Monthly Archives: April 2004

Meanwhile, in other alternate realities…

Posted on April 29, 2004 by ken

My attempts to have a rational conversation with my right-wing acquaintance the other night failed utterly, of course, running inevitably into the glazed stare of the True Believer. The Wall Street Journal reviewed a new book, Debunked, which is a … Continue reading →

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The Liberal Media

Posted on April 28, 2004 by ken

I had a depressing and stressful conversation last night with a former co-worker who is now a rabid fan of Dubya and a big supporter of US policy (if you can call it that) in Iraq. And eventually we got … Continue reading →

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Don’t Mention the War!

Posted on April 26, 2004 by ken

The New York Times yesterday had a hilarious article on Richard Desmond, the publisher of the Daily Express in London, responding to a potential offer by German publisher Axel Springer Verlag’s offer to buy the competing Telegraph. In a meeting … Continue reading →

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Out-Drudging Drudge

Posted on April 19, 2004 by ken

I think it’s implicit in the way that a Web site is produced that our standards of accuracy are lower. Besides, immediacy is more important than accuracy, and humor is more important than accuracy. — Nick Denton, founder of the … Continue reading →

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The Banjo Is My Enemy…

Posted on April 19, 2004 by ken

Here’s an insightful comment on practicing your instrument, which probably applies to lots of other things as well. Pete Wernick, who does banjo instructional materials for the indispensable Homespun Tapes, describes two modes of practicing: The Banjo Is My Enemy: … Continue reading →

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The Brooklyn Museum

Posted on April 19, 2004 by ken

We went over to check out the new entrance plaza for the Brooklyn Museum on Sunday, and we were absolutely thrilled. It’s one of the best new public spaces in the city, and a rarely successful modern addition to a … Continue reading →

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The End of the iPod

Posted on April 16, 2004 by ken

I suspect that in a few years, people will identify Apple’s rebuff of Real Networks as the beginning of the end for its dominance in online music. It’s sad that Apple still has not learned that closed platforms always lose … Continue reading →

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I’m Sick All Right

Posted on April 15, 2004 by ken

The Victoria’s Secret commercial featuring Bob Dylan is just silly. Clearly the ad was much less important than the press coverage it generated. The model looks ridiculous in her pasted-on angel wings, Dylan looks like a demented lecher, and for … Continue reading →

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Borderline Disloyal

Posted on April 14, 2004 by ken

The New York Observer’s press column this week contrasts New York’s two tabloids in how they handled Condoleeza Rice’s testimony before the 9/11 commission. The News’ front page said HOW COULD SHE NOT KNOW? while the Post cried THE LADY … Continue reading →

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Segregation, Alive and Well

Posted on April 13, 2004 by ken

Clyde Haberman writes this morning that most big cities continue to be “about as blended as a bottle of single-malt Scotch,” and quoting one of the last lawyers still alive who argued the cases that became Brown v. Board Of … Continue reading →

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