On a lark, I went to check out my former address in Russia in Google Maps. And what do I see? The maps of St. Petersburg are more detailed than those of Brooklyn! Every single building is shown, together with the building number. I find it amazing!
Here is the link to the place I used to live: 6 Ulitsa Petra Smorodina
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
But he is THE Founding Father!
Heard on the radio today: "Washington's culture of deception". Somewhere in Heaven, a tall Virginian is very upset.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
We're having an oil bubble
Whatever is happening in the world to push up the price of oil cannot possibly happen fast enough to justify 30% growth in 2 months. This is a speculative bubble. It's not noticed yet because for once it's not Americans who are getting rich. But it will pop all the same, and quite soon.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
As heard on NPR
A report on Basra. Two months ago Iraqi Army lost the battle of Basra. Fast forward to now, and they are in control of the city, including the toughest neighborhoods where British were afraid to set foot. What happened in the two months? Complete darkness. May be Sadr got charitable?
To translate a Russian ditty:
Revolt, when fails, is called "a revolt"
But when succeeds, they use another word.
NPR just can't bring themselves to use that other word...
To translate a Russian ditty:
Revolt, when fails, is called "a revolt"
But when succeeds, they use another word.
NPR just can't bring themselves to use that other word...
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Inner sea
Atlantic is new Mediterranean. And I wonder if Pacific will be the new Atlantic. Or may be Indian Ocean?
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Supreme Commander: Forged Aliance
My kids got it for their birthday, and I get to play. The weapons are completely silly from th military POW, but the strategy part seems to be OK. Windows Vista was crashing every 5 minutes until I updated my motherboard's BIOS and I had no sound until I updated Direct X. Now it crashes may be once a day. Please do not buy Vista if you plan to do any gaming.
Interesting conversation at work
I was wearing a yarmulke at work in honor of Israel's 60th birthday, and a black guy who tends the coffee machines said to me: "I always wanted to ask someone a question: what happened to all the black people who lived in Palestine before Jews came?"
Well, I tried to explain that the people who lived there were not particularly black, nor were the Jews particularly white. No matter: after all my explanations Rick just sighed and said "It's always hard to be black".
Eager to return the favor of a question, I asked him about Zimbabwe. The ensuing conversation revealed two things: it's better to starve rather than let outsiders be bosses in your land, and Rick feels about America the way I feel about Germany. Except Rick lives here.
He traced his family to a slave ship that arrived sometime in 16th century, and he can't find out where in Africa they came from - the native memories of the slaves were brutally suppressed. He also said something that I still need to research to confirm or deny: America, including Northern places such as Boston, was built almost exclusively by slaves in 15th to 17th century. The free labor only got used starting in 18th century onward.
Well, I tried to explain that the people who lived there were not particularly black, nor were the Jews particularly white. No matter: after all my explanations Rick just sighed and said "It's always hard to be black".
Eager to return the favor of a question, I asked him about Zimbabwe. The ensuing conversation revealed two things: it's better to starve rather than let outsiders be bosses in your land, and Rick feels about America the way I feel about Germany. Except Rick lives here.
He traced his family to a slave ship that arrived sometime in 16th century, and he can't find out where in Africa they came from - the native memories of the slaves were brutally suppressed. He also said something that I still need to research to confirm or deny: America, including Northern places such as Boston, was built almost exclusively by slaves in 15th to 17th century. The free labor only got used starting in 18th century onward.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
"Emmanuelle"
Watched "Emmanuelle" yesterday (Netflix, what else...).
The actors are superd, especially Emmanuelle and Mario (he reminded me of anotrher actor playing Satan in Russian "Master and Margarita" movie). I wonder, however, if the effect of their perfect work on me is the result th edirector/writer aimed for.
In my eyes, the film is about the lost meaning of sex. The triumph of the Pill in the 70s robbed sex of its connection with family and children, of its moral meaning - of its soul. What I see in the movie is the people wandering around with huge pieces of their souls torn out. They sort of feel that something is missing, but don't even know what it is - they have no vocabulary to express the absence. Emmanuelle is convulsively trying to fill the void with more of what she knows - more freedom, more abandon, more experimentation. More bisexual love, more disgusting strangers groping your body, more whoring, more rape. Anything to fill the void.
I suspect that the authors of the movie tried to create a tribute to Freedom. What they actually created, as seen by me in 2008, is beyond self-parody, beyond satire, beyond condemnation. The movie is damning the whole 70-s decade. The English word "damnation" does not sound harsh enough to my Russian ear. I prefer Russian "Prokliat'ie". Их мир проклят Богом.
AIDS ended that world. I pity and regret the people who died not knowing what kills them, but when we understood AIDS, it was no longer possible, even for the most depraved, to keep thinking that sex has no meaning. Sex got back its terrible meaning when the consequence of your choice can be death. May God forgive me if I feel anything but hate for AIDS - it's a terrible disease and we must do our best to cure it. But it certainly ended 70s like a thunderbolt from Heaven.
The actors are superd, especially Emmanuelle and Mario (he reminded me of anotrher actor playing Satan in Russian "Master and Margarita" movie). I wonder, however, if the effect of their perfect work on me is the result th edirector/writer aimed for.
In my eyes, the film is about the lost meaning of sex. The triumph of the Pill in the 70s robbed sex of its connection with family and children, of its moral meaning - of its soul. What I see in the movie is the people wandering around with huge pieces of their souls torn out. They sort of feel that something is missing, but don't even know what it is - they have no vocabulary to express the absence. Emmanuelle is convulsively trying to fill the void with more of what she knows - more freedom, more abandon, more experimentation. More bisexual love, more disgusting strangers groping your body, more whoring, more rape. Anything to fill the void.
I suspect that the authors of the movie tried to create a tribute to Freedom. What they actually created, as seen by me in 2008, is beyond self-parody, beyond satire, beyond condemnation. The movie is damning the whole 70-s decade. The English word "damnation" does not sound harsh enough to my Russian ear. I prefer Russian "Prokliat'ie". Их мир проклят Богом.
AIDS ended that world. I pity and regret the people who died not knowing what kills them, but when we understood AIDS, it was no longer possible, even for the most depraved, to keep thinking that sex has no meaning. Sex got back its terrible meaning when the consequence of your choice can be death. May God forgive me if I feel anything but hate for AIDS - it's a terrible disease and we must do our best to cure it. But it certainly ended 70s like a thunderbolt from Heaven.
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