The 19th Floor

Papers, Please

Sep 242012

Sarah Silverman has a few thoughts on voter ID laws that she would like to share with you.

Minnesota voters will be voting on a constitutional amendment to require voter identification. The latest polling indicates that it may pass. I may be preaching to the choir, but please vote NO on this amendment. It has nothing to do with voter fraud and everything to do with disenfranchising citizens. Don’t fall for false analogies. Voting is not like renting a car. Voting is a fundamental right. We Americans aren’t guaranteed much, but we do make a point of proclaiming that every citizen has equal access to the ballot box.

People have died to safeguard the right to vote. Soldiers and students and housewives. When we start restricting the right to vote, we shit on every ideal for which they fought and died. Don’t fall for the scare tactics of politicians struggling to remain in power. Don’t bring Jim Crow to Minnesota.

Not Enough Spiders

Geeking Out, Movies No Responses »

Sep 212012

The latest trailer for The Hobbit is suitably epic, although I’m disappointed in the apparent absence of Mirkwood spiders. I’m guessing we won’t see them until the second installment. This whole turning-one-book-into-a-trilogy business still strikes me as a dubious proposition. The dragon Smaug is featured in only a few pages of the novel, which makes me wonder whether Peter Jackson will significantly expand his role in the final chapter. Or Gollum’s, for that matter. But as long as we don’t get scene after scene of slapstick dwarves, I’m sure the first chapter will more than exceed my standards for awesomeness.

Klaatu Barada Nikto

Geeking Out, Movies No Responses »

Sep 202012

The local Heights Theater is showing a series of classic science fiction movies this month, beginning tonight with the superb The Day the Earth Stood Still. I’m signing off shortly to get there in time, but I may post a few thoughts later. While I’m still disappointed that my local megaplex is closing, I’m happy to support an independent theater that shows a little love to geeks like me.

Abandoned In The Sunshine State

Disability, Law No Responses »

Sep 192012

The Justice Department is suing the state of Florida for dumping kids with disabilities into nursing homes. Many of these kids have complex medical needs, which most nursing homes are ill-equipped to handle. The article also notes that Florida has turned down federal funds to keep people out of nursing homes. Florida has also made deep cuts to Medicaid home care payments rates.

Florida’s neglect and warehousing of kids with disabilities is further evidence of the need for stronger federal Medicaid policy on providing care in community settings. Two decades after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act and more than a decade after the Supreme Court’s landmark Olmstead decision, people with disabilities continue to face the threat of institutionalization. If the nation is ever going to live up to the ideals of integration expressed in those documents, the DOJ better be prepared to file many more lawsuits like this one.

Thanks to Adam for the link.

Revival

Games No Responses »

Sep 182012

I’ve written previously about my affection for old-school role-playing games like Planescape and Baldur’s Gate; a genre that seemed to fall out of favor about ten years ago. Obsidian, a game developer whose founders worked on some of those classic games, recently launched a Kickstarter for a new RPG that would be in the same vein. And it raised over a million dollars in a couple days with nearly a month left to go. Which means we should be getting a Kickstarter for a Zork sequel any day now.

All Us Moochers

Politics 1 Response »

Sep 172012

Mitt Romney doesn’t want to waste his time on me. As he makes clear in the video below (which was leaked to Mother Jones), I’m just one more moocher who will vote for Obama because I’m a lazy, no-good moocher with a sense of entitlement. And everyone knows that Obama has the moocher vote locked up.

“But Mark, he wasn’t talking about you. He was talking about those other people.”

Yeah? Well, fuck you. How dare you question my moocher status. I’ll show you my Medical Assistance claims if you don’t believe me. I cost way more than a year of pre-school for a low-income kid. Way more than a Pell grant. Way more than your annual mortgage deduction. Way, way more than your grandma’s annual Social Security benefit. Compared to me, the rest of you moochers are a bunch of amateurs.

For Romney, I’m a lost cause. No, he’s trying to get your vote. Because you’re not a moocher, right? You’ve never asked the government for a handout. You pay your taxes (just like me). you’re the apple of Romney’s soulless, cybernetic eye.

But if Romney is elected, he’s going to learn that plenty of moochers wear nice suits and drive expensive cars. So I’m in good company.

Silver Screen Memories

Movies, Personal 1 Response »

Sep 142012

My local movie theater will be closing its doors next week, leaving only a couple remaining tenants in the troubled Block E development. The news isn’t a surprise; the theater lost a legal battle to extend its lease months ago. But for downtown residents like me, it’s a frustrating reminder that the city can’t figure out how to develop a downtown core beyond restaurants and nightclubs. And it didn’t help matters when Block E was acquired by developers more interested in opening a casino than in making downtown more livable. I doubt that most other major American cities have difficulty keeping a movie theater downtown. I hear that some cities even have more than one.

The theater itself was no gem. It had the cavernous look and feel of a suburban multiplex plopped unceremoniously in the middle of downtown (which is probably why it failed). But I enjoyed walking to the theater via the skyway on a rainy or snowy afternoon. It felt like a very urban thing to do. Now I’ll have to schlep out to the suburbs, or at least Uptown, to see a movie. Perhaps a more savvy developer will eventually open a new downtown theater that looks like it belongs in the city. Until then, look for me at your local mall-based megaplex. I’ll be the one waiting in line with a scowl on my face.

No Need To Upgrade

Tech No Responses »

Sep 132012

The iPhone 5 is pretty enough, but my 4S is still under contract and I don’t see much need for a bigger screen. My iPad is what I pull out when I want a portable display. I may just hold on to the 4S until it either dies or until Apple releases something that can be operated with an eyegaze interface. Perhaps the iPhone 10?

Farewell, Faithful Servant

Disability, Personal 3 Responses »

Sep 122012

After 25 years of using the same model of ventilator, I’ve completely switched to the newer and smaller Trilogy. It feels a bit different than what I’m used to, but I’m sure I’ll adapt soon enough. But I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for the sturdy old LP-10. It accompanied me from early adolescence to middle age without failing me once. It even survived being dropped a few times. When I build my panic room to keep out the rampaging zombie hordes, I’ll stock it with a few LP-10s.

Tuesday Evening Quarterbacking

Miscellaneous No Responses »

Sep 112012

Sunday’s Packers-49ers game put an end to any speculation about another run at an undefeated season. My hometown team still has a potent passing offense, but they still haven’t figured out how to run the ball with any consistency. I’ll reserve judgment on the defense until I see a few more games, but it hasn’t impressed me in its first outing. The Packers are a strong Super Bowl contender and I’m still expecting plenty of good things once the kinks in the playbook are worked out. Perhaps this loss will compel them to lay down the smack against upcoming opponents. More specifically, the Bears.

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