The Helix Nebula (nicknamed "The Eye of God") located in the constellation Aquarius.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Coming Refund Adjustment
Ahhh, nice to know why prices of consumable goods and gas will be jacked through the roof in 2011.
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Dark Knight of Oscars
Mrs. X and I sort of watched the Oscars last night. I say sort of, because we turned it off about halfway through and the first half, she was working on stuff on the computer and I was working on the taxes, so it was more background noise at many points.
Still, we did see some of the more interesting points. Honestly, we were really only interested in seeing if Heath Ledger would win for the Joker. I seem to be a real late comer to this party and I still stand by my original statement that as good as his performance was, I don’t think he would have actually won the award had he not died. Nothing against the performance but it has more to do with the Academy’s view of the superhero genre: these types of movies are allowed to win technical awards, but to treat them on the same level as the arthouse fare that generally wins would be beneath one’s dignity. Now, I must say that I haven’t seen any of the other performances, but my gut tells me that if Ledger had not died, the award may well have gone to Josh Brolin given how his performance in Milk was talked up at various points. But that is just my opinion.
Now, while I’m on the subject, I actually watched The Dark Knight for the first time on Friday. It was okay but in my opinion it was not the tour-de-force that many people seemed to make it out to be. It had great promise to start out. Unlike your traditional comic book movie, DK seemed to be trying to get back to its detective roots and not just make Batman some guy who beats up other people with neat gadgets for two hours. Even the introduction of the Joker with no worries about his backstory but just as a new player on the scene felt more authentic.
However, the movie tried to do too much. The introduction of Two-Face didn’t help and detracted from the confrontation with the Joker at the end of the movie. In fact, trying to maintain Harvey Dent’s profile and push the love triangle made the rest of the movie feel rushed. There should have been a lot less of this aspect and more savoring of reign of terror unleashed by the Joker. In many ways, this movie would have been well served to have been expanded into an HBO type miniseries. This format would have given a lot more time to appreciate some of the nuances of the overarching story.
There was only one other little aspect of the movie that I didn’t like and that was the whole “man is a noble creature” aspect that came up when the two ferries refused to blow each other up. I have a hard time believing that in the face of terror and death not a single person would give in and panic. Usually it only takes one person to start a panic and in that panic, someone would have detonated the bomb on the other boat. Perhaps I’m just overly cynical, but I’m still more inclined toward Tommy Lee Jones’ Agent K outlook that while a single person may be intelligent and well-grounded, people as a whole are panicky, fearful, and irrational. It’s one of the reasons that the ship sinking scenes in Titanic are so believable: it shows how people will act in a true crisis. But that is a small nitpick in an otherwise acceptable movie.
Getting back to the Oscars, I believe Mrs. X has already put Slumdog Millionaire on our Netflix queue. It seems like it is a good movie and it would be the first Best Picture winner that I’m interested in seeing since Return of the King. I don’t know if she plans on putting any of the other nominees on the queue. I don’t really have an opinion of the rest and I’m not going to put any effort into seeing them, but I’m not going to say that I won’t watch them.
And at least, most of the political rhetoric was limited to Sean Penn and I had long since gone to bed by that point. Score one for me.
Still, we did see some of the more interesting points. Honestly, we were really only interested in seeing if Heath Ledger would win for the Joker. I seem to be a real late comer to this party and I still stand by my original statement that as good as his performance was, I don’t think he would have actually won the award had he not died. Nothing against the performance but it has more to do with the Academy’s view of the superhero genre: these types of movies are allowed to win technical awards, but to treat them on the same level as the arthouse fare that generally wins would be beneath one’s dignity. Now, I must say that I haven’t seen any of the other performances, but my gut tells me that if Ledger had not died, the award may well have gone to Josh Brolin given how his performance in Milk was talked up at various points. But that is just my opinion.
Now, while I’m on the subject, I actually watched The Dark Knight for the first time on Friday. It was okay but in my opinion it was not the tour-de-force that many people seemed to make it out to be. It had great promise to start out. Unlike your traditional comic book movie, DK seemed to be trying to get back to its detective roots and not just make Batman some guy who beats up other people with neat gadgets for two hours. Even the introduction of the Joker with no worries about his backstory but just as a new player on the scene felt more authentic.
However, the movie tried to do too much. The introduction of Two-Face didn’t help and detracted from the confrontation with the Joker at the end of the movie. In fact, trying to maintain Harvey Dent’s profile and push the love triangle made the rest of the movie feel rushed. There should have been a lot less of this aspect and more savoring of reign of terror unleashed by the Joker. In many ways, this movie would have been well served to have been expanded into an HBO type miniseries. This format would have given a lot more time to appreciate some of the nuances of the overarching story.
There was only one other little aspect of the movie that I didn’t like and that was the whole “man is a noble creature” aspect that came up when the two ferries refused to blow each other up. I have a hard time believing that in the face of terror and death not a single person would give in and panic. Usually it only takes one person to start a panic and in that panic, someone would have detonated the bomb on the other boat. Perhaps I’m just overly cynical, but I’m still more inclined toward Tommy Lee Jones’ Agent K outlook that while a single person may be intelligent and well-grounded, people as a whole are panicky, fearful, and irrational. It’s one of the reasons that the ship sinking scenes in Titanic are so believable: it shows how people will act in a true crisis. But that is a small nitpick in an otherwise acceptable movie.
Getting back to the Oscars, I believe Mrs. X has already put Slumdog Millionaire on our Netflix queue. It seems like it is a good movie and it would be the first Best Picture winner that I’m interested in seeing since Return of the King. I don’t know if she plans on putting any of the other nominees on the queue. I don’t really have an opinion of the rest and I’m not going to put any effort into seeing them, but I’m not going to say that I won’t watch them.
And at least, most of the political rhetoric was limited to Sean Penn and I had long since gone to bed by that point. Score one for me.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Danger in the Air
Mr. Obama gave a speech on his mortgage plan at an advanced placement high school in Arizona yesterday.
One student watched the speech from his classroom on TV and said that he didn't agree with the way Mr. Obama was going about this. He also wore a T-shirt with Mr. Obama's picture on it with the phrase "Hitler gave good speeches too."
The crowd is starting to get a little testy.
One student watched the speech from his classroom on TV and said that he didn't agree with the way Mr. Obama was going about this. He also wore a T-shirt with Mr. Obama's picture on it with the phrase "Hitler gave good speeches too."
The crowd is starting to get a little testy.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Work Intellegence
I keep a Bible at my desk to remind me a few things about work now and again:
Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.
A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own 0pinions.
Proverbs 17:28, 18:2
Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.
A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own 0pinions.
Proverbs 17:28, 18:2
Monday, February 16, 2009
Fuzzy Molech
Pioneers of Tomorrow gained fame with their theft of Mickey Mouse to create Farfour the Mouse. Typically, Farfour created more stir because of the theft of intellectual property rather than the death and hate that he spewed. Hamas turned this into an opportunity by having Farfour killed by Jewish settlers.
He was then replaced by Nahoul the Bee. Nahoul died due to the Jewish "blockade" denying him medicines. Then came Assud the Rabbit who actually spoke of eating Jewish flesh. Assud was killed during Operation: Cast Lead.
The latest iteration of the Hamas cute character of death is Nassur the Bear. Feel the hate.
He was then replaced by Nahoul the Bee. Nahoul died due to the Jewish "blockade" denying him medicines. Then came Assud the Rabbit who actually spoke of eating Jewish flesh. Assud was killed during Operation: Cast Lead.
The latest iteration of the Hamas cute character of death is Nassur the Bear. Feel the hate.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
A Long Way from Schindler
I was reading an article and in the comments someone posted some interesting comments regarding The Reader. This comes up as both the movie and Kate Winslet have been nominated for Oscars, with Winslet being favored to win Best Actress.
The plot involves the main character having to deal with his feelings upon finding out that a woman (Winslet) who cared for him as a teenager (and with whom he had a sexual relationship) did a lot of terrible things while working for the Nazis. That in itself isn't bad and makes for good drama. However, the commenter pointed out that Winslet's character is portrayed in a very sympathetic light and he felt that the director was working hard to make you feel sorry for her in the fact that she can't read, which drives a portion of the story.
What irritated him though was the fact that this character was treated in this light and the fact that she is technically a pedophile and that while working for the Nazi's she sent hundreds of people to be gassed is rather glossed over. To give it a contrast, in Schindler's List Amon Göth is never given a sympathetic moment. He is given a moment to repent of his crimes (though he declines it), but even with that we are never put in to a position where we it is suggested that we feel sorry that he is an alcoholic psychopath.
I would like to believe that Hollywood would never get to the point where they put out a movie suggesting that the Jews deserved what happened to them. However, as the survivors and perpetrators of the Holocaust die off, I wouldn't be surprised if we see a lot more of this nuanced storytelling where characters previously portrayed as evil are given a more sympathetic light.
The plot involves the main character having to deal with his feelings upon finding out that a woman (Winslet) who cared for him as a teenager (and with whom he had a sexual relationship) did a lot of terrible things while working for the Nazis. That in itself isn't bad and makes for good drama. However, the commenter pointed out that Winslet's character is portrayed in a very sympathetic light and he felt that the director was working hard to make you feel sorry for her in the fact that she can't read, which drives a portion of the story.
What irritated him though was the fact that this character was treated in this light and the fact that she is technically a pedophile and that while working for the Nazi's she sent hundreds of people to be gassed is rather glossed over. To give it a contrast, in Schindler's List Amon Göth is never given a sympathetic moment. He is given a moment to repent of his crimes (though he declines it), but even with that we are never put in to a position where we it is suggested that we feel sorry that he is an alcoholic psychopath.
I would like to believe that Hollywood would never get to the point where they put out a movie suggesting that the Jews deserved what happened to them. However, as the survivors and perpetrators of the Holocaust die off, I wouldn't be surprised if we see a lot more of this nuanced storytelling where characters previously portrayed as evil are given a more sympathetic light.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Israeli Follow-up
With 99% of the vote counted, Kadima has about a 30,000 vote lead, which equates to a one-seat victory over Likud (28-27). However, the soldier vote has not been counted yet so that could narrow Kadima's lead to the point that Likud could pull into a tie.
Either way, it's pretty much certain that the right-wing parties beat out the left-wing parties by about 10 seats. This means that even though Kadima might have the largest single bloc, a majority of the Knesset will recommend to Shimon Peres (President of the Knesset) that Likud be given the first opportunity to form the government. Likud will probably not be able to do that unless it pulls in at least one left party and Kadima would be the most logical choice. However, if Likud can get Shas (11) and Israel, Our Home (14) to play ball, they could pull Labor (13) into the government to make up the difference.
There will be some gymnastics yet to come.
Either way, it's pretty much certain that the right-wing parties beat out the left-wing parties by about 10 seats. This means that even though Kadima might have the largest single bloc, a majority of the Knesset will recommend to Shimon Peres (President of the Knesset) that Likud be given the first opportunity to form the government. Likud will probably not be able to do that unless it pulls in at least one left party and Kadima would be the most logical choice. However, if Likud can get Shas (11) and Israel, Our Home (14) to play ball, they could pull Labor (13) into the government to make up the difference.
There will be some gymnastics yet to come.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Election Day
- in Israel.
At the time of this post, it's about 7 PM. Israeli polls close at 10 PM, although they may stay open a little later due to some severe storms that have rolled through during the day. Overall turnout is estimated to be around 70-75%.
Word has it that Likud and Kadima are running neck and neck with several of the smaller right-wing partys picking up seats, especially at the expense of the Arab parties. I'll try and update again when I can see some exit polling data (should be around 3 PM EST).
UPDATE:
Exit polls indicate that Kadima leads Likud by 2 seats, but that right-wing parties in general beat the left 65-55. Full results will probably not be available until the wee hours, Israel time. Early talk is about a possible National Unity government. We'll see when we have full results tomorrow.
At the time of this post, it's about 7 PM. Israeli polls close at 10 PM, although they may stay open a little later due to some severe storms that have rolled through during the day. Overall turnout is estimated to be around 70-75%.
Word has it that Likud and Kadima are running neck and neck with several of the smaller right-wing partys picking up seats, especially at the expense of the Arab parties. I'll try and update again when I can see some exit polling data (should be around 3 PM EST).
UPDATE:
Exit polls indicate that Kadima leads Likud by 2 seats, but that right-wing parties in general beat the left 65-55. Full results will probably not be available until the wee hours, Israel time. Early talk is about a possible National Unity government. We'll see when we have full results tomorrow.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Presidential Trivia
I know it's way too early to discuss Mr. Obama's reelection, but I saw a very interesting bit of trivia as it relates to his potential situation.
In the 220 years of the presidency, only once have we had three two-term presidents serve in a row: Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. So if Mr. Obama wins reelection in 2012, he can set another bit of history.
In the 220 years of the presidency, only once have we had three two-term presidents serve in a row: Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. So if Mr. Obama wins reelection in 2012, he can set another bit of history.
Monday, February 02, 2009
Paging Mr. Gore
It would appear that I will be shovelling more Global Warming off the driveway in the near future. Not only did Phil (and Chuck) see their shadows, but volcanoes in Alaska and Japan are currently expelling ash and sulphur-dioxide into the air. This will further screen out heat from the sun and drop us down a degree or two over the next few months.
Gonna be cold for a bit yet.
Gonna be cold for a bit yet.
Meh
I’ve seen a couple of reviews trying to describe this as the best Super Bowl ever. In that, they are woefully mistaken. The 100-yard touchdown return was interesting, mostly for the incompetence that the Cardinals showed in their ability to knock Harrison even out of bounds and going to the locker room down 10-7. But the rest of the game stank until the fourth quarter. Usually there is some ebb and flow in a good game. This game was all one-sided with no rhythm until the tail end of the third quarter and into the fourth quarter. Then it got good.
I don’t like the Steelers and I can’t say that I’m happy that they won, but unlike three years ago, there is no question that they won this game straight up. I still don’t think they should have won Super Bowl XL but that’s the past. In this one, they legitimately earned everything and there were no phantom penalties on the last drive to aid them. The only penalty that I saw that I disagreed with was the roughing the passer penalty that was called mid-way through the third quarter on Arizona. Even then, some might argue that the defender shouldn’t have shoved Roethlesburger with a blow in the back like he did. It’s quarterbacks in dresses to me, but we’ve seen it before at least. But the Steelers won this one fair and square.
Now to the ads. I think I’ve mentioned every year how the ads don’t live up to expectations and seem to get worse every year. This year seemed particularly bad. The highest rated ads as I heard them coming in were the two Doritos ads, two of the Budweiser Clydesdales ads (lovers and stick retrieval), and something else, perhaps one of the talking baby ads. Of all of these, only the Doritos crystal ball ad was any good and even that only because of the hitting the boss in the stomach at the end. Budweiser shot complete blanks this year in my opinion.
Mrs. X liked the Bob Dylan Pepsi ad, but she has a great affinity for the song they used. I don’t and thought the ad was a little dry. It was better than a lot of the other ads, but I can’t say that it was particularly entertaining for me either. For me personally, the only two ads that I liked were the Potato Head Bridgestone ad and the Career Builder ad, though I would qualify that the Career Builder ad went on a little long, losing a little power of the joke.
So it was thoroughly Meh Super Bowl, made even more meh by the fact that Toddler X chose this night to throw a total temper tantrum by refusing to put her toys away and then getting even madder when we meted out punishment in the form of no bedtime story or songs. We did get her calmed down eventually and she went to sleep almost instantly, but it made for an unhappy bedtime. Hopefully tonight will be a little better.
I don’t like the Steelers and I can’t say that I’m happy that they won, but unlike three years ago, there is no question that they won this game straight up. I still don’t think they should have won Super Bowl XL but that’s the past. In this one, they legitimately earned everything and there were no phantom penalties on the last drive to aid them. The only penalty that I saw that I disagreed with was the roughing the passer penalty that was called mid-way through the third quarter on Arizona. Even then, some might argue that the defender shouldn’t have shoved Roethlesburger with a blow in the back like he did. It’s quarterbacks in dresses to me, but we’ve seen it before at least. But the Steelers won this one fair and square.
Now to the ads. I think I’ve mentioned every year how the ads don’t live up to expectations and seem to get worse every year. This year seemed particularly bad. The highest rated ads as I heard them coming in were the two Doritos ads, two of the Budweiser Clydesdales ads (lovers and stick retrieval), and something else, perhaps one of the talking baby ads. Of all of these, only the Doritos crystal ball ad was any good and even that only because of the hitting the boss in the stomach at the end. Budweiser shot complete blanks this year in my opinion.
Mrs. X liked the Bob Dylan Pepsi ad, but she has a great affinity for the song they used. I don’t and thought the ad was a little dry. It was better than a lot of the other ads, but I can’t say that it was particularly entertaining for me either. For me personally, the only two ads that I liked were the Potato Head Bridgestone ad and the Career Builder ad, though I would qualify that the Career Builder ad went on a little long, losing a little power of the joke.
So it was thoroughly Meh Super Bowl, made even more meh by the fact that Toddler X chose this night to throw a total temper tantrum by refusing to put her toys away and then getting even madder when we meted out punishment in the form of no bedtime story or songs. We did get her calmed down eventually and she went to sleep almost instantly, but it made for an unhappy bedtime. Hopefully tonight will be a little better.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
