_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Alexander
-
Posts
3,380 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Donations
0.00 USD
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Everything posted by Alexander
-
I may not be David Foster Wallace. I may not be Spalding Gray. I may not be Hunter S. Thompson. But I am still alive. #Not Killing Yourself
-
Dear People Who Post Bitchy, Passive-Agressive Complaints Aimed At Groups Who Annoy Them: You suck. Seriously.
-
Christopher Hitchens has left us
Alexander replied to Christiern's topic in Miscellaneous - Non-Political
Right on God, wrong on Iraq. Hitch...one of the great minds of our times. RIP. I'll be joining him, re: drinking and smoking (I'm a whiskey man who smokes a pipe and an occasional cigar). Honestly, if you don't enjoy yourself, what's the point? I'd rather be dead at 65 having had a good time than alive at 90 regretting what I didn't do... -
Just finished performing an impromptu set with Kat Koppett, Michael Burns, and Peter Delocis (fellow MopCo members, all) at the TEDx Conference in Albany, NY. First, props to Michael for inventing a format on the spot for us to attempt. Second, I need to explore why my improv becomes so goddammed stilted whenever a microphone is involved! Woo hoo!
-
"Don't you hate being dead? I know I do. It's so boring. It's like waiting in line at the DMV. Why can't they just open another line? I can see people walking around back there, behind the glass. "And why doesn't somebody do something about the meaninglessness of existence? I mean, I've spend literally decades complaining about the little annoyances of everyday life, and what do I have to show for it? It just doesn't seem fair, somehow. "You know what else I hate? Pennies. You alw...
-
Remember, remember the Fifth of November...the Gun Powder Treason and Plot. I know of no reason the Gun Powder Treason should ever be forgot.
-
"November has tied me to an old, dead tree...Get word to April to rescue me..." - Tom Waits
-
Apparently, Steve Jobs' ashes will be mixed with silicone and used to make the processors for 1,000 random iPhone 4S's. You'll be able to tell which ones are him, though. They'll be the ones wearing the black turtlenecks...
-
What do you think would happen if every single person who owes Citigroup money refused to pay their bills? Exactly. Join the Black Friday Revolution. You have the power. All we have do is withhold our money, and we can change the world. It's time to get the moneylenders out of the temple...
-
You know what? The more I think about it, fuck Steve Jobs. What did he do? Made more expensive crap that people can want but don't really need. More things to make white people jizz their pants and show the other white people how superior they are. "I've got the new iTem! It's sleek and shiney! For the next six months (until the new model comes out), I'm better than you! Gaze upon my ability to afford stuff! Better stuff than you!" What else can we thank ol' Steve-o for? How about the fact that we're all at the office 24/7? Yes, thanks to the iPhone and the iPad, you can be connected and productive, even at home! So get back to work! I want everything now! My expectations are now increased a hundredfold! No, a THOUSANDFOLD! I want your report on my desktop yesterday! Why can't I have everything yesterday? Hasn't Apple put out an iTimemachine yet? But who cares if we work more hours for less pay, benefits, and vacation time than every other industrialized nation? We have a sleek, shiney gadget, courtesy of Steve Jobs. Speaking of Jobs, have you noticed that this is the most the word "Jobs" has been used by the media in over three years? Funny...I thought that it was a different kind of "Jobs" that Americans needed. Maybe if all those long-term unemployed put on black turtlenecks and started standing in front of PowerPoint presentations, we'd have paid them more attenton...
-
I'm not unemployed. Haven't been in over a year. I've been working with Autistic kids for over a year. I was going to say that Chris was right; that my assessment of Jobs' life and career was overly simplistic and largely informed by the fact that I'm a contrary bastard. But you know what? This is just another rich fuck who died. And America loves rich fucks like Steve Jobs. They love him because it confirms their belief in the Horatio Alger myth. That any kid with gumption, moxie and a good idea can strike it rich. Well, they can't. And they won't. You'll never be rich or famous. Steve Jobs didn't get where he was because he was smart or talented. He was lucky. He was in the right place at the right time and got noticed by the right people. He made some good desicions once he was already well in the game, but it's not too hard to take a risk when you've got plenty of capital to fall back on in case you're wrong. Like almost everyone who changed the world, Steve Jobs was a lucky bastard. A one in ten million shot. And I'd personally really appreciate it if people stopped admiring and emulating these lucky bastards. Look to the real heroes; the single mother who works two jobs to feed her kids; the public servant who endures miles of red tape and a hostile public, but still does his best to serve those less fortunate; and, yes, the underpaid teacher who struggles to educate your childen, while meeting resistance from all sides. There's more nobility in the work of a waitress than in a hundred Steve Jobs'. Written, incidentally, on my Android. Never had any use for any Apple product or their smug users...
-
Yeah, I feel like a wet blanket. I mean, I'm sorry that a man died. Especially of pancreatic cancer. That sucks. It sucks for his friends and family. And I certainly acknowledge that by founding Apple he has had a massive impact. But let's be serious for a second. Did he invent the Apple Computer? No. That was Steve Wozniak. He designed and built the circuit boards that made the Apple possible. Did he invent the Mac and its OS? No. Like Bill Gates, he swiped most of the game changing innovations of the Mac (the GUI, the mouse) from the engineers at Xerox PARC. Jobs actually did such a poor job steering Apple through the initial PC revolution that Apple FIRED HIM. What Jobs did, brilliantly, was invest in people with good ideas. He invested in Pixar. And once Apple reinstated him, he had the good sense to hire and promote the people who actually designed the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad. This doesn't mean he didn't make an impact. But he didn't invent anything. So, up there with Edison? Um...no. Not really.
-
Andy Rooney is retiring from 60 Minutes
Alexander replied to GA Russell's topic in Miscellaneous - Non-Political
Don't you hate when Andy Rooney retires? I know I do. You know what else I hate? Record unemployment. That just ruins my day. Doesn't anybody remember World War II? Everybody pulled together then. They should do that now. -
Just to be clear: I think streaming is going to replace DVD rentals, but that DVDs for sale (or BluRay, or whatever format comes next) will undoubtedly continue, precisely because the people who want to own movies want to see the extras. What I think streaming is going to do away with is broadcast television (including cable).
-
I'm watching the first episode of "Sherlock," an absolutely BRILLIANT 21st century update of "Sherlock Holmes," a recent BBC series created by two "Dr. Who" writers. "Tim" from the British version of "The Office" is an incredible Dr. Watson!
-
I honestly do not understand the complaints about the streaming choices on Netflix. I have over 350 items in my streaming queue. They have TONS of wonderful foreign films, lots of classic Hollywood, TV series that I wouldn't see otherwise (as I don't currently have cable or even regular broadcast television), lots and lots of documentaries... I'm not saying they couldn't offer more. I'm sure they don't because of licensing issues with the content providers. The problems that Netflix is having, by the way, come from the fact that they are (as were the video stores that Netflix replaced) a middle man, and the streaming techology is so cheap that content providers can bypass the middle men and get straight to the consumer. One way Netflix could combat this would be to start providing original content of their own. This is essentially the same thing that basic cable networks had to do: For a long time basic cable channels like AMC and TNT showed nothing but movies and reruns. Over time, they were forced to create their own original content in order to stay in the game. I see a future where traditional commerical and even cable TV will be a thing of the past. NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX will become streaming channels that make all of their content available all the time. New episodes can be added weekly, just like today, but we won't all sit down at 8 PM to watch the Simpsons, or even set the TiVO to record it. Netflix has to keep up with the changes it has unleashed or perish, but the concept of Netflix (subscriber based streaming entertainment) is the future of entertainment.
-
Really, America? Our greatest outrage is that Netflix raised its prices? How about the fact that the Republicans in Congress just played chicken with our nation's economic well-being? Or the fact that millions of our hard-working countrymen are living below the poverty level? Or that millions more have been out of work for more than three years? Or the fact that we are STILL fighting two ill-advised wars for no other reason than the fact that we don't want to look weak? I can appreciate...
-
Watching "Mad Men" makes me want to drink whiskey. And listen to Mancini, Bossa Nova, and Bob Dylan. God, the early '60s were cool!
-
I've read some persuasive arguments to the effect that the precise reason that something is taboo (e.g., cannibalism, incest) is because it is/was so tempting to people. We seem to think that our aversion to eating human flesh is a part of the natural order of things. Not so, according to modern social science. Rather, our aversion is cultural. We say that it is wrong and unnatural precisely because, once upon a time, it was something we did quite often. I've heard tell that human tastes not like chicken, but rather like pork. This is the reason that some Australian aboriginal tribes referred to human meat as "long pig." It's the other, other, white meat...
-
I have the four CD set. Great stuff and the price is reasonable... Edit to mention that I had the 1987 Ryko Winterland disc and this set is a great improvement...
-
Ok. For all the people who seem to still be confused by this issue: Blondie is the band, not the singer. The singer is Deborah (Debbie) Harry. So, if you went to see Blondie, you wouldn't say, "I saw Blondie last night. She was great." You would say, "I saw Blondie last night. THEY were great." Pronoun trouble...