Pandora and the Music Genome Project

Pretty interesting project. You just type in some of your favorite artists into the Pandora database and not only do they bring up similar music, but they play it for you. Then, as you listen you can give songs positive or negative ratings, thus further tailoring your sound that you like, all the while discovering new artists that match your tastes.

Frustrations with "Family Values"

Recently I was forwarded an "Action Alert" email from a friend, which I discovered was orginally sent out by the American Family Association, "America's Largest Pro-Family Action Site" (or so their website tells me). What frustrated me was the content of the email, for the alert was announcement that Wal-Mart was supporting the "homosexual agenda" with thousands of dollars and therefore must be boycotted by Americans with real "family values."

We can debate whether this "homosexual agenda" is a good or bad thing another time though, for what especially struck me was the fact that this "Pro-Family" organizaiton was only now speaking out against Wal-Mart, as if the insidious corporation has done nothing to seriously harm families in the past. Homosexual marriage and other issues may be important to some degree in relation to families, but I seriously question whether they are more important than people being paid fairly, provided with basic health-care needs, and respected in their communities, all three of these things that Wal-Mart is notoriously known for violating. Frankly, I am much more convinced that when these conditions are not met adequately families will struggle more, than I am that increased homosexual activity will tear families apart.

Examples like this also force me to ask, how did "conservative" and/or "religious" groups ever develop a notion of "family values" so narrow as only that which is sex-related? These same types of people seem to blaim our culture for being too sex-obsessed, something that may be true, but perhaps they also need to look at where their own criticisms lie. As far as I can tell, even if a general excessive sex-craze is one of the problems in the world today, it is far from the only one. In the end, I suppose what I'm trying to say then, is that if the American Family Association is really pro-family, they should have been protesting and boycotting Wal-Mart a long, long time ago.

New "Must See" Movies

So I've decided that I won't be posting again until I have the time to type up something a little deeper and more serious (which may not be until Thanksgiving).

In the mean time, however, enjoy these 2 trailers I came across for the new versions of Jaws and The Shining: