Brainwaves of Sken

I found it fascinating and scary that each performance at Ren Fest this year ended with a comment about the economy.

As each performer ended their performance, they would say something like “We know how hard it is in today’s economy, but this is how we make our living, so if you enjoyed us, please drop a dollar or two in the hat”.

I did so, a few times, but it’s interesting how I hear that phrase more and more often of late. I think it says more about how people are worrying than direct numbers about the manufacturing sector’s problems.

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Just a reminder to folks, if you want to see a screening of Serenity on the big screen, it’s at 1pm today, Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. It’s for charity! And I’ll be there. ;)

Maybe we’ll get folks together afterward for coffee or whatevs.

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MIT student arrested at Logan airport with fake bomb

“Simpson was arrested around 8 a.m. at Logan International Airport … and was charged with disturbing the peace and possessing a hoax device. She was scheduled to be arraigned later today.”

Is that the entirety of the charge? I mean, I don’t mean to nitpick, because I think she was a fucking suicidal idiot, to be frank, but WTF is “a hoax device?”

It makes me think of the kid who was arrested for putting question-mark boxes around the city (a la Super Mario), and was told he’d be facing criminal charges. What, we can’t fuck around with our fellow man anymore? I mean, how am I supposed to know what counts as a simple joke that you might see on some japanese TV show, and what will get me arrested as being clearly a terrorist? Is it my fault if someone sees an L.E.D. figure I’ve put up in a public space and decides it needs to be blown up?

*sigh*

In other depressing news, I let the Comcast guy convince me to get 6 months of free digital cable at the same price I’m paying now to live without, with 1.99 installation. I did it mostly for the increase in internetting speed that happens when you combo. I’m going to go into my calendar right now and warn myself about that plan’s expiration.

Some of you might wonder why I’d consider that depressing. I’ve gone about ten years without having cable TV in my own place, and I’ve gotten a lot done in that time. I’m just hoping I don’t resort to it when I’m bored and miss out on other things.

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I find it hilarious that kitschikat and I have icons starring each other, and am bemused that people who have both of us on their list are going “WTF?!” right now.

I’ve been sending a link to this video to select friends via IM and LJ, this afternoon, and I thought that I might post it, too. It’s a very moving comment by the Mayor of San Diego about why he is reversing his original decision to veto a gay marriage amendment for his city.

He’s very frank and emotional about his reasons, and he’s stretching his political neck out by changing his mind. I hope some of my friends who’ve found themselves on the side of civil unions for gay people find their way to watching the video.

My own thoughts: I’m not at all against a religion choosing whether or not to vilify one thing or another; but if atheists can marry in the eyes of the government, so too should gay adults.

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I want marketers to stop lying to me.

I want to not be looking at a photo gallery that says “11 pictures” and have the eleventh picture be an ad. Put an ad below each picture, or push me into an ad before showing me the last one, but don’t give me wrong information.

I want to know the price of a vehicle for the average person. Not the A-plan price or the price with 10 grand down.

I want easy methods to opt out – contact numbers for paper and electronic ads that let me say “no” and not to be told it will take six weeks to remove me from their list when it takes one week to add me in. I don’t care if they’ve already printed it three weeks ago – do us all a favor and recycle it before it gets to me.

I want advertising that doesn’t use the obvious persuasion tactics of bandwagonism, jingoism, or sex. Unless the product’s actually sexual, of course.

… of course there’s more

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This is awesome.

I mean, seriously. I love the internet! Let me kiss it.

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Super Mario Galaxy

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Also, Mario – outdoors!

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Sometimes I’m relieved there is not an invisible camera following me throughout the day, recording things like my standing alone in the elevator, holding my post-lunch bowl aloft, making the “you have found a holy weapon!” sound from countless movies and video games. For no reason, other than it seemed like it needed to be done.

Do you ever do something, say something, or even just find your body positioned in such a way that somewhere in your head a voice says, “Suave people do NOT do this”?

Sometimes I’ll just be lying casually on the floor or something, and I’ll think, “The very position I am in is inherently goofy. I could move my arm about three inches, and it would suddenly be ‘cool’… but I think it’s too late for me.”

Unrelatedly, this image pretty much encapsulates the sort of day I’m having at work. Deonna, I blame you:
image

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bVa6jn4rpE
September 17th. At first, I was pretty skeptical of what I was going to see, but I felt the hair rise on my neck, the more I watched it.

He was clearly creating a disturbance, and (as clearly) Kerry was trying to answer his question. I’m not posting this because I, personally, need to express a political opinion on this. I’m posting it because, when the girl starts shouting (in concern) in the end, I wanted to shout with her.

Mostly, I look at this and wonder at the incompetence of the staff. From every standpoint, they did a pretty crappy job.

If you’d like to see other angles, there were plenty of cameras there – just go to the youtube video and look at “related”.

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