The first movie my late father ever showed me was David Lynch’s Blue Velvet. I remember, he was so excited. He rented it down at the local video store, came back, and said, “Kip, this movie is supposed to be just TWISTED, this is going to be great!”
I was eleven years old when I saw Blue Velvet with my dad. If you haven’t seen it, you really should watch it; it’s arguably David Lynch’s greatest work. My father had a habit of doing this, though — shoving adult genius in my face as a child, then stepping back with a sort of, “Whatcha think of THAT, eh?” attitude.
Should you show it to a a child? I don’t know. It contains scenes of Dennis Hopper nitrous and saying to Pia Zsadora, “BABY WANTS TO F—!” and so on (“BABY WANTS BLUE VELVET!!!”) Maybe not. But my dad showed it to me and it changed my life.
So, here is the movie that I saw at a very formative age that has stuck with me allll these years, it made me who I am, thank you very much David Lynch and Gerry Lange, and goddamn that Frank is fucking fantastic!
Thanks, dad.
P.S. So the man was a Republican political consultant. Shut up. Just shut up. You don’t know what the man had to go through. Do *you* want to deliver briefcases full of $200,000 to mafia bosses who control unions in the North End of Boston in an empty warehouse? Fuck off.
I recently had to move (my house burned down, for those who don’t know), and I had to purchase a new television, so I thought I’d briefly share my experience with everyone and let you know what I think the best TV on the market is.
First, go OLED. Just do it. OLEDs are much better. There’s no washout from side angles, they’re paper-thin, the colors pop like nobody’s business — go OLED. And go 4k. It makes a difference, it really does, especially if you game or you stream content as opposed to using a cable box. Also, get HDR. That makes a very big difference for gaming and for anything designed to use HDR — and that content is increasing daily.
Second — I hope I don’t get sued for this — but Consumer Reports has always been a reliable magazine, and their ratings are almost impossible to come by for free on the Internet (kudos to the people at CR for staying relevant) — but my late father subscribed to that particular magazine, and only passed away a little while ago, andbefore he did, he informed me that Consumer Reports had ranked the LG C2 series (their flagship model) as the best TV on the market (it’s OLED, 4k, HDR).
Thing is, to get a decent LG C2, you need to shell out a lot of money. So may I suggest one step down to what I purchased, which is the *A2* model? The only significant difference between the two is that the C2 is 120 Hz and the A2 is 60 Hz.
Okay, okay, I can hear fanboy bitching already. Blah blah the PS5 can do 120 FPS in a few games, so can the XBox, so you’re really going to miss that 120 Hz! Plus, a VERY few shows are being broadcast in 120 Hz.
The thing is, the science doesn’t support spending the money on the 120 Hz (which can broadcast 120 frames per second, as opposed to to 60 for the 60 Hz A2 models), because the human eye cannot notice a difference past 60 frames per second. 60 frames per second, when you see it on television, gives you that hyper-real “Soap Opera Effect”. Most people turn it off.
And I, personally, myself, was once incredibly psyched to get a 144 Hz monitor — and then incredibly disappointed when, no matter what I did, no matter how powerful my card, I could not, for the life of me, notice a difference past 60 FPS in gaming (and these games were not capped at 60 FPS; I was getting a steady 144 FPS).
Consider that very few things at all are broadcast in 60 FPS, and very few video games use over 60 FPS, even if the capability is there, precisely because the science says the human eye cannot tell the difference between 60 FPS and over 60 FPS. 60 FPS is the rough cap. Yes, yes, I know, it’s like lossless music; even’t if you can’t hear it, or see it, it’s still there, and for the true cinephiles and such — and if you can afford it — get the C2 model.
But if you’re on a budget, may I recommend the much cheaper A2 which has everything the C2 does (basically) except for the 120 Hz refresh rate? At around 48” to 55”. I have a 48” and it is *crystal* clear, it really is.
So, there you go. I recommend an LG A2 or C2 and I think Consumer Reports says the C2 is the best overall (both LG). Do some shopping around, look for deals. All I can tell you is that neither will disappoint you — but that my last 1080p Sony Bravia (entry level) model did, indeed, disappoint me (and it was 60”). So I did my research this time.
In Season 14, Episode 16 of “Family Guy”, titled “The Heartbreak Dog”, the writers hint that Juliette Lewis makes out with dogs. Peter finds out that Bonnie has made out with Brian and blurts out, “My God! Who would do that? Does anybody know who would do that for real?” That’s followed a quick flash of a photo of Juliette Lewis with the caption, “We don’t know, but maybe?”
It all clears itself up when you see the following picture of Juliette Lewis “scratching her thigh” while taking her dog for a walk, taken by the Daily Mail of the UK:
Gerald William Lange of Eastham, MA, formerly of Wellesley, MA, passed away in his sleep from cardiac arrest on September 7, 2023. He was 80.
Lange was born in St. Paul, MN, and maintained a strong tie to the Midwest his entire life. He left behind an impressive intellectual legacy, beginning with his graduation from the University of Minnesota summa cum laude, where he was awarded the Danforth Fellowship, followed by a JD from Harvard Law, where he also graduated summa cum laude. He was a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship, but lost out that year to Al Gore.
Following graduation from Harvard, Lange went to work for PBS and produced the inventive, ingenious, and famous show “The Advocates”, which featured famous politicians (including guests such as Ronald Reagan and Milton Friedman) debating each other with the aid of a team of lawyers.
In 1970, Lange married Caroline Stewardson in Cambridge, MA, who remained his closest friend and confidante until her death.
In the late 1970s, Lange moved on from PBS, and transitioned into private political consultation. He was hired as a Senior Advisor to the Phil Crane Presidential campaign in 1980, after which he worked on a myriad of local political campaigns, including, most notably, the Ray Shamie campaign, the Jim Rappaport campaign, the Dick Jones campaign, and the Keriotis and Weld gubernatorial campaigns, in the capacity of Senior Advisor.
Early in the 1980s, he was hired by the Reagan Administration as Chief Issues Advisor to Health and Human Services under Margaret Heckler, a position which he kept for several years into the mid 1980s until returning to private political work.
In 1991, Lange was hired to coordinate public relations for the Central Artery Project in Boston, AKA “The Big Dig”. During the mid-to-late 1990s, Lange often appeared on PBS’s “The Group” to represent the conservative side of an issue up for debate. An almost lifelong conservative Republican, Lange was devoted to the conservative political cause until the day he died.
After retiring from politics, Lange worked in real estate with his friend and previous employer in politics, Royall Switzler. In 2008, Lange retired from Wellesley to Eastham, Cape Cod.
Lange co-authored two books with his political partner and protege Todd Domke, The Conservative’s Dictionary and Cain & Abel: Why Good Things Happen to Bad People.
Lange was a devoted husband and family man, and his passing follows the passing of his beloved wife Caroline in 2017. He was also an avid history and film buff.
Gerald Lange is survived by his sister, Judith Pluff, of St. Paul, MN; his longtime friend and brother-in-law, David Pluff, of St. Paul, MN, and his son, Christopher, of Framingham, MA.
Gerald will be interred in a private ceremony at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, beside his late wife of 47 years, Caroline.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
Indeed. Mork calls Orson, but Orson never calls Mork, it seems. Well, from what we see. So, Orson calling Mork and Mindy, Orson calling Mork and Mindy.
Happy Birthday to hack author, inventor of stupid religions, and winner of bar bets over infinitely better sci fi authors. We know what the bet was, you guys, but now you’re both gone and it has gone WAY too far, okay?
You know, P:hillip K. Dick’s ghost is going to kick your ass someday. I can see it. As if through a scanner darkly.
I don’t think people understand this. According to the numbers as I understand them — even if the numbers go way up — 99% of Americans will never even contract COVID19. About 1%, even if 300,000 cases are diagnosed, are going to get COVID19 (coronavirus). I believe the deaths are currently under .1% of the population and given the worst-case scenario would never even rise above 1% of the population. Do not wear a mask unless you are sick or caring for someone who is sick. Paranoia is contagious and dangerous. Fear kills.
