Another Moment of Modernity

This afternoon, I was sitting at a signal when a guy with spiked up bleach-blonde hair pulled up in a Ford Focus blasting death metal (I believe Slayer). Normally I wouldn't have paid much attention, but the fact that he was casually wearing a bluetooth earpiece really depressed me.

Did Lucifer Design LG's New Ad Campaign?

This afternoon, I finally put my finger on why LG's new adverts are evil. Each ad celebrates disposable consumer culture without the slightest realization how shallow the message actually is. You somtimes come across advertisers who poke fun at themselves -- but this isn't that kind of ad campaign. This is evil on multiple levels.

LG proudly proclaims that "all" that's standing between you and your wonderful new existence are your "old" appliances. And amazingly, each ad features working appliances being destroyed in rather lame fashion so that the consumer can justify her "need" to buy the latest, faux industrial offering from LG.

And don't think I'm reading too much into the meaning of the TV ads. The print ad campaign is even more atrocious. They feature tag lines like:

• "The average lifespan of a washer and dryer is 13 years. Fortunately, there are ways of shortening it."
• "What would drive you to sabotage your perfectly good dishwasher? Our dishwasher."
• "Whoever said you have to wait for your refrigerator to break to get an LG?"
• "The only thing standing between you and your new LG appliances are your old appliances."

Did it ever occur to LG that this commerical could have been spun into a brilliant public service announcement? Did it occur to them that instead of destroying all of the perfectly fine, working home appliances, that they could have just said "donate your old appliances to someone who can use them"?

And I'm not talking about altruism here -- I'm talking about a clever marketing campaign. Perhaps the easiest way to turn off consumers is to make them feel ashamed of their desire to purchase your product. And what has LG done here? It has taken that self-interested, polluting, materialism and made it the center of its campaign! Instead, why not play to the emerging faux-"green" civic virtue (or, if your target audience has none, why not give them the impression that making this purchase will succeed in creating that virtue)? I mean, how stupid can LG be to actually air this?

And did you happen to catch all of the imagery of nature being littered with bits of destroyed appliances? What genius thought that would be a good idea? Just seeing that "Life's Good" motto at the end of each advert just about sums it up. These ads represent a mentality that's about five years past its time. What a horrible, horrible ad campaign. It should put LG to shame.

Natural Born Litigators

It's a great feeling to work at a firm where you can to post a parody of a name partner. Everyone's such a good sport.

Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)

There's a highly-anticipated animated Batman film being released tomorrow. It is called "Batman: Gotham Knight", features six episodes done by different directors, and has a pretty interesting anime feel to it. Here's a pretty good preview:

The Dark Knight Returns (1986)

I loved collecting comic books -- until my mom put an end to it a dozen years back. Luckily, three things happened since then: (1) great cartoons like X-Men and Batman: The Animated Series sustained my interest; (2) I held on to my comic book collection; and (3) I now earn my own salary.

A few weeks ago, I set foot in a comic-book store for the first time in more than a decade. I was like a kid in a comic-book store. I spent an hour in the highly-rated HiJinx Comics (San Jose, CA) shooting the breeze with a very helpful clerk. I can't describe how much more exhilarating the experience was compared to setting foot in a germ-free Barnes & Noble.

When I was in the store, a young kid came into the store with his mom. Both were equally out of their element. The mom had no idea what any of the comic books were about and was in a hurry for her son to just pick something and leave. The boy, now under pressure to hurry, was equally unsure of where to begin. And naturally, he gravitated toward the handful of comic book heroes he'd seen on TV. It hit me not only that I was the same way when I was his age, but that -- having been away from comic books for so long -- that most of the story lines I enjoy reflect what I had seen on TV too. I'm not sure why, but this made me curiously aware of my age.

I asked the clerk to give me the names of some well-regarded graphic novels/trade paperbacks in the last few decades. Some of the common ones came up, including "The Dark Knight Returns" (TDKR), which I had already ordered. He also recommended Alan Moore's "Watchmen" (which I am currently halfway through and loving). But given my bent towards the much darker, more cerebral, literary style, he highly recommended the "Sandman" series. I'm deliberating whether to buy it.

The only reason I recount my visit to HiJinx is because that scene will always remind me of the first time I read Frank Miller's TDKR, which incidentally I was able to buy using a gift certificate, a great coupon, and with free shipping online for just over 25 bucks. I bought this beautifully illustrated "Absolute Dark Knight" hard-cover edition.

I'm not going to go too much into the storyline, except to say that it was a pleasure to read. It is not only beautifully illustrated, it was also an engaging experience to consume the equivalent of a full-length feature film in a format I'm no longer used to. Every night before bed for about a week, I'd pick up the action right where I left off. And having focused lately on 20th century classics, this graphic novel forced me to use a different part of my brain to experience the story being told. It was a breath of fresh air.

Reading TDKR also made me aware of my age. Obviously this has something to do with the fact that Miller chronicles The Batman's return from a decade-long retirement following the death of Jason Todd. But the entire structure and tone of the work -- and how I approached the story -- is so different than what I imagined.

The publication of TDKR in 1986 was a watershed event. It redefined The Batman for a generation -- for my generation. TDKR represents a marked transformation from the campy, crime-solver to the grim, psychologically-deranged crusader. This Batman is personally tortured, vengeful, and aware of his own mortality. This Batman has a depth I yet to experience on the screen.

When I was younger, I was much more interested in piecing together the story lines like a soap opera. But TDKR is a fantastic stand-alone work; it uses the characters as a vehicle to tell us a tale and tell us much more about the author. Put simply, TDKR has made me much more aware of the mythology of The Batman. And as time goes on, new artists, be it writers, cartoonists, or film directors, have been able to put their own marks on one of the most successful franchises of all time (a big part of me wishes this was done for the Star Wars franchise, you know, so it stops sucking).

Christopher Nolan's latest Batman film is due to be released in a few weeks. I was a bit mad when they decided to do the Joker again because Jack Nicholson absolutely nailed that role in Tim Burton's film awhile back. But since then, and since reading TDKR, I'm much more cognizant of the way each generation creates its own Batman folklore. Now I am even more interested to see the late Heath Ledger's interpretation of the Joker.

Freshly-Cut: New Music!

(June 2008)

It's been a very good few months and I've stumbled across a lot of great music. Enjoy.

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (2008)
Aimee Mann - @#%&*! Smilers (2008)
Andrew Bird - Soldier On (2008)
Sun Kill Moon - April (2008)
A.A. Bondy - American Hearts (2008)
Elton John - The Legendary Covers Album (2008)
Everest - Ghost Notes (2008)
Bob Marley - Trenchtown Rock (2008)
Sean Hayes - Flowering Spade (2008)
Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer (2008)

My Morning Jacket on Conan

Just in case you missed My Morning Jacket's fantastic performance of "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream, Part 2." This off of their album Evil Urges:

A Moment of Modernity

I was in the restroom at work today. While in the stall, I began to hear, to my left, the distinct tapping of someone typing an e-mail on a smartphone. Immediately thereafter, I began to hear, to my right, the sound of someone tapping away on another smartphone. About ten seconds later, from the far left, I heard yet another person typing. There I was, sitting in complete silence, and all I could hear is typing.

When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions

Discovery Channel has done it again. I'm addicted to its new six-part series, When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions. And while the imagery is absolutely haunting, unlike Discovery's previous series "Planet Earth," this series doesn't simply rest on its "Hi-Def" laurels. It isn't content at simply showing us some cool scenes, but combines fantastic interviews with above-average narration to create a compelling story of the personalities involved. It is epic.

Revisiting Chappelle's Show

On Seeking Leave

Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth (1969)

When I think of Alexander Portnoy -- a 33-year old American Jew who grew up in Jersey City -- I imagine Woody Allen and Lenny Bruce rolled into one. Portnoy is the main character in Philip Roth's exquisitely vulgar 1969 novel "Portnoy's Complaint."

What exactly is Portnoy's "complaint"? Given that the entire novel is Portnoy's monologue with his psychoanalyst, Dr. Spielvogel, understandably the novel begins with a clinical definition:

Portnoy's Complaint n. A disorder in which strongly-felt ethical and altruistic impulses are perpetually warring with extreme sexual longings, often of a perverse nature. Spielvogel says: 'Acts of exhibitionism, voyeurism, fetishism, auto-eroticism and oral coitus are plentiful; as a consequence of the patient's "morality," however, neither fantasy nor act issues a genuine sexual gratification, but rather in overriding feelings of shame and the dread of retribution, particularly in the form of castration.' (Spielvogel, O. "The Puzzled Penis," Internationale Zeitschrift fur Psychoanalyse, Vol XXIV p.909). It is believed by Spielvogel that many of the symptoms can be traced to the bonds obtaining in the mother-child relationship.

So, to put it plainly, Portnoy's Complaint is that he is somehow prevented from enjoying any of his impulses and this -- at least he says -- forces him to the extremes.

I'm sure you can imagine that Portnoy, Assistant Commissioner of Human Opportunity for the City of New York, is not married and is not not particularly interested in getting married. He's terrified at the prospect of getting bored with his mate -- and considering his frank, mechanical, vulgar descriptions of sex, it isn't surprising why he's terrified of settling down.

Roth's novel has a real shock-and-awe feel to it. Roth is deliberately trying to unveil subject matter that would otherwise never see the light of day -- and amazingly, almost 40 years after its publication, the novel has more urgency, depth, and electricity than any of our sophomoric, campy, "Sex and the City"-ish counterparts.

I finished the novel about two months ago and I've had a hard time trying to mull it over. Obviously, there are some passages that are "shocking," but the excitement is as fleeting as -- well, you know. I find myself wishing now that Roth had spent more time exploring the most exciting themes in the book: guilt, family, and identity. Portnoy's description of his parents -- "These two are the outstanding producers and packagers of guilt in our time!" -- are brilliant. And the way in which Portnoy describes his peculiar sense of alienation when visiting the 'homeland' reminded me of my trips abroad.

"Portnoy's Complaint" is an exploration of guilt (of the middle-class, American-Jew variety). And in comparison to the fleeting impact of Portnoy's escapades, experiencing Roth's part-fictional caricatures of his upbringing and realizing that they were not that far off from my own is lasting.

Father's Day

Here is an ad that never gets enough airtime.

Legal / Industry News Index

When I started work in October 2007, I wasn't aware that my firm had subscriptions to several high-end legal news resources. I found out about each one accidentally -- and it often took a few days to figure out who had the login information to access the site. I came up with the brilliant idea of writing those resources down and distributing them to my colleagues, but it got me interested in tackling a broader problem.

I've noticed that the most effective attorneys are generally up to date on current events. Obviously this includes world news, politics, and sports, but they are also well-versed in what's going on in various tech sectors. They constantly use this information to inform their work. I really think this is a critical aspect of professional development, and I think I've been kind of lazy about not keeping up to date.

But it turns out that I have no idea what resources my colleages use to stay up to date. So I came up with the brilliant idea of asking them. I sent out a quick e-mail asking for feedback, and I was amazed to discover an array of fantastic resources I wouldn't have known existed otherwise. And in the spirit of sharing the wealth, here's the list.

Feel free to suggest others:

General IP
Intellectual property Owners Association: http://www.ipo.org
IP Law360: http://www.ip.law360.com
JurisNotes: http://www.jurisnotes.com
Managing IP: http://www.managingip.com/

Patent Law
271 Patent Blog: http://271patent.blogspot.com/
CAFC: http://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/
E.D. Tex. Blog: http://mcsmith.blogs.com/
Hal Wegner's Newsletter (request via e-mail to hwegner@foley.com)
JurisNotes – Patent Extra: http://www.jurisnotes.com/
Last Month at the Federal Circuit Newsletter: http://www.finnegan.com/contact/index.cfm?register=true&newsletter=true
Patent Docs: http://patentdocs.typepad.com/
Patent Lens: http://www.patentlens.net/daisy/patentlens/patentlens.html
Patently-O: http://patentlaw.typepad.com/)
PATNEWS Newsletter: http://www.patenting-art.com/clients/patnews.htm
PHOSITA: http://www.okpatents.com/phosita/
Promote The Progress: http://promotetheprogress.com/
The Patent Prospector: http://www.patenthawk.com/blog/
The Prior Art: http://thepriorart.typepad.com/the_prior_art/
USPTO BPAI Decisions: http://des.uspto.gov/Foia/BPAIReadingRoom.jsp

BioTech Law / Industry
BioWorld Online: http://www.bioworld.com/
FDA Law Blog: http://www.fdalawblog.net/
Orange Book Blog: http://www.orangebookblog.com/
Patent Baristas: http://patentbaristas.com/
Patent Docs: http://www.patentdocs.net/patent_docs/
Pharmalot: http://www.pharmalot.com/
Wall Street Journal Health Blog: http://blogs.wsj.com/health/?mod=WSJBlog

Tech Law / Industry
ArsTechnica: http://www.arstechnica.com/
Bay Area TechWire Newsletter: http://bayareatechwire.com/
BNA Internet Law News: http://www.bna.com/ilaw/
Chilling Effects Clearninghouse: http://www.chillingeffects.org/index.cgi
CNET News: http://www.news.com/
Geek.com: http://www.geek.com/
IT Wire: http://www.itwire.com/
Silicon Valley News: http://www.siliconvalley.com/
Silicon Valley Wire: http://www.siliconvalleywire.com/
The Dean’s List: http://home.earthlink.net/~deankay/DeanKay_TheDean
VentureBeat: http://venturebeat.com/

General Legal
ABA Section of Antitrust Law: http://www.abanet.org/antitrust/
AboveTheLaw: http://www.abovethelaw.com/
Adam Smith, Esq.: http://bmacewen.com/blog/
American Lawyer: http://www.law.com/jsp/tal/index.jsp
Cal Law: http://www.law.com/jsp/ca/index.jsp
California Lawyer: http://californialawyermagazine.com/
EvidenceProf Blog: http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/evidenceprof/
FindLaw: http://www.findlaw.com/
HG.org: http://www.hg.org/
How Appealing: http://howappealing.law.com/
Jurist: http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/
Law.com: http://www.law.com/
Mondaq: http://www.mondaq.com//
New York Lawyer: http://www.nylawyer.com/
NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/
SCOTUSBlog: http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/
Wall Street Journal Law Blog: http://blogs.wsj.com/law/
Wall Street Journal: http://wsj.com/

International
Braina (Japan): http://www.braina.com/
IN-Law Newsletter (Japan): http://www.mag2.com/m/0000096485.html
Patent Salon (Japan): http://www.patentsalon.com/
Potent Potions (India): http://www.moneycontrol.com/pharma/
Spicy IP (India): http://spicyipindia.blogspot.com/

The Moviegoer by Walker Percy (1961)

"What is the nature of the search? you ask. Really it is very simple; at least for a fellow like me. So simple that it is often overlooked. The search is what anyone would undertake if he were not sunk in the everydayness of his own life."

Winner of the National Book Award in 1961, Walker Percy's "The Moviegoer" revels in the space between the routine and alienation of the post-War era. I wasn't expecting it, but Binx Bolling, a successful stock broker living comfortably in the suburbs of New Orleans, reminded me of Ed Norton's character Jack in Fight Club.

Binx has been content to float along in life and subsist on material enjoyment, often noting his appreciation for his secretaries' backsides. He calls this life of routine the 'malaise.' And on the eve of his 30th birthday, Binx recalls a fleeting moment experienced during the Korean War. Wounded and lying on the ground, he recalls watching a beetle and experiencing a moment of clarity. When I think of this moment, I can easily imagine one of the many masterful scenes from a Terrence Malick film (like The Thin Red Line).

What made that moment so captivating for Binx was its profound immediacy. Binx notes the immediate again when he talks with his cousin Kate about a traumatic accident in which she was involved: “Have you noticed that only in time of illness or disaster or death are people real? I remember at the time of the wreck — people were so kind and helpful and solid. Everyone pretended that our lives until that moment had been every bit as real as the moment itself and that the future must be real too, when the truth was that our reality had been purchased only by Lyell’s death. In another hour or so we had all faded out again and gone our dim ways.”

Kate, who is suicidal and unstable, seems to share Binx's fear of the ordinary. But unlike Binx, Kate can only deal with these moments of alienation with destruction and the manufacture of drama. Binx is more reserved, but is perhaps more afflicted -- and Kate can tell: "You're like me, but worse. Much worse."

And for Binx, the unreality of his modern life is only amplified by the movie screen. At one point during a movie, he realizes that the movie was shot locally and describes a phenomenon called certification: "Nowadays when a person lives somewhere, in a neighborhood, the place is not certified for him. More thank likely He will live there sadly and the emptiness which is inside him will expand until it evacuates the entire neighborhood. But if he sees a movie which shows his very neighborhood, it becomes possible for him to live, for a time at least, as a person who is Somewhere and not Anywhere.”

Percy's writing is unique and mesmerizing -- and is quite philosophically informed. Many critics have traced the existentialist influences of Kierkegaard and Sartre, but not having read too much of either, I'll take their word for it.

I'm sure you can guess that the storyline (if there is one at all) develops rather slowly. But the writing is just epic. Each sentence feels uncrowded, pure, reflective, and not weighed down by the responsibility of spoonfeeding the reader plot developments. Nor is Percy concerned with showing you how smart he is or run circles around you with how witty he can be. To me, Percy's style and tone match up perfectly with Binx and Kate.

It is a seamless work.