BCBlog http://blogcritics.org/blog Behind the scenes at Blogcritics.org Thu, 04 May 2006 15:54:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.2 en Media Intrusion http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/05/04/media-intrusion/ http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/05/04/media-intrusion/#comments Thu, 04 May 2006 15:54:52 +0000 Pratyush Uncategorized http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/05/04/media-intrusion/ Okay, when some one dies, the media follows him right till the pyre till he is burnt capturing the family teary eyed and what not. It happened when Sunil Dutt died. It has happened now with the death of Pramod Mahajan.

Totally annoying. Disgusting too.

]]> http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/05/04/media-intrusion/feed/ They gave me a minivan http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/05/03/they-gave-me-a-minivan/ http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/05/03/they-gave-me-a-minivan/#comments Wed, 03 May 2006 23:45:11 +0000 suss Personal http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/05/03/they-gave-me-a-minivan/ Any time I go on the road to a job site, I get a car from the local rental establishment. (Name left out so as not to embarrass Hertz. Oops)

Usually I get the reliable but boring Ford Taurus. Or Pontiac Grand Am. Or Toyota Corolla. Or Chevy Lumina. zzzzzz…..

Well, once I got a Mazda 6. That was a fun couple of weeks. But this time when I arrived the smallest car they had available was the larger than anything I had ever driven in my life: A Ford Freestar minivan.

While all I packed on this trip was my laptop and an overnight bag, I feel like I should instead have brought three first graders with reversible soccer jerseys and a cooler full of Capri Sun.

Again, to reiterate: They gave me a minivan.

(As an aside, in this town I am currently staying I spotted two — TWO — PT Cruisers with flames painted on the sides in a 2-minute span.)

]]> http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/05/03/they-gave-me-a-minivan/feed/ Eric Olsen, Blogcritics.org’s Founder and Publisher, Quoted in Boston Globe http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/05/02/eric-olsen-blogcriticsorgs-founder-and-editor-quoted-in-boston-globe/ http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/05/02/eric-olsen-blogcriticsorgs-founder-and-editor-quoted-in-boston-globe/#comments Tue, 02 May 2006 08:02:56 +0000 Eric Berlin Uncategorized http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/05/02/eric-olsen-blogcriticsorgs-founder-and-editor-quoted-in-boston-globe/ The Boston Globe knows where the good quotes are at, particularly for a piece entitiled, “Everyone’s always been a critic — but the Net makes their voices count.”

]]> http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/05/02/eric-olsen-blogcriticsorgs-founder-and-editor-quoted-in-boston-globe/feed/ Apologies if any of you are named the following http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/27/apologies-if-any-of-you-are-named-the-following/ http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/27/apologies-if-any-of-you-are-named-the-following/#comments Thu, 27 Apr 2006 15:21:27 +0000 suss Culture http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/27/apologies-if-any-of-you-are-named-the-following/ But the next generation is sooo gonna have its ass kicked on a daily basis.

Favorite baby boy names of 2005:

1 AIDAN / AIDEN
2 CADEN / KADEN
3 CALEB / KALEB
4 ETHAN
5 BRAYDEN / BRAEDEN
6 HAYDEN
7 DYLAN
8 JADEN
9 LOGAN
10 NOAH
11 JACOB / JAKOB
12 CONNOR
13 ADDISON
14 RYAN
15 CAMERON
16 JORDAN
17 ANDREW
18 ELIJAH
19 AVERY
20 EVAN

]]> http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/27/apologies-if-any-of-you-are-named-the-following/feed/ Bela and the Flecktones and the Rain http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/23/bela-and-the-flecktones-and-the-rain/ http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/23/bela-and-the-flecktones-and-the-rain/#comments Sun, 23 Apr 2006 18:20:40 +0000 Lisa McKay Music Personal http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/23/bela-and-the-flecktones-and-the-rain/ We drove into New York yesterday because we had tickets to see Bela Fleck and the Flecktones at Irving Plaza. Jim has taken up the banjo in his middle years and really wanted to see Bela play. A combination of nasty weather (really heavy rain, made worse by an early spring chill) and unexpected traffic delays (two accidents, one in Connecticut and one in New York) meant that we got into the city much later than expected, which altered our plan to grab a quick supper before the show. We bailed off the traffic-choked West Side Highway earlier than we wanted to and hurriedly parked the car up by Columbus Circle so that we could grab a subway down to Union Square.

By the time we got to Irving Plaza, we were soaked to the skin and cold, in spite of rain gear and umbrellas. Once we got inside, we staked out a nice viewing spot at the balcony rail, just to the right of the sound board. Irving Plaza is a really nice venue, and is small enough so that our balcony perch afforded us a terrific view of the show. Since I am vertically-challenged, standing on the floor usually guarantees me a great view of the back of the inevitably taller person standing directly in front of me, so an unobstructed stage view such as we had is always a nice thing.

I will preface my commentary on the show itself by saying that I am no fan of the jam band scene, and I knew that going in. I am also not terribly familiar with Fleck’s musical output, so this was quite possibly the first time I’ve gone to a concert where I wasn’t already extremely conversant with the artist’s work. The musicianship on display last evening was nothing short of outstanding. Fleck is a generous artist who allows his band members, all virtuoso musicians in their own right, plenty of opportunity to shine, and shine they did. Victor Wooten and Futureman are a musical universe unto themselves, and saxophonist Jeff Coffin was a huge treat. The band was joined by Senegalese singer Baba Maal for two numbers that totally shook the packed house (note to self: check this guy out).

So, my final word on the music is that I’m glad I had the opportunity to hear them play - I’ve expanded my musical horizons and experienced something new, and that’s always a good thing, and I had a great time. I’m still not a huge fan of the jam thing - all of the songs tend to sound the same to me after a while. Perhaps I’m missing something here, or maybe not. The nice thing about having different kinds of things in the world is that there’s something for everybody.

Starving at the end of the show (having skipped dinner), we marched six rain-soaked blocks downtown to see if The Silver Spur was open. It wasn’t. We grabbed the subway back up to 57th Street, thinking for sure that we’d find a place before we got back to the parking garage. We didn’t. New York may be the city that never sleeps, but apparently it takes naps from time to time.

We headed back to Connecticut on a dark, windy, rain-soaked Cross Bronx Expressway, always an adrenaline-producing experience, what with the badly maintained road and the tandem tractor trailers that don’t slow down in inclement weather. On the way home, we stopped at a diner and had chocolate chip pancakes and Belgian waffles, which made up for our missed dinner. It was three in the morning when we got home, where we dried off at last and tumbled gratefully into bed. Today I’m reminded of why people our age don’t normally keep hours like this. I need another cup of coffee.

]]> http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/23/bela-and-the-flecktones-and-the-rain/feed/ That is a new kind of hurt http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/18/that-is-a-new-kind-of-hurt/ http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/18/that-is-a-new-kind-of-hurt/#comments Wed, 19 Apr 2006 00:51:40 +0000 suss Sci/Tech http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/18/that-is-a-new-kind-of-hurt/ A guy on Totalfark created a thread about him being stuck in a wooden-slatted chair. Basically part of his — there’s no good euphemism for this — scrotum was stuck in the planks of the chair.

He was asking for advice on how to wriggle free. He got the next best thing — his thread moved to the public Fark front page (”greenlit”).

So Blogcritics editors, if you’re wondering why we never make the front of Fark anymore, then it’s because you’re not getting your naughty bits pinched in your furniture. Step to it!

(By the way, if you think it’s an urban legend, I saw the thread develop last night — he took a picture with his camera phone and gave us all the link. Nutsack was in the chair, my friends.)

(Oh, and he eventually got out of it.)

]]> http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/18/that-is-a-new-kind-of-hurt/feed/ King Kong: What’s the Big Deal? http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/18/king-kong-whats-the-big-deal/ http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/18/king-kong-whats-the-big-deal/#comments Tue, 18 Apr 2006 19:31:04 +0000 Lisa McKay Film Personal http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/18/king-kong-whats-the-big-deal/ We got to watch two movies this weekend (we could have watched three since it was a three-day weekend, but we went out on Friday night instead). Anyway, on Thursday night we watched King Kong, which Jim had pre-ordered from Amazon (I imagine he’ll order it all over again when the better version comes out, but I digress). We hadn’t seen it on the big screen and were really looking forward to seeing it. Being huge fans of the LOTR movies, I guess my expectations were higher than they should have been, because while I did find it hugely entertaining, I have to say that it left me feeling strangely disappointed, especially given the sterling reviews it’s gotten in the mainstream press and on BC.

I can’t quite put my finger on what it was that I felt was lacking. The special effects were great, and the action sequences were really well-done. The acting was good - I liked Naomi Watts, and Andy Serkis did a great job with Kong. Jack Black - meh, not so much. Anyway, the bottom line - it wasn’t a waste of time (although geesh, Jackson could’ve cut a good 30 minutes out of it and I wouldn’t have complained), but I’m still wondering why some people considered this one of the best films of the year.

On Saturday night, we watched The Chronicles of Narnia, which I enjoyed more. I have fond memories of reading The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe to Bryan when he was little, and I thought the movie was really well-done, except the part where Aslan dispatches the White Witch seemed a little abrupt and anti-climactic, and then the movie was over.

Well, two special effects films in one weekend probably isn’t a great idea. The next five films in our Netflix queue are Broken Flowers, Capote, Brokeback Mountain, Jarhead, and New York Doll. They all sound good to me.

]]> http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/18/king-kong-whats-the-big-deal/feed/ All y’alls ‘re mighty jealous, I reckon http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/14/all-yalls-re-mighty-jealous-i-reckon/ http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/14/all-yalls-re-mighty-jealous-i-reckon/#comments Fri, 14 Apr 2006 14:40:34 +0000 suss Personal http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/14/all-yalls-re-mighty-jealous-i-reckon/ I’ve just been informed that I will be spending all summer (June-September) traveling to sites in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. I hope to pick up the language and use it quite often in my writing.

]]> http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/14/all-yalls-re-mighty-jealous-i-reckon/feed/ You do it to yourself… and that’s why it really hurts… http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/12/you-do-it-to-yourself-and-thats-why-it-really-hurts/ http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/12/you-do-it-to-yourself-and-thats-why-it-really-hurts/#comments Wed, 12 Apr 2006 13:33:34 +0000 DJRadiohead Uncategorized http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/12/you-do-it-to-yourself-and-thats-why-it-really-hurts/ I knew when I wrote this week’s Confessions of a Fanboy column that I was asking for trouble. I knew choosing an artist far from the mainstream would have a serious impact on comments. I also knew the length of the column would chase a lot of people away. Combining those two ingredients, a long-ass article about a niche artist, was a recipe for… nothing.

I am sure more people have read it than commented on it. In fact, I know that the ratio of read:comment is all kinds of tilted towards the read. I also know the quality of the material is not determined by the number of comments it gets. Believe me… I have been with this site of ours long enough to see that.

All of that said, this particular column meant a lot. Even though I knew it was not “user friendly” I was still hoping for more. I am sure everyone who has written for BC has had that experience. I guess you could call this a case of “Frustrated Writer Syndrome.”

I know I will write about Otis Rush again. Maybe next time I will be a little more economical with my words. Or not. I bet Samantha Mathis lookalikes won’t have anything to do with the next one, though.

]]> http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/12/you-do-it-to-yourself-and-thats-why-it-really-hurts/feed/ Free Information Kiosks http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/10/free-information-kiosks/ http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/10/free-information-kiosks/#comments Mon, 10 Apr 2006 07:54:45 +0000 Pratyush Sci/Tech http://blogcritics.org/blog/2006/04/10/free-information-kiosks/ Mumbai now has has Information Kiosks. People can surf for free which is ultra-cool. Read more here.

Amit Varma pointed out to a wi-fi case recently and how such things would not be an issue in the future. The future does seem exciting.

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