Ding.

I arrived at the airport at 1:10.

At 1:15, I realized I had inverted the arrival and departure cities on my reservation.

By 1:20, the attendant had graciously and gratuitously corrected my error.

From 1:22 to 1:27, I was stripped and had the entire contents of my luggage searched.

I finally arrived at my gate at 1:30.

By 1:35, I was in the air.

Southwest is the best.

[Special shout out to David for hooking me up with the ticket change at the gate.]

Gimme all your Xango (all your hugs and kisses, too)

Sports and branding. What a prime example of unfettered corporate waste.

It is bad enough that Real Salt Lake has to hawk unregulated dietary aids that claim to cure cancer and HIV (take that scientific method and civil society!), but now the Utah Jazz get to play in the atrociously sounding and ethically despicable EnergySolutions Arena.

For those not on the cutting edge of waste dumping, EnergySolutions is responsible for all of the nation's nuclear waste ending up in Utah (all thanks to our very own state radiation chief who accepted over $600,000 in bribes from EnergySolution's former owner.)

If you tolerate this, your children will be next.

Nintendo Wii: First Impressions

Decidedly mixed.

The controls are nowhere near as intuitive as I had been led to believe. I spent the better part of an hour trying to catch a fish in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. I don't expect to be led by the hand through a game, but if you are going to introduce new controls, you better teach me how to use them. Worse still, the instruction book clearly lies on the appropriate method to catch a fish -- a sign that print guides are not going to be the best place to turn for future gameplay advice.

Wii Sports is equally patchy. Some of the sports felt immediately natural: I aced tennis having taken the by mail Tennis "course" from BYU. Baseball, however, is still a struggle. I have played a few games with friends, and have yet to see a single run scored. Again, a simple tutorial that identifies problems in your swing would be a useful addition. [And in the interest of journalistic objectivity, I should note that I rocked Mark's world in Boxing!]

Unexpectedly, Trauma Center - Second Opinion is the most engaging game at launch. The premise is relatively simple: using dubious surgical procedures, you excise malignant elements and suture wounds in typical stylized anime fashion. The gameplay, however, is anything but routine and it fully realizes the promise of the Nintendo Wii -- innovative controls not possible on any other system. And it is a lot of fun too.

In summary, Nintendo Wii: Not quite the immediate revolution I had hoped, but still an exciting potential.

Life makes echoes, if you see them.

It was the moment I had dreaded. We had been dancing all night. But it was time to make a confession that was sure to send the encounter forever into the ephemeral.

Before I could come clean, she had a confession of her own.

"Listen, I am so sorry, but I have to go. My friends and I have to get up early tomorrow to head back home to Utah..."

"You're kidding me."

And then it happened. Without thinking, I uttered the five words I had heard a thousand times before, but never anticipated asking of anybody else.

"You're not Mormon are you?"

The Rapture, Empire Ballroom, 11/17/06

An hour after the doors were supposed to open, the admission line snaked menacingly through the parking lot. The sounds of the opening band's equipment check could be heard echoing from the club's perched doors, but there was one question on everybody's mind: where were The Rapture?

Ditching the line like a Gary Smith sub, I strolled the neighborhood only to spy Luke Jenner and Vito Roccoforte scarfing down grub at the local Fatburger. I just barely resisted the urge to hand them my demo tape of acapella Kansas covers.

"Aren't you dudes supposed to be going on in like an hour?"

"Yeah... sorry about that. They lied."

"Word. You know what the..."

The wait only increased the fervent anticipation. The crowd, abuzz from ten dollar cocktails, danced absentmindedly to Nine Inch Nails causally remixed into Franz Ferdinand. Clearly, 2005 was the musical moment du jour. Were The Rapture, once again, a year too late?

The answer came quite emphatically.

"1-2-3-4-5-6-7, I'm floating in a constant heaven."

I can't resist

For context, check the comments under the "VIP" post...

Before and after:

To Ignore, and Forget.

There are innumerable lenses and narratives through which to view the experience and development which constitutes a human being. If you ask Woody Allen what it mean to grow up, maybe he'd tell you it's all about luck. If you could ask Freud, he might tell you it's about the development of a psyche. If you ask George W. Bush, he might say it's all about faith, penitence, and prayer. If you ask Ayn Rand, she'd probably say something about the ability to reason objectively. In each case, it is how well we perform in the context of a specific narrative that will determine the people we become.

If you ask me, it's all about learning what we can and cannot ignore, and in the process of ignoring, forget.

Netflix Two Cents: The Sopranos, Season 4

The Sopranos, 4 (2002)

Verdict: My dad and his gerontology colleagues love this show. I can see why: no other series in the history of television has dealt so seriously with aging and generational conflict.

Nerd Alert!!

Like it or not, this is a big week for those for whom video games are a guilty--or not so guilty *mark*--pleasure. The PS3 drops on Friday, and the Nintendo Wii on Sunday.

While I'm not at all surprised to see all the hype and clamour surrounding these two new products, I am surprised by the number of people who are apparently willing to shell out the big bucks for a PS3. When the Xbox 360 came out last year, I was slightly offended by the price. Who has $400+ to spend on a video game system that doesn't come with any games?! Well, clearly the good people at Sony think we have quite a bit more than that; you'll need to shell out at least $650 to get your hands on a mid-range PS3 bundle. Each game is going to set you back at least an additional $50 a pop.

As far as I'm concerned the PS3 has only two things going for it: Stunning graphics, and Final Fantasy. Sure, both of those things are pretty incredible in and of themselves (let alone together!), but are they really worth that kind of money? Sony is touting the PS3's backward compatibility and a built in Blu-ray player as value adders, but the system is already showing some flaws in performance.

The Wii, on the other hand, is getting nothing but rave reviews. With games like the long awaited Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (lame name, I know) launching simultaneously with the system and receiving rave reviews, virtually no risk of a pre-Christmas depletion of inventory, and a totally innovative new controller, the Wii would be an attractive system at any price. But when you consider that a mid-range bundle will only set you back about $330, the Wii is almost irresistible. AND it even comes with a game!!

Clearly the Wii and PS3 are totally different offerings which will almost certainly appeal to very different crowds, but I'm not among those who are impressed or satisfied with the path down which Sony has gone with their new product. Microsoft can get away with selling a computer that only plays video games for $400 because they're a computer company and they want to offer their customers new ways to play computer games. And Nintendo is continuing their glorious history of doing what they've always done within the growing video game industry--their own thing. But while Sony would have us believe that they're being innovative by building a gaming system with their flashily named "RSX Reality Synthesizer," really they're just sticking a tricked out Vaio desktop computer in a curvy plastic case and selling it for the same price as a (more powerful) Dell.

My guess is that Sony, and their stock price, will continue their downward trajectory until they stop trying simply to outdo their competition, and start developing products which bring something new to the table. Props to Nintendo for pulling an Apple by bringing attractive, interesting, and imaginative products to people like me. To show my appreciation I'm going to buy a Wii on Sunday and consider trading in my low-end MacBook for one of the new black ones. I'd spend less doing both than I would if I bought a PS3 with two games.

VIP

Yes--This is a $900 Knicks ticket. Courtside.

Thank you American Express.

Extra Extra!

One of my articles was published in the Brooklyn Papers. Check it out!

Objects of Lust: Penguin Graphic Classics

In honor of its 60th anniversary, Penguin Books has begun reissuing texts (in a seemingly random fashion) in a new Graphic Classics series.

Penguin Classics have always been a bit stodgy. The translations are usually serviceable, but the designs are atrocious: from the passable typeface to the uninspired spines.

But these new Classics Deluxe Editions are absolutely gorgeous:



Each book features a cover illustration by a notable graphic artist (Frank Miller designed Gravity's Rainbow), as well as delightful French Flaps and rough fronts.

I hope you will forgive me for pimping out Penguin, but I have been enamored with these books since I picked them up this afternoon. A book lover's dream!

And if anybody is still struggling to find me a suitable holiday present, might I suggest this: Essential Art House - 50 Years of Janus Films.

I couldn't express it better myself...

"Heaven knows, its got to be this time"

New Order is the greatest band ever. There I said it.

That is quite a statement, one I will probably disagree with in a few weeks. But after listening to Age of Consent for the umpteenth time, I find myself struggling to find any aural evidence to the contrary.

The only problem is New Order lacks that definitive album for easy sonic proselytization. Each record has its share of clunkers, usually when Bernard Sumner slips out of his lyrical inscrutability into some laughably terrible couplets.

So, I present you my modest sampler of New Order perfection.

Whenever possible I chose the single edits (except with Crystal -- the 4:21 cut is rushed), but every New Order song has about a dozen variations, so feel free to use whatever mix your heart desires (TV West used the Extended Dance Mix of Bizarre Love Triangle for one of its intros). And there are two glaring omissions: Blue Monday and Temptation, both of which have tremendous historic importance, but I just cannot find myself sitting through.

No - A Modest Sampler:

1. Elegia (Low-Life)
2. Round and Round (Technique)
3. The Perfect Kiss (Low-Life)
4. Ceremony (Ceremony Single)
5. Regret (Republic)
6. Bizarre Love Triangle (Brotherhood)
7. Procession (Procession Single)
8. Age of Consent (Power, Corruption & Lies)
9. Sunrise (Low-Life)
10. Ruined in a Day (Republic)
11. Primitive Notion (Get Ready)
12. Morning Night and Day (Waiting For The Sirens' Call)
13. True Faith (True Faith Single)
14. Crystal (Get Ready)
15. Brutal (The Beach Soundtrack)
16. Everyone Everywhere (Republic)

FYI: True Faith (Morning Sun) is like my favorite song of all time.

And in my continuing pursuit of material objects to fill the spiritual and emotional void in my life, check out the greatest holiday gift ever: Factory Records - The Complete Graphic Album. You will perhaps recognize one of the most iconic images in music history - Peter Seville's Blue Monday sleeve, a replicated computer disc that, in classic anti-capitalist Factory Records tradition, made absolutely no mention of the band. In fact, in Tony Wilson's insistence on the primacy of art, the label actually lost money for each single sold. Naturally, it went on the become the best-selling 12'' release of all time. The collection promises to include every single piece of Factory's output; we will see if that includes FAC 148 (a bucket on a restored watermill) and FAC 253 (a bet between Wilson and Gretton).

If any of you want to learn more about Factory Records, but found 24 Hour Party People too hilarious, might I suggest the excellent documentary Shadowplayers. It's twice the Tony Wilson with none of the Happy Mondays!

The top of Ben's wish list...

If any of you are thinking about buying Ben a present, I have it on good authority that he'd really, really like one of these.

Mark

A Decidedly Limited Frustration...

I must suffer from some sort of driving disability, because I have now, three times, scraped my car up against the parking spot at my apartment and put white paint (and a few scratches) on the passenger’s side.

The first two times my future Father-in-law was able to buff out the white paint and leave only the natural Royal Blue sheen of my Civic.

This time was a little worse. I put a tiny dent on the wheel well. And there is far more white paint than ever.

Some people blame the parking spot itself. I blame myself, for being always impatient and not slowing down enough to ensure that my car doesn’t rub the old fashioned, carriage-sized spot.

But it got me thinking. Why does it even matter. I know a car is just a vessel for transportation, and the damage is entirely cosmetic. If I rode the bus, I wouldn’t care that it had a dent on the side. Perhaps a better example... if it’s my lawnmower, I don’t give a crap.

Of course... I already know why it matters. And I’m sure we all do. To begin with it was GM in the 1920's convincing us that a car was a status symbol (and not just a use-value commodity like the Model T). So the cosmetic appeal is more important than the use-value (which is unaffected by the paint).

Which is to say it’s all pecuniary emulation. As Veblen said:

“possessions then come to be valued not so much as evidence of successful foray, but rather as evidence of the prepotence of the possessor of these goods over other individuals within the community. The invidious comparison now becomes primarily a comparison of the owner with the other members of the group. Property is still of the nature of trophy, but, with the cultural advance, it becomes more and more a trophy of successes scored in the game of ownership carried on between the members of the group under the quasi-peaceable methods of nomadic life.”

In other words, because if my car has a scratch in it... that means I’m NOT better than other people. And quite frankly that’s something I just can’t accept.

Mark