Sheriff Jolaoso is a Senior majoring in Computer Engineering. His research involves analyzing electroencephalographical (EEG) data in order to find and establish trends between humans under specific testing conditions. To learn more about Sheriff's resarch pursuits, read his research profile.
]]>Do you find yourself shaking your head in disbelief or shouting at the telelvision screen during US televised debates? We would like to offer you a more sane alternative. Join us on Twitter tonight during the CNN GOP debate. You can participate in the discussion or just watch as others they shake their head in disbelief and shout at their telelvision screens in 140 characters.
You can find us at www.twitter.com/usdemocrazy
]]>WARNING: this post is for dorks only.
It’s hard to say how many people today are fans of Shakespeare.
Maybe because he didn’t write Hamlet in 140 characters. Regardless, there is a new movie out that contends the worlds greatest writer never wrote a single character.
Furthermore, that daring movie is excellently critiqued by James Shapiro over at the New York Times.
“Anonymous” makes a cinematic argument that those impenetrably dense plays you were forced to read in high school were actually the product of the Earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere.
The theory goes like this; Shakespeare was not noble and did not have a noble education, de Vere was and did.
De Vere’s life closely mirrors some of the plays in Shakespeare’s name. Finally, de Vere was the illegitimate child of the (not so) virgin Queen Elizabeth and could not put his name on his work for political reasons.
The problem? None of these theories are substantial. As Shapiro puts it:
Promoters of de Vere’s cause have a lot of evidence to explain away, including testimony of contemporary writers, court records and much else that confirms that Shakespeare wrote the works attributed to him. Meanwhile, not a shred of documentary evidence has ever been found that connects de Vere to any of the plays or poems.
So, ok… a movie is just a movie right?
True… except Sony Pictures has been circulating lesson plans to teachers that are based on Anonymous. This speaks to our culture; we live in an age and a place where believability is based on digestibility, truth by 140 characters.
De Vere himself describes this phenomenon perfectly in the movie…
He is quoted in Anonymous saying “all art is political … otherwise it is just decoration.”
He believes in the power of propaganda, which is really what this movie is doing; rewriting history using style instead of facts as an authority.
]]>Mr. Emmerich has made a film for our time, in which claims based on conviction are as valid as those based on hard evidence.
There isn’t much commentary for this one. I guess we’re just as surprised as everyone else about Herman Cain’s singing voice.
Here’s a transcript of the lyrics:
Imagine there’s no pizza
I couldn’t if I tried
Eating only tacos
Or Kentucky Fried
Imagine only burgers
It’s frightening and sad
You’re lucky you have pizza
To feed for kids for you
Only frosting or cookies
And no dishes you must do
Imagine eating pizza
Each and every day
You may say that it’s junk food
But to me it’s so much more
It gives my life its meaning
And it makes a lot of dough
Imagine mozzarella
Anchovies on the side
And maybe, pepperoni
Rounds out your pizza pie
Imagine getting pizza
Delivered to your door
You don’t have to give up now
On my skateboard I will go
I’ll be back in 30 minutes
I just bought Dominoes
All I am saying
Is give pizza a chance
All I am saying
Give pizza a chance!
All I am saying
Is give pizza a chance
All I am saying
You’ve got to, got to give pizza a chance!