DOuG pRATt – Page 5 – Prattling before the Pratfall

Regarding Competence

There is no such thing as being overqualified for any job, no matter what it is. That’s an idea I formed in the 11th grade, washing dishes after school and on Saturdays. It’s a notion that has stayed with me ever since then.

This White House briefing begins with somebody screwing up the audio. It continues with a stunning level of dissembling and lies from a childish press secretary who obviously feels she was born for the job. This security breach is a genuine crisis for Trump’s administration.

Here’s Trump proving just how out of touch he is and removed from those he is trusting to carry out his wishes. He’s showing his age, which is why he needs Musk to be his co-president. I’m not against the idea in principle. It’s what Biden should have done with Harris, as I stated at the start of his term.

Tracking ‘Touch’

The continuous takes in Adolescence were possible thanks to digital technology. A couple of much older examples come to mind, from when movies were shot on 10-minute reels of film.

Hitchcock’s Rope is a rather modest example, because it was filmed on a single interior set. The exterior tracking shot that starts Welles’ Touch of Evil is much more impressive.

My only problem with this movie is the casting of Charlton Heston. Richardo Montalban was the obviously better choice for the role.

Our Ruler of Lawlessness

Here are a couple of Marketplace segments I heard that were extra interesting to me.

Are we suffering from the planned economic realignments of Project 2025, or is this simply Trump pulling another one of his grifts? It seems likely to me that both are in play.

White House Amateur Hour

I’m a regular viewer of Washington Week on PBS. The current moderator of the panel is Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. Goldberg is now in the circumstance of having gone from journalist to being the story.

Choose Carefully

A recap: Google notified registered users of its Pixel 4a phone that an update would affect battery performance. Three alternatives were offered in compensation.

I chose to take the $100 credit at the Google Store. Combined with a sale price that was already $100 off, I bought a Pixel 8a for $300.

All’s well that ends well… except when it doesn’t.

I planned to… switch my “appeasement,” but then I noticed the fine print: No changes are possible after making a selection. So—no money for me.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/how-google-nerfed-my-pixel-4a-then-stuck-it-to-me-too/

The Wonder Years — Not

Do we really need yet another British murder mystery? Yes, if it’s Adolescence.

The Netflix mini-series is both compelling and confounding. Is Adolescence a police procedural? A serious sociological and psychological study? A reality show? A soap opera? Yes to all.

Something quite remarkable is that each of the four episodes was recorded in one continuous take. If there are any cuts at all, they were very deftly hidden.

This isn’t a gimmick. Once you start watching, the seamless flow of motion makes the verisimilitude^* all the more effective, and the acting all the more impressive.

The logistical planning, coordination and practice must have been daunting. The second episode is a tour de force of what I suppose can be called “synchronized cinematography.”

https://www.netflix.com/tudum/videos/adolescence-inside-episode-2

^* Sorry about that. It won’t happen again, and I promise to never use any form of “juxtapose.”