Ramblin' with Roger

ARA: understand a technology

lost address book

Arthur, who I’ve possibly never mentioned in the blog ever, notes:

I missed this when you posted it—it’s a busy time of year!—but I have questions:

If you could understand a technology you currently feel that you don’t, what would it be and why?

There is not a single technology that I’ve ever come across that I knew instinctively how to operate. The cliche that people had VCRs with the clock flashing 12:00 was true until I bought another machine and stumbled into figuring it out, or somebody else did; I can’t remember.

We have a DVD player in which we can play DVDs, but we still don’t have a current means of playing VHS tapes, so some things never change.

If you could create a technological solution for something, what would it be? What problem are you trying to “fix”?

The “fix” for my technological needs has been found. Unfortunately, it was established in the world of fictional television. For instance, I want a transporter like the one on Star Trek so I can spend less time getting there and more time enjoying myself. I’d also do a lot more international travel.

On the sitcom Bewitched, Samantha Stevens could instantly clean the house. I’m up for that, but I can’t wiggle my nose. Alas! (And, BTW, Darrin was a jerk for “forbidding” Sam from using her magic to do mundane tasks. )

Old school

What was your favourite technology that’s now obsolete?

It’s a word-processing product. It may have been WordPerfect. I could tell what italics, bold, etc., were embedded in the document and fix them. If you’ve ever seen any of my blog posts that have big gaps or, conversely, run together, know that I tried to fix them, but I can’t see why they’re off. It’s a mystery to me, and if my WordPress did the same thing as the WordPerfect I used to use, that would be nice. I don’t know if WordPerfect exists anymore and if it could be used in this mode.

If you could transport back in time for 30 minutes, where/when would you go, and why? Or, would you rather leave the past in the past?

I would avoid most opportunities to go back in time because changing one thing would likely affect several others. But two things come to mind that I’d alter. 1) I commented on a couple of people in a manner I don’t understand. I would undo that, and that would likely not have any grand negative consequences.

2) I was in Greenwich Village in the late 1970s or early 1980s, talking to somebody on a pay phone; I left my address book there and never retrieved it. It had addresses I needed, and I’ve always been a bit sad about that. So, if I could go back and remember to pick the phone address book off the phone booth shelf, I would do that, and it would make me surprisingly happy.

Born January 1955: Simmons, Costner, Roberts

SCOTUS

Among the famous folks turning 70 this month are Rowan Atkinson, who played Mr. Bean (6th) and coach Tom Izzo (30th).

9th – J. K. Simmons, American actor, born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. He’s the epitome of the working actor. I’ve seen/heard him in The Cider House Rules (1999); Thank You For Smoking (2005); as the dad in Juno (2007); Up In The Air (2009); voicing Ford Pines in eight episodes of Gravity Falls (2015-2016); voicing the mayor in Zootopia (2016); La La Land (2016); and playing William Frawley in Being the Ricardos (2021), for which he received an Oscar nomination.

But I know him best from about 50 episodes of the various Law & Order shows (1994-2010), playing the shrink Emil Skoda; as J. Jonah Jameson in a half dozen Spider-Man movies (2002-2023); in 109 episodes of The Closer (2005-2012), playing Assistant Police Chief Will Pope; and his Oscar-winning performance as the harsh music instructor in Whiplash (2014).

Also, for several years, he was the guy in the Farmer’s Insurance commercials, such as Sesame Street, lawnmower, and the recent sleigh insurance. Here he is in Guys and Dolls (1992).

KC

19th – Kevin Costner, Jan 18, American actor, born in Los Angeles, California. Of the movies of his I’ve seen, he starred in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991); JFK (1991), McFarland, USA (2015), and Message In A Bottle (2016). He’s also significant in Hidden Figures (2016).

He won Best Director and Picture and was nominated for Best Actor in Dances With Wolves (1990).

But it’s two baseball movies, released in consecutive years, for which I think of him the most. Bull Durham (1988) is a great movie about the minor leagues. But Field of Dreams (1989) is a bit of hokum that makes me cry EVERY SINGLE TIME, not always in the same place.

One other film he was in: The Big Chill (1983). “‘We shot this whole flashback … in Atlanta, and we shot it first, when we’re all together in our college days,’ [Jeff] Goldblum said… ‘Then we saw the movie, and for one reason or another, they decided not to use it,’ Goldblum said. ‘But [Costner] was wonderful.'”

CJ

Jan 27 J- John G Roberts, 17th Chief Justice of the United States, born in Buffalo, New York. From here: He “is expressing concerns about the growing disregard for the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of major rulings expected in 2025. In his year-end report, Roberts emphasized the importance of maintaining judicial independence, urging that court decisions be honored regardless of their political implications.

“‘Within the past few years, however, elected officials from across the political spectrum have raised the specter of open disregard for federal court rulings,’ Roberts wrote. ‘These dangerous suggestions, however sporadic, must be soundly rejected. Judicial independence is worth preserving.'”

I agree with that last sentence. But many of the rulings of the Roberts Court, starting with Shelby County v. Holder (2013), in which Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act was ruled “unconstitutional, and its formula can no longer be used as a basis for subjecting jurisdictions to preclearance. “

Then, in Trump v. United States (2024), “Under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of Presidential power entitles a former President to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority. And he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. There is no immunity for unofficial acts.” But “unofficial acts” is so vague as to be meaningless.

Both of the cases, BTW, were written by the Chief Justice. I’d love to see some “judicial independence.”

Movie review: Wicked

Ozian authoritarianism

For my wife’s and my Tuesday date night in mid-December, we went to the Spectrum Theatre in Albany to see the movie Wicked. I had seen the touring show of the Broadway play a dozen years earlier and liked it quite a bit. I also read the book and was not as enthusiastic about it.

However, the novel is important as it creates a reimagining of the L. Frank Baum books, with a certain amount of homage to the 1939 movie. The character we knew as the Wicked Witch of the West has been named Elphaba, a direct homage to Baum’s initials. That the protagonist is not inherently evil is an interesting concept.

The movie leans into both the book and the Broadway show. As described by Alex Mell-Taylor here: “The book chronicles her life as she struggles against the authoritarian Wizard of Oz, a fascistic figure who scapegoats entire classes of people to stay in power, including, eventually, Elphaba herself.

“It’s ultimately a tragic tale about how the winners of history can turn fighters for justice into villains.

“The musical never abandoned this theme, but it does become less prominent, with the emotional core switching to Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship and the rise of Ozian authoritarianism becoming more of a B-plot. While Maguire’s original retelling had some flashy, risque elements, it’s undoubtedly more substantive than the musical. A large part of the book is about Elphaba’s activism — something the musical only briefly touches upon.

This AND That

“The movie is a hybrid of these two visions. It follows the structure of the musical but uses visuals to heighten the authoritarian (arguably fascist) aesthetic that first came from the book. We are aware of Ozian’s discriminatory nature throughout the film in a way that feels much more consequential than a simple B-plot.”

This explains, if not necessarily justifies, the movie’s length—or, more correctly, the movies. Wicked: For Good will be released in November 2025.

I liked the first movie well enough. As enemies turned friends, Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) and Ariana Grande-Butera (Galinda) gave strong performances. Jeff Goldblum, as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Michelle Yeoh, as Madame Morrible, and Jonathan Bailey, as the eye candy Fiyero, were also very good.

Still, the movie’s length wore me down. Somebody (Roger Ebert?) suggested that a movie could be too long at 90 minutes and too short at 4 hours. This movie, which was about 2:45, had many elements that I enjoyed, including most of the music, but somehow, I was a little disappointed.

The movie received an 88% positive critics’ rating and 95% from audiences. As Keith Garlingrton noted: “’Wicked’ doesn’t quite dazzle the way it wants to. It’s an uneven and unwieldy production.” It felt like an oversized truck careening down a narrow highway when you worry that the payload will tip over.

Then there’s the “you have to see the next episode” aspect. I experienced this with Marvel movies, so I and many others were not rushing to see the later outings after Avengers: Endgame. I will probably see Wicked For Good, but it will make me cranky.

A few articles

‘Wicked’ and Hollywood’s Bumpy Road to Oz. Jon M. Chu’s musical… is defying gravity at the box office — but it was a winding yellow-brick road of Hollywood adaptations to get here from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939)

‘Wicked’ Easter Eggs for Your Second (or Third) Watch. Two of the elements were obvious to me. “The title card for Wicked also uses the same font as the title card for The Wizard of Oz... Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the roles of Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, in the Wicked Broadway stage musical,” have a number.

Shawn Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine) and Jon M. Chu (Wicked) — Directors on Directors

Cynthia Erivo Reveals She Co-Wrote an Original Song for Elphaba in ‘Wicked: For Good.’ ‘Wicked: For Good’: Here’s What We Know About Part 2.

James Earl Carter, Jr (1924-2004)

I was surprised by my real sadness over the passing of James Earl Carter, Jr. Back in October, I wrote a post about him in honor of his 100th birthday, which I felt could serve as his obituary.

Yet, I needed to share this NY Times piece. I suspect there is a compare and contrast element. 45/47, “who often denigrated Mr. Carter and, in recent days, spoke of unraveling one of his signature accomplishments, the transfer of the Panama Canal to Panama, issued a gracious statement.” It was rather perfunctory, I thought.

But Russell Moore wrote in the Atlantic [paywall], “Jimmy Carter told me to stop worrying about Donald Trump.”

“When Carter invited me to meet with him in his Atlanta office, just a few weeks after the world-shocking 2016 U.S. presidential election, I assumed the topic would be Donald Trump. After all, I was a vocal evangelical-Christian critic of Trump, and now the religious right was gathering steam for revenge. Some Trump-supporting evangelicals wanted me to be fired or the religious organization I was working for at the time to be defunded. I was rattled by what a Trump presidency would mean for American democracy and, more important, for the witness of the Church after white evangelicals proved to be Trump’s most loyal base. Carter was unfazed.

“’These things have happened before,’ he said. ‘Everything has a way of coming back around. What seems unstoppable and inevitable never is.’”

“I thought to myself, Well, he should know. Carter had experienced himself how quickly political realities change.”

Radical faith

“Samantha Power, the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, evaluates Carter’s signature, even radical emphasis on human rights. She attributes much of his approach to his deeply held evangelical faith and his ’empathy for individuals who had suffered human rights abuse,’ at home and abroad.”

Anna Marks, NYT Opinion Staff Editor: “I encountered a man who chose to pursue the betterment of the human condition over his own aggrandizement, enrichment, or legacy. Americans love to imagine themselves as noble leaders deeply committed to generosity, tolerance, and the greater good… Carter was the rare one of us who actually met that image’s challenge to the benefit of the world.”

Kelly Sedinger: “They say a good man can’t get elected President. I don’t believe that. Do you?”

Borowitz Report: “When Americans elected Carter in 1976, they chose a man who pledged never to lie to them. He was a refreshing response to the cesspool of Republican lying typified by Watergate. By electing Reagan in 1980, Americans returned to the cesspool.

“Forty-four years later, we find ourselves back in that cesspool yet again—and looking for an honest person like Jimmy Carter to lead us someplace better.”

Books by about Jimmy Carter from Barnes and Noble.

The THR piece.

I imagine I will watch at least part of the memorial service for Jimmy Carter, although I probably won’t watch the inauguration of 47, who is fuming over flags being at half-staff on Jan 20.

US “Bregret” already?

The Indivisible:

As early as late November, I was reading about some voters for the Republican candidate for President feeling regret about their vote. It’s similar to how many people in the United Kingdom felt after the Brexit vote in 2016; they had Bregret.

djt has promised huge tariffs on goods from China. Somehow, Americans didn’t understand that that would likely result in retaliatory tariffs on American goods. Now, he’s suggesting a tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, our largest trading partners, even though we are in a USMCA (NAFTA successor) agreement that would preclude that from taking place until 2026.

This is presumably to”teach them a lesson” about US border security. The first rule of tariff wars is that no one wins a tariff war. If they respond in kind, which Mexico has already promised, this will increase the pain in Americans’ wallets.

Some contractors and farmers who supported him have talked about how they don’t know what they’re going to do if half of their workers are deported.

12 People Who Had Literally No Idea What Their Trump Vote Meant.

We don’t need no education

Hey, if the federal Department of Education is eliminated – a bill to do so has already been introduced – many of its services will also disappear. That’s the subtext of this link, which notes that Oklahoma has nevertheless found money to buy Bibles, optimally for every classroom.

Now, he says he can’t promise he’ll be able to lower grocery prices. An article in WaPo, behind a paywall, is titled, “After backing Trump, low-income voters hope he doesn’t slash their benefits.” It begins:

“NEW CASTLE, Pennsylvania — Lori Mosura goes to the grocery store on a bicycle because she can’t afford to fix her Ford F-150 truck.

“The single mother and her 17-year-old son live in an apartment that is so small she sleeps in the dining room. They receive $1,200 each month in food stamps and Social Security benefits but still come up short. Mosura said she often must decide whether to buy milk or toilet paper.”

Reaganomics redux

Here’s a fun fact from Heather Cox Richardson: “Laura Mannweiler of U.S. News and World Report estimated the worth of Trump’s current roster of appointees to be at least $344.4 billion, more than the gross domestic product of 169 countries. That number does not include Scott Bessent, whose net worth is hard to find. In comparison, Mannweiler notes, the total net worth of the officials in Biden’s Cabinet was about $118 million.

“The incoming administration will advance a different economic vision. Instead of trying to expand the economy through investment in infrastructure and manufacturing [as the Biden administration did], his team has emphasized cutting taxes for the wealthy and corporations and slashing regulations. The argument behind this approach to the economy is that concentrating wealth in the hands of investors will spur more investment while creating an environment that’s ‘friendly’ to business will create jobs.”It’s classic Reaganomics trickle-down, crony capitalism at its finest.

“Don’t test us.”

After Barack Obama was elected in 2008 and inaugurated in 2009, with solid majorities in the popular and Electoral College votes, Republicans served as the “loyal opposition.” This concept “indicates that the non-governing parties may oppose the actions of the sitting [government] while remaining loyal to the formal source(s) of the government’s power, such as the… constitution.”

I jest. The Tea Party movement simmered up in 2009, clearly a disloyal opposition designed to thwart his efforts at every turn. That he got anything done, especially after his first two years, was pretty miraculous.

Yet the message from this incoming administration and their allies is that the Democrats just should shut up, get out of the way, and let Orange be Orange. Senator Tom Cotton sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin: “You issued a message to the department the day after the election commenting that the military will follow ‘lawful orders’ from the new president—a thinly veiled and baseless insinuation that [djt] will issue unlawful orders.” Baseless? Eh. Yet, Pete Hegseth, the choice to head Defense, is a train wreck.

Tom Homan, the incoming border czar, “plans to bring harsh consequences to any sanctuary city leader who threatens to hinder efforts by immigration authorities from mass-deporting illegal aliens.”

djt’s sometimes wacky Cabinet nominees shouldn’t need to be confirmed by the Senate! His words should be sufficient for the process. His media censorship arsenal is growing.

Resistance

So what is the response? The Union of Concerned Scientists notes: “We—and our supporters across the country—have a vital role to play in defending the progress we’ve made at the federal level, advancing our goals at the state level, and exposing and pushing back against the abuses that are likely to come. We’re clear about the threats we face, but we must move forward with hope and determination.” A key tenet is “Protecting democracy, state-by-state.” California is on board.

The Indivisible Guide: A Practical Guide to Democracy on the Brink is encouraging. It acknowledges the need to grieve for a while. I can’t live in despair for the next two or four years, and trust me, it would be very easy for me to do so. I’m holding onto the frankly uncomfortable thought that there will be a backlash to higher prices and other bad outcomes.

I know that some people are not there yet. Heck. I may not be there myself, but I pride myself on hoping I’ll get there eventually because the alternative is too dismal. There needs to be a response to what Cornel West called “American gangsterism crystallized, honest about itself, unashamed and bold.”

How djt Inverted the Violent History of Jan. 6

‘A Day of Love’: The president-elect and his allies have spent four years reinventing the Capitol attack — spreading conspiracy theories and weaving a tale of martyrdom for their ultimate political gain.