11th Richest Man Likes SF; Searches for Aliens in Space

In second place of our worship of celebrities, is our worship of the rich. As Tevye said, "When you're rich, they think you really know!"
So when Paul Allen says something, I do hope it's not blown off as just some kook who likes science fiction. But the real reason I put this up? I think Xeni Jardin is the best thing to come to video since the Pipettes.


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"Funny" Ann Coulter Audio Quotes

Spocko knows funny.

It was DATA in Star Trek: The Next Generation, who didn't understand funny.

I also know the difference between "gallows", insult, and "ranking" humor. I understand ironic, sick and dirty jokes. I can spot something that is NOT a joke but people laugh at it because if they didn't laugh it would destroy the conceit developed for people like Coulter that EVERYTHING repugnant or offensive is simply A JOKE. Because if the comment is seen as WHAT it really is, the serious views of the commenter, decent humans the world over would find the views disgusting and shun the people who trade in those comments.

You learn something about the PEOPLE who laugh at disgusting things as much as the people who tell the "jokes." And I'm not talking about people laughing at black or gallows humor. *I*, and most humans, know the difference.


These are NOT "A duck Walks Into A Bar", Jokes, Folks

Context and venue are also important. If you're at the late great Bill Hicks concert laughing at something you hear there is not the same as what you laugh at in the audience at the Conservative Political Action Committee event. Professional comedians have always know that what plays in a comedy club to a bunch of people who have downed their two drink minimum is different than to an audience at some corporate gig. There are judgment calls to be made. And if you know your audience, you know what will work with them.


Something Disgusting Said by Ann Coulter, Disguised as a Joke.

On ABC Radio/Disney station KSFO 560 AM in SF on July 27th 2006 Ann Coulter was talking to Lee Rodgers, Melanie Morgan and Tom Benner (whose pseudonym is "Officer Vic") about the bombing in Southern Lebanon. The first person talking is Lee Rodgers.

Ann Coulter: "On the bright side we hit a couple of UN peacekeepers."
Melanie Morgan: laughs
Officer Vic: "Look at those blue helmets go flyin'"
Coulter: "Somebody has to tell Israel about the installation on 42nd street."
Laughter

Please LISTEN to the actual audio.
(WMA Audio link 1.01 clip, comment at 45 sec)

It is widely agreed that Ann Coulter says things that are repellent to decent humans. But when you LAUGH at her obnoxious comments, what does that say about YOUR character?
As Glenn Greenwald points out in his brilliant Salon column today, Ann Coulter is "very popular among conservatives."

If you were an advertiser would you really want to be associated with someone who says things like this or laughs at the deaths of Peacekeepers?


And as Matt Yglesias writes:

Obviously, I'd forgotten the Conservative Rule of Decency which is that calling, explicitly or implicitly, for one's political rivals to be killed and/or imprisoned is fine, but using naughty language is not.

I wrote about this first here, then wrote to the Governor General of Canada (whose UN Peacekeeper was killed in the bombing Coulter "jokes" about) to apologize for Coulter's remarks which the radio hosts thought was so funny.

Here is the response from the office of Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean. (link).

Comedy Break: Spocko Laughs WITH Wil Weaton

I just read a hilarious review of an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The title was, The Battle. It's was the one with Picard getting the Stargazer back from the Ferengi as a trick.

Wil Weaton wrote the piece and it is laugh-out-loud funny. I've been a fan of Wil's writing (both serious and funny stuff) for years. With this piece he approaches Dave Barry territory. (I'm not making this up!) Here are a couple of 'graphs from the review, but read the whole thing. It really is fun. Oh and warning he uses a DIRTY word here so I hope the Catholic League doesn't bust him.(link)

Back on the Bridge, Riker takes possession of the Stargazer from the Ferengi, and Picard continues to complain about his headache. He gives control of the Bridge to Riker and leaves. Riker looks at Troi and very seriously asks what's wrong with his captain. Oh! Cool! We're finally going to get to see Troi use her Betazoid abilities to tell us something more intriguing than "Pain! Pain!" This will be the moment when Troi transitions from useless one dimensional plot device into a real character! What's she going to say?!

The camera dramatically pushes in on her, as she looks at Riker and quietly says . . . "I wish I could say."

WHAT?! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! Why doesn't she just say "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine!" Can someone please tell me why the creators would give Troi the power to divine emotions and help guide people through situations exactly like this one, only to have her do nothing when the situation arises? Honestly. This is like signing a .380 pinch hitter, putting him into game 5 of the playoffs with the bases loaded, down by two, and refusing to let him swing the bat. (If you're keeping score in this episode, the Writers are 0-2, and the Actors are 3-3. I'd also like to point to this moment as an example of why Trekkies should have trained their phasers on the writing staff, and not on us actors.)

In his quarters, Picard grabs a little sack time and climbs Jacob's Ladder as he remembers the Battle of Maxia. Meanwhile, in the Ready Room, Data tells Riker that Picard's personal account of the battle differs greatly from the official version, and it doesn't look pretty for Picard: according to his personal logs, the ship he destroyed was flying a flag of truce, the fire on the Stargazer was an accident, there were no WMDs, new Coke was his idea, it was a load-bearing flask, they're going to need a new boat, Soylent Green is people, and the Frogurt was also cursed.

h/t to alert eviloverlord Nevin