L.A. Noire - 'Main Theme'

Tales from the Annals of French Exceptionalism

Band of Insiders

'Once again, Lévy claims that the rules of law do not apply to those with whom he dines:

"I hold it against the American judge who… pretended to take him for a subject of justice like any other."

Even more incredibly, he writes:

"I am troubled by a system of justice modestly termed ‘accusatory’, meaning that anyone can come along and accuse another fellow of any crime."

One wonders what system of justice Lévy would propose.'

France attempts to impose e-book prices on Apple, others

"I am happy, as we all must be tonight, that our gathering is prepared to vote definitively on what will be the first such law in the world for digital books—a pioneering text in our ever-changing world," said MP Hervé Gaymard last week as a joint parliamentary commission presented its final version of the bill text.

eG8

"In France, there are still people who maintain their criticism of this [three strikes authority HADOPI], who view it as a repressive body, whereas in actual fact it creates momentum from a pedagogical standpoint." (Minster of Culture)

Beverly Hillbillies and fukujinzuke

V: I am watching this anime version of X-Men. It's really cliche. It just doesn't fit, X-Men is too American.

HAHAHA. Like, every Japanese show that's set in some other country suddenly and inexplicably returns to Japan. In this case, every one of the X-Men has been recalled by Professor X to investigate the disappearance of a mutant... who just happens to be from Japan.

And Professor X is talking about how she's from some city in some tiny prefecture, and no one has any question about, like: what's that? where is that?

It's like if the Japanese remade the Beverly Hillbillies, they'd go out to eat ramen in the second episode and argue about whether to eat it with fukujinzuke or not.

They don't know how to look at themselves from an outsider's perspective. I mean, it totally makes sense for a bunch of American and Canadian mutants who have never been to Japan to have intimate, detailed knowledge of Japanese geography and history, right?

I just think that the producers and consumers of this media are unable to dissassociate themselves from their own cultural context. Which is not terribly uncommon, but it does show a lot of their cultural arrogance. Smaller countries may be similarly unable to disassociate themselves, but they won't then suddenly put themselves at the centre of every story. It also suggests that the Japanese could never make an Avatar: The Last Airbender.

The voice acting is also in the cliche dramatic mode. Lots of elliptical phrases, single word answers, and lots of grunting/sighing... The grunting is what really gets me, though. Just too much. And it's just not an acceptable substitute for dialogue. I cannot be sure, but I suspect the dialogue itself is nothing special.

These characters have no personality at all. Well, there's gruff and not-gruff, that's about it.

Oh, gruff, not gruff, and woman.

Gruff, not gruff, woman, and villain

Those are the character types.

I guess this must be a children's show.

On Self Doubt and Constructed Realities

V: self-doubt is too difficult to actually communicate.

Like... If you express a rational self-doubt, you will just come across as a loser. Even if you are capable and effective and elite.

me: Self-doubt has no merits to a girl

V: Precisley. It's really hard to convey a multi-dimensional personality. That is, if you have self-doubt, you'll come across as a loser. If you are capable and effective, you will come across as a winner. But you cannot communicate a personality that has both without necessarily being either of the two predicates.

Revolutions

There will be no education revolution before there is an employment revolution.

Either/Or

I felt immeasurably happy the moment I found this passage in Kierkegaard's Either/Or. I remember reading this when I was younger (in high school); finding it again cheered me up and made me feel less alone in the world.

My Friend!

... I think of my early youth, when without clearly comprehending what it is to make a choice I listened with childish trust to the talk of my elders and the instant of choice was solemn and venerable, although in choosing I was only following the instructions of another person. I think of the many occasions in life less important but by no means indifferent to me, when it was a question of making a choice. For although there is only one situation in which either/or has absolute significance, namely, when truth, righteousness and holiness are lined up on one side, and lust and base propensities and obscure passions and perdition on the other; yet, it is always important to choose rightly, even as between things which one may innocently choose; it is important to test oneself, lest some day one might have to beat a painful retreat to the point from which one started, and might have reason to thank God if one had to reproach oneself for nothing worse than a waste of time...

And although my life now has to a certain degree its either/or behind it, yet I know well that it may still encounter many a situation where the either/or will have its full significance. I hope, however, that these words may find me in a worthy state of mind when they check me on my path, and I hope that I may be successful in choosing the right course; at all events, I shall endeavor to make the choice with real earnestness, and with that I venture, at least, to hope that I shall the sooner get out of the wrong path.