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September 14, 2008

"Richistan"

I just finished Robert Frank's new book, "Richistan", and thought I'd recommend it.

Frank is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal who covers the affluent (his column is called "The Wealth Report"). He wrote Richistan after observing that the world has a huge (and growing) number of millionaires these days, and thought it would be a good idea to do an anthropological piece about these people's lives.

We get to see lower Richistan ($1M to $10M in net worth), middle Richistan ($10M to $100M in net worth), upper Richistan ($100M to $1B in net worth) and Billionaireville (self-explanatory). We learn how these people got their money (most of them made it themselves; only 7% is "old money"). We learn about the exploding demand for butlers, yachts, and fractional jet ownership. And we learn just how much complexity comes with wealth. I was particularly taken with this tale from a newly-affluent interviewee:

"The other day we saw a mouse in the house. Before [I got money] I would have just gotten a broom and gotten rid of the thing. But now it's different. I e-mailed the household manager. He called the vendor, a pest-control firm, and the pest-control firm caught the mouse. Then the household manager directed two other staff members to dispose of the mouse. That's five people to catch a mouse, instead of a broom. It all seemed normal at the time. But then I thought about it, and I wondered, how did our lives get like this?"

(Actually, this quote reminded me of the passage in The Bonfire Of The Vanities where Sherman McCoy is lamenting how hard it is to make ends meet on $500k a year. However, I think Tom Wolfe intended that as satire. Right? Right?)

It's a quick, fun read.

(And unless you're a resident of Billionaireville, I'd suggest you get it from the local library. I certainly did.)

Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated September 14, 2008 4:24 PM.
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2008 Playoff Schedule: Storm vs. Los Angeles

The playoff schedule is out, and the Storm are playing the Sparks in Round 1.

The first game is in LA on Friday, the 19th, at 7:30 PM. Game 2 is at the Key on Sunday, the 21st at 2 PM. And Game 3 (if we need it) is also at the Key (Hooray!) on Tuesday, the 23rd at 6 PM.

Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated September 14, 2008 1:46 PM.
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September 13, 2008

Storm 77, Dream 72

Last night was the final regular-season Storm game here at Key Arena (the final game is tomorrow in LA), so Elaine and I were delighted to watch the Storm roll to victory vs. the Dream, 77 to 72:

Camille Little scored a career-high 21 points and Katie Gearlds added a career-high 20 points to help the Storm to a 77-72 win over Atlanta on Friday night, giving the Dream the league record for most losses in a season.

The Storm has already secured a 2nd-place berth in the playoffs, so coach Agler put the bench on the court for the entire game. It was a little strange to see Sue, Swin, Sheryl and LJ watching the game from the sidelines, but Tanisha, Katie and Camille did fine. We built (and kept) a lead until right before the end of the third quarter, when the Dream pulled ahead by 1 ... and then we took it right back from them.

It was a solid end to a heck of a good year. As of now, the Storm are 22-11 for the season, with a 16-1 (!) record here at Key Arena.

Playoffs, here we come!

Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated September 13, 2008 8:51 AM.
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September 12, 2008

Disneyland Trip Report

Elaine and I had our first anniversary this week, and, to celebrate, we decided to take a quickie jaunt down to The Happiest Place On Earth with a few good friends.

The trip was Friday-to-Tuesday, so we had plenty of time to see, well, everything at both Disneyland and California Adventure, plus do some sleepin' in and hangin' out.

A few notes:

• Just one weekend after Labor Day, and Disneyland's attendance was noticeably low. Most rides were walk-ons, with the occasional 10-minute wait. We managed to ride every major attraction (Space Mountain, Matterhorn, Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, Tower Of Terror, California Screamin', etc.) in both of the parks on Saturday alone.
• The noticeable exception to the walk-on rule was Toy Story Mania, which sported 25-to-45-minute lines for the duration of the trip. Good reason, too: the ride is incredible. It's fun, engaging, wildly imaginative, competitive, and full of Easter Eggs and unlocks. Kids love the graphics and the "Toy Story" characters, adults love the games themselves, and the Type A's (that's, uh, me) love the thrill of beating their previous scores. Put that together and you'll have a long line on this puppy for a good while to come.
• We also tried the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, and, while I liked it fine, I wasn't blown away. Aside from the submarine-nostalgia factor for the adults, this one's really more for the kids (all of whom on our boat were shrieking and cheering for Nemo, Dori, etc.).
• The single best thing we did on the trip was "Cruzin' Disney's California Adventure", which is a private Disney tour that we found on the Disneyland Web site. It's a 2-hour, before-the-park-opens tour of California Adventure on Segways. And it rocks. There were 7 folks in our group; each person got their own Segway to tool around on. After spending the first hour or so getting familiar with the Segway and its operation (you do basic skills tests, like navigating tight corners and stopping on inclines), the group zoomed around DCA's various lands to get acquainted with the park and its history. The tour ends with a complimentary photo in front of Paradise Pier. This was easily the coolest thing I've ever done at Disneyland. If you're heading to Disneyland, don't miss it.
• At long last, we managed to get over to the Blue Bayou to try their (legendary) Monte Cristo sandwich. I've been hearing about these sandwiches for a long, long time now, and was pretty jazzed to finally see what all the fuss was about. My verdict? Well, it tastes like a super-heavyweight ham-and-cheese doughnut. Really. Battered, deep-fried, served with jelly ... I'm glad I had one, but it's not my taste. (And I'm now firmly convinced that "The Count Of Monte Cristo" refers to cholesterol.)
• A broader point about dining - one thing that disappointed me on this trip was the food. I don't mind paying top dollar for meals at the Disney parks (it's expected), but what I do mind is not being able to get anything tasty, even at some of the restaurants outside the parks. We hit a number of different places over our stay, and there's a kind of bland sameness to a lot of the meals. I don't remember this from previous trips, so I'm wondering if a gaggle of MBAs got their hands on the restaurant menus and started cutting costs. It's doubly disappointing given our recent (excellent) experience at Silverwood, whose food was not just tasty, but reasonably priced as well.
• Notable exception to my food complaint: Napa Rose, the high-end restaurant at the Grand Californian Hotel. We had our anniversary dinner there, and it was fantastic.
• The "Remember..." fireworks show at Disneyland is a can't-miss. Carve out a space on Main Street a good half-hour before the show, minimum.
• Having a bit more time in the parks meant that we finally made the effort to see some of the smaller, non-E-Ticket stuff that we'd missed in the past. We spent time in Fantasyland doing "Alice in Wonderland" and "Storybookland Canal Boats" (and yes, we did both the tortilla-making and bread-baking "attractions" at DCA). It was nice, relaxed ... I'm glad we took the time.
• We also ducked in to the new-and-improved "Innoventions" (featuring the Microsoft Home), which, I'm sad to say, is pretty terrible. There's lots of whizzy stuff to look at and walk past, but much of it is incomprehensible as a useful technology showcase. It's Das Blinkenlights with leather couches. Give it a miss.
• As I walked around the parks, I was very cognizant of the fact that DCA is about to be reborn. Golden Dreams shut down permanently on Saturday, and will be replaced by the new "Little Mermaid" attraction; the Wine Country Trattoria will soon be shuttered to house the new DCA Preview Center. It was strange to think that we were seeing the last days of the park before it's ripped up and rebuilt into something a lot, lot better.
• There is not one good cup of coffee to be found within 2 miles of Disneyland.
• Strange to say, but this place never gets old.

I don't know when we're heading back to Anaheim, but I suspect it will be a while. I can't wait to see what DCA looks like when we get there.

Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated September 12, 2008 9:38 AM.
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September 11, 2008

Sue Bird & Bryan Agler On "Weekday"

Seattle Storm superstar (and possible 2008 MVP) Sue Bird and coach Brian Agler were on KUOW's "Weekday" this morning. The show is available online, and is 53 minutes of pure, unadulterated goodness about the Storm, WNBA, and the future of Seattle basketball. Enjoy.

Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated September 11, 2008 10:08 AM.
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September 4, 2008

A Few Thoughts On Disneyland's (Controversial) "it's a small world" Upgrade

Elaine and I are off to Disneyland later this month, and one of the attractions we won't be riding is "it's a small world".

(It's closed for refurbishment through November 29.)

The refurbishment isn't a new thing - the ride's been offline for months - but as I was researching the state of the park for our trip (Haunted Mansion and Fantasmic! are also closed ... sigh), I was reminded about what a crazy firestorm of criticism Disney got subjected to when it announced the rehab in the first place.

The Disneyland version of "small world" is old - it's the original, the one built for the 1964 World's Fair. And, after drilling that song into everybody's head for the last 44 years, the ride, unsurprisingly, needs a bit more than a paint job and some new screen doors.

(Incidentally, one big improvement - pun intended - that's being made is to widen and deepen the fiberglass canals that carry riders through the building. Seems that tourists are a bit bigger in 2008 than they were in 1964, and, as such, it's not uncommon for boats to, uh, bottom out and get stuck. The new-n'-improved "small world" will address this issue. Be sure to read Al Lutz's article from Oct '07 for the juicy details.)

The problem with the rehab is that, in addition to the road-widening initiative, Disney is also "plussing" the attraction to make it more modern. They're cleaning up the audio-animatronics, adding a new "USA" section, and (this is the supposedly-offensive part) adding a handful of Disney characters to the lands where they're "from" (e.g., Mulan is in China, Aladdin in Persia, Lilo & Stitch in Hawaii, and so on).

Yeah, let that one sink in for a minute. (The nerve, right?)

Some Disney fans have seriously lost their shit over this. There are "Save the Rainforest" petitions on the Internet, open letters from the upset family of Mary Blair (one of the original artists and designers of the ride); these led to an open-letter response from Disney itself, and, when that didn't do, legendary Disney Imagineer Marty Sklar posted his open letter. Dogs and cats living together ... mass hysteria.

Honestly, I don't see what all the fuss is about.

Al Lutz (who I read, respect, and adore) wrote the following earlier this year:

"The premise behind small world is simple, it's a ride about 'the children of the world' and for over forty years it has continued to pull in solid rider numbers despite a gradual decline in show quality. Thanks to an extremely well executed holiday makeover it has even grown those numbers to become a vital component of the Christmas season plans for the park.

So why mess with the successful original concept by turning it into a character hunt? Why not just restore and enhance the original? Forget the American section, we're the hosts you know."

Here's the thing - none of what Disney is doing in Anaheim is new. The Disneyland Paris version of "small world" has a "USA" section. Hong Kong Disneyland has the characters (you can view a ride-through here). The Anaheim version of the ride is, if anything, behind the times - it needs to get brought up to code. (In fact, the Disneyland Paris "small world" is, without quesion, the nicest version of the three I've ridden - Anaheim and Orlando being the other two).

Leaving the ride stuck in the past has a price, too. I am reminded of my experience riding Space Mountain at Disney World in January '06. I'd just ridden the new, rebooted-and-rebuilt Disneyland Space Mountain six months earlier, and, when we hit the Orlando version, the experience was still fresh in my mind. I wrote:

The Anaheim Space Mountain is a brand-spanking-new, modern coaster with kick-ass effects and music that's synchronized to the ride. The Orlando Space Mountain is a 35-year-old roller coaster in the dark. There's no comparison between the two. At all. Anaheim makes Orlando look old n' busted. Disney really ought to rebuild the Orlando version as soon as possible. We're talking potential brand damage, here, people.

And this, basically, is what will happen with "small world" if it doesn't change with the times. Yes, I love the ride. Yes, it's cool to know that the version I've been riding is the exact! same! version! that Walt Himself rode in 1964. But you know something? Times change, tastes change, and Disneyland is not a museum.

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom is about just this thing - preservationist friction between people that want to keep the Haunted Mansion exactly as it was built, while other voices want to update it. It's a normal, understandable tension, and one to be expected, but c'mon - let's be fair. Adding Ratatouille's Remy to the France exhibit isn't the end of the world, particularly if it's done tastfully.

To be fair to my fellow Disney freaks: yes, it's possible for Disney to fuck up a ride by making it "hipper" - the travesty that is the Disney World "Enchanted Tiki Room - UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT" is a poster child for How Not To Do It. Putting Iago in the classic venue and then mocking the attaction itself by calling it out of date is clearly a bad idea. These days, however, Disney creative is being run by people who get it. It would never happen now. (In John We Trust.)

Change is good. The parks aren't intended to be frozen in blocks of Lucite, preserved for eternity As Walt Knew Them.

Let's catch our breath, mmmkay? November 29 will be here soon enough.

Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated September 4, 2008 4:45 PM.
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Republican Talking Points: Then And Now

I know this is everywhere right now but it's still worth posting (and the six minutes of your time to watch it). The Daily Show does a brilliant takedown of shifting Republican spin on ... oh, just watch the clip:

(God, I love Jon Stewart.)

Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated September 4, 2008 1:58 PM.
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September 2, 2008

"Business Time"

Last night, Lane and I were hanging at home, winding down the day and listening to KEXP when the DJ decided to put on Flight Of The Conchords' "Business Time."

I'd never heard the song before - despite Cintra's never-ending efforts to try to introduce me to the band - and, as the lyrics unspooled, I could not stop laughing.

This has to be the funniest real-life slice-of-relationship song I've heard in, like, forever. Holy cow, I laughed.

(Cintra assured me this morning that the band has other songs. I think it's finally time to listen to a few of 'em.)

Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated September 2, 2008 8:45 PM.
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September 1, 2008

"The Heart Of The Game"

I wanted to take a moment to recommend a fantastic documentary on DVD called "The Heart of the Game."

The film follows Seattle's Roosevelt High School girl's basketball team - the Roughriders - over a 5-year span. It begins with the arrival of a new coach, Bill Resler, and watches the team (and its players) develop, grow, and start winning. It's a mediation about competition, teamwork ... and utterly hypnotic. The filmmakers did an outstanding job of making their subjects comfortable in front of a camera - some of the footage makes you wonder, "how the hell did they get that?"

As a fan of WNBA, I was also interested to see what an "updraft" effect the league is having on the lives of young female players; at one point, a coach mentions that participation in women's basketball is 4x what it was a few short years ago, and one of the players' goals is to play pro ball for the W after graduation. Clearly, having a bona-fide career path for women players is changing the calculus for a lot of them. Very cool.

(And yes, given that the film was shot in Seattle, there's an obligatory clip of LJ and Sue doin' their thing. Which made me happy.)

Recommend. It's 95 minutes, and you won't be sorry. Promise.

Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated September 1, 2008 4:38 PM.
Posted to Entertainment. Permalink for this entry.