Popular Culture

OMG! This is a whole phenomenon. Via Librarian's Matter, I found more Code Monkeys. Here's my favorites :

• The Anime One
• Awesome Clockwork Orange version
• Those Asian dudes
• OMFG! A machinima version made with "The Movies Game", for a machinima show called TrashTalk ... Sweet!
• And another machinima version made with Sims2.

I have just wasted almost an hour of my life following my sons recent obsession. LOL!

This post wouldn't be complete if we didn't include the original code monkey. I give you, Steve Ballmer --Microsoft's Monkey Boy-- The Remix :

1. Obama Gangster Rap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhMCiFLdJyg

2. Hip Hop For Obama - Public Service Announcement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLHvHT7ysx8

3. Fallen Angels, feat Barack Obama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFj1WFPSfdc

4. Common for Barack Obama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1dc6KcGeQw

5. Representin' Obama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9IHM4XL_Ws

6. "Party Like Obama" by The Obama Boyz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHqg_g8lq10

7. Do the Obama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maqF2FpnZy8

8. Barack Obama Rap Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaMccee1iOY

9. Something about the man/Yes We Can Remix
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw4fRvFhuh4

10. Yes We Can
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY

When it looked like Hillary Clinton was winning New Hampshire, I hit the exit poll data to see what patterns emerged. I found that compared to Iowa, there were less voters of the "Hip Hop Generation".

Jeff Chang puts the birth of this demographic at 1968 given the historical importance of the year. I'll play devil's advocate and say that the HHG goes back to 1963 with :

I believe the measure of a leader is in their ability to inspire their supporters creatively.

Will.I.Am said of his remix of Obama's New Hampshire speech :

"It made me reflect on the freedoms I have, going to school where I went to school, and the people that came before Obama like Martin Luther King, presidents like Abraham Lincoln that paved the way for me to be sitting here on ABCNews and making a song from Obama's speech," will.i.am said.

"The speech was inspiring about making change in America and I believe what it says and I hope everybody votes," Dylan said.

I believe the measure of a leader is in their choice to engage supporters as collaborators in the building of a social and political future. The difference between a campaign and a movement is in how people take the political moment as a call to action, regardless of whether the powers that be are there to reward them :

O. M. F. G. This is really awesome.

I direct you to the latest press release coming from the government run and financed website for the Committee on Energy and Commerce Republicans. It seems that Congressman Joe Barton has a hyperactive funny bone and since the SCHIP debacle broke out, he's been using the website as a place to issue his one-man smackdowns to any and all supporters of SCHIP.

Joe Barton uses The Simpsons for SCHIP-bashing: Republicans using their goernment websites for snarky purposes. Cool!

Here's the link to the first one I noticed, The ‘C’ in SCHIP Is for Children, Except When It’s Not. Today Mr. Barton issued a new release, Bipartisanship on SCHIP!. This one will go down into the annals of the US Congress history as not only an excellent example of Fair Use (something a lot of Republicans stand against), and the First Amendment, but it stands are proof positive that those stodgy conservatives are hip to the popculty times.

Starring "Republican" businessman Montgomery Burns and "Democrat" Mayor Joe Quimby, the press release goes on to depict how the bill is not about the kids but all about the greed. A bipartisan greed that, by the way, is aided an abetted by MoveOn.org and the head of the Democratic Caucus, Rahm Emanuel.

I. Kid. You. Not.

WTF!

The full bipartisan greedy fun after the jump :

Republicans using their goernment websites for snarky purposes. Cool!

I honestly don't know how the writers of The Daily Show manage to put out such good work day in and day out.

Hat Tip to Jeffrey Feldman.

I wish I knew who took this photograph of the Belligerent Four. This is not just a photo. It is a metaphor for the Bush Administration.

And, by the way, if you want to know all about The Decepticons, go to Wikipedia.

Black Angelina

This ad for A Mighty Heart has been cycling through our site and just have to comment on it.

I sincerely still do not what to make of Angelina Jolie playing a black (albeit light-skinned) woman.

Yeah, sure, Marianne Pearl is her BFF but still, the former struggling actress in me just goes, Damn!

I can't help but see this as yet another example of how, not just latina neither just black, but black latina actresses are rendered invisible by the Hollywood crowd.

Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud) Lyrics

Now we demand a chance to do things for ourself

We're tired of beatin' our head against the wall

And workin' for someone else

We're people

We're just like the birds and the bees

We'd rather die on our feet

Than be livin' on our knees

Say it loud

I'm black and I'm proud