Idiots

Idiot: a person so mentally deficient as to be incapable of ordinary reasoning

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A decade or so ago, back in college, we were asked to design an advocacy campaign to discourage people from setting off firecrackers on New Year's eve. I don't remember exactly what we did, just that it was the typical scare-the-shit-out-of-these-kids graphic that the DOH is fond of.

We never had the chance to test it but I'm not sure it'd have worked. At least not with the numbers we were targeting.

I think the problem is not that the ads are no good, but that ads like that don't really work. Think about it: when was the last time you gave to a charity or recycled or did anything just because there was a graphic, in-you-face ad telling you to?

Maybe it's a case of the medium not being effective enough.

Every year there are still people getting their fingers blown off. Are these the guys who do not watch TV? Or maybe they're the ones who (like most people) think that it's something that happens to other people.

Or maybe they're just idiots.

I understand the ethnic Chinese who are following tradition and literally have money to burn. I understand the residents of gated communities who try to outdo each other's light shows. What I don't understand are the people who can't even manage three square meals a day spending more money than I do on firecrackers. (Money that some of them got from me last Christmas.)

So can someone explain to me the reasoning behind all this? Do they just like seeing things go boom? I'd ask them personally but the explosions scare me.

Nativity

[Image blatantly ripped from Bag of Toast.]

This nativity scene from a web comic brought back a lot of memories of my late grandmother. In the 80's she used to have a belen that is even more eclectic than the one Jeff Cohen assembled. It was about as big as a medium-sized cake box (heck, it probably was a cake box) and contained the basic nativity scene (the holy family, magi, shepherds) plus a host of other characters.

I think it just started with additional animals (cows, goats, etc.) which she raided from a collection of small plastic toys I had. It was a zoo set so the elephants and giraffes and lions and gorillas went in the belen, too. Then I got dinosaurs that year so the following Christmas T-Rex paid homage to Jesus, too.

[Aside: Later, of course, Jesus remembered and collected.]

It got crazier each year with Gundam and G.I. Joes, looking more like Baclaran on the 24th than Bethlehem, if Baclaran had zebras and giant robots gawking at a birth. As a kid who was being taught this stuff in school I was kinda weirded out but I loved it, still.

And the Christmas lights. Oh yeah. Not being content with a single star she would have flashing pinpoints all around the display. It was fun staring at it while playing a Christmas disco medley (which they still play in department stores 20 years later) and alternating it with the Voltes V theme.

Years later (after she passed away and we reverted to regular-looking belen) I'd learn about camp and kitsch and pop art, look back on that eclectic nativity scene, and wonder if my lola did have something more in mind than just throwing in every little plastic figurine she could find around the house.

Perhaps it was a message of inclusiveness, that Christmas is for everyone, from prehistoric creatures to futuristic beings. Or maybe a critique against the commercial turn of the holiday. Or a satirical commentary on the inclusiveness Vatican II. But lola did always have some Zen thing going on. Maybe it's purely decorative, and exercise in composition.

Or maybe I'm just over analyzing.

My only regret is that no one took pictures. It would've been great to post them now. Heck, maybe I'll assemble one next year.

Blogroll

In what seems to be a breach of blog etiquette, I lack a blogroll on my sidebar. It's not that I'm loathe to link to anyone, it's just that I still write with the missingpoints mailing list in mind, meaning, I tend to think of this space as a semi-pro thing instead of a personal site. Not that it matters nowadays. The line between amateur journalism / blogging and personal journaling has already been blurred past recognition.

To make up for that shortcoming (and since I already like the way the site is laid out), I'm posting the blogs I regularly read. In no particular order:

Stephen Fry -- There's a reason Granny Kumar lusts after him (more than the usual), and that's his unusually large brain. The guy is a certifiable polyhistor: writer, actor, comedian, geek. His blog posts defy convention by running into thousands of words, leading him to name them blessays.

Guy Kawasaki's "How to Change the World" -- Kawasaki's blog deserves a place here if only for the "Art of Bootstrapping" entry, which is a condensed version of the chapter in his book. It's a must-read for anyone starting any enterprise. And while he has the tendency to pimp his latest project a bit too much, his industry insight is worth slogging through the plugs.

Daylight Atheism -- Atheists are generally smart people as are their blogs, but Daylight Atheism is easily the most informative. His series on critical thinking should be read by anyone who claims to be educated.

Jane in Progress by Jane Espenson -- has been mentioned here before. "Buffy," "Firefly," and "BSG" (among others) writer shares insider insight on writing scripts. Anyone who's interested in episodic TV should take a look if only to understand what goes on behind the scenes of your favorite shows.

Good Evening by John Hodgman -- plays the PC in the PC vs. Mac ads and is Jon Stewart's "resident expert." In his blog he posts about his various obsessions such as hobos and LOL cats.

John Mayer -- is a pretty good writer. And while the blog isn't as informative as other musicians' (and only updated sporadically), the posts are generally good reads.

MLQ3 -- who the heck doesn't read Manolo Quezon? His commenters are a crazy bunch and are a source of amusement (and sometimes information) for me.

Neil Gaiman -- 'nuff said.

Pharyngula -- is PZ Myers's scienceblog. He doesn't blog about science so much as squid, secularism, and rants against stupidity.

Double Articulation -- is a comic lover / literature major's wet dream. Post-modern readings of my favorite books. Plus it helps that we both grew up on Teen Titans and The Outsiders.

Philippine Speculative Fiction -- is the place for updates and discussions on Philippine Speculative Fiction (syempre).

Copyranter -- is a NYC copywriter bitching about bad writing in ads. He can get a bit too snarky sometimes but the comments are spot on.

Boom -- is a guy I know who is studying law in NYC, among other things. Interesting insights written well.

alwaysanxious -- a good friend who blogs on everything from food to teaching to politics. She'll watch anything -- from Insiang to Avenue Q to Enteng Kabisote -- and write about it. Which is cool.

reason is the reason -- his "freethinking" stuff is great but I read him more for his takes on local politics, which are different from mine.

Design Observer -- some of the posters sound a bit too pretentious but it's a great resource for design related stuff.

Usapang Komiks -- is by an industry insider who has recently written a book on Philippine Komiks. Interesting insights and a comments section that is prone to long argumentative posts. Fun reading.

more in a bit...

Holiday Viewing

Here are some suggestions for holiday viewing (courtesy of your friendly neighborhood seeders):

The Hogfather -- All stories begin with blood. A brilliant take on the Santa Claus myth through the distorted lens of Discworld. One of the better Discworld live adaptations, too. Susan is nearly perfect (could've been a bit younger) and Death was spot on.

Doctor Who Christmas Special -- the Christmas specials are generally the weakest of the series but has the benefit of being the first, thus quenching your craving for Who during the holidays.

The Man From Earth -- Shown just this November, this is a group of college professors talking in a cabin. For the entire movie. One of them claims that he's been around since Cro-Magnon times and they debate the veracity of this. The last work of the man who conceived the Star Trek mirror universe, it is what a real science fiction story looks like when filmed.

More in a bit...

Nine ladies dancing

According to the Washington Post, the cost of giving someone the gifts from the 12 Days of Christmas is around US$36,000. You could cut costs when you're here, though. Their "nine ladies dancing" is two Spice Girls shows. I could get nine ladies to dance for much less. Eat Bulaga is free, right? And you'll see drummers drumming everywhere here, just catch an ati-atihan troupe.

Planetary Politics

The New York Times suggests several SF books for US presidential candidates. I should start thinking of some for our own politicians. Will update this post soon.

Geek confession: I've read 75% of the books suggested. Several of them, twice.

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Antonio Trillanes should read:

"Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes. A dimwit gets injected with a serum to artificially increase intelligence but finds out that he is slipping back into idiocy.

"The Kobayashi Maru" by Julia Ecklar where Starfleet officers discuss the academy's infamous no-win training scenario while stranded in a shuttle.


GMA should read:

"Sabriel" by Garth Nix. A girl is thrust into a position of responsibility and finds out that she can't fill her father's shoes.


Virgilio "Garci"Garcillano

has probably read "Cryptonomicon" by Neal Stephenson, where people who manipulate numbers are the actually running global politics.

But he probably should take a look at "The Nine Billion Names of God" by Arthur Clarke. The world ends after a machine is built to count all the iterations of God's name.


Romeo Jalosjos should read "The Demolished Man" by Alfred Bester where a bored rich guy tries to manipulate the system to get away with the ultimate crime.



More soon... add your suggestions in the comments.

Avenue Q December 15 (Saturday)

It sucks to be me. I've got 6 orchestra center (P1300) and 3 loge (P1000) tickets left with me. Good seats. In case anyone out there hasn't got tickets yet. Email me at apsalamat (at) yahoo or text me 0917-3590459.

Info

The Golden Compass

The Good

-- Set design. I love steampunk and the Gernsbackian aesthetic so the entire look works for me. The purist in me would say that Lyra's world is a bit too clean but the anbaric stuff makes up for it.

-- Sam Elliot played Scoresby as someone who is not a stock character. Which is ironic since he seems the most cliched in the books.

-- Dakota Blue Richards is a revelation. The Washington Post critic was looking for Dakota Fanning, but I'll take a true fan of the books over a creepy wunderkind. (See Amy Poehler's impression of her on SNL) There's something about people who truly want to play a character that shines through. (See Evanna Lynch playing Luna Lovegood or David Tennant as Doctor Who.)


The Bad

-- The adaptation is just a little bit better than Harry Potter 2. Too many characters, too much to do. It turned into a straight-up quest story instead of the meandering journey guided by the dust through the alethiometer (kaya nga compass eh). What's worse is that it's a bad quest story.

-- The daemons' importance to the humans wasn't developed enough. The distress felt at intercission seems contrived to me, what more to someone who hasn't read / doesn't like the books?

-- Where the hell was Stanislaus Grumman? How will they figure Will in the second installment?

The Ugly

-- It's a watered-down version of the books. And while I realize that they need to make money to ensure the next installment (which will surely rock, imagine beginning the film with Roger and Asriel), it doesn't really make for good art.