The Omegle Project, Mk II

I ran an experiment a few months ago on a random chat site, Omegle. Read over that one, and then check out this updated version of what random people from all over the world think of Obama and how he's running the country.

1. The New Yorker

You: Hi, where are you from?

Stranger: hey

Stranger: new york

You: Hi, I run a blog called The Reactor (the-reactor.blogspot.com) and I'm doing a survey about politics. What do you think of Obama and how he's running the country?

Stranger: i think he's doing a good job for the most part, i still support him

You: Did you vote for him in 2008?

Stranger: well i couldnt vote yet but i did support his campaign

You: And what do you think of all the criticism he is getting from both Republicans and Democrats?

Stranger: well i think Republicans have no credable argument to make against Obama's policies, they have turned into a party ruled by positions they think will get the "tea party" to vote for them

You: What about the criticism from the Democrats?

Stranger: well from my perspective i think democrats make more sense, especially when they critize him about the war or banning dont ask, dont tell, they can make clear arguments i can support

You: So do you disagree with anything Obama has done or has talked about?

Stranger: waiting a year to ban dont ask, dont tell, his support of private companies like Blackwater in Iraq, and his general lack of fight when Republicans tells lies about his positions

You: What lies have the Republicans told?

Stranger: death panels, that he is a socialist, an secret muslim, he was born in Nigeria, the stimulus plan did not work, he is weak on terrorists, etc

Stranger: i could go on and on

You: Alrighty, thanks. That's all I needed. Be sure to check out the blog for your response and many others!

Stranger: yea i did, i loved last nights Lost btw

You: Thanks a lot! Bye.

2. The Clueless Aussie

You: Where are you from?

Stranger: 'Ello 'ello.

Stranger: I'm from Australia.

You: I run a blog called The Reactor (the-reactor.blogspot.com) and I'm doing a survey about politics. What do you think of Obama and how he's running America?

Stranger: Yes, sort of...

You: Sort of what?

Stranger: I don't really know too much about politics HERE, let alone in America. I'm only 14.

Stranger: So I'm sort of useless. My apologies.

You: Not a problem. What have you heard?

Stranger: Hm...

Stranger: ...

Stranger: Actually... I can't really remember! Sorry for wasting your time.

3. The Non-starter (once again, there were tons of these)

Stranger: eey

You: Hi, I run a blog called The Reactor (the-reactor.blogspot.com) and I'm doing a survey about politics. What do you think of Obama and how he's running America?

Your conversational partner has disconnected.

4. The Recycling Fan

Stranger: hi

You: Hi, I run a blog called The Reactor (the-reactor.blogspot.com) and I'm doing a survey about politics. What do you think of Obama and how he's running America?

Stranger: Well I don't hear much on what hes doing so I feel he has done very little, but he is perfecting recycling and stuff so thats good

You: Where are you from?

Stranger: USA

You: What have you heard, exactly?

Stranger: nothing

Stranger: now bye

5. The Civil Chatty Canadian

Stranger: Ask me anything!

You: Hi, I run a blog called The Reactor (the-reactor.blogspot.com) and I'm doing a survey about politics. What do you think of Obama and how he's running America?

Stranger: I'm not in America.

Stranger: But!

You: Where are you from?

Stranger: Quebec.

You: Okay, so what do you think?

Stranger: I think he's doing fine, for a politician.

You: And what do you mean by that

You: ?

Stranger: I'd like to see him adhere to more of his campaign promises, but I won't say I'm surprised.

Stranger: He's failed to close Guantanamo Bay or step down the US' war efforts.

Stranger: His focus on healthcare, while honourable, is single-minded.

You: How so?

Stranger: He seems to be devoting the brunt of his executive energies to that.

Stranger: Still, he's put a fresh face on US politics, and his day-to-day dealings with foreign nations have been positive.

Stranger: I like his support for science.

You: And what do you think he should be "devoting the brunt of his executive energies" toward?

Stranger: Same thing any president should: a full range of foreign relations, domestic initiatives, and budgetary improvements.

Stranger: As I said, I'd like to see him do more to end the United States' foreign entanglements, and restore civil liberties in that country.

Stranger: Still, he can't be held fully responsible: the legislature is materially responsible for these changes.

Stranger: And his positions are overall agreeable.

You: Well thanks very much! That's all I needed, be sure to check out the blog for your response and other's from around the world!

Stranger: Word.

Stranger: Good luck.

6. The Odd Tarantino Fan

Stranger: They're coming.

Stranger: You have to get out of there.

You: Hi, I run a blog called The Reactor (the-reactor.blogspot.com) and I'm doing a survey about politics. What do you think of Obama and how he's running America?

Stranger: Is he the guy from Inglourious Basterds?

You: He's The President of the United States...

Stranger: ... That's a no, then?

Stranger: Wait.

Stranger: I thought the president was that Appalachian guy.

Stranger: Aldo Raine?

You: I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. [NOTE: Apparently he's from a Tarantino movie]

Stranger: So...

Stranger: Let me google this Obama guy.

Stranger: Oh, very f***ing funny.

Stranger: Like a black guy could be prez.

Stranger: I'm sure in 2012 we'll be electing Captain Homosexual McLiberalton.

You: Thanks for your time.

Stranger: And yours.

7. The Non-sequitur

You: Hi, I run a blog called The Reactor (the-reactor.blogspot.com) and I'm doing a survey about politics. What do you think of Obama and how he's running America?

Stranger: What’s the password?

8. The Racist (you can't escape them on the internet)

You: Hi, I run a blog called The Reactor (the-reactor.blogspot.com) and I'm doing a survey about politics. What do you think of Obama and how he's running America?

Stranger: hi there#

Stranger: obamas still better than bush or mccain

You: And why is that?

Stranger: more chicken in the white house

You: What do you mean?

Stranger: kfc

You: Why is that?

Stranger: negroes

You: And that's why Obama is better than Bush and McCain?

Stranger: with mccain you would have another 1000 years of war, and obama has at leat a few good ideas....

You: Like what?

Stranger: his medical plans....

Stranger: plans to end the war

Stranger: plans to do something in the gaza strip

Stranger: and a few other things, like the idae of talking before boming

You: Thanks for your time, that's all I needed! Be sure to check out the blog for your response and others

LOST Reaction: "Sundown"

Will anyone survive this final season of LOST? The answer's starting to look more and more like "no."

This week, we got to see just what the "darkness" growing in Sayid is capable of.

He killed Dogen and Lennon, and got an extremely creepy grin on his face after Smokeylocke destroyed the Temple. As far as the Island timeline goes, there's not much else to say. Claire and Sayid let Smokeylocke in the Temple, Kate discovers Claire is crazy, and Ben (where on earth were Ben, Lapidus, Ilana and Sun? They just randomly appear at the end of the episode) is terrified of new Sayid. If Ben is scared of something, it is truly something to be feared. I almost got chills when Ben backed slowly away from Sayid. Ben's seen that darkness before.

The question for the Island timelines is now what Smokeylocke and his "team" are going to do, especially since Kate inadvertently joined up with them.

Sayid's LA timeline showed his softer side (as has been the trend; I'm thinking that the LA timeline Losties are going to fare better overall than the Island-side ones) as he protected his brother's family from mobsters led by the insufferable Keamy. The story was a throwaway loan shark cookie-cutter plot, with familiar characters thrown in there for twists. Don't get me wrong, I cheered when Sayid shot Keamy. I was dreading having to listen to his sadistic low-pitched mumbling. Obnoxious character FTL.

What really got me curious about the LA timeline was Sayid's discovery of Jin in the mobsters' freezer. How was Keamy involved with Paik Industries?

With all these new questions being raised, I'm wondering if Cuse and Lindelof can really deliver on the their promise of answers.

LOST Reaction: "Lighthouse"

I'm gonna keep these shorter from now on. Just my reaction, no synopsis.

It was another whirlwind of "Holy Crap!"s and "What the...?"s last night on LOST. Hurley has become a weird sort of spiritual leader for those still in the Temple, as he can "see" Jacob. Jacob sends Hurley and Jack to a lighthouse that no one has ever noticed before, and Hurley does a fine job of being a leader and convincing Jack to go with him. But we'll get to that in a bit.

I like this new version of Hurley. He's not as crippled by his fear of bad luck or himself anymore. He knows that he has a purpose on the island, and he's doing his darnedest to live that out. Even if that means he has to lie to a samurai (one of my favorite Hurley lines).

Jack continues to piss me off. For the first four seasons he was the sensible leader of the Losties, making mostly good decisions and doing what he could for everyone. Starting last season, he was a resigned whiny-pants pansy who asked "Why?!" every other sentence. Ugh.

I'm not sure how I feel about the whole Crazy Claire line. Is she Smokeylocke's apprentice or something? They're drawing a lot of parallels between Claire and Rousseau, even though I don't think Rousseau was ever "infected." Her team was, but I don't think she was ever infected.

In the LA timeline, I thoroughly enjoyed Jack having a son. Jack has the worst daddy issues on the show (I guess except for Locke and the whole being pushed out of a building thing), and seeing him deal with it by doing things differently with his own offspring is refreshing. Dogen popping up at the recital was a great addition, in my opinion. It really shows that everyone is always intertwined, no matter what happened.

As for the episode's namesake, the Lighthouse was a big reveal. This ancient tower was how Jacob watched, and for all we know, communicated with the Losties during their lives. I only glanced three locales in the mirror before Jack got all angsty. The church where Sawyer's parent's funeral was (and where Jacob gave him a pen to finish his letter to the con man), the setting of Sun and Jin's wedding (where he congratulated them in "excellent Korean), and Jack's mom's house. The candidate's names around the outside of the wheel was intriguing, and I was really hoping we would see who's at bearing 108. 108, by the way, is what 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42 add up to. Trippier and trippier, man.

LOST Reaction: "The Substitute"

Island Timeline (present day)

The episode featured Smokeylocke and Sawyer (and Richard, kind of). An intriguing Smokey-eye-view shot through the jungle opened up the episode. We see (or rather, are) Smokey chattering and clanking through the jungle, pausing outside a Dharma house to listen to some music coming from inside (which turns out to be Sawyer), and zooms back into the jungle to find a machete. He then presumably turns back into Fake Locke (which Ilana later says he's trapped being; he can't change the people he's imitating again) and cuts Richard down from a tree. He tries to recruit Richard for some unknown purpose, and Richard wisely refuses and is clearly freaked out by Smokeylocke.

While Smokeylocke is out and about (this also happens with Sawyer later), he sees a small blonde boy. He chases him later and the boy tells him "you know you can't" or "you're not supposed to kill him." I can't remember which. Smokeylocke was visibly freaked out.

Smokeylocke then successfully recruits Sawyer, taking him to a mysterious hole in a cliff. This is where the big questions came from. There was scale right inside the entrance with two rocks on it , one black and one white. Smokeylocke threw the white one into the sea, calling it an "inside joke." He is relishing in his supposed victory quite disgustingly. Then comes the big one.

Smokeylocke shows Sawyer a cave with names scribbled all over it. This is the origin of the mysterious "lists" from previous seasons. And there's a few names we recognize.

Jarrah, Reyes, Ford, Shepherd, Kwon, and Locke. Each corresponded with 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 or 42.

Kate was noticeably absent from this list, even though Jacob interacted with her before the Island.

No mention of the Temple folk this week. Instead, we have the beach folk (Ajira flight). Ilana, Ben, Lapidus, Sun, and a few others decide to go to the Temple where "it's safe." Sun insists on burying the real Locke, which they do, next to the other people who have died on the Island (Boone, Shannon, Eko, Ana-Lucia, etc.). Ben delivers a possibly heartfelt apology in which he reveals that he killed Locke. Lapidus says "This is the weirdest d@#$ funeral I've ever been to." Truer words were never spoken, Lapidus. He's becoming the new Hurley in terms of comic relief.

LA Timeline (2004)

This was a Locke-centric, so we got to see Locke back at his old job, which he gets fired from for lying about attending a conference in Sydney. We also discover that, much like the other 2004 timeline, he tried to go on a walkabout, but was not allowed because of the wheelchair.

In happier news, Locke is engaged to Helen! It looks like he didn't get conned out of a kidney or any of that, so he didn't get weirdly obsessed with his punk dad.

Hurley is back and even more awesome. He is apparently so rich that he owns a temp agency, which he uses to help Locke get another job, and the box company that Locke got fired from. Lucky happy Hurley is much more enjoyable than sad and freaked-out Hurley.

Locke eventually lands a job (with the help of Rose, who runs Hurley's temp agency) as a substitute teacher, where he meets another teacher at the school, our dear friend Ben Linus.

Ben's back, and he's an obnoxious European History teacher. This should be good.

Reactor Reaction

Locke-centric episodes have ranged from illuminating to depressing. This was definitely on the illuminating side, a trend that I expect to continue for the entirety of the final season.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 2004 timeline, seeing that Locke didn't give up so easy this time around. Him being connected with Rose, Hurley, Jack and Ben should prove quite interesting as the story moves along.

As for the Island Timeline, seeing Richard that scared of something is a pretty big red flag that something's going down. My theory on Richard is that he's seen most of Smokey's tricks, and it appears that what Smokey-as-Locke is doing is new and terrifying.

My wife and I hypothesized that the names on the cave wall were for "candidates," a suspicion that was confirmed by Smokeylocke. We know we can't take his word for it, so the Jacob(s) of the Island must be protecting it from something. Another interesting idea we came up with is that Jacob is the goalie, keeping Smokey on the Island and away from the rest of the world. Smokeylocke keeps pushing to get off the Island, so we can only assume that something bad will happen, should that occur.

The candidates' names being associated with The Numbers is also very intriguing, and hints at just how long Jacob and Smokey have been at this game. If the Numbers were broadcasted 30 years before all this happened and Jacob had interacted with many of the Losties during that time, that could mean that Jacob was preparing for those seven for more than 30 years.

Trippy stuff.