• Obama’s online operation is called “Triple O.”
• Social networks are now apparently called “socnets.”
• Obama’s “socnet” is called “MyBO.” This may be his biggest vetting failure, though probably better than “MyO.”

It’s been rough for Hitler, having already been banned from Xbox Live last year.

These never fail to make me giggle.

HT: Boing Boing

The Wordpress plugin’s located here, if you’re similarly impressed by animation.

The independent and problem-solving type. They are especially attuned to the demands of the moment are masters of responding to challenges that arise spontaneously. They generelly prefer to think things out for themselves and often avoid inter-personal conflicts.

Sounds about right (except for the grammatical and spelling errors). But although analyzing blogs is fun, what about webcomics? A lot of comics use the Oh No Robot webcomic transcription system created by Dinosaur Comics author Ryan North, which would make them possible to analyze (and Google). So let’s see what TA thinks of the writing of…

• Diesel Sweeties: “The active and play-ful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.

  The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.” (ESTP)

• XKCD: “The direct and assertive type. They are especially attuned to the big picture and how to get things done. They are talented strategic planners, but might come off as insensitive to others needs and appear arrogant. They like to be where the action is and like making bold and sweeping changes in complex situations.

  The Executives are happy when their work let them learn and improve themselves and how things work around them. Not beeing very shy about expressing their ideas and often very outgoing they often make excellent public speakers.” (ENTJ).

• Achewood: ISTP
• Scary go Round: ISTP
• Dinosaur Comics: “The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

  The enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.” (ESFP)

• Questionable Cotent: ESTP
• A Softer World: ESTP

There were a lot of ISTPs and ESTPs, though that could just reflect what I enjoy reading.

(HT: Andrew Sullivan)

Last week: 11-4
Overall: 101-58

Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers offense got lost in the snow last week, but their defense was outstanding. The Bengals defense is improving, but it’s not there yet.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Detroit Lions
A few weeks back, I thought this was one of Detroit’s better chances to avoid 0-16. I don’t think so anymore. Jeff Garcia and the Bucs offense is holding together with Scotch tape and string, but Earnest Graham’s absence shouldn’t be too much of a problem against the Lions’ stunningly bad defense.

NY Jets @ Tennessee Titans
Kerry Collins, you have my attention. It’ll be interesting to watch man-mountain Kris Jenkins against the interior of the Titans’ solid offensive line, and Haynesworth do his damage against the Jets. No “Fuck yeah!” for Favre after this week.

Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs
Put last week’s loss on Dickie J’s strategy of running Marshawn Lynch into a wall for three straight plays, instead of even attempting a short pass. A 47yd field goal in blustery Buffalo is generally a bad call.

Chicago Bears @ St. Louis Rams
Orlando Pace and Steven Jackson might be out for a long time. A good tune-up week for whoever starts at QB for Chicago.

New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins
Belichick won’t get fooled again by the Wildcat. More importantly, neither will defensive rookie of the year Keith Rivers.

Minnesota Vikings @ Jacksonville Jaguars
I can’t find it right now, but somewhere there’s a photo of Brad Childress halfway through tossing a challenge flag onto the field, bug-eyed and looking like an ultra-goober. It’s not really relevant to his coaching ability, but he sure looks like a moron. Plus, David Garrard > Gus Frerotte.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens weren’t as bad as the 30-10 score last week. I just want people to know that. Anyway, the Eagles passing game matches up well against a Ravens secondary missing a lot of players to injury, but McNabb has a tendency to run hot and cold, and he’ll throw his share of turkeys. Expect the Ravens to target Brian Dawkins a lot–he’s lost a step or five.

Houston Texans @ Cleveland Browns
Andre Johnson deserves better than this. Sage Rosenfels should be suspect #1, 2 and 3 in any investigation of thrown games, but if Denver can hold Jamal Lewis to 60 yards on 19 carries (and one of those was for 29), anyone can. Hey, while we’re on the subject, is everyone ready to admit that Reggie Bush isn’t anywhere near as good as Mario Williams, and that Charlie Casserley actually did a decent job building this team?

San Francisco 49ers @ Dallas Cowboys
Marion Barber for the win. Again.

Oakland Raiders @ Denver Broncos
With @ Denver, @ San Diego, New England, Houston and @ Tampa coming up for the Black and Silver, that under-6 total wins bet starts to look pretty good.

Washington Redskins @ Seattle Seahawks
Hasselbeck’s return wasn’t a return to form, with 3 interceptions against the Cardinals. Seattle’s pass defense has been horrendous, especially against running backs. Portis should have a monster game.

NY Giants @ Arizona Cardinals
Brandon Jacobs’ knee bruise shouldn’t be too much of of an issue, especially since Arizona ranks 30th in the league against #1 wide receivers.

Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons
I don’t trust Delhomme (weren’t we saying the same things about him four years ago?), but the DeAngelo Williams/Jonathan Stewart tandem should steamroll the undersized Falcons defense. Julius Peppers has been feasting on bad right tackles this year, and Tyson Clabo falls squarely in that category.

Indianapolis Colts @ San Diego Chargers
San Diego’s defensive stand against the Steelers last week: sham? steroids? Who knows. Before the season started, we thought this could be a battle for home-field advantage. Now it’s the Chargers’ last stand.

Green Bay Packers @ New Orleans Saints
Reggie Bush is second in Football Outsiders’ receiving DYAR standings, behind…Matt Forte? I guess this should go up in the Chicago section too. Also, New Orleans is 5-1 at home (the one loss came on a missed field goal), 1-4 away. Aaron Rodgers will light it up, though, thanks to the Saints terrible defense.

Padma Lakshmi is wicked hot, but that woman does not know to dress herself.

(Spoiler warning) Hey, the Baltimore chef lasted a whole two episodes.

The disclosure is made in a document noting a conversation in the 1960s between German war doctor Johan Jambor and his priest, Franciszek Pawlar, according to The Sun. The priest’s document has come to light 23 years after Jambor’s death.
[...]
Blassius Hanczuch, a friend of Jambor, said the doctor later blamed himself for saving Hitler’s life. He said: “In 1916 they had their hardest fight in the Battle of the Somme. For several hours, Johan and his friends picked up injured soldiers. He remembers Hitler. They called him the ‘Screamer’.

The title’s up there with the “Pirate Mother Ship,” too.

The Roots, now Walters.

The race appears to have crystallized attitudes among women that they face discrimination in almost all areas of private and public life. Women over 50, the first generation to have a majority in the workforce, see far more discrimination in every area of life than younger women. And when it comes to the armed forces, the poll shows a similar pattern of older and higher income women reporting the highest levels of discrimination against them. About 72% of women that they were being treated unfairly in politics—a perception that Hillary Clinton’s appointment as secretary of state, the third woman in that position, would likely do little to assuage.

The New York Magazine piece “The ‘Bitch’ and the ‘Ditz’” argued along similar lines:

In the grand Passion play that was this election, both Clinton and Palin came to represent—and, at times, reinforce—two of the most pernicious stereotypes that are applied to women: the bitch and the ditz. Clinton took the first label, even though she tried valiantly, some would say misguidedly, to run a campaign that ignored gender until the very end.
[...]
Palin was recast as the charmer, the glider, the dim beauty queen, the kind of woman who floats along on a little luck and the favor of men.

Having never been female (except that one time in a dream), I obviously can’t speak to anyone’s personal experience, but let’s start with the NYMag article’s subjects. Well, the first pitch is a fastball down the center: Sarah Palin was “recast” as a dim beauty queen? Let’s leave aside the “leering old men” vibe of “Heartthrob” Kristol, “Little Starbursts” Lowry et al. for just a moment. No one outside the monkey house¹ thought for a second that Palin was qualified; check out just about any of Andrew Sullivan’s posts over the last six months, or any of these posts from this humble blog. For fuck’s sake, she couldn’t name one news publication she read! She winked during a Vice-Presidential debate! That wasn’t sexism, just a truly inept candidate. The article even admits that “it is fair to criticize her for campaigning on a platform of charm rather than substance. … [I]t’s impossible to imagine a male candidate mentioning fatherhood as the source of his readiness to be the nation’s second-in-command.” I think we can move on.

To… Clintonnnnn. She was labelled a “cackler,” there was debate about whether her crying was genuine, and the fact that she was perceived as emasculation personified–sounds like she’s got a case. Except… her Senate experience isn’t really that much more substantial than Obama’s, and her claim of experience via osmosis from Bill’s administration, even if it was true, sounded like the “I invented the Internet” story that helped sink Al Gore. She supported the Iraq war, which became increasingly toxic as the race went on. And at a time when Obama was pushing for a break from the past, Hillary’s counter-mantra of “experience” helped him lump her in with Bush 44. And there’s Bubba–it’s been common knowledge that they were a two-pack since Bill left office, and he didn’t always help her campaign, instead becoming a visible reminder of the past who often sounded like a petulant (and sorta racist) man-child.

And what about Michelle Obama? Even if she ran against Jesus Hubert Christ in 2016, I’d think about voting for her. The unflappable-yet-practical Princeton and Harvard Law grad is motivated, scary smart, almost unerringly fashionable (except on election night), and acerbically funny. Having an erudite, charming black woman in the White House, even as “Mom-in-Chief”, is certainly more inspirational than having a Vice-President who “admittedly smell[ed] like salmon for a large part of the summer” and thought Ivana Trump would bring “glamour and culture” to any place, even Alaska.

That sounds flip, and I don’t want to fully dismiss the idea that sexism may have played a role in the 2008 Presidential election, but let’s not forget that Barack Obama was extraordinary, and more importantly, really lucky. Claiming unfair treatment diminishes Clinton’s accomplishments and Obama’s victory, does nothing to elevate or advance the discourse, and strengthens another “vice-grip of female stereotypes,” that of women as powerless victims. Yes, sexism is still a problem. But it’s not why Obama won.

Links:
The Barrier That Didn’t Fall (The Daily Beast)
How the Year of the Woman Actually Set Women Back (NYMag)
Related: The Other Obama (The NYer)

1. Remember that Project Runway where Tim Gunn first saw Chris’s hairy collection? He compared it, unfavorably, to being in a monkey house. It went something like “When you step in the door, you’re like “Oh god, this stinks! Then after an hour it’s not so bad, and eventually you just get used to it.” The Republican Party is deep in monkey house denial right now. Back