inthenews

You Got Your Politics in My Fluff

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No, you got your Fluff in my Politics…

I was cracking open my morning paper to get to the crossword. Usually Monday and Tuesday is crossword day, and Wednesday-Friday are sudoku days. The crossword is in the Houston Chronicle’s “Star” section – it doesn’t have a title on the front, just a star. It’s the “fluff” section, where you go for comics, television and movie listings, and today, the lead article on doggie day care.

So, I’m making my way to the back and I find as the token article on page five (smashed in with movie times and box office returns) an article by Leonard Pitts Jr. I couldn’t find it on the chron web site, so rechecked the print version. It doesn’t list his affiliation but does have his email at herald.com. So, I did find the article on the Miami Herald’s site.

It’s a scathing indictment of the Bush administration (which admittedly is an easy thing to write these days). But I think the fact that it’s oozed into the entertainment section of the newspaper is telling of how despicable this administration has been.

Two great tastes that taste great together: Fluff and Politics.

(cached here for completeness)

The Bush presidency: Is nothing real?

By LEONARD PITTS JR.

Richard Nixon was a crook. He was also a liar and anti-Semite who sought to subvert the Constitution.

I wish he were president again.

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My Googlegänger: Prince Charming

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So, I was reading this blogicle by an acquaintance of mine from college. He sometimes is used as a talking-head expert in the media. He has a Google Alert set for his name so he can see when and where he is talked about or quoted. He was giving a lecture in Amsterdam, and right … Read more

Insecurity from New York

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photo by etchasketchist

MgGuff points out: The New York Times covers the impending release of the iPhone, and can only say bad things. (“That iPhone Has a Keyboard, but It’s Not Mechanical” – John Markoff, June 13) Even the title sounds condescending: “That iPhone”! And he’s expounding upon “news” we’ve known for six months.

Is this true objective analysis, or is there some CA v NY in there? Are they resentful of Apple’s recent business acumen?

They try to tie the dead weight of Apple’s Worst Design Decision Evarâ„¢: the one button mouse. <sarcasm>We know that cost them a Billion dollars, just like they warn this will.</sarcasm>

The first quote of the piece shows an insecurity that seems quite fragile – without a keyboard, I’m afraid. Is this a true umbilical need Americans now have of technology (that it be rigid and unchanging?), or is an analyst just trying to show that he’s smarter than Steve Jobs?

“The tactile feedback of a mechanical keyboard is a pretty important aspect of human interaction,” said Bill Moggeridge, a founder of Ideo, an industrial design company in Palo Alto, Calif. “If you take that away you tend to be very insecure.”

Though, the article does finally represent the crux of the matter, two-thirds through the piece with an attributed unquote: “Dispensing with a physical keyboard has given software an increased importance over hardware in product design.”

This is the true key. If there is a perceived problem in the product – and this is version 1.0, so there will be – you don’t have to sell them the fixed product, you just rev the software.

Full NYT article cached:

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Europeans Like Houston’s Look

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I was twice riding my bicycle downtown in the past two weeks to experience several blocks of downtown closed to traffic. It was obvious it was a movie or TV shoot. I had an agenda, so I didn’t linger to find out.

photo Steve Campbell:Houston ChronicleI was almost right; it was a TV commercial shoot. For German cell phones.

There was an article about some of the reasons that Europeans and Asian like doing photo shoots in Houston. One of the reason was many reflective buildings that do a very good job of lighting automobiles.

So, apparently the Europeans like the “look” of Houston. They may not know it, but their marketeers do.

The whole story is worth reading:

Lights, Camera, Houston!

Producers of commercials say architecture is photogenic

By TINA MARIE MACIAS
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
June 4, 2007, 10:01AM

Around lunch hour, strolling down Travis Street, it’s fairly normal to see pedestrians slowing traffic as they cross the street, talk on their cell phones and move at a bovine pace.

But recently it was a little slower than usual at Travis and Rusk. Maybe it was the variation of He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands blasting on the corner. Or the screens covering the sidewalk, or the large video camera blocking pedestrians’ stride. Something strange was happening.

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Angus Litigation

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“Could you point to the Angus area?” I recently saw this Jack in the Box ad, and was mildly humored. They are selling their 100% sirloin burger, and backhandedly mocking the 100% Angus burger. I vaguely recalled someone advertising their Angusness but didn’t recall it being Carl Jr. (There aren’t any of those in the … Read more

Texas Legislature: Too Many Poor People Voting

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Last Thursday the Chron PolitBlog called Texas Voter Fraud “a lie”.  Friday the national media was writing an article on the stealthy disappearance of the American Center for Voting Rights.  (An organization who was trying to sell us on rampant voter fraud.)  Meanwhile the still Republican-controlled Texas Legislature was swinging their scepter to “protect us” … Read more