Here we go. Same drill as always--post in here to discuss the book, once you've either finished it or don't care if you're spoiled. If you're trying to stay clean, stay out.
I get my copy in a few hours. See you later in the weekend.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
The New Wheels
Well, the 1996 Chevrolet Lumina finally gave up the ghost. Probably just a dead battery in the heat, but given all the other crap wrong with it, not even that was worth fixing. I do have to say Chevy does make a good, long-lasting car. But, it's time for Stevis to do his part to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and improve U.S. security by incrementally disentangling the nation from foreign oil supplies.
That's right. I'm now one of those jerks with a Prius passing you at the pump:
You have to look at me in the last photo, because Julie refused to pose seductively on the hood.
Just picked it up Saturday; signed the papers Thursday. Wanted the Barcelona Red Metallic but had to settle for the Magnetic Gray, since I didn't want to go two weeks without a car.
My softball buddies commented that it was a uniquely bumper-sticker free Prius. Many, of course, will be adorned with the pro-environment and liberal messages of their owners. I figure on not using my car to speak for me, though I may add some goofy ones. I say the same thing about that as I did to Julie in agreeing with her about not getting the "Clean Special Fuels" vanity plate that Virgina offers: It's a Prius. By its very shape, it announces "I am a self-righteous jackass who tuts and looks down his nose at your SUV."
Still figuring out all the bells and whistles, but of course the energy monitor on the touch screen is addictive, and not terribly conducive to maintaining situational awareness. Though I remain completely geeked about the regenerative breaking. I'd shudder to see the spike in accident rates for the first month of owning a Prius. Still have to figure out how to turn off the backup beep, too. (hint, hint).
That's right. I'm now one of those jerks with a Prius passing you at the pump:
You have to look at me in the last photo, because Julie refused to pose seductively on the hood.
Just picked it up Saturday; signed the papers Thursday. Wanted the Barcelona Red Metallic but had to settle for the Magnetic Gray, since I didn't want to go two weeks without a car.
My softball buddies commented that it was a uniquely bumper-sticker free Prius. Many, of course, will be adorned with the pro-environment and liberal messages of their owners. I figure on not using my car to speak for me, though I may add some goofy ones. I say the same thing about that as I did to Julie in agreeing with her about not getting the "Clean Special Fuels" vanity plate that Virgina offers: It's a Prius. By its very shape, it announces "I am a self-righteous jackass who tuts and looks down his nose at your SUV."
Still figuring out all the bells and whistles, but of course the energy monitor on the touch screen is addictive, and not terribly conducive to maintaining situational awareness. Though I remain completely geeked about the regenerative breaking. I'd shudder to see the spike in accident rates for the first month of owning a Prius. Still have to figure out how to turn off the backup beep, too. (hint, hint).
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Peak Helium
Hell with oil & gas, we're about to run out of balloon fuel! Helium shortages are here due to decreased U.S. reserves (helium is usually found in natural gas reserves, as a byproduct of underground radioactive decays) and problems getting plants online overseas. Liquid helium is used to cool things close to absolute zero, and with huge increases in demand from the medical industry (it's used to cool magnets needed for MRI scanners), NASA using a tremendous amount to purge lines in the Space Shuttle systems, and the needs of low-temperature research, quotas are being put on users and budgets are de facto shrinking because an increasing percentage must be used for the helium.
The irony is that helium is the second most abundant element in the universe, formed both during the early universe and in stars.We can't easily liquefy the helium in the sun, however.
So lay off the balloons. Science needs the light elements more!
The irony is that helium is the second most abundant element in the universe, formed both during the early universe and in stars.We can't easily liquefy the helium in the sun, however.
So lay off the balloons. Science needs the light elements more!
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Typhoon Gonu
It takes a hurricane to get me out of my posting doldrums...caused by wedding planning and a lot of Little League umpiring. Anyway, Tropical Cyclone Gonu is about to slam Oman, before veering into Iran. Neither of these places ever sees any hurricanes, let alone a Cat 5...althgouh it's weakened to a Cat 1 at the brush-by of, or landfall in, Oman. Oman in particular is a land built on dry riverbeds (perfect for conducting storm surges, one presumes) and could be in serious trouble.
Follow along, if you're a junkie like me, at Jeff Marsters' blog (guest-blogged while he's on vacation) and Margie Keiper's as well.
Follow along, if you're a junkie like me, at Jeff Marsters' blog (guest-blogged while he's on vacation) and Margie Keiper's as well.
Monday, April 09, 2007
The Makers of Equal™ are Whiny Losers
Merisant, makers of Equal brand aspartame, are suing the makers of Splenda™ (McNeil Nutrutionals) claiming that their "starts from sugar" claims are false.
Now what Merisant is doing here, to this lay person's eye, is filing false advertising claims. I'm sorry, that's a consumer protection issue, isn't it? How is that the competitor's concern? I suppose the false advertising hurts Equal's market share, but they could just as easily have a better product. After all, Splenda is not covering up a known danger or poisonous behavior of their product. It looks to me like they're just trying to sue as an alternative business model, as SCO and Diebold have tried.
Of course, as a result of researching this post, I learned that there's a sweetening herb named after me.
Now what Merisant is doing here, to this lay person's eye, is filing false advertising claims. I'm sorry, that's a consumer protection issue, isn't it? How is that the competitor's concern? I suppose the false advertising hurts Equal's market share, but they could just as easily have a better product. After all, Splenda is not covering up a known danger or poisonous behavior of their product. It looks to me like they're just trying to sue as an alternative business model, as SCO and Diebold have tried.
Of course, as a result of researching this post, I learned that there's a sweetening herb named after me.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Saturday, March 24, 2007
An Amateur Watches The General
A 1927 Blog-a-thon Contributory Post
Julie and I watched The General this weekend. This is the first silent film I’ve ever seen in its entirety. I decided, as I am not versed in film technique not the history of the era, to approach it with a modern eye. Not a jaundiced, cynical one, however, as I had heard good things and expected to be entertained. I am writing with an eye to others with this unfamiliarity; so expect some recapping in here with my thoughts.
For those who haven’t seen the film, Johnny Gray (Buster Keaton) is a train engineer in an unspecified Southern location—though it must be near Chattanooga—when Ft. Sumter is fired upon. As the woman he is a-courtin’ has a father and brother who enlist, she insists he does as well—though when he tries, they refuse him--he is too valuable as a train engineer to the logistical effort. Naturally, his woman snubs him and doesn’t want to speak to him “until he is wearing a uniform.” Some time later, his train—which unbeknownst to him, carries his beloved as a passenger—is hijacked by a Union special ops squad, which intends to destroy the supplies therein and the supply line to the front. Gray grabs a separate engine to pursue, and hijinks ensue.
My first though was to wonder why our heroes were Confederates. Was it not as hard to sympathize with the Southern cause in those days? Nothing really awful is ever portrayed—it could have been any two warring sides, and the attempts by both the Union and later Gray to damage the rail lines to hold up supplies are certainly within standards of war. The only black persons I saw were unloading passengers just before the hijacking. But as I think back to the pro-South portrayal in Birth of a Nation--which I’ve also on read about—I’m curious about the turn-of-the-century view of the Civil War. Or, as I should say residing in Virginia, the War between the States.
My next impression, as a modern viewer, was that the best analog to what Keaton was doing might be a Jackie Chan film. This isn’t a comedy so much as an action adventure film that doesn’t take itself seriously—the comedy comes from the haplessness of our hero, and the times he and the Union soldiers are victims of physical gags. Specifically, what made me think of Chan films was the elaborate use of objects from the background environment. At one point, Gray leaves the line from a water tank, soaking his pursuers; in another, he gets a fun sight gag out of attempting to steal fence rails twice as long as he is tall for locomotive fuels. It strikes me as amazingly kinetic film for the times—although, as I said, I haven’t seen a lot of the silent comedies. The dual train chases give extended energy to the audience, like a beat that causes you to drive a little faster. While the set pieces are funny, they are also amazing in a way that makes you grin rather than chortle. I felt more like it was a fun ride that make me smile, than a side-spliter in which the plot steered me to the next laugh.
I was also struck by the brilliance of Keaton’s portrayal of Gray’s innocent bewilderment at events around him. Several times, he attempts to deal with a problem or obstruction, only to solve it (or for it to resolve itself) while his back is turned. For example, his engine starts to move without him, or a car blocking his way switches to a side track without him seeing. His confused look really sells his predicament to the audience.
The last thing that I wanted to mention was the clever way pieces of the film meshed into each other—very little was extraneous or unrelated to anything else. Not to give away (any more) of the best bits, but the uniform line I quoted above is not left without a callback, and several important discoveries or successes for Gray are set up by previous serendipitous failures or difficulties. There’s an economy to this film that encourages you to take it all in along the way.
OK, if you haven’t seen this, I can’t recommend it strongly enough. The disc Julie received from Netflix also had two other shorter pieces from Keaton on it (The Playhouse and Cops), both of which were brilliant as well. Seemed to be a 1995 copyright, if you’re casting about at your favorite rental or purchase place.
Julie and I watched The General this weekend. This is the first silent film I’ve ever seen in its entirety. I decided, as I am not versed in film technique not the history of the era, to approach it with a modern eye. Not a jaundiced, cynical one, however, as I had heard good things and expected to be entertained. I am writing with an eye to others with this unfamiliarity; so expect some recapping in here with my thoughts.
For those who haven’t seen the film, Johnny Gray (Buster Keaton) is a train engineer in an unspecified Southern location—though it must be near Chattanooga—when Ft. Sumter is fired upon. As the woman he is a-courtin’ has a father and brother who enlist, she insists he does as well—though when he tries, they refuse him--he is too valuable as a train engineer to the logistical effort. Naturally, his woman snubs him and doesn’t want to speak to him “until he is wearing a uniform.” Some time later, his train—which unbeknownst to him, carries his beloved as a passenger—is hijacked by a Union special ops squad, which intends to destroy the supplies therein and the supply line to the front. Gray grabs a separate engine to pursue, and hijinks ensue.
My first though was to wonder why our heroes were Confederates. Was it not as hard to sympathize with the Southern cause in those days? Nothing really awful is ever portrayed—it could have been any two warring sides, and the attempts by both the Union and later Gray to damage the rail lines to hold up supplies are certainly within standards of war. The only black persons I saw were unloading passengers just before the hijacking. But as I think back to the pro-South portrayal in Birth of a Nation--which I’ve also on read about—I’m curious about the turn-of-the-century view of the Civil War. Or, as I should say residing in Virginia, the War between the States.
My next impression, as a modern viewer, was that the best analog to what Keaton was doing might be a Jackie Chan film. This isn’t a comedy so much as an action adventure film that doesn’t take itself seriously—the comedy comes from the haplessness of our hero, and the times he and the Union soldiers are victims of physical gags. Specifically, what made me think of Chan films was the elaborate use of objects from the background environment. At one point, Gray leaves the line from a water tank, soaking his pursuers; in another, he gets a fun sight gag out of attempting to steal fence rails twice as long as he is tall for locomotive fuels. It strikes me as amazingly kinetic film for the times—although, as I said, I haven’t seen a lot of the silent comedies. The dual train chases give extended energy to the audience, like a beat that causes you to drive a little faster. While the set pieces are funny, they are also amazing in a way that makes you grin rather than chortle. I felt more like it was a fun ride that make me smile, than a side-spliter in which the plot steered me to the next laugh.
I was also struck by the brilliance of Keaton’s portrayal of Gray’s innocent bewilderment at events around him. Several times, he attempts to deal with a problem or obstruction, only to solve it (or for it to resolve itself) while his back is turned. For example, his engine starts to move without him, or a car blocking his way switches to a side track without him seeing. His confused look really sells his predicament to the audience.
The last thing that I wanted to mention was the clever way pieces of the film meshed into each other—very little was extraneous or unrelated to anything else. Not to give away (any more) of the best bits, but the uniform line I quoted above is not left without a callback, and several important discoveries or successes for Gray are set up by previous serendipitous failures or difficulties. There’s an economy to this film that encourages you to take it all in along the way.
OK, if you haven’t seen this, I can’t recommend it strongly enough. The disc Julie received from Netflix also had two other shorter pieces from Keaton on it (The Playhouse and Cops), both of which were brilliant as well. Seemed to be a 1995 copyright, if you’re casting about at your favorite rental or purchase place.
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