Back in the day Cracked was a Mad clone but at some point it rebranded itself as a vehicle for feisty thinkpieces.
Here's one about the trials and tribulations of movie composers, written in the form of a "five reasons" listicle. (A format that's one of five causes of mass cognitive impairment and shallowness.)
The article isn't so much an example of the unreliable narrator as it is unreliable tone. Like the Wired piece about seniors in camper villages, it gushes and burbles in a humorous upbeat way about a grim subject: the state of movies and the hack mentality that infects every aspect of production. Hans Zimmer is held up as some kind of paragon, for a sh*tty Batman score that other composers imitate. The feeling you get is that if another Jerry Goldsmith or Ennio Morricone came along and wanted to do something offbeat today, he would be stifled by corporate toadies. Also celebrated is the virtual soundtrack, where the composer never leaves his or her computer but makes sweeping orchestral gestures that sound like recycled Max Steiner. Uggh, enough.
around the web
nation held hostage by casino magnate
No, not that one, the other one. Mondoweiss:
The simple truth about John Bolton’s appointment to national security adviser is that the Republicans need Sheldon Adelson’s money in order to be competitive in the coming midterms, and John Bolton is a tool of Sheldon Adelson.
The appointment of course is a complete reversal of Donald Trump’s declaration during the campaign that the Iraq war – which Bolton pushed and still thinks is a great idea – was the biggest mistake ever, and he was against it from jump.
But Adelson was Trump’s biggest donor during the 2016 campaign, and Trump needs Sheldon Adelson’s money to keep Congress from flipping and cutting his throat.
It’s little wonder that any Republican with political ambition was quick to extol John Bolton. Politico reported in February that many of those “desperate” Republicans were trekking to Las Vegas and “gushing” over Adelson because they need him “more than ever” to try and hold on to the House this year.
Also:
The only place you will hear about Trump’s placating Adelson with the Bolton pick are on Lobelog and the American Conservative and Democracy Now! [links added --tm]
... in other words, only the the Far Center is calling this correctly.
mirrrroring tweets re: facebook
Mar 19
u were too busy making art critiquing FB to delete ur profile
Mar 21
lol u mad they used facebook as intended?
Mar 21
when you knowingly build your social life, career, etc. on the back of unethical platform capitalism, it is your responsibility to deal with the consequences of that. the communication provided by FB's ubiquity is service not a right, no one is obliged to provide an alternative. [responding to an annoying Mar 20 tweet by @jilliancyork: "The 'Just delete Facebook' crowd has always been a bunch of bros and nothing has changed. They say 'just leave' but fail to offer usable alternatives every time.]
Mar 20
the lady on NPR throwing out the heavy question “CAN YOU TRUST FACEBOOK WITH YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION? NEXT ON MORNING EDITION”
bruh we landed on ‘FUCK NO’ in like 2006
Mar 20
all the psuedo-political artists scouring Ebay rn looking for Cambridge Analytica dad hats to replace their Lehman Brothers ones
...
Congratulations to @mirrrroring (Michael Manning) for his show that opened Friday at Last Resort gallery in Copenhagen, Bummer Island.
touch screen fantasy
Demo of Bitwig Studio's digital audio workstation, with touchscreen capability. [Hooktube]
This looks cool and futuristic but:
1. It seems partly about selling Microsoft Surface tablets, which means you have to surrender to Redmond's invasive signup requirements, Windows 10 spyware, and the rest of it, and trust that your tablet will work as advertised in controlling a music synthesizer.
2. Presumably the draw is interactivity in live performance situations. The presenter switches to a mouse at certain points in this demo, so fingering the glass may not always be the best way to work.