Cut it off

I love technology. From the cutting edge to emerging trend, nothing brings me greater satisfaction than trolling the usual culprits so that I can stuff my brain with useless information about the newest goodies around the bend. After the years of eager anticipation and months of fevered speculation today's announcement of the Ipad was a bit underwhelming to say the least. I have to admit i'm a staunch supporter of Apple though all we own are a few iTouches but I have been juiced for the latest and greatest from Cupertino and well... it's a giant iTouch. I'm sure with all the fan boys out there the iPad will do some brisk business and line some pockets for the VIP's at Apple, but as for me and my household (and by household I mean me because Brynn couldn't care less as to what the newest gadget coming out is) we'll wait for the next big thing.
The Verizon saga has ended with Brynn's dissolution of her relationship with them and a very snarky dealing with the customer rep at the store. On the whole when we went in there they acted very polite, the manager trying to do his job and convince us to stay and promising to talk to the employee who failed to mention that she would be changing our plan and tacking on a nice little $10.00 a month fee for internet that Brynn would never have used. It went all smoothly because we consciously went in with the thought not to be angry at the employees (they just work there) but as we were tying things up the lady who had been helping us left us with a nice little parting shot, a chuckle. A chuckle right after, "Good luck at T-Mobile". Now I do realize that while Verizon offers the best coverage in the state and they are making enough boatloads of dinero that two customers leaving (well one and a player to be named later) doesn't hurt their bottom line but when the employees drink the Kool-Aid and give us crap it makes me regret trying not to involve them in our personal struggle with their bosses. It makes me want to act like a jerk. And that's not something I want to treat others. In any case we are (somewhat) free from their grasp, Brynn is getting an iPhone, jumping on T-Mobile, and will stay at the same number. I hate Verizon and can't wait for these next 19 months to fly by and free me from their oppressive grip... ahhh technology.

Meh.

After many weeks, broken box office records, and testimonials from countless people including friends, family, and internet denizens we plunked down our fourteen dollars to put on some official Real 3D gear and walked into the theater to watch "Avatar", James Cameron's latest foray into billion dollar properties. After all the kissing up to this movie by the interwebs about the visual splendors contained within the world of Pandora as filmed by Cameron's lens I can safely say that I still feel 3D is a gimmick not ready for prime time. While admittedly it was very neat to see film portrayed in such a manner it never really blew me away, never making me feel like I did with the transition from VHS to DVD, of being on the cutting edge of a technological revolution. Obviously Cameron has pushed the envelope in terms of how cinema can be viewed and there will be a slew of imitators to follow, feeding upon table scraps from the box office king's table (look at the TV industry they're already gearing up to release an army of 3D sets to replace the flat screen Santa brought you for Christmas) and inevitably we will see this field mature into a watchable product. But if I had to do it again I wouldn't mind paying to see Avatar in 2D because it's strength lies in the characters and the actors behind them. Going in both Brynn and I knew the basic storyline which bears a striking resemblance to many stories of misunderstood "savages (who are barely even human)" being swept away in pursuit of the riches they either posses or are in the way of when one of the more "civilized" members gains insight to the inequality and travesty of the situation and determines to be an advocate and fight for the people with no voice. But the cast did a far more impressive job behind their Na'vi masks than we thought possible going into the movie, making the predictable story an easier pill to swallow and holding us in our seats long enough to see the closing credits thus limiting our claim to a refund (*cough* Star Trek on "IMAX" *cough*). Overall not worth the price of admission but definitely a movie you could take in on lazy afternoon.

PS If you look closely at the picture you'll notice old Cliffy has gone "Six Eyes"

One for the road, two for the journey, three because they're really tasty.

Watching the documentary, "I am trying to break your heart" about the making of Wilco's album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and I have to say I just never gets old. I would be so lucky to live in Chicago where these giants live and play but here I am stuck in Portland where the biggest sighting of my life was the one I had was of former Portland coach Mo Cheeks by Pioneer Courthouse Square, yipee! But after reading so much about this period of time in the band's history it really brought home seeing those  vivid images of a band trying to create a masterpiece and how the process unfolds on screen of the destruction of the relationship between Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett. It's hard to believe that for all of us time will wear down our relationships, that they eventually will run their course. It's an icky part of this existence and as an optimist and one who values the profound effect people have on my life I want to deny that idea, but to a certain extent there is truth in that, in how life pulls you in different directions and you just move on. There are times in my life that I would deem pivotal or defining because they helped shape who I am today and as I examine those memories I see the players who still remain active and others who have simply faded out and to some degree it's never whom I would suspect, really it is all so fascinating. Back to the documentary and a feeling that I want to share though there is a caveat (of course) because through the advent of more sophisticated recording technologies which have become more accessible and has allowed an artist much more freedom to record as they please,  in general record companies stink, are afraid, and  shame on them. There is so much intellectual property that is fantastic and mind blowing and it's out there and the people who labor to lovingly create those pieces walk amongst us each day remaining hidden by the fact that some AR stiff won't take a chance in this jaded world where money is the decision maker. Well hey, I guess a brother has got to make a dime, too bad we will miss out on the beauty that is art all because Fiddy Cent needs to pad some fat cat's wallet with his next chart topper. I only hope that in the next few years we will see the way people interact with music expand to a point where I can drown out the noise that comes through my radio. Which reminds me of a discussion Brynn and I had the other day. It stemmed from a Portland Tribune article about a new innovation in the Sound Scan system that allows the ratings big wigs to track the actually listening habits of a person being monitored through a brand new doo hickey that recognizes the music playing from nearby radios, which has lead to a more accurate picture of which stations are actually top dog in the metro area. Before they had to log information on paper and pen but now with these devices the analysts are finding that those logs weren't entirely reliable and it's turning the charts upside down. The biggest pinch are being felt by public radio stations which general posted higher listener ratings because people tended to fudge results towards what they wanted to hear than what they actually heard throughout the day. What they tended to omit when reporting the numbers were all the ambient stations playing in the background while the worked, shopped, visited the dentist, etc. Thus KINK FM is getting a solid boost. Now to my point. When trying to explain to Brynn what kind of music KINK played, the discussion turned to older music and what would be played forty years from now? What will represent us and become our oldies? Will I be doomed to hear a DJ lead into another nauseating spin of "Hit me baby one more time" by Ms. Spears? Or would a revolution occur where I would be able to turn and dial and hear Jeff Tweedy serenade me with "California Stars"? Already I can get on demand music with an mp3 player and Sirius/XM does offer a broader array of music to choose from, throw in Last.fm and Pandora into the mix and life is generally great, that is until I get into a car. Will radio even continue to exist as the man behind the microphone introduces me to another Portland act during "All songs Considered"? I don't know, but after ten years of innovations in the way I get my music and the technologies that appear around me I can't help be excited and curious what lies around the corner in 2020, I guess i'll just have to live it to find out.

 PS I don't care about your political affiliation but you got to admit that looks like Obama has got the right taste in music.