Social Hazard: Don't Conform!

How cool are these? T-shirts emblazoned with a biohazard logo and the words: Do not conform to the pattern of this world.

Romans 12:2 rocks: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

I've got to get one of those.

Fahrenheit 451: Eerily Prophetic

I just now got around to reading Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451--this despite having taken a 300-level science fiction course as an undergraduate. While no one today, at least to my knowledge, is burning books en masse (other than maybe the Chinese--add a comment if that sounds off to you), Bradbury accurately forecasted the crappy cultural evolution, fueled by sex, drugs and mindless entertainment, in which ubiquitous advertising assaults us all day from every angle and where inane and brain-deadening television programming captures conscience, rendering the masses semi-comatose.

One passage that particularly caught my attention involved the pep talk Captain Beatty gives the protagonist Guy Montag, after Beatty suspects Montag (a firefighter assigned to burning all books and the homes in which they're found) of essentially falling off the anti-bookwagon, if you will. "We must all be alike," Bradbury has Beatty proclaim. "Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against. So! A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it."

What a powerful passage. If you think about it, we are not born equal. Many struggle at studies that come easy to others; some are athletically gifted, others not; many fail where others succeed. Learning, though, and education close the gap.

Scarcely a page later Bradbury strikes another insight. Recalling the young lady--Clarisse McClellan--next door who Montag found insightful and intriguing (with her probing, scintillating questions), Beatty has a ready answer. "The girl? She was a time bomb...She didn't want to know how a thing was done, but why? That can be embarrassing. You ask Why to a lot of things and you wind up very unhappy indeed, if you keep at it. The poor girl's better off dead."

Thus, Bradbury warns against letting government and society advance to the point that no one reads, no one asks questions, no one explores truths, no one challenges censorship. That's particularly intriguing, considering Fahrenheit 451 was published in 1953 when McCarthy scare tactics were running high. The U.S. Army had been "bullied" into removing some "tainted" books from shelves overseas, according to Bradbury.

In fact, Bradbury experienced difficulty finding a publisher. A startup and renegade Chicago entrepreneur went out on a limb and took a chance, running Bradbury's work in the second, third and fourth installments of his new magazine. The publisher? Hugh Hefner. The magazine? You know it: Playboy.

Books are a critical tool in the education process. I'm happy to have actually read five novels, now, while the company's closed for the Christmas break. So read. Read often. And then read some more. You can even say you're reading for the articles, and you'll be telling the truth.

How Is Houshmandzadeh Not On This List?

The NFL announced Pro Bowl voting results. How is the Bengals' T.J. Houshmandzadeh not on this list? He has more touchdowns than Denver's Rod Smith. He's proven a critical component of the Bengals potent offense. Yet, he's not included? How's that? I'll bet it's because no one can stand having so many Bengals in the Pro Bowl.

I could be wrong. But, I doubt it.

All told, five Bengals will represent the franchise in the annual all-star game in Hawaii. It should be more, as the Bengals boast the NFL's fourth-best offense and the number one defense (ranked by takeaways with 31 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries). But whatever.

Bengals Pass At Bye

I watched families file into church Christmas Eve, my car idling, waiting for the Bengals game to end before attending service. They lost, in a shootout, to the Bills. The Bills, of all teams. A crew that hadn't been able to win a road game all year. I sat, with a cold rain dancing across the windshield, as the contest's last few moments hopelessly played out some 90 miles up the road. With the defeat went the hopes of earning a bye the first week of the playoffs.

My kid kept reminding, as we walked beneath cover of an umbrella, that the Bengals players were happy for the other team. I assured her they were not. I explained that, sometimes in life, despite what we might be told, there are occasions when it's not OK to lose. I told her those times are very rare, but football games in December are one of them.

Hopefully she's not confused. She enjoyed the service, and said no more.

By the time church was over, and I was back in the car, the post-game show was winding down. Apparently callers -- I missed all of them -- had been incensed. Jungle morale must have been very low. Before signing off the host reminded us "it's just a football game." Of course, he didn't mean football's only a game. He meant it's only one loss. And, he's right. The Bengals are set for home-field advantage. The season's been fun. Already it's surpassed expectation. And, it's not over yet. This loss could turn out to be the best thing yet (a reminder to this surprising Bengals club that they can't let their guard down for a moment).

Video Game Sales Slump In Wake Of Xbox 360 Debacle

I hate to say I told you so, but analysts are now saying what I predicted in a blog post a week ago: the poor planning and execution surrounding Microsoft's Xbox 360 release is negatively impacting the video game industry. That's a shame, as companies like Activision and EA Sports are now likely to pay the price.

Xbox Heat, Bengals Win 10th, Oscar

I could pile on the failed Xbox 360 launch some more, but that's getting too easy. Especially when CNET colleague David Carnoy manages the task so well.

Still, with all the Xbox 360 games out now, and no consoles available from major retailers (Amazon, Toys R Us, Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears, Wal-Mart, etc.), one has to wonder if third-party software developers aren't frustrated. After all, making Q4 numbers will prove more difficult at EA Sports, Activision, etc. if X360 title demand is squelched by the console's lack of availability.

The Bengals appear playoff bound. First time in 15 years. The Browns played us close, but in the end the Bengals offense came through again.

The biggest news this week? The new addition in the Eckel household: Oscar.

Apple's iTunes Gains Even More Steam

Sure there were naysayers, but they won't want to look now. Apple's iTunes service has sold more than three million videos in just six weeks! And, in less than three years, Apple has become the seventh largest music retailer in the world, according to the NPD Group.

Say what you want. Criticize the awesome, efficient, robust and secure PowerBooks as iPod companions. Denigrate the new widescreen, media friendly iMacs as "quirky" or late to the party. Bemoan Apple's refusal to license its hardware or iPod technology. Whatever.

Here's the painful truth: Apple stock is trading at an all-time high. That means the company's outperforming others and is doing a lot of things right.

And today the company announces a licensing agreement with NBC to distribute 11 top-shelf programs via iTunes. Meanwhile news reports speculate an additional deal with ESPN is imminent. Can agreements with Fox and ABC be far behind?

Bengals Improve To 9 And 3

Who'd of thought it? With the big win over the Steelers on Sunday the Bengals are almost certainly assured a playoff spot, ending a drought 15 years in the making. Had the Steelers won, Cowher & Company would have essentially claimed first place in the division via the tiebreaker, but with the Bengals victory Cincinnati stands a full two games ahead in first place. Steelers' fans only hope, now, is an uphill battle for a wildcard spot.

Don't forget to vote for your favorite Pro Bowl candidates. In addition to voting for Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson, I gave a Pro Bowl vote to T. J. Houshmandzadeh. The more I watch this kid play, the more I like him. So far this year he's got 56 catches for 743 yards (a 13.3 yard average) and five TDs (not too mention 38 first downs). He's also carried the ball eight times for 62 yards (a 7.8 yard average) and another TD! That's definitely Pro Bowl caliber.