Random Thoughts on Various Subjects

1. LANCE ARMSTRONG

Nike finally ditches Lance. You have to love Nike. They stand with their athletes right up to the point that they begin to tarnish the brand. Then, they drop them. Then, there is the gossip that Nike had a hand in all the doping including possibly buying off someone with a $500K "gift." I'm at the point where I have to wonder what Nike knew and when did they know it.

As far as I am concerned, the Lance story has ended. What needs to be addressed is the larger issue of doping in sports. Is it here to stay? Will people simply accept it? I don't think so. Doping ruins those sports that hew to that Greek tradition. I think sports will simply become more Roman. Right now, the Roman sports are football, NASCAR, and UFC. In short, ugly sports will prevail while refined sports will wither and die. Long live the spectacle!

2. THE POTUS STRIKES BACK

Obama  touched his balls in that last debate, and basically told the country what it already knows. Mitt Romney is full of shit. What the O-man doesn't understand is that the country isn't voting to hire Mitt Romney. They are voting to fire Obama. That is a big difference.

I have a bet on this race with my wife, and it is based on the simple fact that the American public votes on economic matters more than anything else. In a lousy economy, a sitting president does not get a second term. It doesn't matter who his party is or who his opponent is. This is how Bill Clinton came from nowhere to defeat the elder George H.W. Bush to win the presidency. That economy was robust compared to this one.

3. SLOW READING

Will the Kindle/iPad kill the novel? That is an interesting question. Clearly, the iPod killed the album. I doubt we will get another Dark Side of the Moon in the age of the mp3. Does a similar fate await the novel? I don't know.

I am a Kindle user, and I enjoy the device immensely. I actually prefer a physical book in my hand, but I mostly use the kindle for reading books that I can't get in physical form. Those books are either out of print or were never even considered for publication. Plus, it is sweet to be reading a book moments after purchase as opposed to waiting days for physical delivery. And my backpack is way lighter even with an entire library at my fingertips. But the medium does change the message. This is why television is so much different from motion pictures.

I don't think the novel will die. This is because stories are forever. They still make movies out of Shakespeare, so I think novels will go on. All of it is really how you combine and slice the product. For instance, the rock album was the product of the LP format for vinyl. An album was basically just a collection of songs, but people found that they often liked listening to an entire side of a record straight through. A new experience was born out of the technology. Prior to that, it was all about the song, and it is now back to the song.

Novels grew out of serialized stories in periodical publications. You see this sort of thing on episodic television where stories are extended over a season or longer. This is why television has gotten so good relative to movies. Stories are longer and richer on television. Likewise, Dickens and Dumas sprung from periodical literature in their day. At some point, the novel moved from the periodical to hold its own place as a stand alone product.

E-readers are more like periodicals than books because they can be published at will creating immediacy. I think you may see a return of the serial novel as writers craft their stories in real time instead of becoming virtual hermits for a year or more pounding away at the keys. Having that feedback makes the stories better in much the same way that the interactive feedback of blogging has made essays better. Say what you will, the internet has increased reading not decreased it.

The downside of tech products like e-readers is that it is tempting to jettison square meals in favor of candy. But this has always been a temptation of any medium. Dime store novels and paperback romances are examples of this. I have spent a lifetime hearing about the death of both the novel and rock and roll. Yet, they still keep on living. Long live the novel.

4. PROSPERITY GOSPEL

I recently had a conversation with a guy who believes in the prosperity gospel. The gist of this heresy is that Jesus died on the cross, so you could be able to buy a BMW. He told me about churches that automatically take tithes from paychecks electronically and the presence of ATMs in churches. I pointed out the teachings of Jesus about the rich, the poor, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, the cleansing of moneychangers from the temple, etc. All of this was dismissed. Somehow, a crucified Christ cares that you get to live in a McMansion while others starve. It just amazes me how people can be so blind but call themselves Christians.

Posted in: