Virtual Confetti

Lunch is a fascinating time to people watch.  I think most people try to make it a social experience… a little food, a little discussion, a little looking around to comment on other people doing the same.  As a writer, it’s common for me to visit my favorite hashery, escorted only by my journal and Pigma Micron pens.  I, therefore, do more surveillance than most of the other patrons.  It can be both an enlightening and amusing experience.

As I delicately sliced off a scrap of my medium-rare tri-tip roast, my attention was distracted by a nearby couple, certainly not delicately slicing anything but my nerves.  It was actually a woman and her young daughter.  A thin, white cord connected Mom’s earphones to her phone, and every few minutes, she entertained a new call.  Social calls, not necessarily between bites.  She stared straight ahead at Daughter, who was entertaining herself with a coloring book.  Between calls, she’d talk to Daughter, and they appeared to have a normal conversation… for about three minutes at a time.  What I found interesting was that the daughter could tell when the call stopped, even though Mom remained in her comatose, forward-looking pose.  It was difficult for me to identify the segues, but somehow Daughter was all too familiar with the behavior.  I found it sad that this was probably considered “quality time” between Mom and Daughter.  At least it wasn’t McDonald’s.

I haven’t been to Blockbuster in years.  Not because I don’t watch movies, but because I’ve switched to Netflix, HBO, and Cinemax.  They’ve closed down several stores in my area, and the one that remains is not well stocked.  But when you need a movie for a film study, and Netflix doesn’t have it instantly online, then you make due with the resources that are available to you.  Rummaging through the glove box and center console of my car, I found the little key-fob card thing with my Blockbuster bar code.  It will have to do.

I’m not sure why I dread Blockbuster so much, but I do.  Every time I go in, I feel like I’m walking through a Goodwill thrift store wearing a tuxedo, and someone I know will point and say, “Haha! You’re RENTING! Go back to 1988, VHS Boy!” It just seems so dirty to me.  Unethical. So non-vogue.  Besides that, they never have the actual movie you’re looking for, unless you’re into farting, burping, teen starlet comedies, of which they have several copies of each.  I refuse to rent them, not only because they’re mind-numbingly atrocious, but because they reek of teen farts and burps.

The movie in question was Rope, which is more than a mere classic from Alfred Hitchcock.  Hitchcock was known for producing some low budget films that didn’t look low budget.  35mm film stock comes in reels of 1000 feet.  At 90 feet per minute, this gives the director approximately eleven minutes of film per reel.  The way the story goes, Hitchcock ran each reel to its full eleven minutes so as to avoid having a few seconds of unused (wasted) film at the end.  Every eleven minutes, he either faded to black at calculated moments or deliberately placed black objects in the camera’s path so as to allow the next reel to seamlessly splice in and pick right up.  Genius, considering the precision timing involved.

Blockbuster? Oh, they didn’t have Rope.  But they did have another Hitchcock classic, Lifeboat. There I stood, waiting in line next to parents holding farting, burping comedies for their teens who, incidentally, were still at home, too embarrassed to be seen in a Blockbuster with their parents.  Years ago, I would be hiding my passé movie selection from the others, dodging random snickers.  Classics?  Grandpa’s movies? This was business, though, which now takes on a “cooler” context.  And that’s when the sales droid amused me…

DROID:  Oh, your card is expired.  For fifteen dollars, I can renew it for a year.  Actually, for ten, since this first one is free!

ME: Yeah, I only come in once a year.  Renew? Can’t I just rent it without the big renewal thing?

DROID: Yes, for $5.47, but you can renew it for ten.  And it’s good all year!

ME: Look, I’m a producer and just need to watch it for a film study. And you didn’t have the exact movie I needed anyway, so this one will have to do.  Normally I’d get it mailed from Netflix, but I need to watch it this weekend.  I only come in once a year, so I don’t need a subscription.  And I already feel dirty for coming here. And old. And unloved.

DROID: But it’s only four dollars more.

*crickets*

ME: Here’s six dollars. Knock yourself out.

This explains why they’ve closed the other Blockbusters, and why this one survives only as a backup to depleted garage sale inventory.

You’re in luck!  This guide will tell you who and what to vote for, no matter where you live or what initiatives are on the ballot!

I predict the 2010 Fall election to be… a yawner.  Yes, I’m a patriot, and yes, I believe in democracy and voting.  But seriously, campaigns are spending and popularity contests, not demonstrations of public representation.  (This is nothing new.)  The worst of it are the sheep who only watch television ads, monitor single news sources, and believe mail brochure propaganda.  Obviously, these mediums are paid for by special interests, and money is democracy’s worst enemy.

The worst part of the voting process is the lack of political education.  This is especially worrisome with today’s youth — who are tomorrow’s political future — and tend to believe what they hear because it’s easier than learning and understanding real information.  As an American, it is essential to put effort into understanding what and who you’re voting for, otherwise you might as well hand over all your belongings and liberties, because they obviously aren’t worth protecting.

Information is a dangerous thing.  I can tell you a complete lie, and depending on my credentials, you may just believe me.  Maybe I’m a celebrity you find entertaining, maybe I have a list of causes you believe in, or maybe I simply say things that make you feel appreciated and important to humanity.  But they can be lies, specifically crafted to appeal to your emotions and self worth!  Always check facts, always obtain information from multiple and competing media organizations, and always do your homework.

So who or what do you believe? Here’s Jefferson’s recommendations and “Quick Start Guide” on how to vote, without actually telling you how to vote:

1. Shred all ads that arrive by mail.  They’re obviously sent to you by candidates or organizations with agendas.  Even when they seem to have a good case for smearing the other guy, that other guy will have some response that makes the accusation seem questionable.
2. Likewise, ignore all TV and radio ads.
3. Read, watch, or otherwise consume news from multiple media sources.  Yes, news is usually biased, so monitor several sources and understand the biases of each reporting agency and how it affects their programming.
4. Assess the list of the causes, organizations, politicians, or individuals that you believe represent your ideals and philosophies.  Then, go to their websites or otherwise obtain information from them about who and what they support.  This will tell you which politicians support those causes, and which ballot initiatives are most friendly to them.
5. After reviewing the candidate or ballot initiatives for the causes you support, compare them, and determine one by one which ones “win” over the others.  Sometimes this is hard, because you may believe strongly in two causes with opposing views.  Do your best, and compromise where needed.
6. Vote according to your conscience.

So the bottom line is… be educated, be American, and vote!

The Flower on the Pond
by Jefferson Feil

The wind breaks through the garden
Shaking flowers to the ground
Looking closer, I beg your pardon
Atop the pond, one flower is found

Two weeks later, I returned
Those flowers had withered away
But the one on the water, unturned
Well nourished, it survives today

Not too long ago, we used to fix things.  Or rather, things were able to be fixed.  As technology moves higher in complexity and smaller in form, the ability to repair various gadgets has moved toward replacement instead of restoration.

In the 1950′s, television sets were large, boxy appliances, often used as centerpieces in living rooms.  The back of the sets were readily removable in order to replace electronic vacuum tubes, fuses, and other “user-serviceable” parts.  Radios, amplifiers, electric organs, and other electronic appliances also fell victim to popping the lid.  There were repair shops for those not adventurous enough to unscrew the back of a high voltage device.  One better, most cities had repairmen who would make house calls, armed with boxes of vacuum tubes, tools, and the latest catalog of new appliances.  Most people, however, had a relative or family friend who was savvy enough to wield a screwdriver;  the only complication encountered was the occasional lost screw.

Although it may sound strange by today’s standards, user-based service was both practical and economical.  Flaws due to constraints in technology were confined to parts intentionally designed to be replaced.  The rest of the appliance was generally robust and would last for years without trouble.  Replaceable parts were installed in sockets or screwed down to where a user could easily access and replace them.

Today’s complexity of electronics has restricted service to manufacturers or authorized service centers where specialized parts, knowledge, and tools are required.  When electronics fail, individual parts are no longer replaced — the whole unit or main board of components is replaced instead.  Repair personnel rarely make house calls, unless expressly defined in a service agreement, paid for by the purchaser.  Independent repair shops still exist, but service now consists of replacing main component boards, plugs, and knobs, or up-selling the owner into a new appliance.  Frequently, the cost to repair exceeds that of a new appliance altogether. Appliances throughout the 1970s and 1980s even carried a label that read, “No user-serviceable parts inside.”  This phrase has altogether been retired from modern day appliances.

When new technology fails, it fails hard — no simple “replace a fuse” trick.  Appliances are no longer built with intentional maintenance in mind; there is now an expectation of high quality and reliability.  Whereas a ’50s television set may have required tube replacement every two years, today’s consumer expects a television monitor to last five, seven, or more.  It is more common that the owner will replace an appliance due to wanting newer technology and not because of malfunction.

This “upgrade technology” behavior poses a quandary that did not exist years ago.  Consumers now have garages, closets, and basements full of perfectly good — but obsolete — electronics.  We have an aversion to throwing out perfectly working things, and likewise lack a market that seeks them out.  We turn to eBay, CraigsList, and even the local paper to try to find homes for our old friends, but then run into the dilemma of having to accept pennies on the dollar for electronics that we once shelled out hundreds of dollars for.

I predict that we will soon have a used electronics crisis, if it isn’t here already.  Junkyards, not unlike those seen on TV’s Sanford & Son, will feature living room electronics rather than kitchen plumbing.  In California, we are already taxed at purchase for the future disposal of electronic goods; removal of “e-waste” is controlled by strict recycling and disposal programs.  Aside from the psychological aversion of having to throw out perfectly good merchandise, regulations and disposal concerns will likely having us storing this “nuclear waste” in our attics for years to come.