In a store near you

Categories: Politics

Target demonstrated a remarkably clueless attitude recently by selling various white-supremacy branded clothing (original). Fortunately, they’ve since pulled the clothing from shelves (original). Good for them. I’d like to know who designed the stuff; apparently it was Target’s house brand.

August 27, 2002 · 1 min · Bryant

Much to my surprise

Categories: Reviews

I’m among the top ten Google results for google://aimee+mann+lost+in+space. I didn’t do it on purpose, I swear! But since it’s done, I suppose I ought to be providing the poor seekers some sort of a review. It is moody, even for an Aimee Mann album. Where Bachelor No. 2 was infused with a rather Paul Thomas Andersonesque sense of wistful hope, or at least the willingness to take chances, Lost in Space is sung from the perspective of someone who’s taken the chances and fallen hard. In that sense, it’s a return to the bitter pessimism of I’m With Stupid. ...

August 27, 2002 · 2 min · Bryant

Plus la change

Categories: General

I always think I know so much. By way of Patricia Nielsen Hayden’s Making Light, I found an absolutely fascinating paper on a nineteenth century “online community.” It had all the features one expects from an online community, except of course the actual online-ness. But — flame wars, people masquerading as another gender, and identity slippage. Yeah, yeah, Bryant. It’s a new and unusual concept. Tell it to your ancestors.

August 27, 2002 · 1 min · Bryant

Weblog metadata

Categories: Navel Gazing

Just tagging the BlogMD Initiative (original) for later contemplation. MD stands for metadata, not for doctor.

August 26, 2002 · 1 min · Bryant

On the nature of the press release

Categories: Politics

I don’t really have any objection to Bush announcing that his lawyers believe he has the authority to attack Iraq without a Congressional vote. I don’t know about the de jure, but I’d bet he has authority de facto. The legal argument rests primarily on this Congressional resolution, passed last year, which authorizes the use of armed forces against those responsible for 9/11. They’re also citing H.J. Res. 77, a Congressional resolution passed in January 1991 which authorized the invasion of Iraq. ...

August 26, 2002 · 2 min · Bryant

How to develop character

Categories: General

I know I sound just as goofy when I’m talking about wrestling, but how can I resist linking to a review with a line like “this new series works hard to give Mekaneck the purpose he never really attained in the original; the fact that his neck can bend and twist will aid that goal a lot.” Yes. Twisty necks, the key to all character development.

August 26, 2002 · 1 min · Bryant

Sticker to the issues

Categories: Politics

Someone’s doing a limited run of activist gas pump stickers (original). Good design, good wording, and high quality stickers. Not quite as subtle as my favorite anti-SUV sticker campaign. More political than the baby smashing bunch (original). It’s nice that the guy made sure he included real safety notices on the sticker. Hey, remember what I said a while back about identity and the ability to mold the reality outside the monitor? Yeah.

August 25, 2002 · 1 min · Bryant

4.x will get you anywhere

Categories: Navel Gazing

Bowing to popular demand, I’ve whacked up a barebones index page for Popone. No barebones archive or comments pages yet; if it’s very important to you, let me know and I will whip one up. I’ve also switched over to using Blogrolling.com to maintain my blog list. This sacrifices the purity of keeping that list to just the important few blogs, but there are more than a few I want to keep track of, so what’s a boy to do?

August 25, 2002 · 1 min · Bryant

Story time redux

Categories: General

After about a month, there’s a new post over on True Porn Clerk Stories. Apparently some people bring video store clerks food. I never would have thought of that.

August 25, 2002 · 1 min · Bryant

First thing we do

Categories: Politics

Unbillable Hours is another one of those lawyer-written weblogs, which I find eternally interesting. They set up some kind of cognitive dissonance within my head (“how come busy lawyers have time to weblog?”) and I always like that. The author, whose name I can’t find on the page, wrote a nice bite about RICO and the Catholic Church, which prompted this posting. I also really liked his discussion of sex and law.

August 24, 2002 · 1 min · Bryant