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What is it with old people trying to pass on their wisdom before they die? Little Miss Sunshine, the Academy Award winning box office success that was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris and written by Michael Arndt, is the tragic and comedic depiction of one dysfunctional family’s many failures and the lessons learned along the journey. The film alternates between intense orchestral music and comedy in order to both accentuate and distract from the series of personal setbacks which the Hoovers, like many families across the nation, must endure. I’m not considered by many to be a fun guy, so it really helps when movie characters bearing my name snort heroin. I initially thought the white powder that the old man was snorting off a mirror was cocaine, but it turns out that not only was the drug heroin, but snorting heroin is actually a lot safer than injecting it. So, props to my man, Edwin, for looking out for his health. Anyway, as I said earlier the Hoovers are a very dysfun...
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Tap Tap

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  Tap Tap “Do you know why I pulled you over?” “No.” “Then maybe you didn’t see the flashing lights and the sign that says ‘Park Entrance Slow.”” “Look, I respect that you’re out here trying to protect the community from dangerous drivers. I myself, have no tolerance for reckless drivers who abuse the privilege of using these roads which we all have to share, and I think that’s something we can agree on.” “That’s true. Not many young drivers like yourself acknowledge driving as the privilege that it is.” “My problem is that last week while I was parked in the park parking lot, you rolled up next me and said I can’t be in the park because the park closes after dark.” “That’s right. Those are the park rules.” “So how come now, when it’s been dark for nearly three hours, you’re telling me that I can’t drive the normal speed. If you’re assuming that I’m endangering the people who are walking by the park, aren’t you also assuming that there is someone who is breaking the park rules? Wha...
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Proposal

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Despite the work of Pawel Kuczynski having been awarded with more than 140 prizes and distinctions, word of his illustrations does not appear to have reached the classrooms of the Cicero-North Syracuse High School. So I present to you, readers of a blog unknown to the harsh criticisms of the world, Chess . At first glance, the image in question seeks to comment on the relationship between black and white individuals and forces its viewers to imagine what The Queen’s Gambit would look like if it was shot on a beach. While debate, discussion, protests and riots have been waged very recently in America history over this issue (the former, not the later), it is important to remember that Kuczynski is a Polish, satire artist. This means that if the image is strictly commenting on race relationships in America, American viewers will get a rare opportunity to see an international perspective on domestic issues. On the other hand, if Kuczynski made this illustration as a more global observati...
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From Man and Computer to Man-Computer; The entangled future of humans and technology

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 From Man and Computer to Man-Computer; The entangled future of humans and technology Known for his 360 degree VR animations and other creative incorporation of technology into his works, abstract artist and author Christoph Niemann became the creator of yet another cover of The New Yorker with the publication of its September 30, 2019 issue featuring “Evolution.” At a glance, the cover chronicles human interaction with the increasingly smaller and more powerful computers of history as well as one speculative or perhaps interpretive frame that seems to come straight from a science fiction novel.  The included computers that have been practically employed throughout recent history include a floor-to-ceiling computer from the sixties, a smaller, yet still clunky desktop computer from the eighties, and a light and flexible laptop from the 2000’s, all of which appear in chronological order when viewed from left to right and top to bottom (the way English is read). Despite coming ...
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One Jew, Two Jew, Old Jew, Young Jew

Imagine your grandmother riding a dolphin. Now imagine her doing a summer-salt. Competing on the Food Network's Halloween Wars. Being a firefighter. Being TikTok famous. Performing on America's Got Talent. Murdering your grandfather because he wont take out the trash. Wait, now go back to the one before that.      In  Death Metal Grandma , Leah Galant, a young but experienced documentary producer and director, examines what drives Inge Ginsburg, a 96 year old women, to produce death metal music for stages as large as America's Got Talent. The short film is mainly comprised of (1) time in the studio displaying the creative process, (2) time outside of the studio showing Inge's unfiltered self, and (3) a pervasive narrative, overlaying them both, adding meaning to Inge's struggles and serving as an expression of Inge's perspective.  The film suggests, and Inge admits, that at the center of her motivation is the idea of curbing the consequences of old age such as m...
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DUN DUN

In the public education system, masculinity-centered literature is considered especially important. In New York City (and the greater US), the dedicated authors who write these thoughtful articles and documentaries are members of an elite squad known as the Special Writers Unit. These are their stories: In a self-proclaimed effort to start a conversation about what it means to be a man, Michael Ian Black, in an incomplete fashion, synthesizes feminism, school shootings, and his own understanding of manhood only to inevitably find himself reeling over the complexities of the nature of violent masculinity. Unsubstantiated claims and vague, shapeless aspirations for the future of masculinity signify the rare act of a man publicly pronouncing his ignorance in the face of great uncertainty. Although I respect and admire his ability to admit his ignorance while still holding fast to a belief in his son and most young men as a rule, the article lacks the in-depth analysis that would make The ...
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Rule 9 Up!

10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation: 1. Don't Multitask 2. Don't pontificate 3. Use open ended questions  4. Go with the flow 5. If you don’t know, say that you don’t know 6. Don’t equate your experiences with theirs 7. Try not to repeat yourself 8. Stay out of the weeds 9. Listen 10. Be brief The above are the ten tips that Celeste Headlee lays out in her TED Talk " 10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation ." I thought such a blog would be helpful because a new survey revealed that at least half of the viewers of this very blog are next to incompetent when it comes to having meaningful and interesting conversations. Personally, when it comes to the Ten Commandments of Conversation I have transgressed more than I'd like to admit, frequently offending Rule 1, Rule 6, and Rule 8. So in search of salvation, I put my faith in these sacred words. Inane tomfoolery aside (redundancy alert!), the ten tips above are remarkably simple and brief. Furthermore, the quotes that ...
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