vexed times
impressively unprofessional.
is jon stewart’s “the daily show” hurting democracy?
Feb 19th
when jon stewart took over the reins of the daily show in 1999, i was a sophomore in high school. i followed his show throughout my time in college and he became one of my biggest influences. he is one of the few voices in mainstream american media who consistently points out the bullshit and contradictions of established news organizations — probably the single biggest reason why he resonates with my demographic of cynical 18 – 35 year olds. there is no way jon stewart’s daily show is hurting democracy because it frames its issues in a way that calls into question the integrity of mainstream media — nobody else on television does this. at the same time, i do believe he also caters to a segment of the population who actually believe not giving a shit is a valid political opinion — which is bad. but bottom line is simple: people who watch and enjoy jon stewart are generally knowledgeable, otherwise the jokes would not make any sense — you do need some background knowledge and context to actually understand why his show is so cleverly written and fucking hilarious.
the vexed guide to being cool on the internet
Feb 19th
INTRODUCTION:
the internet is all about escapism. that’s why you never meet more depressing, sad-sacked, self-obsessed screwballs in real life than you do on the internet.
unless you’re a complete fucking mess of a human being, you’re already aware that hiding who you are behind a screen is very easy. this allows you the ability to reconstruct your own identity in some convoluted, mostly incomplete, ideal reinvention of yourself. this explains why the internet has become so popular since al gore invented it back in the early 90s; its being propelled by miserable sacks of shit like yourself who feel bad about themselves and need more attention, love, respect, among other things you could never garner enough of in real life because you’re so worthless.
civilization 5, to be released fall 2010
Feb 19th
in what can only be described as a “big fucking deal”, 2k games and firaxis have announced that development of civilization v is underway and is scheduled to be released sometime in the fall. and if my spidey senses are correct, it will probably be somewhere between late october and early november to capitalize on the christmas shopping boom.
Civilization V takes this definitive strategy game series in new directions with the introduction of hexagon tiles allowing for deeper strategy, more realistic gameplay and stunning organic landscapes for players to explore as they expand their empire. The brand new engine orchestrates a spectacular visual experience that brings players closer to the Civ experience than ever, featuring fully animated leaders interacting with players from a screen-filling diplomatic scene and speaking in their native language for the first time. Wars between empires feel massive as armies dominate the landscape, and combat is more exciting and intense than ever before. The addition of ranged bombardment allows players to fire weapons from behind the front lines, challenging players to develop clever new strategies to guarantee victory on the battlefield. In addition to the new gameplay features debuting in Civilization V, an extensive suite of community, modding and multiplayer elements will also make an appearance.
artist profile: the ting tings
Feb 14th
ARTIST: the ting tings
GENRE: british indie pop rocks
WWW: thetingtings.com
TRACK: [02] The Ting Tings — That’s Not My Name
SUMMARY: there are a few things you can always count on when it comes to the british — james bond, an unhealthy addiction to mayonnaise, and superior pop music sensibilities. while everyone on this side of the atlantic are going apeshit over talentless hacks like lady gaga (sorry, wearing stupid looking clothing doesn’t make you unique, original, or a good musician/artist) and t-pain (awesome, you use auto-tune. has anyone actually heard this guy really sing?), the british have actually managed to maintain their self-respect (for the most part, anyway).
