nixsight

A little late to this party, as it is more then a week since the New Yorker posted that cover, but hey, Girl One and I are on holiday, so time is moving extra slow for us…

But forgive me for my very poor understanding of politics and current affairs, but if Obama was a muslim, wouldn’t having him in the White House effectively end the “War On Terror”? It would certainly take the wind out of the sails of the Fundamentalist Muslim view of America as an evil and corrupt Zionist state, so from an ideological viewpoint it might take them a few years to come up with some other reason for demonising the US as the Great Satan.

So the Americans get a president that is at least likable, if not a card-carrying Christian, and the terrorists get to turn their attention onto other less Arab-friendly countries, like, well, like us here in the UK.

I’m being facetious, of course, but if one takes it as read that when we talk about terrorists now, we’re supposed to be thinking specifically of Fundamental Islam, and that the pretext for the clash between the US and the, uh, “World of Terror” is primarily an ideological one between Bible and Koran, the attempts to smear Obama with claims about his religion are redundant, and those daft posters suggesting that a vote for the Democrats is a vote for September 11th times two hundred and fifty two thousand are even more ridiculous, because why on earth would Bin Laden’s Howling Commandos be more likely to attack a country that votes to be lead by a Muslim?

Obviously, I don’t get politics, so never fear, I will most likely go silent-running on the subject again now…

• Apparently rest of country had same notion to visit Brighton today as Girl One & I. #
• Hypnotic folds of skin on the arms of an old lady queuing for the one unisex loo. #

• @groonk @idsharman The whole thing was amazing, but not sure about the sudden tone change in Act 3. Sure, it did its job & still hurts. #
• … but on reflection, I’m wondering whether the execution wasn’t a little cynical…? #
• @tonymoore I have always had good results with the PortableApps version of Filezilla. But haven’t got broad experience, mind… #

• @nikkicook Pretty sure that sweaty was always just the old fashioned, regular hott… #
• Struggling with new phone. Keep texting people’s landlines by mistake. My words are being spoken by automated ladies across the county. #
• @emmavieceli Well done on keeping it together and sorting the house stuff out. That isn’t easy, when every turn meets bureaucratic stupid. #
• @steevbishop - Can you text me? My phonestupids are out of control, & I seem to have lost your number… #
• @emmavieceli Woah, karmastorm! It’ll come together, I’m sure. Pet probs are always upsetting & expensive, but they normally end up being ok. #

This video is not for the squeamish. Most specifically, Girl One…

• @groonk Yes, yes he did… Wow, these are coming out fast, aren’t they? #
• @emmavieceli Oh dear. That doesn’t sound good. Are the banks up to their old stupids again? Mind you, that’s my favourite SP quote there. #
• >Hugs< @emmavieceli You did nowt wrong, I’m sure. Girl One & I have an ongoing debate about the merits of getting on that particul … #
• @emmavieceli The ladder is a minefield. But everyone had to end up climbing - uh, crossing it, some time. Ack. Tortured metaphor, sorry… #

• Working on Podcasting Factsheet for users here. God, stock photographs are woefully ill-equipped for illustrating the docs we need to make. #
• That was an exclamamation “God”, not an actual message TOO “God”. The capital was grammatical, not respectacal. #
• How would I have turned out if I’d had today’s computer games when I was 4? Quick poll of alternate realities says - Ah, sorta the same. #
• Howard Chaykin accidentally compresses my problem with manager-speak: “We are pushing forward. Like Sisyphus, we’re pushing forward.” #
• This might be a dumb question, but what happens to all the accidental or unused TinyUrls? #

• @groonk Dangit - can’t watch Dr Horrible outside the US. And by the time I’m home, I’ll have forgotten to go look for it… #
• @joshhechinger Naps within the 24 hour period of the day itself don’t count. See, these are the things that you learn with experience… #
• @groonk Aww, yeah… watching it now! Thankyou for the heads up. It didn’t work this morning, but it’s working just fine right now… #
• Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog 1 was cool. Early concerns that there wasn’t much new in the super-gagging fell away to charming plot & stars. #
• @davidbaillie Both ouch & lol. That’s a knacker. Have you ACTUALLY broken the thing, or was it a fictional conceit to make a terrible pun? #
• This week’s Elephant Image is a gorgeous photo called The Bowhunter, by Austin Andrews: http://elephantwords.co.uk/2008/07/13/bowhunter/ #
• My piece? A pretty worrying attempt at trying to do a movie trailer script. I love the idea, but wonder in retrospect if it’s even possible! #
• @lexia Oh wow, wish I was you. Watching The Wire for the first time? I wish I was there again! @Josiefraser, you pick good telly. #
• @Josiefraser Simon’s next show is set in Nawlins. So I guess he got out of Ballmer. Teehee, look at me, with the lingo. #
• Because I don’t have ‘cious wired on this bowser yet & cos @josiefraser might like it: New Yorker on David Simon: http://tinyurl.com/2ytd9r. #
• Wanted to wish @kellysue happy birthday, but didn’t, as am a complete stranger. However, almost everyone I follow DID, so weirder not to. #
• So Happy (almost belated) Birthday, @kellysue. Hope it went awesome. And yes, that is an incredible dress. Well done to all involved in it. #
• Sigh. Going to go see if Girl One is awake to say proper goodnight to, & then brush teeth. And then Company of Heroes! WAR, Mthrfckrs!! #

This week at Elephant Words, Xander Bennett posted a beautiful photo by Austin Andrews:

It was my turn to post today, and I did, but only just, ten or so minutes ago.

My piece is called “The Imaginary”:

CAPTION:
THE FOLLOWING PREVIEW HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR
ALL AUDIENCES

[Music: "Hoppipolla" by Sigur Ros]

[Studio Titlecards]

[CUT TO: Tracking shot of leafy suburb, colour saturated to look like the 80s.]

[The same suburb - we're now closer in on one garden. Two young boys, around ten years old, are running around, chasing each other.]

NARRATOR (V.O.):
When Nathan Ray was a boy, he had the best friend in the world…

[Close on the boys. One is pale skinned, blond and scrawny, stripped to the waist, the other darker, with Oriental features - his outfit more traditional or rustic, a small knife attached by thong to his waist. One catches the other, and they wrestle.]

[Close up on the boys faces, as they laugh and jostle.]

[CUT TO: The boys, a couple years older, walking through the darkened woods, sunlight shafting through the trees.]

NATHAN (O.S.):
It isn’t fair. How come you don’t get to go to school? I’ll miss you.

PAZU (O.S.):
I’ll still be here.

[Long shot of the woods, the sky darkening.]

PAZU (V.O.):
I’ll always be here.

I should say now, on the record, that I think what I’ve achieved this time is a fine validation of the hard and excellent work that the decent movie or TV trailer makers do, because basically, I make it look as hard as anything.

There’s a thread of deliberate parody in the piece, along with what I think is a really nice story, but I think they may get overwhelmed with the clunkiness and uncertainty of my dabbling with the format, which I tend to believe never gets scripted out normally anyway - falling instead to the skills of really quite talented editors instead.

Douglas and Xander do this stuff much better than I do, is what I’m saying.

But all that aside, it may divert you for a few minutes! I’d like to know what you think. You can read the whole piece here: http://elephantwords.co.uk/2008/07/15/the-imaginary/

Please comment either here, there, or in the forum thread attached to the piece.

• @raquelita Have had the Sarah Mclachlan version on solid rotation for a couple of months, now. I’m fairly certain that Lauper does backing. #
• @joshhechinger Birthday today? I’m with @groonk, in that case - Happy Birthday, young whippersnapper, you. Also, what IS a whippersnapper? #
• @mckelvie Jesus, was Buck Rogers really 30 years ago? I am, in fact, too old. #
• @emmavieceli Uh, until there’s actually a tune, I kind of have to do this “shuffle from side to side” thing in lieu of dancing. Sorry…! #
• Just looking at the Totoro Forest Project. http://totoroforestproject.org/ Beautiful art, for a good cause. Sadly all out of my price range. #
• Never mind the bees… I have noticed a welcome shortage of wasps this summer. I hate wasps. Hate them long time! #
• @joshhechinger Clearly the first signs of senility, there. Sigh. So young a talent, his skills taken so soon. Should we send nurses already? #
• Girl One and I have been playing the hell out of Boom Blox for the Wii… Easily the best thing Spielberg has done in years…! #
• Dylan Meconis is playing around with the Twitter novel - Everything Meconis does is smart & entertaining, so you should read @damejetsam. #
• Had plans to write EW piece & take a straw poll of the learning technologists & others who are into social tech, but will have to wait, now. #
• Also, anybody know how movie trailers get scripted/prepped for production? Ideally, a link to a couple of sample scripts would be v.helpful. #
• Incidentally, @joshhechinger, you know it’s still your birthday until you go to sleep, right? Even if you are up for a week…? Live large! #
• On which note, I need to go to my bed. I am uncharacteristically knackered… too much thoughting, not enough didding. #
• Nunight, allkind. Tweetverse, nunight. Nunight ‘Ternets. Bless-sleep good-buhbyes, allyouse. Gone now nunight. #