spacer image
spacer image

Welcome! You're looking at an archived Snarkmarket entry. We've got a fresh look—and more new ideas every day—on the front page.

May 16, 2005

| Why Wite-Out Still Smells Crappy >>

Columnists at Cal

20050515_dowdfried.jpg

Things I learned at UC-Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall last Friday night:

  • Thomas Friedmas has lost the ability to communicate in normal human language; now he speaks only in weirdly polished anecdotes and soundbites.

  • Maureen Dowd is bangin’! Seriously man. I know she’s like 50 or something but still.

Also noted:

  • Dowd keeps up a casual correspondence with George H. W. Bush. He emails her with critiques of the Times. That’s cute.

  • Friedman had an off-the-record chat with George W. Bush about the war in Iraq. I’m not exactly sure when. His interviewer asked him: “And he wanted that to be off the record because…?” to which Friedman replied, disingenuously I think, “I have no idea!”

  • Dowd on Saudi Arabia: “The Saudis are sort’ve a weird… bifurcated… sick society.” That’s the kinda pundit-class pronouncement I like!

  • Dowd on Al Gore: “At least he was into modernity!”

  • Friedman on Friedman: “Going to the Arab world with Tom Friedman is like going to the mall with Britney Spears.” (Okay, he was quoting someone else, but still.)

  • Friedman explaining some ridiculous thing from his book: “Plug and play! Compete, connect, and collaborate!” [with the polished ease of a man who’s been on TV one… too… many… times]

Robin-sig.gif
Posted May 16, 2005 at 11:48 | Comments (7) | Permasnark
File under: Journalism

Comments

OK, the age of cameraphone journalism is hereby over. What is that picture? Seriously, one of those arrows could have said "mobile biological weapons laboratory," and I'd be slightly less nonplussed.

I hate you.

Now, Robin. No need to be harsh. Matt has a point, but perhaps he is on to more than he knows.

The halo of light surrounding the speakers suggests that there might be some odd source of radiation nearby that your cameraphone was able to detect. I suggest that source of radiation might be a material---probably smuggled from some dark corner of this *flat* world---that drives a computer responsible for producing Friedman's annoying gobbely-gook.

Posted by: Dan on May 17, 2005 at 04:28 AM

Berkeley's a nuclear free zone, dontcha know? ;-)

Yeah, Friedman is a nuclear-powered robot. But, more importantly, I thought Bush told the ASNE he doesn't send email. That means somebody here is lying. I'm appalled. Apalled!

Posted by: Dustin Dwyer on May 17, 2005 at 01:31 PM

(That's H-Dub, not Dubya, D-Dub.)

Dah! I despise the letter "H" for being so easily overlooked. In fact, I'm appalled at how easily overlooked it is. Apalled!

Posted by: Dustin on May 18, 2005 at 06:46 AM
spacer image
spacer image