Salons
Sitting in a post-boho coffee shop only a couple miles away from UCLA, I am struck at how coffee shops have always been a hotbed of underground thought.
Now, this is not to say that every word spoken at one of these places is pure genius. Quite the opposite. The thoughts and words spoken hear tend to be undisciplined, boosted by the youth who neither have the wisdom nor knowledge to lend real impact to their words.
However, as the world becomes more connected I see chain smoking digerati (how I loathe that word, but it's the best word that springs to mind right now) sitting, chatting, conversing with others in meatspace and on their phones, connecting with others chainsmoking across the country.
Coffeeshops and other drug infused gatherings of young people have always been a place where culture has been formed. Often it is framed as counter-culture, but all that is is a word for culture that seeks to overthrow or evolve the culture that it springs from. Whether the drug be caffeine, alchohol, hashish or opium, the result is the same.
Cryptonomicon
Reading Cryptonomicon right now, and it's really very very good. I know I'm a little late on the Neal Stephenson train, but I've been going through his oevre lately.
How would I put it? William Gibson, but not as much obsession with mind altering drugs. Everything Cory Doctorow wants to be, without the quasi-fantasy leanings.
Of course, maybe I'm just biased towards authors that include perl code and scientific papers on the value of erections in their work.
Python in the news
You may be aware that my current pet project is learning Python. Python is such an easy language to learn that its really great to teach high school students or even younger children. Here's a great story about getting such an educational news story into a newspaper. More people need to take matters into their own hands like this when promoting themselves. Such a proactive approach really shows people that you are interested in the project, which in turns means that they should be too! http://learnpython.wordpress.com/2010/12/12/python-in-the-news/
Easy A
Emma Stone steals the show in 'Easy A'
Alright, I admit it. I'm actually a huge sucker for cheesy teen movies. So at my friend Nora's suggestion I'm watching Easy A. It's not the greatest teen movie ever (that honor goes to Ten Things I Hate About You), but it definitely has its charm. Nora is definitely right, it is a very smart movie. There's not too many movies that really honestly show female social interaction in a way that's believable and funny. Additionally, Emma Stone is a really wonderful actress. She's funny, warm, and completely believable in a role that would tax many other actresses. The only disappointing thing about the movie is that it feels a little limp. The movie even references classic John Hughes movies but doesn't quite get there. The movie is rife with B plots that never get resolved, and interesting characters who either fade into the background or are so weakly developed that they feel out of place. Lisa Kudrow's character in particular seems like she has an interesting story to her, but the movie pays her so little attention that by the end all she feels like is a gimmick to give Emma Stone's character a plot point.
However, I did really enjoy watching this movie. Its not going down in my hall of fame, but it receives my highest rating: I'm glad I watched it.
Actually, more of a fizzle
Upgrading to WP 3.0.2
I'm happy to say that my uncommon server configuration upgraded to 3.0.2 without any problem. I encourage everyone to do it, there's a pretty big bug in 3.0.1. http://wordpress.org/news/2010/11/wordpress-3-0-2/