Nicholsclan.com : a dimension of mind...

Kinda gives new meaning to the phrase "Eat your heart out".

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Obviously still a few Kurt Vonnegut fans out there.

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And I've been meaning to write about this, but dang if this columnist didn't nail my sentiment dead on. So in the interest of recycling...

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Okay, so I haven't been writing lately. I've been a bit consumed. Sure, there's holiday shopping and parent-teacher conferences and skits at school and enough corporate crap to fertilize Montana... but that's not really the problem. You see, I got a new truck last week. After 10 years with the "big green truck", it was time to nudge it gently into retirement and move on.

The transition resulted in some odd reactions. My 8-year old son was brought to tears at the prospect of me selling "the only truck he'd ever known." It was really a bit heartbreaking and I seriously considered keeping it for awhile. On other fronts, most every woman I know has now revealed that they never really liked the color of the old truck anyway. I'm not offended by that. I liked the color, probably in part because it was a little "odd". I'm okay with that. However, I'm bewildered why their opinion was a secret for a decade. These are the same women who would not (and have not) hesitated to tell me that just because two colors co-exist in nature is not a reason why I should be wearing them both on the same day.

Anyway, so I finally got the new girl last week. It is one "big honkin" truck. Ram Quad Cab 4x4, but most important... it's got a Hemi. Okay, so it's partly a marketing gimmick. But damn if it isn't a kick in the teeth to feel that power flow when you step on the gas. For the first two days I was genetically compelled to make Tim Taylor grunting sounds while driving. The boys and I are busy now "decorating" the new truck with all the appropriate gizmos, gadgets, and accessories befitting my new baby. When we're done, maybe we'll start on the Christmas Tree.

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How's about a little something to get you into the Christmas spirit??

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Virtual reality steps in to answer a question you've always wondered about.

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Obviously, the Russians have access to way better recreational drugs then we do. See the evidence for yourself.

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Where was this when I needed it?

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Are the so-called terrorists winning in Iraq? Maybe. But before exploring that, I'd like to explore my use of the adjective "so-called". Americans have been adamant that the strikes against the U.S. forces in Iraq are acts of terror. To the extent that many victims have been Arab, yes, these are acts of terror - toward them. It's not clear that an occupying military force can claim retaliatory strikes against them to be acts of terror any more than they would like to be considered terrorists for having invaded in the first place. Tactically, there is no line between guerrilla warfare and terrorism. The distinguishing factor is the target. If the target is military, then it's warfare. Remember that Bush declared the hostilities over, but Iraq never formally surrendered. It's reasonable to think that many of them rightfully feel they are still at war. I know if the U.S. were under control of an occupying army, I'd sure be out conducting stealth warfare. I wouldn't consider myself a terrorist.

Now, to the question of whether or not the insurgency is having an effect... I'm thinking it is. The Italians are discouraged. The Red Cross is discouraged. Few other countries are eager to engage. And now the U.S. announces it is accelerating its timetable for returning control to the natives. In other words, we'd like fewer of our guys in harm's way as well. Certainly an understandable strategy. But it's hard to look at that and not think that it is in no small part motivated by the attacks on American troops and the resultant decreasing popularity rating at home.

But we need to be careful here. The attackers have already demonstrated their willingness to attack Arabs they believe are pro-American. Clearly the new Iraq soldiers and police officers will be perceived as being American pawns. Yet these people have to go home at night. They will be enormous targets. Once enough soldiers and police are killed, who is going to want that job? Or worse yet, what if those folks sell out and become double-agents of sorts. Pacifying America so that it loosens its grip and weakens its presence until the old regime (or a similar new one) can sweep in and (re)emerge.

It's not so far fetched. I may disagree with how we got here, but we could double our stupidity if we do a careless job getting out. We are still in Germany, Japan, and Korea after half a century. We need to brace for the fact that we are going to be in Iraq for that long as well. It would behoove us to recognize that we are still at war in Iraq, and we should conduct ourselves accordingly. At this juncture, it's our fastest road to peace. The citizens of Iraq are not yet ready to manage themselves. We need to get them there. But merely changing timetables doesn't alter the culture and nurture the skills, patience, and determination of the people. That stuff takes time, and a lot of it.

The world seems determined to make us lie in the bed we made for ourselves. And well they should.

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I saw the movie Matrix Revolutions this weekend. If you're still planning to see it, wait to rent the DVD. I loved the original Matrix film. It had a slick style and opened a whole can of philosophical problems related to defining reality. The second installment deepened the story and the mystery. It got a little carried away with some of the special effects and seemed to have an utter disregard for the primary premise for the human enslavement in the first place. But at least it had one of the best car chases in recent cinema.

The third, and hopefully final installment, in the trilogy loses its focus entirely. It wraps up the plot, but concludes none of the story. There is no character development, and it gets so lost in surreal special effects that you completely lose interest in the battle scenes. It won't surprise you that they leave open the possibility for additional movies. Hopefully they'll come to their senses before then and just finish the tale as a comic book. It suddenly fits that genre better.

Terminator 3 was a least a good throwback to the silly sci-fi flicks of the 50's, albeit with better effects. The new Matrix takes itself dead serious. Go if you must, but plan to really enjoy the popcorn. It'll be the most satisfying part.

~ Don't read past here if you don't want the plot spoiled ~

A few of the problems I have:

- Humans are required as "batteries" to power the machines. Yet machines have ample power for just about anything. Clearly have levitation technology. Can drill deep in the earth. But cannot launch flying or orbital solar collectors? It's sunny up there over the clouds! They also cannot seem to tap into the extensive geothermal power which lights up Zion.

- They at least offered that the machines have come to depend on the Matrix to lend them purpose. A nice symbiotic angle and one which explains why power may no longer be the reason for enslavement. But they never developed this. If the "machines" are really "programs" that like to live in the virtual Matrix space, then what is the Machine City all about?

- Why does Neo have powers outside the Matrix? He somehow merged with the machines in the end in order to defeat Smith. (He "ascended", if you go with the religious allegory, after giving himself to save Zion) But that would confirm the machine's role as "God". That was everything Neo fought against. Hardly satisfying.

- Given that Zion had invested a lot of technology in defending itself from machine attack, doesn't it seem odd they didn't have a few EMPs around? Hell, I'd have had a couple of guns at the door to get the occasional stray sentinel and a few hundred EMPs to defend against annihilation. But that's just me.

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Yup... this is just what I'm looking for in a mate.

Dennis Kucinich asserted he was looking for a "woman who was fearless in her desire for peace in the world and for universal single-payer health care and a full employment economy." Is that guy gonna score in singles bars or what?

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Reality TV? Is that what we are to make of the reality-based mini-series triple threat being released by the networks? The Reagans, Jessica Lynch, and Elizabeth Smart are all new victims of exploitation. And in the latter two cases, they are willing victims, so it's hard to muster much sympathy.

But in all cases they are mustering my ire. I have grave concerns about our appetite for info-tainment. That grey area where stylized and theatrically enhanced plays are put on "based on reality". And I suppose I'm most annoyed by this trend because I don't think as a people we are smart enough to tell the difference. History becomes these fictionalized tales after a fashion. To wit: the history of Jack Kennedy for most everyone who's not a presidential scholar has become Oliver Stone's version in JFK.

It is understandable. Real documentaries and historical texts don't have the eye-gluing appeal of these tales which "kick it up a notch" to hold your interest. And there is ample historical precedent here. Who could argue that Odysseus is remembered outside Homer's Odyssey? Did Homer elaborate the tale to hold his readers? Probably. So I have to admit that I'm on shaky ground here. Where is the line? Where is it okay to bend truth in the interest of appealing to simple human interest? Is it better to be ignorant or misinformed? Given the number of accounts lately of journalists being called on the carpet for outright fabrication of facts, this is clearly an area people are wrestling with everywhere.

The networks would claim that these mini-series are clearly entertainment as they are not produced by their news organizations. But in a TV line-up where news magazines run in prime-time and reality TV is among the most popular new form of programming, is it a stretch to think the viewers might be confused? If the story is really intended to be fictional, then change the names and some of the basic story elements. The plot and theme could be preserved, but by making a few substantive changes the story could be distanced from the news. If you are going to tell the Jessica Lynch story, and bill it as that, then tell the story accurately, and where doubt exists present the evidence. But this won't happen. A made-for-TV movie about a generic young girl captured by enemy forces and rescued by her comrades probably wouldn't generate the eyeball share that Jessica would. It ultimately comes down to what sells.

...and ultimately that says more about us than it does about the opportunists who exploit our inability to quell our voyeuristic lustings.

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Geeky Fun...

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The quote of the day comes from Lyndon Johnson...

"Did you ever think that making a speech on economics is a lot like pissing down your leg? It seems hot to you, but it never does to anyone else."

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This is oddly peaceful and relaxing... Kind of like Twain on LSD.