2007.09.20
Videos of the Moment
Slate has been having some neat stuff on their video feature lately. I really liked The History of the Laughtrack. I suppose I start to tune out the laugh track on shows that use it, but it's really hard to imagine it added to a show I like that doesn't already have it. (I'm very glad that Charles Douglass. named his machine the "Laff Box", with two Fs. That really made the whole thing work.)
A video of a British Gal trying to learn to sound like an American was less captivating than I'd hoped, but the opening montage of UK actors speaking "naturally" and then "American" was great. Accents are so funny, the way certain vowel habits get burnt into our brain, and the difficulty of hearing one's own accent as an accent and not just "normal".
Quote of the Moment
Irrationally held truths may be more harmful than reasoned errors.
Comic and Comment of the Moment
Hmmm. This might not be helping to counteract any my-site-is-too-mean vibe.There's been much speculation as the real nature of the relationship between Beetle and Sarge. In the absence of any leadership from Camp Swampy's officer corps, has Sarge's near-limitless authority over his subordinates simply allowed his inner brute to emerge in full, sadistic force? Or is Beetle no mere subject, but rather a participant in a complex and largely unspoken sadomasochistic relationship? Today's strip offers another, even darker take: Sgt. Snorkel is an artist — an artist whose medium is human flesh and bone and blood, and Pvt. Bailey is and will forever be his greatest masterpiece.
News of the Moment
Jumpin' Jehosophat! Canada Dollar now worth as much as a real one!