Blue Skies Trailer Park

During our recent trip to Santa Barbara, Jenny photographed an oddly religious-looking neon sign for the Blue Skies Trailer Park.

(Photograph by Jenny Wood)

Obama's February 24, 2009 speech

President Obama's speech last night was an eloquent, tough-minded, and ambitious call for hope in a time of economic turmoil. After months of bad news, the nation needed to hear its President offer a balance of candor and optimism. And last night's speech fit the bill. Focusing just on the exordium, I was drawn into President Obama's visualization of the recession through an evocation of potent images:

You don't need to hear another list of statistics to know that our economy is in crisis, because you live it every day. It's the worry you wake up with and the source of sleepless nights. It's the job you thought you'd retire from but now have lost, the business you built your dreams upon that's now hanging by a thread, the college acceptance letter your child had to put back in the envelope.

With a daughter in college, I found that last line to be particularly salient. Moreover, I appreciated the President's encouragement through climatic parallelism.

We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before.

I want to spend some time to analyze the design of his remarks. But right away I had to share my near-instant response. He said what had to be said. It was a powerful speech, no matter what the obstructionists say. If you haven't had a chance to read it, I recommend that you take some time and check it out.

Read the entire speech: Transcript: President Obama's February 24, 2009 speech

Does Facebook Melt Your Brain?

David Derbyshire asks a frightening question in The Mail: Are social networking sites melting kids' brains? Some neuroscientists think: maybe.

Here's a snip: "Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Bebo are said to shorten attention spans, encourage instant gratification and make young people more self-centred."

The concern is that constant usage of these devices, along with video games, may "rewire" the brain, with profoundly disturbing effects, particularly for social interaction.

Professor Susan Greenfield is quoted: "I often wonder whether real conversation in real time may eventually give way to these sanitised and easier screen dialogues, in much the same way as killing, skinning and butchering an animal to eat has been replaced by the convenience of packages of meat on the supermarket shelf."

Read the entire article: Social websites harm children's brains: Chilling warning to parents from top neuroscientist

Omnitopia Book on Amazon

I am delighted to announce that Amazon is selling City Ubiquitous: Place, Communication, and the Rise of Omnitopia.

At present, they haven't yet uploaded a cover image. But I've received an advance copy of the book, and it looks swell.

If you'd like to learn more about City Ubiquitous, I encourage you to visit the book's website:

http://www.cityubiquitous.com

There, you can download an excerpt, peruse the table of contents, check out a book review, and even examine previously published omnitopian research.

And if you'd like to go to the Amazon page itself, here's a handy link:

http://tinyurl.com/getacopy

Live Blog: 2009 Oscars

5:30 (Pacific): At last, the telecast for what some observers have presaged to be the most boring Oscars in recent history. Most prognosticators think the award winners were locked in months ago. And since stats-geek Nate Silver (of FiveThirtyEight fame) has weighed in on likely outcomes, few folks are expecting shocks. But with (sort of) live TV, you never know...

So, on with the show!

5:31: Like pretty much everyone else, I can't help but ask: Hugh Jackman?

5:32: Snarky snap at New Zealand!

5:33: So this is what Depression-era Oscars look like. Sad.

5:36: Richard Nixon as creepy sex-symbol.

5:37: Loved the line about not seeing The Reader. I guess few folks want to see movies-as-homework.

5:58: That was a standing-O that was well deserved.

5:39: "Ladies and gentlemen, the real Nixon right here: Frank Langella." Huh?

5:44: I never thought I'd say this, but where's Hugh Jackman?

5:42: Five Best Supporting Actress nominees are needed for this?

5:45: Goldie Hawn: Supporting America's plastics industry since 1969.

5:47: Penelope Cruz wins Best Actress in a Supporting Role. What a sweet presence.

5:53: Tina Fey and Steve Martin: Can you imagine what a dinner party must be like with these two as guests? Love the line: "Or a very good idea for a poster."

5:57: Milk picks up the first big win, for best original screenplay.

5:58: "You are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value."

5:59: "Don't fall in love with me," Steve Martin warns Tina Fey. How cool must it be to know exactly how hard to write a line without going over the line? I may never know.

6:01: Slumdog Millionaire wins for best adapted screenplay. OK, time to admit it: I've not seen this one. Yet.

6:03: Jack Black earned an awkward laugh.

6:05: OK, so the theme of this Movie Storybook (or whatever it's called) is: there were a lot of animated movies this year?

6:06: Wall-E wins for Best Animated Feature. Good. But, frankly, it merited a nom for Best Pic.

6:08: Jack Black manages to say "thank you" in one syllable.

6:10: Props to Mr. Roboto!

6:16: Sarah Jessica Parker seems to have stepped off from another awards show, maybe the Golden Globes.

6:17: Benjamin Button wins for set design.

6:19: Nice. Talk just long enough for the other guy to get played off...

6:20: The Duchess wins for best costumes. And another five percent of the audience nods off.

6:23: Poor Daniel Craig: stuck in a suit that fits all too well.

6:23: Benjamin Button wins another consolation prize.

6:24: Really. Really. Whatever-your-name-is-who-just-won-for-best-makeup: Didn't Tom Hanks warn you how awful it is to read off names of people we've never heard of as quickly as you can?

6:25: Since the show is clearly going too fast, let's slow down with "romance in 2008."

6:32: Ben Stiller-as-Joaquin Phoenix. Easily the funniest bit of the night so far.

6:35: Slumdog pics up the win for cinematography. The winner tries to riff off of Stiller's bit. No luck there.

6:38: Jessica Biel's dress looks like she's had a most unfortunate accident with a microwave oven.

6:39: The tech awards: Well, that was fast.

6:42: Seth Rogen's stoner humor takes us to strange places. I have no idea why. I need some chips.

6:46: Trashing the German pronunciation of - well, whatever it was called. And have you ever looked at your hand? I mean really looked at your hand?

6:52: Hugh Jackman is reminding us of Depression-era musical fashion. After all those ads for JCPenney and Hyundai, I'm not too surprised.

6:53: By way of Bob Fosse and Grease? And High School Musical?

6:56: Did you catch Hugh Jackman's look? Something like... "I can't believe we're doing this crap."

6:57: The musical is back. God save us.

7:02: Best Supporting Actor time. Again with the five-top. What has Cuba Gooding Jr. being doing lately?

7:05: Cuba needs to work, indeed.

7:08: Heath Ledger wins. Family comes to pick up the award. A sad moment. We'll never understand why he left the way he did. He knew that he'd accomplished something amazing with this role. And then... I just don't get it.

7:11: Now, a generic moment about documentaries!

7:13: Bill Mahar steps up, wearing a suit that looks like a Colorform. He then pimps his own documentary. You should go see their movies, he chides: "starting with mine." Stay classy, Bill.

7:16: The would-be shortest speech in Oscar history - isn't.

7:17: Best documentary - short subject. Joy: More Bill, who suggests that, just maybe, the winners of Man on Wire deserved to win. How gracious.

7:23: Great chases in 2008 movies? OK, sure. No, now it's fights. Uh, special effects? Oh... "action."

7:26: Outstanding visual effects: Benjamin Button again.

7:28: Four Oscars. One long, boring speech.

7:29: Outstanding sound editing: Dark Knight.

7:30: One Oscar. On long, boring speech. Dude. "uh" is not a comma.

7:30: Outstanding sound mixing: The superheroes of post-production. Really?

7:31: Slumdog wins for sound-mixing.

7:32: Dude, huffing and puffing don't count as commas either.

7:33: Jennifer Aniston looked like she lost money on the sound mixing part of her Oscar pool.

7:34: Film editing: Another win for Slumdog.

7:36: Another list of names, names, names. Another ten percent of the Oscar audience bows out.

7:41: Eddie Murphy is here to present a humanitarian award to Jerry Lewis.

7:44: Dude. He hasn't gotten this award yet?

7:46: I sure am glad he did.

7:50: A medley music competing for best original score.

7:54: Slumdog wins again.

7:54: Winner tries some humor about being nervous before coming, marriage, and mothers. It's best to just read the card, friend.

7:56: Best original song.

7:57: I heard that Peter Gabriel wouldn't perform because he didn't want to be stuck into a minute for his entire song. This guy sure didn't mind.

7:59: How would you like to be one of those audience members with a drummer swinging next to your ears? Please, please don't shatter my eardrums!

8:00: OK, I'm gonna call it: That was a swell medley.

8:01: Slumdog is the winner of the night, so far.

8:02: The essence of Slumdog is optimism and hope?!? Great, dude. Thanks for the spoiler.

8:06: Best foreign language film: Departures. And a roomful of Oscar audience members mentally adds to their Netflix queue.

8:10: Time for the Cavalcade of Dead People: Powered by the patented Hollywood Applause-Meter.

8:15: The winner: Paul Newman (who benefited from a video-excerpt goose). I always thought his most memorable "last image" should have been the "Are you there, Ol' Timer" glimpse up into the rafters near the end of Cool Hand Luke. Oh well. And man, that audience had little love for Charlton Heston!

8:18: Cheeky line about the departing president of the Academy. Tacky, even. But oh so true.

8:20: Best Director: Danny Boyle, receiving his Oscar "in the spirit of Tigger." Oh, and he's enjoying the show too.

8:22: Boyle offers props to dude he left off the credits. Nicely done.

8:25: Time for Best Actress honors. Once more: a "final five" of winners. They say Kate will win it. She deserves it. But I'd love to see Meryl take it anyway.

8:28: Leave it to Shirley MacLaine to transform an introduction into a lecture (Keep working on that singing. You've got some talent there!).

8:31: I know! Let's have five actresses talk about other actresses! That will only take a minute or two, right?

8:32: Kate Winslet wins for The Reader. Breathless, on the verge of crying, and preparing to thank "some people." Here we go...

8:34: Names, names, names... And heavy breathing.

8:34: A list of positions. Some geography. Eyes to the heavens. Oh, and those other nominees. Props to Meryl.

8:35: A screech. And - she's off!

8:37: One more fivesome. A pretty impressive one, too.

8:39: I've said it before, but it bears repetition. Robert De Niro is one funny guy.

8:41: Richard Jenkins is thinking to himself: I don't have a chance.

8:42: Mickey Rourke. Man, I hope he wins this.

8:43: Ah, crap, says Rourke. Crap.

8:44: Nice line from Sean Penn: "I know how hard I make it for you to appreciate me."

8:46: Penn gets just a little political. Never saw that one coming.

8:47: Rourke gets props from Penn. And the world seems a little nicer now.

8:47: Spielberg gets ethereal.

8:48: A somewhat clever introduction to how each Best Picture nominee draws from a lineage of big ideas.

8:53: And the winner is: Slumdog Millionaire.

8:55: Outtahere.

Friday Fun Post: Fast Food: Ads vs. Reality

The name says it all: Fast Food: Ads vs. Reality. I won't include an image, just see for yourself.

Still not sure? OK, I'll give you a preview:

The real Arby's Beef 'n Cheddar looks like a human head that melted in a grease fire. The real KFC Famous Bowl resembles one of those 70s' era dog foods where you add water for "gravy" (oh, and the dog got sick too), the real Subway Turkey Breast and Ham Sub reminds me of awful days in the middle school lunch room, and the real Wendy's Southwest Taco Salad evokes something from a Sam Peckinpah film.

One thing I like about Facebook

Here's one thing I like about Facebook.

Over the weekend, I hurt my back, pulled it while scooping up some laundry. The next day I felt good enough, and that night I slept as I normally do: on my side.

The next day I could barely move. Just walking was a cause for agony.

Naturally I updated my Facebook status.

First, I was so grateful to receive notes of encouragement from friends. It meant a lot, really. But that's not what I'm talking about. What I love about Facebook is its ability to improve my connections in the physical world.

You see, that night, I had taught a class and then shuffled back to my department. I climbed onto the couch in my office and passed out. It really hurt that much. Three hours later, I awoke just in time to catch a bus home.

I looked like death. My hair was all disheveled and my skin had a zombie-like pallor. I didn't want anyone to see me. Of course, struggling to walk outside, stooped over painfully, I passed by a student. He asked, "How are you doing?" I was a bit embarrassed, thinking that I looked drunk, or worse. Then he caught himself. "Oh! Your back! I'm sorry to hear about your back!"

He'd read my Facebook status report.

That's what I love most about Facebook, its ability to help us contextualize our relationships, particularly our loose connections. In the face-to-face world, Facebook helped him make sense of my appearance and offer his best wishes for something that he might not have otherwise understood.

I know some people who eschew Facebook because of its inability to reproduce "real" friendship. But I think that dismissal misses the point. Sure, "real" friendship is better than "fake" friendship. There's no disputing that. But Facebook is a friendship augmenter, not replicant. Thanks to this resource, we know more about each other.

Some folks hear that and get paranoid.

Not me. I'm grateful.

Follow-up: Excellent article with solid numbers of Facebook growth and social impact: How Facebook is taking over our lives