Author: DOuG pRATt

Troll-ops

tech_review_JF15cover

I love the Tintin-inspired cover for the article about the hunting of Internet trolls in the latest issue of MIT Technology Review. I don’t care for the anonymous trolls that post obnoxious comments to news articles and forums, but I see a big difference between them and the trolls that target individuals for harassment and personal ridicule. At the very least they deserve to be outed.

Louis, Louis, oh, oh, me gotta go…

Actually, I won’t be going to see Louis C.K. this time around, but he sent this message announcing some upcoming appearances:

Dear getter of this.

Hi. It’s Louis CK writing you. Do you remember me? I’m a professional standup comedian. Today I am writing you because I’m going to do some shows in January to wrap up this year’s touring schedule before I begin production on season five of my series.

Here’s where I’ll be playing…. (I put those three dots in to give you a minute to collect yourself before you read this list of 3 cities)

Chicago Theater (January 5th and 6th)
New York MSG (January 7th)
LA (January 11th)

https://louisck.net/tour-dates

Tickets are as always 45 dollars all in. Except at MSG we have some tickets for 25 and a few for 65.

New York State has laws which prohibit us from forcing out of town ticket buyers to pick up their tickets in person which is something we do in order to reduce scalping and price gouging. Therefore If you are trying to buy tickets to the MSG shows and you are outside of a 200 mile radius, you won’t be able to. This is because we think you might be buying the tickets just to resell them. If you are a fan from out of town who is getting lost in the cracks of this system please email tickets@louisck.net and we will try to help you get tickets.

I hope you make it to one of the shows.
Happy new year. Happy holidays. Happy life. Happy family. Happy pets. Happy elephants.

Louis ck.

If you have never seen an episode of “Louis” watch “New Year’s Eve” from a couple of a years ago. It’s one of the finest half hours of television I have ever seen. It starts with some great comedic slapstick, as shown in this excerpt, but then it takes some amazing twists and turns. Caution: here there be bad language.

P.S. Another message from Louis came in one minute ago (Can you tell I’m not at work this week?):

Hello many people mostly concentrated around the New York area. How’s that for personal? Actually that’s how I greet everyone I say hi to even in person. Better to be correct than accurate, I never say.

Well. Here I am writing you again because after I put a show on sale at Madison Square Garden yesterday, darn it to heck if it didn’t go and sell out in one day.
So I’m adding a second show on the next date they had available which is one week after, January 14th.
You can buy tickets to that show now. Here.

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1D004D96F1F88394

Most tickets are 45 dollars but we have some for 25 and 65 also. With no additional fees.

As with the Jan 7th show, if you are outside a 200 mile radius- you will not be able to purchase tickets. We do this as one of many methods to monitor and prevent scalpers. Out of state people can email tickets@louisck.net and have a chance to still get a ticket.

We have implemented several scalper prevention methods, and have and will invalidate tickets if it fits into criteria that is usually associated with scalpers- so anyone buying from a scalper site, be wary as those tickets can be invalidated at any point.

Well that’s about it. I wish you a very happy new year. Sincerely. It’s too bad people have to add sincerely when they say nice things. But really, sincerely, happy new year.

Louis ck

A Final Fond Farewell to Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A.

[flv:http://s3.amazonaws.com/dogratcom/Video/2014/Colbert_60Minutes.flv 440 330]

In 2006, just five days into this blog, I posted my first item about “The Colbert Report”. That was back in the days of analog cable TV, and using the tuner in an ATI TV Wonder Elite I recorded this excellent “60 Minutes” piece by Morley Safer about Colbert, in which Stephen talks about the loss of his father and two of his brothers. Full Disclosure: If you go to the link for the 2006 post, there is a wry comment from my cousin Lawrie. Her niece is married to Morley Safer’s nephew.

And here, one last time, is the picture that Denro took of me, with my long-gone “woodchuck” facial hair, in the presence of Stephen Colbert. No, I am not a giant and Colbert is not tiny. Actually, we’re about the same size. I mean height! We’re the same height!

The Times Center, 242 West 41st Street, New York, NY, November 16, 2007 8:21 PM
The Times Center,
242 West 41st Street, New York, NY, November 16, 2007 8:21 PM