times

[jfb]

Google vs. Microsoft.

A brief history of lip-synching.

Some 9/11 memorial designs that won't be used. The only thing that grabbed me was the "memorial forest" that called for white pines not only on the WTC grounds but "at sites throughout the city and beyond, wherever there were communities, like Staten Island, that were especially hard hit" to reflect that 9/11 was a tragedy not limited to one city block.

In 1988, I wanted to see Robert Altman and Garry Trudeau's improvisational political satire Tanner '88, but we didn't get HBO. Now I want to see it again, with follow-up interviews with the characters 16 years later, but I don't get Sundance.

Lots of political news I can't summon up any enthusiasm for. But there's a nice overview of how Op-Ed works at the Times, in case you were thinking about sending something in.

Comments

[bnewmark.livejournal.com]

above the tanner '88 article was an article about sheryl (sp?) hines, who plays larry david's wife sheryl on curb your enthusiasm. cute article - i just love that show.

[dougo.livejournal.com]

That Google story makes me sad in several ways. Mainly the four-paragraph summary of the rise and fall of Netscape and the non-repercussions on Microsoft, but also the ambitious plans of Google to go public with a business model (seemingly) entirely based on advertising revenue. I think the article overemphasizes the danger of Microsoft integrating search into Windows-- don't they essentially do this already, since Internet Explorer's search goes to MSN Search by default? The bit about Google having the "world's largest computing facilty" is fascinating, though. All that power just to help people find Britney Spears and Harry Potter links...

[dougo.livejournal.com]

Bleah, the lip-synching article is disturbing too. "Tell me, who can sing hanging on a harness upside-down?" The implication being that singing is just not as important as hanging on a harness upside-down, and that concerts should be appreciated more like circuses, because who cares about live music performance? I wonder how representative an opinion that is, though-- at least there are 3500 Britney fans willing to sign an anti-lip-synching petition. And I'm really skeptical that "the artifice [of music videos] almost vanishes for kids"; more likely is that they're very aware of the artifice, but they just take it for granted.

I'm a little puzzled by the discussion of sampled instruments (or back-up vocals) as if that's the same thing as lip-synching. No one's pretending that that pre-recorded music is actually being generated live, but lip-synching is fundamentally about deception.

Re:

[bnewmark.livejournal.com]

i agree with everything you said. i got halfway through the article and couldn't read any more. i just thought about the simon and garfunkel concert i went to two months ago, and think - i don't need a big show - i just want to hear the performers sing the songs i love.