If I hear Lou Dobbs say “I don’t have a dog in this hunt” one more time, I swear I’m going to throw my shoe at the television.
Dobbs is overplaying his “Mr. Independent” shtick to the point of self-parody. I may find Chris Matthews insufferable, but at least his egomaniacal hooting is somewhat counteracted by the wit of Keith Olbermann. Even Wolf Blitzer’s mighty beard isn’t enough to nullify Lou Dobbs’s self-righteous preening.
Feast your peepers on the teaser trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull:
High-definition versions are available from Yahoo! Movies. If you’d like more info about the film, check out Vanity Fair’s feature article and their exclusive interview with Stephen Spielberg.
Based on some publicity photos I’ve seen of a grumpy and aged-looking Harrison Ford, I was worried that this would end up being Indiana Jones and the Damn Kids who Won’t Get Off His Lawn. This teaser leaves me a bit more hopeful.
Last night on CNN Ari Fleischer, George W. Bush’s former press secretary, had this to say:
There’s no doubt that Republicans hope to — we pray every night — to run against Hillary Clinton.
Nothing would energize and unify Republicans like having Clinton has the Democratic nominee. All the scandals of Bill Clinton’s administration and Hillary’s previous failed attempt at health care reform will present a huge target for the Republican party’s weapons of mass distraction. Hillary Clinton has many devoted supporters, but she also has the highest negative poll ratings of any candidate in this race on either side. That means she has the farthest to fall in the general election this November.
Democrats should think about this, and about whether they really want another four years of the same disastrous policies, when they’re deciding who to support in the next round of primaries and caucuses.
The first trailer for the the Wachowski brothers’ live action Speed Racer movie hit the Web on Friday. It looks like a colorful, retro-futuristic, and fundamentally silly movie with exciting races, two-dimensional characters, and ridiculously over-the-top villains. A lot like the cartoon, in other words. You can watch the trailer in high-definition QuickTime format, or check out the fuzzier YouTubeized version below.
When I was a kid I thought that the original Speed Racer cartoon was awesome, but I’m not sure that nostalgia is enough reason to see this movie in a theatre. I’m withholding final judgment until there’s more than one trailer to go on. What’s interesting about the trailer is the several direct visual references to the opening sequence of the cartoon — both the Japanese and English versions.
The race sequences themselves owe an obvious debt to the F-Zero and Wipeout video game franchises. It’ll be interesting to see whether these varied influences can be knit together into a coherent movie.
About a week ago, I launched a new weblog on the Zenscope Studio site. There are a lot of other Web developers and graphic designers with blogs, but most of them are writing posts that only interest other developers and designers. This is a great way to share knowledge and find collaborators, but it shuts out the client.
With Zenlog, I’m aiming for both audiences. There’s advanced tips and design analysis for fellow pros. There are also beginner tutorials and business-oriented articles for potential clients.
Client communication and education is sorely lacking in this field. Too many design professionals seem to look at their customers as a necessary evil. I’m doing my small part to change things.
I’m not sure how this approach will work out. Business owners may not be interested enough to tune in, and I wouldn’t be surprised to get some blow-back from other developers and designers. My latest article — stating that the Web industry should “get over itself” when it comes to client relations — will probably raise some eyebrows (and tempers). But how else should I respond when the latest issue of A List Apart refers to clients as “schmucks with money” and “the well dressed nemesis”?
Love it or hate it, I’d like to know what you think. So check out Zenlog, and leave some comments telling me where you stand.
Be sure to subscribe to the new blog, and stay tuned for “How to Find and Hire a Great Designer” — coming soon.
