step42.com

Earlier this summer when seeing a movie at the theater, I believe when going to see Indy 4, the whole experience was nearly ruined all because of a 2-minute break in the normal routine.  Through my entire movie theater career, the formula always stayed the same: pre-show ads, lights dim, previews, movie.  This time, the lights dimmed, my heart skipped a beat as I expected some great preview to whet my appetite for an awesome movie summer, but what do I get instead: commercials straight from primetime television.  TV commercials do NOT belong in the imaginary space between pre-show ads and the previews.

The amount of advertising in theaters is just getting to be absurd these days.  I’m not talking about the random local ads before the movies.  No, it seems that advertisers have crossed a line that I didn’t know existed that peeves me to no end.

I’ve always been somewhat of a movie junkie all my life, and working at a movie theater for 3 years only managed to help feed the fascination.  While growing up, my parents would infrequently take us out to the movies, so when they did, it was an extra special experience.  We’d get our food, get into the theater, and eventually the previews would start.  Now, I feel that formula of awesome is being harmed by all the advertising that is creeping into the theaters.

The pre-show ads never rubbed me the wrong way.  Having something on the screen helps pass the time when waiting for the show to start.  Plus, the pre-show ads were not something I’ve seen every day.  Even while working at a theater and seeing those ads day in and day out, they were always just there in the background and something easily ignored.  These new ads just ruin the experience.  The rush of anticipation that comes from the dimming of the lights is crushed by the tedium of television commercials we’ve all see hundreds of times.

In spite of this, I’ve started a list.  Any product advertised in this slot goes on that list, and I will do my best to avoid buying any of them.

(Damnit, lost draft #1 of this)

So this morning I went to the bi-weekly Legislative breakfast at the Capital Area Michigan Works! in Lansing.  This is an event where “businesses, educators, economic developers and community leaders” discuss various topics.  This weeks topic was “Attracting and Retaining Talent.”  From what I understood, there was supposed to be discussion about how the Lansing area can better keep graduates around and draw in talent from elsewhere.

It turned out much much worse than that.  The first thirty minutes consisted of the 5-6 legislators introducing themselves and usually going on about something or other they’re working on that doesn’t really have anything to do with the topic at hand (some lady started talking about water conservation, wtf!?).  Being that they were all basically politicing and trying to show off how they aren’t useless, a good HALF of the whole meeting was wasted with no real value.  The remaining half hour was taking up by three (3!) questions, one of which was asked with 5 min remaining.  One question about promoting local internships, one asking for businesses to come to MSU and help them develop more connections to place people, and the 3rd about developing biotech and green indutries.  These mediocre questions were met with more posturing about what the legislators were working on currently.  Oh boy!

From the introductions and responses to questions, I gathered that most of the legislators thought that the answer lies in education.  If we can only improve our education system we’ll have more talent to attract more businesses.  WRONG.  That just means we’re generating more talent to ship elsewhere in the country.  I went to school with quite a lot of talented kids, most of which headed out of state because there really aren’t any tech jobs here.

Two of the legislators seemed to be especially off target on the education thing.  They were working to make it so that Algebra II was no longer a requirement to graduate high school.  Yes, Algebra II.  Stuff like:

Solve 3x2 + x - 2 = 0 for x.

Not even integrals and derivatives.  Stuff that is at least a bit practical and provides more of a base for skills in the future.

In lieu of Algebra II, they wanted other paths that would appeal to other types of students, ie trade skill training.  Way to think outside the box guys and try to progress Michigan’s economy past the manufacturing infrastructure that is collapsing.  Trade skills are something that most people can learn in their free time as a hobby.  They don’t grant a person skills that might actually be applicable to other areas as well.  Shift towards teaching trade skills will only doom Michigan to remain in the manufacturing rut that has led to to trailing the economic pack of all the other states.

On top of all that, breakfast was only bagels and fruit.  Not even real food.  At least now I get to leave work a bit early though.