This blog post will be.
Not really, I just plan to ding away at it as I have time tonight.
Click the thing to do the stuff.
Maybe I shouldn't post this first...
I found a new time waster. This one is very simplistic, but a lot of fun. It's addicting and you're not even sure why.
The game is: Blocky!
Give it a try, if you have some time to kill.
So, Palm says...
I mentioned previously that there was a rumor that Palm might be dropping the bomb on a new product. They did, but it doesn't seem as much a bomb as merely a water balloon... that's empty... just a hunk of floppy latex that's fallen haphazardly from some fat guy's fanny-pack.
Seriously, this thing is about as exciting as hearing that there's going to be a new Law and Order spin-off. It's like a laptop, only smaller and without any of the capabilities.
The Foleo. They are calling it a supplement to your 'Smart Phone', expanding the email internet capabilities of the phones like the Treo and Blackberry. It runs on a Linux backbone (designed to run appliance fast like the PalmOS), and will have WiFi and Bluetooth capability. It features a 10" screen and a full size keyboard.
The thing that they seem most proud of is that it turns on and off at the touch of a button without any booting.
They are expecting that it will be more popular and successful than the original Palm Pilot. I'm no so sure. The original Palm Pilot was genius, because it was handheld, fit neatly into a jacket pocket, and was very cutting edge.
This new Folio is said to have a $499 price tag (after $100 rebate). I can buy a real laptop with 1GB of ram and dual core processor that will do all the things this says it will do for the same price. I fail to see the real draw. Yes, it's a little smaller, but so what? It won't even play flash!
I guess we'll see if they start popping up all over the place. If everyone else has one, maybe I'll want one too. I'd probably be more interested if I was addicted to a blackberry or like device... Nokia's solution makes more sense to me, or even Sony's UX.
The Microsoft iTable...
I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw this.
It's Microsoft's new touch sensitive table. It's a computer with a large screen that uses touch gestures to perform various tasks. Thus far it looks like it serves little function, allowing you to finger paint and play with a pile of digital photos. It's price tag is around $10,000.
Here's why I think this is funny.
Apple shows us the iPhone. It's a small device that uses touch gestures. Microsoft scoffs and says, yeah, we can do that but we'll make it REALLY BIG and make it super expensive and really useless!
What? (Alright, it's kinda cool... ars technica has a good article.)
60 Days with Ubuntu.
There's a big trend lately. More and more people are writing blog posts like this. This is a Frenchman that has tried Ubuntu Linux, and has decided to stick with it. I can't say the article is the best written that I've ever read, but it does say something. More and more people are making the switch. More than ever, people are dumping Windows and heading over the Linux. I still wouldn't say that Linux is 100% ready for everyone, but it's getting ever closer. I, for one, am excited to see how much longer it takes before we reach that point.
Problems at the Movies? Press a button!
I think we've all, at some point or another, thought of a system like this.
Regal Cinemas have introduced a pager device that allows you to report, remotely, if there is a problem with your movie. Whether it's someone being too loud, a problem with the picture or sound, or some dirty pirate (yarr!) whose parrot won't shut-up, you can press a button and someone will come take care of it for you, you don't have to miss a second of the movie.
I kinda like it, but I'd like to see it in action.
Speaking of pirates...
This is really funny. I like the ninja.
Better than Google?
I don't know. Read the article and decide for yourself. I think they speak of sorcery.
And with that...
I'm done. Cheers.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
I'm blogging!
Look!
So, I've got a lot of things that I need to get caught up on. The sad truth is that the internet keeps moving, even if I'm not. I think I need to figure out how to go without sleep completely. If you figure that I sleep 6 hours a night (give or take an hour or two, mostly take), and I were to just cut that out completely, I'd have about 91 extra days a year with which to get things done. It's a worthy cause I'd be willing to fight for, but it's so very unlikely that I'll ever see it to fruition.
Of course, the way I've been spending my time of late... well, let's just say that I wouldn't trade it for anything. Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing. Keep on keeping on internet, I'll do my best to keep up.
Anyway, click "Read More" to do the thing that you clicked on said it was gonna do...
A $50 Paint Job
I will be the first to tell you that I'm a cheap bastard. I buy generic, I pinch pennies. That isn't to say that I'm not willing to spend money ever, but, I do what I can to be thrifty, thereby freeing up capital for things that I think are more important, like drinking.
However, I don't know if I could ever be willing to go this far. Don't get me wrong, it's a valiant thing this man has done. But, the months of work he's gone through just to paint his Chevy Corsair for $50 seems like an unnecessary trade off.
Now, I will say that, if you follow the picture time-line, the final result actually does look pretty good. But, all that painting, buffing, sanding, washing, painting, buffing washing sanding, painting... etc. etc. etc.
Your mileage may vary.
Linux Crashes First!
In what could be the most unlikely sentence as a headline, there is some truth. While the Linux Operating system will rarely, if ever, crash first when pitted against anything.
However, what we're referring to here is an Indy Car, which has the Linux Tux logo on it, which was the first to crash in its first run out, causing it come in dead last at the 91st Indy 500.
The point of this was to get the Linux name out in front of more people, and the project was to get less than 1% of the Linux community to donate $1 to reach the goal of some $250K. They fell well short at $18K, but were still able to secure a spot on the tip of a car.
Clearly, their plan didn't work all that well. It really is too bad. The Joost sponsored car pulled a respectable 7th, however.
Linux Based USB Firewall
This is pretty neat. If you're a nerd, check it out. (it's a Windows Firewall that runs via USB by using an Intel Mobile Processor and a Linux Core system.
Helium. Get paid for your opinion?
Helium is a relatively new service that seems to act like a Wiki style opinion magazine. You sign up and write opinions about things, then you make money based on ad revenue in the articles you write. It seems that it's based on a vote up / vote down system. It's hard to say, because their about page has very little detail as to exactly HOW the thing works. But, it's intriguing. I might give it a shot, if I ever have some free time.
Lord knows that I have opinions about things.
The Burg
The Burg is an internet parked sitcom. It's pretty entertaining so far, though I've only watched a couple episodes. I thought I'd point it out anyway, because it is pretty cool. It's not the first internet based tv show, but it is quite entertaining. Very pop culture.
Cracked still thinks they're funny...
They're partially right.
Did I mention these?
Free Fonts: Geek Style.
New Terminator Trilogy?
I don't remember if I mentioned this, either, but the link is still sitting in my bookmarks, so here it is.
Dark Horizons, a company responsible for a plethora of great and shitty movies alike has announced that they are going to be working on a new Terminator Trilogy.
From their Press Release:
I'm intrigued, even without Cameron and Schwartzenegger.
I love the rumor mill...
Just read this, which gives some validity to this.
Wait, maybe instead of read them, I'll paraphrase:
This comes on the coat tails of the rumors that Palm is actually going out of business. Huh.
I think that's adequate...
I've hit on a few things, I'll scrape together more bullshit to entertain you with later. Piece out internets.
So, I've got a lot of things that I need to get caught up on. The sad truth is that the internet keeps moving, even if I'm not. I think I need to figure out how to go without sleep completely. If you figure that I sleep 6 hours a night (give or take an hour or two, mostly take), and I were to just cut that out completely, I'd have about 91 extra days a year with which to get things done. It's a worthy cause I'd be willing to fight for, but it's so very unlikely that I'll ever see it to fruition.
Of course, the way I've been spending my time of late... well, let's just say that I wouldn't trade it for anything. Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing. Keep on keeping on internet, I'll do my best to keep up.
Anyway, click "Read More" to do the thing that you clicked on said it was gonna do...
A $50 Paint Job
I will be the first to tell you that I'm a cheap bastard. I buy generic, I pinch pennies. That isn't to say that I'm not willing to spend money ever, but, I do what I can to be thrifty, thereby freeing up capital for things that I think are more important, like drinking.
However, I don't know if I could ever be willing to go this far. Don't get me wrong, it's a valiant thing this man has done. But, the months of work he's gone through just to paint his Chevy Corsair for $50 seems like an unnecessary trade off.
Now, I will say that, if you follow the picture time-line, the final result actually does look pretty good. But, all that painting, buffing, sanding, washing, painting, buffing washing sanding, painting... etc. etc. etc.
Your mileage may vary.
Linux Crashes First!
In what could be the most unlikely sentence as a headline, there is some truth. While the Linux Operating system will rarely, if ever, crash first when pitted against anything.
However, what we're referring to here is an Indy Car, which has the Linux Tux logo on it, which was the first to crash in its first run out, causing it come in dead last at the 91st Indy 500.
The point of this was to get the Linux name out in front of more people, and the project was to get less than 1% of the Linux community to donate $1 to reach the goal of some $250K. They fell well short at $18K, but were still able to secure a spot on the tip of a car.
Clearly, their plan didn't work all that well. It really is too bad. The Joost sponsored car pulled a respectable 7th, however.
Linux Based USB Firewall
This is pretty neat. If you're a nerd, check it out. (it's a Windows Firewall that runs via USB by using an Intel Mobile Processor and a Linux Core system.
Helium. Get paid for your opinion?
Helium is a relatively new service that seems to act like a Wiki style opinion magazine. You sign up and write opinions about things, then you make money based on ad revenue in the articles you write. It seems that it's based on a vote up / vote down system. It's hard to say, because their about page has very little detail as to exactly HOW the thing works. But, it's intriguing. I might give it a shot, if I ever have some free time.
Lord knows that I have opinions about things.
The Burg
The Burg is an internet parked sitcom. It's pretty entertaining so far, though I've only watched a couple episodes. I thought I'd point it out anyway, because it is pretty cool. It's not the first internet based tv show, but it is quite entertaining. Very pop culture.
Cracked still thinks they're funny...
They're partially right.
Did I mention these?
Free Fonts: Geek Style.
New Terminator Trilogy?
I don't remember if I mentioned this, either, but the link is still sitting in my bookmarks, so here it is.
Dark Horizons, a company responsible for a plethora of great and shitty movies alike has announced that they are going to be working on a new Terminator Trilogy.
From their Press Release:
After much talk and posturing over the future of "The Terminator" franchise in recent years, something surprising has happened - producers Mario Kassar and Andy Vajna have given up their baby.
The Halcyon Co. has acquired the franchise rights to the popular "The Terminator" movie series and intend to make a new trilogy that would anchor their movie company.
"Terminator 4" will be based on a script by John Brancato and Michael Ferris ("Terminator 3"), and Halcyon plans to immediately begin preproduction on the film with the hope of a Summer 2009 release.
Neither creator James Cameron or original star Arnold Schwarzenegger will be involved in the project, which picks up with John Connor in his 30s leading what's left of the human race against the machines.
The deal includes the right to produce any future "Terminator" projects in any format (film, TV, etc.). It also includes all future merchandising and licensing rights, and certain rights to the upcoming TV series "The Sarah Connor Chronicles."
I'm intrigued, even without Cameron and Schwartzenegger.
I love the rumor mill...
Just read this, which gives some validity to this.
Wait, maybe instead of read them, I'll paraphrase:
OMGWTF!!! PALM Might Be DOING somethingS!!!! LOOKS WE SEES IT!11!!! !zomg! kekekekek1!!! bbqsauce!!!!
This comes on the coat tails of the rumors that Palm is actually going out of business. Huh.
I think that's adequate...
I've hit on a few things, I'll scrape together more bullshit to entertain you with later. Piece out internets.
I hate Internet Exploder.
So, for some reason...
Internet Explorer refuses to play nicely with CSS, so, in any post that has a large number of photos, I cannot use the peek-a-boo posts that I've come to love so much. Of course, it works fine in Firefox, the superior browser, I would be willing to bet that it works fine in Opera or even Mac OS X's Safari, just not Internet Explorer.
I actually think the problem might be the code that Blogger uses to embed pics. I've been able to do some stacking using other hosting, so, it's very likely that Blogger is the main issue. But, Internet Explorer really should stop being suck sticklers with CSS.
Oh well, on to the rest.
OMGWTFBBQSAUCESHIPPING!!!11!!!!1
It isn't the $99,999.00 shipping, because NewEgg.com actually does this frequently. It's that every time it happens, it ends up in one of my RSS Feeds as someone thinks it's amazing. It's still funny, but, I mean it's a massive database of products, there are bound to be errors. And, I would be willing to be that in some cases, this allows them to prevent people from trying to order the thing until a certain time.
Pretty Macs
One thing I have to say, you all already know that I'm not a big Mac fan, but they are certainly not lacking in style. Now, however, you can get your MacBook Pro laser etched, and good God they are pretty. I imagine mine would have a jolly roger.
Speaking of Macs
I keep wondering if there really is plans to release the ModBook. Ever since they initially dropped the bomb that there would be a third party modded MacBook with tablet functionality.
Now, they are saying that the pre-orders will get some free upgrades. Yet, they still don't seem to be shipping them. It's been since January that we were treated to the news that they were indeed coming, let these things out!
I'm just eagerly waiting for one of my friends to get one, so I can try it out. The thing I'm most excited about is that they've doubled the levels of sensitivity from 256 to 512. It's no replacement for a Wacom Tablet, but it's about 511 levels more than your average Tablet PC.
And since I'm on an Apple kick...
OMG ZOMBIES!!!!11!1
Japanese People are GREAT!
You know how I love to talk about the Japs and their crazy things! Here's another one... you may have seen the Ping Pong bit, too... good times.
And I'm out...
That's it for today... I got things to see, people to do.
Internet Explorer refuses to play nicely with CSS, so, in any post that has a large number of photos, I cannot use the peek-a-boo posts that I've come to love so much. Of course, it works fine in Firefox, the superior browser, I would be willing to bet that it works fine in Opera or even Mac OS X's Safari, just not Internet Explorer.
I actually think the problem might be the code that Blogger uses to embed pics. I've been able to do some stacking using other hosting, so, it's very likely that Blogger is the main issue. But, Internet Explorer really should stop being suck sticklers with CSS.
Oh well, on to the rest.
OMGWTFBBQSAUCESHIPPING!!!11!!!!1
It isn't the $99,999.00 shipping, because NewEgg.com actually does this frequently. It's that every time it happens, it ends up in one of my RSS Feeds as someone thinks it's amazing. It's still funny, but, I mean it's a massive database of products, there are bound to be errors. And, I would be willing to be that in some cases, this allows them to prevent people from trying to order the thing until a certain time.
Pretty Macs
One thing I have to say, you all already know that I'm not a big Mac fan, but they are certainly not lacking in style. Now, however, you can get your MacBook Pro laser etched, and good God they are pretty. I imagine mine would have a jolly roger.
Speaking of Macs
I keep wondering if there really is plans to release the ModBook. Ever since they initially dropped the bomb that there would be a third party modded MacBook with tablet functionality.
Now, they are saying that the pre-orders will get some free upgrades. Yet, they still don't seem to be shipping them. It's been since January that we were treated to the news that they were indeed coming, let these things out!
I'm just eagerly waiting for one of my friends to get one, so I can try it out. The thing I'm most excited about is that they've doubled the levels of sensitivity from 256 to 512. It's no replacement for a Wacom Tablet, but it's about 511 levels more than your average Tablet PC.
And since I'm on an Apple kick...
OMG ZOMBIES!!!!11!1
Japanese People are GREAT!
You know how I love to talk about the Japs and their crazy things! Here's another one... you may have seen the Ping Pong bit, too... good times.
And I'm out...
That's it for today... I got things to see, people to do.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Memorial Day
I didn't get a real Memorial Day...
I was stuck working. Saturday, however, I got over to Jim's place to have some beer and meat off the grill. It was supposed to be a bonfire, although, I ended up leaving early enough that I never saw flames, if they ever happened at all. Still, it was a good time. You get to see it in a (limited) picture time-line.
I worked on Saturday, but it was slow enough that I got to leave a little early. Melissa came up to me, and we left from my place to go down to Jim's house in New Brighton. We got there around 7:30 or so, but no one had really arrived yet. Something to understand is that Jim's bonfires are a kind of tradition. Almost every Saturday night you will find a group of people there hanging out and drinking. It's funny because sometimes you'll find 8 people, and sometimes there'll be some 50. It really depends.
Nick was there, and he was shucking corn. There was some sort of inane conversation about the word shuck and it's various uses. It's possible that it may become a "friend MEME". That remains to be seen. I introduced Melissa to Jim, Nick, Ryan and his girlfriend Sarah, whose name I'd actually forgotten, even though I've met her, and he's been seeing her for a while. I suck at names sometimes. It's almost embarrassing. Of course, I've known Ryan for a while, as well as his previous girlfriend (whose name I recall was Katie), but all throughout I've known Ryan, so hopefully I can be forgiven for not remember his girl's (who I've only seen a few times) name.
So, Ryan was already there, being one of Jim's roommates. Nick was there shucking corn he bought for too much, because, as conversation told me, it was probably out of season. I'm drinking Blue Moon with Jim, while Melissa is drinking Leinenkugels, however you spell it. So far, things are uneventful. However, at this point the beer has started flowing and things can just get better and better.
Slowly the food inched its way to the grills, though, the party stayed indoors for a while. Sarah (I think there's an 'h', I don't know how she spells it) was apparently going to make cookies (which I never got a picture of, but they were tasty as hell), however she discovered that they were out of granulated sugar. There was some discussion about whether or not she should just use powdered, which is of course the same thing, but much denser. In the end, it was decided that she would go to the store and buy some. So, she left after some people I didn't know showed up.
After a while we all sorta meandered out to the deck, where the grills are. It was still a while before the food went onto the grill, but we drank and laughed and had some more fun. It was a really windy day out, and by and large not the warmest out, but the beer helped some. We were in and out of the house for a while, as food was being prepared for the grill and small talk happened.
I handed my camera off so that someone could take a picture of Melissa and I together. I thought this one turned out pretty cute. The drinking continued. Ryan's younger brother, Justin, showed up and did some drinking as well. It was the first time I'd met the kid. He seemed like he was good people. Most of the time, if you're at one of Jim's bonfires, you're probably good people. There was rumor that Alan would arrive at some point bearing New Castle, but that never played out while I was there, so I continued to drink the blue moon.
Finally the food made it to the grill. Brandon and Nick took charge of making the food happen. Brandon is always an obvious choice, because, even if you can't tell it from talking to the kid, he never drinks. He makes a good "keeps people from burning themselves on the grill 'cause their drunk" guy, as well as a great sober-cab. He's also the "can't go anywhere without seeing someone he knows" guy, which can get a little annoying, though that has nothing to do with this story.
There was a fine selection of meats on the grill. All the corn ended up in the big gas grill, while the meat went over the charcoal. Everything turned out pretty tasty. At this point in the night I was pretty hammered. It was getting to be about 9:30 and I hadn't eaten but for a small amount pizza earlier in the day. We all ate, and at that point, knowing that I had to work in the morning, I took Melissa and I home. That was an interesting drive, luckily the food had done a lot to sober me up.
All in all, it was a good night, even if it was a little more short lived than most. I had a good time anyway. I love the summer traditions. I was glad I got out there since I couldn't have a real Memorial Day Barbecue this year, though I got plenty of invitations. It was still a nice way to kick off the summer as it were.
I was stuck working. Saturday, however, I got over to Jim's place to have some beer and meat off the grill. It was supposed to be a bonfire, although, I ended up leaving early enough that I never saw flames, if they ever happened at all. Still, it was a good time. You get to see it in a (limited) picture time-line.
I worked on Saturday, but it was slow enough that I got to leave a little early. Melissa came up to me, and we left from my place to go down to Jim's house in New Brighton. We got there around 7:30 or so, but no one had really arrived yet. Something to understand is that Jim's bonfires are a kind of tradition. Almost every Saturday night you will find a group of people there hanging out and drinking. It's funny because sometimes you'll find 8 people, and sometimes there'll be some 50. It really depends.
Nick was there, and he was shucking corn. There was some sort of inane conversation about the word shuck and it's various uses. It's possible that it may become a "friend MEME". That remains to be seen. I introduced Melissa to Jim, Nick, Ryan and his girlfriend Sarah, whose name I'd actually forgotten, even though I've met her, and he's been seeing her for a while. I suck at names sometimes. It's almost embarrassing. Of course, I've known Ryan for a while, as well as his previous girlfriend (whose name I recall was Katie), but all throughout I've known Ryan, so hopefully I can be forgiven for not remember his girl's (who I've only seen a few times) name.
So, Ryan was already there, being one of Jim's roommates. Nick was there shucking corn he bought for too much, because, as conversation told me, it was probably out of season. I'm drinking Blue Moon with Jim, while Melissa is drinking Leinenkugels, however you spell it. So far, things are uneventful. However, at this point the beer has started flowing and things can just get better and better.
Slowly the food inched its way to the grills, though, the party stayed indoors for a while. Sarah (I think there's an 'h', I don't know how she spells it) was apparently going to make cookies (which I never got a picture of, but they were tasty as hell), however she discovered that they were out of granulated sugar. There was some discussion about whether or not she should just use powdered, which is of course the same thing, but much denser. In the end, it was decided that she would go to the store and buy some. So, she left after some people I didn't know showed up.
After a while we all sorta meandered out to the deck, where the grills are. It was still a while before the food went onto the grill, but we drank and laughed and had some more fun. It was a really windy day out, and by and large not the warmest out, but the beer helped some. We were in and out of the house for a while, as food was being prepared for the grill and small talk happened.
I handed my camera off so that someone could take a picture of Melissa and I together. I thought this one turned out pretty cute. The drinking continued. Ryan's younger brother, Justin, showed up and did some drinking as well. It was the first time I'd met the kid. He seemed like he was good people. Most of the time, if you're at one of Jim's bonfires, you're probably good people. There was rumor that Alan would arrive at some point bearing New Castle, but that never played out while I was there, so I continued to drink the blue moon.
Finally the food made it to the grill. Brandon and Nick took charge of making the food happen. Brandon is always an obvious choice, because, even if you can't tell it from talking to the kid, he never drinks. He makes a good "keeps people from burning themselves on the grill 'cause their drunk" guy, as well as a great sober-cab. He's also the "can't go anywhere without seeing someone he knows" guy, which can get a little annoying, though that has nothing to do with this story.
There was a fine selection of meats on the grill. All the corn ended up in the big gas grill, while the meat went over the charcoal. Everything turned out pretty tasty. At this point in the night I was pretty hammered. It was getting to be about 9:30 and I hadn't eaten but for a small amount pizza earlier in the day. We all ate, and at that point, knowing that I had to work in the morning, I took Melissa and I home. That was an interesting drive, luckily the food had done a lot to sober me up.
All in all, it was a good night, even if it was a little more short lived than most. I had a good time anyway. I love the summer traditions. I was glad I got out there since I couldn't have a real Memorial Day Barbecue this year, though I got plenty of invitations. It was still a nice way to kick off the summer as it were.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Apparently, I'm not done yet...
I thought I would quickly mention...
There's finally a 'real' trailer for the new Penny Arcade Game, On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One.
I'm really curious about this one, being that Penny Arcade is one of best game related Web Comics, I expect that they have done a decent job directing this thing. Of course, it doesn't look like it will be much more than a regular platformer, a la Xbox Live Arcade, however, it's probably going to be filled with their great writing and visuals.
It's being done by a Canadian company, HotHead Games, which hasn't done much until now, but I can only assume that Gabe and Tycho have some idea of what their doing in picking them. ;)
There's finally a 'real' trailer for the new Penny Arcade Game, On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One.
I'm really curious about this one, being that Penny Arcade is one of best game related Web Comics, I expect that they have done a decent job directing this thing. Of course, it doesn't look like it will be much more than a regular platformer, a la Xbox Live Arcade, however, it's probably going to be filled with their great writing and visuals.
It's being done by a Canadian company, HotHead Games, which hasn't done much until now, but I can only assume that Gabe and Tycho have some idea of what their doing in picking them. ;)
Piling up...
Here we go, for hundredth time...
Again, I find myself apologizing for my internet neglect. It's been hard to find time to actually update this thing, being busy what that I am lately. I have very good reasons for that. Very very amazingly good reasons. But, that's neither here nor there. I'm here now, so let's do this thing.
MyMiniLife
Alright, I'm actually hoping that someone can explain this to me. Is it merely an attempt at ripping off the world that is Second Life? Clearly that piece of internettery is growing to epic proportions, with churches even joining the world by simulcasting worship services.
I'm not saying that this MyMiniLife this can't be a good service, I just wonder if they're a little late to the party. You know the party, the one where everyone came at seven, but now it's near midnight and almost everyone has "gone back" to someone else's place, because there was Guitar Hero or a Wii. You get there, and you're thinking, "Why did I even bother?"
I could be wrong though, even if it doesn't happen much.
Pirates of the Raking in the Money Part 3?
Alright, I think I've said before that I wasn't thrilled with the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Not only that, I was never really all that impressed with the first one. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it isn't a good adventure movie, but I think it's gotten more than it deserved. I mean, sure, Disney has about 80% of the World's money at it's disposal, but does that mean that throwing a chunk of it at a movie makes it good? No. It does not.
Now, the reviews for the third installment are rolling in, and they are less than glowing. I had a little hope for this movie, being that it's a third installment, in most cases I feel like they should do well with a first, then fall a little short on a second and shine with a third. Instead, though, it seems they just tried to cram 6 hours of movie into 2 hrs and 45 min. It's actually been compared to Spider-Man 3 in terms of "How much shit can we jam into this thing?"
I mentioned this to Mike, who has seen it, this was his email response:
Something to keep in mind, here, is that Mike is enamored with this franchise. (Note the use of the word "perfect" in regards to the first installment).
The other major thing that I've heard in regards to the movie is that it's much darker than the previous movies. My kids want to see this one, and I would never have thought twice about this, but now I'm not so sure.
Now, I haven't even seen it yet, but I will. I have this feeling I might actually enjoy it more, now that I've had people telling me how bad it is. Here's to hoping.
Ubunutu POWER!!!
I believe that I've mentioned that I've been toying with the new version of Ubuntu Linux, and Unbuntu Studio. One of the things I've really wanted to try was running the new 'desktop enhancements'. I've been trying to describe what these are to people, but I found a great video that not only shows this off, but also shows the ability to run both Windows XP and Mac OS X under Ubuntu.
Passive Aggressive Notes!
Just check these out... who hasn't stumbled over one of these at some point or another!
My notes are usually more aggressive than passive:
Spreeder!
Want to learn to speed read? Just want to increase your reading speed? Check out spreeder.com. It might work for you.
I read by block, and have a very good comprehension, I can whip through articles quickly, absorbing the information easily. Some people read a little differently, dissecting each word, others can look at an entire page and take it in, lower comprehension, but still pulling out the major points in an instant.
Spreeder just takes a block of text and presents it quickly, one or more words at a time. It works pretty well, and with just a little tweaking, you might find a speed and block size that works well for you. For me, it's 5 words at a time, 650 WPM.
The Simpsons, again, have the answer!
Wow, it's so simple when explained on The Simpsons.
Pocket Softcore Porn.
Circa 1952.
5 Best Game Console Controllers.
I don't 100% agree with their list, but it's passable. C|NET tells us what to think some more. I will freely admit that the 360's is the best controller I've ever held.
A bookmark to keep handy...
Seriously... http://www.fuckoffimbusy.com/.
Fuck this, I'm out of here.
Alright, I've entertained you stupid fuckers long enough, I've got more important things to do!
You know, sarcasm is hard to express over the internet. I love all you bastards. Enjoy this shit, or don't. I'll be back, as long as you lurkers keep hitting my stat lists, I'll be back.
Much <3.
Again, I find myself apologizing for my internet neglect. It's been hard to find time to actually update this thing, being busy what that I am lately. I have very good reasons for that. Very very amazingly good reasons. But, that's neither here nor there. I'm here now, so let's do this thing.
MyMiniLife
Alright, I'm actually hoping that someone can explain this to me. Is it merely an attempt at ripping off the world that is Second Life? Clearly that piece of internettery is growing to epic proportions, with churches even joining the world by simulcasting worship services.
I'm not saying that this MyMiniLife this can't be a good service, I just wonder if they're a little late to the party. You know the party, the one where everyone came at seven, but now it's near midnight and almost everyone has "gone back" to someone else's place, because there was Guitar Hero or a Wii. You get there, and you're thinking, "Why did I even bother?"
I could be wrong though, even if it doesn't happen much.
Pirates of the Raking in the Money Part 3?
Alright, I think I've said before that I wasn't thrilled with the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Not only that, I was never really all that impressed with the first one. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it isn't a good adventure movie, but I think it's gotten more than it deserved. I mean, sure, Disney has about 80% of the World's money at it's disposal, but does that mean that throwing a chunk of it at a movie makes it good? No. It does not.
Now, the reviews for the third installment are rolling in, and they are less than glowing. I had a little hope for this movie, being that it's a third installment, in most cases I feel like they should do well with a first, then fall a little short on a second and shine with a third. Instead, though, it seems they just tried to cram 6 hours of movie into 2 hrs and 45 min. It's actually been compared to Spider-Man 3 in terms of "How much shit can we jam into this thing?"
I mentioned this to Mike, who has seen it, this was his email response:
It wasn't great. The first half of the movie is pretty weak. A lot of
crap going on that doesn't make a whole lot of sense and the pacing is
pretty bad. Thankfully, the last half of the movie pretty much makes up
for the first half. The last 45 minutes or so are some of the most
exciting shit you'll see on a big screen.
I just sort of chalk it up to the curse of Return of the Jedi. For some
reason, it's just very difficult for people to get the third flick in a
trilogy right. I think they just feel too pressured to make things
bigger and better and more awesomer than the previous two flicks and
they end up putting some really unnecessary shit in to the flick...like
ewoks.
Either way, the flick ended well. I liked it. The first flick was
about as perfect an adventure film as is possible. Dead Man's Chest was
really good, falling just short of the first, in my opinion. The third
flick should have been better than it was, but I'll take it. It had a
lot of cool shit, but too much silly crap.
I don't know what the deal is with throwing silly crap in to flicks
these days. Just make a good movie and be done with it. It's like
filmmakers have just completely forgotten about the whole "don't break
the fourth wall" rule.
Something to keep in mind, here, is that Mike is enamored with this franchise. (Note the use of the word "perfect" in regards to the first installment).
The other major thing that I've heard in regards to the movie is that it's much darker than the previous movies. My kids want to see this one, and I would never have thought twice about this, but now I'm not so sure.
Now, I haven't even seen it yet, but I will. I have this feeling I might actually enjoy it more, now that I've had people telling me how bad it is. Here's to hoping.
Ubunutu POWER!!!
I believe that I've mentioned that I've been toying with the new version of Ubuntu Linux, and Unbuntu Studio. One of the things I've really wanted to try was running the new 'desktop enhancements'. I've been trying to describe what these are to people, but I found a great video that not only shows this off, but also shows the ability to run both Windows XP and Mac OS X under Ubuntu.
Passive Aggressive Notes!
Just check these out... who hasn't stumbled over one of these at some point or another!
My notes are usually more aggressive than passive:
"FUCKER! What are you thinking? DO NOT SHIT IN THE INDOOR PLANTS! Do it again and I will stab you in the fucking jaw!
Spreeder!
Want to learn to speed read? Just want to increase your reading speed? Check out spreeder.com. It might work for you.
I read by block, and have a very good comprehension, I can whip through articles quickly, absorbing the information easily. Some people read a little differently, dissecting each word, others can look at an entire page and take it in, lower comprehension, but still pulling out the major points in an instant.
Spreeder just takes a block of text and presents it quickly, one or more words at a time. It works pretty well, and with just a little tweaking, you might find a speed and block size that works well for you. For me, it's 5 words at a time, 650 WPM.
The Simpsons, again, have the answer!
Wow, it's so simple when explained on The Simpsons.
Pocket Softcore Porn.
Circa 1952.
5 Best Game Console Controllers.
I don't 100% agree with their list, but it's passable. C|NET tells us what to think some more. I will freely admit that the 360's is the best controller I've ever held.
A bookmark to keep handy...
Seriously... http://www.fuckoffimbusy.com/.
Fuck this, I'm out of here.
Alright, I've entertained you stupid fuckers long enough, I've got more important things to do!
You know, sarcasm is hard to express over the internet. I love all you bastards. Enjoy this shit, or don't. I'll be back, as long as you lurkers keep hitting my stat lists, I'll be back.
Much <3.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Some more
The grey ghost, a silver mist. Ethereal, it's just out of sight, somewhere between seen and unseen, at the very edge of vision. It hangs in the air, right in front of me, but I'm not even sure it's there. I want to touch, I want to feel it. A word on tip of the tongue, the pain of failing to say it. The words to explain how I feel don't exist. A piece of my soul I can't touch, I can't control. I'm at a loss.
So today!
It's Sunday, and I'm feeling lazy like usual. It's one of those days that I have so much hope for, getting things done. But at the end of the day, I feel like I got nothing done. I'm actually alright with that. Here, have some links...
Optimus Maximus
Truly, this is the most sexiest keyboard ever. For more than $1500 it would have to be. It's a full size keyboard with mini LCD screens for each key, allow you to not only change the color and layout, but also add full icons for quick launching of items.
LOLTrek!
This is just plain fun. Check it.
Brilliant!
A Fair(y) Use Tale!
That's it for the moment... I'm going to actually try and get some of that stuff I mentioned earlier done.
So today!
It's Sunday, and I'm feeling lazy like usual. It's one of those days that I have so much hope for, getting things done. But at the end of the day, I feel like I got nothing done. I'm actually alright with that. Here, have some links...
Optimus Maximus
Truly, this is the most sexiest keyboard ever. For more than $1500 it would have to be. It's a full size keyboard with mini LCD screens for each key, allow you to not only change the color and layout, but also add full icons for quick launching of items.
LOLTrek!
This is just plain fun. Check it.
Brilliant!
A Fair(y) Use Tale!
That's it for the moment... I'm going to actually try and get some of that stuff I mentioned earlier done.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Hand grendade pins in every line...
Alright, I've been neglecting my blog...
So, there's actually been a lot of stuff happening in my real life, that is the world away from the computer. I know it might be hard to believe, but there's been enough that I've actually been AWAY from the thing...
But, none of that is all that important, really. I'll touch on things bit by bit as time goes on, but for now, the things you all came for is the links. (Oh that's cute... he thinks people are reading this thing...)
Link Park - Minutes to Midnight
Alright, this album dropped, and I'm listening to it. I've always been a big LP fan since the first time I heard Chester and Shenoda working it out on the mic. Hybrid Theory is one of those albums that, if it's possible for a laser to wear out a disc, it's been done. Meteora took some getting used to for me, because it was different. The hooks were there, the power behind the lyrics, the instruments... it was Linkin Park, but just a little different. It didn't take long for me to get into the swing, and found the joy that both Hybrid and Meteora just fit on a CD-R, which meant I didn't need to switch discs to get my fix.
Now we have Minutes to Midnight. It's Linkin Park, but it's a departure for sure. First and foremost, there's more of a separation between Mike Shenoda's and Chester's work. It's not unusual to hear a Shenoda track, being that I really enjoy Fort Minor as well, but, Chester on his own has taken a little getting used to. I dig it, but it's different.
There's some unusual rhythms too... lots of clapping and strange samples. On top of that, there's a few more ballads than usual. Chester's emotions ring through just as always, but it's strange on some of the tracks not to have Shenoda's punch behind, on top of, and throughout it. As always, though, the mastering is impeccable. The instrumentals are rich, robust, and tight. The beats are impossible to ignore... they pull you in and wrap you up tight.
I can say honestly that I dig it, but it's definitely not the same Linkin Park from ten years ago, they've grown. Luckily, so have I. There's really only one track I don't like. It's hard, because I agree with the message, but it's a very political song with direct shots taken. It's not a bad track, but it's something I never wanted to get from Linkin Park. I would have been happier if this had been left to Fort Minor, perhaps.
On a more personal note, Linkin Park is one of those bands that has gotten me to this point in my life. Certain tracks elicit a plethora of emotion in me. These new jams seem to recall a lot of that emotion, and I like that.
Half Life 2 Episode 2
Originally, Valve stated that the formula for their Half Life episodic content would involve short productions cycles of a year or less to produce games that would last for 8-9 hours at around $20 a piece.
This seemed like brilliance and the first episode seemed to fit fairly well, although it came in a light on the play time, only giving us about 5-6 hours. Valve set forth on their next project, Episode 2. For some reason, though, they felt that they needed more. They had to give the people more reason to buy their product. They didn't think that episodic content alone would be enough.
So, the press release was dropped. They were doing a new Team Fortress, and it would be good. They also decided to add a puzzle game, Portals.
I'm excited about both of these, but I don't understand why they abandoned the episodic model, pushing production so for out as they've done, just to add in these extra pieces.
Well, it's getting closer to completion, and someone posted some of the progress on /. here. I encourage you to check out the new Team Fortress 2 video, the artistic styling is breathtaking. In addition, there's news of EPISODE 3's progress, and there's some info on what's coming in Episode 2.
Sure enough... Star Craft 2
I mentioned previously that there was the possibility that Blizzard would announce Star Craft 2. Basically, they announced that they were going to announce the announcement of something announcable.
Well, it's official, Star Craft 2 is on track. Anticipation for this one is pretty high... hit up YouTube for some good video action.
I'm just going to drag and drop some book marks...
Democracy: Internet TV
FreeDOS | The FreeDOS Project
How to Avoid Uncomfortable Conversations About Religion - WikiHow
The Ultimate Linux Reference Guide for Newbies
VirtualBox
List of snowclones - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
DIY: Mod a $5 flashlight into a $95 light - Lifehacker
YouTube - Indian Superman-Govinda
YouTube - re: Your Brains
Spider Robinson: Melancholy Elephants
That should hold you off for a while...
I need to sleep... I love you all. Goodnight interwebs.
So, there's actually been a lot of stuff happening in my real life, that is the world away from the computer. I know it might be hard to believe, but there's been enough that I've actually been AWAY from the thing...
But, none of that is all that important, really. I'll touch on things bit by bit as time goes on, but for now, the things you all came for is the links. (Oh that's cute... he thinks people are reading this thing...)
Link Park - Minutes to Midnight
Alright, this album dropped, and I'm listening to it. I've always been a big LP fan since the first time I heard Chester and Shenoda working it out on the mic. Hybrid Theory is one of those albums that, if it's possible for a laser to wear out a disc, it's been done. Meteora took some getting used to for me, because it was different. The hooks were there, the power behind the lyrics, the instruments... it was Linkin Park, but just a little different. It didn't take long for me to get into the swing, and found the joy that both Hybrid and Meteora just fit on a CD-R, which meant I didn't need to switch discs to get my fix.
Now we have Minutes to Midnight. It's Linkin Park, but it's a departure for sure. First and foremost, there's more of a separation between Mike Shenoda's and Chester's work. It's not unusual to hear a Shenoda track, being that I really enjoy Fort Minor as well, but, Chester on his own has taken a little getting used to. I dig it, but it's different.
There's some unusual rhythms too... lots of clapping and strange samples. On top of that, there's a few more ballads than usual. Chester's emotions ring through just as always, but it's strange on some of the tracks not to have Shenoda's punch behind, on top of, and throughout it. As always, though, the mastering is impeccable. The instrumentals are rich, robust, and tight. The beats are impossible to ignore... they pull you in and wrap you up tight.
I can say honestly that I dig it, but it's definitely not the same Linkin Park from ten years ago, they've grown. Luckily, so have I. There's really only one track I don't like. It's hard, because I agree with the message, but it's a very political song with direct shots taken. It's not a bad track, but it's something I never wanted to get from Linkin Park. I would have been happier if this had been left to Fort Minor, perhaps.
On a more personal note, Linkin Park is one of those bands that has gotten me to this point in my life. Certain tracks elicit a plethora of emotion in me. These new jams seem to recall a lot of that emotion, and I like that.
Half Life 2 Episode 2
Originally, Valve stated that the formula for their Half Life episodic content would involve short productions cycles of a year or less to produce games that would last for 8-9 hours at around $20 a piece.
This seemed like brilliance and the first episode seemed to fit fairly well, although it came in a light on the play time, only giving us about 5-6 hours. Valve set forth on their next project, Episode 2. For some reason, though, they felt that they needed more. They had to give the people more reason to buy their product. They didn't think that episodic content alone would be enough.
So, the press release was dropped. They were doing a new Team Fortress, and it would be good. They also decided to add a puzzle game, Portals.
I'm excited about both of these, but I don't understand why they abandoned the episodic model, pushing production so for out as they've done, just to add in these extra pieces.
Well, it's getting closer to completion, and someone posted some of the progress on /. here. I encourage you to check out the new Team Fortress 2 video, the artistic styling is breathtaking. In addition, there's news of EPISODE 3's progress, and there's some info on what's coming in Episode 2.
Sure enough... Star Craft 2
I mentioned previously that there was the possibility that Blizzard would announce Star Craft 2. Basically, they announced that they were going to announce the announcement of something announcable.
Well, it's official, Star Craft 2 is on track. Anticipation for this one is pretty high... hit up YouTube for some good video action.
I'm just going to drag and drop some book marks...
Democracy: Internet TV
FreeDOS | The FreeDOS Project
How to Avoid Uncomfortable Conversations About Religion - WikiHow
The Ultimate Linux Reference Guide for Newbies
VirtualBox
List of snowclones - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
DIY: Mod a $5 flashlight into a $95 light - Lifehacker
YouTube - Indian Superman-Govinda
YouTube - re: Your Brains
Spider Robinson: Melancholy Elephants
That should hold you off for a while...
I need to sleep... I love you all. Goodnight interwebs.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Thoughts explode?
What does this mean?!?
Thought's explode and take me with them. Honestly, in my old age, my thoughts are exploding less and less. Now, my thoughts behave more like a Coca-Cola after the cans been shaken and you crack it open ever so slightly, so that the carbonated goodness slowly seeps out, hissing and bubbling.
Of course, the problem is that there's no way to write that into a catchy tag line, so, I've left the one I've been using for the last decade.
Today I will talk about some things, so, feel free to join me.
I've been told...
that I'm wrong for wanting to see The Invisible.
I want to clarify that this must be taken in context. It is not that I wish to seek out this movie, but more that I would rather have seen it, and expect it was better, than Disturbia.
I can't say that I really want to see this movie more than I'd rather watch paint dry, but that's neither here nor there.
It's sorta like being asked whether you want a bullet to the brain, or a samurai sword through your neck. The result is likely the same, so, it really doesn't matter.
Melissa's Movie Premier
Just threw the album up quick... I took a lot more pics, but these give you a sense of what was up. There were a ton of people there, and the movie was pretty good (all things considered).
Much alcohol was consumed and good times were had by all... I got a full video of Melissa singing Streisand... Karaoke is a terrible idea, especially if someone has a camera. I've been asked (read that as BEGGED) not to post it on YouTube... but maybe... just maybe I will anyway. [insert evil laugh here]
Gas Mask + Shower = New Reason to Piss Yourself in the Shower.
File this under OMGWTFBBQSAUCE!!!11!1!!eleven. This too.
Simply Google
Simply Google.
Speaking of Google...
check out some of their ideas...
They've been making a lot of changes to themselves lately, new things have been popping up here and there, but they've hit the 2.0 and there's a post here that talks a bit about their even deeper 'vertical search' methods. (They clarify, as well, what a vertical search is, if your eyes just glossed over).
This is a good read...
America: Empire or Republic.
Finally... skip me if you're not a nerd...
Ruby on Rails: Mac vs. PC spoofs.
I'm out for now...
Peace
Thought's explode and take me with them. Honestly, in my old age, my thoughts are exploding less and less. Now, my thoughts behave more like a Coca-Cola after the cans been shaken and you crack it open ever so slightly, so that the carbonated goodness slowly seeps out, hissing and bubbling.
Of course, the problem is that there's no way to write that into a catchy tag line, so, I've left the one I've been using for the last decade.
Today I will talk about some things, so, feel free to join me.
I've been told...
that I'm wrong for wanting to see The Invisible.
I want to clarify that this must be taken in context. It is not that I wish to seek out this movie, but more that I would rather have seen it, and expect it was better, than Disturbia.
I can't say that I really want to see this movie more than I'd rather watch paint dry, but that's neither here nor there.
It's sorta like being asked whether you want a bullet to the brain, or a samurai sword through your neck. The result is likely the same, so, it really doesn't matter.
Melissa's Movie Premier
 |
| From Premier Photos |
Just threw the album up quick... I took a lot more pics, but these give you a sense of what was up. There were a ton of people there, and the movie was pretty good (all things considered).
Much alcohol was consumed and good times were had by all... I got a full video of Melissa singing Streisand... Karaoke is a terrible idea, especially if someone has a camera. I've been asked (read that as BEGGED) not to post it on YouTube... but maybe... just maybe I will anyway. [insert evil laugh here]
Gas Mask + Shower = New Reason to Piss Yourself in the Shower.
File this under OMGWTFBBQSAUCE!!!11!1!!eleven. This too.
Simply Google
Simply Google.
Speaking of Google...
check out some of their ideas...
They've been making a lot of changes to themselves lately, new things have been popping up here and there, but they've hit the 2.0 and there's a post here that talks a bit about their even deeper 'vertical search' methods. (They clarify, as well, what a vertical search is, if your eyes just glossed over).
This is a good read...
America: Empire or Republic.
Finally... skip me if you're not a nerd...
Ruby on Rails: Mac vs. PC spoofs.
I'm out for now...
Peace
So, some words...
Wow!
Alright, so, there's not a lot to be said... about Operating Systems, healing wounds, Firefox, Google, Social networking, Movies (bad ones...) and so much more. I'm going to get right to it... please click the read more... and let's get on with this thing!
Disturbia
Holy shit. Melissa and I went out to see this tonight. I wanted to see the Invisible, or Fracture. She's seen the latter, and wasn't interested in the former. Were it not for the company, I would have said it was one of the worst theater experiences I've had since the great Spider-man 3 fiasco...
First, I thought for sure that this movie looked like it was an updated ripoff of Hitchcock's Rear Window. I was right, but they did a really poor job at it.
Unless it was supposed to be a lame ass romantic comedy, then they did a really good job at screwing that up.
I will say that there was one thing about this movie that I must applaud. They did a pretty good job with product placement and more than a fair job of getting electronics to 'act' realistically. Normally when you see someone use a gadget, a video game, or some other piece of technology, it's never remotely accurate to how the items actually work. In this case, they actually did alright with it. Not great... but alright. Sadly, that's the best thing that I can say about this.
The movie begins with an attempted tear inducing sad scene. They try really hard to get you into the mood, so you understand this brooding kid. They would have done it too, if it weren't for the fact that he can't act at all. Also, throughout the film they seemed more interested in setting up bad one-liners and jokes, which doesn't play nicely with the the idea that he's a sad / angry kid.
There's also a terrible romantic sub-plot that really doesn't make any sense. Personally, I don't believe that it's remotely plausible I could spy on my next door neighbor and spin the story in such as way that she thinks I'm really 'sweet'.
Finally, for a suspense type movie, there's hardly any suspense until the final 20 minutes. Mostly it's filler story, none of which does anything to advance the plot of the movie. Finally, when it comes down to it, there's a final battle that's so anti-climactic that I actually groaned out loud.
I recommend people see this if they love bad suspense / horror flicks. It seems like they could have really done something with this movie, but it just fell flat. Like Final Destination 3.
I'm healing...
This photo was taken the night after I incurred my injuries. You can see that there's still a lot of gravel in there, and it seems that it's not interested in closing up at all. The next 2 days, however, the white blood cells started finally filling in. This morning I finally took the bandage off to let the scab set in, figuring that the deepest gash was finally filled in enough that it would heal a little more evenly.
It seems to have worked. This was taken a few minutes ago. You can see where it's all healing around the outside and there's a real evenness to the scabbing. I will be posting soon an article from the paper where you can see how I'm so familiar with this type of injury...
The abbreviated version is that while my family and I were driving back from California during the summer before my 7th grade year, I had a bad dream in the back of our pick-up truck. In it, the truck was rolling away and I was being told to jump. I did so, and hit the pavement at 70+ MPH. I rolled several times, and when I stood, I realized that I wasn't where I should be. I didn't know that I was in Sydney, NE, nor did I know that it was 2 o'clock in the morning. I started walking along the highway toward the only lights I could see.
After being knocked over by several semi-trucks as they drove by, all of which apparently radioed the State Police who picked me up about 15 - 20 minutes later. I was taken to the local Hospital. Eventually my parents were located and brought to me. I had no broken bones or head injuries, but the flesh had been mostly torn from about 60% of my body. I went home looking like a mummy.
I can tell you that I remember every moment on that highway, thinking that I might die out there, thinking that I needed to get to people, flagging down cars as they drove past, wondering how long until my parents found me. It's not the kind of fear I like to remember.
Ubuntu Studio.
If you hadn't heard, the newest version of Ubuntu Linux just dropped recently, Feisty Fawn v. 7.04. It's gotten some favorable reviews, especially as a free replacement for Windows. Even Dell is offering new machines running Ubuntu instead of Windows. I've used several versions of Ubuntu over the years, and I have to admit that they've made some great strides. As long as you have an idea of how to find the help you need, you'll be golden.
In addition, there's a new Ubuntu distro (yes, a distribution of a distribution) called Ubuntu Studio. This is actually geared toward graphic / movie / sound engineering. I've been playing around with it a little under VMWare, and I'm pretty impressed. The only thing I can't really do is work with the sound, mostly because the VMWare sound pass through driver, while working flawlessly under XP as a guest, does not perform well under this version of Linux as a guest.
Overall, my impressions are good. I've not played with the standard Feisty enough yet to tell you how they compare, but it seems everything is there and works right out of the box. And the pre-installed apps are amazing. As I said, there's a few things I can't test out, being that it's being virtualized, but what I have used is impressive.
Still... I'm waiting for this.
Happy 40th Video Games!
1up.com has a great article about the dawn of video games! If you've never heard the story of how Pong began... you might want to give it a read. It's good stuff.
I don't get this...
Social Networking must be stopped. If it's not, there'll soon be social networking games that work like MMORPG's and that would--
Oh, there already is. I'm in like with you. Wow.
Google is making us dumber.
According to this guy's rant, Google is making us dumber. When we don't need to remember how to figure things out on our own, and just Google everything, our society is heading down the toilet.
I content that Google is making us more brilliant, and has, if nothing else, improved the majority of people's ability to research information. If I don't have to remember the Pythagorean Theorem, and can just search google... it leaves my brain free for more important stuff. Like how to reset the hardware on a Mac (Control + Open Apple + O + F during boot - then type RESET-ALL). Of course, I found that out by Googling... so, it's all moot anyway.
A super cute URL...
for a reasonably good idea. a.placebetween.us is a site that uses Google Maps to find locations to meet between two locations. It's kinda neat.
Twirling Tower could Power itself...
and ten other buildings too. There's an article about this Architectural abomination. I can't imagine it, I don't want to imagine it... it scares the shit out of me just looking at it. There's even a video of how it might work.
Tab Scope
It occurs to me that I need to make a post of some of the great Firefox extensions that are out there. Extensions are one of the biggest reasons to shun Internet Explorer. That and the fact that Firefox actually shows web pages correctly, interpreting all the various mark-up languages correctly.
Anyway, I will highlight one tool that's just damn neat. I've found it very very useful in all my browsing.
TabScope. It's basically a tool that lets you look at other tabs without having to leave the page you're on, you can even navigate about inside of the tab. It doesn't really show embedded content, like flash animations, but it's still dead useful.
And with that, I'm out.
But, there's plenty more up my sleeve... trust that. I will drop it all on you sooner rather than later. Peace out internet brothers and sisters! I love you all.
Alright, so, there's not a lot to be said... about Operating Systems, healing wounds, Firefox, Google, Social networking, Movies (bad ones...) and so much more. I'm going to get right to it... please click the read more... and let's get on with this thing!
Disturbia
Holy shit. Melissa and I went out to see this tonight. I wanted to see the Invisible, or Fracture. She's seen the latter, and wasn't interested in the former. Were it not for the company, I would have said it was one of the worst theater experiences I've had since the great Spider-man 3 fiasco...
First, I thought for sure that this movie looked like it was an updated ripoff of Hitchcock's Rear Window. I was right, but they did a really poor job at it.
Unless it was supposed to be a lame ass romantic comedy, then they did a really good job at screwing that up.
I will say that there was one thing about this movie that I must applaud. They did a pretty good job with product placement and more than a fair job of getting electronics to 'act' realistically. Normally when you see someone use a gadget, a video game, or some other piece of technology, it's never remotely accurate to how the items actually work. In this case, they actually did alright with it. Not great... but alright. Sadly, that's the best thing that I can say about this.
The movie begins with an attempted tear inducing sad scene. They try really hard to get you into the mood, so you understand this brooding kid. They would have done it too, if it weren't for the fact that he can't act at all. Also, throughout the film they seemed more interested in setting up bad one-liners and jokes, which doesn't play nicely with the the idea that he's a sad / angry kid.
There's also a terrible romantic sub-plot that really doesn't make any sense. Personally, I don't believe that it's remotely plausible I could spy on my next door neighbor and spin the story in such as way that she thinks I'm really 'sweet'.
Finally, for a suspense type movie, there's hardly any suspense until the final 20 minutes. Mostly it's filler story, none of which does anything to advance the plot of the movie. Finally, when it comes down to it, there's a final battle that's so anti-climactic that I actually groaned out loud.
I recommend people see this if they love bad suspense / horror flicks. It seems like they could have really done something with this movie, but it just fell flat. Like Final Destination 3.
I'm healing...
This photo was taken the night after I incurred my injuries. You can see that there's still a lot of gravel in there, and it seems that it's not interested in closing up at all. The next 2 days, however, the white blood cells started finally filling in. This morning I finally took the bandage off to let the scab set in, figuring that the deepest gash was finally filled in enough that it would heal a little more evenly.
It seems to have worked. This was taken a few minutes ago. You can see where it's all healing around the outside and there's a real evenness to the scabbing. I will be posting soon an article from the paper where you can see how I'm so familiar with this type of injury...The abbreviated version is that while my family and I were driving back from California during the summer before my 7th grade year, I had a bad dream in the back of our pick-up truck. In it, the truck was rolling away and I was being told to jump. I did so, and hit the pavement at 70+ MPH. I rolled several times, and when I stood, I realized that I wasn't where I should be. I didn't know that I was in Sydney, NE, nor did I know that it was 2 o'clock in the morning. I started walking along the highway toward the only lights I could see.
After being knocked over by several semi-trucks as they drove by, all of which apparently radioed the State Police who picked me up about 15 - 20 minutes later. I was taken to the local Hospital. Eventually my parents were located and brought to me. I had no broken bones or head injuries, but the flesh had been mostly torn from about 60% of my body. I went home looking like a mummy.
I can tell you that I remember every moment on that highway, thinking that I might die out there, thinking that I needed to get to people, flagging down cars as they drove past, wondering how long until my parents found me. It's not the kind of fear I like to remember.
Ubuntu Studio.
If you hadn't heard, the newest version of Ubuntu Linux just dropped recently, Feisty Fawn v. 7.04. It's gotten some favorable reviews, especially as a free replacement for Windows. Even Dell is offering new machines running Ubuntu instead of Windows. I've used several versions of Ubuntu over the years, and I have to admit that they've made some great strides. As long as you have an idea of how to find the help you need, you'll be golden.
In addition, there's a new Ubuntu distro (yes, a distribution of a distribution) called Ubuntu Studio. This is actually geared toward graphic / movie / sound engineering. I've been playing around with it a little under VMWare, and I'm pretty impressed. The only thing I can't really do is work with the sound, mostly because the VMWare sound pass through driver, while working flawlessly under XP as a guest, does not perform well under this version of Linux as a guest.
Overall, my impressions are good. I've not played with the standard Feisty enough yet to tell you how they compare, but it seems everything is there and works right out of the box. And the pre-installed apps are amazing. As I said, there's a few things I can't test out, being that it's being virtualized, but what I have used is impressive.
Still... I'm waiting for this.
Happy 40th Video Games!
1up.com has a great article about the dawn of video games! If you've never heard the story of how Pong began... you might want to give it a read. It's good stuff.
I don't get this...
Social Networking must be stopped. If it's not, there'll soon be social networking games that work like MMORPG's and that would--
Oh, there already is. I'm in like with you. Wow.
Google is making us dumber.
According to this guy's rant, Google is making us dumber. When we don't need to remember how to figure things out on our own, and just Google everything, our society is heading down the toilet.
I content that Google is making us more brilliant, and has, if nothing else, improved the majority of people's ability to research information. If I don't have to remember the Pythagorean Theorem, and can just search google... it leaves my brain free for more important stuff. Like how to reset the hardware on a Mac (Control + Open Apple + O + F during boot - then type RESET-ALL). Of course, I found that out by Googling... so, it's all moot anyway.
A super cute URL...
for a reasonably good idea. a.placebetween.us is a site that uses Google Maps to find locations to meet between two locations. It's kinda neat.
Twirling Tower could Power itself...
and ten other buildings too. There's an article about this Architectural abomination. I can't imagine it, I don't want to imagine it... it scares the shit out of me just looking at it. There's even a video of how it might work.
Tab Scope
It occurs to me that I need to make a post of some of the great Firefox extensions that are out there. Extensions are one of the biggest reasons to shun Internet Explorer. That and the fact that Firefox actually shows web pages correctly, interpreting all the various mark-up languages correctly.
Anyway, I will highlight one tool that's just damn neat. I've found it very very useful in all my browsing.
TabScope. It's basically a tool that lets you look at other tabs without having to leave the page you're on, you can even navigate about inside of the tab. It doesn't really show embedded content, like flash animations, but it's still dead useful.
And with that, I'm out.
But, there's plenty more up my sleeve... trust that. I will drop it all on you sooner rather than later. Peace out internet brothers and sisters! I love you all.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Not much to say right now...
Except that I got this thing working again...
Internet Explorer users rejoice, you may now view my blog again... it came down to a problem with the photos I'd laid out in a previous post. IE yet again shows that it has zero ability to understand the crazy world of CSS.
Also, I'm happier.
Happier than I've been in a while... perhaps I'll explain that more fully later.
Internet Explorer users rejoice, you may now view my blog again... it came down to a problem with the photos I'd laid out in a previous post. IE yet again shows that it has zero ability to understand the crazy world of CSS.
Also, I'm happier.
Happier than I've been in a while... perhaps I'll explain that more fully later.
Monday, May 14, 2007
My Blog is Broken...
Attention Internet Explorer Users!
I'm Sorry!
Should have looked at this in IE a while ago... oops. I'll try and get this thing fixed up soon. Sorry about that.
I'm Sorry!
Should have looked at this in IE a while ago... oops. I'll try and get this thing fixed up soon. Sorry about that.
A quickie...
Seriously...
I've got to work in the morning, and I just wanted to drop by and say just a few things... mostly about movies...
28 Weeks Later...
While some people disagree with me, I have to say that, and it's hard with a contender like Dawn of the Dead (the original), 28 Days Later is the best zombie movie of all time. The fact that the dead are so ferocious, and just move as though truly motivated all the time, really is what drives it for me. Add in the fact that's it is shot and directed really well, you've got a winner.
28 Weeks Later? Not a winner. I will post more about this later, but the summary is simple. It pales in comparison. Apart from the great cinematography (except when they are shaking the camera's as violently as possible... which is most of the time), it has practically no redeeming qualities what-so-ever. The story makes little sense, the plot doesn't so much drive as it meanders to an unseen destination, and in the end, the entire thing had pretty much no point at all.
I will post a blow by blow review soon (yes, just like several other movies I've been slow to review), but, I just wanted to give you my general impressions.
Fantastic Four: 2
NO!
(I may bring myself to explain this further, but for now, you will have to accept that this is stupid!)
Die Harder Again Part Deux and a Heif!
Seriously, as much as I want to say, "It's over, give it up!" I just can't. I will be seeing this in the theater. The trailer I was treated to this night definitely left me with a urge, an itch that won't be scratched until I'm enjoying Bruce Willis jumping off of super sonic jets and narrowly escaping a crushy demise by two perfectly placed cars that speed into frame from out of nowhere.
I'm O.K. with revisiting "Yipee Ki Yay Mutha Fucker!" But if he tells me he sees dead people, I might have to walk out.
VMWare
Still the greatest thing that ever happened, ever. I am just blown away by version 6. I've been meaning to review it fully, just haven't had the opportunity, but I will do so soon. With those few programs that don't work under Vista, it's nice to have XP right there by my side. Sometimes I just don't want to re-boot. I appreciate Microsoft's (free) Virtual PC, but when I discovered I could have full access to my USB devices in VMWare, I was sold.
That's it for now...
I have a lot more to say about a lot of things you probably don't care about, but at the moment, I'm just too tired. I'm recovering from my injuries. I discovered all the bruising up my side and pulled muscles everywhere... so, it's been unfun. I will probably post some of the healing pictures soon. Might make a good add for Neosporin. There's still bits of sand and gravel coming out with every bandage change, and theres one gash, the part that was down to the muscle, that refuses to close up, and is still bleeding a bit.
Also, I feel compelled to soon speak cryptically of my relationship woes with the evil wimmens... but that's a subject for a later date.
Mike and I started working on a new script (yes, I know, finish Ink, right?), but it's very promising. Mike came up with the idea from my whining rant a few days ago, from there we sat down and brainstormed and after about 2 and 1/2 hours we had a solid outline. Script work has started, and we're on the way. We're eager to see how this works when we're both working actively on a script idea. Another subject best left 'til later.
That's it for now.
Well, one game, maybe.
I realized that I somehow forgot to mention this game. It's wicked fast paced and a ton of fun. It's called Luminara, and it's a flash clone of Geometry Wars (more or less). Try it out.
I've got to work in the morning, and I just wanted to drop by and say just a few things... mostly about movies...
28 Weeks Later...
While some people disagree with me, I have to say that, and it's hard with a contender like Dawn of the Dead (the original), 28 Days Later is the best zombie movie of all time. The fact that the dead are so ferocious, and just move as though truly motivated all the time, really is what drives it for me. Add in the fact that's it is shot and directed really well, you've got a winner.
28 Weeks Later? Not a winner. I will post more about this later, but the summary is simple. It pales in comparison. Apart from the great cinematography (except when they are shaking the camera's as violently as possible... which is most of the time), it has practically no redeeming qualities what-so-ever. The story makes little sense, the plot doesn't so much drive as it meanders to an unseen destination, and in the end, the entire thing had pretty much no point at all.
I will post a blow by blow review soon (yes, just like several other movies I've been slow to review), but, I just wanted to give you my general impressions.
Fantastic Four: 2
NO!
(I may bring myself to explain this further, but for now, you will have to accept that this is stupid!)
Die Harder Again Part Deux and a Heif!
Seriously, as much as I want to say, "It's over, give it up!" I just can't. I will be seeing this in the theater. The trailer I was treated to this night definitely left me with a urge, an itch that won't be scratched until I'm enjoying Bruce Willis jumping off of super sonic jets and narrowly escaping a crushy demise by two perfectly placed cars that speed into frame from out of nowhere.
I'm O.K. with revisiting "Yipee Ki Yay Mutha Fucker!" But if he tells me he sees dead people, I might have to walk out.
VMWare
Still the greatest thing that ever happened, ever. I am just blown away by version 6. I've been meaning to review it fully, just haven't had the opportunity, but I will do so soon. With those few programs that don't work under Vista, it's nice to have XP right there by my side. Sometimes I just don't want to re-boot. I appreciate Microsoft's (free) Virtual PC, but when I discovered I could have full access to my USB devices in VMWare, I was sold.
That's it for now...
I have a lot more to say about a lot of things you probably don't care about, but at the moment, I'm just too tired. I'm recovering from my injuries. I discovered all the bruising up my side and pulled muscles everywhere... so, it's been unfun. I will probably post some of the healing pictures soon. Might make a good add for Neosporin. There's still bits of sand and gravel coming out with every bandage change, and theres one gash, the part that was down to the muscle, that refuses to close up, and is still bleeding a bit.
Also, I feel compelled to soon speak cryptically of my relationship woes with the evil wimmens... but that's a subject for a later date.
Mike and I started working on a new script (yes, I know, finish Ink, right?), but it's very promising. Mike came up with the idea from my whining rant a few days ago, from there we sat down and brainstormed and after about 2 and 1/2 hours we had a solid outline. Script work has started, and we're on the way. We're eager to see how this works when we're both working actively on a script idea. Another subject best left 'til later.
That's it for now.
Well, one game, maybe.
I realized that I somehow forgot to mention this game. It's wicked fast paced and a ton of fun. It's called Luminara, and it's a flash clone of Geometry Wars (more or less). Try it out.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Ouch!
For some reason I thought maybe I should try riding a bike again....
I guess I was wrong...
Basically, I hit a patch of sand and slid out, coming down I had the option of landing on the side of my face or on my elbow... I chose the latter. Good times.
I guess I was wrong...
Basically, I hit a patch of sand and slid out, coming down I had the option of landing on the side of my face or on my elbow... I chose the latter. Good times.
So says the angel....
Welcome...
Back, or otherwise. I've got a fair few links that will be posting, but first, for those that know me... a few words about me.
Today was one of those days that you greets you warmly enough, but like a the shower in an aging buidling, the tempature fluxuates up and down. I don't know, it was one of those days that just had its ups and more than its share of downs. So, I can't say it was a good day or a bad day, but at least it was a day.
As you might be able to tell from my previous post, I've been considering my life quite a bit lately. It's frustrating to feel like I have such little control right now. One of the biggest problems, one that I didn't even touch on in the last post, is the money. I have a lot of debt that I've been trying hard to get a handle on. But, I've long been at that point where it doesn't seem that any amount of money will ever quell the demons that seem so anxious to drag me down. It isn't that I don't want to take care of it. It isn't that I'm poor at managing my money... now. And I certainly make my fair share. However, I take care of myself, my two daughters and my disabled mother. That's not productive for paying off bills, let me tell you. It's one of the few things about my life to date that I truly regret. My ex-wife and I made some very poor financial decisions... and I'm paying for them now.
In other news...
Last night I went with Melissa to see the movie Next. It was a good enough time, but the movie was pretty terrible.
Next
This is where I must finally put my foot down. It was proved with Deja Vu that they still can't make a decent time based movie, but this movie takes it to new levels of terrible.
I guess I could quantify it a bit, it was not the worst thing that I've ever seen. It was just one of those movies that really frustrates you. It wasn't just Nicolas Cage, who I've grown to truly dislike over the years. There were severely poor story components.
The concept is pretty simple, Cage is a 2 bit magician in Vegas, but he plays off the fact that he has a gift for premonition. Basically, he uses this to perform a magic act, but also to cheat the house at various casinos along the strip at low level games. He's only able to see the future for about 2 minutes, but he's able to review those 2 minutes and his options to see where he'll come out on top, and then take that path. He can only see a future that involves him in some way.
This concept is great. I applaud this writing.
Then we move on to the plot. The FBI is somehow aware of this guy, and they think they can use him to find a Nuke that's been stashed somewhere in California. He, however, doesn't seem to think this is possible. In the meantime, somehow the bad guys also seem to be aware of him, so everyone possible is after this low level, probably pretty much off the grid guy.
In the end, he's forced to give in, and suddenly, though he's never done it before, at least not with any measure of control, he's able to not only push his powers out far more than 2 minutes, he's also able to completely control this new found ability.
Then there's the twist. The one that we all saw coming from the very beginning, and you just wish they'd left it with a tragic ending.
Overall it wasn't as bad as it could have been... but I can't rate it very highly at all.
Media Converter
Media Converter. It's free. It's online. And it works... Good stuff. Try it out.
Keyboard Waffle Iron
Gizmodo, always the source of crap we don't need, has an blurb about a waffle maker, that makes waffles shaped like keyboards. It's hard for me not to accept regular waffles after seeing this. Plus, it lends itself so well to soooo many puns. Like, "A kayboard you want to get sticky.
RFID Firewall.
Wow, RFID is such a new and unexploited technology, yet there's already a new firewall system to prevent unauthorized access, or even virii? That's just amazing, especially because it's the same woman that's come up with both. I have actually been itching for a chance to talk a little about RFID, but tonight is definitely not tonight.
Microsoft Patents Sudo
Sure looks that way... for some background. If you've seen the Mac vs. PC ads with the "Cancel or Allow", that's an example of the Vista UAC (User Account Control). It requires a user to be active for the things going on with their computer, forcing them to enter a password if they are not an administrator. However, this is essentially a method that's been in place for a while, as noted here, as SUDO. EL OH EL N SHT.
Speaking of Ubuntu...
This was humorous... I wonder how many people will be looking for this new version of the famed Linux distro.
Apple Patents New iPod Interface.
and proves they don't know the alphabet.
It's an interesting set-up, but if you look at the bottom left image, you'll see they think the alphabet is A B C V E F G...
Still, I'm curious how this will work. I've heard bad things about the new flip around phones where it's the phone on one side and mp3 player on the other... I can only hope Apple can pull this off. Of course, Apple Fanboys will be jizzing over the idea no matter what they do.
Don't forget Zune...
And it appears Microsoft will be finally supporting WiFi downloads on the Zune, and that there'll be new Hardware coming out soon...
Hmm...
There's plenty more stuff to show you, but that will have to do for now... I'm tired.
Back, or otherwise. I've got a fair few links that will be posting, but first, for those that know me... a few words about me.
Today was one of those days that you greets you warmly enough, but like a the shower in an aging buidling, the tempature fluxuates up and down. I don't know, it was one of those days that just had its ups and more than its share of downs. So, I can't say it was a good day or a bad day, but at least it was a day.
As you might be able to tell from my previous post, I've been considering my life quite a bit lately. It's frustrating to feel like I have such little control right now. One of the biggest problems, one that I didn't even touch on in the last post, is the money. I have a lot of debt that I've been trying hard to get a handle on. But, I've long been at that point where it doesn't seem that any amount of money will ever quell the demons that seem so anxious to drag me down. It isn't that I don't want to take care of it. It isn't that I'm poor at managing my money... now. And I certainly make my fair share. However, I take care of myself, my two daughters and my disabled mother. That's not productive for paying off bills, let me tell you. It's one of the few things about my life to date that I truly regret. My ex-wife and I made some very poor financial decisions... and I'm paying for them now.
In other news...
Last night I went with Melissa to see the movie Next. It was a good enough time, but the movie was pretty terrible.
Next
This is where I must finally put my foot down. It was proved with Deja Vu that they still can't make a decent time based movie, but this movie takes it to new levels of terrible.
I guess I could quantify it a bit, it was not the worst thing that I've ever seen. It was just one of those movies that really frustrates you. It wasn't just Nicolas Cage, who I've grown to truly dislike over the years. There were severely poor story components.
The concept is pretty simple, Cage is a 2 bit magician in Vegas, but he plays off the fact that he has a gift for premonition. Basically, he uses this to perform a magic act, but also to cheat the house at various casinos along the strip at low level games. He's only able to see the future for about 2 minutes, but he's able to review those 2 minutes and his options to see where he'll come out on top, and then take that path. He can only see a future that involves him in some way.
This concept is great. I applaud this writing.
Then we move on to the plot. The FBI is somehow aware of this guy, and they think they can use him to find a Nuke that's been stashed somewhere in California. He, however, doesn't seem to think this is possible. In the meantime, somehow the bad guys also seem to be aware of him, so everyone possible is after this low level, probably pretty much off the grid guy.
In the end, he's forced to give in, and suddenly, though he's never done it before, at least not with any measure of control, he's able to not only push his powers out far more than 2 minutes, he's also able to completely control this new found ability.
Then there's the twist. The one that we all saw coming from the very beginning, and you just wish they'd left it with a tragic ending.
Overall it wasn't as bad as it could have been... but I can't rate it very highly at all.
Media Converter
Media Converter. It's free. It's online. And it works... Good stuff. Try it out.
Keyboard Waffle Iron
Gizmodo, always the source of crap we don't need, has an blurb about a waffle maker, that makes waffles shaped like keyboards. It's hard for me not to accept regular waffles after seeing this. Plus, it lends itself so well to soooo many puns. Like, "A kayboard you want to get sticky.
RFID Firewall.
Wow, RFID is such a new and unexploited technology, yet there's already a new firewall system to prevent unauthorized access, or even virii? That's just amazing, especially because it's the same woman that's come up with both. I have actually been itching for a chance to talk a little about RFID, but tonight is definitely not tonight.
Microsoft Patents Sudo
Sure looks that way... for some background. If you've seen the Mac vs. PC ads with the "Cancel or Allow", that's an example of the Vista UAC (User Account Control). It requires a user to be active for the things going on with their computer, forcing them to enter a password if they are not an administrator. However, this is essentially a method that's been in place for a while, as noted here, as SUDO. EL OH EL N SHT.
Speaking of Ubuntu...
This was humorous... I wonder how many people will be looking for this new version of the famed Linux distro.
Apple Patents New iPod Interface.
and proves they don't know the alphabet.
It's an interesting set-up, but if you look at the bottom left image, you'll see they think the alphabet is A B C V E F G...
Still, I'm curious how this will work. I've heard bad things about the new flip around phones where it's the phone on one side and mp3 player on the other... I can only hope Apple can pull this off. Of course, Apple Fanboys will be jizzing over the idea no matter what they do.
Don't forget Zune...
And it appears Microsoft will be finally supporting WiFi downloads on the Zune, and that there'll be new Hardware coming out soon...
Hmm...
There's plenty more stuff to show you, but that will have to do for now... I'm tired.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
No links...
Just some reflection.
I can't but help thinking these days... I'm 26 years old.
Please note:
This was something I wrote a couple days ago, just venting. I had no intention of posting it, but I've changed my mind and now I have. It's fairly personal and will hold very little interest to the average person that doesn't know me. Consider yourself warned.
And I don't seem to be getting any younger. As a matter of fact, I'm fairly certain that I keep getting older as time goes on. It's amazing to me that in less than four years I'll be 30. I don't mean amazing in it's positive, or generally good, connotation. I mean it in the, "oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck" kinda way.
It seems like yesterday, and a lifetime ago, that I had it all figured out. These things seem to come in waves throughout the tapestry that is my life, these feelings like I know what's going on. Of course, on reflection, I didn't ever have a clue. I'm sure now, as I sit here thinking about the past, the present, and the future, that I still don't.
26 years and I wonder what I have to show for it. I mean, I'm not rich, I'm not famous, and I sure as hell haven't left my mark on the world. Does that mean that I won't? I hope not. There are a lot of people on this spinning rock we call home, and very few of them ever get to be more than just the sum total of the whole. It scares me to think that I may never get a chance to leave a real legacy behind.
It's not that I want to change the world... I just want to leave behind something to be remembered by. And if I don't, will I die filled with regret?
Fear. That's it exactly. Fear of the unkown. Fear of death, fear of living. What's next? That's all I can think about sometimes. I can't focus, I can't get my mind straight, being almost sick sometimes with worry. No, that's not quite right. I'm willing to accept what's coming, and that I can't change what's been. But, I seem to be stuck on either side, unable to come to grips with what is.
I hate the fact that I'm so socially inept. I mean, really, I can do it, but I feel so out of place sometimes. Like I'm completely lost in a sea of people who at least have some idea of what they're doing. I don't understand. I go out, I do things, and yet somehow I always feel like I'm comepletely seperate from everyone. It's strange when you're with a group of people and you don't feel like you're part of the group at all.
Love. I thought for sure that I had it all figured out. Then I was wrong, and I've been failing at it ever since. The biggest problem is that I can't seem to understand what's happening. I feel like I miss the cues that were probably so obvious, and I see things that just aren't there. And, I'm scared that everything is just an elaborate game, as though someone is just going through the motions.
Will I ever be able to trust again?
I get the fact that I'm a jackass. I really do, but I can't seem to help myself. I always worry about what people are thinking about me.
Anxiety. It is killing me.
What's really strange is that I really haven't felt like this until about a year ago. I can't seem to get my shit together.
I can't but help thinking these days... I'm 26 years old.
Please note:
This was something I wrote a couple days ago, just venting. I had no intention of posting it, but I've changed my mind and now I have. It's fairly personal and will hold very little interest to the average person that doesn't know me. Consider yourself warned.
And I don't seem to be getting any younger. As a matter of fact, I'm fairly certain that I keep getting older as time goes on. It's amazing to me that in less than four years I'll be 30. I don't mean amazing in it's positive, or generally good, connotation. I mean it in the, "oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck" kinda way.
It seems like yesterday, and a lifetime ago, that I had it all figured out. These things seem to come in waves throughout the tapestry that is my life, these feelings like I know what's going on. Of course, on reflection, I didn't ever have a clue. I'm sure now, as I sit here thinking about the past, the present, and the future, that I still don't.
26 years and I wonder what I have to show for it. I mean, I'm not rich, I'm not famous, and I sure as hell haven't left my mark on the world. Does that mean that I won't? I hope not. There are a lot of people on this spinning rock we call home, and very few of them ever get to be more than just the sum total of the whole. It scares me to think that I may never get a chance to leave a real legacy behind.
It's not that I want to change the world... I just want to leave behind something to be remembered by. And if I don't, will I die filled with regret?
Fear. That's it exactly. Fear of the unkown. Fear of death, fear of living. What's next? That's all I can think about sometimes. I can't focus, I can't get my mind straight, being almost sick sometimes with worry. No, that's not quite right. I'm willing to accept what's coming, and that I can't change what's been. But, I seem to be stuck on either side, unable to come to grips with what is.
I hate the fact that I'm so socially inept. I mean, really, I can do it, but I feel so out of place sometimes. Like I'm completely lost in a sea of people who at least have some idea of what they're doing. I don't understand. I go out, I do things, and yet somehow I always feel like I'm comepletely seperate from everyone. It's strange when you're with a group of people and you don't feel like you're part of the group at all.
Love. I thought for sure that I had it all figured out. Then I was wrong, and I've been failing at it ever since. The biggest problem is that I can't seem to understand what's happening. I feel like I miss the cues that were probably so obvious, and I see things that just aren't there. And, I'm scared that everything is just an elaborate game, as though someone is just going through the motions.
Will I ever be able to trust again?
I get the fact that I'm a jackass. I really do, but I can't seem to help myself. I always worry about what people are thinking about me.
Anxiety. It is killing me.
What's really strange is that I really haven't felt like this until about a year ago. I can't seem to get my shit together.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Witty title withheld, pending investigation.
So, here I am once again.
Here we go again. I've got a few things to post up from the internet, as well as how I spent my night last night... Cinco de Mayo, or as I call it... Mexican Beer Day. Please note, I had no Mexican Beer.
We'll start with the Cinco de Mayo...
Cinco de Mayo. Simply, the 5th of May. It bothers me, to some extent, that many people believe this is the Mexican Independence, much like America's July 4th. The truth, however, is that Mexico's Independence Day is September 16th (1810) (it's not surprising that this mistake is made, it took 11 years from the declaration before the first Spanish soldiers were forced to leave).
Cinco de Mayo is actually a fairly minor 'holiday' in Mexico. It celebrates the defeat of the French forces by the at the Battle of Puebla (one of the few places in Mexico that actually celebrates the 5th).
The reason this is not a major holiday in Mexico is that this battle only stalled Napoleon and the 8,000 traitorous Mexican soldiers. The French eventually occupied Mexico City, and Napoleon was able to install Prince Maximilian as the Emperor of Mexico. It was another 5 years before the French were eventually booted from the Mexican capital.
Now, the reason for all of this being important to Americans is even lesser known. This defeat prevented Napoleon from supplying the Confederate soldiers during the American Civil. This meant that a huge debt to the Union defeating the Confederacy is owed to this outnumbered army beating the odds. Some time later, the Union sent one of their Generals to the Texas / Mexican border to start arming the Mexicans, making sure they were able to expel the French from their country once and for all.
I've often wondered what would have happened if we'd had French to the north and south.
Enough history lessons, on to last night.
So, last night was the 'celebration of Cinco de Mayo'. However, I drank no Mexican beer. Instead a had a few Blue Moons and hung out with some friends and co-workers at Bostons in Maple Grove.
It was a good night, over all. I went out to meet one group of friends, and as usual, we quickly took over most of the restaurant. All in all there were a total of 18 people there at some point or another.
Melissa had been out playing poker, but afterward, came to join us for the fun. José is the center of all the people that came out, although I knew quite a few of the people that came, most of them were his friends, and some I hadn't met. We all had a good time talking and what not. As usual, I had my camera on hand, and snapped a few shots, although, not until later in the night, after many of the people had already come and gone.
And now, some photos...
Above we have José, Katie and Pruse, and when Katie didn't think the first photo was good, a second photo of her she thought was better
Here we have one of José's friend, whose name I can't remember, and her financé, Yusef. I promise you, she WAS looking at the camera before I took this photo. Really... she was. Then we have Ashley. In the next photo we have one of Katie's friends, another name I can't remember, and Matt, who is actually Ashley's ex-boyfriend, and shouldn't have come out since he was sick as hell.
Finally, we have José again. Melissa's breasts (it was a trend that night...), and then her hand on my thigh for a couple shots...
Anyway, it was a good night overall. We closed the place as usual, and then figured out who was sober to get those that were less so home.
Super Sopranos Bros. 3
Check out The SuperMarios... a Sopranos spoof with Mario Mario...
Vista BSOD
Alright, it's just plain funny. I do know that HP has a huge problem with the wireless keyboard wanting it's batteries replaced every few days.
Truth Happens
An interesting Linux ad.
[Adult Swim] doomed to an eternity of hellfire...
I mean, the deal was sealed a while ago, however, they've really just decided to flaunt it with their new flash game Bible Fight. It's almost as fun as 5 Minutes to Kill (Yourself).
Speaking of wasting time...
Line Rider is insane. You can do some really insane and crazy stuff with it...
Webcomic Terror!
This is just unbelievable. I'd been trying to not touch these, because we all know they are stupid, but, I can't help myself on this one. Ever since the VTech massacre, there have been even more reports of stupid terrorism arrests. Most recent that I couldn't help but want to scream was the kid that got expelled over making a Counterstrike map of his high school, as most people have agreed is insanely overboard.
Now, Matt Boyd, formerly of Mac Hall fame, is now doing a comic called Three Panel Soul, which I've been reading for a while now. According to him, he was talking to a co-worker about buying a gun, and his conversation was overheard, and he was reported and fired for it. Now, if that wasn't bad enough, he was actually contacted because he's being investigated for making Terroristic Threats, the catch all charge.
This is just so unbelievable. There's a great interview with him over at FLEEN.
That's going to have to be it for now...
There's a lot more I could talk about... but I just don't have time. But, if you need more... this is good for a laugh...
Here we go again. I've got a few things to post up from the internet, as well as how I spent my night last night... Cinco de Mayo, or as I call it... Mexican Beer Day. Please note, I had no Mexican Beer.
We'll start with the Cinco de Mayo...
Cinco de Mayo. Simply, the 5th of May. It bothers me, to some extent, that many people believe this is the Mexican Independence, much like America's July 4th. The truth, however, is that Mexico's Independence Day is September 16th (1810) (it's not surprising that this mistake is made, it took 11 years from the declaration before the first Spanish soldiers were forced to leave).
Cinco de Mayo is actually a fairly minor 'holiday' in Mexico. It celebrates the defeat of the French forces by the at the Battle of Puebla (one of the few places in Mexico that actually celebrates the 5th).
The reason this is not a major holiday in Mexico is that this battle only stalled Napoleon and the 8,000 traitorous Mexican soldiers. The French eventually occupied Mexico City, and Napoleon was able to install Prince Maximilian as the Emperor of Mexico. It was another 5 years before the French were eventually booted from the Mexican capital.
Now, the reason for all of this being important to Americans is even lesser known. This defeat prevented Napoleon from supplying the Confederate soldiers during the American Civil. This meant that a huge debt to the Union defeating the Confederacy is owed to this outnumbered army beating the odds. Some time later, the Union sent one of their Generals to the Texas / Mexican border to start arming the Mexicans, making sure they were able to expel the French from their country once and for all.
I've often wondered what would have happened if we'd had French to the north and south.
Enough history lessons, on to last night.
So, last night was the 'celebration of Cinco de Mayo'. However, I drank no Mexican beer. Instead a had a few Blue Moons and hung out with some friends and co-workers at Bostons in Maple Grove.
It was a good night, over all. I went out to meet one group of friends, and as usual, we quickly took over most of the restaurant. All in all there were a total of 18 people there at some point or another.
Melissa had been out playing poker, but afterward, came to join us for the fun. José is the center of all the people that came out, although I knew quite a few of the people that came, most of them were his friends, and some I hadn't met. We all had a good time talking and what not. As usual, I had my camera on hand, and snapped a few shots, although, not until later in the night, after many of the people had already come and gone.
And now, some photos...
Above we have José, Katie and Pruse, and when Katie didn't think the first photo was good, a second photo of her she thought was better
Finally, we have José again. Melissa's breasts (it was a trend that night...), and then her hand on my thigh for a couple shots...
Anyway, it was a good night overall. We closed the place as usual, and then figured out who was sober to get those that were less so home.
Super Sopranos Bros. 3
Check out The SuperMarios... a Sopranos spoof with Mario Mario...
Vista BSOD
Alright, it's just plain funny. I do know that HP has a huge problem with the wireless keyboard wanting it's batteries replaced every few days.
Truth Happens
An interesting Linux ad.
[Adult Swim] doomed to an eternity of hellfire...
I mean, the deal was sealed a while ago, however, they've really just decided to flaunt it with their new flash game Bible Fight. It's almost as fun as 5 Minutes to Kill (Yourself).
Speaking of wasting time...
Line Rider is insane. You can do some really insane and crazy stuff with it...
Webcomic Terror!
This is just unbelievable. I'd been trying to not touch these, because we all know they are stupid, but, I can't help myself on this one. Ever since the VTech massacre, there have been even more reports of stupid terrorism arrests. Most recent that I couldn't help but want to scream was the kid that got expelled over making a Counterstrike map of his high school, as most people have agreed is insanely overboard.
Now, Matt Boyd, formerly of Mac Hall fame, is now doing a comic called Three Panel Soul, which I've been reading for a while now. According to him, he was talking to a co-worker about buying a gun, and his conversation was overheard, and he was reported and fired for it. Now, if that wasn't bad enough, he was actually contacted because he's being investigated for making Terroristic Threats, the catch all charge.
This is just so unbelievable. There's a great interview with him over at FLEEN.
That's going to have to be it for now...
There's a lot more I could talk about... but I just don't have time. But, if you need more... this is good for a laugh...
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Spider-Man 3
This is far and away the worst third installment of any series ever. This movie was overdone and convoluted. The fact that the Venom story was tacked is almost sad, they didn't need three villains, four if you count the impossible building smashing 'runaway' crane.
They could have taken any one of the story elements and made a decent movie, but instead, they tried to pack as much as possible into the the 'final installment.'
The reasons for this are pretty simple. Sam Raimi wanted Sandman, he couldn't do without him. At the same time, he was under pressure to add Venom, because that's where the people wanted it to go, you can't do a series of Spider-Man movies without Venom. And finally, in the previous chapters, we had seen all the foreshadowing for the 'new goblin,' and it would be wrong not to include that bit of story. Of course, it also helps that it gave them a lot more toys to work with. No one 'really' wants an Aunt May toy, or a 'Uncle Ben's Corpse' toy.
The other problem with the movie was that they needed to explain everything within the confines of the story. Did we really need to see Sandman get his powers? I couldn't help but laugh at the oddly specific sign on the fence he scaled: "Danger: Particle Testing Facility". And why is it that whenever anyone gains a super power, it involves a machine with bright lights and spinning?
The symbiont suit (that becomes Venom) falls from the sky and Peter finds it and wears it. He takes a sample to his Physics professor (the one armed man that would become The Lizard or whatever). The man, who's not even a biologist, looks at it through a microscope for a few seconds and nails it's description on the head. "I'm just a physics professor, but I think this is a symbiont."
As Peter falls victim to the suits powers, he becomes a bad boy. This basically means he strut walks around town to bad 70's porno music looking like the lead singer of Fall Out Boy. At one point the Professor calls him up, and his tell him that the suit must amplify aggression (his reference is a microscope screen where a molecule seems to be playing Pong with other molecules), Peter ignores him while playing badboy with the Russian Girl that lives next door. The worst thing he can do? He asks if she has nuts and tells her to make him cookies with nuts.
Venom. Wow. What a joke. I was worried about Topher Grace when they announced it, and I was right. The comic had Venom as a big ass crazed lunatic. The movie had him as a moronic photographer. His motivation for being angry with Spidey? He stole the girlfriend he never had... or perhaps it was because he got shown up as a hack at work and lost his job. I couldn't really tell.
Marko (Sandman) it is discovered, is actually the one that killed Peter's uncle Ben, and Peter and Aunt May are brought in to the station for this revelation. The information is given to them by the Cheif of Police himself. They make it seem like this thing is still being heavily investigated.
Here's the problem. They say that Marko actually bragged about this crime to a cell mate. But all throughout we are supposed to see him as this tragic villian. He's stealing money to save his daughter's life... she seems to be sick, though we don't know why. In the end, he says it was an accident (he and Peter have a nice cry over it). Why would someone so morose over this crime 'brag about it', let alone tell anyone?
Next, there's a whole bit where Osborne feels the need to go after Spidey yet again, first component of his evil plan? He's going to force Mary-Jane to break up with him. We don't really understand her motivation in doing it, but he sits by and watches it happen in the park while sitting under the tree. I expected him to say "excellent" like some sort of Hanna-Barbera villian, perhaps stroking his massive handle bar mustache. Then Osborne invites Peter out to coffee to tell him that 'he's' the other guy, because what MJ said totally played into his scheme.
The final battle finds Spidey facing Venom and Sandman. We don't understand why Marko and Brock actualy teamed up in the first place. But, Osborne comes to back up Spidey (after Spidey blew him up with one of his own bombs. The reason Osborne comes to help Peter is that the butler, a forensic scientist apparently, says that he cleaned his father's wounds and they could only have come from his glider, so Spidey didn't kill him. Of course, that bit of information should probably have been revealed two movies ago). When Spidey defeats Venom using a bomb (one that had merely burned Osborne's face earlier, but this time went off with near Nuclear force), Marko is on hand to have a quick cry with peter before 'flowing off' into the sunset. It's never clear why Marko worked with Venom when he's really just a good guy trapped in a bad guy's body.
The entire thing could have been about an hour and a half shorter without all the pointless exposition. Every few minutes Peter or MJ are crying about something. I get that they want to make Peter the everyman hero, a guy with real emotions, but he weeps throughout the entire film as though he'd just skinned his knee.
This is a tragic example of what happens when movie makers go too far. I would gladly have gone to a fourth movie, and possibly fifth as well, had they done all three of the movies this was correctly. I don't recommend anyone waste their time with this. Of course, it's too late, about 80% of the population already has.
There's more I can say about this...
Honestly, I could write 20 pages and get into near frame by frame detail about why this movie was awful.
To listen to the conversation that Mike and I had on the way home from the theater, click here. It's 160 MB. I took the audio and threw some slides on it in Premiere. It's free file hosting, so it will likely take a while to download. For only 20MB of your time, you can just check out the MP3 version, however, the video is really where it's at. ;)
They could have taken any one of the story elements and made a decent movie, but instead, they tried to pack as much as possible into the the 'final installment.'
The reasons for this are pretty simple. Sam Raimi wanted Sandman, he couldn't do without him. At the same time, he was under pressure to add Venom, because that's where the people wanted it to go, you can't do a series of Spider-Man movies without Venom. And finally, in the previous chapters, we had seen all the foreshadowing for the 'new goblin,' and it would be wrong not to include that bit of story. Of course, it also helps that it gave them a lot more toys to work with. No one 'really' wants an Aunt May toy, or a 'Uncle Ben's Corpse' toy.
The other problem with the movie was that they needed to explain everything within the confines of the story. Did we really need to see Sandman get his powers? I couldn't help but laugh at the oddly specific sign on the fence he scaled: "Danger: Particle Testing Facility". And why is it that whenever anyone gains a super power, it involves a machine with bright lights and spinning?
The symbiont suit (that becomes Venom) falls from the sky and Peter finds it and wears it. He takes a sample to his Physics professor (the one armed man that would become The Lizard or whatever). The man, who's not even a biologist, looks at it through a microscope for a few seconds and nails it's description on the head. "I'm just a physics professor, but I think this is a symbiont."
As Peter falls victim to the suits powers, he becomes a bad boy. This basically means he strut walks around town to bad 70's porno music looking like the lead singer of Fall Out Boy. At one point the Professor calls him up, and his tell him that the suit must amplify aggression (his reference is a microscope screen where a molecule seems to be playing Pong with other molecules), Peter ignores him while playing badboy with the Russian Girl that lives next door. The worst thing he can do? He asks if she has nuts and tells her to make him cookies with nuts.
Venom. Wow. What a joke. I was worried about Topher Grace when they announced it, and I was right. The comic had Venom as a big ass crazed lunatic. The movie had him as a moronic photographer. His motivation for being angry with Spidey? He stole the girlfriend he never had... or perhaps it was because he got shown up as a hack at work and lost his job. I couldn't really tell.
Marko (Sandman) it is discovered, is actually the one that killed Peter's uncle Ben, and Peter and Aunt May are brought in to the station for this revelation. The information is given to them by the Cheif of Police himself. They make it seem like this thing is still being heavily investigated.
Here's the problem. They say that Marko actually bragged about this crime to a cell mate. But all throughout we are supposed to see him as this tragic villian. He's stealing money to save his daughter's life... she seems to be sick, though we don't know why. In the end, he says it was an accident (he and Peter have a nice cry over it). Why would someone so morose over this crime 'brag about it', let alone tell anyone?
Next, there's a whole bit where Osborne feels the need to go after Spidey yet again, first component of his evil plan? He's going to force Mary-Jane to break up with him. We don't really understand her motivation in doing it, but he sits by and watches it happen in the park while sitting under the tree. I expected him to say "excellent" like some sort of Hanna-Barbera villian, perhaps stroking his massive handle bar mustache. Then Osborne invites Peter out to coffee to tell him that 'he's' the other guy, because what MJ said totally played into his scheme.
The final battle finds Spidey facing Venom and Sandman. We don't understand why Marko and Brock actualy teamed up in the first place. But, Osborne comes to back up Spidey (after Spidey blew him up with one of his own bombs. The reason Osborne comes to help Peter is that the butler, a forensic scientist apparently, says that he cleaned his father's wounds and they could only have come from his glider, so Spidey didn't kill him. Of course, that bit of information should probably have been revealed two movies ago). When Spidey defeats Venom using a bomb (one that had merely burned Osborne's face earlier, but this time went off with near Nuclear force), Marko is on hand to have a quick cry with peter before 'flowing off' into the sunset. It's never clear why Marko worked with Venom when he's really just a good guy trapped in a bad guy's body.
The entire thing could have been about an hour and a half shorter without all the pointless exposition. Every few minutes Peter or MJ are crying about something. I get that they want to make Peter the everyman hero, a guy with real emotions, but he weeps throughout the entire film as though he'd just skinned his knee.
This is a tragic example of what happens when movie makers go too far. I would gladly have gone to a fourth movie, and possibly fifth as well, had they done all three of the movies this was correctly. I don't recommend anyone waste their time with this. Of course, it's too late, about 80% of the population already has.
There's more I can say about this...
Honestly, I could write 20 pages and get into near frame by frame detail about why this movie was awful.
To listen to the conversation that Mike and I had on the way home from the theater, click here. It's 160 MB. I took the audio and threw some slides on it in Premiere. It's free file hosting, so it will likely take a while to download. For only 20MB of your time, you can just check out the MP3 version, however, the video is really where it's at. ;)
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