Finally! Now I need to learn how to juggle while doing So Deep.
Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" was the piece that marked the end of my life as a violinist. It was one of two pieces that the high school symphony played my sophomore year. I already had a poor experience in symphony up to that point, but having to audition for chairs on "Pictures at an Exhibition" totally unprepared (I focused on the other piece) left a bitter taste in my mouth. In the end, I didn't even show up for the actual performance - I had that much contempt for the whole experience. The piece was just the final nail in the coffin - the one year hiatus from violin lessons probably killed things more than anything else - but the whole experience left me with a bit of grudge against "Pictures at an Exhibition".
However, I think I'm finally able to appreciate "Pictures at an Exhibition" without holding deep feelings of resentment. Almost by fluke, I attended a performance of it last night. This performance was the first time I truly had a deep appreciation and understanding of the structure and inspiration of the piece. It almost makes me wonder if things would've been different if I had a conductor that could've conveyed the power of the piece all those years ago.
Glorious 1080p - I <3 you new TV.
A bit late, but as promised - your Manifesto Mad Lib (courtesy of jenn) -
"The stinky monitors of the American empire are swimming at risk the very poop of the plate. We continue to fart you about this shirt and we kick to the ball of the United States and the shoe to hike this stairwell, which is like a boat curling over our bus."
And the original -
"The hegemonic pretensions of the American empire are placing at risk the very survival of the human species. We continue to warn you about this danger and we appeal to the people of the United States and the world to halt this threat, which is like a sword hanging over our heads."
jenn has been known to write manifestos from time to time. It's in the blood or something along those lines. At some point, I suggested that she ghostwrite manifestos for Hugo Chavez because jenn is just that good.
However, jenn & I made the critical observation that the proclamations coming out of Venezuela were so comically anti-US that it seemed like the Venezuelan government was using Mad Libs and a PropagandaBOT to write these things.
Which brings us to the purpose of this entry...
Ladies and gentlemen of Vox, guess what time it is - it's time for Manifesto Mad Libs!
I need the following words to complete our very own Manifesto Mad Lib.
- Adjective
- Noun
- Gerund
- Noun
- Noun
- Verb
- Noun
- Verb
- Noun
- Noun
- Verb
- Noun
- Noun
- Gerund
- Noun
If you're only having one dessert at your BBQ, make it this one.
Ever wonder why hot dogs come in 10 packs while buns come in 8 packs?
The answer is here.
(National Hot Dog and Sausage Council? Tis a bizarre concept, but its existence doesn't surprise me: there's an industry organization for everything.)
[Those of you that are not A) football fans and B) gamers can tune out for this one]
[Also, IANAL so read this with the biggest grain of the rock of kings.]
Earlier this week, 2K Sports announced All-Pro Football 2K8. There has been a lot of speculation about what 2K Sports will do about players and teams since EA sewed up the 5 year exclusive rights to the NFL a few years back. The general rumor consensus seems to be that 2K Sports will take the "legends" approach - sign contracts with former NFL players. Unfortunately, football (and other professional sports) game sales are primarily driven on current stats: people want to play their favorite teams and players.
Given all that, why would 2K Sports even bother with another football game before 2009 (end of EA's exclusivity period)? The August 8th Ruling in this little lawsuit about fantasy sports leagues & the MLB is one reason why: the court ruled in favor of the fantasy league operators stating that "...that using the names of players and statistics were simply matters of historical fact." Provided it does not get overturned by a higher court, it seems like 2K Sports is free to use the names and statistics of current players in the NFL without needing the permission of the NFL.
Even with names and stats out of the way, there is still the issue of getting player models in the game that actually look like the players. The outlook there is considerable more cloudy: the fantasy sports league vs. MLB ruling referenced a large number of cases where using name and likeness together was considered "endorsement" without the consent of the "endorser". Given that, it is probably highly unlikely that 2K Sports could accurately model players without being dragged into court by multiple parties.
My questions now are...
- Is my interpretation of the US District Court Ruling even remotely spot on?
- Will 2K Sports try to use the current players stats?
- Will anyone buy a football game that does not have the players accurately modeled?
