Slashdot Mirror
Jon Katz To Be Played By Jeff Bridges
Robotech_Master writes, "Long-time Slashdot veterans will remember Jon Katz, the editorial writer whose Slashdot articles invariably generated heated controversy. It appears he may have the last laugh; how many of the Slashdot posters who ridiculed him went on to be played by Jeff Bridges in a movie? From the article: 'In his new book, "A Good Dog: The Story of Orson," Katz chronicles the life and death of the lovable but troubled border collie that transformed his life. It continues the story begun in Katz's last book, "A Dog Year," now being made into a movie starring Jeff Bridges as Katz.' Katz critics may get a chuckle out of the plot synopsis for the film: 'A man having a mid-life crisis has his life turned upside down when he takes in a border collie crazier than he is.'" The film should be released in late 2007.
A man having a mid-life crisis has his life turned upside down when he takes in a border collie crazier than he is.
Can't think of anyone better than Jeff Bridges to play that role.
cat
They've also announced that CowboyNeal will be played by a CGI'd Andy Serkis.
I hadn't remembered Katz's journalistic peregrinations here, but I sort of assumed he had gone the way of the dodo. Is he somehow related to the movie's producers?
Dog is my co-pilot.
In other news, Tom Cruise to play Roland Piquepaille.
-Peter
PS: Dude, you're being very un-dude right now.
I thought he was dead!
I've had him blocked in my preferences since 2000, when the feature was introduced. Voices from the hellmouth, indeed. What really happened at columbine (as told by someone who hasn't been a highschool kid in 30 years, and who was a thousand miles from colorado when it happened).
Now, he wrote a book about a cat. I wonder if it's as preachy as his other dribble? I'd guess so if it's a hollywood movie now.
In conclusion, DIAF. All you new slashdotters that missed him, be glad. He used this website as his personal soapbox.
~Wx
sig?
(I cringe at the thought of what useful information could have been stored in the neurons that were holding that shred of memory...)
What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
Some people are dog people, and Jon Katz is a dog person despite being named Katz. I don't know if that explains why his version of "mid-life crisis" was "tinfoil hat" theories about Columbine followed by plugging his own books on Slashdot, but if I ever go that crazy, I hope to have friends like Cmdr Taco around to let me promote my own books.
SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
...really tied the room together, man.
Is this the story about a man his dog and a commodore 64 and their fight to free the columbine children from afghanistan?
:)
If not I am not seeing it.
I can understand why Katz and his dog were so close. What Katz wrote was almost identical to what came out of his dog's rear end.
I want a new quote. One that won't spill. One that don't cost too much. Or come in a pill.
I'm looking forward to the heartwarming scene where he and his dog bond while watching videos on his TRS-80.
Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
Who plays Junis? Kevin Federline?
Web2.0: I love when people Flickr my cuil and digg my boingboing until my google is reddit and I start to yahoo
He had ordered a new PC via mail order. When it was delivered, the cards were loose. So loose that his dog picked up the motherboard in its mouth and walked around the house.
Anyone who has actually assembled a computer will see the flaws in his stories. Or anyone who has owned a dog.
This makes me all verklempt thinking about the first time I learned to block Slashdot articles.
I wrote parts of this stuff
that was uncanny
there is no need to sign your posts. this isn't usenet. your username is right there above your post. stop it.
Don't get me wrong, I think Jeff Bridges is great (Tron atones for a multitude of sins), but in my family we have a saying: "Want your movie to fail? Cast Jeff Bridges."
"Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased
So who is going to play Cowboy Neal? When does casting for the Slashdot movie start?
At what price learning? At what cost wisdom? The price is a man's peace of mind, and the cost is his life.
I'm not saying that the dog was living a good life, but he flat out stole the dog, and then wrote an article about how the dog was stolen.
6 082
http://www.slate.com/Default.aspx?id=2113564>1=
It sounds interesting, but I really have to wonder how a movie like this fits into the post-Columbine world of today...
[begin long dissertation]
I'm just surprised that in a post-Columbine world, this movie would get made.
I should poitn out that none of that precludes his being horribly misinformed, espcially on technical issues.
In fact, it often seems like an either/or proposition. You can get the "humanity" feature or the "competence" feature.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Well, having never met the guy, I can see how perhaps some of those were true, with the exception of sensitive, smart, funny, or perceptive. Perhaps he's so generous that it makes people believe some of the others?
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Every time I've just about forgotten about Katz something comes along to remind me of his existence. Usually a "Whatever happened to Jon Katz" posting on this site. Apparently he was not killed by a pack of wild dingoes as per my previous speculation. So I'd suggest looking forward to that 20 part "Columbine Revisited" story any day now. On the plus side I probably won't see it if it's posted on this site -- I got my account here for the sole purpose of disabling posts from him and as far as I know there's still a setting in the database preventing me from seeing a story by him (If not about him)
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
IANAL(or movie exec), but as a drama I can see this moving working. As a comedy this movie may likely be another one of the many bombs produced by has been actors wanting to cash in on their name...ex The Shaggy Dog or Dr Doolittle.
Wtf...
/me gets all nostalgic
Well, it is Tuesday.
Monkeyboi
Just tell me where we found a Border Collie crazier than Jon Katz...
SIG: HUP
The nerd in me feel so concerned about this incredible news! It really matters to me.
Oh wait...maybe I'm just being insensitive...
Ah, JonKatz. The sole reason that I finally relented and created a user account, just so I could filter out his inane babbling. Good times, good times.
wow - i didn't know that the Dr Katz cartoon had such a big fanbase to warrant a live action movie. My head always hurt after watching it, with all the squiggly lines and all. So will Jeff Bridges be shaving his head or just going to wear a wig?
Out of suffering comes creativity. You cannot spell painting without pain.
We have suffered much for Jon's art. Must we suffer more?
Speak truth to power.
It's spelled "doo-doo".
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
Fuck Katz (figure of speech) who is going to play me? I really can't think of anyone in hollywood sexy enough to cover it.
Supporting World Peace Through Nuclear Pacification
Long-time Slashdot veterans will remember Jon Katz, the editorial writer whose Slashdot articles invariably generated heated controversy.
/rimshot
So he is exactly like everyone else?
Tip your waitress...
I hear it all takes place in the Shadowrun universe. It's probably still based on Katz's life as I doubt he ever lived in this universe.
As a long time reader and rare poster I never understood the resentment some showed to Mr Katz on this site, perhaps it is the fact he writes lucidly and well, compared to the incoherent drivel served up by the whinging moronic posters who like to complain about him. Jealous of someone truly talented prehaps. The from the hellmouth series was excellent in my opinion-and there were a lot more regular visitors when Katz was posting here regularly.
Wow. That is one farked up dog. The poor thing.
(Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week. Try the meatloaf.)
dragonhawk@iname.microsoft.com
I do not like Microsoft. Remove them from my email address.
Taco! there is something wrong with slashcode. I blocked these jon katz stories ages ago. Heck i never even read the Junis story on slashdot until someone told me. WTF is this doing on the front page. Where should i submit the bug?
The war with islam is a war on the beast
The war on terror is a war for peace
Go on, I dare ya
I'm in doubt... is this really "ad hominem" or "ad canem"?
Anyway, I remembered him the other day (actually some 4-6 months ago) and wondered where in the world is Jon Katz? I was one of the few who appreciated what he wrote. Too bad he got fed up... wow, this was how long ago? 9-10 years?
Wow. 9 years and still AC...
Wherever you are, Jon, I wish you success!
I think the filter must have broken after the upgrade...I still saw that.
Actually, I kind of miss the guy. It was so nice to see so many comments that agreed with each other. Say what you will about Katz, he united many of us Slashdotters in our distaste for his writing. Never have I seen so many ways to say STFU as in the comments for a JonKatz post.
I always figured he finally got the hint and got a job that didn't encourage his delusions of grandeur. Now he's got a movie about how he got a dog smarter than he is. Or crazier - ol' Jon's a zany dude. I'm just disappointed in the casting. I would have picked this guy instead. (sorry Bubbles!)
I went from 0 to +50 Karma just pointing out the most obvious flaws in his "articles". Good times.
There are 01 kinds of cars in the world. The General Lee, and everything else.
Well, there was this one time my sister's 14mo old labrador ran smack into my case, which had the sidepanel off and knocked it's head right into the motherboard. It didn't unseat it, or undo any screws, it bent a couple capacitors but hell it didn't even reboot. I got some bad sectors from the rattling around and eventually had to replace the power supply, HD and blow some dog hair out of the case. The mobo worked for years after that running my SMB shares and print server...
...I haven't thought of him unless to make reference to a wordy, logically unsound, obnoxious shill.
Though I guess, as the parent said, if his dog actually picked the motherboard up, number one he should be taken to jail for animal mistreatment for being so damned negligent, but more importantly he should have called The Guinness Book because he must have the only dog that can operate a screwdriver in the world. Not to mention no reputable shop would ship a mobo detached from the case. The thing would be DOA every time the way they get chucked around in transit. Ugh, which goes back to the first thing I said in this thread:
Yep, I would tend to think that dogs are certainly a more appropriate topic for Mr Katz to write about than geeks. I do, however, wonder how dogs feel about his treatment of their world...
I am failing to comprehend. Keanu Reeves is human, and thus fleshy, and thus not made of wood. Furthermore, jokes are incapable of flight. (*pause*) Or perhaps this is another "idiom" with which I am unfamiliar.
Shop as usual. And avoid panic buying.
For enough money drinkypoo I would find you sensitve, smart, funny, and/or perceptive. Perhaps the same is true for this Katz fellow...
Onward to the Aether Sphere!
560 N. Moorpark Rd., #236
Thousand Oaks, CA. 91360
Jul 15, 1995
DIRECTOR
RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL
1260 Avenue of the Americas
New York, N.Y. 10020
Dear Sir or Madam:
Is it possible to rent Radio City Music Hall out for the week?
I would be putting on my production of "CINNAMON - A LIFE IN PROGRESS." This is a warm hearted family drama. It has been playing in the Maine and Minneapolis area.
Now it is ready for NEW YORK.
Please let me know how I would go about renting out Radio City Music Hall for my production of "CINNAMON - A LIFE IN PROGRESS."
There will be NO Bee Wrangler for these performances. (May hear loud barking).
Thank you. I remain...
Ted L. Nancy
- From Letter's From a Nut, by Ted L. Nancy. Avon books, 1997.
The society for a thought-free internet welcomes you.
God damn you Katz! You f**kin' asshole! Everything's a f**kin' travesty with you, man! And what was all that shit about A Good Dog? What the F**K, has anything got to do with your dog? What the f**k are you talking about?
-or-
That's a great plot, Katz. That's f**kin' ingenious, if I understand it correctly. It's a Swiss f**kin' watch!
"You can't win. You can't break even. You can't quit." -A. Ginsberg
Nothing like the mention of Jon Katz to bring out some of the slashdot old-timers, eh? Ahh, those were the days. Learning how to block stories...
--- witty signature
It also seems to work for TV series as well.
In the vein of something like "Where are they now?". I know we all liked to flame the heck out of him, but in a weird way, I kind of miss him. Reading this article about him reminds me of late nights coding with co-workers, eating pizza and reading an inane story about the post-columbine world that would get me upset to the point of waking me up so I could keep coding.
Ah, the good old days.
- sigs are for wimps.
Where does this chestnutty anecdote appear in Katz's works? I want details. It's demonstrable horseshit. When did K buy the "PC"? From who? Dell? When?
Ahem.
He's still an idiot.
That is all.
This would matter only if I cared. I put Jon Katz on my omit list when that was possible. Luckily he doesn't post anymore.
Direct to video!
Seriously. Every Katz "article" was the dictionary definition of "-1, Flamebait" and the comments were usually along the lines of "OMFG STFU!!!!" or "OMFG FOAD!!! AUGH!" or such.
/. "articles" at any rate) is the former.
IME, "near-universally reviled" and "controversial" are different things, and Katz (his
Perhaps I'm just too new here, but I didn't have a clue who Katz was, however reading the comments above it seems that the only way he could get more reviled is getting in bed with the MPAA, which he now seems to have done.
'In his new book, "A Good Dog: The Story of Orson," Katz chronicles the life and death of the lovable but troubled border collie that transformed his life. It continues the story begun in Katz's last book, "A Dog Year," The next book is rumored to be called just "Katz and dogs" *bad-da-bissshhhh* Thank you, you're wonderful.
sudo ergo sum
Thats a misrepresentation and exaggeration.
The problem with Katz is that he is an outsider who had the temerity to write about us. That's fine when you write for other outsiders, but the generaliations you use when you write to other outsiders don't stand up when you are writing for insiders. You either end up insulting or patronizing.
Katz and O'Reilley may both be pompous, but few of us here can afford to throw stones on that account. The problem with O'Reilley is that he is a bully who shouts down and abuses people he disagrees with. Katz didn't have the power to cut our mic so he could dress us down, and most of us can take care of ourselves if we have a chance to respond. The impression I get of Katz is that he's a nice enough guy who foolishly bit off more than he could chew. He wasn't one of us, he wasn't going to deliberately insult us, so he ended up patronizing us, with the best of intentions.
I imagine American Indians feel that way about all that noble savage nonsense. If I were one, I'd rather see an Indian version of The Simpsons than another Dancing with Wolves.
It was only a few years ago, but the Jon Katz/Slashdot phenomenon belongs to a past era, like FDR's fireside chats or newsreels shown at movies. "O brave new world, that has such people in't." Like Miranda in the Tempest the public had discovered that the Internet was a whole universe of new possibilities, but they didn't know how that universe worked or what the people who made it run did.
I have no bile towards Jon, and while many do, I'm sure quite that's not universal. Personally, I wouldn't even mind seeing a Katz piece every couple of months. It doesn't hurt us to look at oursevles from an outside perspective every now and then. I think a Slashdot interview would be a good idea too.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Just dump the e-waste in the ocean along with the rest of God knows what corporations illegally dump there... What could possibly go wrong with that!
The fact that Hollywood actually thinks this would be something people would pay to see is a great example as to why I no longer watch American movies, despite the fact that I am American and live in the good old USA. I see maybe 2-3 American movies a year. Man, Hollywood is just desperate for ideas. I've started watching Asian films and every now and then a European film because at least they are still trying to make good movies in other countries.
Thanks katz.
Microsoft aggravates my tourettes syndrome.
Will it be done in squiggle vision?
for some reason i thought beau bridges was his dad :)
(1.21 gigawatts) / (88 miles per hour) = 30 757 874 newtons
I saw this news about some movie with Jon Katz being played by Jeff Bridges.
But I'm having trouble figuring out how to filter stories written by or about Jeff Bridges from the front page.
Anybody have a URL for a site that compiles DVD sales data? For example I see The Big Lebowski made $17M at the US Box office, but I suspect DVD sales are higher than that. It's my conjecture that most Jeff Bridges movies fit that trend since he tends to go for the unpopular genres but does a really good job at them.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
In this post-Johnathan Katz internet
that man did a decent job and slashdot mercilessly ripped on him
good for Jon Katz
hope someone kills his dog. That'd barely get you probation in the US.
my karma will be here long after I'm gone