Some of Nothing

Other People's Genius: "On the Other Hand" Edition
Friday, May 2, 2008

* PC Mag publishes an article explaining how Twitter is kind of lame:

I just joined Twitter...and was reminded of its fragility when I posted a comment (or "Tweet") that said if Britney Spears began to use such a network she would bring it down. Someone responded that if the system actually became popular, the current group of users would all have already moved on to the next big thing. He was right.

User fickleness is a big player and contributes to a social network's fragility, but almost anything can blow up one of these online "communities."

I like when people bash social networking sites because, although I know it's a good thing to do, I hate social networking.

On the other hand

Wil Wheaton says:

Twitter haters are the new blog haters are the new 'zine haters are the new mixtape haters. You're so totally unimpressed. We get it.

Mixtapes?



* Matthew Yglesias joins the fray in deciding that Iron Man is actually good:

Well comic book fans, I went to see Iron Man and I'm pleased to report that it lived up to expectation -- funny stuff, good action, vital critique of the military-industrial complex, only one or two plot points that made no sense, etc. Among other things, Iron Man stands out from many other comic book characters in having a costume that doesn't look ridiculous in a live-action context -- no spandex, etc.

Definitely going to have to check it out, in spite of the lack of spandex.

On the other hand

Crooks and Liars reminds me that I still haven't seen Expelled yet:

Ben Stein, a former Nixon aide and game-show host, probably best known for his role as a monotone teacher in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” released an anti-evolution documentary recently called, “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.” The premise, as I understand it, is that those who reject modern biology struggle professionally in the sciences.

Kevin Drum recently saw the movie, and reported back that towards the end, the documentary veered into the insane: “Stein spends the final half hour wandering around Dachau and telling us outright that his real motivation for attacking evolution isn’t any real flaw in the theory, but his belief that Darwinism leads directly to Nazi-ism, eugenics, atheism, the breakdown of morals, and mass slaughter. Can’t have that, so evolution needs to go too.”

If Iron Man and Charles Darwin got into a fight, I suspect Iron Man would win. Ergo, evolution is bogus. My movie choice is going to be a tough one this weekend.


Happy other people's genius Friday!

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Nothing New byslag at 3:56 PM