Safe Auto commercials.
Nothing sends me into a blinding rage more than a Safe Auto insurance commercial. Whether they're reusing old footage from their 80's advertising campaign or its a new batch of hopelessly low budget, hokey commercials send me into a fury like no other.
Perhaps my expectations from advertising have been raised by more entertaining commercials. Jack in the Box, GEICO, and recently Sony have released commercials that are actually entertaining (to me at least, you might hate them). Maybe Safe Auto just can't move with the times and didn't hire an advertising consultant that was aware that commercials don't work if they make you change the channel.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Standard Vampire Rant
Vampires have been romantic and sexual figures in mythology and folklore forever, and that's fine. I'm still getting tired of it. I'm not just talking about Twilight. I'm talking about every TV show, book, and movie that portrays vampires as these perfect, beautiful, mildly tortured individuals.
If we really look at what it means to be a vampire its hard to call it a curse. Vampires all seem to automatically become good looking, possess super human strength, magical powers of some kind, and oh right immortality. The only draw back is you can't go out at night and have to drink human blood. Those last flaws are never played up enough in my opinion.
It's the CURSE of vampirism dammit. The way its portrayed in media its something you'd want to have happen to you, but all the characters seem to avoid it. The audience should see the horror of what it means to be a vampire. Think about it. Everyone you've ever known and loved including your family has the same value to you as a delicious cheeseburger. You can never see the sun again. Good luck finding a college with a degree plan that will allow you to get a degree using only night courses. Banks, insurance, dealing with almost any agency or bureaucracy would be nearly impossible if you can only interact with them when the sun's down. Heaven forbid a vampire be arrested, no judge is going to arraign someone at night.
I'd love to see a harsh and realistic look at the possibility of vampirism in the media. Show me a vampire who has to somehow make do of this impossible situation while trying to stay in touch with his or her family that continues to age while they remain static.
It probably wouldn't make ANY money at the box office.
If we really look at what it means to be a vampire its hard to call it a curse. Vampires all seem to automatically become good looking, possess super human strength, magical powers of some kind, and oh right immortality. The only draw back is you can't go out at night and have to drink human blood. Those last flaws are never played up enough in my opinion.
It's the CURSE of vampirism dammit. The way its portrayed in media its something you'd want to have happen to you, but all the characters seem to avoid it. The audience should see the horror of what it means to be a vampire. Think about it. Everyone you've ever known and loved including your family has the same value to you as a delicious cheeseburger. You can never see the sun again. Good luck finding a college with a degree plan that will allow you to get a degree using only night courses. Banks, insurance, dealing with almost any agency or bureaucracy would be nearly impossible if you can only interact with them when the sun's down. Heaven forbid a vampire be arrested, no judge is going to arraign someone at night.
I'd love to see a harsh and realistic look at the possibility of vampirism in the media. Show me a vampire who has to somehow make do of this impossible situation while trying to stay in touch with his or her family that continues to age while they remain static.
It probably wouldn't make ANY money at the box office.
Breath of fresh air
I've read a fair share of Fantasy novels and I'm a big fan, but after a while the archetypal and in many cases formulaic plot structures can get a bid tiresome.
A mock-up of medieval Europe with new names, a little sorcery and some unspeakable evil overlord who needs to be defeated by the hero. I can take comfort in the formula, but a recent fantasy series I read has been a refreshing mix up.
R. Scott Bakker's "Prince of Nothing" trilogy has been amazing. It's still a throw back an older historical era, but instead of western Europe its set in something that could be considered similar to the Mediterranean. The technology and pervasive religious beliefs are more akin to 33 A.D. then the 1200's.
Most interesting though is the authors protagonist. The main character could be considered a primitive attempt at genetic engineering. His tribe of people have lived in almost perfect isolation for almost 2000 years, during which they engaged in a rigorous selective breeding program and culling the weak from their gene pool. He ventures forth with almost super human intellect, perception and reflexes and finds himself dumped into the chaotic environment of a slew of primitive civilizations. Realizing how easy it is to manipulate these people he slowly begins to twist their perception of him.
We see this character mostly through the eyes of people who don't have the benefit of his selective breeding and over the course of the series he is viewed as messianic figure. When the story is seen from the point of view of this super human the reader sees him for what he is, practically a sociopath.
It's fantastically written, and several of the forces in the series could represent differing philosophical view points such as nihilism and scholasticism. I recommend it.
A mock-up of medieval Europe with new names, a little sorcery and some unspeakable evil overlord who needs to be defeated by the hero. I can take comfort in the formula, but a recent fantasy series I read has been a refreshing mix up.
R. Scott Bakker's "Prince of Nothing" trilogy has been amazing. It's still a throw back an older historical era, but instead of western Europe its set in something that could be considered similar to the Mediterranean. The technology and pervasive religious beliefs are more akin to 33 A.D. then the 1200's.
Most interesting though is the authors protagonist. The main character could be considered a primitive attempt at genetic engineering. His tribe of people have lived in almost perfect isolation for almost 2000 years, during which they engaged in a rigorous selective breeding program and culling the weak from their gene pool. He ventures forth with almost super human intellect, perception and reflexes and finds himself dumped into the chaotic environment of a slew of primitive civilizations. Realizing how easy it is to manipulate these people he slowly begins to twist their perception of him.
We see this character mostly through the eyes of people who don't have the benefit of his selective breeding and over the course of the series he is viewed as messianic figure. When the story is seen from the point of view of this super human the reader sees him for what he is, practically a sociopath.
It's fantastically written, and several of the forces in the series could represent differing philosophical view points such as nihilism and scholasticism. I recommend it.
Mind Share
This cartoonist actually had this happen to him. Up to that visit to the zoo his son's understanding of a cheetah was what his druid could shape shift into in World of Warcraft.
World of Warcraft pulls from many different sources for their game design, mythology, pop culture, and in the above case zoology. But the cartoon depicts a child who has no understanding of a cheetah beyond World of Warcraft. For him World of Warcraft created travel form first, and nature copied it and created the cheetah. I worry that players of the game will think that Thorim and Loken are original characters and not references to Thor and Loki.
It raises the question: exactly how much mind share does World of Warcraft own?
Vocal comfort zone
An article we read recently brought up cell phone usage as a type of technology has become so pervasive that our culture has not quite adapted to it yet. There's no book on cell phone do's and don'ts.
I was in the grocery store checkout aisle when my sister from Houston called. I don't talk to her as often as I should and I wanted her to know that the call was important to me. So I answered it. After about a minute we were involved in a conversation about what to get my parents for Christmas when I suddenly became intensely aware of the people around me. The customers behind me, the one in front, and the cashier. I felt embarrassed and cut the call short.
The cell phone is not THAT new of a technology but I am still unaware of its polite proper use in social relations.
I was in the grocery store checkout aisle when my sister from Houston called. I don't talk to her as often as I should and I wanted her to know that the call was important to me. So I answered it. After about a minute we were involved in a conversation about what to get my parents for Christmas when I suddenly became intensely aware of the people around me. The customers behind me, the one in front, and the cashier. I felt embarrassed and cut the call short.
The cell phone is not THAT new of a technology but I am still unaware of its polite proper use in social relations.
The Strange Nature of Anonymity
comic from www.penny-arcade.com
As any gamer can tell you, wading through the mess of online gaming can leave you feeling dirty and slimy at the end of the day. This problem is far more prevalent in FPS games where theres very little personal investment in the identity of your avatar. World of Warcraft differs in this regard since each avatar at max level represents a fairly large time investment as well as personal customization. This meant that when players had to interact with each other there was at least some type of etiquette since it was possible that enough bad press about a character could ensure they never receive a group invite again.
Recently the release of Patch 3.3 for World of Warcraft has enabled instances to be cross realm. This no longer limits players to only partying with people from their own gaming universe. This patch deepens the anonymity between players. After partying with people not from your server, the odds of you seeing that person again are slim to none. There was a good deal of fear in the World of Warcraft community that this would destabilize the group dynamic. Without any personal accountability players would behave like assholes.
So far, this doesn't seem to be the case. The vast majority of experiences I've read about it regarding the new cross server instances have been nothing but positive. It seems that BECAUSE its cross server people are being just as polite as ever. I theorize that players see themselves as representatives of their realm or gaming universe. Players try to make a good impression for their own community. It's interesting how this goes against everything that I understand about internet gaming and anonymity.
Ghost in the Shell Thesis
There a slew of narratives that could be pursued and harangued in the anime The Ghost in the Shell, but I will attempt to focus on simply one of them. Specifically the strange strange relationship between the major and Bato with it's possibly one sided romantic tension. How are the rules of attraction altered when when the physical appearance of gender is purely a construct? Bato remains confused and conflicted through the entirety of the movie while unable to find a socially suitable code of etiquette to abide by when in the presence of Major Kursinugwa.
The strange set of circumstances presented by Major Kursinugwa presents trackless ground for male protagonist Bato. A former male comrade in arms has become a feminine android assassin, there's no handbook I know of to handle that interaction properly. The fact that Bato can even be perceived as being attracted to the Major raises some interesting queries about human relationships. There is no possible way the two could procreate, as an android Kursinugwa has no ovaries, uterus, or even any genitalia whatsoever. She is some kind of facsimile of womanhood, a crude silhouette of femininity. The viewer has to wonder what drives Bato's attraction to the major when there is no biological imperative to drive it. Perhaps it is simply the Major's form that attracts Bato, which must put him ill at ease when he recalls that mind inside that body had previously been in a male.
With these conflicts in mind the movie addresses the theme of gender recognition. It displays the blurring of gender identity in the presence of godlike technology while showing the very conflicted human reaction to the transformation presented. The theme stays true throughout the movie, and against the background of a near futuristic society the ideas have some possible probability. One of many possible conclusi
The strange set of circumstances presented by Major Kursinugwa presents trackless ground for male protagonist Bato. A former male comrade in arms has become a feminine android assassin, there's no handbook I know of to handle that interaction properly. The fact that Bato can even be perceived as being attracted to the Major raises some interesting queries about human relationships. There is no possible way the two could procreate, as an android Kursinugwa has no ovaries, uterus, or even any genitalia whatsoever. She is some kind of facsimile of womanhood, a crude silhouette of femininity. The viewer has to wonder what drives Bato's attraction to the major when there is no biological imperative to drive it. Perhaps it is simply the Major's form that attracts Bato, which must put him ill at ease when he recalls that mind inside that body had previously been in a male.
With these conflicts in mind the movie addresses the theme of gender recognition. It displays the blurring of gender identity in the presence of godlike technology while showing the very conflicted human reaction to the transformation presented. The theme stays true throughout the movie, and against the background of a near futuristic society the ideas have some possible probability. One of many possible conclusi
Female Middle-aged Dreamworld
I like food, I like cooking, and I own a copy of Julia Child's "The Way to Cook". So I decided to see Julie Julia. It was a nice movie about the search for women's search for meaning as they near middle age. What struck me though was the portrayal of the male characters in the movie.
I'm no stranger to the romantic comedy, or Rom-Com as my sister says, and I understand that there's supposed to be a male character in there somewhere for the typical formula to work. Usually the male characters are handsome, successful, sensitive, and have some kind of emotional baggage attached to them that the female lead has to help him work through before their relationship can begin.
"Julie Julia" differed in this regard. Both characters were already in a stable relationship. But these men were crazy. They're supportive and caring and emotionally connected and they have almost no problems expressing their thoughts and feelings. The one point of conflict was when one male character tried to complain that he felt he was losing emotional intimacy with Julie. Perhaps its simply my own understanding of what it means to be considered male in Western society, but I had a hard time believing these representations.
It was like some middle aged female fantasy. Music videos are : adolescent male :: Julie Julia : middle aged female.
I'm no stranger to the romantic comedy, or Rom-Com as my sister says, and I understand that there's supposed to be a male character in there somewhere for the typical formula to work. Usually the male characters are handsome, successful, sensitive, and have some kind of emotional baggage attached to them that the female lead has to help him work through before their relationship can begin.
"Julie Julia" differed in this regard. Both characters were already in a stable relationship. But these men were crazy. They're supportive and caring and emotionally connected and they have almost no problems expressing their thoughts and feelings. The one point of conflict was when one male character tried to complain that he felt he was losing emotional intimacy with Julie. Perhaps its simply my own understanding of what it means to be considered male in Western society, but I had a hard time believing these representations.
It was like some middle aged female fantasy. Music videos are : adolescent male :: Julie Julia : middle aged female.
Robot Chicken
I understand parody is an important aspect of modern television comedy, but I do wonder if Robot Chicken could be considered a form of detournement. A multitude of pop culture icons are used to send a message that differs from their original intention. Robot Chickens work on Star Wars is a fantastic example.
The interplay between Lando Calrissian and Darth Vader in their parody episode was hilarious, but it also took a small section of the movie and altered its message. Vader's ruthless methods had been twisted into a practical joke the Empire was playing on the leader of Cloud City.
Transformers and prostate cancer, World's Most One Sided Fist Fights, TV bloopers that are actually tragedies, great fun. Whats interesting is how other TV shows can then take what was created by Robot Chicken and twist it again.
One of the head writers on Robot Chicken also works closely with a major creative force behind Family Guy. A recent Family Guy episode has Robot Chicken style animation making an appearance, but this time Robot Chicken is the butt of the joke. These layers of detournment raise of the question of what is truly original anymore? There are so many layers of parody and comedy that its difficult to see where true original media originates.
The interplay between Lando Calrissian and Darth Vader in their parody episode was hilarious, but it also took a small section of the movie and altered its message. Vader's ruthless methods had been twisted into a practical joke the Empire was playing on the leader of Cloud City.
Transformers and prostate cancer, World's Most One Sided Fist Fights, TV bloopers that are actually tragedies, great fun. Whats interesting is how other TV shows can then take what was created by Robot Chicken and twist it again.
One of the head writers on Robot Chicken also works closely with a major creative force behind Family Guy. A recent Family Guy episode has Robot Chicken style animation making an appearance, but this time Robot Chicken is the butt of the joke. These layers of detournment raise of the question of what is truly original anymore? There are so many layers of parody and comedy that its difficult to see where true original media originates.
Omnaris
Omnaris video
Perhaps its just me, but a commercial I saw not too long ago seemed weirdly sexual. Given the flood of sexual imagery in media this shouldn't be too surprising, but this was a nasal spray commercial.
Some nameless woman suffers from a sinus affliction, and suddenly theres a team of tiny militant men in white construction hats there to help. They chant, and grab their weapon of choice: a bottle of Omneris with spray attachment. The men team up and lift their massive tool horizontally and start aiming it at a close up of what I presume to be the womans nasal passages.
So just to be clear: A group of men are lifting an over sized phallic symbol to be used on a closeup of a pink fleshy tunnel all for the womans benefit. Am I wrong to think that theres some strange imagery being used here? Or is this a perfectly fine commercial with no strange undertones?
Perhaps its just me, but a commercial I saw not too long ago seemed weirdly sexual. Given the flood of sexual imagery in media this shouldn't be too surprising, but this was a nasal spray commercial.
Some nameless woman suffers from a sinus affliction, and suddenly theres a team of tiny militant men in white construction hats there to help. They chant, and grab their weapon of choice: a bottle of Omneris with spray attachment. The men team up and lift their massive tool horizontally and start aiming it at a close up of what I presume to be the womans nasal passages.
So just to be clear: A group of men are lifting an over sized phallic symbol to be used on a closeup of a pink fleshy tunnel all for the womans benefit. Am I wrong to think that theres some strange imagery being used here? Or is this a perfectly fine commercial with no strange undertones?
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
At least it was creepy
After my interest was sufficiently piqued by previews I finally made some time last weekend to see 9. Wow. Just...just awful. A shred of storyline was stretched thin over an hour and a half choc' full of heavy handed, directionless symbolism. My girlfriend remarked that it might have been better as a short film, and after talking with some of my Arts and Technology friends I discovered that it originally was a short film with no dialogue. What could have posessed a studio to think that making the film 760% longer would improve the experience?
Honestly I think the studio was trying to grab a slightly older demographic with a 3D animated cartoon. The movie was advertised with lines similar to, "This is not your little brothers animated movie". The darker images and prevalence of death were meant to lure in the male tween audience (I assume).
Looking at the narrative of the movie I'm struck by how conflicted it all was. The burning church and miter could have been a crack at religion, but no alternative world view is proposed. Later the museum is attacked and THAT seems to say that Academia is unable to combat the faceless industrial evil. Some thing could be gleamed out of the movie about stagnation and the cycle of life, but its so muddled and clumsy that any potential message is lost.
At least the animation was cool. No amount of razzle-dazzle is going to make up for a complete lack of story. I'm suddenly worried that "Avatar" is going to be nothing but fantastic special effects with a typical message about government profits vs. respect for indigenous life.
Honestly I think the studio was trying to grab a slightly older demographic with a 3D animated cartoon. The movie was advertised with lines similar to, "This is not your little brothers animated movie". The darker images and prevalence of death were meant to lure in the male tween audience (I assume).
Looking at the narrative of the movie I'm struck by how conflicted it all was. The burning church and miter could have been a crack at religion, but no alternative world view is proposed. Later the museum is attacked and THAT seems to say that Academia is unable to combat the faceless industrial evil. Some thing could be gleamed out of the movie about stagnation and the cycle of life, but its so muddled and clumsy that any potential message is lost.
At least the animation was cool. No amount of razzle-dazzle is going to make up for a complete lack of story. I'm suddenly worried that "Avatar" is going to be nothing but fantastic special effects with a typical message about government profits vs. respect for indigenous life.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sifting World of Warcraft
Under the gun in my cultural criticism class I decided that my main focus for the study of modern pop culture would be the hugely successful MMO (Massively Multi-Player Online) franchise World of Warcraft. World of Warcraft - to those who don't play, or don't know of someone who plays - is an MMORPG wherein the player creates a character (a.k.a. avatar) and interacts with many other similar player characters in a large fantasy world. To no ones surprise this is not a novel idea. The game has over 11 million customers so its not a shock that the subject has already been a subject of study. My only hope is that previous analysts didn't delve deep enough into the strange new social space forming in World of Warcraft and other MMO games.
Despite the vast supply of other MMO games and the slew of MMO's that rose in ages past as the crude ancestors to the now ridiculously popular World of Warcraft (hereafter abbreviated simply as WoW), this game released by Blizzard Entertainment stands as the most popular and (arguably) influential of any other MMO. The game's massive success has started to give rise to an interesting cultural phenomenon in countries around the world. Video game addiction rehab clinics are becoming common, people meeting in the context of the game and later getting married (both in the game and out), and emerging studies into the psychology behind social interactions in a character driven online context are all evidence of an expanding social environment that people can now engage in.
Much like how movie theaters do fine during periods of economic downturn, WoW is showing no sign of decline in the modern economic environment. There seems to be a growing need to 'escape' to a digital universe while maintaining and building new social ties in an ever growing network of customers. All of this subject matter seems ripe for analysis and I can only hope to explore facets of WoW that were not discovered by previous students. How does the rising popularity of MMO games such as World of Warcraft affect human social interaction? Will there be lasting long term results from this new form of social interaction?
Despite the vast supply of other MMO games and the slew of MMO's that rose in ages past as the crude ancestors to the now ridiculously popular World of Warcraft (hereafter abbreviated simply as WoW), this game released by Blizzard Entertainment stands as the most popular and (arguably) influential of any other MMO. The game's massive success has started to give rise to an interesting cultural phenomenon in countries around the world. Video game addiction rehab clinics are becoming common, people meeting in the context of the game and later getting married (both in the game and out), and emerging studies into the psychology behind social interactions in a character driven online context are all evidence of an expanding social environment that people can now engage in.
Much like how movie theaters do fine during periods of economic downturn, WoW is showing no sign of decline in the modern economic environment. There seems to be a growing need to 'escape' to a digital universe while maintaining and building new social ties in an ever growing network of customers. All of this subject matter seems ripe for analysis and I can only hope to explore facets of WoW that were not discovered by previous students. How does the rising popularity of MMO games such as World of Warcraft affect human social interaction? Will there be lasting long term results from this new form of social interaction?
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Post the First
Due to my incredibly fickle nature most of these are subject to change, sometimes on a daily basis.
Movie: V for Vendetta
Music (as of this moment): The Decemberists
TV Show: Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Ad: GEICO Money Ads
Comic: Batman
Satire: Colbert Report, Chuck Palahniuk, and Terry Pratchett novels
WHY are these items on my list? If I were to look at each item individually I could easily tell you, but I assume this is not the case. Trying to find some common theme linking this myriad of selections requires some generalization. Taking a stab at it, perhaps the subject matter for these sets them apart from their compatriots. Batman's classification as a superhero despite his complete lack of super human powers. Aqua Teen Hunger Force is a string of nonsensical ramblings and absurd situations with almost no continuity between episodes. Sadly this generalization for all the subjects listed doesn't quite encompass all the items listed. V for Vendetta seems quite typical compared to other movies, as do the GEICO money ads. In the end, I like these things because I thought at one point that they were unique and stood out from the rest of the herd.
It's difficult to clearly explain what about these things moves me. I mean, what truly motivates me to do or feel anything at all really? To guess, I'd say that they resonated with me on a personal level. They encapsulated something I either saw in myself, or they represented a quality or attitude that I wished I had.
Movie: V for Vendetta
Music (as of this moment): The Decemberists
TV Show: Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Ad: GEICO Money Ads
Comic: Batman
Satire: Colbert Report, Chuck Palahniuk, and Terry Pratchett novels
WHY are these items on my list? If I were to look at each item individually I could easily tell you, but I assume this is not the case. Trying to find some common theme linking this myriad of selections requires some generalization. Taking a stab at it, perhaps the subject matter for these sets them apart from their compatriots. Batman's classification as a superhero despite his complete lack of super human powers. Aqua Teen Hunger Force is a string of nonsensical ramblings and absurd situations with almost no continuity between episodes. Sadly this generalization for all the subjects listed doesn't quite encompass all the items listed. V for Vendetta seems quite typical compared to other movies, as do the GEICO money ads. In the end, I like these things because I thought at one point that they were unique and stood out from the rest of the herd.
It's difficult to clearly explain what about these things moves me. I mean, what truly motivates me to do or feel anything at all really? To guess, I'd say that they resonated with me on a personal level. They encapsulated something I either saw in myself, or they represented a quality or attitude that I wished I had.
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