Quick Hits

We who are about to be voted off salute you
Having seen the direction of reality television, I'm convinced that I really need to become a celebrity. That way, the next time I need to decide where to eat lunch, or what channel to watch, or what barber to use, I can just make a reality show out of it and profit from my inability to choose these things on my own.

I've thought for a while that reality television has the ability to reverse the democratization that television has brought. Television, like radio before it, brought news and entertainment to rich and poor alike. Reality television reminds me a little more of the gladiators from Roman times, as desperate people get onto these shows and generally make fools of themselves, receiving either a thumbs up or a thumbs down from a judge, producer, or celebrity. It gives hopefuls the illusion of upward mobility but arguably leaves most participants worse off than they started. It's like the lottery, if losing at the lottery came with the possibility of having your worst moments seen by the entire country.

"Did you order the code red?"
I'm not an unintelligent human being, but I've gotta admit that the whole Karl Rove ordeal has got my head spinning. It reminds me a lot of the first five or six times I saw A Few Good Men. I always managed to miss the first half hour or so when it came on TV, so it always gave me tired head, with all its talk of who ordered what when and who knew what and what the chain of command was and what's proper procedure compared with what actually happened. Same thing with Karl Rove: I'm having trouble following a story I picked up sort of late, and on top of the complexity you've got the pundits on both sides offering their 100% contradictory versions of what happened. It looks like the only way out of this is if Patrick Fitzgerald can put Rove on the stand and have an "I want the truth" moment.

p.s. Patrick Fitzgerald was also the name of a kid in Cub Scouts with me back in the third grade. His claim to fame was one day when his mom was talking about George Washington crossing the Delaware and he insisted that she call it the "Dela-under-ware." And she did.

Crimes Against Logic
Crimes Against Logic, the book I'm reading right now, is the Ike Turner of books. It's a book about the logical mistakes people make, and it is in many places brilliant, with many moments that will have you nodding your head. The problem is that author Jamie Whyte is flat-out angry for the entire book. He shows contempt for people who are not as intelligent or careful as he claims to be. Rather than simply describing where we all fall short, he lapses into a tone that drags his book into becoming a chore. Still, it's got enough brilliance to keep you on board. But just barely.