Author Archives: Jeff Porten

First CES story up: CES’s 2019 Tech Trends: Big Data, 5G, AI, AR/VR, Autonomous Vehicles—and Bigger TVs – TidBITS

Ah, apparently we just have openly double standards now. New Democratic congresswoman Rashida Tlaib makes profane vow about Trump

“And I never chanted LOCK HER UP or created memes showing her in prison, but I did laugh a little at those memes, because the thought of this accomplished woman behind bars with all her agency stripped away from her was funny to me.” I Don’t Hate Women Candidates — I Just Hated Hillary and Coincidentally I’m Starting to Hate Elizabeth Warren

Democrats now experiencing the feeling of waking up at 6 AM at age 7 and remembering it’s Christmas morning.

The new Congress: Pelosi retakes House gavel as shutdown continues

The alacrity with which Republicans are trying to paint AOC as rich is stunning. I really don’t get it; they frequently criticize us for hating the rich but now want to encourage it. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter

Um. Okay. So I guess from now on, we should treat police with all the respect we would give any bureaucrat with a gun? U.S. judge says law enforcement officers had no legal duty to protect Parkland students during mass shooting

Review of La Traviata (everything but, uh, the music and performances).

Met Opera: La Traviata (Fathom Events) review | The Vast Jeff Wing Conspiracy

Met Opera: La Traviata (Fathom Events) review

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Saw the Met Opera’s La Traviata tonight at Mazza Gallerie in DC. They do a series through Fathom Events, a live Saturday performance broadcast to theaters, with an encore the following week. You see it on those two days or not at all. Saturday performance in Philly was sold out when I decided to go the day before; Wednesday night showing was in a 3/4s full theater. (Of the kind of people who laughed at whatever the director said when he responded to a question in French.)

Can’t comment on the performance, totally unqualified, so let’s just assume among the best you can see. Unsurprisingly, a bit less affecting than some live operas I’ve seen, but better than the one or two where I could tell I was seeing meh performances. (I got teary, but I also cried during Spider-Man last week, so take with a grain of salt.) A nice treat to have camera angles to actually see what the hell is happening, as the seats I’ve been able to afford generally means that performers through opera glasses are still the size of Lego figures.

Also: subtitles! I actually knew what the hell was going on. Which made me realize that the story is about very silly people doing incomprehensible things with the sort of melodrama that would make telenovela characters say, “Chica, you’re laying it on a bit thick.” But, you know, opera.

Recommended for casual fans who surprise themselves by going <raises hand>, and for folks who have never seen one and want to find out if they’re missing anything. Also perhaps a gateway drug for advanced kids this way. The subtitles make it much more approachable, and the ticket price ($28 where I was) likewise.

Going forward, I’m not sure if I’m interested in seeing the operas I’ve never heard of, but I’ll definitely try to go to the canon performances: the rest of this season includes Carmen and Die Valkure (aka the Apocalypse Now theme song). I might actually be able to say something useful about Carmen; I’ve seen it before. Full listing here, including some other snooty arts like ballet (which I might give a try).

Great, now Beth Takahashi can be a remorseless assassin in virtual reality, too. (Still nursing brutal ass-handings I received in 1993.)

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