Sam's L33t Journal

http://www.amptoons.com/blog/archives/2008/07/23/more-on-dr-horrible-links-quote-from-joss-rape-joke-in-the-comic-book-ugh/

Two more good posts critiquing Dr. Horrible from a feminist P.O.V.: one at The Hathor Legacy, and one at Rebecca Allen’s place. There’s a lot of good discussion going on in their comments, as well.

* * *

Here’s a relevant quote, from an interview with Joss:

Q: I’ve been reading some criticism (insert audible gasp here!) of “Dr. Horrible” about the lack of a strong, empowered female lead. They claim that Penny is merely a prop for Dr Horrible and Captain Hammer to fight over.

What are your thoughts on that?

Joss Whedon: […] Yeah, Penny is not the feminist icon of our age. And yes, she does exist in the narrative as part of Doc’s fate — but everyone in the story is there to move the story. Is she less real than Hammer? (Is ANYTHING?) We gave her a cause so she wouldn’t JUST be the Pretty Girl but the fact is, neither Doc nor Hammer gives her the attention she deserves — Doc’s crush comes before he has the slightest idea what she cares about. Which is not uncommon. It reminds me of “Sweeney Todd,” the Judge and Sweeney singing “Pretty Women” — a beautiful duet with no insight whatsoever. Just images.

But we shoulda gave her more jokes.

Joss is right that Penny needed more jokes. Dr. Horrible’s mocks the cliches of supervillains, and the cliches of superheros — but there are practically no jokes about the cliches of the Polly Pureheart girlfriend. It ends up feeling as if the video sees that the supervillain/superhero roles need to be questioned critically (by which I mean, “pointed at and mocked”), but takes the Polly Pureheart cliche seriously.

In a story that’s all about the funny, Penny never gets to be funny. I don’t think the feminist audience necessarily wanted to see Penny kick ass, or to live happily ever after, or not to make stupid choices about men (like sleeping with Captain Hammer). I myself would have been happy if her character was as funny as the other two leads. (And the normal-human, straight man role can be made funny; think of how hilarious Jane Curtin was on Third Rock From The Sun).

Joss is right, of course, that all characters are there just to serve the story. And given this story, it would have been hard to make Penny as rich¹ a character as Dr. Horrible or Captain Hammer. So yeah, to avoid making Penny a sort of boring would have required a bit of above-average writing. But there’s nothing wrong with the audience expecting and wanting above-average writing.

(By the way, Felicia Day is completely capable of being funny — check out the internet sitcom The Guild, which Day writes and stars in, if you haven’t already).

* * *

Finally, the official online comic book, which was written by Joss’ brother Zack, and beautifully drawn by Eric Canete. It’s got a “funny” prison rape joke — Captain Hammer warns readers not to be criminals, or else you’ll “go to prison… with this guy” (illustration shows freakishly huge, muscular prisoner, telling his much smaller cellmate “you have good bone structure.”).

A few points:

1) People might be tempted to defend the rape joke on the grounds that it’s told by Captain Hammer, and that’s just the sort of boorish humor we expect from CH. That’s true, but in the video the humor in all of CH’s comments is that CH is a total ass and saying utterly appalling, awful things. In the comic book, it comes across as the comic book telling a generic prison rape joke, rather than making fun of the person telling the joke.

(Compare this to the prison rape joke Faith makes early in the Buffy episode “Who Are You?,” in which the joke is played as unfunny and appalling.)

If the intent was to make fun of how boorish Captain Hammer is, then the script failed to get the point across.

2) As Liss says, “the jokes normalize and effectively minimize the severity of rape and thusly perpetuate the rape culture.” Why would anyone want to contribute to that? Similarly, from the SAFER blog:

You know why we can’t make fun of rape? Because doing so trivializes the pain inflicted by rape, and that contributes to a general cultural attitude of not taking rape seriously or holding perpetrators accountable. That type of culture makes rape more common.

3) Even if you don’t give a shit about all that, why would any writer who’s not a hack tell a prison rape joke? I can’t imagine a duller, more played-out cliche.

1. Note that rich doesn’t mean “realistic” or “deep,” which none of these characters were!

http://www.amptoons.com/blog/archives/2008/07/23/hereville-page-36-is-up/

This is one of my favorite pages.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FreakonomicsBlog/~3/343812825/

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/google-should-give-you-some-of-its-ad-revenue/

http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2008/07/export-feeds-from-google-reader-folder.html

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/SbSV/~3/343782467/two-new-case-studies.html

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheBigPicture/~3/343825377/quote-of-the--5.html

From Canada, who may end up being more Capitalist then us Socialists in the USA:

Two major related threats loom over the world economy: credit crises and rising inflation. What do these two menaces have in common? Bankers, hedge-fund managers, speculators and capitalism in general have been taking the hit for the economic turmoil, both for credit risk and inflation. But the looming collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Macin the United States should help change the focus a little. We are now getting down to the heart of the matter, which turns out not to be rampant capitalism but out of control back-door socialism.

- Terence Corcoran, The culprits behind credit, inflation risks

>

Source:
The culprits behind credit, inflation risks
Terence Corcoran
National Post, July 16, 2008
http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=cf306bf6-4d57-4f21-8fca-442268368aff

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/343806509/

One of the biggest opportunities to put your best foot forward as a new clean tech start-up is to be a finalist in the California Clean Tech Open. The business plan competition is a spring board into the attention needed to generate funding for a project to get it off the ground. Past finalists have been able to rustle up over $70 million in VC funding over the last two years. And while statistics show that 90% of new businesses fail in their first year, a huge 84% of CCTO alumni are still viable businesses, proving the significant weight the competition holds. There are six categories a finalist can call under – Air, Water & Waste; Energy Efficiency’ Green Building; Renewables; Smart Power; and Transportation. All categories are broad enough to catch the incredible creativity of entrants. Over 100 Executive Summaries were submitted, but only 44 made the cut. And the nominees are:

Air, Water & Waste category – Prize Co-Sponsor Grundfos

• Clean Coal Inc.: “Removes contaminants from coal”
• Over the Moon Diapers: “High performance reusable diapers and service network”
• Porifera: “Carbon nanotube membrane for reverse osmosis desalination”
• PURE-T: “Salt free water softener using nanobeads”
• Purite: “Zero-energy chemical-free whole house water filtration”
• SequesCO: “Microbial CO2 capture and conversion to biofuel”
• Waste Water Works (WWW): “Microbial wastewater treatment also generates electricity”

Energy Efficiency category – Prize Sponsors PG&E, SCE and SDG&E:

• Atomic Precision Systems Inc.: “New semiconductor process for ultra-cheap LED lighting”
• Enovative Group: “Smart pump for hot water circulation”
• NexChem: “Energy-saving process improvement for zinc galvanizing”
• Transoptic: “Solar energy assistance for conventional water heaters”
• Viridis Earth: “Domestic HVAC retrofit to improve efficiency”
• WicKool: “Energy efficient water recovery for existing rooftop air conditioning”

Green Building category:

• BottleStone: “Ceramic stone countertops include 80% recycled glass”
• en-vis-age: “Green, modular and customizable buildings”
• Green Design Systems: “Straw wall building panels”
• GreenHomeAnswers.com: “Home improvement website for green products and services”
• GroundSource: “Residential geothermal system with installation services”
• ISTN: “Eco-friendly building insulation”
• Parco Homes: “Manufactured green (zero net energy) home kits”
• Solar Red: “Low cost rooftop PV installation system and components”
• Team Wawa: “Water-conserving shower system”

Renewables category – Prize Sponsors Google, PG&E, and SCE:

• Covalent Solar: “Organic thin film solar concentrators”
• Focal Point Energy: “Solar thermal water heater for industrial processes”
• IEM Applications: “Landfill methane accelerated recovery”
• Renewable Fuel Technologies: “Agricultural waste biomass converted to Green Coal”
• Solar Ice: “Solar powered ice maker”
• Solindis: “Optical solar concentrator for thin film PV”

Smart Power category – Prize Sponsors AMD and Siemens TTB:

• 1ARC Energy: “Higher capacity lithium-ion batteries”
• Cooler: “Carbon calculator to allow B2B targeted advertising in LOHAS”
• Energy Empowered: “Home display and control to reduce standby power usage”
• Enverity Corporation: “Greenhouse gas tracking and compliance”
• Power Assure: “Data center energy management software service”
• Renewable Voltage: “Treats organic waste to provide hydrogen and energy storage”
• Tangerine Network Devices: “Home energy display and control”

Transportation category – Prize Sponsor Lexus:

• AAA Fleets:“Turnkey electric vehicles and solar charging systems for fleets”
• E-Chargers: “Plug-in hybrid charging station”
• ElectraDrive: “Gas to electric drivetrain auto conversion”
• Electric Drive Research: “Plug-in/gas hybrid 2 person, 3 wheel sports car”
• ElectronVault, Inc.: “More efficient traction battery for hybrids”
• Enhanced Vehicle Acoustics: “Flexible engine sound generator for quiet cars”
• FuelMotion: “Series hybrid conversions for the developing world”
• Goose Networks: “Hosted dynamic scheduler for carpools/vanpools”
• Philo Fuel: “GPS-based audiovisual cues to help drivers optimize fuel efficiency”

The finalists compete for a "Start-Up in a Box" prize package worth $100,000. The package provides essentials that help the projects move from concept to full-blown business – no small beans! We’ll find out the winners on November 6, 2008. Stay tuned.

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/environment/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080723/us_nm/oil_spill_louisiana_dc

http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0723-amazon.html

http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0723-fertilizers.html

http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0723-sarawak.html

http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0723-australia.html

http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0723-hance_biodiversity.html

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/MKuf/~3/343758068/knol-is-open-to-everyone.html

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheBigPicture/~3/343763044/paulson-co-new.html

There is no small amount of irony in this:

"John Paulson, the money manager whose wagers against the U.S. housing market helped him earn an estimated $3.7 billion last year, is now seeking to profit from Wall Street's search for capital to offset mortgage writedowns.

Paulson plans to open a hedge fund by December that will invest as the world's biggest banks and brokers add to the $345 billion they've raised in the past year, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. His Paulson & Co., which oversees $33 billion, hasn't set a size target for the fund, said the people, who declined to be identified because the plans aren't final.

The New York-based firm's credit funds rose as much as sixfold last year, helped by bets that rising defaults on subprime home loans would pummel the value of mortgage-backed securities. The meltdown has forced the world's biggest banks and securities firms to take $467 billion in asset write-offs and credit losses and led to the collapse of Bear Stearns Cos.

"Investors who are able to make money in a declining market and then rapidly turn around and profit from a rising market is highly unusual,'' said Thomas Whelan, president of Greenwich, Connecticut-based Greenwich Alternative Investments, which advises clients on investing in hedge funds. Paulson declined to comment. His 2007 earnings made him the highest-paid hedge-fund manager, according to Institutional Investor's Alpha magazine."

Note that Paulson was early in shorting Mortgage back securities, but had the conviction and the patience to wait out the eventual sell off. I would expect something similar here . . .

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Previously
Those Damn Short Sellers Are Just Killing It!
http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2008/07/those-damn-shor.html

Source:
Paulson & Co. Plans Fund to Provide Capital to Banks
Saijel Kishan
Bloomberg, July 23 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aANbt26C4Kuk&

For those (Twitterers & others) who were inquiring — the recipe is over here at The Foppish Baker. If I want crumpets, I have to make them myself: the local supermarket doesn’t carry them. This is okay, though, because there’s no way a store-bought crumpet can compare with one just baked.

There are a lot of crumpet recipes out there that don’t work. Either the batters come out too thick — so the bubbles can’t break and leave the necessary holes on top — or they’re too sloppy, and the bubbles either come out too small to let the melted butter in, or break too soon, so that again you wind up with a “blind” bake with no holes. This batter works perfectly, though. 

My only alteration to this recipe: I add two packages of yeast instead of one. It seems to improve the flavor.  Also, you don’t really need the two kinds of flour for this recipe — they’re preferable, but not absolutely necessary. Just make sure you beat the batter the full two minutes the first time. You want to make sure the gluten develops enough.

BTW, there’s no need for special crumpet rings: I use regular-size tuna cans with the tops and bottoms taken off (we have one of those can openers that mills the edges smooth). Butter them well inside between each batch. It’s pretty easy to use a flat knife to knock the rings up and off the crumpets as soon as the outsides are solid: that way you can set them aside to cool so you can handle them as soon as the crumpets in the pan or on the griddle or bakestone are done. (Yeah, there’s a crumpet recipe on that page. It’s not as good as the Foppish Baker one: I’m going to replace it. The English muffin recipe, though, is terrific.)

When you toast these, do it under the grill / broiler, or in a toaster oven that lets you do just one side. Then… the butter. 

NOM NOM NOM NOM.