Presence

O.A.R. pictures

We went to see O.A.R. at the 9:30 club last night. Good show. I took a bunch of pictures with our Kodak DX6490. I spent most of the time trying out differnt settings, seeing what worked and what didn't. Here's a black and white picture I took of Benj, the bassist. The rest of the pictures are up on my Flickr page.

"Yes, but I've been out to sea for a long time."

I saw The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. As with other Anderson escapades, I enjoyed the show, and about eight to twelve hours later, found myself unable to dislodge the story or characters from my mind.

Some thoughts: Steve Zissou is a child in man's clothing. His entire world is the stuff of any eleven-and-a-half year olds' dreams: he's a famous oceanographer, adventurer and film-maker, living in a miniature world where his word is gospel, there's always an intern on hand to mix you a drink, and females are gratuitously bereft of any upper-body coverage. He's got his own submarine, helicopter and island. And of course, everybody get's a gun. He crusies the high seas with his crew, searching out new and exciting life forms, returning home to fame, glory and the envy of his peers. Ned is likewise psychologically trapped somewhere near puberty. He shows up looking for a father in full Air Kentucky ("we hub out of Louisville") regalia, having followed his childhood dream and become a pilot.

The movie is replete with other grownups acting like children. When Steve deigns to choose Klaus for the A Team in the assualt on the pirate stronghold (PIRATES!), he responds, "Thanks a lot for not picking me," and suddenly we're back on the soccer field at recess, kicking the dirt as we watch the other kids play.

What I like best about the movie, is that Anderson, when presented with the need to develop a context in which oceanographer Steve Zissou plys his trade, had two choices: he could either meticulously research and portray marine life as it actually exists, as any serious scientist would do, or he could create a fantastic world of crayon pony fish and jaguar sharks, products not of the laboratory, but of the overactive imagination of a child. And he chose the latter.

OU Asian Relief Fund

The OU has set up a page for donations to a relief fund for victims of the disaster in Asia.

Also, Amazon has set up one-click donations to the Red Cross through their site.

Too Big a Lie

I've always thought that the oft-cited proof of the authenticity of the Torah based on the principle that "You can't make this stuff up," was flawed. Now, finally, I've found someone else who agrees with me. R. Micha Berger posts his understanding of the "proof" as cited by R. Yehuda HaLevi in the Kuzari:

...the assumption is made that the claim is made out of the blue, in a single stroke. It doesn't account for gradual acceptance of a story. Say something starts out as a myth about a subset of the people, and it's known to be a bed-time story. The next generation it's "some say". Over several generations, it can become "official history" about everyone, with no one generation expressing the disbelief that is critical to this argument.

This argument points to a general problem rampant in Orthodoxy today, namely, an ignorance of, or refusal to accept, any historical evolution of Judaism or the Jewish community. This manifests itself in its most basic form as my son's parsha sheets that depict Avraham, Yitzchok and Ya'akov wearing long coats and black hats, peyos and tzitzis blowing in the wind, and in more pernicious forms as in this proof. Please note I'm not saying that this disproves anything, only that, as a proof, this leaves what to be desired.

Half Blood Prince!

Via HPProgs, JKRowling.com has a special holiday surprise for those hearty enough to solve a few riddles (It's an otter, by the way). Let the pre-ordering begin!

Update: Mark your calendars, July 16 (once again, a Saturday; @%&$) is the date. Preorder from Amazon US here.

Ebb and Flow

Via Hirhurim comes Cross-Currents, a new blog featuring some heavyweight Orthodox Jews, in both the rabbinic and political spheres.

Things are starting to get interesting. While Orthodox Jewish use of the Internet as a means of social expression and communal interaction began with those on the fringe (meaning, people like me with somewhat skewed theologies, or the kollel-wives-cum-posekim over at Hashkafah.com), expect the mainstream, beginning with organizations like Torah.org to enter the conversation. I'll wager organizations like the OU or Star-K will have blogs (or blog-like pages) up by the end of 2005. Overall, this means a net increase in the quality of ideas and dialogue available, but I wonder how long before the censorship and stigmatization common to the traditional, offline Orthodox world sets in to the point where it is no longer worth it to participate in the conversation. It wouldn't surprise me if, in three years time, your kids could get suspended from school for what you write on your blog.

Domo Arigato

グレッグ ガーシュマン of ブログディガー

I'm fairly certain the above is my name transliterated into Japanese. Tip o' the hat to Wired News - Japan.

You know you've made it when...

I believe in Hollywood it's a significant indication that you've "made it" when they make an action figure out of you. Well, in the music industry, the equivalent indicator it might be when you guest-star as yourself in a cartoon (for example, any number of Simpsons episodes, or Korn on South Park). O.A.R. got their nod thanks to an online comic called College University. Check out Episode nine, featuring O.A.R.. Viewer discretion is advised as one of the main characters appears to be a giant monkey wearing only briefs. My only critique would be that Benj's widow's peak needs to be a bit bigger.

In all seriousness, this stuff is pretty good; there are some genuinely funny parts, the timing and delivery is good, and the animation is acceptable, certainly in the post-South Park era. It's important to realize that there is now stuff online that is just as good, if not better, than what's on your television.

Extracurricular Activities

I've had precious little "free" time to focus on intellectually stimulating activities as of late; the deepest would be either Entertainment Weekly or listening to Rushmore in the background while working. I'm hoping to scrounge up some free time around the spring semester this year, since, according to the YU Commentator, Dr. Alan Brill is giving a class on "Modern Orthodoxy" (it appears to be a historical, rather than practical, course; those interested in the dressing and mating habits of the MO need look elsewhere). The best part is that the lectures will be simulcast online. Details, links, etc. are available at Lamed, a new blog by Atid.