BACK TO THE FUTURE! What to Expect From Kodak’s New Super 8 Camera.

The camera is a fascinating blend of new and old technology. While it still shoots to standard Super 8 film cartridges (including VISION 3, EKTACHROME, and TRI-X and each cartridge contains 50 feet of film, or about three minutes of footage, depending on the frame rate) it also sports a microSD card slot to record audio.

* * * * * * * *

“The viewfinder is based on an integrated video assist system, which means the image coming through the lens is bypassed and then projected onto a frosted ground glass,” B&H explains. “Then [it is] captured with an internal CMOS camera that gets displayed on the LCD. As a result, you’re actually able to see the image and compose your shots via the LCD screen even when there is no film in the camera.”

Way back in 2016, when Kodak first announced plans to go back to the future and release a new super 8 camera, the Guardian speculated on who the product is aimed at:

The analogue revival is more than a marketing stunt. Just as film-makers such as Abrams, Tarantino and Nolan still prefer to shoot on “real” analogue film, so demand for the audio-visual old-school is rebounding. Alongside Kodak’s new cameras at CES this year, Sony is exhibiting a new record player(a machine for playing vinyl audio discs, younger readers) and Polaroid is exhibiting a new range of instant cameras. Amazon, too, reports that its top-selling camera and audio products this Christmas were a turntable and instant-camera film. All of these products combine analogue “warmth” with digital functionality, which suggests that either the near future won’t be as virtual as some algorithm predicted it would be, or that we’re sick and tired of having new formats continually foisted on us.

At $5,495 (its 2024 suggested retail price, not including the film and developing charges), this is one example where being a retro hipster or wannabe rock video director mashing together a variety of formats won’t come cheap.

STEPHEN MILLER: CNN rearranges the deck chairs… again.

Thompson and CNN see an election year coming and are once again attempting to put CNN at the center of the anti-Trump universe, positioning itself as both a Donald Trump elevator network, while trying to maintain Jeff Zucker’s hires of #Resistance. Back then, it sacrificed mainstream cachet for the viewership of fierce partisans — and it’s hoping to repeat the trick eight years later.

Viewing audiences, for the most part, understand that MSNBC leans left, while Fox News leans right, and see through the fact CNN badly attempts to perform the news while pretending to be both. CNN’s integrity problem won’t be solved until it cleans house, completely, and returns to actual trustworthy news analysis, not the furrowed moral preening of personalities like Jake Tapper and his last-honest-man-in-journalism act.

Considering that in the run-up to Fox News’ launch in 1996, Ted Turner was red-lining the Godwin meter by comparing Rupert Murdoch to “the late Führer,” what could CNN in 2024 do to pretend to be “objective?” And after first the Drudge Report (mark I), the Blogosphere, and 15 years of reading preening DNC-MSM “journalists” reveal their biases on Twitter, why would viewers believe them?

OUT ON A LIMB: There’s No Defending Woodrow Wilson.

Frum’s article, “Uncancel Woodrow Wilson,” appears in the March 2024 issue of the Atlantic. How perverse a choice is it to write on this now? Consider that the last thing the magazine published was a special issue dedicated to the topic “If Trump Wins,” warning of peril to the American system and the civil liberties of our people from a man who would come to the Oval Office with a dictatorial temperament and contempt for the constraints of our Constitution. Frum himself contributed a screed against the menace of such a president:

If he wins the election, Trump will commit the first crime of his second term at noon on Inauguration Day: His oath to defend the Constitution of the United States will be a perjury. A second Trump term would instantly plunge the country into a constitutional crisis more terrible than anything seen since the Civil War. . . . For his own survival, he would have to destroy the rule of law.

How terrible to contemplate a president who loathes the Constitution and is bent on permanently subverting it. And worse, imagine one who might win the job without a popular majority at his back, owing to an opposition divided by a third-party challenge:

If Trump is elected, it very likely won’t be with a majority of the popular vote. Imagine the scenario: Trump has won the Electoral College with 46 percent of the vote because third-party candidates funded by Republican donors successfully splintered the anti-Trump coalition. Having failed to win the popular vote in each of the past three elections, Trump has become president for the second time.

If the nation indeed stands at such a precipice, you and I might think it the worst possible occasion to laud Woodrow Wilson. But you and I are not David Frum.

Back in 2013, Frum himself wrote:

Wilson was also the most disdainful racist to hold the presidency since Andrew Johnson in the 1860s. Wilson’s administration sought to remove black Americans from all but the most menial federal employment. Those who could not be removed were required to work in spaces screened from public view and to use segregated lunchrooms and toilets. When a black newspaper editor led a delegation to Washington to protest the introduction of Southern Jim Crow into the national government, Wilson — a slaveholder’s son — retorted that segregation “was not humiliating, but a benefit” to black people.

Wilson led the United States into the First World War in April 1917, justifying his decision in characteristically idealistic language: “to make the world safe for democracy.” Only five months before, he had won reelection on an antiwar platform: “he kept us out of war.”

* * * * * * * *

Yet these same admirers also quietly came to see Wilson as the very model of how not to be president: as a dogmatist, a chatterbox, and, ultimately, a loser. When it came their turn to decide issues of war and peace, they praised Wilson — then did just the opposite. That seems likely to be the lasting verdict of history, too.

So why the change of heart, and why now?

SO LONG AGO THAT IT NEVER REALLY HAPPENED:

On Mother’s Day, in 2021, after all the official mandates had ended, my family was kicked out of an ice cream shop for not wearing masks. We were living in an entirely different world.

I should have reached this conclusion sooner. I had already withdrawn my children from the public schools. I had already lost friends.

The question plagued me – Why?

* * * * * * * *

I realize, now, that totalitarianism is primarily a societywide delusion that enables despots to flourish with power. This is the opposite of my beliefs before. I used to think that it was the despots who used their power to create the totalitarian society.

The innate goodness and beauty in all people becomes hijacked by terrible ideas. Willing participants believing in the truth of the idea then create a burgeoning inhumanity masquerading as virtue, and they execute it systematically.

It is a simple fact I had never considered: a deluded person is perfectly capable of applying their delusion rationally. One-way grocery aisles, masked toddlers, and vaccine segregation are all rational applications of what most now see as the mistaken Covid ideology.

Rationalization allows participants to maintain the delusion even in the face of massive contradictory evidence. The personal investment is often enhanced by performance of often bizarre new rituals. The rituals work to reinforce the investment and lead to the expression of rage when challenged — rage even towards those closest to them.

Mass formation psychosis, to coin a phrase. Or to put it another way:

HOW IT STARTED: Not Satire: Nikki Haley Loses Nevada Primary To “None Of These Candidates.”

–Not the Bee, today.

How it’s going: Haley vows to stay in race following embarrassing Nevada defeat.

—Reuters, today.

THE CORBYNIZATION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONTINUES APACE: State Department Employee Who Accused Biden of ‘Genocide’ Still Shapes Israel Policy.

GREAT MOMENTS IN GOP FAILURE THEATER: DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Survives Impeachment. “The House vote was 214-216. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.) joined Buck and McClintock in voting with Democrats against the resolution.”

REPORT: After RedState’s Reporting Rocked RNC Winter Meeting, Ronna McDaniel Is Stepping Down.

WOEING: Faulty door panel on Alaska Airlines flight had no bolts installed, NTSB says in preliminary report.

WEEKEND AT BRANDON’S: Peter Doocy Pins Karine Jean-Pierre Down on Biden Talking to Dead People, Her Answer Says It All.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO FALL IN LOVE, YOU JUST HAVE TO FALL IN LINE: ‘The Candidate Is Joe!’ Sonny Hostin SCREAMS at View Cast to Shut Up, Get Behind Biden.

(Classical reference in headline.)

AMERICA’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD: Trump Promises If Elected He Will Legalize Punching Vision Pro Wearers In The Face. “At publishing time, Donald Trump’s poll numbers had increased another 12 points.”

FASTER, PLEASE: “Take Back Our Country” Convoy Arrives In Texas.

NUKE THE ENTIRE SITE FROM ORBIT; IT’S THE ONLY WAY TO BE SURE: See a world-famous architectural firm’s plan to revamp the blighted NYC Port Authority Bus Terminal with a $10B fix. “In a press release, officials both sang the revised plan’s praises and colorfully slammed the existing building as a monstrosity, not unlike how locals had long referred to Penn Station following the demolition of its first iteration.”

K-THROUGH-K IMPLOSION UPDATE: ‘Woke Kindergarten’ Is Working Out About as Well As You Might Expect.

The Woke Kindergarten curriculum shared with schools includes “wonderings,” which pose questions for students, including, “If the United States defunded the Israeli military, how could this money be used to rebuild Palestine?”

In addition, the “woke word of the day,” including “strike,” “ceasefire” and “protest,” offers students a “language of the resistance … to introduce children to liberatory vocabulary in a way that they can easily digest, understand and most importantly, use in their critiques of the system.”

Other “wonderings” include, “If we abolished the police, what else could we do to keep the world safe?” and “If we eradicate borders, how might we build our communities to include and support neighbors from all over the world?”

A teacher at Glassbrook Elementary said, “It slowly became very apparent if you were a dissenting voice that it’s not what they wanted to hear.”

These schools had some of the lowest reading and math scores in the state. But after two years of Woke Kindergarten, the scores got even worse.

But the young tykes’ DEI scores were perfect.

21st CENTURY RELATIONSHIPS: Owner of world’s first AI brothel blames ‘white men’ for stereotypical-looking sex dolls.

The owner of a brothel that utilizes artificial intelligence claims that sex is moving in the direction of virtual reality and the “digital world.” The business, which also incorporates sex dolls, also shrugged off criticism that its dolls depict stereotypes of women by attributing their creation to “white men.”

Cybrothel, operating out of Berlin, Germany, combines the use of AI and virtual reality to connect its clients with its neo-prostitutes. This means that the brothel does not have traditional, human sex workers, but rather a series of sex dolls that are supplemented with virtual reality pornography featuring those very same dolls.

Bimbo, Kokeshi, and Ms. Schmidt are some of the dolls’ names, the New York Postreported, with users also having the option to engage in AI-generated conversations with the dolls’ personas.

“If you are here, the only person who can judge you is yourself,” co-owner Matthias Smetana said. “We have a lot of people who have never been in touch with sex work, who are really down to try it but are looking for a safe space. If you face performance anxiety, this doesn’t go in Cybrothel as you are dealing with sex toys, not humans.”

No word if notorious robophobe Matthew Yglesias has commented on this story yet.

CALIFORNIA’S NEXT FREEDOM TO LOSE: SPEEDING.

In California, a state famous for protecting the freedom to do hard drugs in public and live beneath overpasses or in public parks, State Senator Scott Wiener has proposed a set of bills aimed at reducing traffic-related deaths. The Speeding and Fatality Emergency Reduction on California Streets package (SAFER) would include mandatory speed governor devices that would halt vehicles from driving 10mph over the speed limit.

What makes studying philosophy so challenging is that the examples of good and evil, right and wrong, are often so dramatic that it feels abstract to the point of being useless. But as I was looking over my child’s work and seeing this news about California car regulations, I recognized this as an approachable example of why choice matters in a free society.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Wiener reasoned his bill by saying, “There’s no reason why people should routinely be allowed to drive more than ten miles per hour above the speed limit.”

As with gas stoves, some elites will be great-grandfathered in when it comes to the proposed law: Biden Says He Got up to 130 Mph in His Corvette: ‘Secret Service Doesn’t Like Riding with Me Very Much’ (video).

SUPER-SIZE THAT INFLATION! McDonald’s CEO promises ‘affordability’ amid backlash over $18 Big Mac combos, $6 hash browns.

McDonald’s CEO admitted the burger giant’s sales have taken a hit as jacked-up menu prices have turned off core customers — and signaled the chain plans to focus on “affordability” this year.

The Chicago-based fast-food behemoth — which has lately taken heat over a Big Mac combo meal priced at nearly $18 — said its global same-store sales in the latest quarter had grown just 3.4%, falling short of the 4.7% growth Wall Street had expected.

The lackluster quarter — which the company also blamed on conflict in the Middle East that has slammed franchisees overseas — sent McDonald’s shares on the New York Stock Exchange tumbling nearly 4%, to $285.97, at Monday’s close.

“I think what you’re going to see as you head into 2024 is probably more attention to what I would describe as affordability,” McDonald’s chief executive Chris Kempczinski said on a Monday earnings call with analysts.

In particular, low income customers making less than $45,000 per year have largely stopped ordering from McDonald’s. Pummeled by inflation, they’re eating at home more frequently as grocery prices come down, Kempczinski admitted.

Kempczinski’s predecessor Steve Easterbrook said in 2015 that he wanted to transform the corporation into a ‘modern, progressive burger company.’ Based on their out-of-control prices, and dwindling middle class base, mission accomplished!

Fortunately though, as America’s Newspaper of Record reports: McDonald’s Now Offering 36-Month, 0% Interest Financing On All Value Meals.

MSNBC’S MICHAEL STEELE SHAMES DEAN PHILLIPS FOR RUNNING: ‘What The Hell You Doing?’

Former RNC chairman Michael Steele awarded Democrat presidential candidate Dean Phillips a forum on their new show The Weekend on Sunday after Phillips drew two percent in the South Carolina primary. But this is MSDNC, so it was mostly so he could shame him into getting out of the race and stop “prolonging” anti-Biden narratives.

As if the Republicans will knock it off if Phillips gets out? MSNBC proudly put out the tweet of the shaming:

WATCH: @MichaelSteele asks @RepDeanPhillips “What the hell are you doing?” pic.twitter.com/1pXSABAP82

— The Weekend on MSNBC (@TheWeekendMSNBC) February 4, 2024

Since the days of Richard Nixon, a prominent RINO who only supports Democrats could make a very good living as a television pundit in the DNC-MSM. but you’ve got to at least pretend to still be a Republican. Steele forgets that from time to time.

DECK CHAIRS REARRANGED: CNN Makes Drastic Cut As Ratings Slump Takes Its Toll.

“CNN This Morning” hosts Poppy Harlow and Phil Mattingly will reportedly take on a new role at the network, though it’s unclear what that role would be. Kasie Hunt, who currently hosts the morning show beginning at 5:00 a.m., will move into hosting a shorter version of “CNN This Morning” that will run from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m., according to Mediaite. Page Six is also reporting that the morning show will be sent to the chopping block.

* * * * * * * *

The changes, which are expected to be announced in an internal memo Monday, also mean the team that currently produces “CNN This Morning” in New York will be disbanded, Mediaite reported. CNN CEO Mark Thompson reportedly said employees are encouraged “to apply for the many new open roles that we are making available this week in Atlanta and Washington, DC, along with a number of other open roles in New York in other programming blocks.”

Related: Coal miners become computer coders.

—Headline, CNN.com, April 22nd, 2016.

HOW IT STARTED: Dennis Miller in the 1990s:

How it’s going: Apple’s Vision Pro buyers upset to discover that VR porn doesn’t work: ‘$3,500 chastity belt.’

—The New York Post, yesterday.

Related: “Of course I am absolutely dying to try the Apple Vision,” James Lileks writes in his latest Bleat. “I am afraid of only one thing, and that’s being unwise enough to buy one. You know, on the Apple Card, payments stretching into the future for years until it’s paid off, and they release the cheaper one I really want.”

DEVELOPING: Trump can’t claim presidential immunity against 2020 election charges: Appeals Court.

CHRISTIAN TOTO: HBO-Max Adds Trigger Warning to Blazing Saddles.

Yes, you must be lectured about “Blazing Saddles” because you’re too stupid to process satire in its highest forms. Yet Max understands how beloved the film, and Brooks, remain and cannot say there’s anything actually wrong or offensive about the film.

It’s unclear when the video introduction first hit the streaming platform, but a Twitter user alerted the platform to the shift on Feb. 5.

NOTE: Both Netflix and Paramount+ include “Blazing Saddles” on their content rosters without trigger warnings.

Flashback: Ridiculous trigger warning for ‘Blazing Saddles’ shows how far culture has gone off rails.

A few years ago, conservatives who pointed out worrying or silly campus adventures in speech modification and idea policing were told, “Relax, it’s just college kids. Why do you care?” Less than a decade later, Andrew Sullivan was able to write a column titled, “We all live on campus now,” and everyone knew he was exactly right.

Ridiculous, unnecessary trigger warnings are getting plastered all over everything, Realtors are afraid to use the term “master bedroom.” But HBO Max seems to think we all live in kindergarten. What kind of melonhead doesn’t realize the purpose of the slurs in “Blazing Saddles” is to make the racists look bad? We don’t need this explained to us, unless we just arrived on this planet from a faraway star system or attended Oberlin.

Better get it on Blu-Ray while you can. As John Nolte warned in 2014, “Buy a Copy Before the Left Burns Them All.”

TRUNALIMUNUMAPRZURE! Biden tells crowd he recently met with François Mitterrand, former French president who died in 1996.

WELL, THAT’S ONE WAY TO DEFUND THE POLICE: San Francisco police station burglarized in Fillmore District.