TDS/TCR (Meta)

TDS/TCR (Meta)

India Jones Part 3

The Pillow Montana Uses To Practice Kissing

I meta process a lot because I view pedagogy as one of my most important roles (“Oh, my my my, what an eager little mind. You won’t need some of these words for months and months.”).  The goal is to make my readers feel as comfortable expressing their own unique artisic vision as I am by discussing some of the choices that inform my own work and demonstrating that it’s not as hard to do as you might think.

In this particular case I’d like to explain why I’ve decided to include some familiar material in Geithner Extended (available in Earth Tones and Relentless Winter and it’s not just to fill up space (though it does an admirable job and that function is also important to the overall design).

The obvious reason is reinforcement by repetition.  The most charitable explantation of Geithner’s actions is that he’s an ignorant idiot.  Any student of Samuelson who actually achieved more than a courtesy ‘C’ in Econ 101 could tell you they’re non-sensical and self contradictory on their face, one need not be a Nobel Laureate like Krugman or Stiglitz; and denial of his policy’s abject failure if not classically delusional is a best an egotistical self defense mechanism.  Other explanations, while likely true, are more cynical and sinister.

However there is a more subtle nuance to which I’d like to draw your attention.

One great lesson I learned at Daily Kos is that most web surfing is remarkably shallow.  Markos is militant that Front Page pieces appear in their entirety on the Front Page not because he isn’t a hit whore (he’s said as much many times), but because he knows that people never click the links, even to read the bulk of an article.  It’s a time honored journalistic tradition called pyramiding, putting a short summary at the top (who, what, when, where, why, and how; or in an essay or speach- telling people what you’re about to say, saying it, and then telling them what you said).  If your object is maximum impact on the web you make your writing as accessible as possible which translates to in your face and short, otherwise it’s tl;dr (too long; didn’t read, now I’m going to start a flame war based on my visceral reaction to your title which is all I care about and am capable of understanding).

I am such a rebel that many of my links are Easter Egg jokes.  What’s important is that they amuse me.

This matters less to me on Daily Kos where my likelihood of appearing on the Front Page can be measured in two words- ‘slim’ and ‘are you fucking kidding?’.  My readers there are either regulars or people who tune in through the ‘Recent Diaries’ list.  In any case the whole piece is visible since the effort is a pre-requisite.

On my own sites, The Stars Hollow Gazette and DocuDharma, I structure around it.

When I put up the embedded video of last night’s interview with Tim Geithner (something that is not possible at Daily Kos since they refuse to support iframe video, the only format offered from Comedy Central, because of some imaginary ability to use it to launch an exploit attack), I decided to include the material that, while it was part my cross posting of TDS/TCR (Unreliable Narrator), appeared below the fold where most visitors wouldn’t see it.

Likewise this musing which will appear above the fold at Daily Kos would take up too much Front Page space at my other two sites and I’ll probably spin it off as a separate piece for the guidance of my authors and readers who primarily use those.

Next week is repeats-

The Daily Show

• Monday Katie Couric (5/8) Episode Link
• Tuesday Mariano Rivera (5/5) Episode Link
• Wednesday Jim Parsons (5/15) Episode Link
• Thursday James McAvoy (5/19) Episode Link

The Colbert Report

• Monday Matt Weiner (5/20) Episode Link
• Tuesday Glenn Greenwald (5/12/14) Episode Link
• Wednesday Keri Russell (5/14) Episode Link
• Thursday Patrick Stewart (5/21) Episode Link

I will probably nap, not that it won’t be deserved.  Biggest Motor Sports weekend of the year what with the Turn Left Coke 600 (pfft, Bumper Cars- not covered), Indy 500 (also Bumper Cars, but open wheel and Richard likes them- covered), Monaco Grand Prix (of course covered even though it’s the slowest and most boring race on the Formula One circuit), and maybe the IMSA Continental Tire Challenge at Lime Rock (have to support the homes).

Oh and another Breakfast Club (hopefully shorter).

Sleeping the sleep of the just.

I might rouse myself to display the customary fill-ins at the usual places that support them (hint: not Daily Kos, see above) and maybe essay a treat or two if my muse bites me, but otherwise it’s up to you to make your own fun.

Drew Barrymore is the heir of the famous Barrymore clan and had a whole Era of rebellion.  Good for her.  She’ll be talking about Blended.

Ray Mabus is an actual Democrat (!= progressive, liberal, or left) who’s serving in the Defense Department!  Why Bob Gates again?  I’m a little deaf in that ear.

He’s currently Secretary of the Navy after having served as Governor of Mississippi for goodness sake!

Why bless your heart Barack.

His big controversies have swirled because of his temerity to name U.S. Capital Warships after (gasp) Democratic politicians when everybody knows only Republicans are warmongers.  He may or may not be on to discuss the (non) progress of cleanup after the Deepwater Horizon disaster and the BP ducking of responsibility for providing the settlements that they agreed to voluntarily by apealling to the USSC that they’re more expensive than their lawyers, accountants. and economists thought they would be.

Have I talked to you yet about how attending an Ivy or other elite University is the functional equivalent of a lobotomy?  Perhaps the week after next.