NaNoWriMo Update, Oxford Commas and Double Spaces, and The Christmas Music Rant

 "The View From the Phlipside" is a media commentary program airing on WRFA-LP, Jamestown NY.  It can be heard Monday through Friday just after 8 AM and 5 PM.  The following are scripts which may not exactly match the aired version of the program.  Mostly because the host may suddenly choose to add or subtract words at a moments notice.  WRFA-LP is not responsible for any such silliness or the opinions expressed.  You can listen to a live stream of WRFA or find a podcast of this program at wrfalp.com.  Copyright 2013 by Jay Phillippi.  All Rights Reserved.  You like what you see?  Drop me a line and we can talk.

Program scripts from week of November 3, 2013


My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, radio, the movies and more.  I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View from the Phlipside. 

Christmas Music Rant                                                                                        

Every year I have a private little rant about Christmas music.  It goes back to the days when I was the Music Director at a certain radio station across town.  Normally this rant takes place, like clockwork, right around Thanksgiving.  

But not this year.  Oh no, I’m going public with it and I’m going public with it right now.  While I was driving in Buffalo this weekend I heard a promo for a radio station that announced they were going all Christmas music beginning November first right through Christmas.  (I am not mentioning their call letters because I don’t want you to encourage them by listening to this abomination)

Remember I said that this silliness usually begins on Thanksgiving weekend.  Well these folks decided to get started on HALLOWEEN weekend!  And that’s just too much for me to bear.

Back when I was Music Director I refused to play Christmas music before December 1.  Let me tell you I got some very angry phone calls and more than a few glares from some of the air staff.  I didn’t apologize for it at the time and I make no apologies for it today.  It’s stupid.  It’s vile.  It’s abominable.  It trivializes both Thanksgiving and Christmas and is an utter sell out to everything wrong with the “holiday season” by giving into the complete commercialization of Christmas.

First, that offends me as a person of faith.  Different story for a different day.  Second, it offends me as a radio person.  It’s stupid, lazy programming.  The reality is that there are only about 37 Christmas songs all told.  There are 100 versions of each one.  Out of all those versions there might be 20 that you want to hear over and over.  For a couple weeks tops.  Instead you are going to hear every awful, idiotic, low rent version of “Blue Christmas” because they have 24 hours a day to fill.  Pop stars singing awful, maudlin arrangements of songs that more often than not are even less musically complex and compelling than the pop drivel they normally record.

Don’t get me wrong.  I love Christmas.  I love Christmas music.  Part of what makes the holidays special is that they’re, well, special.  As the saying goes “Christmas comes but once a year”.  Seems like we’re headed towards Christmas all year long.

That’s just stupid and wrong.  And this is my line in the sand.

Oxford Commas and Double Spaces                                                                   

I need to acknowledge up front this week that I’m going to offend some people.  Not many, mind you.  But some people take what I’m about to discuss very seriously.  And I think it’s utter rubbish.  But it gets a fair amount of discussion around the Interwebs.

You will probably not be surprised to find out that I have a lot of friends who are into words and writing.  Birds of a feather and stuff like that.  Some of these people take the whole language thing quite seriously.  By and large they are people of good humor who can discuss the issues of today’s commentary jokingly.  OK, mostly jokingly.

The center of this great debate are two.  They are the Oxford comma and double spaces following periods.  Yes, I’m serious.  People argue about these things.

I am also aware that more than a few of you have no idea what I’m talking about.  So let’s review.

First, the Oxford comma.  Also known as the serial comma, this is the punctuation which you may insert at the end of a list of items and just before the word “and”.  So you would say “item 1 comma, item 2 comma and item 3.  Except that many of us would omit the comma before the “and”.  Which is perfectly acceptable.  Unless you are a fan of the Oxford comma at which point you enter into long debates about its use.  I will note that there are times when that comma makes a difference in clarity.  At those points it should definitely be used.

The other argument I see my word loving friends having these days (yes, the people need to get lives.  What can I say?) is about the number of spaces following a period at the end of a sentence.  Back in the day when I was learning to type (on an actual typewriter, children!  Can you imagine!) we were taught to use two.  Today the conventional wisdom is that one is sufficient.  The argument seems to center on the difference between proportional and monospaced type fonts.  What does that mean?  Do you really care?  I didn’t think so.  And I doubt you much care about how many spaces are placed after the period.  I do it automatically, without thinking because I’ve been doing it that way for decades.  If for some reason it absolutely must be changed it’s simple with the “Find and Replace” function available on any word processor.

These are things that word nerds argue about.  Pity us and please, go live your lives.  Maybe we’ll follow.

NaNoWriMo Update                                                                                                                   

Week One was not a great week but it wasn't a total disaster.  My total word count for the first week was just over 8,000 words.  That was several thousand behind the curve (to make the 50,000 target you need to average over 1,600 words a day).  My best day was 2,800 but my worst was one day when I wrote nothing at all.  The good news is that I'm still just a couple really good writing days away from catching up.  But Week Two is always the worst.  So we'll see.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

Rise of the Tablet, You Could Look It Up (A Rant), and Historical Trend

 "The View From the Phlipside" is a media commentary program airing on WRFA-LP, Jamestown NY.  It can be heard Tuesday through Friday just after 8 AM and 5 PM.  The following are scripts which may not exactly match the aired version of the program.  Mostly because the host may suddenly choose to add or subtract words at a moments notice.  WRFA-LP is not responsible for any such silliness or the opinions expressed.  You can listen to a live stream of WRFA or find a podcast of this program at wrfalp.com.  Copyright 2012 by Jay Phillippi.  All Rights Reserved.  You like what you see?  Drop me a line and we can talk.

Program scripts from week of September 17, 2012

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, radio, the movies and more.  I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View from the Phlipside. 





The Rise of the Tablet                                                                                               

 I am fascinated by the impact that is being felt all across the media world with the meteoric rise of the tablet computer.  Folks have been trying to make a go the tablet concept for years now and none of them have managed to hit the sweet spot of versatility, ease of use and price that tablets seem to have found in just the last couple years.  Even Apple’s first attempt, the Newton, crashed and burned.  They’ve done it by making being a computer secondary to being a media delivery system.  In barely two years tablet computers have become the most powerful force for change in the popular technology world.  Think I’m over stating my case?  Let’s take a look.

One of the big movements in how we deal with media is the fact that more and more of us are doing it on multiple screens now.  This is especially profound on how we watch television.  Take a look at the number of television shows and even commercials that invite you get involved with the program by checking into the show’s forum or Twitter feed or Facebook page.  This is not television leading the way (it almost never leads the way) it’s TV reacting to what’s already going on.  There are so many people already cyber-chatting about their favorite shows that the networks are just climbing on the band wagon.

Even more than that now you don’t even need the television any more.  More folks are choosing to watch programming on their tablets on the move.  

You can’t do that with a desktop and it’s even awkward with a laptop or a netbook.  But it’s a piece of cake with a tablet.  Yes, smart phones play a huge role in this as well but smart phones and tablets are headed toward an inevitable collision right now.  And the tablet is going to win because it’s a better experience of the media we’ll be watching than a phone screen.

Still don’t think that tablets are going to take over your future?  Then check out this - Toys R Us is launching the Tabeo.  A tablet computer aimed at children.  Pre-loaded with over 50 apps and with a library of six thousand educational programs and games.  All for $149.  And it’s a serious tablet.

Why would there be a market for that?  Easy.  If the kid has their own tablet they won’t keep trying to borrow yours.  And that means you can keep telling your friends how awesome the latest episode of “Breaking Bad” is.

You Could Look It Up                                                                                                

The following is a rant.  Pure and simple.  Some folks out there have finally pushed me over the edge and I just can’t take it any more.  You have been warned.

We live in a age where billions upon billions of bits of information at our very finger tips.  We are surrounded by it and with our computers we have access to it in just a matter of seconds.  Now I need to also note that our computers give us access to millions of pieces of junk as well.  Rumors, hoaxes, opinion masquerading as fact and imagination run wild.  If you’ve spent more than 10 minutes out there you would know that.

Well you’d know that if you bothered to pay any attention.  Here’s the problem as I see it.  Too many people are just lazy.  And with that I’m being kind because the more cynical, angry side of me wants to say that they’re just stupid.  But I’ll behave myself and stick with lazy.

So what is it that has finally pushed my button and gotten on my last nerve?  People who don’t take a couple seconds to check on something before accepting something on blind faith.  In the last two weeks we’ve had hoaxes concerning the death of beloved comedian Bill Cosby and iconic actor Morgan Freeman.  Now I want you to know I double checked both of those items.  In fact let me do it right now.  Minimize the window where I’m recording this program, open my browser, open Google, type in Morgan Freeman.  Hit enter.

And Google tells me 10 personal results. 76,500,000 other results.  Boom, just that simple.

So explain to me why people just blindly follow along on things like this?  Why do they continue to click on links that claim Microsoft (or any of a dozen other companies) will give away money every time you click?  Why do the repeat absurd claims about celebrities, politicians or religious groups?

I think I know the answer.  Because it’s easier than thinking.  It’s easier than exercising our critical thinking muscles.  It’s because we’re lazy.

All that information at our finger tips and we still want to believe that Mr. Rogers was a Marine Corps sniper or that in December the universe will align in such a way that will result in a world wide blackout.

Really?  Really?  Try a little mental exercise instead.
Rant over.

Historical Trend

There are a couple of movies coming out between now and the end of the year if memory serves that I am very interested in getting a look at.  First because they involve characters about whom I am profoundly interested, second because they involve actors for whom I have great respect and third because they are not the kind of movie we generally get from Hollywood these days.  They are historical stories involving two of America’s great Presidents.

The first one I heard about was “Hyde Park on the Hudson” which tells the story of the visit by King George VI of England and his wife Queen Elizabeth (parents of the current queen) to the Roosevelt home in 1939.  The meeting was of great historic importance coming just before the war.  This is the same king we saw in the movie “The King’s Speech” two years ago (portrayed by a different actor of course).  But what really grabbed me was discovering that comedian Bill Murray had been cast as Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  The trailer for the movie shows Murray at his absolute best disappearing into the role.  The movie debuts here on December 7.

Alone that might have been an interesting aberration.  When you add in Daniel Day Lewis as Abraham Lincoln in the movie “Lincoln” suddenly you have an interesting mini-trend.  The trailer for this movie also shows the actor doing a wonderful turn as the former President.  Because Lincoln lived before the advent of audio recording we don’t know the sound of his voice the way we do FDR’s.  That may be the easiest part of taking on the role of an American icon.  “Lincoln” debuts November 16.

The real question for me is what will the audience reaction be?  Coming right after the election will we be too exhausted by politics to want to hear any more?  “Lincoln” will focus on the intense pressures on a President of a nation split by Civil War.  Or will the return to a simpler time and supposedly simpler issues have an appeal?  

Once upon a time biographical pictures like this of the great figures in our history were more common.  The history they portrayed was not always very accurate.  My hope is that a couple great movies with great casts and hopefully decent history could re-ignite an interest in our own history that seems sadly lacking these days.  It almost makes me wish that these movies had come out BEFORE the election.  Now is the time when we could all use a clearer understanding of our roots.

Call that the View From the Phlipside.

View From the Phlipside - Bread and Circuses

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, radio, the movies and more.  I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View from the Phlipside.

I’m probably going to lose some friends over this one.  Just goes with the territory I suppose.  I could always just blame it on Dan Rather since he’s the one who got the thought process rolling for me but since I happen to agree with him I’ll just take my lumps.

The former CBS News anchor recently wrote a piece for the Huffington Post complaining bitterly that in a time when news divisions are being cut back, where fewer correspondents work out of fewer foreign bureaus the networks (and this includes all the networks broadcast and cable) saw fit to spend millions of dollars to send hundreds of staff to London to cover what is essentially a very minor news story.

Yes, we’re talking about THE WEDDING.  And I happen to agree with Rather 100%.  This was an astounding and appalling waste of time talent and money.  Let’s be upfront about this.  While the bride was stunning and the groom handsome in his uniform and the wedding was a fairy tale princess kind of thing this was not a big news story.  This is what People magazine puts on the cover, it’s what Entertainment Tonight leads with on its broadcast.  It’s a 60 second clip on any serious news broadcast.  Not continuous live coverage.

The problem is that we don’t seem to have any serious news entities left in the world today.  Not when they devote this much time to a wedding of no particular national significance (be honest, if one of the Obama girls was old enough and got married would there be THIS kind of coverage?  Almost assuredly not), or the equally useless obsession with the President’s birth certificate.  None of this is news.  Sadly it is surely “what the people want” and voices will be raised that giving the people what they want is a good thing.  Count me unconvinced.  This kind of pandering to the lowest taste didn’t work out particularly well when practiced in the final days of the Roman Empire.  It saddens me to think that we are just as likely to be willingly herded to the demise of our culture as those Romans were.

The Princess is surely much easier on the eyes than the events in Rome.  But bread and circuses and still bread and circuses.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY.  You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2011

A Driving Rant

Coming home from meetings in Buffalo today and had one of my favorite pieces of stupid driving take place.

Here's the scenario:

I'm in the right hand lane, usually doing a couple MPH over the speed limit.  Another car comes up in the fast lane and passes me.  There is no other traffic in our vicinity.  Clear in front of me for about 1/4 of a mile and nothing in his lane as far as the eye can see in front or to his rear.

He then pulls into my lane about two car lengths in front of me!

Why?!?!?!?!

This is an incredibly unsafe pass.  A small problem with his car, or an animal running into the lane or (a recent likelihood) something blows into the road and we can be looking at MAJOR problems.  If he needs to brake suddenly in front of me I'm parked in his back seat.

AND THERE'S NO REASON TO CHANGE LANES THAT QUICKLY!

He has all the room in the world to move safely into my lane.  This isn't racing as much as some morons out on the Interstates seem to think it is.

Unless I HAVE to move over more quickly I wait (as I was taught) till I'm 6-10 car lengths clear of the car I'm passing.  The easy thumbnail is to wait until the entire front of the car you're passing is easily visible in your rear view mirror from your normal driving position.  30 years later my daughter was taught the exact same thing by her driving instructor (not me).

Travelling down the road in vehicles that weigh 2 tons or more at 60 or 70 miles an hour (or more for those of you in some kind of stupid hurry) is a dangerous activity.  Insisting on driving in an overly aggressive manner is just a sure way to end up dead.

I would kindly ask that you do that somewhere that won't result in your taking me with you.

You moron.

Peace

The danger of not dealing in facts - Mr. Rogers is evil

I want you to watch the first segment of this video clip from Fox News.  That way you'll see what was actually said rather than relying on me:



So a couple points:

1.  There is a certain amount of tongue in cheek here but I believe two of the three commentators do basically agree with the essential point
2. One of the commentators does appear to argue with some emotion against the proposition
3. This is, in my opinion, one of the most idiotic conversations I've heard in a very long time.  Especially when you look at the facts.

Fact one: The professor at Louisiana State University did not in fact author a study.  Wouldn't seem likely for him to have done one on the effects of childhood reinforcement on young people SINCE HE'S A PROFESSOR OF FINANCE AT LSU!  (Article from the Wall Street Journal)  This was the result of a thought that dawned on him last spring.

Fact two: Thirty plus years ago when I was in college I remember plenty of people begging for extra credit or a little leniency to bump a C grade to a B or a B to an A.  So this is hardly new and novel behavior.

Fact three: According to "Pittsburgh Magazine" (as quoted in the Wikipedia article on Fred Rogers) at the peak of his popularity "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood" was seen in 8% of homes.  EIGHT PER CENT.  The man had an astounding influence given the fact that 92% of households didn't watch.

Fact four: There is a study on the rising levels of narcissism in college students done by San Diego State University.  I can find no indication that Professor Chance from LSU is associated with it in any way except he thinks Mr. Rogers is responsible at least in part.  The study itself apparently says that there has been a 30% increase in the number of students who score above average on a standardized test for narcissism (a self centered point of view).

Mr. Rogers comment that "You're Special" was a couple seconds out of each program.  The rest of the program dealt with topics like getting along with each, taking care of each other, going to school and how things worked.  Somehow all the rest of that gets pushed aside by the simple statement - "You're Special".

Amazing.

So let's take a look at this from the point of view of faith.  Created in the image of God.  Part of the divine creation of which, we are assured, God is mindful.  Important enough, valued enough that God sent his only son to die for us.

Not that you're special or anything.

There is a different between being special (which by the way is defined in part as "important in own way") and being entitled.  Every human being is special, beloved of God.  Every human being should be able to grow up with that feeling of specialness and uniqueness.  What message would be sent in its place?  That you are common, unimportant and defective.  That your primary goal should be making up for your shortcomings.  That at least seems to be the argument of two of the talking heads in the Fox clip. 

None of which is consistent with the Gospel.

Is there work for us to do on ourselves?  Absolutely.  It is to develop our gifts and to become the best expression of all that makes us special.  Because each of us is different (special) each of us will bring something slightly different to the table of life.  In exploring the specialness of ourselves we become more fully human and closer to the ideal that was created within us from our earliest days.

Is there reason to be concerned about our young people?  There always is and always has been.  So that's nothing new.  Am I concerned about the effects of "helicopter parents" and parents too intent on making things easy for their children rather than helping them learn and grow?  I absolutely am.  Our kids need to understand limitations on time and desire.  They need to know no limits on love.  They need to work for things so that they will understand the value of it better.  They need to be given opportunity and held responsible for their commitments.  That's what a parent should do in my opinion.

What our kids don't need is to hear us involved in this kind of badly thought out, poorly informed and borderline slanderous discussion of a man who is no longer around to defend himself.  They don't need to live under the lash that tells them only - "You're not good enough, keep working".

Fox News should be ashamed.

Peace

OMG - Bad writing

This may be the worst piece of writing I've come across in a best selling novel in many years.  I'll spare the
author the ignominy of naming the book from which it comes :

"He was probably in his late fifties, gangly as a praying mantis, with a comely face full of tight features.  Dark eyes were sunk deep into his head, no longer bright with the power of intellect, but nonetheless piercing."

The no longer bright comment is especially interesting since the character making the assessment HAS NEVER SEEN THIS PERSON BEFORE!!!!!

Or is it just me?

This ranks right down there with another best selling author I've been reading who kept referring to a file folder (which was doing nothing other than existing) as "burgeoning".

I can write at least as well as these clowns.

An Open Letter to Ben Roethlisberger

Dear Ben,
    Let me introduce myself.  I'm a regular guy who's old enough to be your father.  I was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area and I'm a life long Steelers fan.  I'm also the father of a daughter.  You can probably guess where this is going. 

I won't waste any time trying to pretty this up.  That's not Pittsburgh style.

What the hell were you thinking?

Let's start with a football metaphor.  You've managed to avoid the legal sack.  You know how those go.  Sometimes you make a good move and get away.  And sometimes you're just damn lucky.  Instead you've managed to throw a stupid interception.  The kind when you look down field to your receiver and tap your chest.  That one was on you.

I don't know what happened.  I'm just going on what reliable sources like the D.A. down in Georgia tell me.  Yeah she was drunk, on the verge of blacking out drunk.  Not making good decisions.  She shouldn't have gone there.  So what?  You the know the difference between a man and a dirt bag?  A man tries to protect people when they're vulnerable.  The dirt bag tries to take advantage. 

Seems like you maybe had a couple too.  Maybe you think that gets you the "making poor decisions" defense as well.  Sorry.   Call me old school but a man's responsible for his own actions.  Over the last 8 months you've put yourself into positions where bad things might happen.  Those are both on you.

As for your apology I noticed you managed to avoid apologizing to the fans or the city of Pittsburgh.  You know, the folks who now get to hear people say about our team and our city "Oh that's where that dirt bag QB plays".  You still owe us an apology.


Let me throw you a bone.  You did one thing right this week.  A good decision.

Much better haircut.  I mean really, a mullet?  What the hell were you thinking?


Folks from Pittsburgh are a forgiving bunch generally.  You should know that there's a lot longer history of baseball than football in the Steel City.  And in baseball it's 3 strikes and you're out.  Show us that you've learned your lesson.  Show us that you've changed and decided to act like a man.  Pittsburgh once turned itself around from some literally dark days.  We've got a thing for stories about re-making yourself.  So you've got a shot.  Don't screw it up.