I never even thought something like this would seem remotely sensible ... but this article is right on. Maison Neuve captures the heart of the political problems in America right now and presents to us a new kind of alternative that might actually work. The fact of the matter is, if John Kerry couldn't get the American voting public outraged by Bush's lies, who could possibly dig America out of the sand it has buried its head in?
Enter a new kind of candidate: Jon Stewart. Howard Dean was exciting because he actually gave a shit about the country and the world. He wasn't a stiff politico.
But, just like Howard Dean, would the public buy Jon Stewart? Most likely not. But it is a very interesting article all the same.
Choice quote: "The US is a superpower in decline, and Stewart would prove an ideal Fool to its Lear. In the response to 9/11 and the spitefulness of recent political debate, we’ve already seen the beginning of what could prove a catastrophic nationwide anxiety attack. A Stewart presidency would teach the United States how to laugh at itself. The English have learned to do so in their post-imperial age, and soon America will too."
Ryan and I were having an unspoken competition as to who could post less often.
He won ... by a lot.
But the man is back, and again posting academic stuff that as per usual I am unable (and oft-unwilling thanks to laziness) to follow.
But boy, does Cambridge look cold and shitty. Later today I'll post some un-cold and un-shitty pictures of the rooftop of my school. I can see Fuji-san (富士山) from my office!
As Roy so perfectly expressed, there is one good thing GW for 4 more years gives us:
COMEDY CENTRAL TV Shows: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
Watching a clip or two of The Daily Show makes me remember just how funny Jon Stewart is, as well as just how disgustingly stupid the American people are. If you don't have cable (and/or don"t know what The Daily Show is), take a peek over at their site and watch a few of the clips.
It makes American Imperialism funny.
As funny as it can get.
The last post has singlehandedly broken records for comment-count on my lonely blog. I should bash things more often.
As for the iPod, I agree, I got a crappy one. My other hunch is that Japanese buyers tend to have lower standards of quality, I think. This goes along with the fact that you cannot return anything. So basically Japanese consumers have learned to suck it up if something is broken or not so great. You bought a $5000 stereo and it sounds like ass? Oh well, better get used to listening to ass, cuz you ain't returning that.
My theory is this: knowing this, Apple thought they could off all of their poorer quality hardware in Japan. I happen to be the recipient of a Japan-bought iPod with a crappy screen and even crappier sound. Instead of replacing it, they are going to "fix" it. Highly unlikely conspiracy theory? Yes. This one is more of a beef with crappy Japanese consumer tactics since in the States I believe they'd just replace the thing.
As for the Airport Express, there is no excuse for this one. I've read a lot on the internet about it and even Apple-people aren't particularly pleased with it. That is what I'm really pissed about. Such a piece of crap shouldn't cost more than $100. That is one damn expensive wireless router, considering comparable ones (with better features) cost five times less ... This isn't a matter of me having a bunk one. It's a matter of everyone having a bunk one.
But enough about that, simply put don't buy a Mac Mini without expecting something to crap out within a year. To be fair, you really shouldn't expect to buy any computer for $500 and have it work well.
I just can't stop thinking about the hard drive shitting itself in Ryan's $2000 (correct me if I'm wrong) iBook ...