Some summer movies

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Inception The best critique of Inception is that it's too clinical. That it's such a puzzle that you can't get into it much. But so what? It's essence is that of a heist movie. And it's a fabulous height movie. Inventive, interesting, great effects, incredibly complex, but still follow-able. Really a good film. Dinner for Schmucks Steve Carell stands out in this. It's mostly funny throughout without too many of the traditional misunderstandings that can mar a film like this. Some good laughs. Salt Angelina Jolie is a good heroine. This is basically a launch of an action franchise. It's Read more…

The supposed “mindset” list

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This list isn’t about the mindset of the class of 2014. It’s about the mindset of the people who write it. It’s about what makes them feel ancient. It’s not about how college students think at 18; it’s about how we think at 40 and 50 and 60. It’s about how we think about the markers we once drove into the ground to mark what we considered Now, and how alarming it is to note that they are farther away than they used to be. Griping about texting is just this year’s griping about how hard it is to program Read more…

Park51

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Longtime readers will know that I am passionate about the First Amendment. The Park51 Community Center in New York, more commonly known as the Ground Zero Mosque, is at the center of the debate right now. (I don't like to call it the Ground Zero Mosque. First, it's not at Ground Zero, it's 2 blocks away and likely not even visible from the new tower. Second, it's not a mosque, it's a community center. Like a YMCA.) It should go without saying that the right to build a mosque, synagogue, church, or any other religious community center on private land should Read more…

To answer a question

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I've had a couple people ask why a year-old phone would be worth more than a brand new phone. So I sold a used 3GS for $375. But you can buy a new 3GS for $99. Why would someone do that? Because they don't want to pay to switch to AT&T. Either because of AT&T's not-great service or because of the cost in switching from their current carrier. Any new iPhone comes with an AT&T contract, but if you don't want to switch to AT&T, then the only way to get an iPhone is to buy it used. And it turns Read more…

This is a creative use of Twitter …

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Leigh Fazzina was lost in a 300-acre Connecticut wood, racing downhill on her mountain bike looking for the main road, when her front wheel hit a tree root. She flew over the handlebars and slammed into the ground, to find herself bloodied and unable to walk…and panicking. She tried screaming and calling for help on her cellphone but couldn’t connect. Then she tried Twitter, the social networking site, hoping that one of her 1000 followers might see her tweet: “I’ve had a serious injury and NEED Help! Can someone please call Winding Trails in Farmington, CT tell them I’m stuck Read more…