Lose, Lose, or Lose?

The Comcast-Netflix deal sent a shockwave through every corner of the Internet today.  A lot of people fear the worst.  I do not, but that is only because I do not know what to believe at this early stage.  Almost everyone seems to believe that this is not going to be good for the consumer over the long term, and that will probably be the case without swift action (meaning, the ball better be rolling within 18 months) by the government to curb the powers of ISPs in what is rapidly becoming a small oligopoly.  This is gonna be a big folks, and it is shaping up to be one of the top five issues of 2016.  People are fed up with these cable companies, and it is not going to go over very well when the same companies start raising rates and nickel and diming for ISP service.  Or when people find out that other services are going up in price due to the actions of these leviathans.

Key questions-
1.  Will this hurt the chances for the Comcast/Time Warner merger to be approved?
2.  Is this really a violation of net neutrality?
3.  Why did Netflix do this?  Did they have an ulterior motive that has yet to come to the fore?
4.  Will the government do anything?

The two best articles as of this moment-

Comcast’s deal with Netflix makes network neutrality obsolete

Comcast and Netflix Reach Deal on Service

 

Misery 101

Did they really need to take the time and effort to conduct a study of what we already knew? Those in power love the uneducated, because all they have to do is trumpet guns, religion, xenophobia, and football to be elected. Common sense, logic, and philanthropy are eschewed in favor of "independence," superstition, and intolerance. Good luck with that.

Disaster Film

Marvel has a history of employing veteran filmmakers for its movie projects-Kenneth Branagh, Alan Taylor, Joe Johnston.  That streak has come to an end.  Either their list of veteran filmmakers willing to work on a comic book franchise has run out, or they are making a conscious decision to go with lesser names for some reason.  A lesser name does not necessarily mean a lesser talent, but does anyone really think that Marvel is going to discover someone?

James Gunn, not to be confused with Jame Gumb, is best known for once being married to Jenna Fischer.  Despite several years in the industry, his best known projects are screenplays for the two Scooby-Doo movies and the Dawn of the Dead remake.  So it is not very encouraging that he is the writer/director of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

The trailer makes it clear that Guardians is going for a humorous, if not outright comedic, tone.  From a movie quality standpoint this could be a disaster.  I do not think it will be a disaster at the box office because Marvel has built up too much goodwill with its movie successes.  So it will have a good opening.  But the fact that Marvel is releasing it in August shows that they do not have a lot of confidence it it long term performance.  Big budget movies released in August are generally the worst of the worst.

I cannot help but think that this movie could have used Ghostbusters era Bill Murray as Star Lord.  Rewatch the trailer, and just imagine Bill Murray's signature delivery with those lines.

Another issue with this film is that nobody, and I do mean nobody, knows who the Guardians of the Galaxy are.  I was a big reader of Marvel Comics back in the 80s, and I have no memory of them.  Even while collecting back issues I have barely become aware of them, as they had no regular series until the 1990s, when Marvel Comics was going down the tubes.  It was more than a little surprising when Marvel announced this movie.  Then again, Marvel is also doing a movie using the Ant-Man character, though at least that one has Edgar Wright at the helm.

Retired at 22

I suspect that anyone born after 1980 barely recognizes the name Shirley Temple.  My exposure to Shirley Temple was the result of a local channel playing her movies on occasion.  Every Sunday at 9:30 A.M. this station would play either an Abbott and Costello or Shirley Temple movie, mostly A&C.  Unsurprisingly, I was always disappointed when a Temple movie was shown (though I was more disappointed to have to go to church).  The average ten year old boy is not going to find much to like in a curly haired little girl singing about the Good Ship Lollipop.

I watched those Abbott and Costello movies over and over, but I remember very little about the Shirley Temple movies.  Either they did not make much of an impression on me, or I found something else to do.  All I really remember is Shirley dancing up the stairs with Bill Robinson.  And one other movie which stood out from all the others-The Blue Bird.  This almost psychedelic film featured actors in a dog and a cat costume.  There was also a forest fire, which had to be disturbing for little kids.  This was one of the last films Temple starred in before the onset of puberty.  I need to revisit this film sometime, as it did make an impression on me.

Temple would retire at the age of 22 after a few years of trying to find a place for the grown up version of herself.  Before retiring she was in a few notable films, like Fort Apache and The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer.  I watched both films back in the 90s but remember little, except that Shirley Temple grew up into a very striking woman.  So if she was "beautiful" enough for Hollywood, why did she retire at such a young age?  Was she burnt out?  Was she a lousy actress?  Certainly marrying a rich husband helped her to not be dependent on working, after her parents squandered most of her fortune.  It is also curious that she married a conservative, and even ran for Congress as a Republican candidate.  A lot of questions, and few answers since I have not read her autobiography yet.  It is sitting on my bookshelf, and I would have started reading it except I really need to have a fresher perspective on her films before reading about her life.

So passes one of the last stars of the 1930s.  Few remain.

Meet the future

The idea of reading a book on an "ebook reader" has appealed to me since the late 90s, when e-books first showed up.  Unfortunately portable technology for reading the e-books was years away.  The Kindle (2007, $399 yikes!) was a step in the right direction.  Good battery life, lightweight, and the ability to read in bright sunlight were three of its strong suites.  The problem is that, like a regular book, it required a good amount of exterior light to minimize eye strain, and even then it was not particularly bright.  The price was outrageous, and it is hard to believe how much the price has dropped on these things, with the iPad (2010) being the catalyst to improve what one could buy for several hundred dollars.

The Kindle Fire ($199, 2011) tablet, not to mention the other tablets in the tablet craze that began with the release of the iPad, was another way to read ebooks, but I quickly abandoned it due to several problems.  First, the glass makes it too heavy.  Second, and more damning, the glass results in a lot of glare, making it difficult to read outdoors and in lighting conditions not under your control.  Third, the Fire is plenty bright, sometimes too bright.  That brightness can lead to eye strain, particularly in dim lighting conditions.

In 2012 Kindle released the Paperwhite.  This is a breakthrough in e-reading.  It addresses all three problems that I had with the Fire.  It does not have the heavy glass, so it is very light.  The surface has practically no problem with glare.  The screen, at the highest setting, is very bright and is just about perfect for reading in a well lit room or in bright sunlight outside.  I wrote "setting" because the Paperwhite allows you to change how much the screen is lit.  I use the highest setting for outdoors, a middle setting for indoors, and a low setting for a dark room/complete darkness.  While it is possible to read in complete darkness, it is not preferable due to eye strain even at the lowest setting.  That said, I still read in the dark a lot, right before falling asleep.  Keep in mind that I have had Lasik, so my eyes might be a little more sensitive to light than the average person.  Another thing to note is that I have a first generation Paperwhite.  The second generation Paperwhite is advertised with higher contrast, so it might be a little better in low light conditions.

There are a few drawbacks to the Paperwhite.  Many people have reported uneven lighting on their Paperwhite.  Usually this is limited to the very bottom of the screen, meaning that it is still perfectly readable, but the lighting is not perfectly uniform.  I have a "perfect" Paperwhite, but it is really the luck of the draw.  Maybe Amazon has had more luck in the manufacturing process with its second generation Paperwhite.

I would like a larger Paperwhite.  A 7" version would be just about perfect.  Right now I find myself wishing for larger font, but when I increase the font size, the words per line decrease too much.  This is one of the few advantage the Fire has over the Paperwhite.

Another aspect that could be improved is the built-in software/firmware, which could stand to be overhauled to make navigation between books easier.  Not that is is difficult, but I would like something more user friendly, e.g. Apple-esque.

While I would prefer buttons on the side of the Paperwhite to turn pages, using the touchscreen is works good enough, with room for improvement.  I have read that the touch interface is improved for the second generation.

If you have a lot of e-books, you really need to download a library software like Calibre to your computer.  It makes conversion and transfer very simple, and of course it sensibly organizes your collection.

At this point, I would recommend waiting for the third generation Paperwhite, which should be released in the fourth quarter 2014 at the latest.


Update-This article does a decent job summarizing most of what I wrote previously.

Enablers

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

The book is really a biography of Hitler, who was the person most critical to the rise and fall.  This is one of the things that is stunning about Hitler's life-he was the lynchpin for the continued success of the Nazis, and yet few opposed him once he gained power.

What is truly frustrating about the book is how EASY it was for Hitler to rise to power and obtain what he wanted for the next several years.  Sure, the Beer Hall Putsch failed, and it was several years before Hitler would obtain "Fuhror" status.  But the Putsch was a ridiculous attempt to overthrow the government.  Hitler was punished for his treason with an incredibly light sentence that ended up being a few months of home confinement.  Hitler smartly used the "down" time to write Mein Kamph.  Which brings me to another point that Shirer brought up again and again-Hitler spelled out his true feelings and radicalism in Mein Kamph.  It should have been no surprise what he would do to the Jews, nor was it out of character for him to take an imperialist, expansionist stance toward Europe.

The Allies made mistake after mistake in their handling of Hitler and Germany.  They underestimated the extremists views of the Nazis, despite plenty of prior warning.  If the regime would be so severe to its own people (concentration camps were already numerous in the mid 1930s, thanks to the incarceration of political enemies and "undesirables") then what stance would it take towards its neighbors?  Even after war had been officially declared, the Allies sat on their hands and let Poland try to defend itself.  England had by far the strongest navy, and yet Germany was allowed to float into Norway, where most of the resistance came from the somewhat disorganized Norwegian resistance.  While the German army was focused on Poland, western Germany was at the mercy of French and English "invading" forces, which sat still, waiting to go on the defensive.  Months later Germany was ready to head west.  The Netherlands and Belgium also neglected the threat, assuming Germany would not invade France by way of those Northern countries.  Then there was France, whose lackadaisical response was made worse by poor tactical decisions.  Mistakes continued to be made by the Allies throughout the war, but they would  benefit from Germany's dwindling supplies and the massive miscalculations by Hitler regarding the possibility of conquering Russia.

A long war was unwinnable by Germany, and by 1943 Germany was doomed.  But Hitler was embarking on a "lose at all cost" path while spreading blame around.  His belief that the German people were superior in mind and body to their enemies made it inconceivable (I don't think you know the meaning of that word) to Hitler that Germany could be defeated.  During the last few months Hitler ordered a scorched earth policy towards Germany itself.  Fortunately for Germany, some Germans finally started to ignore Hitler's orders.  Too little, too late for many.

Nationalism is dangerous.  Patriotism is the refuge of scoundrels.  People value money over freedom.  People are gullible.  These are recurring themes of the rise, and I could not help but think about the United States and the rise of nationalistic fervor in the time following 9/11.  Hitler was convinced that he needed to justify his actions, whether those actions involved punishing groups of people for their race or political beliefs, lessening freedom in the homeland to strengthen his control, or invading other nations.  Hitler's early support was never very strong.  He never obtained over 50% of the vote in any election, until already in power when elections were managed to the appropriate (for Hitler) results.  They were managed so well that Hitler received almost unanimous approval.  Right.

How was the government dysfunctional to the point that Hitler was allowed to assume power to begin with?  There was too much division.  There were several parties and factions.  They could not come together and agree on important issues, which left the government impotent during an economic crisis.  Sound familiar?

Hitler's actions became more and more extreme.  More and more people were being condemned to concentration camps (especially former supporters who did not fit the plan), Jews were being eradicated from public life, and countries were being invaded to ensure Germany's safety.  At some point one would think that the German people would come to their senses.  But years of "success" had made them feel righteous about the 1930s government, and some wanted to believe Hitler's "truth" rather than reality, to placate their own egos.  Of course, Hitler's truth was whatever he wanted them to believe.

I would rather not break down people by race or nationality.  I prefer to say that everyone is an Earthling.  This "one people, one planet" idea has become more and more sensible with the increasing contact between Earthlings thanks to the Internet.  The spread of knowledge, ideas, and values without the interference of a particular politicial regime is paving the way towards a worldcentric way of life.  So when I look back and see how foolish the German majority was during this time, I see it as a warning.  Yes, people are that stupid and shortsighted.  Whenever things are going poorly, they will grasp on to whatever seems to work, regardless of the long term consequences.  Find someone to blame, and hype yourself up in the process.

It might look ugly now, but Hitler tapped into primordial urges while taking advantage of economic upheaval and local impoverishment.  Evil was at the right place at the right time.

If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try, Try, and Try Again

The standards for restaurant cleanliness is shockingly low.  I wonder if the average restaurant-goer is aware of this.  And who constructs such lax rules in the first place?  It appears that foreign food restaurants are particularly abysmal in their ratings.  A local newspaper lists those restaurants that fail inspections.  A score below 36 (out of 100) causes the restaurant too temporarily shut down? until another inspection a couple days later.  A score below 0! results in automatic closure.  A score below 36 for the reinspection also results in closure.  Among the violations:

1. raw chicken out of safe temperature ranges and homemade yogurt out of temperature ranges. The facility is not licensed to make their own yogurt or milk products.
2. a live baby German roach seen on the wall above the hand sink and employees not washing hands.
3. ice machine with an "overly excessive amount of mold"; ready-to-eat food not dated with several foods months past expiration date; raw meat thawing in one compartment of a three-compartment sink, which also held dishes
4. bottles of bleach stored on a food prep counter
5. Cool Whip found molded and open containers of sour cream, milk and deli meat not dated.
6. dirty water splashing into bowls used for food.
7. an employee moving a trash bin with hands and then putting on gloves as well as adjusting his clothes, scratching his head and then handling food

This really lends credulity to those Gordon Ramsey Kitchen Nightmares inspections.  The good news?   The Health District board approved the proposal and will require city restaurants to post a color-coded placard starting in January.  This was only after the county board inexplicably voted down such a proposal.  I wonder if any of those county board members own a restaurant.

Close Encounters

Francois Truffaut was mentioned on two different sitcoms this week.  Odd.  No prize if you can name them.  Even more coincidental, Truffaut would have turned 82 today had a brain tumor not interceded thirty years ago.

You Will Meet a Short, Nebbish Creep

It has not been a slow news week.  So I do not know the reason for the recent Woody Allen coverage.  The same accusations were leveled 22 years ago.  So what is the "new"s here?  Nothing has changed.  Woody Allen is a creep.  This is nothing new either.  Watch Manhattan again.  Allen obviously puts a lot of himself into his movies.  If Allen was nice and normal and, well, boring, he probably would not have produced one of the most voluminous and creative oeuvres in the history of the arts.  Anyone who has spent some time in family court would realize that wild, perhaps false, accusations are typical, and these wounds never heal.  It also took Farrow 12 years to figure out the "real" Woody Allen.  Kids are also easy to brainwash, which is why religion tries to start them early on the "right" path.

Some say this has the potential to cost Cate Blanchett the win for Best Actress.  Ludicrous.  The Academy voters are (mostly) the same ones who rewarded Roman Polanski a few years ago.  In this case, the "villain" would not be receiving the award.  In addition there is not a strong second choice, as Blanchett has pretty much swept the awards season.

Amazing Amy

Gone Girl
Spoilers, obviously.  Your enjoyment of the book (or upcoming movie) will be significantly lessened  if you continue to read.

Gone Girl has a problem.  The protagonist is not likeable.  That is not necessarily a problem for me, but I could understand others finding little to care about.  The mystery propels the story along, as Flynn (Amy) sets up Nick for the fall.  At one point I wondered when Nick would kill a puppy, because that is about the only thing he does not do.  Lying, cheating, physical abuse...it is all there in the prototype for a bad husband.

At about the halfway point the story takes a turn.  There is also a reversal in characterization.  I suspect that Flynn wrote the beginning and end of the novel first, then tried to construct a middle to fit.  We are told how meticulous Amy is, but then as soon as we are introduced to "real time" Amy, she turns stupid.  All she has to do is hide out for a few weeks, appearing in public as little as possible.  Instead she decides to lay out by the pool each day and try to make new friends.  Odd.  Then she changes her mind and decides not to kill herself, in the process abandoning a plan that was over a year in the making. 

One of the misdirects in the first half of the book involves the idea that Amy could not have been involved in her own disappearance due to 1. no missing money and 2. the blood in the kitchen.  Amy later explains that she was able to quietly accumulate ten thousand dollars by withdrawing small sums.  Ok, but ten thousand is not very much to live on for very long, especially without any form of identification.  The planned suicide explained this, but it reads more like Flynn could not come up with a better way to explain this difficulty.  It is hard to believe that someone as egotistical and resourceful as Amy would kill herself.

We are never told how Amy planned to make money.  Is it possible that she always had Desi in the back of her mind?  Maybe.  But we are let into Amy's mind, and Desi is never mentioned until after the robbery.  Speaking of the robbery, this is another slip-up by Amy.  It is almost as if she is trying  to blow her cover.  She knew that Greta has seen her cash.  Right then and there she should have fled.  Instead she hangs around, indicating that the "real" Amy is a trusting soul--or incredibly naive.  This whole in-congruent stretch contains "stupid" Amy, and it was at this point that I began to wonder if I could finish the book.  Things change.  After the casino, no more stupid Amy.

As the story was reaching its conclusion, I became concerned that it would not end the "right" way.  By saying "right" I am not referring to good triumphing over evil.  I just want a logical conclusion.  Flynn's ending is perfect in that regard.


Flynn is not the first person to reveal a mentally unstable character who this the child of two psychologists.  This was also a prominent plot line in Six Feet Under.