30.9.14

Keith Olbermann Done

b1-66er: "In one twist that hardly fit, however, Jeter's home finale was the
only game he ever played at Yankee Stadium with his team already knocked
out of the playoff race." I actually saw the end of that game.  which if you know me well is truly astounding...
I was in a bar during happy hour.  no sound.  I never see TV with sound.

Special K: Yes, that's amazing.

b1: no.  I don't know who KO is.

K: Super opinionated long time sports broadcaster who helped put ESPN on the
map.

b1: would I recognize his voice?

K: Maybe. Probably not, because as you said you generally see TV with the
sound off I bet you'd recognize his face.
by the way, Apple has really improved speech to text. {no doubt they'll claim they invented it ... even though i worked on it 25 years ago at AAPL ... and 10 years before that at my university on a DECtalk -ed} I'm using it a now.

b1: I watched that clip you sent until it exploded.  I know that guy.  he's a
hamfisted grand stander.  he's a dick, almost by definition.

K: Yes, but he's often annoyingly right.

b1: but he's trying to be.  he had that snarky modern characteristic of
cracking up his TV production staff.  that's a today show thing.

K: Massive ego.

b1: speaking of dick's, that woman who wrote that excellent iphone snooping
article wrote me back.

K: no.  it's all fake.
He is truly, truly an asshole.
I don't usually think I know personal truths about a famous person, but
this time I do.

b1: I'm not at all convinced.  his style and manner feels like steve
colbert.  it's just as bad.  it's just as un-funny.  he's presenting.  it's a style.  if you think it's anything deeper, that's just wrong.  it's hit-you-over-the-head realism.  one of the things that disgusts me about the US is people take stuff like this seriously...

K: It's both. it's a character who's an asshole, and the person is an asshole.

b1: there's no subtlety.  and why should the people presenting bother?  americans wouldn't get it.  they wouldn't promote it.  they wouldn't understand it.
it's exactly like the difference between the american version of the office and the british version.  it's what makes the brits stand out in the english speaking humorous rank and americans a third place also-ran.
he is whatever he is (i actually truly don't care), but 1st and foremost he's a product.
which is actually perfect, because sports is nothing more than a big business anyway.
he's a casino marquee.  flash that represents nothing.

K: Sure. He's on commercial TV. He's there to sell ads.

b1: exactamente.  having said that, those bullheaded E coasters -especially sports fans- aren't bright enough to know that...you say that kind of crap?  you'll get death threats.  someone might actually try to make good on it.

K: He's had them. He's playing for them. He's also been a pure political commentator in some of his jobs.

b1: yeah, whatever.  I feel about him the same way I feel about sarah palin's political commentary.  it doesn't matter, it's not important...
your brain's plastic.  it's formed by the things you think about.
repetitive thinking gives your reasoning its shape...you, more than any person I know, represents that (shown perfectly in our discussions of the importance of databases ... how they are so much more important to society than AAPL products and how you completely don't understand that)...
the most interesting thing about KO, I think (and I admit, not that's there's much competition in that contest), is why would you think about him and what he has to say...when clearly 
A) that's what he wants (he wants in your mind -- he wants you to think about him) and 
B) you could be thinking about something else.
if he came up and just asked you for $5, you wouldn't give it to him...so why do you give him something more valuable -- namely your mind and your time?
(and I don't mean "you, special K," I mean the public at large.)

K: Because I'm tired of the Jeter parade and this clip has been going around.

b1: okay, great.  would you feel differently if you were a Y's fan?

K: yes. I'd hate that clip.

b1: (by the way, until I watched your clip, I didn't know how you pronounced "jeter."  I thought it was JET-ter.)  oh.  kay.  so what's the point of it?  just to stir controversy?

K: Yes, and he hates the Y's.

b1: okay, good for everyone involved.  good for you.  good for him.  good for
Y's fans who need something to rally behind in a bad season.
btw, who IS the greatest SS of all time?

K: Honus Wagner for sure.

b1: no wonder his baseball card is worth so much.

{my apologies to anyone reading this for promoting the importance of KO and taking away time from your life -that you'll never get back- that could have been used for something else.}

maternal doublespeak

{this is a phone conversation with my mom.}

b1-66er: i talk to my brother all the time.  sometimes email, mostly TXT.

mom: well that's good, that's okay.

b1: oh, well i'm so glad you approve!

mom: i was just indicating that i understood what you were saying.  that wasn't a comment of appraisal or approval.   <pauses> although it was both!