Blog of Bermanism

I found this today:

It was posted on the comic xkcd, which totally rocks my geekiness factor.

I just find it incredibly amusing that someone had the creative inspiration along with a complete lack of things to do to come up with this. Sadly, I find the majority of this comic strip funny, but most of it requires supergeek status. Check it out anyhow.

/Rant on

You know the cliche, “Nice guys finish last.” An event occurred yesterday (that really pissed me off) that made me contemplate the way that I deal with people. I wondered very seriously, am I too nice?

I’m not going to get into the details of that issue, but I have noticed on several occasions that people who want things their way and make a big stink about it when it doesn’t go their way, tend to get what they want! I, on the other hand, am constantly filtering all of the things that come to my mind and watching what I do very carefully. I am always careful to make sure that I think through all of the consequences of my actions before I do something or say something and that I play fair at all times. I suppose I strive to be as reasonable as possible. Given the success of those that ignore these niceties, I have to wonder, should I try that tactic? Wil Wheaton says, “Don’t be a Dick!” I usually agree with that sentiment. However, in nearly all things in my life, I feel like I’m behind the curve, mostly because I’m unwilling to step on other people’s toes to get to where I want to be. And the weirdest part of all of this is that there are people in my life, that I see every day, that still don’t like me, despite the fact that I go to great lengths to make sure everyone is happy. What gives?

Don’t worry, I have no intention of turning into one of these people, I just feel that I have to air my concerns. I feel like if I were an ass to some people in my life, that things that I’ve been waiting on for years would finally get done. I might also be able to secure positions in my recreational life that are important to me. But, there is something to be said for meeting and exceeding your goals on your own merit. Without a doubt, it is much more difficult to accomplish your goals this way, and it takes a lot more time. But, I’m convinced that the end result carries much more weight and people tend to respect it more. People that bully their way to the top, or pay their way there, probably have trouble sleeping at night (or, maybe not, but I would).

Anyway, I suppose the conclusion from this little introspective is that I am too nice. But, being nice suits me, and I’ll end up being proud of my accomplishments instead of depending on success for happiness. I may need to man up and confront issues that rub me the wrong way more often, but I’ll do it in a way that stays true to being a reasonable human. It’s interesting, growing up and all the way through college and graduate school, I prided myself on my ability to confront my issues head on and quell potentially inflammatory situations before they arose. Now, I find myself falling into a state of passive aggressiveness rather than forcing confrontation. I think my experiences at work have driven this change in my personality. I think that I need to meet somewhere in the middle of those two personas and confront my issues in a way that is less inflammatory. Then, perhaps, I won’t need to be a dick, but I won’t be ignored or left out because people won’t be able to take advantage of the fact that I’m nice and will let their actions (or inactions) slide.

/Rant-off

Interesting things are happening to my perception of the world as I get older. I’m noticing a lot more things, like how spaced out everyone is when they drive home from work, or how the paint on the Golden Gate Bridge, while chipping and cracking from all the crazy weather we’ve been having here, still manages to catch the sunrise and sunset and reflect a deep orange that perfectly compliments the Marin Headlands surrounding it. Other things, such as the fact that freshman classes at the local universities get younger every year (or maybe that I’m getting older), that women well into their 60’s are starting to look really cute to me, and that shows that I used to watch as a kid are now being remade are also happening more. I guess I’m starting to feel old, especially when I remember the original shows. Kids these days will think that all of this stuff is original. I think they should just get off of my lawn.

This last point is the reason I’m writing this post. Remakes have been done for years and years, probably since about five years after the first broadcast sitcom was aired. The logic is simple, the show was popular and interesting, we have better technology now, we can make it even better than it was originally (plus, we’re out of good, new ideas). Tragically, this is rarely the case. The Bionic Woman is a good example of this. I watched two episodes of the new version and couldn’t deal with it. It could be that I wouldn’t like the original now either, but I used to love it as a kid, so I’m saddened that I just couldn’t get into this version of it.

I could go on and on about bad remakes, but there are a few that have made me a re-believer. Battlestar Galactica is the best example that I can think of. Here’s a show that rightly sucked when the original aired 25 years ago. It was corny and campy and is hard to watch even now. But, the underlying story was intriguing and interesting. SciFi took the original and updated it, took it from a campy mockery of science fiction and turned it into a dark, mysterious, and uncertain foray into the depths of what makes us human. And they did it with style and poise. I have to say that absolutely every episode has had me on the edge of my seat. I’m fully enraptured by the stories and how they are told. The show explores everything from technology, to relationships, to hope, to spirituality and the conflicts that arise from their interactions. This show successfully does what Star Trek has been trying to do for 30 years, but they managed to pull the series just enough out of the scifi status quo to make it work. I, personally, can’t wait for season 4. Season 3 left off with such uncertainty that I’m sure season 4 will be one of the best yet. If you don’t watch this show, or hate scifi, give it a shot. Rent season 1 from Netflix, you won’t regret it.

Another remake that makes me happy is Amercian Gladiators. Now, the show probably doesn’t deserve to be called a successful remake. It is corny, cheesy, and just a little too contrived. With the spectrum of reality TV currently out there and the spectrum of well covered sporting events, you’d think that they could have reinvented this show with a little more muscle and made it a huge hit. I’m worried that it won’t last long. However, the reason that I love it is that I used to watch it all the time in college. In fact, when Rachel and I were first dating, it was one of the things we did together, and that carries with it some fond memories. So, we’ve been watching the remake of it now. It is silly, Hulk Hogan and Leila Ali are the hosts, and they’re goofier than ever, but it is still entertaining. Plus, as an athlete, I do appreciate the difficulty of the events they’re doing. Some of the contestants make it look easy, but I’m sure that it isn’t.

There’s one more remake that I’m excited about, and I really, really hope it doesn’t suck, Knight Rider. That’s right folks, they are bringing it back, without David Hasselhoff. And, Kit is a Mustang instead of a Trans Am. It is coming out on Feb 17. I’m totally psyched. I used to watch this show religiously, along with Airwolf (which sucked, but I loved it anyhow). I always wanted my car to be able to turbo boost. My hope is that they decided to update this show with new technologies, and new a feeling. I expect it will have the same sense of dry humor that made the original great, but I hope that they knocked the cheese factor out of it and gave it some edge, like Law and Order. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Come on over and watch the pilot with me, we’ll decide together.

Ok, back to work for me.