tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56063232026-02-23T15:55:35.374-08:00low frequency musingsRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comBlogger408125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-16499701516529982132011-02-25T10:06:00.000-08:002011-02-25T10:30:04.346-08:00

In a Lonely Place (streamed here). Bogie’s finest hour. Nick Ray’s most personal film. And the creepiest meet-cute of the studio era? Dixon Steele (Bogart) had just been taken in for questioning. The night before, a coat check girl was seen leaving the bar with the sardonic writer, who had asked her to summarize the plot of a trashy book. That girl’s body was found at dawn. In a pickle, Dixon,

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-37095879687436933332011-02-19T12:34:00.000-08:002011-02-19T13:30:12.056-08:00

As you can see, I've tried to remodel the place a bit. Probably will tinker with a bit more as the color scheme is all off. Sorry, Mike and Waz, I lost the comments from the previous post. That Echo commenting system is a bit forbidding, so I ended up activating the plain old blogger system.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-60810604161226094342011-02-18T15:56:00.000-08:002011-02-23T23:50:20.288-08:00

Hi. It’s been a long time. Thought I’d break the ice by doing something fun. And what can be more fun than a top 10 list? Especially a meaningless list like this one. The following is list of older movies I happen to have caught in 2010 for the first time. In other words, it's a meaningless list. But hey, I want to start writing again, and what better motivation than to write about the things you

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-11840419769975764492009-01-23T17:26:00.000-08:002009-01-25T01:18:32.065-08:00

Postgame pundits describe the speech as workmanlike, and that's probably on the mark. President Obama's inaugural address nestles passages of startling power among prosaic, almost progrommatic declarations. As a speech, it was a bit disjointed. But as a call to arms for a new era? Fairly magnificent.I'd like to focus on one point that I haven't seen elsewhere, about Obama's ambitious desire

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-38812743665154438052009-01-23T10:46:00.000-08:002009-01-23T11:00:34.425-08:00

Michelle Cottle has a very perceptive post discussing aggressive careerism in the context of the Caroline Kennedy debacle. Cottle's point is obvious, but some of us with high self-regard need to be reminded that, in order to get where you want to go, especially in this dire climate, proper decorum and "face" are drawbacks, as Cottle notes in discussing Burris vis-a-vis Kennedy:The man was

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-83650410803946160882008-11-01T09:15:00.000-07:002008-11-01T10:11:45.604-07:00

Just trying to sneak this post in before heading out to Las Vegas for canvassing and election monitoring. Predictions:PresidentObama - 53% - 353 EVMcCain - 45% - 185 Swing StatesObama will win: Kerry + IA, NM, CO, VA, NV, OH, FL, NC (roughly in that order of strength)McCain will win: IN, MO, ND, MT, GAThe race has been teetering between 6-8%, and I still expect a small tightening going into

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-68142005174316880752008-10-15T22:59:00.000-07:002008-10-16T00:40:23.159-07:00

It's really funny that right-wingers think that they are the "true" Americans, because they're almost dangerously untethered to the mainstream, by now having created an alternative culture and media that chronicles an alternate reality, one where ACORN is a mortal threat to the fabric of democracy, where Bill Ayers is one of the world's most dangerous men, and where the financial crisis was

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-16085223586984082812008-10-14T19:29:00.000-07:002008-10-15T16:04:02.461-07:00

Everyone's writing the "pre-mortem" of McCain-Palin, and with pretty good reason. It's really hard to see how he comes back. Let's look at the state of the race as of October 14:Polls, Polls, PollsObama's now up by about 8 points in the national polls, and looking even better in the electoral college. Polling guru Nate Silver says that Obama has a 1-2 point advantage in the electoral college,

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-71236547405081243992008-09-26T15:52:00.000-07:002008-09-26T17:44:47.049-07:00

If you enjoy watching poker on TV, you'd rather watch a table that features a bigime LAG -- a loose, unpredictable player who will make a play with trash hands -- than a bunch of methodical "math" players. Unpredictable play makes for far better TV. In the same way, I'm grateful for John McCain, an adrenaline fiend whose drama queen antics have made this election perhaps the best reality

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-33017667740761811202008-09-24T09:58:00.000-07:002008-09-24T16:47:31.331-07:00

I've liked Brad Pitt in many things, but I would've guessed that he's far too preening an actor to be effective in this kind of Coens grotesquerie. Pitt's off-key in a few scenes early on, but man, when the plot kicked in, the dude had me in stitches, no more so than when he "menacingly" began to harass Osssboorne Cox. That scene in Malkovich's car -- where Pitt was all squints and nervous

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-70800690362509096752008-09-17T12:36:00.000-07:002008-09-22T10:39:01.954-07:00

The New Republic's Chris Orr, one of the best commentators around, came up with a ranking of the Coens feature films, and thought I'd do the same. Updated with the inclusion of Burn After Reading.01. The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)02. The Big Lebowski (1998)03. Miller's Crossing (1990)04. Raising Arizona (1987)05. Burn After Reading (2008)06. No Country for Old Men (2007)07. Barton Fink (

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-54380511596210692712008-09-12T05:17:00.001-07:002008-09-12T06:26:30.674-07:00

Are they even trying to win anymore? Let's check out the Obama ad team's latest handiwork:Are you kidding me? McCain lies about your tax plans, basically calls you a pedophile and envious liar in his ads, and you respond with a snarky ad poking fun of his inability to e-mail? What. The. Fuck. This is the "hard-hitting" new campaign that the Chicago team is promising? If this is the kind

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-20074930579397781642008-09-09T13:19:00.000-07:002008-09-09T18:34:34.331-07:00

Political psychologist Drew Westen, who is as frustrated as I am with the Obama campaign's message operation (and has written a whole book ripping into feeble Democratic political messaging), lists ten things the campaign needs to work on to get it back on track. His post is pretty much dead-on. Sample passage:They were similarly aware of the argument--it was published right here a little over

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-28511843847154208732008-09-05T12:17:00.000-07:002008-09-05T16:25:42.037-07:00

In the Chinese classic The Romance of the Three Kingdoms (part of which was recently adapted into a John Woo-Tony Leung extravaganza), the three warring kingdoms had to deal with a wildcard named Lu Bu, the most formidable warrior in the story. Decked out in pheasant-tailed headdress and perched atop of his powerful steed Red Hare, Lu Bu would take out all comers in battle. He's portrayed as a

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-3546686482949597602008-09-04T00:48:00.000-07:002008-09-04T10:18:16.370-07:00

What was the saying about a little man in need of a balcony? Rudy Giuliani, a sniveling would-be generalissimo, brings to mind that quote. What a wretched little critter.Prior to RNC, this election has been rather painful to sit through, for someone of my sensibilities anyway. Obama is a deft counterpuncher, but he doesn't have a zest for blood and guts, still a source of immense personal

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-7723785622721566032008-09-03T15:23:00.000-07:002008-09-03T15:30:00.465-07:00

Whatever else you can say about McCain's vetting process, you have to figure that Sarah Palin was picked for her personal story and political skills. And surely, all the mini-scandals aside, Palin will knock this speech out of the park, no doubt drawing from the insane energy generated by a bunch of identity-obsessed "movement" wingers. I'll eat my $700 shoes if Palin isn't charming, personable

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-21978359709930404692008-08-29T15:10:00.000-07:002008-08-29T16:13:52.981-07:00

At a townhall, a voter asked Obama what the average American can do personally to conserve energy. In response, Obama suggested that inflating your tires as a way improving gas efficiency. Seizing on this advice, the McCain campaign decided to create and pass out "Obama tire gauge" to reporters. Get it? Me neither. But you can just envision these Maxim-reading little cretins sitting in

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-3625212332205995852008-08-29T12:32:00.000-07:002008-08-29T16:15:49.899-07:00

The most impressive speech of my lifetime was Barack Obama's speech on race relations delivered in Philadelphia. That speech was a virtuoso display of Obama's dialectical, agile mind, his ability to self-examine and empathize with others, to eloquently explain both the root of white resentment and black anger in what was, at heart, a put-out-the-fire political speech.In the four years since he's

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-11187515782786296422008-08-29T08:39:00.000-07:002008-08-29T12:06:27.718-07:00

McCain's VP choice is who? Democratic political obsessives have always feared a female "gamechanging" pick, and Palin always seemed one of the more logical choices. She's a pro-life governor who talks energy policy. But she was a mayor of a small town just two years ago. She doesn't even have much in the way of surrogate experience, unlike a guy like Tim Pawlenty, who at least can be counted

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-79766977429290960102008-08-26T20:58:00.001-07:002008-08-27T00:42:09.549-07:00

Really liked the HRC intro video, liked the speech itself, and her performance reconfirmed that she would have been Obama's best running mate. Hillary's become a very persuasive speaker and performer over the course of the campaign, and would have been a terrific candidate if she were even remotely competent in running a campaign.But the speech, however good the delivery, did not make a very

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-51578818241695262122008-08-26T17:29:00.000-07:002008-08-26T17:56:51.128-07:00

One major mistake by the Obama team is the botched handling of the Clintons. To be sure, Obama's in a tough spot; he can't look weak by appeasing the runner-up, but he needed to pay proper deference. Obama’s campaign believes they did everything they can. Obama was very respectful to her after Super Tuesday and pretty much treated her with kid gloves since the North Carolina/Indiana primaries,

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-62641988855431331082008-08-21T13:13:00.000-07:002008-08-21T16:13:37.368-07:00

* This is the kind of attack that sends tingles up my leg. More like this:Barack Obama's campaign, moving rapidly to exploit what they see as a major opportunity, is deploying high-profile surrogates in 16 states across the country today to highlight John McCain's uncertainty yesterday about how many houses he owns, the Democrat's campaign tells Politico.The frame: McCain's a confused,

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-59025571487853131462008-08-20T14:32:00.001-07:002008-08-20T20:50:14.932-07:00

1. If you repeat a claim about a candidate's character enough times, a non-trivial number of the electorate will believe it, irrespective of the truth of that claim.2. Fundamentals will often favor the Democrat, but the Dem will somehow run a feckless campaign that squanders this advantage.3. Running a campaign in a way that appeals to editorial page writers and high-minded pundits =

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-89237611595881076782008-08-20T11:56:00.000-07:002008-08-20T14:08:31.982-07:00

If you read a lot of smart bloggers, you'll find of them talking about "reinforcing the brand." In fact, the sharpest commentators during primary season, guys like Al Giordano and Kos, talk incessantly about how Obama's "brand" is change, and so he needs a Veep that reinforces change. [Name of establishment Democrat] undercuts the "theme of change", the argument goes; Tim Kaine or Kathleeen

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5606323.post-56777055813313610542008-08-06T17:34:00.000-07:002008-08-06T18:26:58.102-07:00

Though this reporter wrote the godawful Cautionary Tale of the Internet Poker Addict story that helped ransack the internet poker boom a few years back, I highly recommend his latest investigation into web-woe in the NY Times Magazine, an opus on internet trolls. This is eye-opening stuff, basically an examination on how large scale networking technology (so useful in bringing people together

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078377790942736019noreply@blogger.com