I’m happy to report that according to one of the special features on Stargate: The Ark of Truth, there is an actual door in Cheyenne Mountain labeled Stargate Command. It’s a broom closet.
Stargate Command Really Exists
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Category Archives: Movies
Snow and Oscar
We got about 4 inches of snow yesterday in Madison. The good news is that it wasn’t very cold, so it was almost nice. Of course, I haven’t tried driving to work yet…
I thought Jon Stewart did OK as Oscar host last night. He was funny as always, but didn’t get the big laughs I was expecting. I’m not sure if he nervous, facing the wrong kind of crowd, missing some of the sight gags possible with his 3 giant screens from The Daily Show set, or just trying too hard – but he never seemed to really connect with the audience. It’s a shame, because he’s one of the smartest and funniest guys out there. I don’t think it helped that ABC’s intro clip portrayed him as the guy they went to when no one else was willing to host (even if it was funny). Which reminds me, I’ve gotta set the DVR to record The Daily Show this week.
I haven’t seen any of the movies up for best picture; we seem to be in a movie drought lately. I can’t remember the last time we went to a movie in the theater, and we’re probably not getting our money’s worth out of Netflix in the last couple of months either. Still, I’ve heard quite a bit about the movies and I was glad to see Crash take home best picture, mostly because everyone was convinced it would be Brokeback Mountain.
Now I’ve really gotta get to work and hope my customers leave me alone so I can get some real work done.
Trilogy
At work we’ve got some discussion folders that give lots of a people a chance to waste time when they should be working. I’m kind of surprised they still exist with over 2000 employees, but you won’t hear me complaining. Today I was reminded why the Back to the Future movies are some of my most favorite ever.
Marty went into the past the first time accidentally when he was being chased by the Libyans, and he was sent back to 1985 by Doc from 1955. Then he and doc and Jennifer went into the future to fix the future (because apparently they couldn’t just put it on a to do list), then they went back to 1985, but it was altered, so they figured out that they had to go back to 1955 to fix the evil 1985 that future Biff made when he gave young Biff the Gray’s sports almanac, then Doc accidentally got struck by lightning and went to 1885, then Marty found the time machine in a cave and went back to 1885 to get Doc, then Marty and Jennifer went back to the regular (more or less) 1985 and the Delorean was crushed by a train, then Doc came to 1985 after he had apparently converted a steam engine into a time machine with the 1885 equivalent of today’s technology.
If ever there were an airtight plot, that’s it.
I love how he fit that all into two sentences. Seriously though, the DVD trilogy with special features is awesome. And who doesn’t love Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly?
It’s Coming
I know I’m late with this news, but I just finished watching the new trailer for The Da Vinci Code. I’ve been anticipating this movie since I first heard they were making it not long after I finished reading the book. I have to say a lot of it looks very cool, but some things in the trailer aren’t quite as I imagined them. I’m not sure what I thought a cryptex would look like, but I don’t think that was quite it. Still, I think the casting looks superb, and I trust Ron Howard to do it justice.
We’re probably going to see King Kong this weekend. I’m interested to see if it lives up to all the hype; I’ve only read one review that wasn’t absolutely raving. I’ve also got to wrap up my Christmas shopping, and Amber and I will probably exchange at least some of our gifts. Then there’s just two days of work and a lot of driving, wedding stuff, Christmas gathering, and more driving before we’re back in Madison late on the 26th.
Gotta Love the Holidays
It’s a pretty busy time, but it’s one I really enjoy. My parents along with my sister and her boyfriend (who I finally got to meet) were up for Thanksgiving. We sort of hosted, and I think we did pretty well with it. I gave them a (limited) tour of Madison through the snow and slick streets. We also went bowling and saw Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The movie was pretty good, but there is no way Dumbledore would ever grab a student like that. I think Michael Gambon really missed the target with his portrayal of the headmaster this time around. A few other changes for the movie were mildly annoying, but overall it was really good. It was also nice to talk to my family for more than 30 minutes on the phone.
My bowling team has been doing pretty well lately. After the first seven or eight weeks, they reset the standings and since then we’re right around .500. My average is still going up (six pins in the last two weeks) and we’re third in our division. Bowling in the league is fun, but I think it’s a little too competitive for my taste, at least with my current performance where it is. I’ll probably try to get into a mixed league next summer.
So after losing every single coach’s challenge for the entire season, the Chiefs finally won not one but two today, one overturning a crucial play that helped them beat the Broncos. My three Chiefs fantasy players all did pretty well too which was nice, even if the rest of my players were lousy today. Oh, and the Bears handed Green Bay one of their bigger losses of the season. I am highly amused with the Packer’s total suckage this season, especially since I’m now surrounded by fans of The Pack.
I’m about 1/3 done with my Christmas and birthday shopping (both my mom and sister have birthdays within a week of Christmas). I’m hoping to have the rest done by the end of the week. I just have to figure out how to keep Amber’s hidden away until I can wrap them. This apartment isn’t that big. It is big enough, however, for a 6 foot Christmas tree. We went and got ours yesterday at a tree farm north of Madison. The place was OK, but I’ve been totally spoiled by Prairie Pines. It took quite a while but we eventually got it inside and decorated. It’s twinkling away as I speak (although it was an adventure finding some lights that did what we wanted).
I really think Amber and I could get into GeoCaching. It’s something I heard about on TWiT while I was listening at work this week. It sounds like lots of fun. I need to do some research on GPS units…
Edit: Here’s our tree. Happy Holidays!
Catch Up
With all the extra work I’ve been doing from home I’ve gotten really behind on a lot of the news I usually follow. I haven’t been watching the Daily Show as much (there’s a new supreme court nominee, what?), and I’ve been missing out on some tech news stories I might otherwise have talked about. So here’s where I catch up.
- It looks like Warner Brothers is going to offer classic TV for free. They plan to launch an ad-supported service called In2TV early next year. Almost 5,000 episodes will be made available in the first year with older shows like The Fugitive and Maverick to more recent ones like Babylon 5. Their saying the system may even use peer-t0-pear file-sharing techonology, acknowledging that it does indeed have legitimate, legal uses. I think this is a great idea. I only sort of understand the big three’s motivation to sell their current content after it airs, but I think there’s only a limited amount of people wanting to buy TV, when they can record it for free and oftentimes put it into whatever format they want (if they’re willing to work for it). Keeping it free allows people to enjoy the TV they want, when they want it, and get it delivered in a manner convenient to them.
- Two teams of engineers decided to try to test the genius of Leonardo Da Vinci. We’ve all seen his drawings of a flying machine, but what about an 80-foot weapon designed to defend castles? Well these engineers set out to build these machines, staying as close to Da Vinci’s specs as they possibly could. The results are pretty sweet!
- Every Playboy Centerfold from 1988-1997. It’s not what you think.
- A portable Nintendo 64!
- This is exactly why I want a Digital Rebel.
- Sony:
- First attempt to make up for their mistakes. This took entirely too long.
- Sony apologizes. Wait, they call that an apology?
- Here’s a pretty good article summing up the rootkit issue. It also goes into detail on how computer security companies have reacted (poorly). Interesting that tech blogs have done more to protect consumers than Sony, Microsoft, or antivirus software makers combined.
- The company continues to have problems.
- Marines get a new weapon. Just check out the photos.
- Boeing is introducing a bigger and better 747 model. Check out the two interior pictures under Innovation. I like the site design but they overlooked some critical problems (zoom in on a picture and you can still click on the images under it).
- AIM decided it was going to add some bots to my buddy list. It didn’t ask me if I wanted to add them now that they were available, it just did it without my permission. I deleted them immediately, because frankly I don’t need a bot to tell me when movie showtimes are. I know how to use the internet to find out on my own. This is just another example of why I’ll probably dump AIM soon and move to Trillian or some less annoying app for my instant messaging needs.
- I saw this article while I was sitting in the waiting room at GHC, waiting to have the pressures checked in my eyes (a strange story for another time – ever had your vision bounce?). I was hoping to find it online because it’s a pretty cool story. A guy in Minnesota spent 11 years trying to make a colored soap bubble that won’t stain. It’s a fun (scientific) read.
- A new iPod Shuffle may be on the way. I still think the shuffle is the most disappointing iPod to date, and I still wish they hadn’t killed the mini. It’ll be interesting to see if they can improve the shuffle or just succeed in capturing the low price flash market.
- Newegg.com is now offering a Trade-in Program for your old computers and tech stuff. I’ve got some older stuff I want to get rid of. This could be really cool. Also, here’s an article about what makes Newegg succesful.
- The next major update to Firefox may come before the end of the month. Sweet.
- Here’s some bad news for the low lifes that create spyware and adware. The senate has passed a bill to make it illegal.
- Record companies want Apple to change the flat rate pricing scheme of iTunes. Why? Here’s one idea; he makes an excellent point.
- The first reviews of Xbox 360 are in and the results are so-so. I had a chance to play one the other day, and while it did look nice, I wasn’t overly impressed either.
- A Zelda movie may be in the works! This is one game I think has enough backstory that it could actually make a good movie.
Whew! I hate getting so far behind.
Ghostbusters 3?
Apparently Dan Aykroyd has written a new script and wants Ben Stiller to star in the third installment. Is it even possible for this thing to do well? I mean, I’ve seen the original and it’s second installment. They are entertaining; I just don’t know about another one.
Beauty
Last night I watched the movie American Beauty with my family. It’d been a long time since I’d seen it, and I’d forgotten how much I like it. The story does a pretty good job of showcasing just how fucked up the world can be, yet still be beautiful. Still, I can’t help thinking the ugly is slowly overtaking the beauty in the world of today and it’s pretty sad. I wish more people would remember these kinds of things:
I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second isn’t a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time… For me, it was lying on my back at Boy Scout camp, watching falling stars… And yellow leaves, from the maple trees, that lined my street… Or my grandmother’s hands, and the way her skin seemed like paper… And the first time I saw my cousin Tony’s brand new Firebird… And Janie… And Janie… And… Carolyn. I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me… but it’s hard to stay mad, when there’s so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I’m seeing it all at once, and it’s too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that’s about to burst… And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can’t feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life…
Currently Playing: Simple Plan – Perfect World
Without you I just can’t find my way
Too Long
Yeah, it’s been a while, but no, I’m not dead. I’m back with excellent news! It looks like Tom Hanks will star as Robert Langdon in the film version of The Da Vinci Code. Considering how much I enjoyed the book, I’ve been anxiously waiting to hear anything about the movie adaptation. I can’t wait!
In other news…three tests last week. I also spent the weekend in Kearney, Nebraska for the 2004 Midwest Affiliate of Collegiate and University Residence Halls (MACURH) Conference. Apparently, Life is a Game. The drive was fun for the most part, the conference was interesting. I wouldn’t say it was a lot of fun, but it wasn’t bad either. Somewhere in the middle. It did kind of give me a sense of being involved with something bigger though. That was cool. Anyway, one of the things on my (long) to do list is to write up a little report about what I learned at the conference so I can present it to our NRHH chapter.
I’ve got LAN lab in about 30 minutes and plenty of other stuff to do today. My group has right around half the time left to finish our Systems Design project and I can safely say we are not even close to being halfway done. Posts may be slow. We’ll just have to see. Have a great week.
Currently Playing: Relient K – High of 75
And now I’m sunny with a High of 75
Since You took my heavy heart
And made it light
And its funny how you find
You enjoy your life
When you’re happy to be alive
Deceit
In all honesty, I would prefer to forget that I ever paid to see Michael Moore’s “documentary” film, but the media keeps publishing stories about it and for some reason I keep reading them. I don’t really expect anyone to look at this in its entirety, but here is a list of 59 deceits in Fahrenheit 9/11 by Dave Kopel. I have yet to read much of it at all (though I plan to read as much as I can), but just from the intro I can see that the writer goes about his critique in a way that mirrors my mindset as I sat and watched (fought off sleep?) his film. This paragraph from his report sums up my thoughts rather nicely:
Quite obviously, there are many patriotic Americans who oppose George Bush and who think the Iraq War was a mistake. But Moore’s deceitful movie offers nothing constructive to help people form their opinions. To use lies and frauds to manipulate people is contrary to the very essence of democracy, which requires people to make rational decisions based on truthful information. It’s wrong when a President lies. It’s wrong when a talk radio host lies. And it’s wrong when a film-maker lies.
I’m not saying that I knew as I was sitting in the theater that specific bits of information of the movie were deceitful or downright false. Still, a part of me was realizing that Michael Moore has his own agenda as much as President Bush or anyone else, and why wouldn’t he stretch the truth or twist things around to show people what he wants them to see? It boggles my mind how many people sat through the movie and took every word of it as “fact” simply because it was labeled by some as a documentary, a word almost synonymous with facts and truth. I’m not saying that good points weren’t made or that he didn’t bring interesting things to light, but the way in which he went about it really bothered me. Thoughts from Boston University Law Professor Randy Barnett:
…I was struck by the sheer cunningness of Moore’s film. When you read Kopel, try to detach yourself from any revulsion you may feel at a work of literal propaganda receiving such wide-spread accolades from mainstream politicos, as well as attendance by your friends and neighbors.
Instead, notice the film’s meticulousness in saying only (or mostly) “true” or defensible things in support of a completely misleading impression. In this way, Kopel’s care in describing Moore’s “deceits” is much more interesting than other critiques I have read, including that of Christopher Hitchens. Kopel’s lawyerly description of Moore’s claims shows the film to be a genuinely impressive accomplishment in a perverse sort of way (the way an ingenious crime is impressive)–a case study in how to convert elements that are mainly true into an impression that is entirely false–and this leads in turn to another thought.
If this much cleverness was required to create the inchoate “conspiracy” (whatever it may be, as it is never really specified by Moore), it suggests there was no such conspiracy. With this much care and effort invested in uncovering and massaging the data, if there really was a conspiracy of the kind Moore suggests, the evidence would line up more neatly behind it, rather than being made to do cartwheels so as to be “true” but oh-so-misleading. If the facts don’t fit, shouldn’t we acquit?
Hopefully this will be the last from me on Michael Moore (unless it’s more stuff of the cartoon variety), but I make no promises. Frankly I’m tired of hearing about it, but if I happen to spot other interesting stuff, I’ll probably put it on here. Don’t stop reading over it. I highly recommend clicking that Christopher Hitchens link up there. It’s also worth reading or at least skimming. Plus he made one comment that made me laugh out loud: I never quite know whether Moore is as ignorant as he looks, or even if that would be humanly possible. I’m starting to like this guy more and more, hehe.
Some more interesting news later after I watch a comedy that should require little or no thought of anything political or otherwise 🙂
Currently Playing Watching: 50 First Dates