More on Palin

Andrew Sullivan's been leading the vanguard of anti-Palin sentiment on the web.

This reader comment is interesting.

Palin's pick is going to turn the heat up in this election to something more akin to the strident partisanship we've been used to over the past eight years. It will do so because this choice has removed deliberation and rational thought from the occasion. There is simply no rational, deliberate, honestly defensible reason why McCain chose her- so the defense from Republicans is going to appeal to emotion, gender dynamics, and strident partisan hatred.

There will be much hypocrisy coming from people who have leveled charges against Obama that now sound ludicrous in hindsight, but which will nonetheless be defended and twisted around.

Picking a woman was brilliant and strategically wise. But there are a number of strong Republican women who would have fit the bill and negated all of the criticism above- Kay Bailey Hutchison being but one.

By not picking one of the party's more qualified women, McCain has, in a way, passed them over in an even more cynical manner than many accuse Obama of passing over Hillary.

And now, Republicans are going to have to defend this choice, and there are no legitimate tools to use to do it.

Unfortunately for those who crave honest discourse in politics, though, Republicans have repeatedly demonstrated over the past eight years their deft ability to use illegitimate tools to gain power.

Sarah Palin

Bold pick by John McCain. Tactically, it's probably the smartest thing he could have done and it demonstrates a refreshing willingness to break away from the stodgy GOP conventional wisdom.

When I first heard about it, I thought it was a home run choice, neutral at worst, but likely very positive.

The more I think about it, though, I'm wondering about the possibilities for blowback. Specifically, what about all of the other Republican women out there who are surely more experienced than she is? What about the fact that Hillary Clinton fought for decades to get to where she is- and Palin's selection was clearly more a result of the big wheels of power turning and making a choice to cater to identity politics?

Choosing a woman was undoubtedly brilliant. Choosing a young, fresh unknown was possibly wise- but also exposes the choice to charges of gimmickry, pandering, and irresponsibility- particularly considering the legitimate concerns around McCain's age and health.

I think a lot is going to depend on how Sarah Palin gets defined over the next few days and weeks- and that will in large part depend on which side gets their message out most effectively.

Either way, it is now more clear than ever that women will be the key to this election.

John McCain's latest ad

Apparently this is going to air right around Obama's acceptance speech tonight:



Nice. I'm under no illusion that this is anything other than a calculated attempt to further woo people who don't like or trust Obama- but it's the kind of thing that's refreshing, compared to the sophomoric attack ads that are the norm.

I like this ad.

To further illustrate my point...

Check this out:



These people are 21st century bigots and sexists, simple as that.

Ubiquity

Holy crap!


Ubiquity for Firefox from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.

Quicksilver plus Firefox plus web mashups and more...

Unbelievable

Hillary Clinton's speech last night was fantastic. In 20 minutes, she demonstrated why she is one of the most remarkable politicians of our time, and displayed a passion for causes that were bigger than her.

How any of her die-hard supporters could listen to that speech and still not get behind Barack Obama just confounds me. I'm not trying to be coy- I just don't get it.

Here's a good article in the Washington Post about people who still aren't convinced that they should support Obama.

A key quote from one of Hillary's supporters: "She deserves it."

I think this gets right to the issue. Many of these people seem to think that Hillary Clinton is somehow entitled to the nomination, and that Barack Obama did not win it legitimately. Saying that she "deserves it" implies that either she deserves special treatment that puts her above the normal process, or that the normal process was not followed.

Is there really a legitimate case to be made that Obama stole the nomination using illegal or immoral tactics?

Unless that's the case- and I haven't seen any reputable people make any such claims- the "deserves it" crowd is really just operating on profound levels of sour grapes.

I realize there are large forces at work here that are emotional and cut to the core of people's self-identity, and to the struggles that people, and women in particular, have had to fight. But at this point, for anyone who supported Hillary Clinton for any reason beyond the simple fact of her gender to not continue to fight for her cause, which is now the election of Barack Obama, is raw absurdity and self-mockery.

Future Macs

Macworld has a great article summarizing the information Intel discussed at the Intel Developer Forum last week.

A lot of it sounds like true next-generation stuff: super-fast and efficient solid state hard drives, smarter multi-core processors, much faster memory access.

After years of evolutionary improvements, I suspect we're on the cusp of some really big changes in the fundamentals of power and processor performance, and I expect Apple will harness these changes to introduce new types of devices that continue to evolve the idea of computing.

"Marketing is about values"

I hadn't seen this Steve Jobs clip before. It's an instant classic for me. From 1997.



The cutaway, revealing that he's wearing shorts, is priceless.

Andrew Sullivan distills the choice

There's a lot to talk about, and argue, and debate, and wonder about in the upcoming election. From one vantage point, things are extremely complicated. But from another, perhaps more accurate point of view, things are actually quite simple.

Conservative columnist Andrew Sullivan reminds us how simple things really are:

"If you believe that we can tackle domestic problems and the rising debt without raising any taxes, then vote for McCain. If you believe that the problem with the last eight years has been an insufficient use of military force and an insufficiently aggressive hostility to other great powers, McCain is your man. If not, Obama is the right choice."

Simple. Beyond all of the other stuff- the Clintons, the VPs, off-shore drilling, number of houses owned, Jeremiah Wright, flag pins, race, the glass ceiling- all of it... we need to keep our eye on the prize.

The Clintons

Bill and Hillary Clinton have a choice to make: solidify their role in American history as steadfast fighters for their country, or vindicate their many detractors who paint them as nothing more than self-serving egomaniacs bent on destroying anything and everything that is not theirs.

This week's DNC convention is their opportunity to reveal their choice.

I look back at Bill Clinton's presidency as one of our nation's more successful. He governed with a skillful blend of social liberalism, economic conservatism, and overall deliberate, moderate thoughtfulness that has been sorely lacking in recent years. And he was a great speaker who inspired many at home and abroad.

Hillary Clinton has been a successful senator for New York, and ran an inspirational campaign for president. She started off deeply hated by many, and was able to win many followers- including myself for quite some time- as a result of her incredibly hard work, smart politics, and strong presence. She'd make a damn good president.

Barack Obama edged her out, fair and square. His primary strategy for racking up delegates in a broad spectrum of primaries and caucuses was superior to hers, which relied on the assumption of an inevitable series of big wins up front that would prove insurmountable down the line.

I can understand that a lot of Hillary's supporters have had a tough time coming to terms with losing something they had come to believe was impossible to lose. But just because they have had to adjust to a new reality does not mean that Obama didn't earn it, and that it's not real.

It is shocking to me how many of Hillary's supporters refuse to acknowledge Obama as their candidate. I'm not saying that Obama deserves all of Hillary's supporters for free, but it is starkly illustrative to see so many people who cared so deeply for Hillary Clinton saying that they would rather vote for John McCain than Barack Obama, or not vote at all.

People talk about Obama's cult of personality, and there's a hell of a lot of truth to that. But I think the cult of personality around Hillary is even more damning. At the end of the day, people who will vote against so much of what they stand for by choosing McCain over Obama are demonstrating that for them, the choice is more about the person- Hillary vs. Obama- than it is about the policies.

If Hillary Clinton is unwilling to do everything in her power to bring these people over to Obama, and to counter McCain's anti-Obama rhetoric which in recent days has sought to capitalize on this schism, then so be it: she will have chosen self-destruction for her party and her country as the price for a chance at personal gain down the road.

Same goes for Bill. Stop whining about the past. Acknowledge that Obama is the future. Accept your positive place in American history as a key building block on the road to this incredible future- please, don't tear it down.

Obama/Biden '08

As politicians go, Joe Biden is as good as they get. I've been a fan of his for a long time, and I couldn't be happier that Obama has added him to the ticket.

It's a great choice for many reasons and a signal that Obama can make the right decision when it matters.

I can't wait to see who McCain chooses. I really hope he goes with Romney, who would represent a calcification of the campaign around conventional wisdom and not provide any substantial boat rocking. I believe Biden trumps Romney in a net-net comparison.

If McCain were truly savvy and the maverick he used to be, he would pick a tough, economically-minded woman (such as Meg Whitman). That would alienate a lot of the pro-life Republican base (are there any strong pro-life Republican woman VP candidates?), but it would be a game changer.

Brilliant

"Well... it's seven. Seven houses."

I'm not a fan of negative political ads.

But they work, and Democrats traditionally suck at them. And John McCain has pulled even in the polls this week largely as a result of the success of his negative ads.

This one from Obama is surprisingly pointed. For something I don't really condone, I respect this ad:



Also a pretty strong dig at McCain's age via an attack on his memory. I'd call that low, but no lower than anything McCain's done.

"Boring conversation anyway."

Link courtesy Mike.

Flash

One of the best lightning strike videos I've seen. Thanks, Mike.

One of the best moments in sports- ever

Holy crap- just watched Michael Phelps come from behind to win by .01 seconds in the 100 meter butterfly and claim his 7th (and record-tying) gold medal at Beijing.

Between the context of the race within Phelps' personal quest, the race itself, and the stunning and almost impossible-to-believe manner in which Phelps touched the wall ahead of second-place Milorad Cavic... just jaw-droppingly awesome.

About the Chinese women's gymnastics team

Is she really 16?

Really?

The Phelps Diet

The more I learn about Michael Phelps, the more I admire him.

Check this out.

Historic

Nicolas Sarkozy and Kevin Nealon discuss the crisis in Georgia.

Cracks me up

Good commercial. "Really?!"



"It's gonna be a big week."

Dropping the other shoe?

I think the new iPod is going to be a bigger change from the iPod Touch than the iPhone 3G was from the original iPhone. Think sexier form factor (whatever that means), more storage, a camera, and GPS. Maybe some dramatic new software enhancements.

And it's going to be much cheaper.

The App store is exploding in a major way and Apple's new touch platform is taking off. Apple is going to want to hang as many devices and users off of that platform as fast as they can.

Since its announcement, the iPhone has eclipsed the iPod in terms of being the height of Apple coolness. The iPod had experienced years of dominance as the pocket device king, and then suddenly, the iPhone came and blew it out of the water. The iPod Touch was a first step in bringing the iPod up the iPhone's level, but it was an equalizer at best.

In some ways, I think the iPhone itself will be a transitional product, ultimately merging back into the iPod line. As good as the iPhone is for Apple, it has several serious limiting factors, not the least of which is the fact that it forces Apple to make partnerships with companies and an industry (the cell carriers) that seriously crimps Apple's style- and forces consumers to go through painful and expensive contortions to become customers.

None of these headaches exist with the iPod. And the only thing the iPhone can do that the iPod can't is connect to a cell network for voice and data services. Sure, that's a big thing right now, but I'm sure Apple is doing everything it can to bypass it. At some point in the future, it's likely that people will be able to have a voice or text conversation without needing to know what type of network is physically carrying the signal. EDGE? 3G? WiFi? WiMAX? It won't matter at all, as long as people can reliably connect with their contacts whenever they'd like. At some point, Apple will be able to- voila- yank the table cloth of cell phone network access out from our devices, and all of our important communications opportunities will remain intact.

So, back to my thesis. The iPhone 3G is selling like hotcakes, mostly due to its lower price. The App Store is going like gangbusters. Apple is expected to make new product announcements in the September timeframe. And we've got Apple's official comment about lower margins due to a "product transition" in the current quarter.

Sleeker MacBooks and/or MacBook Pros? Probably. A "tablet" Mac device that's like an iPhone-plus or a Mac-minus? Possibly, but doubtful.

To me, all signs point to the rebirth of the iPod line, reinvented as a series of devices that are, at the high end, like the iPhone 3G on steroids (absent the cell aspect). I think the Shuffle will stay at the low end, but there's a good chance that the Classic will go away and everything else will run a variation of the OS X-based iPhone OS.

I'm probably wrong, but it's fun, as always, to speculate.

"It's like these guys take pride in being ignorant."

This is a few days old now, but worth seeing if you haven't. Obama making fun of Republicans making fun of his tire inflation tip. My friend Jordan says Obama is like pornography for people who like their politicians reasonable. Enjoy the money shot.

Big day

So 08/08/08 has indeed proven to be a big news day.

Opening day of the Olympics, of course. War between Russia and
Georgia. Big movement on Wall Street vis-a-vis oil prices. John
Edwards concedes he had an affair and lied about it during his
campaign (schmuck).

And it's only 3pm.

Cool slow motion lightning video

The death of me

https://quikorder.pizzahut.com/phorders2/mobilelogin.php

-Jeff

"I guess that's pretty awesome."

"Life is a breeze..."

So said Larry King.

"...those of us with herculean appetites for the diverse and the bizarre..."