Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the Game
According to Nick Farrell’s ARTICLE on The Inquirer, Microsoft in big trouble. Vista no work so good.
“MICROSOFT appears to be in a state of panic, ordering 60 per cent of its new operating system to be re-written amidst a major shake-up of its troubled Windows division.” Uh oh, Lucy!
On a lighter note, isn’t the itty bitty Firefox cute? (courtesy FlashOnTheBlog’s sweet flickr site)
I include this nugget only because I realized, browsing my stats yesterday, most of you read this site with the most excellent Firefox. 76% of you in fact. Word. That tells me more about you.
You 1) are cool, 2) smart, 3) progressive, 4) floss regularly, 5) probably own a Mac, 6) need more vitamin D, 7) still watch cartoons…and 8. …like Kung Fu movies
OK, so I elaborate. (download the Firefox broswer)
In other news, Robert Parker whines about the Brits, Hugh Johnson in partic, attacking him for being the dictator of taste. (link to Decanter article)
According to an interview in The New York Times, he [Parker] sees UK wine writers as class-oriented and siding with the ‘old Bordeaux aristocracy’ in bearing a grudge against the new winemakers in St-Emilion and Pomerol.
Parker also implied that until his emergence, wine tasting was not an unbiased practice. ‘I came on the scene and tried to look at things in a democratic point of view, on a level playing ground,’ he said.
Yeah, and now Parker sides with, and fellates, his friend Michel Rolland’s wines, and the nouveau-Bordeaux aristocracy they’ve created, in every issue of his mag.
It’s simple. Parker started off democratic, I concede that much. But I don’t blame him for becoming wine’s Jaba the Hutt. I blame the industry itself. Namely, I blame sales people with lacking skills needing to quote his reviews. I blame wimpy wine shop owners caught up in the greed of fulfilling their customers’ need for validation. I blame people in the industry that strive to keep it so mysterious and snotty that most customers have no way to reconcile their ignorance with anything other than a blanket ranking system. This is, afterall, something we sports-freaky Americans understand, rankings.
Do you know people will actually come in to a shop ASKING for only wines that scored 95 points or higher? Happens all the time. As if that grade was all that mattered. Have you ever gone into a video store and asked only to see the movies to whom Roger Ebert gave four stars? No, because that would be lame. And you never would have seen Star Wars.
Sometimes I wish people in the wine business would have the courage of their convictions, at least as much as pimple-addled Billy at the local video store. And sometimes I wish customers would trust in something I recommend because it sounds good, just like that movie on the shelf. Why are they so uptight? What have you got to lose on a bottle of wine that costs less than a trip to the new Bruce Willis movie?
Perspective people. It’s something Robert Parker once had, but has lost. There is no way the man can be as objective as he once was when he is treated like a queen at every winery he visits, sent case upon case of free wine. Some of these people are his friends now. I know this because it happens to me and everyone in this industry to some extent. And you can’t write bad things about your friends, can you? It’s the nature of the beast that is the critic. He can’t be what he once was. I just wish he’d admit it.
March 24th, 2006 at 12:26 pm
Damn girl! Who put a bee in your bonnet this week? Dooooo go on.
We loves it! You’re at your best when you’re angry!
March 24th, 2006 at 2:56 pm
That is quite possibly the most hillarious pomeranian I have ever seen.
March 24th, 2006 at 4:24 pm
Thrilled to have discovered your blog.
Congrats on your first podcast. I thought it was very well done. The event sounds fantastic. I’m eager to check it out myself next year.
I’m looking forward to being a regular visitor to your blog. Thanks!
March 24th, 2006 at 4:43 pm
Here is an awesome video of Vista… Everything OS X can do already
http://homepage.mac.com/vito/real_vista_episode_1.mov
March 24th, 2006 at 5:41 pm
Just to let you know, you met a friend of mine in Portland last year and she turned me on to your awesome blog. I live in New York and have gotten my whole building reading you! We even get together and buy as a group, just like you suggested! Your recommendations are always appreciated. Even if it’s something that’s not my style, it’s always fantastic wine. Thank you and keep on doing what you’re doing. We are listening and learning, a lot. Your candor and taste are greatly appreciated!!!!!
K Jaeger
March 25th, 2006 at 8:07 am
Actual quote, from a man who walked into the store where I worked, asking for 90+ pt wines:
“I trust Robert Parker more than anyone. If he scores it less than 90, I’d pour it down the drain.”
The idea that Parker is calling ANYBODY biased is a laff-riot. Once again, I say to you: preach it, sister.
March 25th, 2006 at 9:34 am
Mag,
we love you too. (bill)
And this comment written on a mac in Firefox.
We’ll add more intelligent comments post-coffee.
March 25th, 2006 at 2:27 pm
feemo - anger, my blessing and curse
mithrandir - I can’t color my own hair that well.
sfpdx - welcome and thank you
matt - i know it, you know it, we all know it, but who’s gonna tell Bill?
krissy j - sweet! and people say New Yorkers aren’t friendly…
taj - let us now and forever refer to him as Jabba
beau & bill - don’t forget to brusha brusha brusha!
July 3rd, 2006 at 7:45 pm
[…] 4.) don’t hate the player hate the game – I’m quite sure most of these folks didn’t want to read me ripping into Parker yet one more time. […]
November 22nd, 2006 at 1:14 pm
I struggle with this issue myself. There are a number of ways of rating wine. A critic will usually interject personal tastes into assessment of a wine - unless they shift their paradigm to consider: stylistic intent of the wine maker, region, vintage and ultimately the question: “To whom will this wine with its combination of characteristics appeal?” and rate/review the wine in that context. And yes, as you work with wine growers and makers in the process of writing abot their wines, you become friends with some of them. It is a fine balancing act to not become tainted.
March 7th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Yep, the emperor has no clothes. Why don’t you give him a big tatoo while you are at it. Let me see….
“Jancis Rocks” ?