And thus begins another work week.
My wife felt the need to point out that Lemony Snicket was being clever in book whatever of his Unfortunate Events series by printing the start of Chapter 5 twice in order to illustrate déjà vu. I was only moderately impressed. Lemony Snicket is the kids version of John Grisham in my opinion. Pick any one book by either of them and it's great. The rest are all the same though. I stopped reading both of them after the first couple. And that's my illustration of déjà vu...
Ran across several random little bits today. Things are perking up a bit in the video game realm. This year's E3 promises to be moderately interesting due to the new console unveilings. The new models of just about (if not all) of the consoles are rumored to be in attendance. So we're getting little teases of what features might be available and so on. It's funny, as I've mentioned, for the longest time I was a PlayStation fan. I've recently joined the ranks of the Nintendo followers though and haven't really been too interested in what's on Sony's little black box. I got a demo for God of War today and I must admit, it was kind of fun. It reminded me of a Greek Prince of Persia. The battle and puzzle nature of the gameplay was very similar. It could be worth checking out. And then, of course, there's Wanda and the Colossus. Anything by the Ico team is worth looking at.
At any rate, I don't really have anything specific to point you towards, mostly you just have to listen to the rustlings on the wind. Winter is just about over and the year is getting ready to get it in gear. There are rumblings afoot and if you know what to look for, you can start to get ready for it. And I suspect that applies to just about any realm, whatever your interests.
Monday, January 31, 2005
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Laziness
Went ahead and installed Firefox here at home. It will make a better backup browser than IE. Now if only it could have read my Safari bookmarks. That was quite the task... Will have to play with some of the extensions, I'd like to try installing the weather forecast thing at least.
Need to wander over to Target. They're doing some sort of random furniture/knick knacks from around the world sale. Might be able to pick up some Asian bits and bobs. Could possibly find something to go with the lamp my wife got me for Christmas.
I gave up on Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I just couldn't bring mself to pick it back up. I might try again once it's no longer a new book at the library.
Anyway, it's Saturday and that means it's time to be lazy...
Need to wander over to Target. They're doing some sort of random furniture/knick knacks from around the world sale. Might be able to pick up some Asian bits and bobs. Could possibly find something to go with the lamp my wife got me for Christmas.
I gave up on Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I just couldn't bring mself to pick it back up. I might try again once it's no longer a new book at the library.
Anyway, it's Saturday and that means it's time to be lazy...
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Book #3
So, I finished I, robot by Asimov. It was an interesting read for the most part. Some of the stories were better than others, but that's just a generic statement that applies to any collection. I don't know that I've read a collection yet that contained nothing but great stories. ^_^ At any rate, Asimov's collection of thought experiments on the three laws of robotics made for both a nice bit of relaxation and some occasional thought on ethics and logic. Having seen the recent movie, I can now compare them better and while the movie didn't use any of the stories outright, it did feature the same questioning nature of the book. It certainly explored the same themes and did use a couple similar moments.
In a lot of ways this book reminded me of some of PK Dick's work. It looks at humanity and what it means to be human, but through the lens of technology and often robots/androids specifically. I like Dick's works a little more than Asimov, but I, robot was certainly a worthwhile read. Consider it recommended.
Looks like Wes Craven is back again with Cursed. A new take on the werewolf movie possibly? I suppose it's about time they got their due. There aren't really that many great werewolf movies. An American Werewolf in London springs to mind. And you have the Howling series, but that's about it. After the recent zombie craze (and there were some great ones) it will be interesting to see what happens with our furry, moonstruck friends.
In a lot of ways this book reminded me of some of PK Dick's work. It looks at humanity and what it means to be human, but through the lens of technology and often robots/androids specifically. I like Dick's works a little more than Asimov, but I, robot was certainly a worthwhile read. Consider it recommended.
Looks like Wes Craven is back again with Cursed. A new take on the werewolf movie possibly? I suppose it's about time they got their due. There aren't really that many great werewolf movies. An American Werewolf in London springs to mind. And you have the Howling series, but that's about it. After the recent zombie craze (and there were some great ones) it will be interesting to see what happens with our furry, moonstruck friends.
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Random Scottish moment
I spent a couple years in Scotland and completely fell in love with the place. It was Burns Night a couple days ago - time for haggis and poetry and friends. I've had haggis and actually like it quite a bit. I'm not brave enough to buy any over here - I suspect it's better from the country that makes it on a regular basis. There was a butcher by one of the flats I lived in for a while that was absolutely wonderful. I often stopped by for caramel squares, but also picked up a haggis once and even got him to do a turkey for Thanksgiving. (Not that he knew what we wanted the turkey for...) I miss being able to shop like that, a butcher for meat, and little shops for produce or various odds and ends. I think some of the bigger cities offer you that opportunity, especially if they incorporate any sort of ethnic community which offer their own specialty shops, and it can be quite nice.
Anyway, this moment of complete randomness was brought to you by the recent post over at Websnark concerning Burns Night. I developed a bit of a fondness for his poetry after my time there and I can say with a certainty that "my heart's in the highlands, a chasin' the deer..." If you ever get the chance to go, take it. Beautiful place Scotland.
Anyway, this moment of complete randomness was brought to you by the recent post over at Websnark concerning Burns Night. I developed a bit of a fondness for his poetry after my time there and I can say with a certainty that "my heart's in the highlands, a chasin' the deer..." If you ever get the chance to go, take it. Beautiful place Scotland.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
The obligatory Firefox post
So I'm a little late on this. Mostly it's because I have no reason to use Firefox at home. I'm extremely happy with Safari, so I've had no reason to try it out. But work is another story. So I finally gave in and installed it and there will be no looking back. In a lot of ways the two aforementioned browsers are very similar. They offer similar features and even have some similarities in their presentation. I suspect Firefox is a lot more customizable what with the open source community behind it and all, but Mac homebrew developers have often come up with some useful widgets too. And quite frankly I hardly ever play with the serious customization stuff. I'm just glad to have a browser at work that can open all the bookmarks I have in a folder as separate tabs now. And it looks like I can integrate some RSS feeds into things as well. So that's cool.
Anyway, if you haven't played with Firefox yet and you have a Windows based machine I suggest you give it a download. It certainly beats the pants off IE, that's for sure. And I like it better on first glance than the 7.whatever version of Netscape I've been running.
Anyway, if you haven't played with Firefox yet and you have a Windows based machine I suggest you give it a download. It certainly beats the pants off IE, that's for sure. And I like it better on first glance than the 7.whatever version of Netscape I've been running.
Monday, January 24, 2005
Jumps and Jive
Picked up the Garden State soundtrack over the weekend. Great disc. It's a pretty mellow collection of songs, but that often works in it's favor as it certainly makes perfect background music for just about anything. I really enjoy In the Waiting Line by Zero 7 and Winding Road by Bonnie Somerville, but the whole disc is great (although I suspect my wife is getting tired of it spinning in the background). At least it's not the scrubs soundtrack - I've just about worn that one down to nothing as well. The two cds do share some artists in common (and one song by The Shins) but they are slightly different - scrubs is a little more upbeat on the whole.
Watched both The Village and The Forgotten this weekend. Both were better than I expected, so that was a nice surprise. The Village was pleasantly interesting. It is basically a movie version of Running Out of Time by Margaret Haddix, but there are a few differences (if I were really cyncial I'd say enough to keep her from winning a lawsuit...). And I must admit that a few of the plot turns surprised me. It's an interesting idea, but you have to wonder at some of the decisions made concerning the film's end. That is one of the major differences between the film and the book. I won't go into details (despite it having been out for a while) but I don't think the film made the right choice. Although, again, there are some differences in motivation between the two stories.
The Forgotten was much better than I expected it to be despite the sci-fi copout. This was a movie that in a lot of ways was harmed by the trailer and commercials. Far too much of the plot was given away. Although, oddly, it sort of helped too. Mostly because the filmmakers decided they weren't going to tell the more interesting and (obviously) harder story. I personally think a story concerning the main character's questionable sanity would have been more interesting. I suppose because it's more real. Instead (and this is why to some extent the PR people can be forgiven) they chose to tell a story about alien abduction. So in order to give people some warning that the story wasn't going to be grounded on this planet, the trailer had to give away the fact that Julianne Moore's character wasn't crazy. The film has several great jump moments and overall tells a good tale. And while I was disappointed they went the route they did, I won't deny that they did it well. Since we rented the DVD we chose to watch the "extended, alternate ending" version. So I can't really comment on what people saw in the theaters. We did go back to check out the theatrical ending and there are differences, some more obvious than others. Sadly, I think you need to see both to really get the complete feel for what they were trying to accomplish. Which may be why I got such mixed opinions from family and friends about it when it was in the theater.
I'm just about to wrap up book #3, so expect comments on it in a day or two. And I still haven't quite shaken my head cold. Curse you head cold!
Watched both The Village and The Forgotten this weekend. Both were better than I expected, so that was a nice surprise. The Village was pleasantly interesting. It is basically a movie version of Running Out of Time by Margaret Haddix, but there are a few differences (if I were really cyncial I'd say enough to keep her from winning a lawsuit...). And I must admit that a few of the plot turns surprised me. It's an interesting idea, but you have to wonder at some of the decisions made concerning the film's end. That is one of the major differences between the film and the book. I won't go into details (despite it having been out for a while) but I don't think the film made the right choice. Although, again, there are some differences in motivation between the two stories.
The Forgotten was much better than I expected it to be despite the sci-fi copout. This was a movie that in a lot of ways was harmed by the trailer and commercials. Far too much of the plot was given away. Although, oddly, it sort of helped too. Mostly because the filmmakers decided they weren't going to tell the more interesting and (obviously) harder story. I personally think a story concerning the main character's questionable sanity would have been more interesting. I suppose because it's more real. Instead (and this is why to some extent the PR people can be forgiven) they chose to tell a story about alien abduction. So in order to give people some warning that the story wasn't going to be grounded on this planet, the trailer had to give away the fact that Julianne Moore's character wasn't crazy. The film has several great jump moments and overall tells a good tale. And while I was disappointed they went the route they did, I won't deny that they did it well. Since we rented the DVD we chose to watch the "extended, alternate ending" version. So I can't really comment on what people saw in the theaters. We did go back to check out the theatrical ending and there are differences, some more obvious than others. Sadly, I think you need to see both to really get the complete feel for what they were trying to accomplish. Which may be why I got such mixed opinions from family and friends about it when it was in the theater.
I'm just about to wrap up book #3, so expect comments on it in a day or two. And I still haven't quite shaken my head cold. Curse you head cold!
Friday, January 21, 2005
Oldies but goodies
Watched a couple of old favorites today. One was mentioned pretty recently as they've just put out a special edition on DVD. The Fifth Element is a movie that I didn't really care for at first. This has more to do with the circumstances under which I watched it though. It was the second feature at a drive-in and the sound was screwed up so I had to try and make sense of the movie relying solely on visual cues. While extremely tired. Yeah, not an easy task. So for a while it was just some weird, frenetic sci-fi movie with Bruce Willis. But when it came out on DVD I was talked into giving it another chance by the guys at work. Oddly enough when you can hear the movie and you're awake, it makes much more sense.
And that time I fell in love. The Fifth Element is still an odd little movie. While overall a sci-fi movie it defies easy genre classification. But there are so many wonderful little moments that it's just great. The hopped up mugger, the window service oriental food, Leeloo's fascination with the multipass - gems all. Despite a very fast visual style, the little things add up to a world. It's a much brighter dystopia than your typical Blade Runner inspired retread. This future, while still dysfunctional, is colorful and vibrant. And it's got Chris Tucker hamming it up. What more could you ask for? And it gets better each time you watch it. A fact that has convinced my wife that it is indeed a good show (it took her an additional couple viewings before she started to see the brilliance that is The Fifth Element). There are so many little things going on that you can find a new nugget of joy each time you watch it. I suspect my favorite aspect of the movie that stands out every time I watch it is the cross cut nature of the conversations that happen in the film. I think this may be why it failed for me at the drive-in. It's hard to make a visual narrative out of something that's jumping around what appears to be aimlessly. But when the sound is added in, you realize what's going on and the visual disparity gives way to understanding through the continuous dialog. Plus it's wonderfully quotable. All things that add up to instant classic in my book. Green? Super green.
The other show is one that proves that good things can indeed come in small packages. Voices of a Distant Star was created by one guy on his Mac. And you would never know from looking at it. The only real indication that this is the case is the show's length - a mere 30 minutes. But you get a lot in that 30 minutes. At heart a love story, Voices of a Distant Star deals with two teenagers separated by vast distances. Their only means of communication is the text messages they send that take longer and longer to reach one another as Mikako travels further away in a war that she might not come back from. And as she is travelling at light speed she remains young while Noboru ages normally on Earth. It's a powerful piece that looks at love and the strength that two people can get from each other. Plus it has an amazing soundtrack and a series of stunning visuals. I am impatiently looking forward to the next movie by Makoto Shinkai.
So there you go, brief looks at a couple sci-fi movies that are in some ways not really sci-fi movies. They certainly involve other things and the sci-fi aspect in a lot of ways is just window dressing. My wife is going to put me through The Village and The Forgotten this weekend so look forward to a writeup on them soon.
And if you've managed to run across the video of the dog beating the guy at Soul Calibur 2 be a pal and send me a link that works. I really need to see that video.
And that time I fell in love. The Fifth Element is still an odd little movie. While overall a sci-fi movie it defies easy genre classification. But there are so many wonderful little moments that it's just great. The hopped up mugger, the window service oriental food, Leeloo's fascination with the multipass - gems all. Despite a very fast visual style, the little things add up to a world. It's a much brighter dystopia than your typical Blade Runner inspired retread. This future, while still dysfunctional, is colorful and vibrant. And it's got Chris Tucker hamming it up. What more could you ask for? And it gets better each time you watch it. A fact that has convinced my wife that it is indeed a good show (it took her an additional couple viewings before she started to see the brilliance that is The Fifth Element). There are so many little things going on that you can find a new nugget of joy each time you watch it. I suspect my favorite aspect of the movie that stands out every time I watch it is the cross cut nature of the conversations that happen in the film. I think this may be why it failed for me at the drive-in. It's hard to make a visual narrative out of something that's jumping around what appears to be aimlessly. But when the sound is added in, you realize what's going on and the visual disparity gives way to understanding through the continuous dialog. Plus it's wonderfully quotable. All things that add up to instant classic in my book. Green? Super green.
The other show is one that proves that good things can indeed come in small packages. Voices of a Distant Star was created by one guy on his Mac. And you would never know from looking at it. The only real indication that this is the case is the show's length - a mere 30 minutes. But you get a lot in that 30 minutes. At heart a love story, Voices of a Distant Star deals with two teenagers separated by vast distances. Their only means of communication is the text messages they send that take longer and longer to reach one another as Mikako travels further away in a war that she might not come back from. And as she is travelling at light speed she remains young while Noboru ages normally on Earth. It's a powerful piece that looks at love and the strength that two people can get from each other. Plus it has an amazing soundtrack and a series of stunning visuals. I am impatiently looking forward to the next movie by Makoto Shinkai.
So there you go, brief looks at a couple sci-fi movies that are in some ways not really sci-fi movies. They certainly involve other things and the sci-fi aspect in a lot of ways is just window dressing. My wife is going to put me through The Village and The Forgotten this weekend so look forward to a writeup on them soon.
And if you've managed to run across the video of the dog beating the guy at Soul Calibur 2 be a pal and send me a link that works. I really need to see that video.
Thursday, January 20, 2005
iPod, iWant
As I am currently in the depths of a sinus cold, go over here and find yourself a review of the iPod Shuffle. Then buy me one. Or two.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
What If...? from 1UP.COM
What If...? An interesting, if pointless fluff, piece. Certainly questions that everyone has pondered at some point, if you're a fan of video games.
And that's all you're getting today. I'm tired...
And that's all you're getting today. I'm tired...
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Humor for a Tuesday
This is pretty funny. For several reasons. And if you read this blog (poor souls), chances are you'll find it funny too. I think my favorite bit (wizard ninjas) has to be (bears with laser beams) the facial expressions on Boromir at the end. And as an aside (in keeping with the theme of this paragraph) the parent site (big-big-truck) is actually a pretty good one. I used to go there pretty frequently for Bebop wallpaper and other randomness, so check that out too.
Is there some unwritten law somewhere that corporate meetings have to be mind-numbingly boring? It's pretty sad when the best bit of an entire meeting is the regular guy forced up there to talk about his project and he does so in regular terms and with actual opinions on things. When I was in college I used to read Dilbert and laugh uncontrollably. I thought it was hilarious. Then I graduated, got a job, the company got bought out, and I realized it was a documentary. And it wasn't funny anymore. In fact I can't really read the strip because it's too depressing...
Speaking of comics, I stumbled across this link today. It seems like it might be pretty interesting. And while I'm throwing out links dealing with commentary about comics, have this one as well. And as one last link for a link laden paragraph, Jeremy Parish has rebooted Onion again over at Toastyfrog. It was initially a comic based on a dream he had, but he's gone to a text format for this iteration. I'm hoping for some occasional graphics to go along with it. Although if you hang out through Onion, he's going to start Toastyfrog ZM up again as well and it should feature more artwork...
Is there some unwritten law somewhere that corporate meetings have to be mind-numbingly boring? It's pretty sad when the best bit of an entire meeting is the regular guy forced up there to talk about his project and he does so in regular terms and with actual opinions on things. When I was in college I used to read Dilbert and laugh uncontrollably. I thought it was hilarious. Then I graduated, got a job, the company got bought out, and I realized it was a documentary. And it wasn't funny anymore. In fact I can't really read the strip because it's too depressing...
Speaking of comics, I stumbled across this link today. It seems like it might be pretty interesting. And while I'm throwing out links dealing with commentary about comics, have this one as well. And as one last link for a link laden paragraph, Jeremy Parish has rebooted Onion again over at Toastyfrog. It was initially a comic based on a dream he had, but he's gone to a text format for this iteration. I'm hoping for some occasional graphics to go along with it. Although if you hang out through Onion, he's going to start Toastyfrog ZM up again as well and it should feature more artwork...
Monday, January 17, 2005
Catching up
Ok, watched Evil Dead over the weekend. And first let me say, "Holy Cow! Bruce Campbell is really, really young!" It's not too bad for a first time horror flick from a bunch of kids no one had heard of then. But you probably recognize their names now - Sam Raimi, Bruce, The Coen brothers... I've seen both sequels, but only just got around to watching this, the original inspiration. There are some really nice camera shots and the story, while presented in an earnest fashion, is still pretty campy. It's easy to see why the sequels went the route they did - Over the Top Ash works much better than Horrifyingly Distraught Ash. But still, fun to see where things came from.
Also watched Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. Such a pretty, pretty movie. The plot is pretty standard fare for the GitS universe. And if you've read any reviews for the show, you've no doubt heard how the movie is chock full of philosophical quotes that tend to drive home the points being made. It's certainly true, but it's not as bad as it sounds. Well, that or my tolerance for philosophical mumbo jumbo is pretty high. It's a pretty mellow movie - the first one had more action and was a little more visceral physically as well as philosphically. But the questions pondered here still carry some weight and there are a few really nice moments. I think I preferred the music in the original a little better, but there are a couple scenes towards the end where the soundtrack makes a really nice, powerful counterpoint to what's happening. All in all certainly worth watching and if you've enjoyed any of the works based on Shirow's stories, you'll feel right at home here. And it's really pretty. Really. Oh, and the subtitle/closed caption thing isn't nearly as annoying as I was afraid it would be. There are only a couple of instances where I felt it was bordering on intrusive - the rest of the time it was pretty reasonable.
Managed to polish off the second Shooting Stars graphic novel. I don't really have anything to say about it in hindsight. It's been a couple days and for the most part it's pleasantly forgettable. I enjoyed reading it and it was an interesting glimpse into an alternate Bebop universe, but it didn't grab me the way the series did. I think it's at least partially due to the compressed form. The stories weren't really given the room to grow the way they did in the tv show. And while there were certainly plenty of short "filler" episodes in the anime, you knew parts of them were driven by the very real back story. Here the back story isn't as visible and so everything gets relegated to filler. Even the Scorpion arc - which is as close to what makes up continuity and back story in this series as you get - still felt pretty light and rushed.
I may not make it through what would have been book 3. I'm trying to read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and it's just not clicking. I wanted to like this book. And there are flashes of something very nice, but it's not really grabbing me. I really like some of Susanna Clark's short fiction, so it's a little surprising to me that I'm not enjoying the book more. Oh well, we'll see what happens.
Managed to make a small video of Graeme smiling for the grandparents. Lovely digital camera. And lovely iMac. It's terribly fun to poke around with iMovie and iDVD and whatnot.
Also watched Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. Such a pretty, pretty movie. The plot is pretty standard fare for the GitS universe. And if you've read any reviews for the show, you've no doubt heard how the movie is chock full of philosophical quotes that tend to drive home the points being made. It's certainly true, but it's not as bad as it sounds. Well, that or my tolerance for philosophical mumbo jumbo is pretty high. It's a pretty mellow movie - the first one had more action and was a little more visceral physically as well as philosphically. But the questions pondered here still carry some weight and there are a few really nice moments. I think I preferred the music in the original a little better, but there are a couple scenes towards the end where the soundtrack makes a really nice, powerful counterpoint to what's happening. All in all certainly worth watching and if you've enjoyed any of the works based on Shirow's stories, you'll feel right at home here. And it's really pretty. Really. Oh, and the subtitle/closed caption thing isn't nearly as annoying as I was afraid it would be. There are only a couple of instances where I felt it was bordering on intrusive - the rest of the time it was pretty reasonable.
Managed to polish off the second Shooting Stars graphic novel. I don't really have anything to say about it in hindsight. It's been a couple days and for the most part it's pleasantly forgettable. I enjoyed reading it and it was an interesting glimpse into an alternate Bebop universe, but it didn't grab me the way the series did. I think it's at least partially due to the compressed form. The stories weren't really given the room to grow the way they did in the tv show. And while there were certainly plenty of short "filler" episodes in the anime, you knew parts of them were driven by the very real back story. Here the back story isn't as visible and so everything gets relegated to filler. Even the Scorpion arc - which is as close to what makes up continuity and back story in this series as you get - still felt pretty light and rushed.
I may not make it through what would have been book 3. I'm trying to read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and it's just not clicking. I wanted to like this book. And there are flashes of something very nice, but it's not really grabbing me. I really like some of Susanna Clark's short fiction, so it's a little surprising to me that I'm not enjoying the book more. Oh well, we'll see what happens.
Managed to make a small video of Graeme smiling for the grandparents. Lovely digital camera. And lovely iMac. It's terribly fun to poke around with iMovie and iDVD and whatnot.
Friday, January 14, 2005
Weekend a go go
Danny Boyle's new film Millions looks pretty good. I really enjoyed 28 Days Later, so it will be interesting to see how this one turns out.
And it's now time to veg out for a couple days. Ahh, bliss. So go watch the trailer. Pop some popcorn and find something mindless to occupy a couple hours. You're on your own.
And it's now time to veg out for a couple days. Ahh, bliss. So go watch the trailer. Pop some popcorn and find something mindless to occupy a couple hours. You're on your own.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Book #2(ish)
So, I really ought to roll the Bebop Shooting Star graphic novels into one book. There are two of them and I finished the first one this evening. It's an interesting re-imagining of the Bebop Universe. If you're familiar with Cowboy Bebop from the anime series, you'll see things from the show, but from a slightly different angle. The stories are mostly interesting, but in some ways frustrating as they are telling stories you've seen. Even if they are slightly different. Towards the end of the first graphic novel things get more interesting as truly new material starts to surface and the characters are all accounted for. I look forward to the second volume to see where it goes.
The Scrubs soundtrack is quite excellent. The music is a big part of the show and it's fun to listen to the pieces they've selected for the cd. At least one interesting remake, some old favorites and some (possibly) undiscovered gems. And it seems that Zach Braff really likes The Shins. He used music by them in Garden State also. I don't know if he has anything to do with the music in Scrubs, but if nothing else he liked them enough to include them in the movie.
And I find myself watching Committed. I'm not sure why. I didn't really want to like it. But I kind of do...
The Scrubs soundtrack is quite excellent. The music is a big part of the show and it's fun to listen to the pieces they've selected for the cd. At least one interesting remake, some old favorites and some (possibly) undiscovered gems. And it seems that Zach Braff really likes The Shins. He used music by them in Garden State also. I don't know if he has anything to do with the music in Scrubs, but if nothing else he liked them enough to include them in the movie.
And I find myself watching Committed. I'm not sure why. I didn't really want to like it. But I kind of do...
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Quiet Wednesday
Which is really just a way to say that there's really nothing worth mentioning here. And I'm too tired to try and draw some meaning out of life's quieter moments. But I felt the need to jot something down here. So you get to live with these random little sentences that don't really amount to much. Lucky you. I'm still juggling about 3 books and 4 games. It makes any sort of cohesion difficult. But certainly does wonders for randomness.
Still haven't managed to watch Ghost in the Shell 2. I think I'm dragging my feet because of the subtitle track. And I have this strange desire to watch The Fifth Element again. That's probably at least partially related to the fact that the new 2 disc DVD set just came out. I have this irrational desire to pick it up. I'm going to try and fight it this time.
Anyway, I've rambled enough. I do feel the need to point out, however, that my wife spent most of last night convinced that the rather large wind storm we had was made up of people's voices. She was convinced someone was just outside talking about something or other. It made for a nice ghostly winter moment. At 2 A.M.
Cold winter wind blows
at night, are there voices, or
are they just my thoughts?
Still haven't managed to watch Ghost in the Shell 2. I think I'm dragging my feet because of the subtitle track. And I have this strange desire to watch The Fifth Element again. That's probably at least partially related to the fact that the new 2 disc DVD set just came out. I have this irrational desire to pick it up. I'm going to try and fight it this time.
Anyway, I've rambled enough. I do feel the need to point out, however, that my wife spent most of last night convinced that the rather large wind storm we had was made up of people's voices. She was convinced someone was just outside talking about something or other. It made for a nice ghostly winter moment. At 2 A.M.
Cold winter wind blows
at night, are there voices, or
are they just my thoughts?
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Marathon trilogy for free, a new magazine and the iPod Shuffle
So, it looks like you can download the Marathon Trilogy for free. Plus Anvil and Forge. That's pretty cool. Go see the precursor to that Halo game all the kids are talking about. I miss Bungie. It's too bad Microsoft had far too much money for them.
And this looks like it might be a cool magazine. Certainly some potential there.
Plus it sounds like there have been lots of interesting announcements at MacWorld. The iPod Shuffle sounds like it might be my first iPod purchase. Certainly in the right price range and lots of space... Trés cool.
And this looks like it might be a cool magazine. Certainly some potential there.
Plus it sounds like there have been lots of interesting announcements at MacWorld. The iPod Shuffle sounds like it might be my first iPod purchase. Certainly in the right price range and lots of space... Trés cool.
Monday, January 10, 2005
'Tis which season?
So, despite the fact that it's the middle of winter, the weather has decided to spend all day raining. Now, I like rain, but it's winter. A little snow would be appreciated. Oh well, at least I don't have to shovel rain...
This is UGO's top 50 DVD list. Nothing terribly surprising on the list, but interesting to flip through. I enjoy looking at lists like these, because not only do I like collecting movies, but sometimes it's fun to collect DVDs that stand out in the medium - really good commentaries, soundtracks, etc. So it's interesting to see what's come out lately.
I'm hearing rumblings about the looming release of Resident Evil 4. I must admit, from the bits I've seen of this game it looks amazing. Curse you survival horror games! Why must you all be so scarily good?!
This is UGO's top 50 DVD list. Nothing terribly surprising on the list, but interesting to flip through. I enjoy looking at lists like these, because not only do I like collecting movies, but sometimes it's fun to collect DVDs that stand out in the medium - really good commentaries, soundtracks, etc. So it's interesting to see what's come out lately.
I'm hearing rumblings about the looming release of Resident Evil 4. I must admit, from the bits I've seen of this game it looks amazing. Curse you survival horror games! Why must you all be so scarily good?!
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Book #1
Finished off State of Fear. Here's the thing: it's a horribly silly book. It's overbearing and the plot is just ludicrous, but it still contains Crichton's trademark readability. You'll find yourself reading it anyway, in spite of realizing just how bad it is. At least it's not one of his diatribes against theme parks. I swear, he must have been lost in one as a child.
So, if you want me to spare you from the terror that is State of Fear know these two things: Global Warming is a theory that, like any good scientific theory, is now falling out of vogue, and the politico-media machine is still in full force making sure we know next to nothing and are afraid of it all.
In other news, we watched Garden State last night. Good movie. This has been an indie film filled weekend. It's refreshing to see real people make movies for a change. Zach Braff was someone we liked on Scrubs, turns out he's a decent director/writer too. It's an interesting piece on life, love and medication. I will admit it's not a film for everyone. There are a few odd and uncomfortable moments, but overall, the progression from a life lived enveloped in cotton to a human being that can think and feel again is quite interesting to watch.
So, if you want me to spare you from the terror that is State of Fear know these two things: Global Warming is a theory that, like any good scientific theory, is now falling out of vogue, and the politico-media machine is still in full force making sure we know next to nothing and are afraid of it all.
In other news, we watched Garden State last night. Good movie. This has been an indie film filled weekend. It's refreshing to see real people make movies for a change. Zach Braff was someone we liked on Scrubs, turns out he's a decent director/writer too. It's an interesting piece on life, love and medication. I will admit it's not a film for everyone. There are a few odd and uncomfortable moments, but overall, the progression from a life lived enveloped in cotton to a human being that can think and feel again is quite interesting to watch.
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Here shark, shark, shark
Watched Open Water last night. Great movie. It was pretty intense and the last 20 minutes or so are quite gripping. In fact, I'd say the thunderstorm sequence ranks up there as one of my favorite moments of suspense in film. Definite edge of your seat stuff. The actors did a great job showing us the possible last hours of two people placed in an impossible situation. In a lot of ways this is the low budget version of The Perfect Storm. Both films take a look at people and what happens to them when they know things have seriously turned for the worse. Of course, we don't know what actually transpired between any of the people in either of those situations, but it's not hard to imagine something like what is shown in either of these films being the case.
One of my favorite little moments in Open Water was discovering Daniel's last name was Kintner. I believe that's the last name of the boy in Jaws that got eaten by the shark. Nice touch... So if you're in the mood for an intense character piece, Open Water is a pretty good choice.
One of my favorite little moments in Open Water was discovering Daniel's last name was Kintner. I believe that's the last name of the boy in Jaws that got eaten by the shark. Nice touch... So if you're in the mood for an intense character piece, Open Water is a pretty good choice.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Long week
It's that first full week back at work and boy is it dragging. I remember thinking yesterday that I couldn't believe it was only Wednesday and I still had half the week to make it through. And now it's only Thursday. ^_^ Who came up with this 5 day work week? They should be shot.
We've had quite a bit of snow over the last couple days and that's been nice. Except for the commute. I think the statistic yesterday morning was 30 accidents on the highway at one point during morning rush hour. When I was on the road people were taking it slow, which was nice for the most part. Today people were much more confident and the roads were somewhat cleaner, which isn't the greatest combination - really all it leads to is a bunch of people pulling out in front of you when you can't stop or slow down easily. Quite nice.
So, I got a couple day-by-day calendars for Christmas. One featuring some pretty shots of lighthouses and one featuring daily origami projects. They're both pretty good for obviously different reasons. I was never a huge fan of the day-by-day, but these two are pretty good. The movie trivia calendar last year was fun as well. My biggest complaint with them is that I can never write down appointments and days off and whatnot and be reminded of what's coming with ease. It leads to more of a sense of surprise I guess...
As far as things going on, track down some of the stuff on our friend Bill at CES. I'm so glad I have a Mac. And a Gamecube.
We've had quite a bit of snow over the last couple days and that's been nice. Except for the commute. I think the statistic yesterday morning was 30 accidents on the highway at one point during morning rush hour. When I was on the road people were taking it slow, which was nice for the most part. Today people were much more confident and the roads were somewhat cleaner, which isn't the greatest combination - really all it leads to is a bunch of people pulling out in front of you when you can't stop or slow down easily. Quite nice.
So, I got a couple day-by-day calendars for Christmas. One featuring some pretty shots of lighthouses and one featuring daily origami projects. They're both pretty good for obviously different reasons. I was never a huge fan of the day-by-day, but these two are pretty good. The movie trivia calendar last year was fun as well. My biggest complaint with them is that I can never write down appointments and days off and whatnot and be reminded of what's coming with ease. It leads to more of a sense of surprise I guess...
As far as things going on, track down some of the stuff on our friend Bill at CES. I'm so glad I have a Mac. And a Gamecube.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Webcomics Redux
Ok, so I finally read, well, most of that article. It got a bit long in the tooth. There were certainly interesting points made, but it did begin to drag on. My biggest complaint though would be the complete and utter lack of links to the people they were talking about. The mind kind of boggles at that really.
My own thoughts on the matter are certainly less than profound. I don't really read much in the way of newspaper comics anymore. There are a couple I'll check out in the Sunday paper, but for the most part I just don't find myself interested anymore. Webcomics however, I follow. Mostly because I've found a few that cater to my interests. Gaming comics, manga style comics, geeky humor. That's the one thing about webcomics - you can find your niche and frequently you can find quite good ones. There may not always be a ton of high quality strips, but there are real gems to be found. And while some of them may not take full advantage of the possibilities the web offers, they certainly still fill a void. And in a lot of ways some of the bells and whistles you could add on the web aren't really adding anything to the comic format.
So, there you go, my 2 cents.
My own thoughts on the matter are certainly less than profound. I don't really read much in the way of newspaper comics anymore. There are a couple I'll check out in the Sunday paper, but for the most part I just don't find myself interested anymore. Webcomics however, I follow. Mostly because I've found a few that cater to my interests. Gaming comics, manga style comics, geeky humor. That's the one thing about webcomics - you can find your niche and frequently you can find quite good ones. There may not always be a ton of high quality strips, but there are real gems to be found. And while some of them may not take full advantage of the possibilities the web offers, they certainly still fill a void. And in a lot of ways some of the bells and whistles you could add on the web aren't really adding anything to the comic format.
So, there you go, my 2 cents.
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Books, a set of sides, and a moment of silence
So, ran across a meme the other day, the 50 Book Challenge. Read 50 books in a year and blog about them as you go through them. I will admit to some curiosity on this, so I may try to tackle it. I don't think I actually go through 50 a year although I certainly could. I'm not clear if there are rules as to what constitutes a book so some of my choices may be a bit grey. It's funny, as I ran across this the other day I took a moment to take stock of what I was currently reading. Normally I only read one book at a time, but at the moment I can actually claim to be in the middle of three. However, two of them may not get finished as I'm not sure I can read much more of either of them. I used to be able to read just about anything, but as I've gotten older I find myself finally running out of patience for some things. It's not really that I claim any sort of literary elitism, I certainly read enough fluff, but there are limits. Currently Eragon and State of Fear are trying my patience. We'll see if I make it through them or not. (The third is actually a non-fiction book - my Mom would be proud... ^_^)
So, again, last year ended and it prompted a plethora of top 10 lists and I am nothing if not occasionally a lemming. So here you go - my top 10 list.
Top 10 condiments (in no particular order):
1. Hot Bone Suckin' Sauce (the best BBQ sauce in the world)
2. Tabasco (plain old regular Tabasco - yum)
3. Arby's Sauce
4. Arby's Horsey Sauce
5. Famous Dave's Rich and Sassy BBQ Sauce (a close second to Bone Suckin' Sauce)
6. Soy Sauce
7. A1 (or alternately A1 with Tabasco)
8. Brazos Legends Rawhide Burning Salsa
9. Yellow mustard (it's a classic - and it doesn't have to be French's)
10. Lehi Mill Cider Syrup (need something sweet to round things out)
And in the spirit of Spinal Tap I believe this list goes to 11.
11. Hershey's WHOPPERS Chocolate Malt Syrup/ Hershey's Special Dark Syrup (can you really pick just one?!)
As the letter 'r' says, "Food is just an excuse to eat condiments." Truer words have never been spoken. I realize the above list is tilted heavily to the spicier side of life, but sometimes, that's what life's all about.
And now for a serious moment, Will Eisner passed away yesterday. A true legend in the comic world. Neil Gaiman's journal has a couple very nice entries talking about Will, so I'll send you there.
So, again, last year ended and it prompted a plethora of top 10 lists and I am nothing if not occasionally a lemming. So here you go - my top 10 list.
Top 10 condiments (in no particular order):
1. Hot Bone Suckin' Sauce (the best BBQ sauce in the world)
2. Tabasco (plain old regular Tabasco - yum)
3. Arby's Sauce
4. Arby's Horsey Sauce
5. Famous Dave's Rich and Sassy BBQ Sauce (a close second to Bone Suckin' Sauce)
6. Soy Sauce
7. A1 (or alternately A1 with Tabasco)
8. Brazos Legends Rawhide Burning Salsa
9. Yellow mustard (it's a classic - and it doesn't have to be French's)
10. Lehi Mill Cider Syrup (need something sweet to round things out)
And in the spirit of Spinal Tap I believe this list goes to 11.
11. Hershey's WHOPPERS Chocolate Malt Syrup/ Hershey's Special Dark Syrup (can you really pick just one?!)
As the letter 'r' says, "Food is just an excuse to eat condiments." Truer words have never been spoken. I realize the above list is tilted heavily to the spicier side of life, but sometimes, that's what life's all about.
And now for a serious moment, Will Eisner passed away yesterday. A true legend in the comic world. Neil Gaiman's journal has a couple very nice entries talking about Will, so I'll send you there.
Monday, January 03, 2005
In with the new
So, it's a new year. Is it over yet?
Here's a good article on blogs over at Fortune magazine.
Caught I, Robot and Collateral over the past couple days. They were both quite enjoyable. In some ways surprisingly so. I hadn't heard a lot of good things about I, Robot, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. Admittedly I haven't read the series of short stories upon which it's based, but it seemed to explain some of the same themes. Actually it reminded me a lot of the back story for The Matrix. I suppose that's at least in part because the revolt of the machines is a fairly common sci-fi topic, but in this case, it was handled pretty well. It certainly had enough action, but it wasn't just an action flick - the characters had a decent amount of characterization. Admittedly, they relied pretty heavily on stereotypical backgrounds to flesh them out some, but by the end there was some growth and you enjoyed the ride.
And speaking of not-just-action movies, Collateral fits the bill there as well. I've seen a couple of Michael Mann's films (Heat is the one that pops immediately to mind) and this one ranks up there as one of his most enjoyable. I will admit to a certain letdown at the end. After watching the extras that came with the DVD, I realize why he tied things up the way he did, but upon first viewing it certainly stretches the limits of suspension of disbelief. This is a movie that's all about characterization. It's predictable in the sense that the story's been told before, but that doesn't make the characters any less believable or less powerful. The scene in the jazz club is worth the price of admission alone. And it's quite mesmerizing to watch - filmed almost completely in high-def it's a sight to behold. L.A. at night is just as much a character in this film as any of the actors. And Cruise and Foxx are great.
So, that covers movies of recent note. As for New Year's itself, I was blissfully asleep. Hey, New Year's with a newborn - you take what you can get. I even turned off the phones and the answering machine. Absolutely nobody was getting in between me and some z's. So the year changed and I was blissfully unaware. Eh, they all feel the same anymore anyway.
In the next couple days I should have some thoughts on Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. Unfortunately, I expect the experience to be marred by the subtitle track. Apparently Dreamworks decided that a closed caption track could fill in for a proper subtitle track. Which is strange as this movie was in the theater and I suspect a proper subtitle track exists. Oh well, keep your eyes on the Glitch Disc forum over at Anime on DVD and wait for the recall.
And I'd contemplate mocking Crichton's new book, but this does it just fine. And I like Crichton's stuff. Not sure I'll make it through this one...
Here's a good article on blogs over at Fortune magazine.
Caught I, Robot and Collateral over the past couple days. They were both quite enjoyable. In some ways surprisingly so. I hadn't heard a lot of good things about I, Robot, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. Admittedly I haven't read the series of short stories upon which it's based, but it seemed to explain some of the same themes. Actually it reminded me a lot of the back story for The Matrix. I suppose that's at least in part because the revolt of the machines is a fairly common sci-fi topic, but in this case, it was handled pretty well. It certainly had enough action, but it wasn't just an action flick - the characters had a decent amount of characterization. Admittedly, they relied pretty heavily on stereotypical backgrounds to flesh them out some, but by the end there was some growth and you enjoyed the ride.
And speaking of not-just-action movies, Collateral fits the bill there as well. I've seen a couple of Michael Mann's films (Heat is the one that pops immediately to mind) and this one ranks up there as one of his most enjoyable. I will admit to a certain letdown at the end. After watching the extras that came with the DVD, I realize why he tied things up the way he did, but upon first viewing it certainly stretches the limits of suspension of disbelief. This is a movie that's all about characterization. It's predictable in the sense that the story's been told before, but that doesn't make the characters any less believable or less powerful. The scene in the jazz club is worth the price of admission alone. And it's quite mesmerizing to watch - filmed almost completely in high-def it's a sight to behold. L.A. at night is just as much a character in this film as any of the actors. And Cruise and Foxx are great.
So, that covers movies of recent note. As for New Year's itself, I was blissfully asleep. Hey, New Year's with a newborn - you take what you can get. I even turned off the phones and the answering machine. Absolutely nobody was getting in between me and some z's. So the year changed and I was blissfully unaware. Eh, they all feel the same anymore anyway.
In the next couple days I should have some thoughts on Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. Unfortunately, I expect the experience to be marred by the subtitle track. Apparently Dreamworks decided that a closed caption track could fill in for a proper subtitle track. Which is strange as this movie was in the theater and I suspect a proper subtitle track exists. Oh well, keep your eyes on the Glitch Disc forum over at Anime on DVD and wait for the recall.
And I'd contemplate mocking Crichton's new book, but this does it just fine. And I like Crichton's stuff. Not sure I'll make it through this one...
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