The Manic Mechanic

These days I have more of an interest in football than I ever had prior, thanks to Jeff. Any time his beloved Cowboys or Penn State are on TV, he's there yelling at the set. He had warned me of becoming a "football widow" during the season, but rather than trying to beat 'em, I joined 'em, as it were. Jeff dutifully answered my questions regarding the finer points of the game, along with the not-so serious ones ("Why is it called 'football' when they rarely use their feet and it's not technically a ball?") and in no time I started getting pulled into the action. I would often watch the Super Bowl throughout the years just for the spectacle of it; it would occasionally fall on my birthday weekend like this year. The programming preceding the game often shows the personal side of the game as it relates to player, coaches and whatnot, this adds to the human side of the game, reminding me that it is not just all about the game itself. Stories like that of O. J. Brigance, former Ravens linebacker (as well as linebacker from the defunct CFL Baltimore Stallions) stricken with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) who, despite the advanced stages of the disease is still active with the team as Director of Player Development. It was a touching story, made even more so at the end of the game when they dedicated their win to him. The win was also a huge one for Baltimore, which, after years of mediocre activity of their major sports teams, economic issues and so on, have been buoyed recently by improving economic conditions, an almost-World Series from the Orioles, a successful Grand Prix that will be held again this year, and lots of external good will. It is easy for me to dismiss the success of a city's team, especially when I hear of rioting and destruction in the wake of a major win. No, the effect is real, with local businesses doing well, folks upbeat for more than just a winning team, and lots of positive benefits for the city and the people as a whole. Sure there will always be negatives, but even seeing the old folks wearing team colors in public along with the very young, brings smiles to faces.

Of course, the big draw of Super Bowl Sunday, for some even more than the game, is the commercials. Those who know me well are aware of my love/hate relationship with advertising. Yes, there is more hate than love, as I see advertising a parasitic relationship with the environment and most times quite dishonest. Super Bowl Sunday, however, is a time when advertisers pull out the stops to make some really good commercials, often with the actual product being secondary to the overall message. No one does this better than Budweiser with their ongoing series of ads featuring the trademark Clydesdale horses. These have always been very entertaining and some quite moving. I really fell in love with the ads when the Dalmatian was brought on board, and recent years have made the ads something I look forward to even more than favorite movie sequels. This year didn't disappoint. I dare the viewer not to get even slightly misty-eyed at this one:

Anyone who knows horses can probably attest that this is not a far-fetched scenario (I'm looking at you, badgerpdx).

The Big Game is over, Baltimore can hold its collective head a bit higher, along with the entire state of Maryland, and I can dote on Jeff as he goes through pangs of football withdrawal. :-)

This made my day. Mr. Rogers was a kind sort, his only agenda being one of learning, caring, fun, kindness and thinking. This "remix" is one he undoubtedly would have approved of highly.

Another thing that made my day: Sexy theoctothorpe's birfday today!

During Tuesday's episode of Glee, among all the commercials for cell phones, cars, fast food and other silly sundries, an ad aired for Google Chrome (the web browser). It stood out not because it was an ad for a bit of software, but what can be done with it.

This is the first time I have seen the "It Gets Better" project hit mainstream television, outside of a talk show or something similar. It was touching and amazing to see it in this context. More ironic is the fact that Glee airs on the Fox network, where the dichotomy of rather progressive series programming stands in stark contrast to their idiotically right-leaning news and talk programming. Bravo to Google and Fox for bringing this commercial into the living room of millions.

Can what we hear be determined by what we are seeing at the time? Definitely. Called the McGurk Effect, situations can arise where one's perception of a sound changes if certain visual cues conflict with what we are hearing at that instant. This clip from the BBC show Horizon demonstrates this simply, yet very effectively. Keep your ears and eyes open for this one:

Ain't that some shit? This also explains why I get a headache watching Godzilla movies and get driven crazy when the audio and video are not synced when watching programs or clips.

Rue McClanahan
February 20, 1934 – June 3, 2010

Actress Rue McClanahan has died. She was 76. As gotmoof says, there's only one Golden Girl left. May she shine for a long time.

The $impsons do Ke$ha! Let's see how long this lasts on teh YooToob.

This would be better using the Transporter series of movies. Since they are practically halfway there 'n all.

Some serious developments in the music industry in recent days. If it's not long-standing players in the industry dying off or facing other dire situations, it's greed and monopolistic practices destined to kill the remaining bits.

First off, the oft-derided Muzak Corporation is filing for bankruptcy. Now, some out there might think this is not such a bad thing, preferring instead to take their elevator rides sans cheerful generic pop music done entirely in strings. But their reach goes beyond lifts, and the music spans the spectrum from headbanging to nodding off. Those of you who subscribe to Dish Network satellite television in the days before they carried the Sirius music channels were treated to several dozen channels of varied, totally uninterrupted music of every genre. These channels came courtesy of the Muzak Co. The thrash metal and thug rap might not have found a home in your average dentist's office, but if it had anything to do with music, Muzak would handle it. Also, the company was not without it's sense of humor. Known mostly for cheesy remakes of pop standards into instrumental string arrangements, they would occasionally slip remade versions of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and the like into the music streams feeding shops and stores. This would completely fly over the heads of everyone, except for those who know the originals and 'get' the joke. If Muzak dies, a lot of Eastern Bloc radio orchestras will be down on work.

Speaking of Sirius, it seems that the newly-minted SiriusXM satellite radio conglomerate is also facing some serious financial dire straits. Let me be the first to say 'I told you so'. Take two competing companies, neither one able to operate in the black since their inception, and merge them into a single anti competitive entity. You end up with one company with twice the troubles. The satellite radio industry is buoyed by the sales of new cars and continuing subscriptions, neither of which is happening in this recessionary (depressionary) period. Sirius made the big mistake of hauling Howard Stern on board for the ridiculous sum of a half billion dollars. While this caused an initial uptake of subscribers, the math was not there. Stern, like so many people these days should take a pay cut in order to stay employed. I honestly feel that it's too late in the game for the satellite radio giant, since their combined force resulted in a lot of upset customers, and the increased price of subscriptions will drive off existing customers and keep new ones away. You just dont go around raising prices and cutting service on what is essentially a 'luxury' item during periods of slow economy. It's a sure-fire way of losing customers, both potential and existing.

Dish Network, a major holder of SiriusXM, has in the past put it's sights on Sirius. This can be a formidable threat in the near future as SiriusXM looks for any way out of the mess. But I feel the satellite TV industry is going to soon be hit with it's own desire to merge, if for all the wrong reasons.

We've all read about (and I have written about) how the major music labels are dodging coffins amongst decreased sales and alleged music piracy. The one bright spot held up by music fans, artists and promoters is the sales of concert tickets and live performances. This is about to take a hideous turn for the worst, at least in the U.S. as the two purveyors of live music, Ticketmaster and Live Nation, prepare to merge. This is some terrible news for music fans, since the combined conglomerate, to be called Live Nation Entertainment, will be the sole source for concert tickets to major venues and acts nationwide. The combined entity will be a vertically integrated business controlling venues, promotion, ticket sales and even recording deals with artists. How did this happen? Live Nation, once part of Clear Channel Communications (aka The Company That Ruined Radio) was primarily a concert venue owner and promoter. Ticketmaster, that company everyone loved to hate because of their penchant for tacking on exorbitant 'convenience fees' and other dubious charges onto ticket prices, was often the sole source for tickets to major (and not-so-major) live events. At one time, the two companies had begun 'competing' in ticket sales, but that was short lived. Turns out it was machinations leading towards this eventual merger.

Ticketmaster had in recent years began their own mass-scalping operation by redirecting people looking for popular shows to their wholly-owned ticket 'auction' site, TicketsNow, mere minutes after tickets would go on sale and were supposedly sold out. Tickets for sale at TicketsNow would often be three to ten times the face values of the original or box office tickets. Canadians have brought aboot their own half-billion dollar class action lawsuit as a result.

With all the financial and business shenanigans these two companies engaged in, it does not take much to know what the end result will be. Forget going to live shows of any major acts unless you do some serious saving, go into debt or are independently wealthy. This will only serve to take an already teetering music industry and send it over a cliff. Of course, it will all be blamed on file sharing. The only real solace will be found in the independent, small acts and clubs. Much like it was before music became an 'industry'.

Most people have no idea how a television set operates. Most of those people couldnt care less, just as long as it works properly. The theory and nuts & bolts functioning is beyond what most non-technical types understand. Well, I found a little video clip that offers an in-depth, easy-to-understand explanation of what goes on inside the box. You will be taken through the basics, plus a walk-through of the circuitry. You, dear reader, will come away from this little seminar knowing more about the workings of a television set than you probably bargained for.

Just who is it out there that has a grasp of things techy and electronic and the ability to impart such knowledge in an easily understood fashion? Well, none other than Björk.

Make sense now?

I know a few on my friends list are a fan of the show Dirty Jobs and/or the host, Mike Rowe. Now, I barely caught the end of an episode, and it looked kinda fun, and at the same time, sort of educational. But that is not the point of this post. You see, Mike Rowe has shown up in teevee land in so many places, around here he had a local real estate-type of program that showcased homes for sale around the area. He's done a lot (and by that, I mean a lot) of commercials hawking anything from lawyers to car dealerships and more. Now he has finally settled into a series of sorts and the is the star. He gets to show to the viewers what it is like doing some of the nastiest, smelliest, most vile jobs on the planet that cannot be avoided. To that end, by the end of just about every show, he's pretty much a mess.

But that still isn't the point of this post.

Let's face it. Mike Rowe has achieved someone of of idol status among segments of the gay community, mainly because of this show. The situations he finds himself in on the show often have him messy, shirtless, sweaty, etc. Couple that with his deep voice, rugged features, body hair and decent build and it's swoon city for some of you guys. He has a large male fan base. Which brings me to Exhibit A:

Next stop, the corner of Ambiguity Drive and Mixed Signals Boulevard.

Given some details, with Mike being a 45 year old single guy, lives in San Fran, has had a career as an opera singer among other arts and stage stuff, etc, what is your take? A reactionist might immediately play the homophobia card. Others (like me) can see a bit of tongue-in-cheek 'protesteth too much' humor. After all, he's getting a 'man crush' fanmail message from a straight guy. A straight guy with the take-it-two-ways handle of 'FatBoyRider' (Note that a "Fat Boy" is a Harley-Davidson motorcycle model). And his choice of words at the end just screams double entendre.

Whatchoo people think of this one?