Now that I've listened to the new box set (no I didn't personally buy it) I am convinced that it is a disappointment and quite a missed opportunity. It seems that no one took this seriously. Besides being a year late, all it amounts to is a 3 CD best of collection for $150. There is also a DVD of a performance cut down to 10 tracks, the only real new material. The Police bo set gave us five complete albums plus all the B-sides for $40, quite a difference. The only promising material here are the remixes. The Blue Turtles tracks (Fortress, Set Them Free, Love is the Seventh Wave, and Consider Me Gone) show a considerable improvement from the original release, the bass and guitar parts are now clear and accented. The live tracks from that tour, (Driven to Tears and I Burn For You) are also much better, the remix actually making them sound live and not like studio overdubs found on the original Bring on The Night.
A Much better plan would have been something along the lines that U2 did, release a best of with a companion CD of B Side and remixes( here is my proposed tracklist). This could have been followed up with remastered and remixed releases of each album. The Entire Dream of the Blue Turtles album would find improvement and Bring on the Night would be a live album again and could use additional songs performed on the tour added back in (Fortress, Set Them Free, Message in a Bottle, etc). The next three albums are probably good as they are, but his last two rock albums could use a complete makeover (the included remix of Never Coming Home is more interesting than the original release).
Along with that a lot of video could be released on DVD to make a nice overview of this 25 year span including the Tokyo 88 concert, the complete Soul Cages Live (the Peter Gabriel tracks could be included as Easter eggs), The Hollywood Bowl show from 91, a concert from 93 such as the Oslo show, and a full Broken Music show (perhaps with addition songs from other dates as this tour was fairly limited).
Sunday, October 02, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Fargo 2011
Fargo Airsho - 2011.08.11-12
Military acts included:
USN Blue Angels
USN VFA-122 F/A-18E Super Hornet demo
USAF Viper West F-16 demo
B-52 / KC-135 Fly-over
Statics were a bit light in the heavy area, as the C-5 was unavailable, although there was the F-15E, F-16C, F-18F and F-18C adversary along with the C-21, C-130, and E-6. The biggest problem was the statics was that rather than an orderly line like last time, the displays were surrounded and crammed in by various activities, the Navy Band, some Guitar Hero game, information booths, etc. This made observing and photographing the aircraft difficult and the noise made talking to the pilots difficult as well. The lighting was a bit poor for photography, but otherwise, the show seemed to on without problems of weather, etc.
Military acts included:
USN Blue Angels
USN VFA-122 F/A-18E Super Hornet demo
USAF Viper West F-16 demo
B-52 / KC-135 Fly-over
Statics were a bit light in the heavy area, as the C-5 was unavailable, although there was the F-15E, F-16C, F-18F and F-18C adversary along with the C-21, C-130, and E-6. The biggest problem was the statics was that rather than an orderly line like last time, the displays were surrounded and crammed in by various activities, the Navy Band, some Guitar Hero game, information booths, etc. This made observing and photographing the aircraft difficult and the noise made talking to the pilots difficult as well. The lighting was a bit poor for photography, but otherwise, the show seemed to on without problems of weather, etc.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Zooropa
U2 @ TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis 2011.07.23
One could joke that Bono even has the power to influence the weather, seamlessly integrating it with the largest concert tour in history. The TCF Bank Stadium show in Minneapolis was a combination of circumstances that came together in a way that could never be repeated, resulting in an incredible night and show. U2 braved the weather, performing in hard rains on a flooded stage with a massive lightning show that extended the stage lighting effects all the way to the horizon. In addition, Minneapolis decided to set off a fireworks show, the finale of which occurred during Bono's opera part of Miss Sarajevo. The rain only served to enhance the expressionist effects of Bono's vocals, especially when projected on the video screen. In celebration of the twentieth anniversary the show started off with four tracks from Achtung Baby and the inclusion of One and Zooropa into the setlist further revisited the spectacle that U2 managed to create in the early 90s, only this time the result was less artificial and cynical. This concert would have been a great opportunity to play the rare Electrical Storm, but the only real letdown was the omission of Magnificent, easily the most energetic and interesting track on their latest release and underrepresented in U2's public image in the last two years. It will be exceedingly difficult for U2 to top this show and tour in future endeavors, and this performance may remain a pinnacle in U2s career for many years to come.
Setlist:
Even Better Than the Real Thing / The Fly / Mysterious Ways/ Until the End of the World/ I Will Follow / Get On Your Boots / I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Stand By Me / Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of / Beautiful Day (Space Oddity) / Elevation / Pride / Miss Sarajevo / Zooropa / City of Blinding Lights / Vertigo / I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight / Sunday Bloody Sunday / Scarlet / Walk On / One / Where The Streets Have No Name (Hallejulah/ Purple Rain)/ Hold Me Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me / With Or Without You / Moment of Surrender
+: Acthung Baby! Zooropa, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me
-: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. No Magnificent. Ultraviolet, The Unforgettable Fire, All I Want is You have all been rotated out of the setlist.
Monday, July 18, 2011
133rd Air Expo
To celebrate the 90th annivesary of the Minnesota Air National Guard, the 133rd Airlift Wing held an open house at MSP. The show was light on combat aircraft, featuring only an A-10 and MSP's old F-16 block 15 museum display. It would have been great to see Duluth bring down some of their latest block 50 F-16s. The show was loaded with heavy aircraft, however, displaying all of the Air Force's lift capability with the C-130, C-17, C-5, KC-10, KC-135 and C-21. The only aerial performance was a SOCOM jump team, but the event did allow time for venturing through the cockpits, cargo holds, and refueling stations of those large aircraft.
Monday, June 06, 2011
The Next 100 Years
Last Book Read: The Next 100 Years - George Friedman
In The Next 100 Years, Friedman attempts to map out geo-politically what may happen over the next century. Unlike most other geo-political analyzers, Friedman thinks America is headed for a Golden Age. He argues that nations go through three stages - barbarism, civilization and decadence. The final stage of decadence is a period of nihilism when nothing particular is valued and society becomes complacent and self-distracted and thus unproductive. As America is still young (and undisciplined) it still has yet to evolve in Friedman's view. Given effective decisions made during World War I and World War II which minimized American casualties and cost of war, the US quickly achieved superpower status. Wining the Cold War allowed the US to become the first sole superpower and by having complete global dominance of the oceans, it is able to easily project its power anywhere it chooses. And this power projection is unrestrained as the US is the first nation in history to achieve this global dominance. Future wars will only increase American determination and technological advancements and, allowing the US to further gain from every conflict it fights.
Friedman has an interesting theory about American history occurring in 50 year cycles, and what works in solving one crisis will not work in the next, rather something of its opposite is required instead, For instance Roosevelt's New Deal had to be later followed by Reagan's pro-business/ lower taxes economics in the next cycle. What worked once won't work again. And by that logic it would seem that it's time to move away from the sacred Reaganomics.
While discussing American technological capability, Freidman makes interesting points about pragmatism and American philosophy. American culture, he states, "is an uneasy melding of the Bible and the computer." "The significance of an idea is in its practical consequences." An idea without practical consequences, it follows, lacks meaning. The entire notion of contemplative reason as an end in itself is excluded, as is seen in the Anglo- American philosophy that rejects European and Continental metaphysics. Computers reduce everything to data, they embody pragmatism. But that data, it could be argued, is information that does not include meaning. The computer "represents the unique manifestation of the American concept of reason and reality. . . [it] represents a powerful, reductionist force." This is why America is so focused and effective. It also explains the differences in American thought from Old World European ideas.
I won't go into detail about Friedman's predictions, but I certainly disagree with him on some matters of military strategy. For instance, he ignores Russia's nuclear force - one that is maintained as a matter of utmost importance precisely to counter a foreign invasion of the kind that Freidman thinks might be conventionally possible. Furthermore, he claims Japan already has a world class Navy and Air Force. They don't, and I don't know why he would say this. Also, he claims that the US "Battlestars" will be vulnerable to a multiple missile attack. But, if we look at the layers of defense systems a Carrier Battle Group has, it would seem just as unlikely that a Battlestar could be destroyed with certainty as a US carrier. With the introduction of beam weapons, defensive systems would likely be more capable. Finally, he thinks the US force of 2050 will be only hypersonic planes, of which only a few hundred survive. But its already clear that we will have weapon systems such as the F-35 still in use and we will just be replacing our B-2 and B-52 forces. I imagine we will still have a vastly numerous amount of legacy-class systems and that it is unlikely that most of them could be destroyed in one attack.
What's important here is not the details but why Freidman makes these claims. History repeats itself, and Friedman uses this to extrapolate future data, and given that he is an advisor to the US government, what he thinks may hold considerable weight. Most interesting is how this study shows why the US does what it does, and how this thinking extends back centuries and every historical step we take builds upon some basic thinking. For instance, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are not important for us to win by achieving specific goals. We are fighting them simply to disrupt the Middle East so that the Muslim world (or anyone else) cannot unite to become a dominate Asian power.
Even given Freidman's optimism, it seems that the end of the twenty-first century will bring us right back to where we are, experiencing a culture conflict with the rest of the world and struggling with issues of debt and immigration. While he may not be accurate, his thinking does illuminate the development of America and where we are in the course of that progress.
In The Next 100 Years, Friedman attempts to map out geo-politically what may happen over the next century. Unlike most other geo-political analyzers, Friedman thinks America is headed for a Golden Age. He argues that nations go through three stages - barbarism, civilization and decadence. The final stage of decadence is a period of nihilism when nothing particular is valued and society becomes complacent and self-distracted and thus unproductive. As America is still young (and undisciplined) it still has yet to evolve in Friedman's view. Given effective decisions made during World War I and World War II which minimized American casualties and cost of war, the US quickly achieved superpower status. Wining the Cold War allowed the US to become the first sole superpower and by having complete global dominance of the oceans, it is able to easily project its power anywhere it chooses. And this power projection is unrestrained as the US is the first nation in history to achieve this global dominance. Future wars will only increase American determination and technological advancements and, allowing the US to further gain from every conflict it fights.
Friedman has an interesting theory about American history occurring in 50 year cycles, and what works in solving one crisis will not work in the next, rather something of its opposite is required instead, For instance Roosevelt's New Deal had to be later followed by Reagan's pro-business/ lower taxes economics in the next cycle. What worked once won't work again. And by that logic it would seem that it's time to move away from the sacred Reaganomics.
While discussing American technological capability, Freidman makes interesting points about pragmatism and American philosophy. American culture, he states, "is an uneasy melding of the Bible and the computer." "The significance of an idea is in its practical consequences." An idea without practical consequences, it follows, lacks meaning. The entire notion of contemplative reason as an end in itself is excluded, as is seen in the Anglo- American philosophy that rejects European and Continental metaphysics. Computers reduce everything to data, they embody pragmatism. But that data, it could be argued, is information that does not include meaning. The computer "represents the unique manifestation of the American concept of reason and reality. . . [it] represents a powerful, reductionist force." This is why America is so focused and effective. It also explains the differences in American thought from Old World European ideas.
I won't go into detail about Friedman's predictions, but I certainly disagree with him on some matters of military strategy. For instance, he ignores Russia's nuclear force - one that is maintained as a matter of utmost importance precisely to counter a foreign invasion of the kind that Freidman thinks might be conventionally possible. Furthermore, he claims Japan already has a world class Navy and Air Force. They don't, and I don't know why he would say this. Also, he claims that the US "Battlestars" will be vulnerable to a multiple missile attack. But, if we look at the layers of defense systems a Carrier Battle Group has, it would seem just as unlikely that a Battlestar could be destroyed with certainty as a US carrier. With the introduction of beam weapons, defensive systems would likely be more capable. Finally, he thinks the US force of 2050 will be only hypersonic planes, of which only a few hundred survive. But its already clear that we will have weapon systems such as the F-35 still in use and we will just be replacing our B-2 and B-52 forces. I imagine we will still have a vastly numerous amount of legacy-class systems and that it is unlikely that most of them could be destroyed in one attack.
What's important here is not the details but why Freidman makes these claims. History repeats itself, and Friedman uses this to extrapolate future data, and given that he is an advisor to the US government, what he thinks may hold considerable weight. Most interesting is how this study shows why the US does what it does, and how this thinking extends back centuries and every historical step we take builds upon some basic thinking. For instance, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are not important for us to win by achieving specific goals. We are fighting them simply to disrupt the Middle East so that the Muslim world (or anyone else) cannot unite to become a dominate Asian power.
Even given Freidman's optimism, it seems that the end of the twenty-first century will bring us right back to where we are, experiencing a culture conflict with the rest of the world and struggling with issues of debt and immigration. While he may not be accurate, his thinking does illuminate the development of America and where we are in the course of that progress.
Saturday, May 07, 2011
American Gods
After Minnesota's Idiot Majority Leader (who I hate) attacked Neil Gaiman for accepting a public appearance fee, this was the response I sent, as the Republican are the priests of the American God -Money- hopefully this empty-headed politican will have something to think about.
In response to your public insults of Neil Gaiman: As a Republican, I imagine you support the free market economy. If so, then you believe the market sets the price. Neil Gaiman sets his price high because there is a great demand for his time. And people pay it - simple supply and demand economics - the market regulates the price. If the Stillwater Library did not think the price was worth it, why did they agree to pay it? If you think Gaiman should donate his time for free because the taxpayers are footing the bill, why do you not donate your time for free? To suggest he should sounds like socialism to me. When you were hired, you were offered a salary, I'm guessing you didn't refuse it. It is irrelevent that he is financially successful - does that mean I should be able to download the music of successful artists for free? Minnesota government has no problem giving corporate welfare to multi-billionarie sports teams. Compared to that, 45K is nothing. If you don't like the tax then work to repeal it - Minnesota's sales tax is way too high for the working class. But don't attack someone for setting a price for their work and then being freely paid that rate. I believe you owe Gaiman a far deeper apology, as well as one to the library system and the state of Minnesota. I will be watching your next election with great interest.
Matt Dean: Making Minnesota Dumber
In response to your public insults of Neil Gaiman: As a Republican, I imagine you support the free market economy. If so, then you believe the market sets the price. Neil Gaiman sets his price high because there is a great demand for his time. And people pay it - simple supply and demand economics - the market regulates the price. If the Stillwater Library did not think the price was worth it, why did they agree to pay it? If you think Gaiman should donate his time for free because the taxpayers are footing the bill, why do you not donate your time for free? To suggest he should sounds like socialism to me. When you were hired, you were offered a salary, I'm guessing you didn't refuse it. It is irrelevent that he is financially successful - does that mean I should be able to download the music of successful artists for free? Minnesota government has no problem giving corporate welfare to multi-billionarie sports teams. Compared to that, 45K is nothing. If you don't like the tax then work to repeal it - Minnesota's sales tax is way too high for the working class. But don't attack someone for setting a price for their work and then being freely paid that rate. I believe you owe Gaiman a far deeper apology, as well as one to the library system and the state of Minnesota. I will be watching your next election with great interest.
Matt Dean: Making Minnesota Dumber
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Odyssey Dawn
Unsurprisingly, the Libya conflict has resulted in outrageous political claims. Although we have been fighting two wars for a decade, without major calls for cessation, this much more limited conflict has drawn attack from the right. The obvious conclusion: only wars started by Republicans are acceptable, any Democratic operation is reckless and a waste of American resources. As usual talk is the opposite of reality. The current president hasn't started anything, certainly not three wars. He has worked on ending one (as much as it will ever be really ended) and has joined one by request of England, France, the Arab League and the U.N. Whatever the real political reason for confronting Libya (including the 180 turn by France and Italy since 1986), it seems that 2011 has presented real opportunities for democracy. As Michio Kaku has recently discussed, the spread of democracy is an important development in transitioning to a Type I civilization. This is my argument for supporting Operation Odyssey Dawn, along with the fact that the Libyan actions of the 1980s have not been fully resolved (Reagan would be proud) and I believe it will also present an opportunity to reassess military spending in more practical terms.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Parallel Worlds
I. Stephen Hawking has once again claimed philosophy is dead. On the outset he is still completely wrong. No matter what final determination science can make about the nature of reality, it still can't give us a complete metaphysical picture. It is self limiting. More importantly, it can't tell us what to do. There will always be the need for philosophy as an assessment of the world we live in.
Having said that, philosophy is killing itself from the inside. After one hundred years of positivist influence, the contemporary state of philosophy as analytic is dead, in a sense of a wider historic view rather than a narrow technical method. Analytic philosophy is good at asking questions, but as it has thrown itself at the mathematical and scientific side of knowledge, it doesn't seem to do as well at answering them. In this respect, Continental philosophy fares better, as do other humanities. For instance, these days a lot of interesting works of philosophy can be found by writers like Terry Eagleton, an English professor. The other humanities, such as English, are undergoing the same difficulties, a century of "scienceitization" and intrusion by social science. Richard Rorty has written about this reorientation in both philosophy and English. In "The Inspirational Value of Great Works of Literature", he writes about philosophical dryness, and dissertation work being done on areas like " the proper analysis of subjunctive conditional sentences," and not in the engaging areas of philosophical wisdom. The problem with a "little" philosophy, is that it is not enough.
II. Last Book Read - Parallel Worlds- Michio Kaku
As for science and philosophy, Michio Kaku's work Parallel Worlds does offer some insight. This book serves as a great introduction to his work, as it summarizes much of the string theory information found in Beyond Einstein and Hyperspace as well as the future technology found in Physics of the Impossible. He also presents interesting ideas about the transition of civilization from a Type 0 to Type I and beyond, such as the establishment of the internet as a Type I communication system and the evolution from nations to trading blocks, revealing the significance of our current time in history and the future paradigm shifts. Kaku discusses surviving the death of the solar system and, more importantly, the eventual death of the universe by using technology to escape to other locales in the multiverse. After theorizing about the "theory of everything" needed to reach this technological level, he concludes that even if we can reduce all the known physics down to a one inch equation, we still have to ask "why that equation?" "Where did this equation come from?" At this point, it seems that cosmology and physics can't help us. There is still the problem of meaning. Kaku shows that in the infinite multiverse , anything that can happen does and every choice is made both ways. There is no uniqueness to any situation, no weight or consequence of choice, no "moral sense." Kaku's resolution to this "quantum existential crisis" is that meaning must be created by each individual. In this way, Kaku acknowledges that philosophy must pick up where science stops.
Having said that, philosophy is killing itself from the inside. After one hundred years of positivist influence, the contemporary state of philosophy as analytic is dead, in a sense of a wider historic view rather than a narrow technical method. Analytic philosophy is good at asking questions, but as it has thrown itself at the mathematical and scientific side of knowledge, it doesn't seem to do as well at answering them. In this respect, Continental philosophy fares better, as do other humanities. For instance, these days a lot of interesting works of philosophy can be found by writers like Terry Eagleton, an English professor. The other humanities, such as English, are undergoing the same difficulties, a century of "scienceitization" and intrusion by social science. Richard Rorty has written about this reorientation in both philosophy and English. In "The Inspirational Value of Great Works of Literature", he writes about philosophical dryness, and dissertation work being done on areas like " the proper analysis of subjunctive conditional sentences," and not in the engaging areas of philosophical wisdom. The problem with a "little" philosophy, is that it is not enough.
II. Last Book Read - Parallel Worlds- Michio Kaku
As for science and philosophy, Michio Kaku's work Parallel Worlds does offer some insight. This book serves as a great introduction to his work, as it summarizes much of the string theory information found in Beyond Einstein and Hyperspace as well as the future technology found in Physics of the Impossible. He also presents interesting ideas about the transition of civilization from a Type 0 to Type I and beyond, such as the establishment of the internet as a Type I communication system and the evolution from nations to trading blocks, revealing the significance of our current time in history and the future paradigm shifts. Kaku discusses surviving the death of the solar system and, more importantly, the eventual death of the universe by using technology to escape to other locales in the multiverse. After theorizing about the "theory of everything" needed to reach this technological level, he concludes that even if we can reduce all the known physics down to a one inch equation, we still have to ask "why that equation?" "Where did this equation come from?" At this point, it seems that cosmology and physics can't help us. There is still the problem of meaning. Kaku shows that in the infinite multiverse , anything that can happen does and every choice is made both ways. There is no uniqueness to any situation, no weight or consequence of choice, no "moral sense." Kaku's resolution to this "quantum existential crisis" is that meaning must be created by each individual. In this way, Kaku acknowledges that philosophy must pick up where science stops.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Random Notes
So Republicans are now proposing that everything is on the table to be cut - including Medicare. Wasn't part of the outrage directed at Obama's reform incited by the scare tactics of cutting Medicare? Of course the conservative pawns bought right into that one. Furthermore, Boehner response to the charge that Republican cuts will cost jobs is "so be it." This comes after two years of nonstop complaining about Obama and his weak responses to job loss.
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Bullet the Blue Sky
Since every February 6th this comes up, here's my tribute to Reagan, thanks to Think Progress:
10 Things Conservatives Don’t Want You To Know About Ronald Reagan
10 Things Conservatives Don’t Want You To Know About Ronald Reagan
Sunday, January 09, 2011
The Tide is Turning
As usual, Stephen Colbert continues to point out the idiocracy of the media. I can't let this critique of O'Reilly go unacknowledged, as Bill proceeds to exert the single-minded, misguided, and just plain stupid fundamentalism and anti-intellectualism that goes against everything I stand for. Did Bill really never learn about gravity in elementary school? I guess he was in the super-remedial class. "Gravity?! I don't know what that means. What does it mean? F**k it! F**k gravity!"
Edit: Of course if Bill really wanted to make a useful point, instead of the usual mindless child-like useless drivel he normally pronounces, he could have discussed the anthropic principle, I.e. why do we have a moon that stabilizes Earth's rotation enough to allow life to flourish (See Parallel Worlds by Michio Kaku for a discussion). The answer, however disappointing to many, is of course if we didn't live in the "Goldilocks Zone" where conditions are just right, then we wouldn't be here to question why we live here.
I wish I had Neil deGrasse Tyson on speed-dial.
Edit: Of course if Bill really wanted to make a useful point, instead of the usual mindless child-like useless drivel he normally pronounces, he could have discussed the anthropic principle, I.e. why do we have a moon that stabilizes Earth's rotation enough to allow life to flourish (See Parallel Worlds by Michio Kaku for a discussion). The answer, however disappointing to many, is of course if we didn't live in the "Goldilocks Zone" where conditions are just right, then we wouldn't be here to question why we live here.
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Bill O'Reilly Proves God's Existence - Neil deGrasse Tyson | ||||
| ||||
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Revolution Calling
Obama calls liberal critics 'sanctimonious'
Murmurs of Primary Challenge to Obama
As Obama is already one of many conservatives' least favorite politicans, he has now decided to alienate liberals. I'm not sure what kind of political strategy this is, it leaves a very narrow slice of the population left for support. Who does he think voted for him on this idea of change? It wasn't the Bush supporters. They obviously liked the way the country had become completely FUBAR. Quick compromise isn't always the best method. Taking the easy road is exactly that, it isn't fighting for what's best for the country. Democrats never seem to learn this, and that's why the Republicans remain a force of solidarity. So now the talk moves to a primary challenger.
As for the Republicans, their behavior over the tax cuts has revealed their true colors. And they're obnoxious. Blocking any legislation until the rich get their way proves that the Republicans are nothing but paid shills for the wealthy. But, one thing is for sure, they sure as hell better not bitch about budget deficits! No one cares. But they drone on and on endlessly, proving even more that Republicans do the opposite of what they say. The rich are not in a situation to need the tax cuts, yet they will benefit more than the lower classes who desperately need more cuts. Merry f-ing Pearl Harbor Day. Revolution Calling.
Murmurs of Primary Challenge to Obama
As Obama is already one of many conservatives' least favorite politicans, he has now decided to alienate liberals. I'm not sure what kind of political strategy this is, it leaves a very narrow slice of the population left for support. Who does he think voted for him on this idea of change? It wasn't the Bush supporters. They obviously liked the way the country had become completely FUBAR. Quick compromise isn't always the best method. Taking the easy road is exactly that, it isn't fighting for what's best for the country. Democrats never seem to learn this, and that's why the Republicans remain a force of solidarity. So now the talk moves to a primary challenger.
As for the Republicans, their behavior over the tax cuts has revealed their true colors. And they're obnoxious. Blocking any legislation until the rich get their way proves that the Republicans are nothing but paid shills for the wealthy. But, one thing is for sure, they sure as hell better not bitch about budget deficits! No one cares. But they drone on and on endlessly, proving even more that Republicans do the opposite of what they say. The rich are not in a situation to need the tax cuts, yet they will benefit more than the lower classes who desperately need more cuts. Merry f-ing Pearl Harbor Day. Revolution Calling.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Aviation Nation 2010
Aviation Nation 2010, Nellis AFB, Las Vegas, Nevada 2010.11.13-14
As usual, November brings with it one of the best air shows of the year. This time, Aviation Nation was a bit scaled back - there was only two tactical demo teams, but the level of energy managed to stay high.
Performers:
Thunderbirds (F-16) / F-22 (Zeke's final demo) / F/A-18C /
F-16 Aggressor fly-by / Nellis fly-by: F-16C, A-10, F-15C (Aggressor) / F-4 / T-33/
CSAR (modern): F-16C, A-10, C-130, HH-60 / CSAR (Vietnam): F-4, A-1, O-2, UH-1
Notable statics:
Nellis Line-up: F-16C, A-10, F-22, F-15C, F-15E, F-15C Aggressor, F-16C Aggressor
F/A-18C, F/A-18C (NASA), F-5E(N), A-10, Eurofighetr Typhoon (British), T-38
E-2C, EA-6B, B-52, E-6, RC-135, C-5, C-17, C-130, MV-22
Photo Gallery
Thanks to the members of the 64th AS and the 65th AS, they were great to talk to, especially the 64th commander, Shaggy. There was some info on upcoming aggressor paint schemes. As the 64th receives aircraft from the Duluth MN ANG during its conversion to the block 25, two of the aircraft will get the arctic scheme. There is also a proposed new blue flanker scheme. As for the 65th, the F-15 will be getting a splinter scheme.
+ Aggressor fly-by, CSAR demo
- No extra TAC or foreign demo, no C-17 demo,No B-1B static. Bus fubar on Saturday caused attendees to miss the first hour of the show, most importantly the aggressor fly-by. Aggressor squadron T-shirts were sold out.
As usual, November brings with it one of the best air shows of the year. This time, Aviation Nation was a bit scaled back - there was only two tactical demo teams, but the level of energy managed to stay high.
Performers:
Thunderbirds (F-16) / F-22 (Zeke's final demo) / F/A-18C /
F-16 Aggressor fly-by / Nellis fly-by: F-16C, A-10, F-15C (Aggressor) / F-4 / T-33/
CSAR (modern): F-16C, A-10, C-130, HH-60 / CSAR (Vietnam): F-4, A-1, O-2, UH-1
Notable statics:
Nellis Line-up: F-16C, A-10, F-22, F-15C, F-15E, F-15C Aggressor, F-16C Aggressor
F/A-18C, F/A-18C (NASA), F-5E(N), A-10, Eurofighetr Typhoon (British), T-38
E-2C, EA-6B, B-52, E-6, RC-135, C-5, C-17, C-130, MV-22
Photo Gallery
Thanks to the members of the 64th AS and the 65th AS, they were great to talk to, especially the 64th commander, Shaggy. There was some info on upcoming aggressor paint schemes. As the 64th receives aircraft from the Duluth MN ANG during its conversion to the block 25, two of the aircraft will get the arctic scheme. There is also a proposed new blue flanker scheme. As for the 65th, the F-15 will be getting a splinter scheme.
+ Aggressor fly-by, CSAR demo
- No extra TAC or foreign demo, no C-17 demo,No B-1B static. Bus fubar on Saturday caused attendees to miss the first hour of the show, most importantly the aggressor fly-by. Aggressor squadron T-shirts were sold out.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Zombie
In recognition of Halloween, I'll give a recommendation for the new TV series Walking Dead. As much as I hate zombies, I mean really hate zombies [1], this show seems to have good potential, and an ambitious cinematic feel. Immediately, it seems like Mad Max meets 28 Days Later meets Jericho.
[1] That feeling originates from the days of playing Thief in the quiet darkness of the middle of the night. Other than some joyous carnage playing Dead Rising, I try to avoid them at all costs.
[1] That feeling originates from the days of playing Thief in the quiet darkness of the middle of the night. Other than some joyous carnage playing Dead Rising, I try to avoid them at all costs.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
A Radical Pessimist's Guide to the Next 10 years
Postmodern favorite Douglas Coupland has made some predictions about the future - and it doesn't look good. Some of these are not necessarily his original ideas, but I think he makes valuable references by stating them.
Notable points:
Separation anxiety will become your permanent state
Yep.
The middle class is over. It's not coming back
Yep. Having read Paull Fussell recently, that might not be a big loss - culturally. Economically it's going to be a big punch. Hopefully there will still be a way for "category X" to survive. (Fussell's Category X, incidentally, is not unrelated to Coupland's Generation X.)
You may well burn out on the effort of being an individual. To the new order you're just a node.
The loss of subjectivity and its result - individuals are just nodes in a net - is an idea that's been around for 25+ years in Jameson-style postmodernism, but it's about time people start to realize it.
North America can easily fragment quickly as did the Eastern Bloc in 1989.
This is a nagging feeling I've had for a few years, and it seems quite plausible to me. If the hate states group together though, I'm not sure this will be a bad thing (for the rest of us).
Being alone will become easier.
I'm not sure about this one, it contradicts his idea of separation anxiety. Unless this counter-reaction will just cause us to live in a neurotic state of denial.
It will become harder to view your life as “a story.”
Once again, the postmodern idea of the death of a narrative.
People who shun new technologies will be viewed as passive-aggressive control freaks trying to rope people into their world, much like vegetarian teenage girls in the early 1980s.
Yep.
You're going to miss the 1990s more than you ever thought.
Oh yes, I miss the 90s like I never thought I would. The 21st Century has been nothing but an abysmal disappointment. The last ten years have proven to be an intellectual and aesthetic wasteland. Now, get off my lawn so I can enjoy my CDs in peace.
Stupid people will be in charge, only to be replaced by ever-stupider people. You will live in a world without kings, only princes in whom our faith is shattered.
This one is painfully obvious. Just when you thought the media couldn't find anyone dumber than Sarah Palin - here comes Christine O'Donnell. And then, there are the even worse emptyheads (like SH) who defend the intellect of these devolved blankwits, making them even dumber than dumb. It may be time for Plato's philosopher kings and a benevolent dictatorship. But for now, stupid is the new norm. Perhaps a majority of society can't handle the kinds of changes that Coupland is presenting here. Ignorance is bliss.
In related news, Americans Underestimate U.S. Wealth Inequality. Simply put, the public isn't aware of the exterme inequality that plagues the U.S. these days. If they were, they obviously wouldn't think that some regulation to tone down radical economic disparity would be a bad thing. So all this talk of the current "socialist agenda" and "communism" is absolute nonsense. Governement regulation into healthcare and other areas of extreme inequality are no worse than labor laws into place to regulate the massive disparity produced by early capitalism.
Notable points:
Separation anxiety will become your permanent state
Yep.
The middle class is over. It's not coming back
Yep. Having read Paull Fussell recently, that might not be a big loss - culturally. Economically it's going to be a big punch. Hopefully there will still be a way for "category X" to survive. (Fussell's Category X, incidentally, is not unrelated to Coupland's Generation X.)
You may well burn out on the effort of being an individual. To the new order you're just a node.
The loss of subjectivity and its result - individuals are just nodes in a net - is an idea that's been around for 25+ years in Jameson-style postmodernism, but it's about time people start to realize it.
North America can easily fragment quickly as did the Eastern Bloc in 1989.
This is a nagging feeling I've had for a few years, and it seems quite plausible to me. If the hate states group together though, I'm not sure this will be a bad thing (for the rest of us).
Being alone will become easier.
I'm not sure about this one, it contradicts his idea of separation anxiety. Unless this counter-reaction will just cause us to live in a neurotic state of denial.
It will become harder to view your life as “a story.”
Once again, the postmodern idea of the death of a narrative.
People who shun new technologies will be viewed as passive-aggressive control freaks trying to rope people into their world, much like vegetarian teenage girls in the early 1980s.
Yep.
You're going to miss the 1990s more than you ever thought.
Oh yes, I miss the 90s like I never thought I would. The 21st Century has been nothing but an abysmal disappointment. The last ten years have proven to be an intellectual and aesthetic wasteland. Now, get off my lawn so I can enjoy my CDs in peace.
Stupid people will be in charge, only to be replaced by ever-stupider people. You will live in a world without kings, only princes in whom our faith is shattered.
This one is painfully obvious. Just when you thought the media couldn't find anyone dumber than Sarah Palin - here comes Christine O'Donnell. And then, there are the even worse emptyheads (like SH) who defend the intellect of these devolved blankwits, making them even dumber than dumb. It may be time for Plato's philosopher kings and a benevolent dictatorship. But for now, stupid is the new norm. Perhaps a majority of society can't handle the kinds of changes that Coupland is presenting here. Ignorance is bliss.
In related news, Americans Underestimate U.S. Wealth Inequality. Simply put, the public isn't aware of the exterme inequality that plagues the U.S. these days. If they were, they obviously wouldn't think that some regulation to tone down radical economic disparity would be a bad thing. So all this talk of the current "socialist agenda" and "communism" is absolute nonsense. Governement regulation into healthcare and other areas of extreme inequality are no worse than labor laws into place to regulate the massive disparity produced by early capitalism.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Presto
Rush @ The Minnesota State Fair 2010.08.27
Playing in one of the absolute worst music venues I have ever experienced, Rush returned to the Minnesota State Fair 36 years to the day they first played the fair (which also happens to be Alex's birthday). Being more or less a greatest hits tour, the set featured heavily on the early classics with some of the very latest tracks thrown in. In addition to performing the full Moving Pictures album (with the superior side B
finally represented), what middle-era tracks were present were highly anticipated, including the addition of the rare Presto.
Setlist: The Spirit of Radio / Time Stand Still / Presto / Stick it Out/ Workin Them Angels / Leave That Thing Alone / Faithless / BU2B / Freewill / Marathon / Subdivisions / Tom Sawyer / Red Barchetta / Limelight / The Camera Eye / Witch Hunt / Vital Signs / Caravan / Drum Solo / Closer to the Heart / 2112 Overture / 2112 The Temple of Syrinx / Far Cry / La Villa Strangiato / Working Man
+ Presto, Time Stand Still, Leave That Thing Alone, Marathon, Subdivisions, Moving Pictures Side B
- Working Man, Too many new songs/ old "classics"
Twenty Years Ago: This summer marks the twentieth anniversary of Presto Tour, which played at the Met Center June 19th, 1990 (perhaps one of the last concerts at that venue). This show marked my introduction to Rush, and seems to me to be the middle of their high period. I'm sure many long time classic fans thought this period was too modern and tracks like Superconductor were probably off to them, but Superconductor was the song that made me buy Presto after the show, and I still think that record is their best work and one of my favorite all time albums. Perhaps they will continue the trend of playing full albums and perform the entire Presto in 2015. For comparison, here is the setlist from that night:
Intro (A Show of Hands video) / Force Ten / Freewill / Distant Early Warning / Time Stand Still /Subdivisions / Marathon / Red Barchetta / Superconductor / Show Don't Tell / The Pass / Closer To The Heart / Manhattan Project / Xanadu / YYZ / The Rhythm Method (Drum solo) / Scars / War Paint / Mission / Tom Sawyer / The Spirit of Radio / 2112 (Overture) / La Villa Strangiato / In The Mood / Wipe Out
Playing in one of the absolute worst music venues I have ever experienced, Rush returned to the Minnesota State Fair 36 years to the day they first played the fair (which also happens to be Alex's birthday). Being more or less a greatest hits tour, the set featured heavily on the early classics with some of the very latest tracks thrown in. In addition to performing the full Moving Pictures album (with the superior side B
finally represented), what middle-era tracks were present were highly anticipated, including the addition of the rare Presto.
Setlist: The Spirit of Radio / Time Stand Still / Presto / Stick it Out/ Workin Them Angels / Leave That Thing Alone / Faithless / BU2B / Freewill / Marathon / Subdivisions / Tom Sawyer / Red Barchetta / Limelight / The Camera Eye / Witch Hunt / Vital Signs / Caravan / Drum Solo / Closer to the Heart / 2112 Overture / 2112 The Temple of Syrinx / Far Cry / La Villa Strangiato / Working Man
+ Presto, Time Stand Still, Leave That Thing Alone, Marathon, Subdivisions, Moving Pictures Side B
- Working Man, Too many new songs/ old "classics"
Twenty Years Ago: This summer marks the twentieth anniversary of Presto Tour, which played at the Met Center June 19th, 1990 (perhaps one of the last concerts at that venue). This show marked my introduction to Rush, and seems to me to be the middle of their high period. I'm sure many long time classic fans thought this period was too modern and tracks like Superconductor were probably off to them, but Superconductor was the song that made me buy Presto after the show, and I still think that record is their best work and one of my favorite all time albums. Perhaps they will continue the trend of playing full albums and perform the entire Presto in 2015. For comparison, here is the setlist from that night:
Intro (A Show of Hands video) / Force Ten / Freewill / Distant Early Warning / Time Stand Still /Subdivisions / Marathon / Red Barchetta / Superconductor / Show Don't Tell / The Pass / Closer To The Heart / Manhattan Project / Xanadu / YYZ / The Rhythm Method (Drum solo) / Scars / War Paint / Mission / Tom Sawyer / The Spirit of Radio / 2112 (Overture) / La Villa Strangiato / In The Mood / Wipe Out
Friday, August 13, 2010
To Fight Socialism We Must Become Communist
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Deductible Me | ||||
| ||||
* Disclaimer: If anyone thinks the title of the post is serious - it isn't. Not for me. But I'm not so sure about conservatives. Given their current anti-government state of mind, I wonder how different they really are from those with a proletarian idea of dissolving government.
Monday, June 28, 2010
St Cloud 2010 Air Show
Great Minnesota Air Show 2010.06.26-27
After the precipitous disasters of the 2008 season, I began to wonder when St Cloud may be large enough to consider having an air show. My answer came on December 7th 2009, with the release of the jet team schedules.
The main attraction was of course the Blue Angels, but the real star of the show was the F-22, not only because of its fifth generation advancements, and its unprecedented maneuverability. More important is its rarity, with only 18 global appearances this year (up from roughly 12 last year ). This marked the first Raptor trip to Minnesota, for any F-22. Military statics were sparse: 2 EA-6Bs, NASA's F-18A and an MV-22, along with a last minute surprise of a VFC-111 F-5E.
During my five day adventure, I was able to complete my checklist, viewing all the arrivals and practices, getting close to the Raptor (briefly) and meeting the legendary, yet elusive Zeke. The only glitch, besides the weather making photography problematic, was missing part of the Raptor practice, as I was coming back from lunch, but I did get the experience of having my car buzzed by Zeke.
Thanks to the Great Minnesota Air Show team for making that a possibility, let's hope for a continued tradition in the future. Also, thanks to Zeke, Gap, Gabe, Zeke's family and the rest of the Raptor team.
Full Photo Album
After the precipitous disasters of the 2008 season, I began to wonder when St Cloud may be large enough to consider having an air show. My answer came on December 7th 2009, with the release of the jet team schedules.
The main attraction was of course the Blue Angels, but the real star of the show was the F-22, not only because of its fifth generation advancements, and its unprecedented maneuverability. More important is its rarity, with only 18 global appearances this year (up from roughly 12 last year ). This marked the first Raptor trip to Minnesota, for any F-22. Military statics were sparse: 2 EA-6Bs, NASA's F-18A and an MV-22, along with a last minute surprise of a VFC-111 F-5E.
During my five day adventure, I was able to complete my checklist, viewing all the arrivals and practices, getting close to the Raptor (briefly) and meeting the legendary, yet elusive Zeke. The only glitch, besides the weather making photography problematic, was missing part of the Raptor practice, as I was coming back from lunch, but I did get the experience of having my car buzzed by Zeke.
Thanks to the Great Minnesota Air Show team for making that a possibility, let's hope for a continued tradition in the future. Also, thanks to Zeke, Gap, Gabe, Zeke's family and the rest of the Raptor team.
Full Photo Album
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
![The Brothers Karamazov [Norton Critical Edition]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1560399295l/49899120._SX50_SY75_.jpg)
