I found a bible tract—more like a glossy magazine than a tract—in the mailbox and, for some inexplicable reason, I started to read it. The tract is devoted entirely to sin, which begs the question: why do its authors know so much about the subject?
Category: Spleen
The category, Spleen, is for posts that make us angry.
Copyright And The RIAA
Music creates strong associations which end up, through some organic process, becoming melded to our personal identity. This music is not “out there” as an object to be grasped for a time and then returned once we are done with it; this music is “our” music.
George W Bush wants to Save the World
The August 2005 issue of Popular Science, the wonderful rag that celebrates good old-fashioned American know-how, has, as its cover story, a survey of 6 proposals to counteract global warming.
Advertising and Conspicuous Consumption
The first—quarter earnings statement from Google is out. Its earnings have jumped by 477% and revenue has doubled thanks to online ad sales. At the same time, reports from the Inuit indicate that global warming is advancing three times as quickly in the Arctic as elsewhere in the world.
The Canadian Recording Industry Association
Yesterday, the Canadian Recording Industry Association made its submissions to an appeal court in an attempt to overturn an earlier decision which held that file sharing (including music files) is legal in Canada.
The FCC and Obscenity
We can all rest easier now that the Federal Communications Commission of the United States of America is authorized to enforce new legislation designed to return the living room of America back to the family! However did we manage without them?
Obscenity
Just as I was ruing the plight of the human mind at the hands of publicly instituted censors, I received this delightful piece of unsolicited advertising in my mailbox. “You’ll do anything to protect your kids from inappropriate content.”
About Education
There is an apocryphal story about Einstein that goes something like this: One day, Einstein was standing at a counter while a civil servant completed a form for him. The person asked for his telephone number but he couldn’t remember it. The person was incredulous that a man of Einstein’s genius and reputation was unable to remember his own telephone number. But, as Einstein explained, why should he clutter his mind with information that he could look up in a book?
The Sin of Incoherence
We assume, without question, that our lives must conform to the strictures of an unwavering consistency. But this is impossible. And yet we further burden ourselves by demanding that we apply this standard over time, inquiring about yesterday’s behaviour to ensure that it is consistent with today’s.
Collateral and Copyright
Last night, my son and I went to see Collateral, the new Michael Mann action flick starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. It was a slick show, and both leads gave a little extra so that their characters weren’t mere ciphers in a pro forma script.