Interesting article from TIME: “The ’00s: Goodbye (at Last) to the Decade from Hell”

Bookended by 9/11 at the start and a financial wipeout at the end, the first 10 years of this century will very likely go down as the most dispiriting and disillusioning decade Americans have lived through in the post–World War II era. We’re still weeks away from the end of ‘09, but it’s not too early to pass judgment. Call it the Decade from Hell, or the Reckoning, or the Decade of Broken Dreams, or the Lost Decade. Call it whatever you want — just give thanks that it is nearly over.

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SERIOUS.

From “Woman beaten at Stamford bar after karaoke performance“:

STAMFORD — Police arrested six women and charged them in the assault of a 25-year-old woman following an argument over her singing performance during karaoke night at a a downtown bar and restaurant.

Stamford police Lt. Sean Cooney said the six women, ages 19 to 20, made derogatory comments about the woman’s singing ability — or lack thereof — and then repeatedly punched, kicked and pulled the hair of the victim before leaving Bobby Valentine’s Sports Gallery and Cafe on Main Street.

The victim suffered a chipped tooth and numerous bruises, Cooney said. She was treated and released from Stamford Hospital.

In an telephone interview Thursday, the alleged victim, Leidy Alcantara, said she had just sung “A Dios Le Pido” by Colombian pop superstar Juanes and then stood next to the karaoke disc jockey. As she sang along to another performer’s song, one of the women began exchanging words with her, she said.

Then it turned violent, she said.

“She came up to me and said I was annoying and punched me in the face,” Alcantara said.

Add “riot gear helmet” to the list of karaoke attire.

From “THE SCIENCE OF ‘SURROGATES’“:

So “Surrogates” is meant as pure science fiction, right? Wrong. The filmmakers and futurists behind the movie say they’re aiming for an only slightly enhanced version of present-day trends.

“In the near future, robots are going to start to look like humans,” said James Canton, founder of the San Francisco-based Institute for Global Futures. “I think within 10 years you’re going to have the world of the surrogates.”

You don’t even have to wait 10 years to experience the kind of virtual life that eventually goes so wrong in “Surrogates,” said the film’s director, “Terminator 3″ veteran Jonathan Mostow.

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More videos like this here.

In preparation for our trip to Punk Island this Sunday, my co-blogger Su asked us to come up with a punk rock name for her.   But first let’s run through some historical girl punk names:

One of the most common things punks do is take the name of their band as their last name.  This probably comes from the Ramones.  Gaye Advert got the name from her band The Adverts.  Didn’t the Donnas do this with their first names?  That just sounds wayyy too confusing.  Anyway, Su isn’t technically in a punk band, but there’s plenty of other things we can use.

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You all might know that I love totalitarian art and imagery.  Ben Ross has posted a cool collection of PRC cultural revolution posters, which he got for a measly 50 kuai.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.  He has also posted some street art graffiti in China.  According to Ben, hip hop culture hasn’t caught on much in China, but it has in Mongolia.

I’m currently reading a book. Yes, you read that right, a book. Before I get into it, a little back-story. If you want, you can skip this part of the post and click on the “Continue reading this post…” link at the bottom.

While at work a while ago, a co-worker of mine was claiming he was a “Baby Boomer.” I told him, “You’re definitely not, because Baby Boomers are starting to retire, and you’ve still got about 20 more years to go.” We argued a bit and asked the opinions of other co-workers.

At first, I told him a “Baby Boomer” is someone born after the end of World War II. My co-worker defined this as 1945-1965 saying a generation is about 20 years, and since he was born in 1965 that qualifies him as a Baby Boomer. Ultimately he responded, “Well, you’re a computer tech geek or something, right? Look it up or whatever and let me know what you find out.”

The U.S. Census Buraeu defines it as someone born between 1946 and 1964. This link is a birthrate chart from Wikipedia (I’ve highlighted the “Baby Boom” period). I printed out the information and told him, “Sorry buddy, you missed it by one year.” He then asks, “Well, what does that make me then?”

Apparently, he’s from Generation X or a “Generation Xer.” The world around him collapsed. I found this odd, because I thought *I* was a Generation Xer.

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T-Shirts coming soon.

Or, how to get me to read fiction; a literary mashup coming in April.  From the description:

“Pride and Prejudice and Zombies features the original text of Jane Austen’s beloved novel with all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie action…What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Complete with 20 illustrations in the style of C. E. Brock (the original illustrator of Pride and Prejudice), this insanely funny expanded edition will introduce Jane Austen’s classic novel to new legions of fans.”

The new content is written by Seth Grahame-Smith, author of “How to Survive a Horror Movie” and “The Big Book of Porn.”

25% off if you preorder with the promo code at this link.

ISBN 9781594743344
ISBN10 1594743347

Hat tip:  Crooked Timber, the comments section has a discussion of proper way to kill, and nature of vampire-zombies.