Blade Runner, Weddings, Election 2007, Online Modifications

[tcpip]

Excellent weekend; started Friday eve with Blade Runner: The Final Cut at the Astor with imajica_lj, kremmen, hathhalla, ser_pounce, caseopaya and Michael C. all in attendance. The new, digitally-enchanced film has a few minor modifications, perhaps most notable being the extra crowd scenes and the original, more graphic (but not gratuitious), violence. Personally, I still think it's a little weak on that regard, but overall it is still one of the greatest films of all time.

On Saturday severina_242 and _zombiemonkey did the marriage thing, at the Old Treasury Building. Unsurprisingly, they both looked fantastic in their Victorian-era clothing and with their many Goth-type friends, it was all a very appropriate scene. Small dinner gathering afterwards at Pure South was likewise enjoyable. The setting a little modern for my tastes, but with excellent food. Didn't go to the "drinks and dancing" afterwards, but I'm sure it went well. Congratulations to both of you...

Following the Auditor-General's porkbarreling revelations, an assesment shows the Coalition election campaign has been a debacle from start to finish. Just when you think they couldn't get worse, last night Howard brought out the most brain-damaged policy for the entire campaign. Meanwhile, AWA's in action: when you have few buyers of a product and many sellers the price goes down. That's what happens to hospitality and retail wages.

In recent weeks, I've ditched my membership to libertarianism and anarchists. With the former convinced I am some sort of communist and the latter convinced that am sort sort of capitalist and one full of aggressive frat-boys and the other full infantile punks, it is far better to spend time in the quieter, more mature, more pragmatic, socialists community. On a similar angle, having reached the point of boredom on Warbook and frustrated with Scrabulous timing out, I've ditched all my Facebook applications. Suddenly... I have more time.

Comments

[jadine.livejournal.com]

Your brain-damaged policy link has gone away...

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Try now...

Cut-n-paste from another el-jay entry inserted a whitespace. Damn whitespace..

[lardarsegreg.livejournal.com]

Why do people like Facebook so much, to the point where I've been asked several times if I'm on there?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

It has apps like Warbook and Scrabble. Livejournal doesn't.

LJ's killer app is the friends list. I haven't seen any other social networking site which allows you to keep in touch with what other people are doing in such a easy and unobtrusive manner.

[lardarsegreg.livejournal.com]

LJ's selling point is that it's not Web 2.0, nor is it trying to be...

It's also not used by people to advertise. It's less well known, and better off for it...

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

True; but when ads are introduced they are annoying.

Quiet, softly, text-based, low-bandwith.. They're the ads I like.

Which makes many wonder why I have a yahoo! account. Damn gummy bear.

[lardarsegreg.livejournal.com]

I have mine because I still have it. Actually, I have a few because I still have them...

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

That's pretty much my reasoning as well. I've had it for so long that it just sits there and bubbles away....

[lardarsegreg.livejournal.com]

I still use mine to IM, though...

Mini-rant. (sorry)

[catsidhe.livejournal.com]

“... when you have few buyers of a product and many sellers the price goes down.”

I'm sure that erudito would dispute that, and claim that the amount of demand is independent from the number of individual buyers. I would, in turn, point out that a monopoly/oligopoly of buyers is just as bad as a monopoly/oligopoly seller. And he would retort that the data (dredge deep into a statistics web site, link to some abstruse policy website or four) actually says that this isn't the case. I reply that actually, it says that it is strongly proportional, and therefore there is heavy influence between the number of players and the price they pay, even if it is not the only factor, and he says that it is more complicated than I had posited and I was therefore wrong, and I point out that he had himself simplified and was prey to the same criticism, and he says that I am misunderstanding him deliberately and calling him evil, and I go WTF and stop playing, and he gets email wondering how he puts up with those evil abusive stoopid leftys.

I particularly like the comment suggesting that he filter his economic links to those who will agree with him, because when so many people reading his blog disagree with him, it must be them. That so many people who disagree with him read his blog anyway, because they find his arguments interesting, yet worthy of debate, is somehow embarrassing. Or inconvenient.

Why is it, by the way, that I see Leftys (social progressives, anti-xenophobics, non-economic-fundamentalists, however you define it) commenting on Rightwing (social conservative, militaristic, economic unleashed, lunatic liberatarian, whatever) forums, but rarely the other way around unless the Lefty has been brought to special attention. Could it be that Leftys go looking for alternate viewpoints, even if they do disagree with them, where the right tend to be happiest in an echo chamber?

No, I couldn't possibly say that. Any comment which disparages a Righty is ipso facto abusive, it seems.

Re: Mini-rant. (sorry)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I'm sure that [info]erudito would dispute that, and claim that the amount of demand is independent from the number of individual buyers

Actually on this issue, iirc, he agrees largely that monoposony exists for semi-skilled and unskilled workers, but the reverse exists for highly-skilled necessary workers. Which apparently includes IT (ha!).

Anyway, I've put in my 2c on the thread..

Could it be that Leftys go looking for alternate viewpoints, even if they do disagree with them, where the right tend to be happiest in an echo chamber?

Actually I've been planning my next post on that very topic. I would have put it in this one... but y'know, space invasion..

[tempusfrangit.livejournal.com]

Facebook is a black hole. :D

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I think I've pulled away from the event horizon. :-)

[tempusfrangit.livejournal.com]

DON'T!!

Re: Mini-rant. (sorry)

[catsidhe.livejournal.com]

Actually I've been planning my next post on that very topic.

Try and make sure to mention how one of the most common complaints about the Left by the Right is of the exact opposite behaviour to that which is observed. ie., the LittleGreenFootballs crowd, Bolt, Bolt's cheerleaders, &c &c, keep claiming that The Left are an echo chamber, seemingly oblivious to 1: the Lefties on those same forums fighting the vitriol (the second biggest example of projection, BTW: ‘Lefties are simply abusive, attacking drooling ignorant idiots who love Stalin and they smell. Why can't those filthy hippies be as civilised and polite as I am?’), and 2: that none of the loudest complainers have actually read any Left commentary first hand.

Re: Mini-rant. (sorry)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I must say I've seen a common tendency for commentators of the Right to criticise the Left for positions that are almost rarer than rocking horse shit.

e.g., One leftwinger supports Mugabe - and posits some good arguments in the process. Inevitably this ends up meaning the left collectively supports Mugabe.

[mr-figgy.livejournal.com]

I might log on to Facebook once a week, and it would be less frequent if I didn't have constant messages saying someone attacked my vampire or zombie or whatever million other games people begged me to join. The Existere Editors remain perfectly happy with a closed facebook group as an editing roundtable, though, and vehemently opposed to having an e-mail list instead...

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

it would be less frequent if I didn't have constant messages saying someone attacked my vampire or zombie or whatever million other games people begged me to join

Warbook was the best, but even then interest wanes...

But yes.. That's pretty much why I've dropped all the apps.

[cluebyfour.livejournal.com]

The main problem with libertarianism is that too few of its members are (IMO) true libertarians.

Of course being an anarchist myself I am often reminded by others that libertarianism != anarchism or some such nonsense. I got tired of providing them history lessons a long time ago.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I think I should have realised that when a straw poll of members indicated that the majority considered "economic freedom" (freedom from taxation, the right to purchase and invest etc) more important than "political freedom" (sovereignity of the body, civil rights etc). That really should have the point that I simply gave up trying to have a sensible discussion.

[seanr.livejournal.com]

I think most of the regulars in /libertarianism appreciated your contributions, despite the inevitable contention when two (seemingly) opposite viewpoints collide. Anyway, I'll look forward to your insights in this journal. See ya

[strang-er.livejournal.com]

"Could it be that Leftys go looking for alternate viewpoints, even if they do disagree with them, where the right tend to be happiest in an echo chamber?"

Perhaps it somehow reflects a collectivist vs individualist outlook?

[shorxrore.livejournal.com]

i actually never saw bladerunner before until i saw the new release in theaters a week or two ago. i gotta say i didn't really like it that much. obviously it was hyped up cuz so many people looooove it but i don't think the hype ruined it for me or anything. i thought it was going to be really intelligent and interesting but instead i just thought it was a moderately fun campy movie like star wars (which is also very overrated in my opinion). i thought the plot hade huge holes and the acting was poor and the storyline didnt really make any sense with little to no character development. i just dont get it. meh.

also, i refuse to add any facebook applications cuz they're so goddamn annoying on people's pages. i think i may add one or two eventually but i also don't really care that much and it's easier to say no to all of them :P

oh also add me on facebook my email is lehrer.jesse@gmail.com woooooooooha

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I know it's a cliche but Blade Runner really is one of those films that does get better with a second viewing.. And a third... And a fourth

I wasn't very impressed with it the first time I saw it; and nor were the punters at the box office. Yet over the decades through the VCR market it grew in popularity as people gave it second (and more) viewing.

I think it's because the visuals are so overwhelming that the more subtle elements of the plot and characterisation is lost; Roy Batty's transformation, for example, is nothing short of miraculous and the same can even be said for his mirror opposite, Deckhard. Even some of the incredibly intense emotional scenes, like when Deckhard reveals to Rachel that she's a replicant is easily overlooked ...

Besides, any film that has obscure Hungarian insults in it is OK in my book

Added. :-)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

You would think it would be in reverse, wouldn't you :-)

Perhaps contrary to conventional wisom the left is more individualistic and the right more collectivist!