:

Aide: We’ve broken it down into five options

President: You elected me to do, not to read.

I can get behind an author president.

But here’s my issue with the book. I checked it out to get some background information about the guy without any soundbites or video clips with the CNN Halo super-imposed on Obama’s head. I wanted to see what his ideas were (of course when you write letters to a girl you can present yourself as a lot better candidate than if you have to live in a dating relationship and work out everyday issues). He is up-front in the prologue:

I am a Democrat, after all; my views on most topics correspond more closely to the editorial pages of the New York Times than those of the Wall Street Journal.

Okay, so he’s up front with his biases. I’m cool with that. But here’s the issue:

And for eight years in the Illinois legislature, I had gotten some taste of how the game had come to be played. By the time I arrived in Springfield in 1997, the Illinois Senate’s Republican majority had adopted the same rules that Speaker Gingrich was then using to maintain absolute control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Without the capacity to get even the most moderate amendment debated, much less passed, Democrats would shout and holler and fulminate, and then stand by helplessly as Republicans passed large corporate tax breaks, stuck it to labor, or slashed social services.

He is writing as a defender of the “common American”. He talks about how politicians, as well as our whole system, now are counterproductive. He cites examples where all of the big senators have gone home to lobby for the day while a Mr.Smith-esque senator presents a bill or movement to an audience of the transcriptionist and the “unblinking eye of C-SPAN”.

The issue is that while he is trying to explain how both sides have been hurt by politics (he recalls when the Florida chad crisis happened that, when he voted to keep the results of the election and have George Bush stay president, he received angry letters and phone calls from Democrats) he leaves an inference that during the major problems that he describes, the Republicans have been at the heart of the breakdown.

Yes, he is a Democrat author. I understand that. But what would be even better author integrity would be that, since he cites Limbaugh and Hannity as heavily influencing politics, to also site some Democrats that have a voice. Do Stewart, Maher and Moore stir up some unnecessary trouble from time to time? He names Republicans but does not name from his own party. For someone who wants to break away from political games, he’s sure playing it pretty well.

All that said, I am enjoying the book. It reads very well. He doesn’t have footnotes citing his sources, like A History of the American People (GREAT book) does, but he does make it clear that Audacity of Hope is a collection of conversations that he had during his campaign life.

I haven’t found a copy of Ron Paul’s Challenge to Liberty yet. I’m trying to get to know candidates by their ideas and not by their marketing. It may be tough, but worth the effort. It makes it even tougher when books are out of print. Here’s the Ron Paul library and here are some articles.

And here is why I think this 2008 campaign is freaking hilarious:

Hello Booyor, Lord of Ghost Meadow

Elect Ron Paul has invited you to join Ultimate Ron Paul Fanatic Group on MySpace.
MySpace Groups allow users to communicate on message boards, share pictures, journals and network.
You may accept or deny this invitation below:

And we all have visited Fred Thompson’s library. “How to Keep Your Airport Safe on Christmas while a Dictator is being Transported” and “How to Intimidate a Witness in Court with your Eyebrows” are always checked out.

Oh, I guess the Internet is cool now for politicians. It dawned on me when I saw the “Transform your Ride” commercials from GM that I am now in the target demographic for middle class ads. I was watching the commercial thinking “Why would my dad want a robot car?” but then realized that I am supposed to have more buying power/desire for credit debt (even though I am a teacher).

Free Will, Samwise, and a Board to the Head

Evan Almighty’s wife goes through some personal doubts and runs off to a restaurant, where Morgan Freeman as God shows up as a server. He starts listing off things that people pray for, like courage and patience. He then asks the big question: which is better, to be made courageous or to be given opportunities to show courage? Should we be automatically patient robots or should we learn to love through patience? (And seeing how people and God have been patient with us.)

Grandpa Bob described it as two friends. One guy is canoing through a winding valley river. He is about to approach rapids around the bend, but he can’t see around the twisty corner. He had gone camping with a friend. The friend is at a ranger’s station at the top of one of the mountains with a cellphone. To the guy in the canoe, the future is around the winding river corner. To the friend on the mountain, the entire perspective of the river is in view. That is his present time. The mountaintop friend can call his canoing buddy who’s about to hit serious rapids. It’s up to the canoing guy, who’s oblivious to the nature of his river route, whether or not he listens to his friend. Free will comes in when we have to choose to answer and listen to the call. It’s interesting that in Evan Almighty he says that he hears from God and everyone gives this big gasp and then a murmuring wave of comments happens.

The lesson of following the call (or not listening) is demonstrated in Evan Almighty many times by boards hitting him in the head while he’s trying to build the ark. The issue with free will is that you can’t control people. That’s tough for humans.
Someone shared recently that she can’t lift people’s burdens and it feels like failure to her. She then compared it to The Return of the King (okay, so it was my wife’s mom…very cool family!) when Frodo is struggling up Mount Doom with Sam. When Frodo is near death, Sam yells out,”I can’t carry your burden, but I can carry you.”

I love the Return of the King movie and book (hey, I should name a kid after a character!) because The Ring totally looks like sin. It’s partly in Frodo’s heart but it also has a will of its own. People kept asking Tolkien if the ring represented the atomic bomb and how it’s tough to bear and control. Tolkien responded that the ring was the desires behind wanting to control the bomb, that the ring was much bigger than one single event.

Some critics suggested that The Lord of the Rings was an allegory and protest of atomic power and the dangers inherent in nuclear warfare. Tolkien emphatically denied this, saying that the story (which predated the nuclear age) was not about atomic power, but power exerted for domination. In his view nuclear physics could be used for domination, but it should not be used at all, and he further emphasized that the story was really about Death and Immortality. But he was stunned and outraged when he learned of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. He called the scientists who developed the bomb lunatic physicists and raged that it was idiocy to “consent to do such work for war-purposes, calmly plotting the destruction of the world!” (Carpenter 2000b, p. 116).

In the same way that we can help carry burdens but we can’t fully take them without being hurt ourselves, it’s like the guys who helped their paralyzed friend get to Jesus.

18Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
20When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

21The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

We can’t control the people and take power for ourselves. The call is not to fix people but to disciple them.

You’ll find I’m full of surprises.

And that doesn’t just apply to Jedi with father issues who make out with their sisters.

I thought this quote from Yahoo! was funny:

Meanwhile, and almost unbelievably, the Wii shortages that made headlines last holiday season continue in many areas of the country. Media outlets six months ago confidently predicted the PS3 would be the one with lasting availability problems, while the Wii was supposed to be in ample supply by January. No end is in sight, either; Nintendo marketing veep Perrin Kaplan said last week she expects this situation to continue for “some time.”

They actually do sell out, the Wii shortages are not a Nintendo ploy. Trust me. I’ve done the research.  Their “State of Nintendo” interview with the communications director is pretty cool.

They’re talking about this on the same day the PS3 gets released for $499 (or the same price as before if you want 80GB instead of 60). There are still other things that you could buy for $500.

I rented Super Paper Mario. I’ll have to review it this week; it’s like Flatland but with more moustaches.

Today’s Haiku:

At 7-50

Per gigabyte, it’s helpful

if you don’t buy games