I really like Patagonia’s environmental impact statements on their product pages.

Saw this on Tumblr and just can’t get over what a good idea it is. The goedzak is a clear trash bag for things that aren’t trash, but that you don’t want anymore.

I put some stuff out on my stoop over the weekend – it’s a common thing in Brooklyn if you have stuff that’s still good but you don’t want. These bags would make that even more fun and lend a community feeling to it.

Here are some ways I didn’t jump the shark this year:

• I didn’t make jokes about Doomsday.
• I didn’t talk about Festivus.
• I didn’t make a reference to Baby It’s Cold Outside being about date rape.
• I haven’t posted or retweeted any “Top X of 2012″ lists.

You’re welcome, internet.

Got this from TNR’s publisher today:

Problem is that I’m already a subscriber. And they know that. And this is the guy who helped advance micro-targeting. C’mon!

This is interesting and fun for Kubrick fans. His daughter, Vivian Kubrick, shot a documentary on the set of The Shining.

UPDATE: A new video shows George Zimmerman with no apparent injuries on the night of the killing.

I get so dispirited by the state of American discourse, which all too often comes down to not acknowledging any part of the truth, or even a potential fact, that doesn’t agree with one’s current opinion.

Because of it, I have to open up this post by saying I think George Zimmerman is culpable in the death of Trayvon Martin. Otherwise, I’ll be attacked for being an apologist for a man who I think is a racist reactionary who shot an innocent boy. That said, the story is more complex than we originally believed.

Here are the facts as we know them, first those that are undisputed, then from Martin’s point of view, then from Zimmerman’s, followed up by an attempt to reconcile the accounts.

The undisputed facts:

• George Zimmerman began following Trayvon Martin in a gated neighborhood in Sanford, FL.
• Zimmerman called 911 and reported a suspicious person he was following.
• The dispatcher told Zimmerman to stop following Martin, and that police were on the way.
• Zimmerman resisted to give his name and contact information to the police dispatcher, then hung up the phone.
• Several 911 calls from neighbors record a scuffle, a man screaming for help, and a single gunshot.
• In the time between hanging up and the police arrival, Zimmerman shoots and kills Trayvon Martin.

• Trayvon Martin walked to the store for some Skittles and an iced tea.
• It was raining, and Martin had a hoodie on.
• On the phone, Martin told a friend that a creepy man was following him.
• The friend advised Martin to run, and Martin said he’d walk faster to get away.
• The friend hears a scuffle on the phone, the call drops.
• Martin is shot dead by George Zimmerman.

• George Zimmerman was driving to the store and spotted what he called a suspicious person.
• Zimmerman stopped and parked his SUV, got out, and began following Martin.
• He called 911 and reported a suspicious person. The reason for his suspicion is unknown.
• Martin confronted and assaulted Zimmerman, at which point he shot the teen in self defense.
• During the fight, Zimmerman sustained injuries, including a broken nose, and abrasions on his head, and perhaps other injuries, but refused medical treatment.

A few notes on recent TV.

NBC’s Smash:
I wanted to like you. Really, I did. As a gay man who can’t stand Glee, I’ve been feeling left out of the club for years. But I’m over it. Unlike a lot of folks, I like both Debra Messing and Katharine McPhee as Julia and Karen, respectively. But Julia flipping out about her son smoking pot, in 2012? Totally and utterly unbelievable, and Messing seems like she’s on the verge of laughing each time she is forced to treat it like a capital case. Let’s not even talk about Ellis, or even worse, Dev. Ugh Dev.

Lilyhammer:
This one you may not have heard of, but it’s Netflix’s first foray into original programming.  Starring Steven Van Zandt (of Springsteen *and* Sopranos fame) as a mobster who moves to Norway as part of the witness protection program, the series is comedically very fun. It manages to strike the balance between drama and comedy that The Sopranos was so good at, which is an impressive feat.

Or if not “all,” then a whole heckuva lot:

Analyze away, amateur (and professional) psychologists and culturati!

Was feeling creative last night and had a bunch of fun with the #lazyfilms meme: Continue reading →