Good Stupid

The New Yorker, that most ivory of aesthetic towers and highest of Critic-with-a-capital-C dudgeon, loves Wipeout, the absolutely amazing summer throw-away "competition show" (as TNY calls it) on ABC. Somebody (Gawker? Mollie? I just can't TELL ANYMORE!) once referred to it as "Guts for grown-ups," which is EXACTLY what it is, except in the water, and (obviously, in these oh-so po-mo times), 300% snarkier. I think the final obstacle in Wipeout is way less hard than that final huge chaff-and-boulders-and-shit-spewing mountain at the end of Guts.

I first caught it at the beginning of the summer (maybe the 1st ep, even) at Mollie's, cause she and Rach don't pay for cable. Which is to say: Mollie and I (especially I) are fucking BLEEDING EDGE cultural mavens.

IMHO

So I read Julia Allison's tumblr (or whatever)—voluntarily, so I get what I deserve, I guess. So today:

“He just doesn’t bullshit. And he doesn’t suffer bullshitters. Which is so rare that people think he’s being a dick. But he’s not. He’s just being honest.” - me talking to Ronen about Marco

She quotes herself. That's it. (Actually, the self-quotage is the title, and the post itself is merely self-attribution and name-dropping.)

I knew she was a fameball (to use Gawker's delightful neologism), and I'm fine with that. This, however, strikes me as just tacky. Look to Socrates: the point is to be witty, or insightful, or provocative enough so that other people record your words posteritati. Quoting something you said earlier IRL on your own blog is the equivalent of telling the same story to everyone you know, all the time, forever.

Not a good look, Julia.

Random @Work Stuff

I. This profoundly bitter-yet-accurate Ken Layne article. It's why people need not to spend too long in D.C. He is right, though, is the worst part.
(Via Gawker)

II.
DARPA's ("Immanetizing the Eschelon Since 1973") new "robot pack mule:"

IT STUMBLES AND GETS UP! NOT OK.
(Via PopSci, ultimately via Daniel)