Well, great. No strong feelings about this, besides I might read Google News now... but all it's recommending are stories about food and fat kids! Quit being evil, Google.
How, exactly, does that follow? How are you so certain that they aren't, as a result of this little thing that we've seen and heard bits of, spending a good deal more time walking hand in hand on the beach and supping wine by moonlight? The pictures seem light hearted, the intention seemed fun, and making cynical assumptions about the nature of the relationship when there is nothing but positive things presented (besides the excellent point that he wasn't really listening to her needs) is just unneccessary. And again, this had nothing with this being the ONLY recourse of their bonding, it was the necessary chore of uprading that got spun into a bonding experience, not bonding that got busted down to nerd-fest.
Didn't the title explain why it was on slashdot? Didn't the dept also hint that this isn't about gender issues or capability or some geeky guy showing off his girlfriend... it's just a tech-based human interest story about how something that is socially considered moderately anti-social (if not obvious, this is evident in the immediate assumption, if even in jest, of forum posters about how a geek would need to show off a girlfriend) can actually do something like bring two people together and enhance a relationship.
I've always thought a key component of a healthy relationship is an active involvement of each other in what separately interests you, if only to gain an understanding rather than grow a resentment of differing passions. it's pretty cute to see them bond.
Two points to make:
Elton John wants people to go out and be with each other and creating things? He should check out http://www.blogotheque.net/takeawayshows/ , a phenomenon that would not be possible were it not for the internet, the very goal of which is to get emerging (or even, in some cases, famous) bands in public performing live in impromptu venues (like elevators) in major cities all over the world. Imagine that... truly creative people finding a way of utilizing their technology to create new things, or perhaps old things in new forms in pace with a changing world. What's that? Oh, the point of much art? Oh yeah.
Which leads to the second point. Marshall McLuhan had a lot to say about the unique nature of artists:
"The artist picks up the message of cultural and technological challenge decades before its transforming impact occurs. He, then, builds models or Noah's arks for facing the change that is at hand... The ability of the artist to sidestep the bully blow of new technology of any age, and to parry such violence with full awareness, is age-old." (Understanding Media, 1964)
Elton John as an artist is clearly not of the breed that McLuhan insists "is the man of integral awareness," and "who grasps the implications of his actions and of new knowledge in his own time." This reactionary, Luddite philosophy of his marks him as not only behind the times, but as a man of the most dangerous artistic influence, given his mass appeal and status. Art should not tear down the inexorable technological developments of any age; video may have killed the radio star, but then again, maybe it had the technologies of writing, painting, and sculpture that preceded it that grounded the human mind in a predominantly visual mode, anyway. Who knows. But regardless (anyone notice the guy who agreed with Elton John use 'irregardless'?), the blame game is not for artists of any caliber.
To be fair, "roll your own" is not pot-smoker slang, it refers to rolling your own tobacco cigarettes in lieu of buying packaged pre-rolled cigs. It's a lot cheaper and sure, could be seen as 'pot chic' to do, but the term's been around about as long as cigarettes have been manufactured.
Just look at two episodic game franchises with enormous potential: the Xenosaga and the.hack// games. Admittedly, Xenosaga had enough game to it to warrant the 50$ you had to pay, but once you were done you kind of were done, 'nahmean? Shell out another hundred bucks for the other parts? or branch out of a bit, perhaps? As far as.hack// went, it was the cheapest of tricks, overpriced and cliffhangered to sucker you into another full-priced game. After playing the first one and not realizing there were three more to come, I felt gipped that I had even bothered to get involved in the first one when I had no intention of investing two hundred dollars into a single story that could (probably) have fit onto one or two discs.
I guess it comes down to pricing and actually doing this for the gamers' interests, not just using it to slowly squeeze money out of eager gamers. Hell, I actually know people who dial 4416JOKES into their cell phone; I don't want to see them further exploited.
Slashdot Mirror
here's another point... wes craven directed Shatterday. isn't he supposed to be good?
Well, great. No strong feelings about this, besides I might read Google News now... but all it's recommending are stories about food and fat kids! Quit being evil, Google.
Wait, what was her name? Glenn or Glenda?
How, exactly, does that follow? How are you so certain that they aren't, as a result of this little thing that we've seen and heard bits of, spending a good deal more time walking hand in hand on the beach and supping wine by moonlight? The pictures seem light hearted, the intention seemed fun, and making cynical assumptions about the nature of the relationship when there is nothing but positive things presented (besides the excellent point that he wasn't really listening to her needs) is just unneccessary. And again, this had nothing with this being the ONLY recourse of their bonding, it was the necessary chore of uprading that got spun into a bonding experience, not bonding that got busted down to nerd-fest.
Didn't the title explain why it was on slashdot? Didn't the dept also hint that this isn't about gender issues or capability or some geeky guy showing off his girlfriend... it's just a tech-based human interest story about how something that is socially considered moderately anti-social (if not obvious, this is evident in the immediate assumption, if even in jest, of forum posters about how a geek would need to show off a girlfriend) can actually do something like bring two people together and enhance a relationship.
I've always thought a key component of a healthy relationship is an active involvement of each other in what separately interests you, if only to gain an understanding rather than grow a resentment of differing passions. it's pretty cute to see them bond.
Two points to make:
Elton John wants people to go out and be with each other and creating things? He should check out http://www.blogotheque.net/takeawayshows/ , a phenomenon that would not be possible were it not for the internet, the very goal of which is to get emerging (or even, in some cases, famous) bands in public performing live in impromptu venues (like elevators) in major cities all over the world. Imagine that... truly creative people finding a way of utilizing their technology to create new things, or perhaps old things in new forms in pace with a changing world. What's that? Oh, the point of much art? Oh yeah.
Which leads to the second point. Marshall McLuhan had a lot to say about the unique nature of artists: "The artist picks up the message of cultural and technological challenge decades before its transforming impact occurs. He, then, builds models or Noah's arks for facing the change that is at hand... The ability of the artist to sidestep the bully blow of new technology of any age, and to parry such violence with full awareness, is age-old." (Understanding Media, 1964)
Elton John as an artist is clearly not of the breed that McLuhan insists "is the man of integral awareness," and "who grasps the implications of his actions and of new knowledge in his own time." This reactionary, Luddite philosophy of his marks him as not only behind the times, but as a man of the most dangerous artistic influence, given his mass appeal and status. Art should not tear down the inexorable technological developments of any age; video may have killed the radio star, but then again, maybe it had the technologies of writing, painting, and sculpture that preceded it that grounded the human mind in a predominantly visual mode, anyway. Who knows. But regardless (anyone notice the guy who agreed with Elton John use 'irregardless'?), the blame game is not for artists of any caliber.
To be fair, "roll your own" is not pot-smoker slang, it refers to rolling your own tobacco cigarettes in lieu of buying packaged pre-rolled cigs. It's a lot cheaper and sure, could be seen as 'pot chic' to do, but the term's been around about as long as cigarettes have been manufactured.
Just look at two episodic game franchises with enormous potential: the Xenosaga and the .hack// games. Admittedly, Xenosaga had enough game to it to warrant the 50$ you had to pay, but once you were done you kind of were done, 'nahmean? Shell out another hundred bucks for the other parts? or branch out of a bit, perhaps? As far as .hack// went, it was the cheapest of tricks, overpriced and cliffhangered to sucker you into another full-priced game. After playing the first one and not realizing there were three more to come, I felt gipped that I had even bothered to get involved in the first one when I had no intention of investing two hundred dollars into a single story that could (probably) have fit onto one or two discs.
I guess it comes down to pricing and actually doing this for the gamers' interests, not just using it to slowly squeeze money out of eager gamers. Hell, I actually know people who dial 4416JOKES into their cell phone; I don't want to see them further exploited.