The timer on the site is winding down (what do you mean two days?!?) and I wanted to put something non-baby related up, as I think there might be an upcoming series of posts about babies. Just a hunch.
So here are two things, totally unrelated, that I wanted to mention.
First: Michael Moore’s new documentary – Slacker Uprising
3 years ago I applauded Michael Moore for making his documentaries available online for free, for taking a rational stance on making monies from his craft.
Now I hear that his next documentary is going to skip theaters and head straight to the digital realm – again for free. It looks to be an interesting take on voter behavior in the U.S., and seems to be timed well with the upcoming U.S. election – but is anyone surprised? I thought not.
“This is being done entirely as a gift to my fans. The only return any of us are hoping for is the largest turnout of young voters ever at the polls in November.” – Michael Moore
On a related note, its too bad this whole digital distribution thing still hasn’t really taken off in over 3 years. Seriously, how long does this kind of thing take? It felt like overnight that tapes were replaced by CDs. Maybe the upcoming release of Ghostbusters on a USB drive will help? No, I don’t think so either. Maybe if they dropped the stupid DRM and didn’t charge a fortune ($60!) for a $5 piece of hardware and a $15 movie?
Why do people support these kind of commercial endeavors? Why don’t more people “get” digital distribution. It will be interesting to see if Moore’s film has any DRM involved.
Second: Russ Hiebert is gearing up for an election in my town, and he’s once again showing why I don’t want to vote for him.
He has sent out a letter to, well, everyone that can vote as far as I can see. In it he asks a few questions about our view on how the Conservative government has performed, where they can improve, etc. It seems like a really good idea and I applaud his efforts to try to get a sense of his constituent’s wants in a government.
So far, so good. However the first question just makes me fume a little bit. It exemplifies why I hate politics, as it boldly states that Russ is not, in fact, interested in my opinion, but rather looking for support for his government’s work. And he phrases the question in a way that basically suggests that if I am not supporting his government, I’m slightly sociopathic and mean-spirited.
Here is his first question – a multiple choice:
Which statement below best reflects your opinion on how to deal with climate change?
- We need to address climate change, if at all, based on a balanced plan with carbon emission reduction targets for industry, but not at the cost of more taxes, lost jobs and higher prices for consumer goods.
- We need to do whatever it takes to reduce carbon emissions and set an example for other countries even if it means adopting a carbon tax that will result in the loss of jobs and higher prices for consumers.
So let me get this straight – either I’m with the Conservative government and think that the Liberal-supported carbon tax is a mistake, or I’m a left-leaning extremist who wants people to lose their jobs and everyone paying more out of their pocket?
Wow, thanks for really asking me my opinion. Hey, how about next time you include a third option – you could even leave it blank so you actually hear what I think rather than what you want to hear?